Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race
by MegaBauer
Summary: A Retelling and continuation of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man Cartoon universe. First ten "Episodes" complete. Now featuring all-new stories taking place after the end of the show. Currently on Episode 14.
1. Episode 1: Defender of the Human Race

_**"Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race"  
><strong>The story is rated** "T" **for content reasons. (Violence, language - including infrequent crude languange -, mild sexuality, violence against female characters, descriptions of terrorist attacks and descriptions of capivity.)_

_**"Mega Man" and all characters and events therein: copyright 1987-2012, Capcom.**_

_**"Mega Man" the cartoon series: copyright 1994-1997, Ruby-Spears Productions.**_

_**All original characters and concepts not featured in the show or the games are created by me (MegaBauer, your friendly author.)**_

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><p><strong>An introduction from the author:<br>**Let me start be saying this. I was a HUGE fan of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon show as a kid, and I still love the show to this day.  
>I know this will sound corny, but this show helped make me into what I am today. This show made me want to write and create.<br>So, I take great care and pride in any Mega Man work that I do and try to treat it with the respect it deserves.  
>If you are reading this, then there is a good chance that you wereare a fan of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon as well (or, you're one of the people who I've kindly asked to read this project.) I hope that over the course of this new series that you will enjoy it and be entertained by it and that I can do justice to the show.

Now, Welcome to **"Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race,"** a half-retelling/half-continuation of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon universe. If you've never seen the show before, don't worry, you don't have to.  
>This story is a more serious and dramatic version of the Ruby Spears Mega Man universe and will start with a new version of Mega Man's origin story, and will be followed by a continuation of the origins that takes place before the first actual episode of the show took place. One of the installments I plan on posting will take place just before the end of the run of the cartoon with my own adaptation of one of the more remembered episodes (I know others on this site have already done the episode, but my version will - hopefully - be specifically tailored to match the story I'm trying to tell here), and then, all stories taking place after that will be a continuation of the Ruby-Spears continuity (Essentially, Year Three and Year Four... and hopefully, if I still have the willpower by then, Year 5.)<br>However, I have taken creative liecense to make a few changes to the cartoon timeline.**  
><strong>They are as follows...**  
>-The flashback in "The Beginning" is now the first installment of this story.<br>-For storyline reasons, the "Mega X" episode doesn't take place.  
>-For storyline reasons, the 'Second Season' now ends with the events of "Bro Bots," therefore "Crime of the Century" now takes place before that.<br>-_Those three episodes_ (featuring The Genie, The MonsterBots and The Lion Men) no longer take place... because, they shouldn't.  
>-Also, in my version of the story, Dr. Light's lab has more of a flat roof at the top of that egg-like structure. It's for minor story reasons.<br>-Finally, The Governor of New York looks totally different in my story than he did in the episode "Electric Nightmare." And the Chief of Police is also a totally different character as well.**

**Another note (sorry about all of these notes): **My series is not related to, and should not be confused with, BlackRussian's excellent "_Mega Man: Recut_" series, which is her own retelling of the Ruby-Spears universe. I am going for a much different interpretation of the story than the one BlackRussian is using for her story. So, please don't accuse me of ripping off another author, as I am not.

**Yet another note on the updated episode 1 chapters:** Longtime readers will probably notice that the following eleven chapters look a little differently now. These are the "special edition" chapters I made reference to recently.  
>There are some new scenes and some new additions along the way... and it looks a lot nicer now too.<p>

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><p><strong>EPISODE 1: Defender of the Human Race.<strong>  
><em>(Based partially on events featured in the episode<strong> "The Beginning" <strong>by Mark Jones.)_

**The following takes place before the first season of the Mega Man cartoon show.**

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><p><strong>The year is 20X1.<strong>

**The future is now. The world in which we live in today is a much different place than it was in the past.**  
><strong>Issues that plagued the planet in the past like poverty, greed, environmental decay, hatred and terrorism are almost all but a distant memory.<strong>  
><strong>While there are still issues like crime, drugs and occasional political squabbling, the world of the future is a nearly blissful place.<strong>  
><strong>Even the pipe dream of the Flying Car has finally become a reality.<strong>

**Most importantly, humans now live in perfect harmony with both one another and with artificial lifeforms, or _robots_ as they are called.**  
><strong>Not only do humans peacefully co-exist with robots, but robots are viewed as a valuable asset to society, performing tasks that would be too <strong>**dangerous for humans, as well as serve as personal assistants to them.**

**But, tonight is the night that this bright and wonderful future will slowly change into something else entirely, starting off a chain of events that ****will ultimately change the entire world along with it.**

**From this point on, there is no turning back... peace is about to be shattered... _war_ is about to begin...**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The REAL Beginning.<strong>_

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><p><strong>At a laboratory just outside of New York City, New York.<strong>

Here, lying flat on a cold metallic work table in the middle of this laboratory is the world's first _humanoid_ robot. The robot has yet to be activated, but in a few short minutes, he will powered-up for the first time.

The robot's appearance resembles that of a handsome young caucasian male in his very late teenage or early college years.  
>His dark brown hair is styled properly, and not a strand is out of place. His skin complexion is flawless and the only clue to indicate that his skin is actually synthetic and not real human flesh is the slight waxy sheen it has, which is only noticeable when it is seen up close.<br>The rest of his body from the neck down is all metal, clad in gray and red pieces of light titanium, serving as a sort of exoskeleton.  
>The only feature of his titanium 'armor' that appears to be abnormal is the size of his red feet, which are oval shaped and bigger than a human's foot.<p>

This robot will not be like all of the other robots in the world... this robot will be the very first of it's kind.  
>He will be the first robot to have a full range of emotions; physical feelings which will alert himself to pain, injury and fatigue; as evidenced by his face, he will be the first robot to look like a human; and lastly, he will have his own free will.<br>The latter is the rogue element of this whole project.

Ever since they were created, robots have done only as they were instructed to do by their human masters, and they would always comply without question, (however, every robot is programmed to never self-terminate if a human would order it to do so. This directive was added to all robots a few years ago after some sick-minded individuals made their robots kill themselves for their idea of fun.)  
>This robot, on the other hand, would be able to make decisions on his own of his own free will, as well as live and learn just like a human would.<br>He will essentially be a _human_ robot.

However, there is a possibility that this new robot could make very dangerous decisions which could result in self-destruction, or worse, the injury or death of a human. The fallout that would follow such an incident would be catastrophic for the future of robotic evolutions. Therefore, over the course of the next few years, he will remain under the care of the two men who created him, both of which are standing nearby and looking over him.

Their names are Doctor Thomas Xavier Light and Doctor Albert W. Wily.

Thomas Light was a college graduate and came from a model family with strong moral values and because of his upbringing, he is a good person. Thomas believes that all robots - and technology in general - can serve to benefit mankind.

Thomas has always had a fascination with robots, dating back to when he was a child. When he was in Junior High, he won top prize in his science contest for creating a robot that had voice recognition software and did exactly what Thomas instructed it to do. The robot itself more or less resembled a steel box with wheels and other knick-knacks attached.

Personally, Thomas always dreamed of having children, but never had time for a relationship. Thomas did have two long-term relationships with womans over the years, but they had fizzled out over time, because he always ended up pulling all-nighters with Wily at the lab as they trying to perfect their first robotic inventions.  
>He had considered adopting children, but again, Thomas knew he wouldn't have the time he would need to be a parent to them as science always came first.<br>But, despite his personal shortcomings, Thomas has had a very fortunate life... Albert's life story, on the other hand, is drastically and tragically different.

Albert Wily is a German immigrant and is the son of an abusive alcoholic father. As a boy, Wily was always afraid and he knew very little about love. It didn't help that when Wily was two, his mother had _'disappeared'_ (although some believed that his father may have played a part in that, but was never charged).

The young Wily would be beaten regularly by his father, even when he thought he wasn't misbehaving. He had no friends, nor toys when he was a child. Other kids at school mocked him too. Wily spent a lot of time upset as a child, which led to more beatings from his father for _'not acting like a man.'_

The only thing Albert had was his education and he was clearly the smartest kid in his school and excelled in almost every subject he ever tackled. As he got older, he too was intrigued by robotics. He rented out library books and movies that prominently featured robots and cyborgs and binged himself on the subject matter and studied feverishly on robotics. He enjoyed studying because he was away from his father more often than not.

As a teenager, Albert began to get more reclusive and became the _'silent kid,'_ the one who you are always told to watch out for. In fact, he began hearing things in his head that resembled voices.  
>After another beating by his father, Wily violently fought back, and he did so with a smile on his face. He brutalized his father with a wrench and all the while, the smile on his face became wider and more sadistic, and he began laughing with the most frightening shriek that could possibly be imagined. He <em>enjoyed<em> returning all of the beatings to his father.

Wily gathered his things and ran away from home. He later learned that his father was killed in a drunk driving accident. Albert showed no remorse, actually spitting on his father's grave after he was buried.  
>Soon after, Albert ended up learning how to hack into bank accounts undetected and got himself enough money to go to college. It was there that Albert met Thomas Light. They shared a dorm room together and Light actually became a positive influence on Wily, saving him from succumbing to the madness that had tainted his mind.<br>Neither were into the party life that comes with college. Instead, they both put their minds together to make their dreams of creating the world's first life-like robot come true.

Now, so many years later on this cold January night, Thoms and Albert were here in their lab complex, standing over their humanoid robot prototype who about to come to life any minute.

The pair famously developed a series of user-controlled robots in recent years. This series of robots are given objectives by their human instructors and fulfill them to the letter and can be found mainly doing rutine assignments all over the country, serving as baggage carriers at airports, costodial work at several businesses and Taxi drivers. The team also developed the '_PoliceBots' _who serve as partners to human police officers all over the country.

But, all of the robots that Thomas and Albert have invented over the years do not have full free will capabilities like this revolutionary new creation will have, and Wily in particular appears to be a little giddy about this moment, rubbing his hands together.

The two scientists' appearance had changed over the years. The Dr. Light of today has snow white hair and a thick beard and also has a slightly portly frame which is covered by his white labcoat and his casual clothing underneath.  
>Albert Wily - who is also wearing a labcoat, a pink dress shirt, loose red tie and blue jeans - had lost the hair on the top of his head and is left with some dark gray hair that stuck out on the sides and a matching moustache.<br>Wily was taller than Thomas by over a half a foot and appeared to be in good shape for an older man.

Dr. Light makes a final check on the prototype's vital statistics on a handheld computer tablet, marking off the prototype's diagnostic checklist. "Ram checks out... rom checks out. Memory core and neural network are fully functional."

"What shall we name our new robot prototype?" Wily asks his partner with a grin.

Dr. Light looks away from the computer pad to answer his friend's query. "I have decided I will call him... Blues."

The smile on Wily's face melts into a disgusted frown. "_Blues..._? Are you serious?"

Thomas briefly looks up at his partner and looks annoyed as Wily begins mocking, "I can hear the introduction now, Thomas... 'The greatest creation known to man!... ladies and gentlemen... _Blues.'_ What's his special talent? Playing Cab Calloway?"  
>Wily was clearly under-whelmed by Dr. Light's choice of name.<p>

"Do you have a _better_ idea, Albert?" Light asked

"I always do," Wily smirks as he saunters over to the table and studied the robot, stroking his prominent cleft chin. Albert took notice of the robot's metallic body. It looked like has was wearing a superhero outfit, with the gray armor, red boots, arm gauntlets and red briefs. "Well, he looks like a young man, and he's our prototype... I say we call him... Prototype Man!" Wily boasts, holding his hands out as if he was making a grand presentation.

"Too gimmicky," Thomas replies flatly.

"Of _course! _That's not the first time you've shot down one of my ideas," Wily sneers back, grumbling just loud enough for Thomas to hear.

"What was that, Albert?" Dr. Light asks, not taking his eyes off of the computer tablet.

Wily takes a deep breath as he taps his right foot on the floor, trying to surpress his anger as he believes in his paranoid mind that his friend is trying to hold him down again.  
>There are times when Wily's paranoia is so severe, he believes that Dr. Light conspires against him and rejects his ideas only to use something somewhat similar later on. This was not the case at all, however. The ideas that Thomas rejected were too radical, sounding like something an insane man would dream up.<br>This occasional friction has caused Thomas and Albert's working relationship to become strained in recent years, leading to tense moments like this.

"Nothing, Thomas... I apologize," Wily groans, forcing the apology out.

"Now is not the time to start another argument, Albert," Light says.

"Dammit, I said I'm s-... " Wily began to snap before simmering down, "I'm sorry, Thomas. _Okay?_ I am just _a little bit_ restless right now. Our entire adult lives have been spent on who is lying on _this table_ right now," Wily says, forcefully pointing his right index finger downward at the robot, "I just want everything to be perfect, Thomas."

"I know you are... and I too am a bit nervous," Light answers, looking accross at the body of the prototype, "We both have sacraficed much of our personal lives to make this dream a reality. But, sometimes you have to trick your own mind into believing it's another rutine experiment."

"This is not just _any_ damn experiment!" Wily asserts, "This robot will forever change our lives."

"I know he will," Light says, gazing back upon the robot prototype's body, realizing he might finally have the son he always wanted, "He will change my life, most especially."

A moment of silence passes as Dr. Light finishes checking up the prototype's statistics. "_ProtoMan_ would be an adequate name for him, Albert," Thomas compromises.

Wily ponders that name as he begins stroking his moustache. "That works. I'm glad I thought of it!" Wily gloats.

Light shrugs Wily's revisionist self-compliment off and puts his computer tablet down. "It's time."

Light approaches a camera mounted on a tripod and activates it. Once he knows the camera is recording, he states the date and time and gives a brief explanation of what is about to happen. "January 13th, 20X1, 9:39 PM... Dr. Thomas Light speaking, joined by Dr. Albert Wily."

Wily nods, giving a brief wave towards the camera and not saying a word.

"Activation of the humanoid robot prototype, Codename:... _ProtoMan_, is about to take place," Light says, looking peeved when he uses the _ProtoMan_ name instead of _Blues_, but Wily grins when he hears it. Every time Thomas gives in to one of his ideas, Wily considers it a major victory.

"Albert," Dr. Light says, "If you please."

Dr. Wily entered a command on a device that was plugged into a small socket in the back of the prototype robot's neck. This devices gives the robot's internal battery a full charge and when the proces was done, Albert unplugged the device from the prototype and stepped away.

"He should be online any second... and this had better work," Wily grumbles, "Or I lost all my hair for nothing!"

A moment passes and the two scientists watch with anxious anticipation, awaiting their creation to come to life. Then, at last, the robot prototype's eyes open to reveal a set of two piercing blue eyes and he slowly sits up, beginning to experience his first moments alive. Dr. Light smiles with pride and Wily can barely contain his excitement as they watch their creation living.

The robot then scooches off of the work table and stands on his metal feet, which make a _'klank'_ sound when they hit the ground.  
>Wily is almost hooting as he watches his co-creation take his first steps. "He's working! He's working!" Albert peeps.<p>

ProtoMan looks around and finds the two scientists standing nearby. He appears confused and just stares at Dr. Light and Dr. Wily as the scientists approach him cautiously.

"Who are you?" asks ProtoMan, tilting his head.

Dr. Light approaches the prototype with Wily, in awe of what his own hands have brought into ths world at long last, and greets his creation, unable to remove the prideful smile on his bearded face. "I am Dr. Light, and beside me is Dr. Wily."

ProtoMan barely smiles back at them. "Hello. My name is Blues."

Wily's smile disappears again and he shoots Thomas an angry look. "You pre-programmed that stupid name into him?"

"Please, not now, Albert! We can fix it later!" Light says under his breath.

While the name issue annoyed Wily at first, the grin re-appeared on his face soon afterwards. Despite the goofy name Thomas bestowed about their robot prototype, he knew this was the defining moment of their careers and their lives.

"Do you know what you are?" Light asks.

"Yes," ProtoMan (or Blues) answers, "I am a humanoid robot."

"Feel free to take a look around your new home, Blues" Thomas says, gesturing all around the lab with his arms.

ProtoMan walks around the lab and studies his surroundings, looking like somebody who had never seen the world before, facinated, yet seeming lost, like he was a stranger to this new world.  
>His optical circuits search all around this sterile-looking environment, adorned with several computer monitors and electronic equipment. The prototype's eyes study the tall walls of the lab and according to his scanners, this structure appears to be made out of metal not too disimilar from him.<p>

As Thomas and Albert watch their robot studying his new envoronment in awe, Wily can barely contain his excitement. "Thomas, we did it!" Wily blurts, grabbing Thomas by his shoulders, "We have done what all the nay-sayers said could never be done! We're rich... We are _rich_!"

"This is not about money, Albert," Light replies, "We've created a life! He's walking and talking on his own. He'll be able to live his life like we do, with the ability to make his own decisions."

"Indeed. Maybe we'll give him a cut of the profits too!" Wily says, still selfishly stuck on the financial gain ProtoMan will bring him.

"We can create hundreds of industrial and domestic robots based on his design," Light says, dreaming of the future, "Robots for mining operations, marine operations, construction robots. We can even build military robots and demolition robots. All with minds of their own... all for the good of mankind."

The prototype looks at his own face in a mirror that is a few inches taller than he is. He then looks at the rest of his body and appears to be confused. He brings his right hand up to touch his chest armor, then brings his hand up higher to touch the synthetic skin on his face. They both felt so different.

"Why does my face look human and my body doesn't?" the robot asks.

"Your outer body is only temporary. We will have your full human body ready in a few days," Light answers.

"Oh... okay," the robot answers.

"Are you sure about the human body, Thomas?" Wily asks, "The extra layer of metal only _protects_ his endoskeleton. A layer of synthetic skin can get damaged easily."

"I want him to feel normal," Light says quietly, "I don't want him to feel out of place."

After looking at himself in the mirror again, ProtoMan turns back to Albert and Thomas. "Am I the only robot of my kind?" he asks, almost sounding a little bit sad.

Wily steps forward and answers, "For now, yes. Don't worry, my boy, you will have plenty of brothers and sisters very soon."

"A brother?" the robot asks, the lonely expression on his face finally turning into a slight smile, almost resembling a smirk, "... I'd like to have a little brother."

The prototype continues to wander around the lab and Dr. Light watches on with pride and he almost starts crying as he watches the robot smell a flower in a small vase on a nearby desk. Wily watches on as well, quite happy with his creation, but he doesn't feel the fatherly pride that Dr. Light is feeling.  
>Wily only sees the profit he can make from this robot and dreams that maybe he can have enough money to fund what project he wishes... and maybe, put all of that hair back on his head.<p>

But, little do the scientists know, this dream project of theirs is about to take a turn for the worst.

The robot begins to feel something inside of himself... something terrible. The data could be called 'pain', since it was sharp and hot, causing a severe amount of discomfort. The pain started in his left hand, and then it quickly began to race to the back of his neck.

"Something's wrong!" Dr. Light said, looking on concerned.

"Wrong?" Wily asks his partner, "What could be wrong?"

The prototype began to wince as he began to feel a sharp stabbing sensation in both of his craniums. He grabs his head and begins to stumble to his knees, suffering in agony and he didn't know why this was happening.

"Blues!" cried Dr. Light.

Light and Dr. Wily rush to their robot's side to help him, but he swings his arm, knocking Wily off of his feet and down to the floor, then he shoves Dr. Light away with a primal yell.

"Get away from me!" the robot barks as he runs towards a wall. When he reaches the wall, the robot swings his arms and plows himself through the wall, leaving a colossal hole in it.

"Stop!" Dr. Light shouts, "I command you to stop, now!"

The prototype ignores the order and makes his way towards a large piece of equipment in the storage room he just barged into. He didn't know what the thing was or what it did to make him target it, but he didn't like it and begins bashing it with his fists and ripping it apart.  
>He now has a new feeling inside of him: anger. Where it came from, he didn't know, but, it's there now. When he attacked his creators and tore down the wall, the pain eased and he felt good again, but his inner rage continued forcing him to bash the machine in front of him.<p>

Dr. Wily gets back up and grabs a remote, frantically pressing the button meant to shut-off the robot. But, it wasn't responding. Maybe the frequency wasn't properly set or it was a glitch in the robot's systems.  
>"Work, damn you! WORK!" Albert yells at the remote.<p>

"It's no use," said Thomas, "The only way to shut him down is manually."

Throwing the remote down, Wily quickly grabs an electro magnetic shock prod, which he keeps here at the lab in case of emergencies like this, despite Thomas' objections.

"NO!" Dr. Light shouts, grabbing Wily by the arm, "You'll hurt him with that!"

"He's going to kill us both! I have to use it!" Wily shrieks.

"I _won't_ let you harm him!" Light snaps, angry with his partner.

As the two doctors struggle over the shock weapon outside of the hole in the wall made by their creation, a sizable piece of the machine in front of the raging prototype breaks off and falls. The robot looks up to see what is about to fall on him and he lets out a horrified gasp before the debris falls on top of him, damaging his titanium exoskeleton.

"Oh, no!" Light gasps as he walks through the huge hole. Dr. Wily follows him inside, desperately hoping that his big cash bonanza did not just kill itself.

Dr. Light gets down on his knees and cries out the robot's original name as he shakes his lifeless body. "Blues! It's Dr. Light! Can you hear me?"

The robot remains stiff and unresponsive, his eyes now closed. After several unanswered calls by the two creators, Wily gives up.

"Wonderful! Absolutely damn _wonderful_!" Wily whines as he gets up and storms out in a fit of anger.

"Albert!" Light snaps, "Get back here now! He's injured!"

Dr. Light's stern request for assistance fell on deaf ears as Dr. Wily kept walking away. Thomas stayed with his creation, however, not leaving his side and holding his right hand. Since this was the closest thing to a son he's ever had, Dr. Light felt an obligation to treat him as such and protect him.

Thomas is still displeased with Albert being so willing to use that abomination of a weapon on the prototype like he was some convict. The poor robot was suffering enough as it was, he didn't need even more pain.  
>Thomas could hear Wily spraying his German obscenities in the main lab area. If this was anything like his other blowups, Dr. Light had a feeling that Albert would just come back, because he wants this project to be a success just as much as Light does.<p>

Sure enough, Wily came back with a floating mechanical gurney and the two doctors begin loading their creation on top of it so they can diagnose him properly, but the two scientists nearly can't handle the weight of the prototype's body as they hoist him onto the gurney.

"He weighs a damned ton!" Albert complains.

"Please Albert, prepare the diagnostic equipment right away," Thomas orders as he moves his creation back into the lab.

Wily groans, "I knew we should have given him a helmet!"

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><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_I always felt that ProtoMan deserved a much better origin story than the one he got on the show. He's also no longer a 3 feet tall little boy robot like he was in The Beginning._

_Also, what do you think of the dark backstory for Wily? (You're going to be seeing a lot more of it in the future.)_

_For those of you who don't know, Cab Calloway was a performer who was seen in the Blues Brothers movie._

_The story continues on chapter 2.  
><em>_(Don't worry, unlike the old days of staying up at 6:00 AM to watch the Mega Man cartoon, there will be no ads for Bumble Bolters, or Carzillas or Mr. Bucket before the next chapter begins!)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, it would be much appreciated. Of course if you've already left a review, I don't know if you are able to leave a new review. Also, if you catch any typos, let me know via a PM._


	2. Separate Ways

_**Chapter 2: Separate Ways.**_

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><p>It has been over an hour since BluesProtoMan had his outburst and Doctors Light and Wily have been reviewing the video of the prototype's only moments alive, assessing the damage he sustained and speculating on what went wrong with him. Both scientists watch the video of the prototype robot taking his first steps in the lab, but Thomas inparticular watches on with sorrow in his eyes.

"He looks so innocent," Thomas quietly laments, "Bless his heart. He had no idea what was about to happen."

Dr. Wily glazes his eyes at Thomas' sorrowful comment. He cannot comprehend why Dr. Light cares so much about these robots. They're just machines in Wily's mind, nothing more than a means to make money and get famous.

Dr. Light turns the video off and approaches the damaged body of the robot prototype, placing a hand on the prototype's red forearm.  
>"The more I think about this, the more I believe that giving him complete free will would be a bad idea. However, all it would take is just programming certain directives into his CPU, especially the law of robotics: <em>'no robot shall harm a human.'<em> That way, he could still make his own decisions and live like a human."

Wily asks in a mocking tone, "So, when he destroys the lab next time, I don't have to worry about getting killed myself? Sounds good to me."

Light looks down upon his fallen creation and tries to suppress his growing agitation with Wily's overall attitude problem he's had lately. There are times when he feels like punching Wily in the face, and this is one of them. But, being the pacifist that he is, Thomas buries these feelings and_ tries_ to communicate with Albert (which is an unenviable task, at times.)

"I wonder exactly what caused this," Light asks, "Any guess, Albert?"

"You're the one with all the answers, Thomas. You tell me," Wily answers. He is genuinely stumped but still had that snide sound to his voice when he replied to Dr. Light's question.

Thomas strokes his light grey beard calculating what could have done this and he comes up with only one solution... "It must have been the guidance system."

Dr. Wily looks over his partner with furrowed grey eyebrows when he hears Thomas' speculation that the guidance system was responsible for the prototype's fit of anger.

"The guidance system?" Wily blurts, "Thomas, _I_ programmed the guidance system myself! It _must_ be something else!"

Dr. Light held himself back from telling Wily that his involvement in programming the prototype's guidance system may be _exactly_ what was wrong with it. "No, it has to be the guidance system," he reiterates, "There's no other explanation for his rampage he went on."

"Then, what about the pain he experienced?" Wily loudly asked, his voice becoming more into a shout.

"There was probably an internal conflict between his pain sensors and his faulty programming!" Light snapped back, raising his voice now, "And it shocked the poor boy's system!"

Wily stood accross from Dr. Light and just stared back at him with daggers in his eyes, feeling the rage beginning to boil inside of him when Dr. Light had the gall to call his programming _faulty_.  
>"<em>My<em> programming is _faulty_?" Albert barked, "Oh, but, you're _never_ wrong, are you? Everything is everybody _else's_ fault _but yours_! Isn't it, Thomas?"

Dr. Light let out an exasperated breath... he knew where this was going, he has had this argument several times over the years he has known Wily. "Are you going to start with me again?"

"Oh, no, Dr. Light!" Wily chuckles with a sarcastic snear, "You're right!... _as always!_"

"Albert, I am _not_ blaming you-"

"YES, YOU ARE!" Albert interrupts with a roar, aiming his finger at Thomas, "You can't blame yourself, because your ego is too Goddamn big to admit failure! _You_ are jealous of my genius!"

Dr. Light rolls his eyes and throws his arms up in the air. He had though he had heard everything, until now.

"You know I'm a superior intellect!" Wily continues, "You just degrade my ideas and make them your own! _You_ probably sabotaged ProtoMan's guidance system, so _you_ could leave me in the dirt and _you_ take all the credit!"

"That is the most _ludicrous_ thing I've ever heard!" Light replies, now rising his voice again to shout, which is very uncharacteristic of him.

"If you want the guidance system reprogrammed, DO IT YOURSELF!" Albert yells as he turns to leave the lab.

"Albert!" Light calls, "Everybody makes a mistake."

Dr. Wily ingores Thomas and continues storming toward the exit.

In a last ditch effort, Dr. Light calls, "Dammit, Albert! Are you about to throw all of these years of hard work in the trash? Because of a petty disagreement?"

Wily stopped in mid stomp, standing with his back to Dr. Light. Dr. Wily was growing a strong dislike for Thomas Light, especially recently. It was bordering on hatred. According to Wily's point of view, Light seemed like he had an aura of supreme intelligence about him. But, in actuality, it was Wily whose ego was swelling. He is just not rational enough to realize it.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," Light said, catching up to Wily, "I know you've worked hard too. But, we can't give up now. We've come too far!"

Wily turns around to face Dr. Light. Just like before, Dr. Light was convinced Wily had calmed down again, but this time, Albert wasn't backing down so easily.

"You're not sorry, Thomas," Wily says, "Not one damn bit."

"Albert," Light states, "I've done nothing but point out that Blues' guidance system had a problem. If I had made the same mistake, I would admit it.. Albert, you're not just my partner, you're my friend. Now, come on... let's stop this foolishness."

Dr. Wily took in and let out a breath... he was finally simmering down, just like he usually does. "What do you want me to do, Thomas?"

"We have to destroy the faulty plans for all of the robots we were planing on designing," Thomas replies.

"You're destroying... _all_ of the plans?" a mortified Wily asks.

"Yes," Dr. Light reiterates, "They are obviously dangerous in their present form. They need to be re-worked."

Dr. Wily felt his heart sink to the bottom of his feet. It was bad enough that - in his mind - Light was blaming him for the malfunction in the prototype, but now in his warped mind, he felt Light was_ punishing_ him by making him destroy the blueprints and schematics for the other robots.  
>Of course, Dr. Light's true intention was to <em>perfect<em> the prototype and make sure what happened today doesn't happen again.

"Then, we'll reprogram the guidance system," Light continues, "Once that's been finished, everything _should_ work. I'll help you-"

"No, that will not be necessary, Thomas," Wily flatly interrupted, "I'll reprogram the guidance system myself. I'll get started on it now."

Wily began walking back towards the busted prototype robot, but Light stopped him by putting his arm in front of him. "Not tonight, Albert. It's getting late and it's been a very stressful day. Besides, there's something else we should discuss."

Wily was bothered further by the fact that Dr. Light was basically kicking him out for the night. It takes him every ounce of strength to contain his anger. "What?" he asks with a flat tone, ready to hear Thomas' next jab.

"Earlier, when you told him that there could be brothers and sisters," Light pointed out, "He said he would like a little brother."

"And...?" Wily asks.

"I was thinking that maybe he could use a companion," Thomas answers, "That way, he would not be alone. If he didn't feel comfortable speaking to either of us about something, he would have a fellow robot to confide in... though, I always dreamed though of having a son _and_ a daughter."

"We can give him both a brother _and_ a sister," Wily suggests, trying to tell Thomas what he wants to hear so he can get the hell out of here, "Tomorrow morning, after we've repaired the prototype, we can begin work on his siblings."

"That sounds like a good plan," Light replies.

After a beat of silence, Wily turns again to leave without saying another word.

"Goodnight, Albert," Light says, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"...Goodnight, Thomas," Wily replies as proceeds to leave the lab, his anger now reaching the boiling point as he seethed all the way outside.

* * *

><p>Outside the lab, Dr. Wily unlocks the door to his car and gets inside, spewing obsenities the entire time.<p>

"_My work_ is faulty?" he seethes to himself, "...I'll show you _faulty_!... short, overweight, self-righteous son of a bitch!"

The fact that he has to drive home also enrages Wily. Dr. Light lived here on this compound and his house was connected to the large laboratory structure, so if he was tired, he could just stumble off to his bedroom a few doors away. But, Wily had to drive all the way back to his dumpy little shack of a house on the other side of town, usually dead tired. (Of course, Wily conveniently forgets all of the times Thomas offered him a spare unused bedroom to use.)  
>And Albert's car wasn't a SkyCar, so he had to deal with all of these Godforsaken New York motorists!<p>

Wily's warped mind began torun wild with hateful thoughts as he pulled out of Dr. Light's compound, and the fury began to boil over... He was sure that Light was jealous of him. Why else would he claim that Wily's "flawless" guidance system was faulty and dump all of his perfect plans for other robots?

And then, Albert started hearing that little whisper in his head... the same one that drove him to brutalize his father when he was young...

_Thomas had the gall to tell you to destroy the plans that you worked on __for all of those nights... the gall to tell you that the prototype's malfunction was __all your fault... how dare he question your intellect... are you going to __stand for this, Albert?... are you?_

Wily slammed his foot on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the street. He looked at his reflection in the rear view mirror and all he could see were his eyes staring back at him.

"... No!" he wickedly snickered back at his own reflection.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night. <strong>

The interior of Dr. Light's lab was dark. The only light peering in was from a doorway where Thomas himself now stood. He returned to the lab area because he thought he heard a noise earlier.

"Albert?" he called, "Are you still here?"

After flipping the light switch, the lab became luminated once again. The robot prototype was still lying on the worktable, now covered in a white sheet and the condemned plans were still on another table nearby. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance.

As Dr. Light took a few steps forward, he continued looking around... "Albert, is that you?" he calls once again.

Then, he felt something hit him fiercely on the back of his head. Light saw stars floating in his field of vision and then, the whole world went dark.

Dr. Wily had whacked his old friend from behind with the butt of his flashlight. He crouches down and hisses into Dr. Light's ears with a sinister glee, "Yes, Thomas... it's _me_!"

Dr. Wily made a cocky stride towards the prototype and begins talking to himself. "Destroy _my_ work, will you? _Ha!_ Not if _I_ have anything to say about it!"

Wily pulls the white sheet off of the damaged prototype he calls ProtoMan. He rubs his hands together, nearly salivating at what this robot can do for his future.

"You're coming with me!" Wily whispers.

* * *

><p>Dr. Light woke up freezing thanks to being on the cold floor of the lab. He had a bad headache now and it pulsated as he tried getting back to his feet. He squinted his eyes under the lights, which only made the headache worse. Then, he noticed something was missing...<p>

"Blues!" he gasps in horror.

Dr. Light found only the white sheet that he placed on top of the robot earlier, now rumpled on the floor. He looked over to the other table and found that all of the plans that were meant to be destroyed were also missing. But, in their place remained a hand-written note. It looked like the chicken scratch of a madman.

It read... _"Dear, Thomas. __You have stabbed me in the back for the last time. __You just couldn't take the blame for your mistakes, could you? Now it's too late. __I am tired of seeing your face on the covers of the newspapers and __on the evening news. __Now, it's MY TURN to be in the spotlight!_

_Sincerely, Dr. W."_

"Damn you, Albert!" Dr. Light whispered as he crumpled up the note.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Elsewhere in New York.**

A New York Police cruiser pulls up outside of the small delapitated house owned by Dr. Wily well outside of the city. Albert's car was still parked in the driveway and blocked in by the police car, but it looked very dark inside the house.

Two officers step out of the police cruiser: one was a human woman and one was a Policebot.  
>Like all Policebot units, this one has an identification designation on his star-shaped badge on the upper left of his royal blue chestplate and on the 'forehead' of his helmet-like head which comprises of two letters followed by two numbers. This one's designation is AL-05.<p>

The human female officer has long dark red hair, fair skin and round green eyes, coming from a mix of Irish and Austrian decent (yet she doesn't have a trace of either accent.) Her name is Lynn Wersching, and she has been a Police officer for her third year now, and through all three of those years, she has been partnered with AL-05.

Officer Wersching contacts the department via her radio. "HQ, we've arrived at Albert Wily's residence. His car's here, but it looks dark inside."

_"Copy that. Additional units are en route to your location. Proceed with caution,"_ says the dispatcher on the officer's radio.

The Policebot looks though the windshields of Wily's car and so does Officer Wersching with her flashlight, looking for any trace of ProtoMan/Blues.

"I don't see any stolen robots in here," Wersching says to her robot partner, "Not unless it's a small robot he took."

"The robot that was reported stolen stands at five feet and eleven inches. We would notice him," AL-05 says, "It is possible he was taken inside the house."

"Then, let's go in," Wersching says, her breath turning into fog thanks to the cold atmosphere.

As the police officers approach the shabby-looking house of Wily, they draw their weapons as a precaution. Policebot AL-05's right hand retracts into his forearm, then a set of two of 9-milimeter gun nozzles appear. This was his weapon arm, a common feature in all Policebots, although the typoe of weapon installed and ammunition varies from unit to unit.

The duo cautiously approaches the front to to Albert Wily's house and can see the poor shape this place is in. The paint was peeling everywhere, a shingle was hanging off the exterior wall and a dead mouse was seen lying near the _'welcome'_ mat.  
>The mere look of this place gives Officer Wersching an uneasy feeling in her stomach, like she was about to walk into a house from a horror movie.<p>

"Al, you go ahead and do the talking," the human officer says with a disgusted face, "This place gives me the creeps."

"As you wish, Lynn," AL-05 replies, referring to his partner by her first name.

The PoliceBot knocks on the door. "Dr. Albert Wily," he says loudly, "This is the New York Police Department. We order you to come out of the house immediately!"

There is no response from inside.

"Dr. Wily, this is your last warning. Come out, or we're coming in!" AL-05 orders, but Wily still doesn't answer.

AL-05 gives a nod to his human partner and and she aims her gun at the door. The Policebot then kicks to door off it's hinges and the two officers storm inside. Once inside, the officers look around and listen for any trace of Dr. Wily, but it appears he's gone... in fact, there is hardly anything here at all.

A sunken mattress and a table are the only things in the living room of the house. There was nothing else, nowhere. In fact, it looks like this place has been hardly lived in for months.

The house's heating system is not even running, and the sound has a very lifeless sound to it, like the electricity isn't even on anymore. Thick layers of dust and spider webs can be seen everywhere and Wily's handwriting could be seen all over the walls. This scribbling on the walls consists mostly of robotic diagrams and mathematical problems long since solved... and the phrase _"Die, father!"_ written in large letters on one of the walls.

As the officers search the rest of the house, Officer Wersching enters the kitchen area. Like the living area, it was very empty and looking like this place had been abandoned or hardly lived in in many months, with dust in the sink. With living conditions like this, there was no way she was going to check the bathroom in this dump.

In fact, just seeing this place like this makes the female officer wonder what this Wily guy must have been going through... and those thoughts remind her of somebody important in her life who is going through some real trouble himself.

AL-05 returns and gives a status report. "No sign of Albert Wily or the robot prototype on the property. It is possible that he may never have even stepped foot inside the house upon his return."

"Great. And we don't have any leads on this egghead either," Lynn sighs, "I'll radio HQ. I'm gonna puke if I have to stand in this dive for much longer."

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>

Dr. Light was the one who had called the police and reported the burglary executed by Albert Wily last night. The police notified him that Wily's house looked unoccupied and unmaintained when they searched it.

However, even if he was caught, Dr. Wily could always claim he has fifty-percent ownership of the plans and the robot prototype, which technically he _does_. However, He could easily have been jailed for assault, but Dr. Light was not interested in pressing charges on that count.

Dr. Light had barely gotten any sleep since yesterday and his head still hurt. Now the pain was centered in the area where Dr. Wily struck him in the back of his head yesterday. Under his nearly white hair, there was now a dark bruise. Thomas sat down in a swivel chair in his office and placed an ice pack on the back of his head. It stung at first, but the pain gradually eased down.

Dr. Light tries making one more call to Dr. Wily's phone - assuming he still has it with him - but, it goes unanswered, just like all of the other calls he's made since late last night. Thomas gets frustrated and drops his phone on the desk.

Afterwards, Thomas began thinking about Blues (or ProtoMan), most especially his kind, yet sad face he wore during the short time that he was alive. For the first time in his life, he had a son to take care of... and now, he was taken from him.

"Why did you have to take Blues away from me, Albert?" Thomas sighs.

He reflected on his prototype robot's first moments before his fit of rage began. The look on his face was puzzling. It was like he was lost in an unknown world and he was unfamiliar with everything. He also didn't have a purpose in life. He was created just to be activated and tested on.

"Perhaps my new robots should have a purpose in life." Light says while reaching for a pen and a notepad with his free hand.

He began writing down notes on what the next two robots should be like. Now that Dr. Wily was gone, Thomas could use an assistant in the lab. It would be nice to have an assistant that didn't snap and start arguments at the drop of a hat like Wily did. This robot could be Thomas' second 'son.'

Also, when he looked around his house today, he realized that he barely had the time to take care of it. Layers of dust could be found even here in the office. Thomas thought perhaps the other robot could double as a housekeeping robot and that this could be his 'daughter' robot.

Also, they needed distinct personalities, so that they both wouldn't be identical. With their virtually unlimted free will, they could pick and choose what they enjoy in life like real humans do.

Light wrote down the ideas and at the bottom wrote _"Prime directive"_, and underlined it. Light felt increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of a robot having complete free will. Especially after the way he saw the prototype snap at him and Wily.

One day maybe, that dream could come true. But, right now is not the time. So, for now, Thomas must focus on the construction of his two new robotic offspring.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>Chicago, Illinois.**

It had not even been a full day since his violent split-up with his former business partner Dr. Light, but Dr. Wily had already made his way here to Chicago, Illinois.

After Albert stole the robot protoype and the plans, he ordered a Taxi to come to the lab. Wily then shut the robot cab driver down and stole the cab, taking ProtoMan/Blues and the plans with him. And before he arrived to Illinois, he ditched the cab because he knew that a New York cab running around in the Mid-west would arrouse the attention of the authorities, and managed to hotwire _another_ car and steal it, still with the robot prototype in his possesion.

Now that he was taking a rest from driving, Albert had taken it upon himself to ply his trade elsewhere now that he is no longer working with Thomas Light. And as Wily clutched his phone to his ear, he was certain he knew just the place to call.

After there is an answer on the other end, Wily speaks. "This is Dr. Albert Wily. I wish to talk to the man in charge. Put me through to him immediately."

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<strong>  
><strong>Back in New York City.<strong>

In his office high atop of his corporation's skyscraper, - complete with a giant letter **'V'** on each side of the buiding, - the Billionaire C.E.O. of the Vick-Tek computers and technology corporation sits behind his desk, reading the morning's headlines on a computer tablet.  
>His name is Marcus Vickers, a somewhat tall and lanky man in his early forties with a jet black Caesar haircut and a fully grown goatee below that. He built this company from nothing but a circuitboard in his parents' garage right after graduating from college, and it has since become one of the largest computer and technology corporations in the world.<p>

However, in the years that have passed, Vickers has surrounded himself with a corps of 'Yes people' in his inner circle, and the highest ranking of which makes his way into Vickers' office right now. He is the Vice President of the company, Scott Erikson, a portly fellow with combed brown hair and a round face.

"Sir, you an interesting call on line 1," Scott says as he reaches his boss' desk.

"I'll get to it in a moment, Scott. Did you hear about this?" Vickers asks, completely blowing off his call and pointing to the news"Albert Wily and Thomas Light, the world's foremost minds on robotic technology, have split up. And here's the good part... Wily stole the prototype for a new robot they were building. What a loon!" Vickers snickers.

"Actualy, sir... Dr. Wily is on the line right now," Erikson says, "He says he wants to speak with you."

Vickers' jaw drops. "... eh?" he blurts.

"If you wish, sir, I could disconnect him," Scott says.

"No... I'll take the call," Vickers orders.

"Sir?" Erikson asks, questioning his bosss reasoning.

"I know this sounds strange, but... you're just going to have to trust me, Scott," Vickers says, the gears in his mind beginning to turn as he puts the tablet down and switches on his speaker phone, pressing the button to connect to line 1 and Dr. Wily.

"Dr. Wily, I presume?" Vickers speaks, interlocking his fingers as he leans into his phone.

_"Mr. Vickers! It is a pleasure to finally speak with you,"_ replies the cheerful growl of Dr. Wily on the other end, _"I would have liked to have worked with your company earlier, but my old friend Thomas Light got in the way. But, now my services are availible to the highest bidder after severing ties with Thomas."_

"Yes, I heard that you two had a parting of the ways," Vickers says, "But, perhaps you could enlighten me about this new robot prototype I've heard about. I'm very interested in the concept." This is what Mr. Vickers wanted to hear about.

_"Ah, yes! _My_ new prototype is an invention that will change the way we look at artificial life forever," _Wily pitches, _"He is the first humanoid robot, fully capable of making his own decisions. This series of robot is the next step of human evolution... in fact, these robots will be so sophisticated, they could eventually replace humans, eradicating the flaws of humanity and replacing them with the perfection of robotics."_

Even though he was very interested in the idea of Wily's humanoid robot prototype, Mr. Vickers and his Vice President are bothered by Wily's description of what this new robot could do.  
>Replacing humanity with robots? That sounded absolutely mad, but not as much as what Wily said next...<p>

_"The initial test was troublesome and of course Thomas , the idiot, tried to blame his incompatence on me... then I hit him with a flashlight,"_ Wily says, the wicked smile noticable in his voice, _"I could have killed him if I wanted to... and I _wanted to_... but I decided to let him live with his mistake. That way, he would learn his lesson."_

"Uh... that's a, uh, very_ encouraging_ story, Doctor," a nervous Vickers says, trying to keep Wily on the line, but realizing now that maybe talking to this psychopath was a very bad idea.

_"So, let's negotiate the terms of our agreement,"_ Wily says,_ "Bear in mind, I will not be able to work in New York... I most likely have an outstanding warrant for my arrest... but I will be building my own work structure and will work from there."_

"Listen, Dr. Wily... your idea for the humanoid robot sound very interesting," Vickers explains, "We don't want to be affiliated with somebody as... unstable as you. It would be bad for business."

* * *

><p>Back in Chicago, Dr. Wily's face turns into into an angry frown. First, Thomas throws him under the bus (according to his warped mind), then the police has the audacity to make him out to be the bad guy instead of Light, (again, according to his warped mind) and now he was being called 'unstable'... <em>that<em> was the last straw.  
>Even though Albert is certifiably crazy, he doesn't like it when somebody calls him out on it.<p>

It was then that he heard that whispering in his head again... _"Make him regret his words,"_ it said, _"make them all regret it."_

As Wily's anger begins to bubble to the surface again, he could also hear the voice of Vickers in his ear. _"Perhaps you could seek some counsuling. Maybe then, we could hold negotiations."_

As Wily's face begins to turn red and his forehead vein begins pulsating, he rasps, "... I don't need you!"

Wily begins bashing the phone into the stolen car's steering wheel, then he rips the phone's battery out and throws it out into the street. As he ignites the engine, slamming his foot on the gas pedal and peeling out into the street, his eyes remain large and full of pure rage and he grinds his teeth together.

"I'll show them!" he seethes as he races down the street, "I'll show them all!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_You have probably noticed the first of the new scenes, introducing the first of our original characters. (For those of you who have read the series before, you've already seen them.) The first duo being Policebot AL-05 and Officer Lynn Wersching and the second being Marcus Vickers and his hopelessly loyal Vice President Scott Erikson.  
>You'll be seeing where their stories go in the coming episodes.<em>

_In the next chapter it's time to Rock and Roll!_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, let me know via PM._


	3. Rock and Roll

**_Author's note: _**Before we continue, I feel it is important to establish the "timeline system" I will be using for this story. I also use this for all of my Mega Man stories that I have posted.  
><strong>Any stories taking place before June 20X1 takes place before the events of "<em>The Beginning."<br>_Any stories taking place between June 20X1 and March 20X2 take place during the first season of the Mega Man cartoon show.  
><strong>**Any stories taking place anytime between April 20X2 and November 20X2 take place during the second season of the show.  
>Finally, any stories taking place in 20X3 take place in what would have been the thrid season. (20X4 is Season 4, and so on.)<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 3: Rock and Roll.<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Three Months Later. (<strong>**April 20X1.)  
><strong>**Dr. Light's Lab.**

On this bright and blissful spring day, Dr. Light has finished work on both of his new humanoid robots, and no longer did he have Dr. Wily in his hair to screw things up like he usually did. He looked down upon their bodies which were on side by side tables. They - like ProtoMan - appeared to be like late-teenage or early college aged humans, expect one of them was built like a female. Light considers the male robot to be his new humanoid robot prototype.

The male looked almost exactly like his 'brother' did with the exact same facial structure, except the new robot's hair was bushy and unruly. And he was as handsome as the female robot was beautiful. Her long hair was bright golden blonde and was pulled back into a ponytail, with teased puffy bangs covering her forehead ending just above her eyebrows, and a few extra strands of hair dangled in curls in front of her ears.

Unlike her 'brother', the female robot had a specially made apparatus on her left forearm. Whenever the situation calls for it, her hand can retract into her arm and produce any number of household appliances such as a vacuum cleaner, a blender, a cake mixer, an egg beater, a toaster, a mini-oven, and a baking sensor, among many other items. She has several recipies programmed into her memory, so she can also cook rather efficiently.

Unlike the original prototype robot, these two robot's bodies were mostly wrapped entirely in synthetic flesh. The female's skin was softer to the touch than the male's, just like the skin of a human female and her complexion was a little more fair-skinned than her 'brother's.'

On the outside, only their legs and feet and the female's left forearm were metallic. This is in accordance to a federal law that states that if a robot is designed with a human form, they must have at least one physical feature that clearly shows that they are not an actual human.  
>The female's leg and foot pieces are red, but the male's are blue and noticably much larger than a human male's. Dr. Light give him this feature to remind him of Blues, who was also built with with the exact same large legs and feet to go along with his titanium armor.<p>

The male was wearing dark blue shorts and a light blue t-shirt while the ladybot was wearing red and cream yellow pants and a matching short-sleeved blouse with dark purple trim on the sleeve edges and neckline, as well as a green ponytail holder.

Dr. Light made sure that the physical appearances of his robots were somewhat modest, at least from the neck down. The guy had a good body and looked like he was in terrific shape, but he did not have huge muscles bulging out everywhere like a bodybuilder.  
>The girl bot's body was slender, but bares no resemblance to the gigantic silicone-augmented pin-ups that could be found on the magazine stand.<p>

Without Dr. Wily to critique him anymore, Dr. Light gave his new pair of robots the names he wanted to give them. The male robot's name is Rock; the female robot's name is Roll. An obvious pun on the popular music term.

"Rock and Roll... welcome to the world, my children," he said to himself with pride, smileing.

Light pulled a small remote control device out of the pocket of his white lab coat and aimed it at Rock, the male robot. Unlike the original prototype, Rock and Roll's programming was carefully programmed by Dr. light well in advance and were already loaded into their neural nets. All Thomas had to do to activate them was use the remote.

"Well... here we go," Light said with anticipation.

He pressed the button on the remote and watched his new robotic son come to life. Within seconds, Rock's blue eyes opened and he almost instantly looked over to his right where Dr. Light was standing.

The moment the new robot opened his eyes, Thomas knew that Rock was something special. Rock has a soulfulness in his eyes and a genuine kindness in his face the likes of which he has never seen before in a robot. The robot sat up and smiled at his creator.

"Hi, I'm Rock!" he greeted, "Who are you?"

Dr. Light was speechless, just standing there with a smile on his face, his mouth slightly gaping at the sight of his son... or his _new_ son. "Oh! I'm, uh- Dr. Light," he stammers, "I built you."

"Are you my father?" Rock asks.

"Well, in a technical sence... " Light pauses, then smiles, "Yes, I _am_ your father. But, you can call me Dr. Light, if you wish."

Rock slid himself off of the table and was now standing directly in front of his father/creator. Rock is only 5'10" tall, but he is clearly taller than his father is, who is barely 5'5"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Light!" he said pleasantly, still smiling.

Rock and Dr. Light shook hands and then Rock began searching the lab, much like Blues did when he was here. His metallic feet made a _klank_ sound with every step he took, also just like his older brother's did.

As Dr. Light watched his new son take his first steps, he noticed something very different about Rock. Something that the first prototype robot didn't exhibit on the night he was brought into this world. Rock didn't seem puzzled or lost in this new world, like Blues did, and he didn't seem vulnerable and out of place or look lonely like Blues did either.  
>In fact, he looked quite happy to be alive. This is exactly what Thomas wanted to see out of Rock.<p>

"Is this where you built me?" Rock asked, looking around the lab.

"Yes, actually," Dr. Light answered, catching up to his robot's side, "This is my laboratory. I spent three months building you here."

Rock looked back at his creator with concern. "Three months...? Is that bad?"

"No, of course not! Quite the contrary," the good doctor assured, "You were _ahead _of schedule. Your construction and programming process was much easier than I had expected."

"My programming tells me that I am your assistant here," Rock says, "Is there anything you need help with?"

"Not yet, Rock," Thomas says, "Right now I just want you to get used to your new surroundings and your new family."

Rock looks over Light's shoulder and notices something he had previously missed. "Who's that?" he asked with some excitement about the young lady with blonde hair on the other table.

"Her name is Roll. She's not online just yet," Light replies as they both approach Roll's still lifeless body.

"Wow," Rock says, "She's really pretty!... is she my sister?"

"She is, indeed!" Light replies, "You are quite astute, Rock!"

"Wow! I'm really lucky to have a sister," Rock gushes, "I promise I'll make sure she's always safe, Dr. Light,"

"I'm sure you will, my son" Dr. Light says, beaming at how noble and good-hearted Rock's personality has already shaped-up.

Before Dr. Light activates his 'daughter,' he must ask his 'son' a question. He didn't want another incident like he had with the first prototype. "By the way, Rock... How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, Dr. Light," Rock replies, "All of my systems are operating normally."

"You don't feel any pain or discomfort of any kind?" Thomas asks.

Rock thought for a moment and his CPU self-diagnosed himself. "... No, sir," he answers truthfully.

Dr. Light was sure now it finally worked. His dream was a reality now. He had created the world's first free-thinking robots and all of the bugs had been worked out... and he finally has children of his own.

"That's very good, Rock!" said the doctor, patting him on the back, "You're healthy! Now, let's meet your sister."

Rock stood by, excited about seeing his sister Roll for the first time, as Dr. Light pressed the button on the remote and activated Roll. Her eyelids opened, revealing her own set of blue eyes, and they both had the same soulfulness as her brother's does.

Like her brother, she looked over to her side and blinked as she saw her creator and her brother standing over her. She sat up and faced them both, letting her legs hang off the side of the table and introduced herself.

"Hello!" she said with a smile bright enough to light up the world, holding out her right hand, "My name is Roll!"

Dr. Light smiles again as he gently shook Roll's hand. "Hello, Roll. I'm Dr. Light. I built you".

Roll hopped off the table and was now standing accross from Thomas. "Are you my dad?" she asks, her smile widening.

"Yes, he is!" Rock says before Dr Light could answer, with a smile of his own.

Roll took notice to the handsome young robot standing behind her creator. "Who are you?" she asks.

"I'm Rock, your brother!" Rock replies shaking her hand, "I'm happy to meet you!"

Rock was roughly two inches taller than his sister when they stood in front of each other.

"You're a robot too?" Roll asks.

Rock nods and continues smiling that little smile of us.

"I'm lucky to have a brother as nice as you!" she says.

As Roll begins looking all around and studying the lab like her brother did earlier, something nearby grabs Rocks attention. It was a tall mirror... the same one his prototype brother had saw himself in the night he was brought online. Rock steps away from his sister and approaches the mirror, staring at himself and looking puzzled.

"Dr. Light, I look human," Rock points out.

"Yes, you do." Light replies, "And I have also programmed you to feel like a human. You both are able to make your own decisions just like humans do."

While the good doctor was speaking to Rock, Roll had caught up to her brother and was trying to peek over his shoulder so that she could see what she looks like, even stepping on the tips of her feet (because robots don't have toes) to catch a glimpse.

"Can I see, please?" Roll asked nicely, tapping Rock on the shoulder.

"Sure, here you go," Rock replied, stepping out of his sister's way.

Roll looked at herself in the mirror and nearly gasped when she saw how radient her complexion was. She began studying her face, her hair and her outfit, even doing girly poses in front of the mirror.

"I love what you did with my hair, Dr. Light!" Roll peeps.

Rock then stuck his index and middle fingers up over her head, but Roll caught him doing this and turned to give her brother a playful slap on his shoulder. Rock stifled a laugh.

Dr. Light watched his robotic children interact with each other like a real brother and sister would. This was all turning out exactly the way he wanted it to. The fact that the experiment was a success was secondary to the fact that he now had two 'children' to care for now.

And one could easily tell that Thomas has definitely modeled their appearances to look as if they really were _his_ children. Roll had his caring round eyes, while Rock has much of his facial structure back from when Thomas himself was a young, fit and clean-shaven man.

_This_ was what Thomas Light was working so hard for. He almost feels sorry for Dr. Wily for not being able to see what their combined work resulted in.

Dr. Light pulled his robots aside and said, "Come, my children. Let me show you your living spaces."

* * *

><p><strong>Inside Dr. Light's house, next to the lab.<strong>

The good doctor brings his robots inside his house, and they make way to his main living area, complete with a sofa, a padded chair, a large television and and a stereo system, with some of Thomas' favorite classical music albums on a nearby shelf.

"This is my house area," Thomas says, "When we are not busy in the lab, we all can rest here."

Rock and Roll look all around, but Roll can't help but notice something. "This house _so_ dusty!"

"It is indeed," Dr. Light admits, "That reminds me... now would be a great time for you to test out your utility arm, Roll."

"Okay, Dr. Light," she says, holding her left arm out.

Then, her white metal utility arm opens up and her hand retracts into it, and in it's place a vacuum tube with an attachment begins to appear. Roll walks over to the nearby television set and powers up her vacuum arm, which quickly sucks up the layers of dust off the top of it. Thomas smiles again as Roll is already fufilling her housekeeping purpose.

"This is place is looking better already, Dr. Light!" Roll cheerfully states.

Thomas replies, "While you are cleaning up, Roll, let me show your brother the kitchen."

Roll stops vacuuming and gasps, "You have a kitchen too?"

Roll's vaccum retracts back into her utility arm and her hand reappears as she springs to the kitchen, well ahead of her father and brother.

"Wow!" Roll says, "You have everything in here... imagine the dishes I can create!"

Rock asks, "Can robots eat food too?"

"Yes, you can," Thomas says, "However, robot food is slightly different from human food. But, there is plenty of it here."

As Rock and Dr. Light enter the kitchen, Roll approaches with an apple in her right hand and her utility arm now taking the form of a blender.

"I think my blender is better than yours though. Watch!" she says, as she dumps the apple inside of her blender and it automatically shuts. Roll presses a button of her arm to send her blender into frappe mode, quickly turning the apple into appleauce.'

"See?" she says with her bright smile.

Rock steps up to Dr. Light and says, "I need an arm like hers, Dr. Light."

Thomas looks back at his son and shrugs, "We'll see, Rock."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

Rock entered his bedroom inside of Dr. Light's house right next to the lab. It is a nice bedroom, complete with a bed, a dresser, nightstands, bookshelves a desk, a chair and other items you would typically find in a bedroom.  
>The wallpaper inside the room was blue, which matched Rock's clothing quite well and sence Rock's favorite color is blue, it fits him perfectly.<p>

"This is your own bedroom, Rock," Thomas says, "Here you can recharge, get dressed, relax, and study if you wish. Just like a human can."

"This is really nice, Dr. Light! Thank you!" Rock says.

"You are quite welcome, my son!" Thomas answers.

"Do I have my own room too?" Roll asks.

"Of course, Roll," Light answers, "Right accross from here."

Roll exits Rock's room and approaches the door which is directly accross from her brother's room. She opens the door with an excited smile on her face, but that smile slowly drops into a disappointed pout once she sees what's inside.

Her room is a nice room also, with her own bed and nightstands and an armoir for her to hang her clothes in. There was even a cute little teddy bear on her bed for her to snuggle up with when she recharged at night, if she wanted (even though she apeared to be too grown-up-looking for such a thing.) There was only one thing about this room Roll didn't like...  
>the wallpaper was <em>pink<em>. In fact, there were a lot of pink things in this room.

Dr. Light chose pink for her room mainly because usually girls favor the color pink, but that didn't sit too well with Roll.

"What's wrong, Roll?" Thomas asks, concerned.

Roll sighs and turns around to face Dr. Light, and admits with a shrug, "I don't like pink."

Thomas looks surprised by her revelation and asks, "You don't?"

"No... I'm sorry, Dr. Light," she apologized sweetly, hanging her head down, feeling like she may have disappointed her father. But, Thomas smiles at Roll's decision, for this is a breakthrough.

"Don't be sorry," Thomas says, "This is incredible!"

"You look awfully happy, Dr Light," Rock says, perplexed.

"Of course I am!" Thomas says, "Roll, thanks to your self-determination, you have _decided_ that you don't like the color pink."

"Yeah, I just dont... can I have _red_ stuff instead?" Roll asks with a hopeful smile, clasping her hands together.

"That can be arranged," Light answers.

Roll jumps and exclaims, "Yes!" high-fiving Rock.

Originally, Dr. Light had thought about giving her room a "red" motif like Rock's "blue" motif, but he had decided against it, in the hope that maybe one day, Blues would come back home and he could have a "red" motif in his room.

Even on this wonderful day that he is enjoying with his new robot son and daughter, he wonders what Dr. Wily did with Blues... or, as Albert liked to call him, ProtoMan.

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in the Western United States.<strong>

While Dr. Light was beginning his life with his new robotic children, Dr. Wily was nearly finished on rebuilding the original prototype robot he had stolen from Thomas three months ago.

Albert had successfully fled the authorities and sought refuge at an abandoned shack somewhere here in the badlands. He didn't know exactly where he was in the country, but he surmised that he is somewhere in Arizona or Nevada.

The location where Wily had set up shop was an absolute dive. Rats, cobwebs and a slight odor were among the things that could be found - or smelled - within Dr. Wily's new workplace. The heat was also unbearable outside and Wily had an air-conditioning unit that was on overdrive. But, Albert Wily was able tolerate it to his life growing up, this was easy.  
>Also, without that meddling, self-righteous <em>know it all<em> Dr. Light here to sabotage his projects, he could make the robots that _he_ wants to make.

And, he also knew that he would soon show off his robots to the entire world. But, not in the way he originally intended to.

For all his life, Albert Wily felt like the entire world was against him. His father, kids in school, friends, classmates in high school and college, and most recently Dr. Thomas Light, the only man who he thought he could trust. The sad truth was, Thomas _was_ the only person in Wily's life who he could trust but, Albert's paranoia wouldn't allow him to.

And after Thomas alledged 'betrayal' and his harsh rejection from the Vick-tek corporation the next day, the world had hurt him for the last time... now, he was going to hurt it back.

Working without his white lab coat or tie on, with the sleeves of his sweat-soaked pink dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, and what's left of his frizzled grey hair damp from the sweat, Wily was now standing in front of the prototype robot, putting the finishing touches on what he viewed was _his_ creation.

The prototype was in a sitting position in front of Albert with his head leaning down. He hasn't been awake since the night he was brought into this world.

Over the past three months, Wily has made several special modifications to the prototype. The most important enhancement was a built-in weapon in the robot's left arm. The weapon itself is a state-of-the-art plasma cannon - nicknamed _"The Buster"_ in some circles - capable of melting light metals at full strength and capable of stunning a human or another life form at it's weakest setting.  
>And similar to Dr. Light's Roll, the prototype had the ability switch his arm from hand to cannon and vice versa.<p>

Wily also tried to remove as much of the prototype's free will as he could, but any attempt to do so could have been dangerous to the robot himself as it could have wiped out his memory core. Instead, Wily reprogrammed the robot to do his bidding. Although the robot himself could still choose to make some of his own decisions, they would most likely benefit Wily's desires.

The doctor also decided to tinker with the robot's personality parameters. The prototype would still be in control of his own moods, but he would have a boost in confidence and cunning. Also, he uploaded some tactical and combat related programing into his memory. Those traits will help Wily in his newfound mission.

Dr. Wily had also reinforced the prototype's red and grey armor with a much stronger solid titanium than he had been wearing previously. Albert had also constructed a very special helmet for the prototype. It was mostly red with a touch of white, and had a built-in black visor covering the eye area.

Dr. Wily slowly fit the helmet onto the robot's head and the visor hid his eyes. All that was visible on the robot's face now was his nose and mouth. The sight itself is very symbolic. The humanity that the prototype had when he was born was now buried underneath a shroud of darkness forced upon him by his vile human master.

Wily looked at his creation one more time, and realized something was missing. He didn't know what it was just yet, but his robot didn't look right to him. He looked like he needed one more minor accessory. Wily looked around and on a nearby chair, he spotted a long yellow scarf lying there. Wily grabbed the scarf and began to wrap it around the robot's neck, leaving a section hanging down along the right side of his back.

Wily stood and re-assessed his work. "Perfect!" he exclaims with a wide grin.

Since the robot's start-up program had already been preloaded, his rebirth as _ProtoMan__,_ _right hand to Dr. Wily_, was a single press of a button away. Dr. Wily did just that, pressing a button on a power remote and re-activated ProtoMan, but he didn't know what to expect. Whether or not the robot embraced or attacked his master or whether or not he would even come online was a mystery.

But, ProtoMan slowly sat up in front of Wily and looked at him through his black visor.

"... You," he groggily said, "I remember you... Dr. Wily."

Wily grinned back at ProtoMan. "Yes, my boy!" he said, patting him on his metallic back, "Do you remember your name?"

The robot jogged his memory. "... ProtoMan," he finally answered.

"Yes!" Wily approved, happy with the fact ProtoMan had accepted the name Dr. Wily chose for him and not _Blues_, like Dr. Light wanted.

ProtoMan raises his right hand up to his face, feeling his black visor for the first time. "I feel... different," he says, noticing his new upgrades and equipment.

"I took the libertries of enhancing you with a few upgrades. In time, they will come to... _good use!_" Wily says with a wicked grin.

ProtoMan looks around Dr. Wily and at his surroundings. They were much different from the cozy laboratory where he was brought online the first time... and he doesn't like it very much.

"This place is a dump!" he sneers.

Dr. Wily was surprised by his robot's sudden punkish attitude. But, he didn't get angry about it. Instead, Wily embraced it. "You don't have to tell me twice, ProtoMan," Wily replied, grinning, "This place... sucks! Soon it will be much more suited to our needs!"

Wily grabs ProtoMan by the shoulders and questions him. "Do you feel any pain?"

"No. I'm fine," Proto replies, "But, I remember pain... we weren't here, though. But, I remember destroying some stuff. Then, the pain was gone."

"What is your primary directive?" Wily asks.

"To serve you, Dr. Wily," ProtoMan answers.

"You're not feeling any complications from your new blaster?" Albert asks.

"Are you gonna stand here and ask me questions all day?" Proto complains.

"... No," Wily answers, "But, I do a score to settle with... an old acquaintance of mine. You probably know him."

"... Dr. Light?" ProtoMan asks, "I remember him."

"It was _his_ faulty programming that caused you to feel your pain when you were first brought online. You have to help me reprogram some of his other robots so they can join both of us in our mission," Wily states.

The word 'mission' intrigued ProtoMan. "Mission?" he asked, "... will there be any battles?"

Wily nodded. "Probably." he replied, sporting that grin of his again.

ProtoMan began to smirk at the sound of a battle... "It sounds like fun to me!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>More author's notes:<strong>_

_I decided to expand upon Rock's and Roll's pre-Mega Man days here and we will be seeing more of that in the next chapter. I chose to have Roll not like pink because I have never once seen the Ruby Spears Roll or the Classic version of Roll ever wear pink, yet they both are almost always seen wearing red._

_As always, please feel free to review/comment._


	4. The Unknown Feeling

_**Chapter 4: The Unknown Feeling.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

A few days have passed since Rock and Roll came online for the first time. Dr. Light has truly enjoyed the company of the two robots and they also enjoy being with him. He even gave the robots diaries yesterday so they could write about their everyday experiences in them whenever they want to.  
>The good doctor has already accepted the robots as children to him. Having them in his life is more than he ever could have asked for and is greater than any other accomplishment or award he has been fortunate enough to achieve.<p>

It is the late afternoon now, Rock steps outside to bring in the day's mail delivery. As he walks out, a college-aged human woman runs by the lab, making her daily jog. The sight of Rock catches her attention and she looks at him as she jogs. She never knew that such a cute boy lived at this lab building until today, (and she doesn't even know that he's a robot because of Rock's realistic human appearance.)

When Rock sees the jogger, he smiles and waves. "Hello!" he says.

The jogger nearly melted when Rock spoke to her and her breath was nearly taken away. She slows down as the struggles to reply to him "I, uh... hi!'

As Rock walks back inside, the jogger continues to stare at Rock as she runs away. Maybe if she runs by here tomorrow, she might see him again.

But, she was so distracted by Rock, she wasn't even paying attention to what direction she was going, and runs right into a lamp post, nearly knocking her down.

* * *

><p>In the main lab area, Rock returns with the mail and offers it to his father.<p>

"If doesn't look like anything important, Dr. Light," he says.

"You can set the mail aside for now," Dr. Light replies, "After you do that, I'll need you hand me the hydraspanner one more time."

"Got'cha," Rock answers, grabbing the tool and handing it to Dr. Light.

"Thank you, son," Thomas says with a smile as he returns to work on constructing the prototype for a new mini robot which doesn't have any arms or legs or even a body... just feet and a head.

The good doctor already liked Rock as a lab assistant. Work is a lot more peaceful and gets done quicker without Albert Wily around, but Rock is still curious about everything in this new world and about life, so he tends to ask Thomas questions.

"How long have you been building robots, Dr. Light?" Rock asks.

"Oh, I have been building robots ever since I was a young man. Back when I looked kind of like you," Light reflects, "Back then, we didn't have the technology to make a robot who could operate like you or your sister. In fact, the earliest robots were directly controlled by humans."

"Have you been here making robots your whole life?" Rock asks ignorantly, but sounding so genuinely innocent doing so he was irresistably adorable..

Dr. Light heartily chuckles and answers, "Sometimes it _feels_ like I have. I used to share a lab with... a _former_ business partner of mine. Then, I bought the land here and built_ this_ lab and my house on it. My former partner did not like the idea of having to move to New York, however... that reminds me, I really must take you and Roll outside this week to see the city."

"New York City?" Rock asks, his eyebrows rising.

"Indeed, and what an inspiring city it is. Wait until you see Lady Liberty," Thomas says.

"Lady Liberty...? Is she friendly?" Rock asks, again with that adorable ignorance.

Thomas looks back at his son, realizing he still has much to learn. "She's not _really_ a lady, Rock. She's a statue. But, once you see her, it will feel like she's real."

Thomas' watch beeps seven times, reminding him that it is seven o'clock. Thomas puts his tools down and says, "Work is done for tonight. By the way, Rock, what should we name this robot?"

Rock shrugs and scratches his head, "... gee, Doc, I don't know."

Dr. Light furrows his brow for a moment, then smiles when the word _"Doc"_ clicks in his mind. "I think you just helped me find just the name I'm looking for," Light says.

Rock tilts his head, not knowing what he did or what he said to help his father decide on a name for this little robot.

Dr. Light reaches under the worktable and places an oversized yellow hardhat with a red cross on the front over the little robot prototype, which perfectly encases both the little robot's head and feet.

"Come, Rock. Let's go find your sister," Light says, "There's something I want to show you both."

* * *

><p>In her newly <em>'red'<em> bedroom in Dr. Light's house, Roll is fiddling with a radio. She adjusts the frequency from the left to the right, studying all of the different types of music and features on the FM band. There was rap, country, R&B, and news... Roll didn't quite care for people talking over and over again about the same news stories every half hour, so she tuned them out.

Dr. Light had it set on the classical music station, but Roll had tuned it out right away. But, there was something she liked elsewhere on the dial. One station was playing a song with loud electric guitars, drums and a lead singer whose voice was booming. This was the hard rock station.

Roll instantly took a liking to this genre of music the most and turned the volume up and grooved with the song, dancing along to it with a smile on her face. After a few minutes, the station began playing another rock song from a different band.

_"Hey, everybody, it's time for another one-hour rock block on Z-101.101.1! I'm Rough, Ready and Rambunctious Randy here with ya'!" _states the D.J. in his jive voice, _"And now, with their latest hit off the new album 'The Chronicles of Brad', __here are Captain Fallout and the Atom Smashers with 'Puppets of Masters!'"_

This song was even louder, faster and crunchier than the last, and Roll loved it.

"This is great!" Roll cheerfully said, rocking to the speed metal, cranking the volume up even louder.

Outside, Dr. Light was knocking at her door. After Roll didn't reply, the knock had become a pound at the door to try and get her attention, but, Roll was oblivious to the noise. For all she knew, it was a part of the song itself.

Dr. Light opened the door to Roll's room and the sound hit him like a tornado. Rock was with him and he too was surprised by how loud his sister had the radio and plugged his ears with his fingers.

Dr. Light turned the volume down and calmly called "Roll?"

Startled, Roll spun around to see her father and brother standing there.

Rock was stifling a laugh as Roll was looking a bit embarrassed. "Oh! Hi, Dr. Light! I, uh... didn't hear you come in!"

"That... _noise_ you had in here was quite loud," Light pointed out.

Thomas doesn't really care for rock music, as he prefers classical or orchestral music, as it is far more civilized than other popular music genres.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Light!" Roll replied, nervously rubbing her hands in front of herself and asked timidly "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Rock no longer had the desire to laugh, seeing how uncomfortable Roll was with being caught with the music blasting and he felt sorry for her.

"No, absolutely not." Light replied with a reassuring smile, "You should just keep your music a little bit lower from now on. I would _greatly_ appriciate it."

"Okay, I'll try to keep it less noisy next time," Roll says.

"I know it's almost dinner time, but," Light said, "There is something exciting I want to show you and your brother. So, if you would please, follow me."

Dr. Light leads the way and Rock and Roll follow him, but Roll looks a little worried. Rock wraps his arm around his sister and Roll whispers to him, "He wasn't mad, was he?"

"No, of course not," Rock assures, "You don't ever have to be afraid of Dr. Light, sis. He's cool."

Rock could have teased her like some big brothers do and joked that the good doctor was furious when he actually wasn't. But, Rock doesn't want to scare Roll like that. In fact, he would never do any such thing. He chooses to be honest and kind with everyone he knows.

Even though he is 'only a robot,' Rock is truly a good person.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

In Dr. Light's garage area, he has six robots standing side by side. They are all currently offline for the moment, but have ilicited quite the response from his new robot chidren.

"Whoa!" Rock gasps at the sight in front of him and his sister, "Who are these guys, Dr. Light?"

"This is a series of robots my former partner and I were developing..." Dr. Light paused, "before he left."

"What are their names?" Roll asks in awe.

"These are the Robot Masters," Light answers, pointing to each one.

"First here is Cut Man. He is desgined for logging and lumber work."  
>Cut Man is a robot with orange and white armor and has a large pair of sheers on the top of his round orange head. He was the goofiest looking robot, with big round eyes and round ears.<br>"His cutters here can slice through almost anything," Thomas points out.

"Then, we have ElecMan, short for Electricity Man. In case of a black out, he can supply a whole city with a strong electrical current," Thomas describes, pointing to the second Robot Master.  
>ElecMan had mostly black armor with a yellow face mask and red leg armor and arm gauntlets. He is characterized by a yellow lightning bolt symbol in the center of his chest armor.<p>

"Then, there is Ice Man. His circuits can withstand extreme cole, and he can freeze anything with his ice slasher beam,"  
>The shortest of the group, Ice Man resembled an Eskimo, wearing a thick navy winter blue coat and white gloves. His face, however, was very neutral with big round eyes, a very small thin mouth and no nose.<p>

"And Fire Man. His primary function is waste management," Thomas says.  
>Fire Man was an intimidating sight. Looking something like a mad scientist's creation in a sci-fi flick, Fire Man had gray and orange-red armor with a fire-like design on his arms. His hands could switch over to dual flame throwers.<br>When active, fire can emerge from the top of his hollow head, which had a face that did not appear to have a mouth on it, as that area of his face is covered by a piece of metal.  
>Dr. Wily clearly had a lot of influence on his design.<p>

"And our demolitions robot, Bomb Man. His function is self-explanitory."  
>Bomb Man had more of a cartoonish bird look to his features, his mouth more or less resembling a large beak and his lower torso was round and black, like a bomb. He also sported an orange mohawk-like stripe on the top of his head.<p>

"And finally, we have the powerful GutsMan, a construction robot. He has the stretngth of nearly a thousand human men."  
>GutsMan was the largest of the litter. Standing at roughly seven feet tall and with a body double the width of Rock's, he was a sight to behold. He had black, red and yellow armor and a square jaw that stuck out. His name derives from the Japanese term for strength.<p>

"Very soon, these robots will serve mankind. Tasks that are too dangerous for humans can be given to one of these Robot Masters," Light says, "They will help us usher in a whole new era of robotics in society."

"Does this mean I have _more_ brothers?" Roll asks.

"Technically, no," Light replies, "These robots were built from different plans than you, Rock and Bl- ...," Thomas pauses again, catching himself almost say _Blues_.

"Who else, Dr. Light?" asks Rock quizzically.

"I'll... explain later," he answers, now looking melancholy as he remembers Blues and the fact that he can't be here with his siblings... especially his little brother that he wanted so badly.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

It was after dinnertime now in the Light house.

Normally, Dr. Light would have been heading back to the lab right next door to his house to shut off the lights and equipment, but Rock volunteered to do it for him, allowing Light to finish his dinner.  
>Thomas is amazed at how much better his life has gotten now that he has two robotic children to take care of, and that his children are here to help him around the lab and his house.<p>

"Compliments to the chef-bot," Dr. Light said of Roll's cooking skills, which are indeed quite excellent.

"Thank you, Dr. Light!" Roll smiles bashfully, "I hoped you'd like it."

Rock returned from the lab handing the keys back to his father. "Everything's been shut down in the lab, Dr. Light. And the security systems ae online."

"Very good. Thank you, son," Thoms replies.

"You're welcome, Dr. Light," Rock says. Then, he begins to look a bit more serious because there was something earlier that stuck with him.  
>"Father... earlier you said something about us being built from the same plans."<p>

"You were also about to tell us about another robot like us," Roll adds.

"And you _did_ tell us you'd explain later... and it's later now." Rock points out.

Light had a feeling his children would bring up this subject, so instead of avoiding the subject, he decided to explain to them.  
>Thomas takes a breath and sits back down in a nearby dining chair. Rock also pulls up another chair and sits accross from Thomas, while Roll remains standing nearby.<p>

"There was another robot that was built from the same plans you were," Light confesses, "Although his plans differed slightly from both of yours, he is technically your older brother... or was."

"Was?" asks Rock, his face showing concern.

"He went faulty and malfunctioned," Thomas says with a pang of regret, "My former partner Dr. Albert Wily and I had an argument and he stole him from me. I never saw either one of them again."

"Do you think he's okay?" Roll asks.

Dr. Light ponders for a moment. "... I don't know, Roll."

"What is his name?" Rock asks.

Thomas answers, "I wanted to name him _Blues_. But, Albert was insistent on giving him the name _ProtoMan_. In fact..."

Thomas pulls a small computer tablet out of his pocket and brings up the footage of Blues' first night alive on the screen. "I do have some footage of his only moments with me right here."

Rock and Roll gather around Dr. Light and look at the small screen to see their long lost brother. Dr. Light zooms in on the video to get close on Blues' face.

"He looks just like me!" Rock nearly whispers once he gets a good look at his brother's face.

"I modeled your appearance after his, Rock," Thomas admits as they watch as Blues looks at himself in the mirror.

_"Am I the only robot of my kind?"_ Blues asks in the footage.

_"For now, yes,"_ speaks the voice of Dr. Wily in the footage, _"Don't worry, my boy, you will have plenty of brothers and sisters very soon."_

_"A brother?... I'd like to have a little brother," _says ProtoMan in the video, still wearing that half-smile of his, but sounding very sincere

"Awww," Roll pouts, feeling sorry for the brother who she's never even met.

Dr. Light looks over to Rock, the little brother that Blues wanted, who is staring at the computer tablet. "Do you think we can find him?" Rock asks, particularly interested in finding his lost brother.

"That I also don't know," Light answers, "But, I wish he was still here... I miss him. He would really enjoy being with both of you."

Thomas turns off the tablet before the footage could reach the beginning of Blues' rampage. He didn't want his children seeing that... he didn't want to see it either.

"I can only hope that one day he'll return home," Thomas sighs.

After a beat of silence, Thomas stifles a yawn and stands up. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be going to bed for the night," he said.

"Actually," Roll said, "There was something else we wanted to ask you."

Light remained to listen to his children, facinated by their need for more input.

"Rock and I have been having these feelings lately when we're around you and eachother," Roll explains.

"These aren't bad feelings, are they?" Light asks with concern.

"No," Roll replies while Rock replies by lightly shaking his head, complying with his sister, "We like these feelings. But, we don't understand what it means yet."

Dr. Light stood there and thought about this. The answer to what this unknown feeling is eludes him. But, he couldn't quite figure it out and he was fatigued from the busy day, so his mind was cloudy.

"That is an interesting question," Light replied, "How about we get some rest and we'll talk about this tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Rock answers.

"Sure," Roll adds.

"Goodnight, Rock and Roll."

"Goodnight, Dr. Light." the two robots replied, almost in unison.

As Thomas left to go to his bedroom and Roll began taking the dishes to the kitchen, Rock walked over to a wall in the dining room and leaned against it with his arm, resting his head on that same arm. He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh. When Roll returns to gather what's left on the dinner table, she looks over and notices her brother's sudden change in mood.

"Hey," she asks with concern, "Are you okay?"

"... That was my big brother," he sighs, his face now wincing as he chokes, "I never knew I _had_ a brother... I wish he was here, Roll."

"I do too," Roll responds, now wrapping her arms around her brother, hugging him sideways, "He'll come home one day. And he'll be so excited to meet you. We can be an even bigger family."

Rock pulls himself off of the wall and hugs his little sister back, grateful that he has both her and his father in his life. He wishes his lost big brother could have them all in his life too, because he looked so lonely in the video Dr. Light showed them. As they remain embraced, Rock and Roll can feel this _unknown feeling_ again and it's even stronger now, not just for eachother, but now also for their brother, Blues.

However, unbeknownst to Rock and Roll, their big brother _is_ coming home... and he's coming home_ tonight_...

but, he's bringing Dr. Albert Wily with him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong> Let me explain something, for anybody who might be getting the wrong idea. This "Unknown Feeling" that Rock and Roll are having is **not** romantic or sexual in any way, shape or form. I don't write **that** kind of fiction and that is not the direction I'm taking. So, for those of you thinking otherwise, get your mind out of the gutter.  
>This "Unknown Feeling" and what it means will be explained at the end of this episode.<em>

_Did that little bot in the hardhat look familiar, folks?_

_The title "Puppets of Masters" is a backwards reference to the Metallica song and album **"Master of Puppets"** So, just imagine that as the song Roll is rocking out to ... (I think Captain Fallout is going to be getting a legal letter from Lars pretty soon.)_

_The "Hydraspanner" is a reference to The Empire Strikes Back (when Han tells Chewie to bring him the Hydraspanner when they're in the asteroid field.)_

_Business is about to pick up in the next chapter... while you wait, you readers should have plenty of time to go pick up that hot new album from Captain Fallout and The Atom Smashers, entitled "The Chronicles of Brad" featuring the hit single "Who the hell is Brad, anyway? (and why should we care about his chronicles?)" Availible February 20X1!_

_ Please feel free to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch any typos I missed, send a PM._


	5. An Unpleasant Reunion

_**Chapter 5: An Unpleasant Reunion**_

* * *

><p><strong>Late That Night.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

It was now late at night, nearly midnight on the east coast. Dr. Light had already gone to bed and Rock and Roll were recharging in their bedrooms, all of them unaware of the danager about to await them when they wake up.

Inside the good doctor's lab, one area of the metal wall began glowing red. Then, the wall itself begins to melt like butter and a hole formed in it's place, and standing just outside of said hole is ProtoMan who is now acting at the behest of Dr. Wily.

To compromise the solid metallic wall structure of the lab, ProtoMan had used his newly installed plasma buster cannon and fired a persistant beam of plasma energy at the wall, which stood no change to the advanced weapon.

ProtoMan held up his buster arm in front of his face and smirked, "I could get used to this blaster you gave me, Doc!"

Dr. Wily followed him inside and whispered, "Be quiet! The Robot Masters should be in the garage. Follow me."

* * *

><p>Dr. Light redesigned his alarm clock to include a security alert system to awaken him in case of a fire or a burglary. He never thought that the latter of the two would ever happen, but he did so as a precaution.<p>

Thomas woke up in his bedroom when his alarm clock had begun sounding way too early, Almost instantly, he knew that something was wrong when he noticed that the alarm was making a sound consisting of short alarm wails instead of it's usual sustained ring.

He took off his sleep mask and reached out to his nightstand, grabbing a small remote that would automatically awaken Rock and Roll and alert them to the danager as well.

* * *

><p>Less than a minute later, Dr. Light steps out of his room, now dressed in black slacks and his white button-up shirt, which he is still buttoning, and sees Rock and Roll - still clad in their normal clothing - standing in the hallway, looking worried.<p>

"What's happened Dr. Light?" asks Rock.

"I think someone has broken in to the lab," Thomas answers.

"Who would want to do that?" Roll worriedly asks.

"I don't know anyone who would do..." Thomas pauses. A chill ran up his spine as he realized just who _would_ brake into the lab...

"Albert!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the garage area of the lab complex, Dr. Wily vigorously rubs his hands together and chuckles with a sinister toothy smile as he stares accross at the Robot Masters.<p>

With outstretched arms, he calls the six Robot Masters, "Magnificent!"

He looks over to ProtoMan and wraps an arm around him. "Proto, my boy," he gloats, "This group will be the _perfect_ addition to my army!"

"Besides _myself_, you mean," ProtoMan corrects Wily.

_"_Albert!_"_ shouts Dr. Light.

Suddenly, the lights in the garage are turned on, filling the previously dim room with light. Dr. Wily and ProtoMan turn around to see Dr. light and his two new robots with him.

As ProtoMan switches to blaster mode and takes aim at the Light family, Dr. Wily takes the opportunity to speak with his former business partner.

"Thomas!" Wily loudly chimes with a twisted smile, "It's... _nice_ to see you again, old friend!"

"What are you doing back here?" Thomas demands.

"Well," Wily says with his arms behind his back as he moseys around, "I just wanted to drop in... say 'hi'... and take back my Robot Masters!"

"But, you can't do that!" Roll protests, "Dr. Light has worked hard on them!"

Wily looked at Roll with a strange, perplexed look on his face, almost mocking her for trying to play the sympathy card.

"Perhaps you didn't understand me, girly-bot," he says, leaning his body forward, "_MY_ Robot Masters!"

"You abandoned the Robot Masters the moment you attacked me and fled, Wily!" Thomas sneered to his former partner.

"Well, I'm taking them back now!" Wily barks.

As the scientists argue, Rock took a few steps forward and appeared to be fixated on ProtoMan. "You..." Rock says, pointing at yellow-scarfed robot, "You're my brother, aren't you?"

ProtoMan's attention was now focused on his younger brother, his helmeted head turning to face him. ProtoMan still held his aim, but now appeared to be puzzled by this robot's presence. He cocked his head to the side and his lips were slightly open as he stared at Rock... then he realized that Rock looks just like how ProtoMan remembers his own physical appearance. The only difference is, Rock looks almost totally human.

Then, he remembers what he wanted the most that night he was first powered-up here at this lab... He remembers something about being asked about brothers and sisters and stating that would like a little brother for himself...

"A little brother?" he says to himself, almost whispering.

Dr. Light and Dr. Wily cease arguing and all eyes in the lab are locked on the sight before them: the first meeting of Rock and his lost brother.

Dr. Light now looks upon his original prototype, mortified at what Wily has turned him into.

"My God, Albert!" he shudders, "What have you done to him?"

Wily chuckles back at his former partner, "I've made our prototype into something you never could, Thomas!" Wily touted, "I've made ProtoMan a _warrior!_ And I plan on doing the same to these six Robot Masters after we leave," he finishes, pointing towards the Robot Masters.

ProtoMan's blaster arm lowers as he looks at his sibling though his black visor and Rock steps closer to his brother, continuing to connect with him...

"You _are_ him!" Rock says, now smileing, "You're my brother!"

ProtoMan remains silent and in shock, just staring at his brother he always wanted.

"I'm Rock," Rock says, "Our sister is over there. Her name is Roll. We were all built from the same plans... we're family."

ProtoMan's gaze shifted to Roll for a moment, and she nervously gave him a wave. Then, Proto began to hang his head down slightly and he whispered something to himself... "Family?"

ProtoMan begins feeling a whirlwind of emotion. Not only did he have his little brother, but a little sister too. He could feel his lower lip tremble as his feels the weight of this emotional moment. Undernieth his visor, his eyes were eteched with sadness. This is what he wanted, standing right in front of him... yet, deep down inside, he felt he couldn't have it, and he didn't know why.

"You don't have to do this!," Rock pleads, trying to reason with his brother, "You can leave this Wily guy and come back home to Dr. Light!"

At the sound of Dr. Light's name, ProtoMan's gaze quickly raises back to his brother's face and his jaw stiffened, his lips almost taking the shape of a frown, all of the sadness he felt just a split second ago vanishing.

"No!" he spitefully replied, "I serve Dr. Wily... _not_ Thomas Light!"

"What?" Rock barked.

ProtoMan steps back towards his new master as Dr. Light watched on almost on the verge of tears.

"Blues... no!" Thomas whispers, his voice trailing off.

Dr. Wily was chuckling loudly as ProtoMan returned to his side. "_AWWWWWW_!" Albert taunts, "Thomas, I'm _so sorry_! ProtoMan likes me better than he likes you now!"

Dr. Light's sadness quickly became anger as he looked back at his former partner. "You had better leave, Albert," he warned.

"Or else you're going to do what?" Wily asks, not afraid of his former friend's threats.

Thomas pulls out the remote activator from a pocket in his shirt.

Dr. Wily's eyes widen. "Uh-oh!" he gasps.

With one press from Dr. Light's remote, each of the Robot Masters come to life. Cut Man, ElecMan, Ice Man, Fire Man, Bomb Man and GutsMan all stand at attention.

Electricity begins to sparkle on the tips of ElecMan's fingers, Ice Man's breath is cold and steamy, flames begin to emerge from the top of Fire Man's head, Cut Man's scissors on the top of his head begin to open and close, and GutsMan clinches his huge yellow fists. Rock backpeddles back to his sister Roll and Dr. Light, sure to stay out of the way of the clash that is about to take place.

"Robot Masters," Light instructs, "Please repel Dr. Wily... and ProtoMan."

ProtoMan takes aim at the six Robot Masters, ready to blast them all down before they can touch his master. But, the robots remain at ease, doing nothing. Dr. Light looks befuddled. "Robot Masters, repel Dr. Wily!" he orders again...

and then, Dr. Wily takes a few steps forward with a confident swagger.

"Robot Masters!" he calls, now looking directly at Thomas Light, grining sideways with a sinister glee and Thomas' eyes widen in pure horror.

"Whom do you obey?" Wily asks the Robot Masters.

"We obey you, Dr. Wily," The Robot Masters reply in unison.

Thomas Light doesn't know how he could have done it so quickly, but the Robot Masters were now under the control of Dr. Wily.

Dr. Wily begins a shreiking laugh and then shouts at the top of his lungs, "TOO LATE, THOMAS! HA HA HA HA HA!"

Rock feels an emotion boiling from inside of him that he's never felt before. It was anger. Determined, he charged for Dr. Wily, but when he got close enough, ProtoMan struck his brother down with a rigid right arm, like a clothesline manuver, taking his arm and striking him accross his upper chest and right below his throat area.

Rock's body landed with a thud on the cold, unforgiving floor and ProtoMan now aimed his blaster at his brother, not showing any of the emotion he did earlier. He prepares to shoot his own brother with a non-fatal stun blast.

"Sorry... _brother,_" ProtoMan says.

"Rock! No!" Roll pleaded as she bolted for ProtoMan, now feeling her own anger rise.

She leapt onto her brother's back and started hitting him on his hemeted head. "Don't hurt my brother, you creep!" she yelled.

Rock tries to get back to his feet, desperate to try and save his sister before she gets hurt. "Roll, don't!" he cries.

ProtoMan grabs Roll and he throws her off of him, but she lands safely in the arms of Rock, who is still on the floor

"You know what?" Dr. Wily states, leaning towards Rock and Roll, "You two have a lot of determination! I think you both would make _excellent_ additions to my army of robots!"

"No!" Thomas shouts, "Don't take my children!"

"_Children_, Thomas?" Wily taunts, "Your 'children' are _my_ soldiers!"

Thomas now tries to attack his former friend, cursing "You son of a-", but Fire Man shoots his twin flame throwers in a threatening manner towards the good doctor.

Dr. Light stops and remains unharmed from the flames, but now feels helpless, forced to stand here and watch his children be taken from him.

"You shouldn't have done that, Thomas!" Wily snickers, "I have the ultimate power now, my friend. You can't defeat me... _nobody can! _Let me show you!"

Dr. Wily looks upon his robots and begins to issue commands. "Ice Man, make us a sculpture for the good doctor"

Ice Man thrusts his gloved hands forward and a light blue icy beam fires from the palms of his hands. It was like magic as Ice Man kept firing the beam until an ice sculpture of a human-like body was finished.

"Now... Cut Man, Fire Man," Wily orders, "Take it down."

Cut Man pulls the large scissors off of his head and chucks them towards the sculpture like a boomerang. Rock and Roll watched in fear as Cut Man's sheers tore clean though the sculpture's neck, chopping it's ice head off. The head splits in half with a shattering sound as it hits the floor.  
>Fire Man then steps forward and shoots his dual flame blast upon the headless ice sculpture, melting the entire thing within a matter of seconds.<p>

Dr. Wily grabs a nearby wrench and gives another command.

"ElecMan," he asks, "If this wrench was your enemy, what would you do to it?"

Wily throws the wrench high in the air and ElecMan sticks his hands out. Lightning bolts begin shooting from his fingertips, frying the wrench until it's charred remains hit the floor.

"Bomb Man, I would ask you to demonstrate your special power," Wily says, "But, I wouldn't advise it. It would be fatal. But... how about you, GutsMan?"

GutsMan grabs Rock by his left arm and Roll by her right and holds them up, They desperately try to wriggle themselves free from the robot's grip, but to no avail.

"I'm sure you know GutsMan's ability, Thomas!" Wily says in a threatening manner, "He could crush a car with just one hand! Imagine what he can do to Rock and Roll's arms!"

"No!" Light cries.

Wily held his right hand up, motioning GutsMan not to harm Light's robots. Albert takes a few steps and looks upon Rock's face, a mixture of fear and anger, then he looks upon Roll's face, the more scared of the two.

Wily quietly snears with a learing grin and Roll shivers as he begins running his fingers through a curl of her hair that is dangling by her ear. He chuckles wickedly and says in a quiet, creepy tone, "Look at them, Thomas... They're so afraid."

Wily remembers the feeling he had as a child. Always being afraid.. affraid of what the bad man in front of him was going to do next. But, now, he is enjoying the sight of others being terrified.

"They know I'm serious!" Wily continues, now looking back to Light with that wretched grin of his, "Look at the world that _you_ have brought your 'children' into, Thomas! All because you _just wouldn't listen to me!_"

Dr. Wily now stood up and demands, "If you don't want your children to have their limbs removed, then I think you should let me take them back with me."

"No..." Light started weeping. He even got down on his knees and began to beg Wily to spare Rock and Roll. "Please, Albert, if there's any humanity left in you, you won't do this. You can take all of the Robot Masters if you want, but please... Don't take my children away from me!"

Rock and Roll looked upon their creator with sorrow as he begged for them to be spared. And Dr. Wily approached his former partner and leaned over to put his face closer to Thomas'.

"All you had to do, Thomas..." Wily says quietly, almost regretfully, "All you _ever_ had to do was say that I was right. But, you never showed me the respect that I deserved, and I stand here now, watching you sob over your '_children'_... and on the inside, I'm laughing!"

Wily's grin returns as he continues, "_You_ did this to me, Thomas... I'm all out of remorse!"

Wily stood back up and bid farewell to his partner one more time. "Goodbye, Thomas," Wily says as he turns and walks away, "Goodbye forever."

Dr. Light tries go to him, but ProtoMan grabs him by the collar of his shirt and hisses, "This is for all the pain you put me through!"

ProtoMan fiercely shoves his co-creator hard to the cold metal floor. Then, he kicks Light in the stomach swiftly while he was down on all fours, barely missing his ribs. ProtoMan then switches to blaster mode and takes aim, ready to kill Dr. Light.

"Proto!" Wily calls, "Think about this-"

"You said he's the one responsible for the pain I went through. He deserves to die!" ProtoMan spits, sounding like he's holding in more immense sadness, his mind filled with Albert Wily's lies.

"Please, don't hurt him!" Rock cries out. Roll screams "No!"

"I'm doing it, Dr. Wily!", ProtoMan seethes.

Dr. Wily grabs ProtoMan by his face and barks at him. "I am giving you a _direct order_, ProtoMan! _Do not_ shoot him!"

ProtoMan stood there, watching Dr. Light writhe in pain on the floor.

"He _does_ deserve to die... but, there is another way, my boy," Wily whispers, "There is another way."

ProtoMan hesitates, because he felt an urge inside of him telling him to let him go.. maybe Wily is right. After a brief few seconds that felt like they went on for an eternity, he switches back to normal hand mode and steps away and Dr. Wily follows him.

"GutsMan," Wily commands, "Take Rock and Roll, or whatever their names are, and bring them aboard my ship!"

As GutsMan turns to leave, Roll reaches out to Dr. Light with her free hand, even though she knows she can't reach that far, but wishing she could help her father.

"Dr. Light!" she calls, her voice quivering.

Roll and Rock become very scared as they are taken away, not as much for themselves, but for Dr. Light. Seeing father brutalized - and almost killed - upset them badly, especially Roll. Rock remained silent, his emotions a mix of sadness and building anger.

* * *

><p>Rock continued to struggle from GutsMan's grip as they were hauled over to Dr. Wily's large flying craft that he and ProtoMan had constructed using the remains of a Skycar and other flying crafts. Dr. Wily called the craft <em>The Skullker<em>, mainly thanks to the design of a skull on the front of the vehicle.

Wily stopped in his tracks. "Everyone stop! Bomb Man, come here." Wily commands, making a single finger motion for Bomb Man to approach him.

"Yes, Dr. Wily?" the mohawked robot asked in his duck-like voice

"I think _right now_ would be an excellent time to demonstrate your special abilities for Thomas!" Wily grinned.

"My pleasure!" Bomb Man replied with a sinister glee.

"No!" shouts a panicked Rock as Roll gasped but couldn't talk.

Bomb Man opened a compartment in his round belly and pulled out a round black bomb with a wick sticking out at the top. The tip of the robot's left index finger bent backwards and produced a small flame, like that of a cigarette lighter.  
>When the flame touched the wick, the string began to sparkle and hiss. Bomb Man then took the bomb and rolled it back inside Dr. Light's garage like he would a bowling ball.<p>

The bomb touched Dr. Light's body and stopped near him. Thomas looked and panicked as he frantically got up and fled. Despite the pain in his body, he ran out of the garage and back inside the lab. He pressed a button that closed the door and he continued running...

Then, the bomb went off and the explosion blew the steel door clean off, knocking Dr. Light off of his feet, crashing to the floor.

Outside, Rock and Roll watched in horror as the bomb blew. Roll covered her eyes with her free hand and wept as Rock stared ahead at the blast zone where his father was just seconds ago. The Robot Masters begin boarding the Skullker with Rock and Roll as their prisoners. Dr. Wily and ProtoMan remain.

"See, Proto?" Wily says, "There _was_ a better way! Now, he's learning his lesson. Not only have we taken back the Robot Masters, but we've also taken his heart! Thomas Light will die a victim of his own misery."

ProtoMan continues staring into the destroyed garage through his visor as Wily gloats... and he smirks at the carnage his master and he have created. His new programming tells him this is a good thing.

"Come, my boy!" Wily says, "You're about to meet your brother and sister!"

ProtoMan finally turned around and returned with the laughing Dr. Wily to the Skullker.

* * *

><p>On their way to the cockpit of the craft, ProtoMan sees his two siblings hunched in a corner. Rock hugged his sister as she pouted into his shoulder. ProtoMan can overhear Rock trying to assure Roll that their father was okay.<p>

"He's alright, I saw him escape," Rock says.

"Are you sure?" Roll asks, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Rock assures, now looking up at his evil brother, the same one he wished would come back home. Rock can't believe he felt sorry for him just minutes ago. The look Rock gives him is a mixture of anger, dismay and pitty.

As he sneers at his brother, Rock wraps his arms around his sister a little tighter just in case ProtoMan tries to do anything.

"How dare you!" Rock barks, "Dr. Light wouldn't hurt anybody... _especially_ his own robots!"

ProtoMan leans foreward closer to his captured siblings. "Well, that's not what Dr. Wily tells me about your _great_ creator. He's the one who messed up my programming!" he replies, turning to walk away and join Dr. Wily in the front seat.

"Whatever he's telling you is a lie!" Rock yells back, "Dr. Light is a good person!"

"SHUT-UP BACK THERE!" Dr. Wily shouts from the cockpit, "I don't want to hear another word about Dr. Thomas Light!"

Within seconds, the Skullker took off flying away from Dr. Light's damaged lab building with all of the Robot Masters and Rock and Roll onboard. Their destination: Dr. Wily's new hideout in the badlands.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_I decided to go for a more drawn-out and darker take on Wily kidnapping Rock, Roll and the Robot Masters. Notice how creepy Dr. Wily is towards the end?  
><em>_In the next chapter, it gets darker. It will be a big one. So, sit tight, it could take a little while. Sorry for leaving you on the cliffhanger! But, every time the Mega Man cartoon cut to commercial, there was a cliffhanger. So..._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, please PM me._


	6. Trapped by a Madman

_**_**Episode 1, **_Chapter 6: Trapped by a Madman.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's Hideout.<br>Somewhere in the badlands of the southwestern United States.**

Albert Wily's hideout had undergone some changes in recent days. With the help of ProtoMan, this place was starting to become less of a dive and more of a command center. This 'building' isn't even finished yet, but it already looked like the kind of place where you would not want to be, and when it is finished, it will be a monument to terror itself.

Upon landing, Wily began assigning the Robot Masters to begin working on what would become his new fortress. Wily himself and ProtoMan began walking down a long corridor to a dimly lit room with two side by side metal restraining tables that appear to be bolted down into the floor. The room was lit by only a few hanging lights and the glowing monitors of nearby computers inside of the room.

The Robot Masters followed Wily and ProtoMan, dragging Rock and Roll with them. GutsMan was handling Rock in his big yellow hands, while ElecMan and Fire Man were trying to handle Roll. Both of them were trying to get free, but Roll was the most fiesty. Ever since Rock had assured her that Dr. Light was still alive, her sadness was replaced by anger and she wanted to knock all of these creeps out for what they did to her father/creator.

"Let us go, you two-timing robo-goons!" she defiantly shouts.

"Fine!" says ElecMan, "Here you go!"

ElecMan forcefuly shoves Roll away into one of the restraining tables at an awkward angle. She yelps in pain as her right hip crashes into the unforgiving side of the table, causing her body to hunch over the top of it. She then lets out a painful moan as she winces at the sharp pain in her hip.

"You're not so tough now, are you, sweetheart?" ElecMan smirks.

When Rock sees his sister getting hurt, his blue eyes blaze with anger as that furious feeling he experienced earlier returns.

"Don't hurt my sister!" Rock growls, trying to kick ElecMan's titanium teeth down his throat, but GutsMan hoists him up and slams him hard onto the restraining table and he is locked in place by two metal strips groing accross his upper and lower body.

"Sit down and shut-up, ya' little dweeb!" GutsMan bellows in his gruff voice.

Rock now feels pain for the first time himself, all centered in his back, thanks to GutsMan slamming him down on the table and he becomes locked into place by a pair of titanium restraints holding him down by his arms and chest and his legs.  
>Rock's own face is now etched with a paiful expression as well. Neither Rock or Roll had known what pain felt like until tonight, and it felt bad.<p>

ProtoMan has taken notice of the Robot Masters abusing his siblings and barks "Hey! ... Enough!"

ElecMan and Cut Man hoist Roll - who is still whimpering and clutching her hip - onto her restraining table and she becomes locked in just like her brother. Now that ProtoMan has admonished them, they place Roll onto her table much easier than Rock was by GutsMan.

ProtoMan nods, looking perturbed. "That's much better," he says.

"Robot Masters, you may leave. You have work to do!" Dr. Wily orders.

With that, the Robot Masters walked away, leaving Wily with Rock, Roll and ProtoMan, who was standing nearby and giving a death stare back to GutsMan and ElecMan through his visor as they passed him.

"I'm gonna have a _word_ with you two later," ProtoMan says in a threatening manner, pointing to GutsMan and ElecMan. ProtoMan didn't like seeing others attacking his new siblings... even though he did attack his own brother back at Dr. light's lab earlier.

Still fighting the stinging pain centered in his back, Rock looks over to Roll, who still looks like she's hurting also. Before could ask her if she's okay, Wily begins speaking with that wretched grin of his.

"How do you like my new hideout? Sure, It doesn't look like much right now, but very soon - with the help of my Robot Masters - it will be a fortress. It would be suicide for anyone to try and penetrate the _just_ outer defenses, let alone brake in!"

"What do you want with us?" Rock demanded.

"Simple!" Wily replied, "I'm re-programing you both to serve in my army of robots. I have determined that humans are an inferior race now... except for _myself_, of course! So, they need to be taught a lesson that they'll never forget."

The wicked grin on Wily's face becomes wider and he resists the desire to laugh as he continues, "Soon, democracy will be history and _I_ will become their judge, jury and executioner! The fate of every human life will soon be in the palm of my hands, and every robot walking the face of this planet will either serve with me or die!"

"But, that's not right!" Rock protests.

Leaning into Rock's ear, Wily snaps back, "I've been on this planet a lot longer than you, robot-boy! You don't know what it's like to live in a true state of fear everyday. I do! Whenever I called for help, nobody answered. Everybody scorned me. Now it's everybody else's turn to suffer like I did!"

As Wily backs away towards his table full of terrifing, unholy-looking surgical instruments, ProtoMan steps forward.

"You should be happy, Rock," Proto says, "You, Roll and me are the future. We can help Dr. Wily in his quest to punish mankind... and be a family at the same time!"

"This is no family!" Roll shouts to Proto, with an angry sneer on her face, "And you're no brother of mine!"

ProtoMan ignores Roll and continues trying to persuade Rock, thinking he can get through to him since they are brothers. "Think about it, Rock. Let Dr. Wily reprogram you and all three of us can have all the power we want! We'll be invincible!"

"You can count me out!" Rock answers strongly, "You're talking about terrorizing innocent humans! I don't want any part of this!"

Dr. Wily strongly grabs Rock by his jaw. "Is _that_ so? Well, I would hate to inform you, boy, but you don't exactly have a choice in this matter! Let me show you!"

Wily holds up a drill to Rock's head. He presses the power button and drill whirs loudly. "All it takes is a little tuck here and a slice there, and before you know it, I've broken into your memory core! You'll suffer horrible pain for a moment then shut down. Once you wake up, you'll be just like your brother... serving me, and doing so with a smile on your face! Goodnight!"

Wily holds the drill up to Rock's cranium, and the male robot winces as the drill gets closer, nearly making contact with him. He struggles, but it's no use, as Dr. Wily and the restraints on the table hold him down. Roll watches in horror as her brother is about to get reprogrammed. She tries to get Dr. Wily to stop by getting his attention...

"Leave my brother alone!... Dr. Denthead!" she cries, mocking the odd looking dent-like scar on Wily's bald head, which was mostly likely put there as a result of one of his father's beatings as a boy.

Albert stops the drill before he can penetrate Rock's skin and looks over to Roll with an angry face.

"The name is _Dr. Wily_!" he snaps.

"Not in my universe, you psycho!" Roll defiantly retorts.

The look in Wily's eyes goes from angry to murderous... he doesn't like being called a psycho. Rock knows his sister is in real trouble now as Wily steps over to Roll's side with the drill. Rock tries to break free, but the restraining table won't budge. Rock becomes so scared for his sister's well-being, he can't even talk.

Dr. Wily grabs Roll by her jaw a little more gently than with Rock. Roll tries to shake him off, but Wily only tightens his grip on her. "You are as beautiful as you are a smart-ass!" Albert sneers.

With an eerie tone in his voice and a snicker, he describes an _alternate_ reprogramming programming process.

"There's an easier way to re-program you," he says, "But, in order to do that, I would have to ruin your face. And, believe me... it will be very painful."

Roll eyes widen in fear and stare back at Wily as he continues, "I would hate to have to damage a face as gorgeous as yours... but, you asked for it! And I'll be sure to make your reprogramming as slow and painful as I can."

Wily holds the drill up near the center of Roll's forehead and watches her panic. Roll desperately tries to move her arms and shrieks, "No! Somebody help me!"

ProtoMan looks away, unable to watch his sister about to be tortured. Deep down inside, he wanted to convince Wily to stop... but he wouldn't do it... because he _couldn't, _thanks to Wily's programming. Rock knows he's the only one who can save her, and he doesn't have much time left before that drill reaches her head.

"WAIT! STOP! My father has reinforcements!" he shouts, desperate to get Wily's attention.

For the first time, Rock told a lie. He felt bad for doing it, but he didn't think twice. He had to save Roll and creating a story to distract Wily was the only way.

Before the drill could even touch Roll's head, Dr. Wily shuts it off. He looks behind himself at Rock, then to ProtoMan, who now looks back at him. Dr. Wily sets the drill down, away from the two robots and walks over to ProtoMan disscussing this with him. Roll lets out a sigh of relief, thankful for her brother saving her.

After a moment of speaking with ProtoMan, Wily talks back around. "Tell me more about these... reinforcements." Wily says, sounding thrown off by Rock's lie.

"They're mean machines!" Rock adds, "He just told me about them. They're just like the Robot Masters, but they're tougher. They're Super Fighting Robots! They're probably on their way here now. They can re-arange your anatomy! Trust me, I've seen them!"

Roll looks over to her good brother and looks puzzled. She didn't know these robots even existed, which of course she then realizes, they _don't_. She couldn't possibly believe that her brother would tell a lie, even to someone like Albert Wily.

Wily's own words reflected Roll's thoughts.

"Robots can't lie," he tells ProtoMan, "He _must_ be telling the truth. I should've known that bastard Thomas would keep his _best_ robots hidden from me!"

Wily turns back to Rock. "Tell me how to stop them," he orders.

Rock sees an opening and takes a chance. "Please... just let my sister go and I'll show you. But, afterwards, you have to let her escape, unharmed."

Roll looked over at her brother in stunned silence. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Rock was willing to sacrifice himself to save her life.

Wily knew that reprogramming a robot with the limited resources he had right now could wipe out parts of the robot's memory if he's not careful. While he was lucky with ProtoMan, he may not be as lucky with these two, especially with these reinforcement robots on their way, he had less time to work with. Wily thinks it over.

"I knew it!" he whispered to himself, "He probably built them using _my_ plans!"

Wily approaches Rock's table and presses the _release_ button. "You have yourself a deal _if_ you tell me exactly how to stop these robots." he instructs Rock.

As Rock stood up, he noticed that Roll was still restrained. He knew Wily probably wasn't going to let Roll go, but he didn't have to. If Rock's plan works, he can free Roll and escape this dismal place with her.

"Rock, what are you doing?" Roll asks, worried about her brother's saftey.

ProtoMan steps up to join Wily, waiting for his brother to explain how these _reinforcements_ can be defeated.

"Follow me," Rock replied.

Rock led his brother and Wily away from Roll. Once he knew they were far enough, he started talking to his captors.

"It's not that difficult. Their armor isn't very strong," explains Rock, "You need to use something heavy... like this thing here."

Rock approaches a large piece of equipment with wheels on the bottom...

... Wily looks at ProtoMan with furrowed brows and ProtoMan looks back at Wily...

... Proto shakes his head 'no'... he's not buying his brother's trick...

... Wily makes a throat-cutting jesture with his finger...

... ProtoMan switches to blaster mode and aims at his own brother's back...

"ROCK!" Roll screams.

Rock spins around and slaps his ProtoMan's blaster arm off target. Then, when his body now completely faces his evil brother, he decks ProtoMan with a stiff punch to his jaw, knocking him down. Rock grabs the equipment he was going for originally and hurls it at his brother.

Before ProtoMan could react, the large equipment crashed into him while he tried to get back up and pinned him to the ground. Dr. Wily stood there in shock until Rock shoves him to the floor, knocking him down too. Rock couldn't believe that he had just resorted to violence. But, after seeing these vermin abuse and threaten his sister and father, he had no choice but to resort to such acts. He rushes to Roll's side and frees her.

"Let's go!" Rock says urgently.

Roll hops off of her table and runs with her brother, getting themselves away from Dr. Wily and out of this dismal room.

Still pinned down by the equipment, ProtoMan aims his blaster at his fleeing siblings and fires. But, because of the awkward position that he was in, the shot barely misses them, hitting the wall nearby.

Wily pulls out a communicator from his pocket and activates it. "Attention all robots! Dr. Light's robots have escaped. Stop them at all costs and return them to me!"

* * *

><p>Rock and Roll ran up the corridor from which they came as fast as their metallic legs could make them run. GutsMan plowed himself through a wall in the hideout and began pursuing them.<p>

"Hey, you little twerps!" he growled, "Get back here!"

GutsMan was strong, but not as fast as Dr. Lights robots were. They were able to stay ahead of him, but Ice Man was up ahead on an overhead catwalk and he was was using his Ice Slasher to construct an ice wall in the middle of the corridor, blocking the way out.

"What are we gonna do now?" Roll fretted.

Rock thought as he ran. "We'll crash through it! When I say, slide on the floor and kick the wall with your feet."

Rock and Roll kept running and when Rock cried "Now!" they both performed a baseball side feet-first into and through the ice wall, shattering it to bits. Rock shielded his sister's face from falling shards of ice as they passed the wall. With GutsMan still on their tails, both robots got up and kept running. Now, ElecMan was following them as well.

"Get back here you little troublemakers!" ElecMan yelled.

Inspired by how how brother has dealt with these Wily bots so far, Roll decides that she's going to get back at that Electro-Jerk for throwing her into that table. She quickly entered a command into her utility arm and her arm began to transform into some sort of a dispenser. Then, cooking oil began to pour out from the inside. She had some left over she hadn't used for dinner last night.

ElecMan's feet slip and slide once he hits the oil slick on the floor and he falls right on his titanium backside. Roll couldn't help but briefly look over her shoulder to see the Robot Master slip and fall. When she looks ahead again, she spots a parked flying craft up ahead that was parked next to Wily's Skullker. The ship was a smaller secondary hovercraft that Wily had yet to have overhauled.

"Look!" she yelped, pointing to the flying craft.

"I know!" Rock responds, spotting the craft also.

Rock and Roll jumped into the craft's cockpit and lowered the windshield. Both of Dr. Light's robots were programmed to drive anything, so they knew how to operate any vehicle known to man Rock studied the console in front of him and instantly knew the takeoff procedures. He recognized this as an Air Raider, a prototype vehicle for police usage.

As the Air Raider took off, Roll saw Ice Man and Fire Man approaching, with GutsMan, Cut Man and Bomb Man close behind.

"Rock, hurry!" she panicked.

As the Air Raider takes off, Fire Man shot balls of fire towards the craft and Ice Man fired his Ice Slasher. But, their shots missed as Rock pulled off some evasive actons and and soon successfully fled Dr. Wily's hideout with his sister Roll safely.

Ice Man and Fire Man look at eachother...

"You better tell Dr. Wily," Ice Man says in his Brooklyn accent.

Fire Man looks at IceMan angrily, erupting a ball of flame out of the top his flaming head.

"I forgot... you ain't got a mouth." Ice Man groans back.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan - who is still sore from being punched by Rock - catches up with ElecMan, who is still struggling to get back to his feet after Roll's cooking oil slick trap. He couldn't believe he didn't see Rock's punch coming. He curses himself for being too slow. If he hadn't hesitated for that split second, he would have hit Rock with a stun blast and both his brother and sister would be here right now and would soon be fighting at his side. But, for now, he had more pressing matters to take care of...<p>

"Elec!" he says non-chalantly, adjusting his scarf, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Talk?" ElecMan snaps, "I ain't got time to talk! Those siblings of yours are getting away!"

"Yeah... about them," Proto says, "I saw the way you roughed up my sister earlier."

"Yeah, she caled me a robotwit... she deserved it too," ElecMan groans

"... oh, really?" ProtoMan asks... then he blasts ElecMan right in the chest with his blaster, knocking ElecMan backwards into the corridor wall and he slumps down to the floor clutching his chest.

Proto couldn't protest to what Wily was about to do to Rock and Roll because of his programming, but there was nothing is his programming that prevented him from protesting rather violently to ElecMan.

ProtoMan crouches down and snears, "Don't do that again! They're _my_ siblings to rough up, if I choose... if I catch you doing that to my sister again... I'll blast your head off... 'kay?"

ElecMan looks up at ProtoMan with pain-filled narrow eyes. "Yeah, sure... whatever," he moans.

Proto walks away and taunts, "Watch your step! The floor is pretty slick."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>In the skies above New York City.**

It was now the the middle of the night. Rock was pilotting the Air Raider he liberated from Dr. Wily's hideout while Roll was sitting next to him. She hasn't said much since she was rescued, she's just been looking out her side of the windshield.

Rock looks over and asks with genuine concern, "Are you okay?"

Roll nods. "... I can't believe somebody that evil exsits," she replies, still sounding shaken by her terrifying encounter with Dr. Wily.

"I didn't either, until tonight," Rock answers, then asks, "Are you feeling any pain?"

Roll replies, "No, I'm okay."The pain from her crash into the table long since passed. Roll looks back back at her brother and a slight smile comes accross her face when she remembers how incredible her brother handled himself back at Wily's base.  
>"You should've seen yourself!" she says, "I thought you were gonna kick all of their butts!"<p>

"After seeing how they hurt you and Dr. Light... and after what Wily almost did to you," Rock responds, "I could've... I _would've_. By the way, thanks for warning me back there."

"You're my brother," Roll replies, "we've got to watch eachother's backs."

"I feel bad for punching... my _brother_ back there," Rock muses.

"Don't, Rock," Roll says, "He's a Grade-A jerk... I can't believe I ever felt sorry for him."

Roll might not like ProtoMan at all, but Rock saw the sadness and the confusion he displayed earlier tonight back at home. He believes that ProtoMan isn't truly like this, that Wily has warped his brother into the person he enountered tonight... there has to be some of that goodness that he saw in that old footage left in his brother. There _has_ to be.

The Air Raider takes a turn away from home and Roll notices it. "You're flying us _away_ from Dr. Light's lab, Rock!"

"It's okay, Roll," Rock assures, "I just wanted to see something first."

Rock used his internal global satilite positioning capabilites and searched for the location of this 'Lady Liberty' Dr. Light mentioned. On the way, Rock and Roll look outside and see the wonderous skyline of New York City on the horizon.

_Dr. Light was right,_ Rock thinks to himself, _this place is amazing._

A few minutes later, Roll sees something huge up ahead and points.

"Look! It's a giant woman!" she says. Roll could see - thanks to her optical circuits - that what she was looking at wasn't _really_ a woman, but she sure is captivated by her.

"Dr. Light told me about her," Rock says, "She's really a statue... but, what a statue."

The Air Raider makes a pass around the Statue of Liberty herself, New York's symbol of excellence, as well as America's. Rock and Roll can't take their eyes off of the pale green statue.

"Wow!" Roll sighs in awe, "She's amazing!"

As Rock looked at the Statue of Liberty, he felt since of duty inside of himself. Tonight, he fufilled his duty of protecting his sister from evil people like Wily. Gazing at this symbol of hope only encourages him to make sure he's always there to protect his family, and to make sure that Wily and his supposed brother ProtoMan never harm them again.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

Dr. Light had been knocked out cold from the explosion. He could hear a ringing in his ears when he first woke up, but that had since subsided. He also almost threw up earlier too. He didn't know if it was from the pain from being kicked by ProtoMan or the mental and emotional pain Dr. Wily inflicted upon him.

Though the lab was not badly damaged, his life was destroyed tonight. Dr. Wily remodeled his prototype - Thomas' first son - into a monster, he did the same to the Robot Masters and now he stole Rock and Roll. Light is haunted by the thought of what possible horrible things they must be going through right now.

All he knew for sure was that Albert Wily had changed. He heard a tone in his voice tonight that he never heard before, even in their most heated of arguments. The man sounded like a certifiable psychopath. His terrifying laugh still echos in Thomas' head.

What troubled him the most was that he wouldn't even allow Thomas to keep his children. After begging and sobbing in front of him, Wily showed no sorrow for Light. Wily was determined to mortally wound his former partner... and he succeeded.

In his house next to the lab, Thomas was sitting in a chair, stareing at a digital picture frame displaying a photo he had taken just a few days ago of the apples of his eye, Rock and Roll. They looked so happy and beautiful. They were everything he wanted and he loved them like real children... they _are_ his children... they _were_.

Now, they were gone. Taken from him... Until...

Thomas heard a noise right outside. His head sharply turned and he stood up, quickly springing to the door. He feared the worst and hoped for the best. He opened the front door and saw an Air Raider sitting in the street that had a paint scheme similar to whatever that thing was that Albert Wily had flown in earlier. The windshield opened and Light's jaw dropped as he saw Rock and Roll, looking safe and sound climbing out of the craft. He ran towards them the moment he saw them. They spotted him and ran to him also.

"Dr. Light!" Rock cried out.

"Rock! Roll!" he replied.

Roll was the first to reach her father, and she held her arms out.

"Dr. Light!" she peeped, now wrapping her arms around him.

Light returned the hug, holding onto his daughter tight. Rock approached his family and Dr. Light wrapped one of his arms around him also and Rock returned the hug.

"I'm so glad you're both safe!" Thomas choked.

"We're glad _you're_ safe too!" Rock replied, sounding relieved that everything is okay afterall.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Light asked as he was loosening his hugs.

"Not badly," Roll replied, "Thanks to Rock."

Light was astounded to hear that Rock saved his sister and himself.

"You saved her?" he asks and Rock nods.

"You should have seen him, Dr. Light!" Roll says enthusiastically, "He was amazing!"

"Come inside," a proud Dr. Light says, ruffling Rock's hair, "We'll talk all about it."

* * *

><p>Back inside the safe confines of the lab, Rock and Roll explained everything that happened to them tonight at Albert Wily's hideout while one of Thomas' user-controlled worker robots welded a new piece of metal over the hole in the wall left by ProtoMan. Dr. Light looked bothered when he heard that Dr. Wily was about to began terrorizing humans... and his eyebrows skyrocketed when Rock confessed to telling a lie...<p>

"I hope your not mad, Dr. Light," Rock pleaded his case to Light, "But, I had to tell a fib to get us away. I'm so sorry."

Dr. Light placed his hands on Rock's shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"You know that I always want you to tell the truth and be honest with everybody you know... but you don't _ever_ have to apologize for doing what you did tonight. It was very brave of you to risk yourself for your sister like that." says Thomas.

Light looked at Roll and added, "And _you_ were also brave to stand up to Dr. Wily like that, Roll!"

Roll smiled, sheepishly.

"I am so proud of you both," Light said, "You have no idea how much."

Dr. Light drew them into another hug and Rock and Roll started experience that unknown positive feeling again.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

After Dr. Light had gone to sleep, Rock escorted Roll to her room and was about to leave, but Roll called for him as he was going down the hallway.

"Rock?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Could you come here?" she requests.

Rock approaches her and they both stand right outside of her bedroom door.

"Thank you for rescuing me," she said with a smile.

Rock smiled back, "I'd do it all over again if I had to."

"I've been studying some human behavior and... I think I should do this..." Roll said smiling.

Roll leaned herself forward and kissed her brother on the cheek. Rock didn't know what to make of this. He looked taken back.

"Wow... thanks!" he said bashfully.

"You're my hero, Rock," Roll said, now drawing her brother into another hug, "Goodnight, big brother."

"'Night, Sis," Rock replied, "I'm gonna make sure you guys are safe from now on."

Rock watched as his sister entered her bedroom and closed the door. He had also accompanied Dr. Light to his room earlier tonight also. Rock quietly walked down the hallway, careful not to make too much noise. Rock, however, did not go to his room... he refused to go to bed. Seeing both Dr. Light and Roll hurt tonight - after he promised himself that no harm would come to them - lit a fire inside of him. He had a duty to fufill.

* * *

><p><strong>That morning.<strong>

Dr. Light woke up before Roll did and was looking for Rock, who was not in his bedroom. Thomas had begun to worry about Rock since he didn't respond to his calls, affraid something else had gone wrong.

"Rock?" he called, approaching the living room. It was there that he found Rock, who was out like a light on the couch. He had stayed up all night into the morning until his internal battery had entered it's last drop, personally keeping guard the whole time to make sure Wily and his robots didn't come back.

Thomas walked over to his son on the couch and grabbed a nearby throw blanket and placed it over Rock's body, leaving only his head uncovered. As Dr. Light stood and watched Rock sleep, he said only one thing to his brave, courageous son...

"God bless you, my son," he said with pride.

Thomas left Rock remaining on the couch so he could recharge. After his heroic acts last night, he deserved the rest.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's hideout.<strong>

Dr. Wily sat in a swivel chair with his left hand up to his chin. He was remembering how badly things went last night with Rock and Roll. He had Thomas Light's robots in the palm of his hands, and they got away... they got the better of him. With Albert was ProtoMan, who stood across from the scientist with his arms folded in front of himself. Neither one of them were saying anything. ProtoMan looked at Wily briefly, and the doctor caught his glance. They stared at each other for a moment before Wily broke the silence...

"I don't believe he outsmarted me!" Wily groans, sounding displeased.

"Relax, Dr. Wily!" Proto assured his master, "We'll get our chance to nab my little brother again."

"Your brother is not my concern right now," Wily replied, "Knowing Thomas, he'll gloat to everybody who will listen about how he and his twerp kids made a joke out of me! _Me_, the supreme intellect!... Outsmarted!... He's probably already begun smearing my good name!"

Proto almost chortles when he hears Wily talk about Dr. Light smearing his _'good name.'_

"What do you think we should do about it?" Proto asks.

Albert stood up and pounded his right fist into his left hand...

"I once heard that respect and fear are one in the same." Wily said, "And right now, nobody respects me because nobody is afraid of me... and I must do something about that."

Albert remained silent for what seemed like minutes. He looked over to ProtoMan who still leaned against the wall.

"And that means?... " Proto asked.

"It's time we pay a visit to New York City!" he says with a scary tone in his voice, wearing that sinister grin on his face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I decided to make the captivity scene in Skull Fortress darker and scarier. If you felt uncomfortable reading it, don't feel bad, I was uncomfortable writing it at times. As you can see, Roll is already starting to show some of her tough side that we know and love. Rock, meanwhile, is getting closer to his destiny. __ Did you catch the "Super Fighting Robots" line?_

_(lalalei. You were right! They didn't fall for it.)_

_I almost cut the scene where ProtoMan blasts ElecMan, but decided to keep it in... there may be a little bit of goodness left in him afterall. That could also explain why ElecMan's aim is so bad in the first episode of the show!_

_Also, some loyal fans of the show have probably noticed that there was a big piece missing from the "I had to tell a fib to get away" scene. Don't worry, we'll get to the beginning of the **Mega**-era very soon. I just want to go about it a more fitting way._

_Things are are about take a turn for the worse in the next chapter._

_Sorry to had to make you wait for this one. I wanted to make this a huge chapter. Please feel free to review/comment. Your reviews have been very helpful to me in the making of this project, so keep 'em coming and Thank You!_


	7. Enough is Enough

_**Chapter 7: Enough is Enough**_

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day.<br>****Times Square, New York City.**

It is a peaceful day in the city... at least as peaceful as it can get in the heart of this place, anyway. Hoards of people crowded the streets, traffic was backed-up and the many billboards here were lit up brightly, even during the day. It's just another day here in the city. Still hectic and busy as usual.  
>But, this is <em>not<em> just another day in the city... and the world was about to witness it unfold before their very eyes.

High above the scene, Dr. Wily's Skullker was hovering with ProtoMan, the Robot Masters and Wily himself onboard. Some onlookers in the streets below look up and gawk at the strange flying craft hovering above them, pointing to it in awe as they wonder what this thing is.  
>One driver is so fixated on the Skullker, he rear-ends another car in the street.<p>

* * *

><p>Up in the cockpit of the Skullker, Wily turns from the controls to face his robots.<p>

"Your mission is this, my Robot Masters," he addresses, "All I need you to do is cause random acts of terror down below. Make them scream!"

Dr. Wily then turns to face ProtoMan, who is seated in the passenger seat next to him.  
>"I trust there won't be any further <em>problems<em> between you and your fellow robots, Proto?" he asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Obviously, he heard about the incident between ProtoMan and ElecMan back at the fortress.

"_Nah!_ No problems at all!" Proto says, "Gutsy and I had a talk before things got too heated. He knows his place in the pecking order. And as for ElecMan..." Proto turns to face ElecMan with a sarcastic smile on his face... "We won't be having any lingering issues, will we... _buddy_?"

ElecMan stares back with an angered look on his face. "No... of course not, ProtoMan."

"Good!" Proto replies.

Wily returns to his seat to operate the Skullker so he could take the craft down to a lower altitude.

"If I catch any of you attacking eachother, I'll dismantle you myself!" Wily threatens.

* * *

><p>Once the Skullker is close enough to the ground, all seven robots leap out of the flying craft and began attacking Times Square, terrorizing the citizens and sending them all fleeing for their lives<p>

ProtoMan began firing his plasma cannon at the various glowing signs and advertisments here on Times Square, blowing them up and causing sparks to rain down upon the helpless citizens below. While ProtoMan is only doing damage to property and strictly scaring the people, the Robot Masters are getting out of hand...

GutsMan picked up whole cars and began tossing them around. One even crashed through a department store front window. GutsMan then stepped up to a Taxi and ripped the robot driver out of the front seat, causing the human passenger to flee for his life.

In one quick movement of his massive arm, GutsMan slammed the robot taxi driver down to the ground, crushing his torso with his big hand and causing oil - a robot's equivalent to blood - to begin bleeding out of his damaged body.

Ice Man made sheets of ice on the asphalt, causing several drivers to veer out of control and crash into other cars, or nearby buildings.

Not far from here, Cut Man used his cutters to chop down traffic lights - casuing some to crash land onto some of the nearby crashed cars - while Fire Man began dousing passing motorist's vehicles in flames.

When a fire truck arrived to the scene, Fire Man shot fire balls at it. The human firefighters inside the truck piled out before their truck exploded. Thankfully, they avoided injury but were powerless to help the citizens.

ElecMan shot electricity from his fingers into nearby buildings, causing anything electronic inside said buildings to explode and/or burst into flames. The shock from ElecMan's charge is so traumatic to the city's central power grid, it causes a blackout of Times Square and much of the greater New York City area.

Bomb Man finished everything off by throwing several bombs in the middle of the street, right above where the subway tracks were located.

"Fire in the hole!" he shouts, running away from his own bombs before it blows.

Then, then bombs explode, creating a large hole in the ground which sent the debris that used to be the asphalt crashing down on top of a passing train down below, crushing some of the cars... and the people inside.

Screams of horror and agonizing pain can now be heard echoing in the skies of New York City and plumes of black smoke began to rise, and the streets of Times Square were now fractured and stained with fresh human blood as well as robot oil.

Everyone who wasn't injured managed to flee. Those who weren't so fortunate were now left lying in the middle of the street, clinging to life. Smoke from both the fires created by Fire Man and the explosion from Bomb Man's bomb plumes high in the air. And high above, watching it all with a smile on his face was Dr. Albert Wily. He grabbed his communicator to contact his army...

"Very good, my robots!" Wily growled, asscessing the damage and devestation down below, "Now, return to the Skullker. We've caused enough terror for one day!"

Wily began to laugh maniacally as he took the Skulker back down to retrieve his robots. He hurt the world back, just like he said he would... and the blood is all over his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

Some time has passed since Dr. Wily's attack in Times Square. Dr. Light, Rock and Roll watch a television news channel covering the devastation on the television screen in Thomas' living room.  
>As live pictures of the aftermath are shown on the screen, including horrifying shots of innocent humans seriously injured and bleeding and robots damaged and destroyed, as well as the giant hole in the street from the explosion, the voice of the female reporter on the local New York news station (channel 7 to be specific) divulges the details, which just have just gotten worse...<p>

_"Hundreds of people have been injured in this attack. The injuries are ranging from minor to __critical. Hospitals all around the region are backed-up at this time and are running on emergency power.  
>And we have <em>_received word at this hour that there have been several casualties on a nearby __underground subway car located right underneath the area of the explosion in the street. No exact figure has been made available at this , this is the largest attack to be carried out anywhere in the world in nearly fifty years."  
><em>The female reporter then spoke again. _"The victims are now being removed from the subway wreckage."_

It was then that Emergency Medical Technicians and MedicBots could be seen removing bodes of the victims from the giant hole in the street. One of which appeared to be a female, completely covered in a white sheet... it was too late for this poor woman.

Roll could no longer bring herself to watch. She fled the living room and went running back to her bedroom, overwhelmed with immense sadness. Dr. Light was also deeply shaken by this. Not only by the disaster, but by the fact he knew who caused it. Several eyewitnesses reported that they saw a group of robots causing the destruction. There was no doubt that Wily was behind this.

Thomas hung his head down and sighed. "I'll go check on your sister," he said to Rock before leaving.

Rock himself stared at the television, mortified at what he saw. He couldn't fathom how - or why - anybody could commit such horrible acts like this.

Then, another voice can be heard on the television, belonging to one of the anchors back at the station.  
><em>"We have just recieved a pre-recorded message from the perpatrator of today's attack. <em>_From a man claiming to be Dr. Albert Wily, famed robotics scientist,"_ says the anchor.

Then, a grainy video of Dr. Wily appears on the screen. It appears to have been recorded at an earlier time at Wily's hideout. Rock stares at the wretched face of this monster as he speaks...

_"Good afternoon! I am Dr. Albert W. Wily. Obviously, New York City's nose has just been bloodied... and it was I who did it!  
>The robots who attaked Times Square <em>_were under my direct control. I am sure many of you wonder why an intellect such as __myself would do something like this.. something so... horrifying. The answer is simple... you made me do it. Yes... all of you.  
><em>_My entire life, I've been ridiculed, abused and terrorized... now, with my robot army, __I turn the tables on you! Each of you will suffer and feel pain and terror the likes of which you've never imagined, and I will be the one who stands __over you, administering even more punishment for your sins.  
><em>_And I invite anyobdy who thinks they can stop me to come visit me at my fortress __in the badlands of the southwestern United States... it's not hard to find... but, I assure you, it will be __a fatal enounter!"  
><em>Wily waves to the camera with that sinister smile of his, and says, _"Ta-ta!"_

Rock could feel the anger building up inside of him again and he balls up his fists. He knew something had to be done. These innocent people should not have been hurt or killed. Dr. Wily has to pay for what he's today. Justice _has_ to be served... enough is _enough_! Rock thought back to the Statue of Liberty and remembers his duty to protect his family... and he gets an idea that will change his life forever.

* * *

><p>Dr. Light approached Roll's room and saw that her door was ajar. He knocked on it and asked, "Roll... may I came in?"<p>

Roll didn't respond, but she could be heard whimpering.

Dr. Light slowly stepped in and saw Roll sitting on the edge of her bed, silently weeping and clutching her red bed pillow, almost hugging it.

Dr. Light approached her and noticed something... it looked like tears were running down her face. When he built Rock and Roll - as well as ProtoMan - he never intended for them to shed tears when they were upset. This is another breakthrough, and Thomas knows it, but, as facinated as he is by this very_ human_ trait his daughter is showing, Dr. Light's first concern is with her feelings.

"Hey," Thomas coos, geting on one knee, placing a hand on Roll's utility arm, "It's okay to be upset, Roll."

Seeing and hearing his daughter weep brought great heartache to Dr. Light and he began tearing-up again as he listened to the overwhelming sadness in Roll's voice.

"Why did he have to kill those people?" she weeps.

"I... I don't know why," Thomas chokes, "Albert never used to be like this. I never imagined that he was capable of this."

"Is he gonna do it again?" Roll asked through her weeping.

Thomas knew that Wily - in his current state of mind - probably would attack again. Like a typical psychopath, he's already started and he won't be able to stop. But, Thomas didn't want to tell Roll that, for fear that it could upset her even more.

"I hope not," Thomas answers.

"I'm so scared he's gonna come after you again! I don't want him to kill you too!" she blubbers into her pillow as her tears soak into it.

"Hey, look at me," Light said calmly, "That won't happen."

Roll's sad, wet blue eyes looked into the equally wet eyes of her creator's.

"I'm working on a new robot," Light reveals, "He will be a warrior robot. When he's finished, you won't have to worry about me so much."

Roll barely smiles through her sadness as another tear falls from one of her eyes. "Another brother?" she asks.

"Another brother," Thomas confirms.

"Your face is wet too, Dr. Light," Roll points out.

Dr. Light chuckles as he wipes his tears from his face with his lab coat sleeve. "Humans like me produce tears when we get upset," he clarifies, "... and you can too, it seems."

"Why am _I_ producing tears?" Roll asks.

Dr. Light brings his hands up to Roll's face and wipes her tears from it. They felt slick, almost oily to the touch, not like human tears. Getting upset must have an affect on her eye lubrication system. He almost tells her that this is the reason why she was crying, but he knows the real reason...

"Because, you were crying for all of those people, sweetheart," he replies.

Roll let go of her pillow and lets Dr. Light draw her into a hug. Roll buried her face into Dr. Light's white lab coat and sobs in his shoulder. Thomas held his daughter close, wishing the world was a normal place again so that he and his robot children as well as all of the people in this world could live in peace.

Meanwhile, Rock was standing right outside of his sister's room and heard her admit to her fear of losing Dr. Light to one of Wily's attacks. He also had the same fear himself. Rock could also hear Dr. Light bring up the development of a new warrior robot to repel Dr. Wily and his robots. This made the second time since yesterday that he overheard Dr. Light bring up this subject.

He walked in and saw Roll hugging Dr. Light.

"Dr. Light?" he asked, "When you get a minute, can we talk, just you and me?"

"Sure, I'll be out shortly," Light replies.

* * *

><p>Dr. Light closed the door to Roll's room and Rock was waiting for him in the hallway. As he closed the door, he saw her clasping her hands together, interlocking her fingers. She looked like she was praying. She must have seen it on the news coverage, where several humans were shown praying together after the attack.<p>

"Your sister is very upset about what happened today," Thomas quietly said on his way towards his son.

"Yeah... I am too," Rock replied, his voice sounding rattled because of today's events. Rock then looks upinto his father's eyes and asks, "Did I hear you say you were building a new warrior robot?"

"Yes, I was about to inform you," Light answers, "I'd like you to assist me in his construction."

"Dr. Light," Rock says, "I have a request."

Thomas listens.

"... _I_ want to be the warrior robot you construct," Rock says.

"_You?_" Light asks with wide eyes, "Absolutely _not_!"

"But, Dr. Light-"

"I almost lost you once!" Dr. Light steamrolls ahead, "I'm _not_ putting you danger again!"

"Dr. Light... father," Rock pleads, "You know just as well as I do that Wily will attack more people. We don't have enough time to build a new robot from scratch before he strikes again!"

Thomas thinks to himself for a moment. He desperately doesn't want to put Rock in harm's way for the sake of humanity. But, his son brings up some good points that are hard to argue. But, he doesn't want to see his son in danger.

"I have already lost one son to this madman," Light chokes "I can't lose you too."

"Dr. Light... I _want_ this!" he states strongly and with determination, "I want Dr. Wily sent to jail for everything he's done! I don't want to see anybody else die..." his voice now choking and his own eyes beginning to tear-up like Roll's were, "_Please_... let me help!"

Dr. Light remains silent for a moment, then looks back into the eyes of his brave son... Thomas feels the stinging of fresh tears as he looks upon him. He's so proud of him, yet so scared he could lose him... he can't believe what he is about to do... but somebody has to stop Wily right now...

"... very well," he reluctantly replied, biting his lip, "When should we start your rebuilding process?"

"Tonight," Rock answers.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Dr. Light's Main Lab area.**

"Are you sure about this, Rock?" Roll asks, looking upon her brave brother, who is preparing to be rebuilt into a super warrior robot.

"I'm sure," Rock replies, "I can't let this happen again. Wily has to be stopped."

Dr. Light wheeled in a rolling cart loaded with several attachments and enhancements that would soon be installed into Rock's body.

"Everything is ready," Thomas reported.

Roll kept her gaze on her brother and slowly began smiling for the first time all day.

"It's gonna be really cool knowing my brother is a super warrior!" she said.

Rock and Roll hugged briefly and Rock assured his sister, "You don't have to cry anymore... none of us have to. I'm not gonna let him do this again."

Rock kissed his sister on the cheek, and stepped away towards his father, Dr. Light.

"You'll be out for a few days," Dr. Light states, "When you wake up, you will still be my son Rock... but you will be a whole new robot."

"I'm ready," Rock says.

"Thank you, Rock," Light says, "You are doing humanity and the entire world a great favor."

Rock nods, "Somebody has to stop him."

Dr. Light draws his son into a hug and Rock hugs him back. Thomas keeps the hug for a good long time. He knew there was a chance Rock would never be like a normal young lad again after his rebuilding is complete... or worse, he might lose him forever at the hands of Wily and his robots.

Shortly after, Rock layed down on the same table he was on when he was activated. Rock nods again, giving Dr. Light the O.K. to shut him down. Dr. Light presses the same power button on his remote that activated Rock not long ago as Roll gives a slight wave. Rock's eyes slowly started to close. He was now in stasis, his shoulders slumping down slightly.

When he wakes back up, a hero will be born.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's hideout.<strong>

In his dimly-lit office/workshop deep inside his hideout, Albert Wily sits in his chair with a hand up to his face. He felt proud of himself for what he did today, but once he heard that humans had been killed during the operation, he didn't feel the same.

Until today, he had never really killed anybody before. He _wanted_ to, on many occasions... especially his father. But he never did. He was supposed to have been one of the world's greatest minds. Now, he was a murderer... a wanted man... a terrorist.

Being a wanted man and a terrorist didn't bother Wily... but "Murderer?" He wanted to be something better than that... a bigger and better title than '_murderer.'_

All the while, he hears that little whisper in his diseased mind, disagreeing with him... and he begins having a conversation with it.

"I killed people today," Wily muses.

_"It felt good, didn't it?"_

"No!... I'm a genius... I'm not a killer."

_"You are now... do it again."_

"No... I was only going to strike terror into their hearts! Not kill them!"

_"They looked scared."_

"There has to be some other way!" Wily says, now getting out of his chair and pacing, trying to fight the madness.

_"Admit it... you enjoy it. People fear you now."_

"... yes..." Wily submits.

_"They all deserve to die"_

Wily didn't reply to the whisper.

_"Say it!"_

"There were innocents," Wily objects.

_"There are no innocents... they deserve to die. Your father, the punks in school, __the women who abandoned you, the corporate heads who rejected you... Thomas Light."_

"There has to be another way other than killing everybody. There has to..."

Wily freezes when his eyes spot a nearby rotating globe of the Earth on his desk. The wheels begin turning and a wicked smile comes accross his face.

_"There is another way,"_ the voice admits.

"Yes!" Wily whispers to himself, "Just like Thomas... these people won't _learn_ anything if they die. These people aren't mine to kill... they're mine to _own_!"

He grabbed the globe off of the desk and held it high above his head. "The _world_!... is _mine_!", he rasps, then chuckles with his sinister grin.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Now, we see just how insane Wily really is. The line between genius and insanity is a very thin one._

_The scene where Rock wants to be the warrior robot is the reason why I delayed Rock becoming Mega Man in the previous chapter._ _Here, Rock **volunteers **to be rebuilt (like he did in the games), which I feel is much more fitting than in the original storyline from the cartoon, where Dr. Light had basically drafted Rock to become Mega Man. My version of Dr. Light would not force his son into such a dangerous job (and as you could see, he tries to stop him from becoming a warrior robot.)_

_Obviously some of you might be wondering why a robot can cry in my story. Since they blink their eyes, they must be lubricating them. It always bothered me when reading some Mega Man fictions that portrayed a character crying, yet they couldn't produce tears. Well, in my stories, they can. Also, it adds a little bit more emotional weight._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, please PM me._


	8. Mega Man

**_Chapter 8: Mega Man_**

* * *

><p><strong>Three Days Later.<br>****Dr. Wily's Hideout.**

This once dumpy hole-in-the-ground of a hideout is becoming an intimidating fortress, just like Albert said it would become. While the outer structure was far from finished, the defense systems were already in place.

The area surrounding the place had laser turrets, radar scramblers, computer and communications jammers, land mines and the mandatory barbed-wire fence. The barbs on Wily's fence were more like razors and would shred any organic lifeform that would try to escape - or try to intrude - to ribbons.

While the jamming equipment didn't work on sophisticated robots like ProtoMan (or else he and the Robot Masters wouldn't be functioning right now if they did), they would work on fighter jets, tanks and other assault vehicles, as well as less-advanced robots.

Without question, this is the most dangerous place to be in the world and as Dr. Wily said, it _would_ be a fatal encounter for anyone to try and trespass on his property. But, some brave souls are about to try.

ProtoMan walks the halls of the fortress-in-development calmly, on his way to give some news to Dr. Wily that the mad scientist will want to hear.  
>While the Robot Masters were responsible for the deaths of the victims in the attack, ProtoMan's own kill count was zero. Very few humans were harmed as a result of his attacks, the the injuries those particular humans sustained were only minor.<br>He did exactly as he was told: create terror, not kill anybody. He took pride in the fact that he followed his instructions to the letter unlike those other bolt heads Dr. Wily stole from Thomas Light.

ProtoMan stops in front of the private office/workshop of Dr. Wily. Instead of knocking, he just walked right in.

Wily looked up at Proto with a displeased look on his face. "Can't you see I'm working? Knock first!" he hisses with a scowl.

"We've got company coming," Proto answers.

Dr. Wily's anger quickly became wicked glee as he grins. "Really?" he asked with a eerie, plotting tone, "Well, then... let's roll out the red carpet for our guests of honor! We don't want to keep them waiting."

* * *

><p>The United States Military had managed to find an odd structure in the badlands on their satilites. They believed that there was a good chance that this was the current location of the man who perpetrated the attack on Times Square. Right now, a group of fighter jets and bombers are about to launch an attack, and they are gaining fast.<p>

In a large room inside of Dr. Wily's base, Wily, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters watched as the fighters and bombers approached on radar.

"What'da we do, Dr. Wily?" GutsMan asks

"There's no need for more bloodshed." Wily insists "There will be time for that later. For now, at least, let's just send them a message... one they won't soon forget!"

Wily turns to face ProtoMan, "ProtoMan, Activate the jammers!"

Proto approaches a panel, entering in a series of commands. Within seconds, Dr. Wily's hideout would become the ultimate no-fly-zone. The pilots of the aircraft above would be blind and deaf.

And if they pushed their luck too hard, they would be dead.

* * *

><p>In the skies over Wily's base, the bomber squadron approached their target accompanied by a pair of fighter jets.<p>

The Captain of this operation was a man named Carlos Almeida. In his late 30's, Almeida was of Latin descent and he is a patriot. His father served in the federal government as an agent and he enlisted into the Air Force after graduating High School. Finished top of his class. But, all of the training and experience in the world could not prepare him and his squad for what they were about to face.

_"Captain!... something's wrong!"_ said the pilot of one aircraft.

"What's wrong?" replies Almeida.

_"My rad-... gone dar-... an't ge-... eading... tatic! Compu-"_ his radio garbles_._

"Hawkeye!" he called, using the nickname of the pilot, "I can't hear you! Over!"

There was no response. The radio was dead.

Almeida looked at his radar and his computer in front of him and they were blank while the nagging sound of static hissed in his ears. Thankfully, he still had control of his plane and was sure the other pilots did too. He couldn't complete the mission the easy way because his computer was blank, nor could he radio the others to abort. He could only decide for himself what to do.

The images of the Times Square attack were still fresh and vivid in his mind. All of those innocent people were hurt or killed for no damn reason other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The idea of robots causing all of this particularly bothered him. He already didn't like the fact that pretty soon, his job would probably be taken by a computer. The fact that it was a group of _robots_ committing the act of terror was far worse, and far scarier.

He had been informed of who the prime suspect was. Dr. Albert Wily was his name. Almeida remembered the name from seeing it on the news when Wily was still paired with Thomas Light, but mainly from seeing the communicue Wily sent out the day of the attack.

When Almeida received the news that he himself would be leading a flight group to snuff out the man responsible for what happened last week, he was honored. But, now this mission was becoming a disaster in the making.

Again, his thoughts went back to Times Square... and to all of those people...  
>He had two options: abort or carry on with the mission. But, his mind was already made up. Come hell or high water, this bastard is going to pay.<p>

"Screw it!" he snapped, deciding to carry on, "Spider, get ready to drop the payload on my mark!"

"But, Captain, my screen's gone dark!" his co-pilot replied in a panic, "I can't even see what the hell I'm looking at!"

"Just do it on my mark!" Almeida barked.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily watched with great interest as the squadron continued their advancment towards his hideout. He knew their effort would be worthless.<p>

"Ooooooh! They're persistant, aren't they?" Wily says.

Again, Wily turns to his right hand, ProtoMan. "I trust you activated all of the jammers, ProtoMan?", Wily asked.

"They're _on...!_ for the third time," Proto retorted, sounding annoyed at having to answer the question _again_.

Wily looks back at his co-creation with a sharp eye. He noticed how ProtoMan reacted to his question and wondered if ProtoMan would become a problem with that attitude of his in the future.

_How human_, thought Albert.

He then turned his attention back to the monitor in front of him and watched... this was going to be quite enjoyable.

* * *

><p>"Ready..." said Captain Almeida, "Now!"<p>

When he gave the order, the co-pilot dropped his payload of bombs down upon the dry, drought-stricken surface of Dr. Wily's base. Almeida hoped the others saw him and would follow suit. He maneuvered his bomber around to hopefully get a view of the destruction.

When he saw the target zone, though, it looked exactly the same.

No explosions down below. No damage. Nothing.

Almeida realized that his bombers had mechanized bombs and missiles onboard. They were created to gain better accuracy for a surefire kill. Only now, they backfired. Each bomb had landed on the ground and did nothing when they hit.

Almeida knew that whatever this psycho had used to jam his systems worked on these new bombs.

He shouted an obscenity - _one that won't be repeated here_ - and snapped, "Damn computerized bombs!"

* * *

><p>Wily laughed as he saw how ineffective the bombers were. "Fire a warning shot across the leader's nose!" Wily ordered.<p>

"Why not take 'em out?" ElecMan asked.

"Because when I strike back, I do it in a very big way!" Albert answers, "All of you should make preperations. Tonight, we can teach the leaches of New York another lesson in _respect_ before they eat their dinner!"

And by _Respect_, Wily really really means _Fear_.

* * *

><p>As Captain Almeida heads back, he sees a bright red beam flash diagonally across his bomber.<p>

"What the hell?" he gasped.

"What?" asks Spider, the co-pilot.

"We're under fire! Abort!... Dammit!"

Thankfully, the entire group of jets and bombers fled the scene unscathed.

Since it is morning, Dr. Wily can arrive back to New York before the day is done, and he plans on doing just that. But, he has no idea what - or who - is waiting for him when he gets there.

* * *

><p><strong>That Morning.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

At the same time as the ill-fated bombing misssion on Wily's hideout was taking place, Dr. Light stood in front of his son Rock and looked at him for the first time since his reconstruction. Rock had not yet been reactivated, but his inactive body was standing in-place in the lab.

Thomas heard Roll's metallic footsteps approaching from behind him.

"I'm here, Dr. Light. What did you want me to-..." Roll paused in mid-question and gasped in awe as she looked at her brother in his new form. Her eyes were wide as she gazed at her brother.

"He's beautiful!" Roll said of her brother, her voice silent like a whisper, her breath taken away.

Rock's entire body from the neck down had been rebuilt to include a titanium combat chassis with a design that resembled that of a traditional superhero outfit, much like ProtoMan's current armor does, but Rock's was light cyan blue and dark blue instead of gray and red.  
>Rock's left arm now had a built-in plasma cannon like his brother's and he now wore a dark blue helmet with a light blue stripe down the middle with a diamond-shaped jewel on the forehead area. Unlike his brother's helmet, there is no visor, so Rock's handsome face is fully exposed.<p>

Dr. Light looked back at Roll and smiled. He knew this was the greatest creation of his career. But, that didn't matter to him right now. Humanity had a new hero... and that hero was his own son.

"Let's wake him up," he said as he grabbed the power remote from his pocket. The same remote that brought his son to life for the first time just a few days ago would bring him to life in a whole new way any second.

Dr. Light pressed the activation button on his remote and watched as Rock lifted his head and opened his eyes, taking in his first breaths into his ventilation system since he was powered-down a few days ago. As he opened his blue eyes, his eyelids felt heavy as he blinked them at first. Once his eyes focused, he saw Dr. Light and Roll standing in front of him.

"Dr. Light! Roll!" he spoke, "Did it work?"

"I would say that it did, Rock!" Thomas replied, with a smile.

Roll stepped out of the way of the same mirror Rock saw himself in the day he was first activated. Rock stepped forward, studying his new heroic features and was impressed.

"Wow!... How long have I been out?" Mega asks.

"Three days," Dr. Light answered.

"Was I ahead of schedule again?" Rock asks.

"Indeed, you were," Thomas answers.

As Rock continues to look at his new body, Thomas continues, "I've thought about this, Rock, and I think you may need a new name to go with your appearance."

"But, I like my name the way it is," Rock protested.

"Your _real_ name is still Rock," Dr. Light clarified, "But, you need a name that people can know you by. A heroic name."

"I've got one!" Roll peeps, "How 'bout... The Blue Bomber!"

Rock shrugged. _Blue Bomber_ sounded okay, but Thomas studies Rock's new look and suggests, "How about... Mega Man?"

Rock looks at himself one more time. "Mega Man..." he says to himself. With a smile, Rock (or Mega Man) looks back to Dr. Light with his answer... "I like it!"

Dr. Light reached for a nearby folder as his two robotic children talked about Rock's/Megha Man's new appearance.

"How do I look?" Mega Man asks Roll.

"You look great!" Roll replies with a big smile, "Wily's gonna freak when he sees you! You look like a real superhero!"

"Is that because I'm wearing underwear on the _outside_ now?" Mega Man quips.

Roll giggles, "No! You just look like the coolest guy on the planet! Even cooler than Captain Fallout!"

"Captain who?" Rock asks, unfamiliar with Roll's new favorite rock group.

"I'm glad you volunteered to be rebuilt Mega Man, Rock... because..." Thomas said as he returned, "I'm not sure how my original design would have worked out."

Dr. Light showed Mega Man and Roll a picture of the original design for the warrior robot. He would have worn a leathery blue jumpsuit (with extra-long sleeves), gloves and shiny gold briefs and a matching vest on the outside of the blue suit. He would have worn golden quadriceps and knee pads to match those golden underpants he was wearing too. The helmet would have been blue, with a gold stripe and a clear visor. His weapon would have been a silver handgun that more resembled a child's play toy than anything else. The gentleman featured in the picture was crouching, holding his gun at an awkward angle. And, he looked rather... weird.

Mega Man frowned upon the image and Roll almost burst into laughter once she got one good look at this poor sucker.

"Yeah! I'm glad I volunteered too, Dr Light!" Mega said, "This doesn't like a _'Mega Man'_ to me."

Mega Man hands the freakish picture back to Thomas who places it back in his folder and continues explaining his son's new features and abilities.

"Now, let me inform you of your design changes. Your body is now covered in a layer of titanium armor. It can take heavy punishment, but you're not invincible. But, Fortunately..."  
>Thomas pauses, reaching for a nearby blue canister with a large letter <strong>'E'<strong> on it, "I had created this formula for emergency energy replenishment before either you or your sister went online. In case either of you had become injured, drinking this would boost your vitality until sufficient repairs can be made."

Mega Man asks, "So if I get hurt, just drink one?"

"Right," Light answers, "I have invented a robot who will help carry these cans should you need one in the field. His name is Eddie. I nicknamed him Flip-Top."

An extremely short green robot ran out to meet Mega Man. Eddie is essentially a head on legs, and his head has a lid on it. This was another one of Dr. Light's little robots that he had invented recently. He originally intended him to be a mobile beverage cooler and dispenser.

In an elf-like voice, Eddie says, "Greetings, Mega Man!"

"Hey, Eddie!" Mega replied.

"Eddie can carry several energy cans in his top here," Thomas says as Eddie flips his lid open and allows the good doctor to place the can inside.

"Also, I've installed a program into your systems that will give you an edge over the Robot Masters in battle," Thomas adds.

"What is it, Dr. Light?" Mega asks.

"I have dubbed it the 'Copy System'," Light answers, "All you have to do is make contact with a hostile by touching them with your left hand. Their weapon data will transfer from their system to yours. And that leads me to the Robot Masters themselves. When I built them, I was cautious and decided to install a weakness in each of them, in case any of them went heywire."

"What are they?" Mega asks.

"Fortunately, Cut Man is the weakest of the group according to his plans, so you should focus on him first," Light replies, "Then, copy his cutter weapon and use it on ElecMan."

"I get it!" Roll replies, "Because metal and electricity don't mix!"

"Exactly!", Light adds, "_Then_, his lightning blasts should fry Ice Man, whose Ice Slasher would freeze Fire Man's circuits. While he can handle extreme heat, he cannot handle extreme cold."  
>Thomas continues,"One of his fire ball attacks would have... <em>explosive<em> results on Bomb Man. Then, there's GutsMan. Bomb Man's explosives are specially made and can be particularly harmful to a robot. GutsMan is very strong, but he isn't that intelligent. Use that to your advantage."

"So, I'll have to get a little creative," Mega suggests.

"Follow the strategy, and the Robot Masters should fall quickly."

"What about my brother?" Mega asks seriously, "I can't destroy him."

"I know..." Thomas answers. "If it is at all possible," Light requests, "Please try and recover him for me. Bring him back here so I can correct whatever Albert's done to him."

"I will," Mega Man says.

Dr. Light snaps his fingers and realizes something. "I almost forgot! You'll also be having a partner out in the field."

"A partner?" asks Mega Man.

"Yes, but not just any partner," Light replied, followed with a sharp whistle.

Just then, what appeared to be a robotic dog with red armor bolted out of nowhere and ran towards Mega Man. With a bark, he happily leapt onto Mega Man, knocking him down to the floor. Once he had Mega down, the dog licked his face as his short white tail waged back and forth.

"Hey, come on!" Mega pleaded while laughing, "Stop with the licking!"

"Aww! He's so cute!" Roll says, kneeling down next to her brother to pet her new dog, "What's his name?"

"His name is Rush," Dr. Light replies, "I've been working on him for some time now. Little did I know he'd be an excellent assistant in your mission."

With Rush still standing on top of him with his tounge sticking out and a happy look on his face, Mega Man asks Thomas, "What's his special power? Licking his enemies to death?"

"He serves as a transportation device," Light explains, "Watch... Rush! Jet mode!"

Rush jumps off of Mega Man and while in mid-air, he transforms his body to become a jetboard with rocket propulsion in his back side.

"Now... Rush! Coil mode," Light instructs.

Rush reforms his body back to normal form and stands on the ground. He then stands as straight as he can - his legs stiff and rigid - and his back opens to reveal a spring-action platform. After a brief demonstration of Rush's other abilities such as transforming into a marine vehicle and using his nose to sniff for bombs, Dr. Light describes how the robodog is nourished.

"Instead of drinking from the energy cans, Rush here eats these Battery Biscuits," Thomas says as he pulled an item that resembles a bone-shaped dog treat with a plus sign on one side and a negative sign on the other, hense the name '_Battery Biscuits_.'

Thomas tossed the treat in Rush's direction and the dog caught it in his mouth, eating it just like a real dog would.

Mega kneeled down and petted his new dog. "Hey, the two of us are going to make a great team, Rush!" he said.

Roll looked on and was excited about her brother becoming Mega Man. The superhero business sounded like so much fun to her... and besides, she had taken ElecMan out pretty easily back at Wily's hideout a few days ago... it can't be _that_ hard...

she gets an idea herself.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_Longtime __Mega Man fans will have noticed that the strange-looking yellow and gold suited guy in Dr. Light's "original design" was really the wierdo on the box art of the North American release of the first Mega Man video game on Nintendo._ _I had to include him. If you haven't seen this image, look it up. This guy is a real dork!_

_Also, astute fans of the show "24" will have noticed that Carlos Almeida is a reference to the character Tony **Almeida**, and his actor **Carlos** Bernard. The line about his father serving in the federal government is also a reference to the show._

_Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit short, but the the next one will the the lengthiest of the episode._

_And now, we are approaching the final chapters of Episode 1. __Please remember to leave a review or a comment and if you catch any typos, PM me._


	9. A New Hero Arrives

_**Chapter 9: A New Hero Arrives**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

In Dr. Light's garage area, the newly rebuilt and renamed Mega Man was participating in some target practice training to perfect his weapon calibration, accuracy and quickness. The targets in question were large pieces of scrap sheet metal with bulls-eyes painted on them. Mega Man stands awaiting for the drill to start.

"Ready..." Dr. Light says, "Now!"

Four targets automatically pop out and Mega Man quickly switches to blaster mode, his left hand retracting into his forearm allowing him to fire off his own version of "The Buster"... just like his older brother.

Within seconds, Mega fires four bright yellow shots of plasma from his arm cannon. The shots hit their marks, taking them down, turning the targets into twisted, burnt hunks of scrap.

Roll stood back with her new robodog Rush and watched in awe as her brother so quickly blasted his targets. He seemed like a true phenom, moving so fast with such raw determination. Ever since she saw him in action at Dr. Wily's hideout, her brother has been such an inspiration to her. And that inspiration has only been reinforced by seeing him in his new _Mega_ form.

"Look at him go!" Roll says and Rush barks in agreement.

Dr. Light stops the timer he was running on his pocket tablet... "6.5 seconds! Good job!" he says with approval.

"I know can do better," Mega says as his left hand reappears in it's place.

"Bear in mind, you haven't quite adjusted to your new enhancements just yet, but given time you will," Thomas assures.

Just then, Eddie, the little Energy Can robot, runs in and cries out in his elf voice, "Eddie wants you to come here!"

"What's wrong, Eddie?" asks Thomas.

"Eddie sees a big ship on the screen!" Eddie says, "Big skull on it too!"

Mega Man, Dr. Light, and Roll all look accross from eachother.

"Training is over... it appears the time has come," Dr. Light says.

"It sure has," Mega adds, clinching his blue hands into tight fists, readty to take the fight to Dr. Wily and his robots in a way they never imagined.

* * *

><p><strong>New York Financial District.<strong>

The sky is clear and it is beautiful outside, but you wouldn't quite know it with all of the skyscrapers and congested traffic outside today.  
>The citizens of New York are still saddened and angry about the attack on Times Square last week, but they are still carrying on with their heads held high, much like they have done before during tragic times. This is New York, afterall... why wouldn't they?<br>But, could they handle a second attack that would surely trump the first? They were about to find out.

Dr. Wily's Skullker hovered over Wall Street, the place where greed was supposedly good. Right now, there's no greedier person in the world than Dr. Wily... and it's not good.

"They thought they could just send their military after me and think I would go away!" Wily gloats to himself, "That was their mistake! Now it's time for everyone to literally _pay_ for it!"

"Hey, uh, Doc," asks ProtoMan, "Who are you... _talking_ to?"

"Ignore it, my boy," Wily replies, waving off ProtoMan's concern, "You all have work to do! Feel free to spill as much blood and oil as you wish. Afterwards, we will break into the underground vaults and take whatever we can get. Cash, bonds, gold and anything else that I can use to fund for my brilliant inventions!"

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see ya' later, Doc," ProtoMan blew off as he left the cockpit.

_Whatever? _Wily thought, _This is__ the beginning of my conquest, not 'whatever'!_

Dr. Wily wished he could strangle Thomas Light to death for giving ProtoMan the ability to have his own personality instead of creating a drone like the Robot Masters. But, despite the punkish personality, ProtoMan was the best robot Dr. Wily has and he knows it.  
>As long as he does his job and does it well, Wily could care less how he acts... unless, of course, he disrespects him. Then, there could be trouble.<p>

Wily's robots crash down upon the surface - GutsMan's feet crackling the asphalt upon landing - and the civilians remember these metallic menaces as the ones who tore up Times Square and began to panic. Pedestrians ran for their lives as some motorists tried to speed away.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The television news stations were now showing the carnage that was raging on in New York's financial district being carried out by Dr. Wily's robots. Mega Man, Dr. Light and Roll watch on in dismay.

"It's time to bring this monster to justice!" Mega Man says with conviction.

He whistles for Rush. "Rush! Jet mode!" he commands.

Rush barks and and transforms his body into the jet board once again. Once his transformation as complete, he jets right next to his master Mega Man, awaiting him to get onboard.

"Please be cautious, my son!" Thomas advises.

"I will be, and I'll be back," Mega replies.

"Good luck, Rock!... or, Mega!" Roll said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Thanks!" Mega answers.

Thomas and Roll watched Mega Man jump atop the robodog's back, then saw them soar off to the battle, exiting the lab via a small entrance hatch in the side of the main lab building that had just opened.

Roll clasped her hands together, praying for her brother's safety as she watched him disappear into the sky. Dr. Light watched his son leave, the pride his heart for him now stronger than ever.

"Go get 'em, son," Thomas says.

* * *

><p>Several police cars and S.W.A.T. team vans had arrived to the location of the attack seconds ago. Several human officers and Policebots piled out, carrying all sorts of weapons, from handguns to assault rifles, and took cover behind their vehicles.<p>

The Sergeant barked on his megaphone, "Fire at Will!"

With that, all officers began firing their weapons at Wily's robots. However, the standard issue bullets they are using here have no effect on the titanium armor of Wily's army.

Several bullets pelt ProtoMan's chest armor and they do nothing. But, he certainly _felt_ them. "Ouch!", he growled, "That stung!... stupid humans!"

ProtoMan aimed his blaster ahead at the police, shielding his face with his right forearm as more bullets continued riccocheting off his reinforced armor. Careful not to kill anybody - because he didn't feel the need for bloodshed, no matter what Wily says - he targets a S.W.A.T. van that was now unoccupied and fires a powerful blast at it, causing the van to explode in a large ball of flame.

Bomb Man removes a bomb from his round belly and ignites it. He then hurls it in the direction of all of the firing police officers and policebots.

"TAKE COVER!" shrieks the Sergeant as all of the officers run for their lives.

The bomb blows and causes several cop cars to explode with it when the explosion reaches their fuel tanks, creating one massive fire ball. Mercifully, the human officers did not die in the explosion, but many were injured... and would soon be dead if they couldn't get out of dodge before Wily's Robots got to them.

Two Policebots grab a missile launcher, then they aim it at Wily's Skullker up above.

* * *

><p>High above the chaos in the Skullker, Wily sees the Policebots arming their missile launcher and the mad doctor's wretched grin returned.<p>

"So, they are using heavy artillery? This will be most interesting!" Wily exclaims, quickly running his fingers over his command console, entering in a command. Wily then keeps his right index finger hovering over the _fire_ button, waiting for the Policebots to make their move.

The Policebots fire their missile and it screams towards The Skullker, but Wily's craft fires several shots from it's embedded laser cannons. The shots hit the missle, taking it out before it could even touch Wily's Skullker.

"Ignore those two, my robots!", Wily says, "I shall take care of them myself!"

The Skullker fires a powerful purple beam of energy from a large cannon placed directly in "mouth" of the skull-shapped vehicle. The blast hits both Policebots and their bodies are blown to scrap metal, destroying them.

* * *

><p>A human female officer was lying in the middle of the street, she was unable to get up because she badly sprained her ankle in the explosion caused by Bomb Man's bomb. It happens to be Officer Wersching, who coincidently was on of the first officers to search Dr. Wily's run down house on the night he attacked Dr. Light.<p>

She hasn't had a very good week. She had an argument with her brother over some recent bad decisions he is believed to have made recently, her car broke down and now she's caught in a massive firefight with evil robots... and she's on the losing side.  
>To make matters worse, she tries to stand up, but feels a pain shoot through her left ankle that feels like a hundred needles, accompanied by a burning sensation and she slumps back down, her face wincing in agony. She's affraid her ankle might be broken. But, her troubles are about to get much worse.<p>

She hears metallic footsteps approaching her, and she sees the Robot Master Fire Man approaching her. Lynn desperately grabs her gun and fires at the Wily robot. Fire Man blocks his face with his arms as the bullets deflect off his body. Lynn's gun runs empty and she frantically tries to reload, but now Fire Man was looking at her with his hate-filled red eyes and stalked her.

As she tried to get up, Fire Man caught up with her and put his right foot down on her stomach, holding her down and aiming his dual flame throwers at her. Lynn's green eyes widened and she almost screamed, but no sound was coming out of her mouth.

Before Fire Man could burn the officer with his flame attack, her Policebot partner AL-05 tackled him, saving his human partner from certain death. More human and robot officers rushed to grab Lynn and take her to safety, but she is more concerned with her partner right now.

ElecMan saw the struggle between Fire Man and AL-05, and rushed over to help his fellow Robot Master. He aims his fingers at the Policebot and begins electrocuting him with his lightning. AL-05 shook violently and fell to the ground, but ElecMan kept surging him with electricity.

Finally, ElecMan stopped frying AL-05... but his body was now lifeless. There was no bringing him back. But Fire Man wanted to get the last shot. He violently stomped of AL-05's head, smashing it to pieces.

"AL, No!" screams Officer Wersching from accross the way and several of the other officers begin to open fire at Fire Man and Elec Man, but their shots are useless.

ElecMan aims his fingers at the group of officers again and zaps their rifles right out of their hands while Fire Man shoots more fireballs towards them, but the projectiles are blocked by an armored truck that speeds onto the scene.

A group of heavily-armored officers jump out and begin blasting shotgun rounds at the Robot Masters while a loud Scottish male voice yells, "GET AS MANY O' THE INJURED IN HERE NOW!"

Officer Wersching and several other injured officers and citizens are quickly loaded onto the truck while the shotgun weilding officers bravely cover for them. Once the truck reaches it's full capacity, one officer closes the rear doors allowing it to get away to an awaiting group of ambulances just outside of the attack zone.

The driver of the truck is none other than the New York Chief of Police, a man named Montgomery Toombs, an early 50's Scottish man with brown hair and a barely grown in goatee which is half grey, and he is a gung-ho cowboy of a cop if there ever was one.  
>Judging by the laceration scar on his aged face, this is a man who had seen and done it all in his career... until today.<p>

One of Toombs' fellow officers seated next to him begins showing doubts, "Our weapons don't even make a dent in these bastards!"

"Then we're gonna get bigger guns!" Toombs blurts.

"We're losing too many people as it is... we need to pull out," the doubting officer says.

Toombs grabs the officer by his uniform shirt as he continues driving and shrieks, "WE AIN'T RUNNIN' FROM NOTHIN' UNTIL EVERY LAST ROUND IS FIRED! Once we get the injured outta here, I'M GOING BACK THERE AN' I'M GONNA-"

A sudden explosion from one of Bomb Man's bombs knocks the armored van over onto it's side, violently tossing everybody inside as it crashes.

* * *

><p>The chaos ensued as Wily's Skullker began to lower itself down in the middle of the damaged street, ready to land. GutsMan had cleared a space for it to land by throwing whole vehicles away into nearby buildings, sending the people inside running for better shelter.<p>

Inside the craft, Wily was eager to show his face to the world again. He wanted to rub everybody's noses in his power.

"Now, it's time to address the nation!" Wily snickers, adjusting his red tie, "I think I will rename New York... _Monsteropolis_! Has a good ring to it!"

But, then, he hears a '_plong'_ sound, indicating there's something approaching on radar. Albert looks on his dashboard console and sees a single blip on the radar, fast approaching.

"What is this?" he whispered as he stared at the radar.

It probably wasn't another military attack, they would have escorts. He looked outside of his Skullker's windshield and up into the sky and saw something up there... and it's getting much closer.

Dr. Wily appeared stunned when he realized that this was another robot approaching the scene. He got out of his seat and exited his Skullker through the back door to see this for himself. ProtoMan now stands next to his co-creator and watches this new robot advancing.

All of Dr. Wily's robots stopped and took notice of this robot... in fact, there were two robots.

The robots - one of them a dog with red armor, and the other with blue armor, similar to ProtoMan's - landed on the ground accross from Wily's Skullker. The blue warrior stood up defiantly to Wily and his robots. Dr. Wily was now outside of his vehicle and stood near his robots.

"You!" Wily shouts, pointing his finger at this new robot, "Who do you think you are?... Who the hell _are_ you?"

"Hello, Dr. Wily. Do you remember me?" he asked with a smirk.

That voice... it sounded familiar. Wily's eyes widened and he gasped when he remembered the robot as Dr. Light's Rock.

"You?" he gasped, sounding like a mix of anger and shock.

ProtoMan's mouth opened slightly, he too surprised to see his brother in this form. "Rock?" Proto asks, baffled.

"My_ family_ calls me Rock... _you_ can call me... Mega Man!" Mega responds.

Wily's shock turned to anger and his clinched his fists tightly. Nobody was going to ruin his quest for world domination... especially Thomas Light or his robots!

"My robots!" Wily seethes, "Stop him!"

Cut Man was the first to step forward. His voice is a high-pitched wheeze accompanied by a laugh that can get under your skin after a while. He also likes to use puns... bad puns.

"It's time to make _the_ _cut_, blue boy! Eh-Heh!" he says, pulling his cutters off his round head and throwing them in Mega Man's direction.

Mega Man jumps out of the way of the cutters and dashes towards Cut Man. As Mega drove towards Cut Man, Rush leaped and caught the cutters in his mouth like he would a frisbee.

Mega Man blasted Cut Man and the Robot Master was knocked to the ground with a thud, his white torso armor now blackened from the blast. Mega quickly approached Cut Man's fallen body and placed his hand on the Wily robot's left arm.

In a flash, Mega Man had now installed Cut Man's weapon power and Mega Man's blaster arm now produced a similar cutter weapon like that of Cut Man's.

"Wha- he's..." Wily stammered, "He beat my robot!... _ElecMan_, fry him!"

ElecMan then steps forward, aiming his fingertips in Mega Man's direction and they crackled with electricity. Mega Man fires the duplicated cutters at the Robot Master, and the blades stabbed the Robot Master through the dead center of his chest, penatrating his black armor exactly where his lightning bolt insignia was located.  
>Lightning crackles throughout ElecMan's body as he begins violently shaking uncontrolably, screaming in pain. Mega Man blasts him with a standard plasma shot, knocking ElecMan backwards as smoke seeped out of his body.<p>

"_That's_ for hurting my sister, freak!" Mega Man spits.

Mega dashes over and copied his weapon as well, again touch the left forearm. "Ouch!" he yelped, burning his fingers upon touching ElecMan's still sizzling body, "That hurt!"

"Here, let me make it all better for ya'!" called Ice Man, in his thick brooklyn accent.

The Eskimo-dressed robot aims his gloved hands at Mega Man, firing his Ice Slasher beam at him. Mega evaded the icy beam as soon as he saw it coming, but the blue beam of ice keeps following Mega until he sought refuge behind one of the cars GutsMan tipped over, which now started to resemble an ice cube as the Ice Slasher worked it's magic.

Once Ice Man ceased emitting his slasher beam momentarily to recharge it, Mega Man pops back up from behind the car and zaps ElecMan's lightning from his blaster cannon. The lightning blast had similar effects on Ice Man as Cut Man's scissors had on ElecMan. Ice Man shook as the electric current ate into his circuits until he passed out. Mega Man leapt out from behind the car and copied the Ice Slasher. Three down, three to go.

Dr. Wily watched helplessly as his robot army began to shrink. His eyes were wide and his speech resembled more of a labored gasp than actual words.

ProtoMan also watches on with great interest. "Damn!... he _is_ good," Proto compliments his brother, "Not as good me though."

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily babbles in disbelief. "This is impossible! I have the greatest army of robots in the world! They weren't supposed to fall like this!"

Fire Man steps forward next, spraying a steady stream of fire at Mega Man. Mega jumps straight up in the air and Fire Man redirected his aim upwards to follow him. On his way back down, Mega Man fired the Ice Slasher at Fire Man. The ice beam met the flames from Fire Man's dual flame throwers, and the heat was no match.

The icy beam hits Fire Man's chest; a second shot hit his head, exterminating the flame atop of it. Fire Man goes down to the ground shivering, unable to move because of the ice freezeing his insides and Mega Man was right there to copy his weapon.

"Hey, Mega Man!" calls Bomb Man, "You may be hot stuff. but I'm the bom-"

Mega Man shot Bomb Man with the fireballs before he could finish his lame pun. Bomb Man's round black belly caught on fire and exploded. His arms and legs went flying, his upper torso landed near Dr. Wily himself.

Wily watches as Bomb Man's head and shoulders come crashing down next to him and he grew angrier, his old face contorting into a scowl of rage. "I hate this Mega Man right down to his metallic blue underwear!"

GutsMan was the last of the Robot Masters left standing now. He picks up a single automobile with just one of his bare hands, and did the same with another vehicle. Then he throws them both in Mega Man's direction.

Mega flipped out of the way of the vehicles but, Bomb Man's left arm was out of reach. GutsMan could easily swat him if he got too close.

"Rush, you'll have to create a distraction for me!",Mega said to his dog, "Get GutsMan's attention while I copy Bomb Man's weapon."

Rush barks at his master and flies off towards the hulking GutsMan. He proceeds to fly around the massive robot in circles, egging him on. That only makes GutsMan angrier.

"Hey! Get back here you little mutt! I'm gonna smash you!" he bellows as he tries to swat down Rush, but the robocanine was too fast.

"Hey Gutsy!" calls Mega Man.

Once he heard Mega Man's voice, GutsMan forgets about Rush and turns to face his real enemy standing behind him.

"I know you and I are supposed to be enemies and all, but..." Mega says, sounding sympathetic, "I want to be your friend."

"My friend?" GutsMan scoffs, sounding dumbfounded, "Nuh-uh! Wily says I gotta pound you!"

"Well, maybe this will change your mind..." Mega Man held out a bomb he created from Bomb Man's copied weapon power. "It's a present for you!", he says with a sincere smile.

GutsMan looks surprised. "A present?... for _me_?" he asks sounding dopey, "Gee, thanks. You're not that bad after all!"

"Anytime! I've gotta go, Gutsy! See ya'!" Mega says, dashing away from GutsMan.

"Put it down, you idiot!" Dr. Wily yells at the top of his lungs from the parked Skullker.

"Why?" GutsMan protests, "It's _my_ present!"

"It's a BOMB!" Wily shrieks.

GutsMan looked down at his 'present' and noticed that it was in fact a bomb and the wick was lit... and was about to go off right in his face.

"... oh!" GutsMan exclaims.

The bomb explodes in his big yellow hands, almost blowing them clean off. The large robot went flying backwards and the weight of his body destroyed the pavement upon his landing, turning it into gravel.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The news channels were carrying the live coverage of Mega Man taking the fight to Wily's robots and Roll and Dr. Light have been watching said feeds on the good doctor's large monitor in the lab area.

"He did it!" Roll peeps, nearly jumping for joy, "He beat them!"

"Not _all_ of them," Dr. Light points out, "There's one more."

* * *

><p>Mega Man steps over to GutsMan's body to copy his ability: the super arm. When used, Mega Man's blaster arm will double in size and could cause massive damage when he punches an enemy. He also can lift much heavier items as well.<p>

Mega Man heard one person clapping their hands slowly nearby... Mega spins around to spot his brother ProtoMan stepping towards him, slowly clapping his hands.

With a smirk on his face, he complimented his brother's abilities. "I've gotta hand it to you, bro," he says, "that was impressive! I never knew you had it in you! But, maybe I should have.. afterall, you are_ my_ brother."

Mega Man stood up and faced his brother, standing directly accross from him. It was like a scene out of the wild west.

"I'm not gonna blast you out of the sky or anything," Proto coaxed, "Because I've got an offer for you."

"An offer?" Mega Man asks, skeptically.

"Yeah!" Proto answered, "I still want you to join me and Dr. Wily. Between you and me alone, we'd be unstoppable! But, if you don't take my offer... I'll have to destroy you. And trust me... you may be able to beat a bunch of nit-wit circuit heads like the Robot Masters... but, you can't beat me!"

"You sure about that... _brother_?" Mega Man asks.

ProtoMan stands across from his brother, his yellow scarf flapping in the breeze. "Oh, I'm sure."

"The answer," Mega Man said, "is _no_!"

ProtoMan prepared his blaster, his left hand retracting into his forearm and a blast nozzle going in it's place, but still holding it down low, not taking aim just yet.

"Then... I guess this is goodbye, Rock," he muses, like he was at a funeral.

ProtoMan quickly fires several plasma shots at his brother. Mega was quick to avoid all of them and fires his own round of blasts.

By now, Dr. Wily had re-entered his Skullker by this time and began retrieving his busted Robot Masters from the ground below. But, he keeps a sharp eye on the battle between the two brothers. He could have interfered, but he didn't... the battle that was taking place before his eyes rivetted him.  
>A part of him also wanted to see ProtoMan take care of this blue pest on his own.<p>

* * *

><p>Dr. Light watches from the lab. While Roll cheers from behind him, urging her good brother to blast their evil brother into orbit, Thomas watches on with a heavy heart because his two sons were in a battle - possibly to the death.<p>

He never wanted this, especially for them. He wanted his children to live in peace, not fight open warfare... especially with eachother.

Thomas' and humanity's only hope rested on Mega Man's shoulders. If he won, the world would survive and peace would reign over the horror and terror brought upon by Albert Wily. If he loses... hope is lost.

* * *

><p>The two brothers continued fighting, firing several shots at eachother. Mega Man didn't know that ProtoMan was this elite of a fighter until now. His brother was basically an equal to him... if not superior. While Mega Man was excellent in battle, ProtoMan was just so much sharper and much quicker with his blaster than him.<p>

ProtoMan fires several more shots and just as quickly took a new firing stance before his brother could retaliate. He then fires even more shots as he landed. Mega Man barely avoids some of his brothers shots, almost getting hit on numerous occasions. He decides to use one of the copied weapons to his advantage.

After he activated GutsMan's super arm, Mega Man's arm flashed and now appeared to be much bigger and his blue hand was almost as big as GutsMan's. Mega Man pulled a light post out of the ground and hurled in ProtoMan's direction. Proto dove out of it's way, firing more shots.

Mega Man leaped to a nearby fire exit on the side of a building and switches off the Super Arm, returning his arm and hand size to normal. He switched to ElecMan's lightning bolts and fires them at ProtoMan. But, ProtoMan saw the lightning coming and dashed, staying ahead of the bolts.

"I can't even hit him!" Mega exclaims to himself.

He then switched over to the Ice Slasher and fired a persistant beam. Standing in place as he tried to hit his brother. This is where Mega Man made an error. He became too focused on trying to hit his brother, rather than getting himself out of danger.

ProtoMan fired two shots near Mega Man's position at the fire exit stairwell. When the shots hit their marks, the stairwell gave way under Mega Man's feet, tumbling to the ground. Mega Man quickly tried to get himself out of the wreckage and fled as ProtoMan fired another shot.

Mega turned and fired a plasma blast again, but his brother was ready for him. ProtoMan dodged the shot and fired a blast that struck Mega Man in the center of his chest.

As Mega Man tried to run away to seek another hiding place to plan his next strategy, ProtoMan blasted him in his back, knocking him face-down to the ground. His light blue armor now had burn marks on both the front and back of his torso and smoke simmered off of it.

The pain shooting through Mega Man's titanium body was horrific. The pain he felt at Dr. Wily's hideout when he was slammed into the restraining table was bad, but _nothing_ like this.

Mega Man tried to get up again, but finally fell to the ground, too weak to move a great distance.

* * *

><p>"Mega!" Roll gasped, horrified at the sight of her brother being shot twice.<p>

"Come on, Roll!" Thomas Light said, "Let's get out of here! We have to help him!"

The good doctor took Roll by the arm and they fled to the Air Raider.

* * *

><p>In the Skullker, Dr. Wily's face lit like a Christmas tree when he saw Mega Man taken down by ProtoMan. His grin was wider than ever as his evil beady eyes narrowed at the sight of his robot standing over Thomas Light's.<p>

"Yes!" he yelled, "_Kill him_, my boy!"

ProtoMan walked over to his weakened brother and turned his body over with his right foot. Mega Man was still alive, but if he took one more shot, it could be fatal.

Proto stoops down and shakes his head. "I tried to tell you, little brother. You _can't_ beat me."

Mega Man moaned in pain on the ground, barely able to open his eyes to see his smirking brother looming over him.

ProtoMan then aims his blaster at his brother's head and was ready to end this. "So, what's it gonna be?... Join us, or be destroyed?"

Mega Man looks up at his brother's visor, even though he couldn't see his eyes underneath of it. His decision was already made... if this was the end, he wouldn't sell out. Never.

"I'd rather die a hero than live as a terrorist!"

ProtoMan's smirk disappeard as he looked upon his little brother. An emmense sadness fills his titanium heart...

"... all I wanted was a little brother," ProtoMan muses, sounding morose as he prepped his blaster, ready to deal the final, fatal blow to his brother... "I guess that can never be."

ProtoMan felt something inside of his conscience that urged him to not destroy his brother... his programming ordered him to do it, but this feeling he has inside is fighting it. He doesn't want to kill his own little brother... the little brother he wants so bad. He _can't_, yet he _must_...

While protoMan hesitates, an angry Rush runs into ProtoMan's face and wrestles with him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"What the-?" Proto snaps as he struggles with the robodog. During the scuffle, Rush's back opens and Flip-Top Eddie pops out and runs over to Mega Man.

"Here, Mega Man!" Eddie says, popping an energy can out of his head, "You better drink up! Eddie didn't get cramped in Rush's storage compartment for nothing!"

"Thanks!" Mega weakly replied, grabbing the can.

He tilted the can and chugged the liquid inside. Within a matter of seconds, the pain in his body went away and he felt strong again. Thankfully, his damage was limited to just his armor and was not severe. He bolted back to his feet, ready to continue the fight with his crooked brother.

ProtoMan finally got a good hold on Rush and threw him aside to the ground. Rush hit the pavement and whined.

"Hey!" Mega Man shouts with anger, "Don't do that to my dog!"

Mega Man blasts ProtoMan twice in the chest, scorching his armor black. ProtoMan staggers for a bit and quickly flees back to Dr. Wily's skullker, evading more shots from his brother on the way, despite being in serious pain from the shock of the blast.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan jumped in the air and entered the Skullker through the back door of the craft.<p>

"We have to leave, now!" Wily yells from up front.

"No!" ProtoMan argues, clutching his chest, "All I need is more power! I can beat him!"

"I'm not letting you screw this up anymore than you already have!" Wily snaps back, "We _are_ leaving!"

ProtoMan stares back at Dr. Wily. This was the first time Wily criticized him so sharply. Wily even implied that it was ProtoMan's fault that they failed the mission, even though he was a far superior warrior than the Robot Masters were. ProtoMan was angry at Wily's remarks... but at the same time, he felt hurt. And that pain feels worse than being blasted by his brother.

* * *

><p>As the Skullker began to flee with the remains of all of the Robot Masters collected, Mega Man fired more plasma shots at the ship. A couple of them hit the hull of the Skullker, scorching it black, but had no serious effect on the ship itself. Mega Man watched them escape and knew they would be back. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But one day soon, they'll be back... and he will be waiting.<p>

Mega Man turned to find his robodog Rush just getting back on his feet.

He kneeled down and asked, "You okay, boy?"

Rush barked, then shook his head to get the cobwebs out.

"Don't worry," Mega answered, petting the dog's head, "We'll get 'em next time."

Then, another flying craft approaches the scene, it was the Air Raider Mega had hijacked from Wily's hideout. He could see that his family was inside it and as it landed, Roll Immediately jumps out and runs to her brother.

"Mega!" she calls.

"Hey, sis!" Mega replied as the two siblings hugged.

"Are you okay?" she asked, the worry noticable in her voice.

"Yeah. I just made one mistake out here. Next time I'll know better," Mega replies.

"You were great! You should have seen yourself! I was still worried about you, though." Roll confessed.

"I'm sure you were, but I'm okay," Mega replied.

Roll smiled as Dr. Light approached them with a smile of his own on his face.

"I think you've taught Albert Wily a lesson, Mega Man!" Thomas said, "Hopefully, he'll learn from it."

Something gets Thomas' attention up ahead. Mega Man and Roll look with him. The scared civilians and many of the police officers are returning to the scene and are all stareing at Mega Man. Many of these people were running for their lives mere minutes ago. But, now they were all saved because of this blue robot standing before them.

"Who are you?" asks one man wearing a suit and tie.

Mega Man steps forward and speaks to the humans, who are now starting to gather.

"My name is Mega Man," he says seriously, "I'm a robot. But, I'm not like Dr. Wily's robots... I'm here to protect you. I'm here to prevent attacks like this and the one on Times Square from ever happening again. You can trust me... as long as I'm around, I will fight to keep all of you safe!"

The people stand in silence, in awe of the hero in their presense, until one person begins clapping his hands. Those around the man also start clapping their hands as well. It wasn't long before everyone was appluading the hero, then they began cheering.

Roll couldn't believe it. She looks around at all of the humans and is amazed at this sudden outpouring. Dr. Light was touched by the outpour of appreciation for Mega Man. When he saw Mega look back at him, Thomas nodded and give him the _"thumbs up"_ signal with his right hand.

Then, a news reporter and her camera man were able to plow through the cheering people. The female reporter makes her way towards Mega Man. She had lightly tanned skin and dark shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing a black women's suit jacket and matching slacks

As the reporter spproaches Mega Man, she speaks into her microphone... "I'm here with the robot that just bravely prevented today's attack in the financial district!" she said, looking into the camera and stopping in front of Mega Man. The reporter now looked up at the hero and spoke again

"Bree Recotta, channel seven eyewitness news. Could I have a word with you?"

"Um, sure!" Mega replied. He's never been interviewed before, so this was certainly an interesting experience for him.

"What is your name, sir?" she asks, holding the microphone.

"I am Mega Man," he answers.

"Where did you come from, Mega Man?" Recotta asks. "Who invented you?"

"Well, you can meet him if you want," Mega answered, looking behind him and signalling for Dr. Light to come over. Thomas walked over to the side of his robotic son and Roll and Rush went with him.

Bree gasped, "Dr. Thomas Light! Are _you_ the man who created this hero?"

Thomas didn't like taking credit or basking in the spotlight, so he didn't reply at first, but Mega Man answered the question for him.

"He is," Mega replied, "He's the best scientist in the world... and he's the best father in the world too."

Dr. Light bashfully smiles at the compliment.

More news crews arrived to the scene and reporters piled out to ask questions which were sometimes muffled by the sound of the crowd of onlookers, who were now loudly cheering their new hero with even more volume and vigor than earlier!

This was a sight to behold! The citizens had every right to be happy. Their new hero had just arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's hideout.<strong>

The Skullker returns home, landing within a newly contructed hangar bay inside of the base. This is where Dr. Wily will be storing his vehicles of terror as well as his weapons of mass destruction when his fortress is finished. Dr. Wily can see his user-controlled worker bots hard at work constructing the outer structure of the fortress as he stormed out of the Skullker without saying a word.

ProtoMan stepped out behind him, his chest armor still black from being blasted, but his yellow scarf was undamaged.

"What about the Robot Masters?" he calls, "They're not gonna fix themselves."

Wily doesn't answer and keeps storming to his workshop.

"... 'kay... I guess _I've_ gotta do it!" Proto groaned.

He turns to look inside the Skullker and sees all of the damaged Robot Masters inside.

"Oh, brother!" he moans to himself. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_The day I originally posted this story was the same day of the "devestating" **EAST COAST EARTHQUAKE!** I still think Dr. Wily had something to do with it._

_My version of Eddie also talks in the third person as he did on the show._

_"Monsteropolis" is another reference to the box of the original Mega Man video game, where on the back of the box it states that you must save the city of Monteropolis. Really, I have no idea what these people were thinking. Also, the order in which Mega Man defeats the Robot Masters is the most reccomended order to do so in the original Nintendo game. (This order differs for the Wily Wars version.)_

_I don't know if any of the buildings in the New York financial district even have those fire escape ladders. So, if they don't, I goofed. Sorry._

_I have chosen to spell Bree's last name as "Recotta", even though the closed captioning on the actual show spelled it as "Recoda", if I remember correctly. I also remember the closed captions spelling her first name as "Bree", so she will be Bree in my series._

_The first episode is not over just yet, folks! Check out the epilogue!_ _Please remember to leave a review/comment._


	10. Episode 1 Epilogue: The Known Feeling

_**Chapter 10: Epilogue.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Three days later.<br>****New York City.**

A cerimony is being held on this bright sunny day to honor Mega Man and Dr. Light and a large group of people have come to witness this event. Humans and robots as far as the eye could see are here and overcrowded the New York City streets, even more than the annual New Year's ball dropping celebration. Even several members of the New York Police Department are here, many of which Mega Man saved just a mere few days ago in the financial district.

The President of the United States himself - President Keith Henry, an African-American man who is in the middle years of his second term in office - was holding this ceremony to honor Mega Man for his bravery and Dr. Light for creating their new hero. The Governor and Mayor of New York are also on hand for this celebration.

The Governor is a man named George Cochran, a tall, older man with silver hair who has a naturally intimidating look, but is really a gentle giant of a man.

Mayor Gary Hill is a man who was in his fifties with brown cropped hair and a moustasche. He's been the mayor for nearly a decade, but might be interested in running for Congress next year.

The Mayor and Governor of New York gave Dr. Light and his family the key to the city during the cerimony and thanked them for protecting New York from further attacks. But now, The President was speaking about Mega Man's bravery and Dr. Light's genius and afterwards, he awarded them.

"My fellow Americans," the President said, "It is an honor and a privilege to introduce you to Dr. Thomas Light and the robot warrior, Mega Man!"

A thunderous roar came from the crowd as Dr. Light and Mega Man stood up and waved to them. Roll and Rush are here along with Thomas and Mega and they also applaud both of them.

"For your exceptional bravery in the face of terrorism, and for saving an untold number of innocent lives," he said, "I hereby award you with these medals of valor and declare you as heroes!"

The crowd erupted as the President hung the first medal of valor around Dr. Light's neck and then the second around Mega Man's. The crowd erupted even louder when Mega Man was given his medal.

President Henry puts his hand up to try an quiet down the crowd. He had one more title to give Mega Man... "And to Mega Man specifically, should you accept it this title, I am hearby declaring you as the Defender of the Human Race!"

"Yes, sir, Mr. President!" Mega Man enthusiastically agrees, causign the crowd to erupt in cheers again.

After Thomas and Mega Man shook the President's hand, Mega approached the microphone and wanted to speak to the people. The crowd quieted, almost to complete silence.

"I just want to say a one thing," he said, "It is an honor to defend you! Thank You!"

The crowd cheered again for Mega Man, but the robot held his hand up and they quieted down, "By the way, Wily's goin' down!"

The citizens began cheering even louder at the promise of Albert Wily being brought to justice and began chanting Mega Man's name repeatedly as they embraced their hero.

The dawn of a new era has begun today... an era of reinvigorated hope in the face of terror. The human race now had a defender in Mega Man.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Wily's hideout.**

Dr. Wily's hideout was slowly starting to become the fortress he desired it to be. The outer structure was now being reinforced with titanium armor and to top it all off, the front section of the fortress was shaped like a skull. Dr. Wily obviously liked skulls and wanted them everywhere.  
>He even wants to name the place <em>Skull Fortress<em>.

Dr. Wily has been holed up in his office workshop since he returned, leaving the user-controlled robots the task of repairing the Robot Masters, with ProtoMan supervising them.

On a lined blue notepad, Dr. Wily was drawing up preliminary plans for his next group of robots. He had already planed a robot named Air Man with a large fan in the middle of his chest and one named Crash Man. Crash Man's special power would be the ability to fire time bombs from both of his arms.

Currently, they both were just bluepronts, but soon they would be a reality. Right now, he was plotting another Robot Master.

The evening news was on by now and Bree Recotta was reporting on today's ceremony honoring Mega Man and Dr. Light, but the words coming out of the speaker were nothing but ambient background noise to him. Wily spit on the monitor in front of him once he saw their happy smiling faces... it made him sick.

Once again, his warped mind believed that Thomas Light had gotten one up on him again and stole the spotlight that was rightfully his, and he was now sharing it with his 'son' so that they could both enjoy laughing at him. Mega Man in particular has really earned the ire of Dr. Wily, and he was now becoming obsessed with trying to find a way to defeat him.

In Wily's mind, Mega Man poses a greater threat to his eventual world conquest than anyone else. Even Thomas Ligght.

"To beat Mega Man, we need to be faster," Wily talks to himself.

_"Quick,"_ said the whisper in his head.

"Yes... we must be... quicker!" Wily replies to the voice, scribbling the word _'quickness'_ on his pad.

"We need a robot that's _quicker_ than everyone else!" Albert whispered.

ProtoMan opens the door to the workshop and enters without knocking again, only to see Wily seated in his swivel chair atop a mound of crumpled-up papers.

"You should learn to knock!" Wily says.

"Yeah, whatever," ProtoMan says, ignoring Albert, "Cut Man and GutsMan are fixed, ElecMan's coming along good but it'll take time to fix the others."

Wily turns around his chair to face ProtoMan. There was something that was bothering him when it came to Proto, and he figured he had best deal with it now.

"Come here, ProtoMan," he said.

ProtoMan approaches his master who was now standing atop his mound of discarded robot plans, but still expecting him to get angry with him again.

"I should never have yelled at you like I did the other day," Wily says, not apologizing, but admitting he shouldn't have done it.

ProtoMan stood and listened as Wily continued, "You, my boy, are my finest robot. Hell, Thomas probably ripped-off my design for _you_ and put it all into that stupid kid of his!"  
>He continues, "Your brother Rock, or Mega Man, or whatever the hell his name is, just had an extra ace up his sleeve we didn't see coming... But, next time, <em>We<em> will be the ones with the aces!"

"Enlighten me," Proto asserts.

"I'm already working on a new group of robots to join us," Wily responds, "They will help us _crush_ Mega Man!"

"Actually, Doc," ProtoMan says, "I would still like to turn him to our side."

A puzzled Wily asked, "Why?"

"He's my brother, that's why," Proto replied, "I want him here. And if we can't turn him willingly, then we'll think of other methods. We could try to capture him, re-program him, frame him-"

"And, if we can't do that?" Wily interrupts.

"... then, we's have no choice but to destroy him. But, if it comes to that, do me a favor..." ProtoMan says, pointing his finger to Wily, "None of the other robots destroys him but _me_. He's_ my_ responsiblity. Is that okay with you?"

Wily thought for a moment. He wanted to destroy Mega Man himself, but he was confident ProtoMan could do it.

"Very well," he answered, "Either way, Mega Man will join us or be removed from this world once and for all!... and I... I..."

Wily stepped away and turned from ProtoMan...

He held his arms straight up in the air, threw his head back and shouted loudly with a howling cackle in his voice, **"I WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"**

* * *

><p><strong>That Evening.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

The sun is setting in New York. The sky is a gorgeous palette of orange, pink, yellow and blue. Mega Man is standing atop of Dr. Light's lab with his helmet off. His bushy brown hair shifts slightly as a light breeze comes though. Mega likes standing up here, this spot is like a meditation place for him. He can overlook the city on the horizon and clear his mind alone without any distractions.

As Mega Man looks upon the New York City skyline up ahead, he realizes that he must take his newfound responsibility very seriously. He knows that Dr. Wily will be back... and his brother ProtoMan will be with him. Mega also thinks about his brother...

He wonders how the innocent, lonely robot he saw in Dr. Light's video could be the same robot he fought a few days ago. Deep down inside, Mega wants ProtoMan on the good side, so that Dr. Light can re-program all of Wily's garbage out of his systems.

He hopes that maybe one day - maybe soon - they can be a complete family. But, right now, they are not, and Mega has a job to do. If ProtoMan is on the wrong side, Mega Man won't let that get in the way of justice... no matter how much it hurts him.

He hears the door leading to the roof open and looks to see Dr. Light heading his way.

Thomas stood next to his robotic son and they gazed at the beautiful skyline together.

"You know," Mega said, "This is only the beginning".

"I know, son." Dr. Light replied, "But, we'll get through this together."

Mega turned to face Thomas. "I'm sorry I didn't get my brother back," Mega regretted.

"That's alright. There will be another time," Light assures, "We'll get Blues back home one day. And Wily will be stopped... For now, though, I'd like you to come back inside," Thomas said, "and... have a word with your sister."

"What's wrong with Roll?" Mega asks, sounding worried.

"Nothing, really. It's..." Thomas paused, "Well, you better hear it for yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>Just a minute later.<br>Back inside.**

"We'll make a great team!" Roll says with a smile on her face.

"No way!" Mega refuses his sister's proposal.

"Come on, Mega!" Roll peeps, "It'll be great! Me, Rush and Mega Man!"

As time went on since their activation, Mega Man and Roll began to blossom. Their personalities were becoming more defined and the siblings have learned a lot thus far. Roll's confidence was given a boost when she saw her brother become the hero he is today. Now, she wanted to join him and be his sidekick.

"You're out of your gourd, Sis!" Mega said.

"I've even made some of my own enhancements!" she says, ignoring her brother, "Look!"

Roll's left hand entered her utility arm and her vacuum accessory now appeared. The vacuum was now super-powered and could sweep-up a small projectile in mid-air if necessary. But, it was a little too powerful for Rush. The robocanine was pulled in Roll's direction and his snout got caught in her vacuum.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry, Rush!" Roll regretfully apologized, "I guess I haven't worked out all of the kinks yet."

Rush pulled his face out of Roll's vacuum and shook his head ruefully

"But, now I can help you against Wily's robots, Mega!" Roll continues, her big smile returning, "Isn't that _great_?"

"Roll..." Mega begins.

"_Please?_" Roll sweetly pleads, interrupting her brother.

Mega Man places his hands on Roll's shoulders. "Roll, I've seen what these robots of Wily's can do. I've _felt_ the kind of punishment they can dish out. It's too dangerous for you. Don't get me wrong," Mega points out, "I'd love to have you out there with me. But, I'm afraid you'll get yourself hurt. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."

"Why, that's it!" Dr. Light delightedly said out of nowhere, snapping his fingers, "I should have known sooner."

"What, Dr. Light?" Mega asked.

"Just a few days ago," Thomas began, "you both said you had an emotion, a feeling that you only felt when you were around each other or me."

"Do you know what it is?" Roll asked.

"Of course... that feeling you have is called _love_..." Dr. Light said, then paused when he realized that his robotic children love him as much as he loves them. "Love means that you treasure someone", Light says, "Like right now, Roll. The only reason your brother doesn't want you to join him in battle is because he doesn't want you to get hurt. That's because he loves you."

Roll understands why Mega feels that way, even though she still wants to join him, she can see his viewpoint now... she'll still try to convince him later, though.

"And that is why you volunteered to be rebuilt, Mega," Thomas added, "You love this world."

Mega nods, a strand of his brown hair hanging in his eyes.

"And I love you _both_, so much!" Thomas says, proudly smileing, "I just never knew how to say it until right now."

Mega Man wraps his arm around Dr. Light and Roll gives him a hug.

"We love you too, Doct-... Dad!", Mega Man says, full of pride.

"We love you, Dr. Light!" Roll repeats.

"Re Rove Rou!" Rush speaks, wagging his tail.

Mega Man, Roll and Dr. Light look at Rush, Stunned to hear that their dog just _spoke._

"You might want to adjust Rush's vocabulary program, Doc," Mega suggests.

The family begins laughing and Mega Man picks Rush up in his arms as the robo dog gives him another lick in his face.

Mega Man, Roll, Dr. Light and their dog Rush have a long, tough road ahead for them in their struggle versus Dr. Wily. But, together, bound by love, they can pull through. And this is a truly happy family that loves one another.

But, they will need all the help the can get... for the Battle for Everlasting Peace has begun... and there _must_ be a winner.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_Yes, I said I would never have Rush speak like Scooby-Doo unless I felt it was absolutely necessary... yet, he spoke here. And for that, I sincerely apologize. Don't worry, folks, Rush is not going to be speaking like Scooby in this series again, most likely._

_So, that's it. Episode 1 of my own retelling of the Ruby Spears Mega Man series is finally complete. But, it's only the beginning. As you saw, episode two is next, and I am making this an all new tale, not basing it on any existing episode of the show... but, you Mega Man video game fans probably noticed what I have in mind! (Get the Bubble Lead ready! And don't run out!)  
>Before I begin posting episode 2, I will be posting an "interlude" chapter, to help set it up, and I plan on doing this with all episodes I write.<em>

_I just want to thank the many, many readers who have read this story, but most especially BlackRussian, lalalei and Kuraselache, who have have helped me so much with their reviews. There were times I seriously thought about bailing out of this series, but their encouaging and helpful reviews kept the fire for this series burning! You all have helped me make one of my dreams come true: I am writing the Mega Man stories that I've always dreamed of writing and people seem to like it. I am very grateful. Thank you!_

_Please feel free to leave a review or a comments. I greatly appriciate it. Also if you caught any typos or serious continuity errors, plase PM me._

_(BTW, Keys to the City are worthless. New York really should have given them a better gift than that.)_

_The "Mayor Hill" name for the mayor character is used with permission from BlackRussian._


	11. Interlude: Peace Before War

_**Interlude: Peace Before War**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Live, from the first station in New York to broadcast in super-definition, it's 7 Eyewitness News! <strong>__**With your anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg, Chief Meteoroligist Topper **__**Bernstein and Exaire Lancaster with sports!**_

We see two handsome-looking newspeople: a latin male in a suit whose long hair is in a ponytail, and a caucasian woman with medium-length blonde hair wearing a multi-colored blouse. They both smile for the camera.

_"The human race has a new robot hero! And the best part is, he's right here in New York."_ states Trujillo.

Falkenburg adds, _"We now join our own Bree Recotta who is live from Manhattan where __today's cerimonies were held to honor our new heroes. Bree?"_

We see Bree Recotta, roving reporter for Channel 7 news, wearing a bright pink blazer and holding her microphone with the number **7** on the mic cube. She is standing accross from a stage which is now being torn down the crew members.

_"Thank you Kirk and Trish. Earlier today, the streets of New York were filled with people of all ages, races, creeds and genders. Even many robots could be seen out here amungst humans. All of them were here to witness the cerimony to honor the most brilliant scientist in North America, Dr. Thomas Light. And to honor the newly proclaimed Defender of the Human Race... and his name is Mega Man."_

* * *

><p>We see taped footage of the Medal of Valor cerimony that was held earlier today, honoring Dr. Light and Mega Man. Mega Man's sister Roll and his dog Rush can be seen up on stage with them. In the clip, we see the the moment where The President of the United States declared, <em>""And to Mega Man specifically, should you accept it this title, I am hearby declaring you as the Defender of the Human Race!"<em>

Bree's voice can now be heard narrating the pre-recorded piece.

_"We have a new hero, Mega Man is his name. __He is a robot of an advanced design, created by Dr. Thomas Light. A man who has been a New York resident for nearly thirty years. Today, both of them were given the valued Medal of Valor, one of the most pretigeous honors that be be bestowed, in front of millions of __people, many of which could not even see the stage the cerimony was held on. __But, to many of them, that did not matter, as they wanted to welcome their new defender __and be a part of history."_

We then, see clips of several citizens of New York...

_"Mega Man is the coolest!"_ says an early teenaged boy.

_"I want to be like Mega Man when I grow up."_ says a younger boy.

_"Thanks, Mega Man."_ says an African-American man, _"The city feels safe again."_

_"Hey, Mega Man!"_ says a Latin-American man in his early 20's, joined by two of his friends, _"You're our honorary homeboy, dawg!"_

_"OhMiGod! I loooove Mega Man!" _swoons a brunete haired young lady, _"He's so hot!" __"Mega, will you, like, marry me?"_ says her friend, with pink streaks in her blonde hair.

_"Regardless of who we met,"_ Bree continues, _"The reaction and the sentiments are all __the same: Mega Man has been embraced by the people he's promised to protect. And __they're not the only ones who feel this way. Members of the New York Police and Fire __Departments have also embraced Mega Man as an ally. I had the chance to speak with __Police Chief Mongomery Toombs before today's cerimony."_

We then see Bree speaking with Chief Toombs, the rough and tumble New York Police Cheif. And like a true Scotsman, he wore a kilt as a part of his uniform today for the cerimony.

_"I wish he was on the force!"_ he exclaims with a big smile on his face and a laugh.

_"Would you make him an honorary deputy?"_ Recotta asks.

_"If he wants to be, I'd make him one anytime! In my mind, he's _already_ one of us. He saved a lot of our boys and girls out there a few days ago. When I meet him, __I'll be the first to tell him the beer's on me!"_

We then see the aftermath of Dr. Wily's initial attack on Time Square last week, including shots of injured humans being loaded onto ambulances and firefighters trying to save people buried in the rubble in the subway.

_"Just a few short days ago, the city of New York was shaken to it's core when Dr. Albert __Wily - a former business partner of Thomas Light's - launched an attack on Times __Square with seven deadly robots, killing 22 people and injuring many more, as __well as destroying and damaging several robots."_ says Bree, _"Now, thanks to Mega Man, the human death toll in this week's attack is zero... and __New Yorkers are now celebrating in the streets. And while Mega Man did not say __much at today's cerimony, he did assure the citizens of the world of one thing..."_

_"By the way, Wily's goin' down!"_, says Mega Man himself in a clip from the cerimony.

The crowd's cheers were so loud, they overwhelmed the microphone, which is nearly shorted out.

* * *

><p>We now see the live shot of Bree Recotta at the sight of the cerimony once again.<p>

_"Now, while Mega Man and Dr. Light didn't say much, They both will be talking with me __in an exclusive interview at the sight of Dr. Light's laboratory in two weeks, and you'll see __it here on Channel 7. Also, memorial services for the Twenty-two victims of the attack on Times Square will be held tommorrow morning. Reporting live from Manhattan, Bree Recotta, __Channel 7 Eyewitness News. Back to you in the studio."_

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>****Bliss of Heaven Cemetary.**

Here, on this appropriately serene day, twenty-two coffins are lined up side by side. These are the victims of Dr. Wily's initial attack on Times Square. Here also are the survivors of those who died, along with the Governor and Mayor of New York. The media is also here, broadcasting this service on television.

Before the cerimony can start, everybody hears the sounds of approaching jet engines. Initially, there is a panic, but when people look up, the panic turns to relief. Mega Man himself is here, transported by Rush. Mega felt he had to be here. It was the tragedy that befell these people that made him volunteer to become Mega Man in the first place. The family and friends of the victims began to gently applaud the robot hero. Although they know he wasn't around yet to save these victims, he did make sure that it didn't happen again on Wall Street and will continue to make sure it doesn't, glad that more familes and loved ones did not have to grieve either.

As the people cheered, the towering Governor Cochran extended his hand.

"Mega Man," he said in his rich, smokey voice, "It's good to see you again."

Mega shakes the Governor's hand, as well as the Mayor's.

"I had to be here to show my respects." Mega says, "I just wish I had been a warrior robot sooner... I could have saved these people."

"Don't blame yourself," The Governor says, "Wily will pay for what he did."

"I'm going to make _sure_ he does, sir." Mega replies.

Governor Cochran is amazed at the passion and the heart in this machine beside him. He can't help but smile and give Mega Man a pat on his titanium back. He believes Mega Man isn't just some machine... he's a hero.

"I know you will, Mega Man." he says, "You'll do the memory of these people proud."

* * *

><p><strong>New York City Police Precinct.<strong>

On the same day of the memorial service, Lynn Wersching limps into the precinct, wearing her street clothes and a walking cast. She has been told by her doctor to take the medicine she's been perscribed, but she is affraid to take it... she doesn't want to end up like she believes her brother has. So, she's feeling quite uncomfortable right now.

She approaches the charred and lifeless body of her former partner, the Policebot known as AL-05. Techs here at the station tried to revive him, but the damage he sustained from the prolonged electrocution from ElecMan's lightning beam had fried his memory core. Lynn knows that every Policebot that is destroyed is sent off to the recycling yard, where they are melted down and made into parts to build new robots.

She always felt that's not quite right, especially in AL-05's case. Granted, all Policebots look exactly alike, and no one bot is any different from any other, but AL-05 was a good partner and he felt like a friend to her. He even saved her life this week. That doesn't sound like a mindless robot drone to her, that sounds like a robot with a heart, much like this Mega Man robot she keeps hearing about. AL-05 deserves to be buried, not thrown away into a scrap yard... her piece-of-junk car deserves that.

Lynn requested that the station keep his body until she could see him for the last time. So now, here she was, looking down at AL-05's body. The armor of all Policebots are entirely metal and are mostly jet black and silver with badges on their front of their helmets and on the left side of their chests... but AL-05's armor was now almost all blackened from being fried. His head was also bashed, his square metallic jaw hanging off to the side. Barely able to tolerate the nagging discomfort in her ankle, she leans on her right side taking the pressure off of her ankle, slouching on the table AL-05 is on.

"Hey, partner." she says, instantly feeling a little strange talking to a dead robot, "... I, uh... wanted to thank you for saving me back there... I'm gonna miss you. The past few years, I think you've been in my life..." Lynn pauses, feeling the tears welling up, "more than my own brother."

Lynn wipes away a lone tear trailing down her fair-skinned face.

"We're gonna get these bastards who did this... just like you said we would. That Mega Guy is going to make sure of it... I'll try and get in a few slugs in 'em for you too."

Lynn reaches over and pulls AL-05's badge off of his chest. It was smudged black and the **_"N.Y.P.D. AL-05"_** font on it was barely visible and the points of the star-shapped badge were charred.

She knew they had to take his body, but she wasn't going to let them take his badge. She was always going to have his badge with her to keep his memory alive.

"You'll always be with me, fella." Lynn chokes, giving AL-05's unmoving body a pat on his shoulder.

Lynn slowly limped out, placeing AL-05's badge in one of her jacket pockets, leaving her partner behind for the last time. Another lone tear falls from one of her eyes as she leaves.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>****SkyCar Motor Vehicles East Coast Plant.  
><strong>**Rochester, New York.**

Mega Man, Dr. Thomas Light, Roll and Rush were invited to the east coast SkyCar plant by the president of the SkyCar company. All around them are the rare (and expensive) SkyCars themselves, the world's first true flying car. The president, Mr. Angus Malcolm, has taken them through a tour of the plant, which has culminated in this moment...

"Dr. Light, Mega Man," says Mr. Malcolm in his Austrailian accent, "For courageously saving New York, I would like to award all of you with... your very own SkyCar, free of charge."

A group of workers remove a white sheet off a shiny and new red SkyCar. All of the Light family's eyebrows raised in suprise, as SkyCars were only affordable by the very rich or were only offered to those who were viewed as Very Important People (at a reduced price, of course). But, this is one of the very few times a SkyCar had been _given away_ to somebody at no charge.

"This is our new prototype model," says Mr. Malcolm of the red car, "The first in the line. It can switch from tires to jets, and..." a pair of wings that resemble those of a fighter jet pop out of the sides of the SkyCar, "Thanks to these wings, this Sky Car has greater manuverability, which you'll need, because this SkyCar can travel at double the speed of anyother, thanks to a pair of twin jet engines located in the wings, in case you would need to get somewhere in a hurry. And, if that wasn't good enough, it is a convertable too."

"Well, Mr. Malcolm, I don't know what to say." Thomas says in amazment.

"No worries, Dr. Light." Malcome waves off, "In fact, these vehicles are our thanks to you."

"Vehicles, plural?", Mega Man asks

"Ah, yes! That reminds me. _This_ is yours also." Malcolm states.

Another group of people pull another white sheet off of a smaller vehicle...

"This is The SkyCycle," says Angus, "This is the very first of the line as well. These won't even be availible until the Holidays."

The SkyCycle is a vehicle that resembles a sports cycle, but it has no tires. The chassis of the SkyCycle is both lime and dark green. Roll's blue eyes grow wide as she sees the sleek SkyCycle and she wishes that she had one of these.

"And Mega Man, this is specifically for you!", Angus says.

"Thank you, sir," Mega says, "But, with Rush, I've got all of the needs of transportation I could ever want."

Rush barks in agreement.

"It's also free of charge." Malcolm offers, holding up the keys to the SkyCycle.

"Thanks, but-" Mega says, until he's interrupted.

"I'll take it!" Roll exclaims, snatching the keys and giddily making her way to the SkyCycle.

She leaps into the seat of the SkyCycle with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you, Mr. Malcolm!" she exclaims, already gripping the handlebar controls.

* * *

><p>The Light family is flying their way back home. Mega Man is standing atop of Rush, almost like one would ride a surfboard, Dr. Light is driving the family's new SkyCar and Roll and driving her brand new SkyCycle.<p>

"Wow!" Roll says, "I love this SkyCycle! Hey... I'll race you home!"

"Roll, you shouldn't drive too fast." Thomas advises.

"Last one to the lab is a faulty hard drive!", Roll peeps, putting her SkyCycle in full speed.

Mega kneels down and asks Rush, "Can you believe her?"

Rush barks.

"... full throttle, Rush!" Mega says with a grin.

With that, Rush barks twice and zooms off behind Roll. Thomas continues driving normally in the SkyCar and shakes his head as he watches his robot children enjoying themselves.

"Kids." he says to himself with a gentle smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

In the upper levels of a tall skyscraper decorated with the giant letter **V** on each side of the building, the President of Vick-Tek Incorporated Marcus Vickers reads aloud from the front page articles about Mega Man in the New York newspapers while holding a meeting with his board members.

He half-heartedly reads, "And with Mega Man here, there is no doubt that technology is not our enemy, but our friend... and now our protector too... La-di-da, whatever."

He then puts the papers down and impatiently asks, "Why didn't _we_ think of this first?"

The board is at a loss for words.

"We're the leading computer and technology company in North America, and meanwhile, some guy who looks like Santa Claus is more ahead of the curve than we are! And he's making the money _we_ should be making!", he fusses. _(Of course, by 'we', Vickers really means 'I')_

The board is still silent until one of the suits chimes in, "Dr. Light is the most well-known robotics scientist in the world."

"I _know_ that already, Carl!" Vickers grumbles.

The board is silent again.

"Does _anybody_ have an answer?... Somebody?" Vickers snits.

Scot Erikson, Mr. Vickers' Vice President, says, "Well, sir... we could make our own Mega Man."

"... little late, don't you think?" Vickers asks, tapping his fingers on table.

"Sorry, sir." Erikson mutters, hanging his head down and twiddleing his thumbs.

Vickers snaps his fingers, "You know... something bothers me about this Mega Man. Did you see how he was almost defeated by the red robot? The one with the scarf... he almost had him. Mega Man might be _Mega_, but he's not invincible... he may get destroyed in battle one day... the human race will need a _new _defender, pronto. We might not be able to make our own Mega Man... but we can make our own robot warrior! We _Should_! One that can stand up to Wily in case Mega Man should ever be defeated. How does that sound?"

All of Vickers' 'Yes' Men (and 'Yes' Women) unanimously agree that this is a brilliant idea... even though it really wasn't _his_ to begin with.

"Good! Contact R&D. Tell them to get to work on making a Vick-Tek Warrior Robot on the double!" an elated Vickers says, "We'll have Wily in jail before you know it."

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>****Macintosh Shopping Mall.**

Mega Man, Roll and Rush are at the mall and Dr. Light has allowed them to spend some money on themselves. Of course, because of Mega's newfound noteriety, he has been stopped by various fans and autograph seekers over the course of the trip.

Roll immediately made her way to the music store and grabbed the two albums released by her favorite rock band, Captain Fallout and The Atom Smashers. These albums being "_The Chronicles of Brad,_" and their first album, "_Rock and Roll Pinto._"

"You like these guys?" Mega asks, on their way out of the store, after his sister made her purchase.

"They're the greatest band in the world!" Roll says.

"So... are they the ones you listen to when you have the radio so loud?"

"Not just them, Mega. I also crank the volume for Metalheads Inc., The Screamin' Demons, The Rebel Girls, Lightning Riders, ... but _these_ guys are the best!" Roll says, "And their lead singer is really cute."

"Oh, so that's why you like this Captain Fallout guy. Because he's cute." Mega says.

"No, Mega." Roll clarifies, "Captain Fallout is the lead guitar player, and he's the coolest. You should hear him shred the fret board!"

"My room is right accross from yours sis... I _have _heard him." Mega says.

"He's great, isn't he? Now, _Shades_ is the lead singer... and he's gorgeous!", Roll exclaims with a swooning tone in her voice, "My circuits tingle every time I see him."

Mega Man glazes his eyes and he can hear Rush behind him stiiffling a laugh.

In the middle of her daydream, Roll looks over and sees another store that grabs her attention.

"Look! A video game store!" she cries, "Let's go!"

"Be careful how much you spend. Dr. Light only gave us so much money, sis!", Mega reiterates.

Roll ignores her brother and runs towards the Gamescoland store, which features a big poster on the front window for "SkyBlasters", a Sci-Fi arial combat game, which is adorned with rave reviews from gaming magazines and websites. Roll takes one good look at the poster and immediately decides she wants this game.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

Mega Man hasn't bought much so far, but Roll, on the other hand, is on a spree. This is her first trip to a shopping mall, so she is in heaven.

"Look at all of the clothes!" Roll gasps when she sees the women's section of one of the depertment stores in the mall.

Roll browsed much of the women's clothing, picking out a pair of faded blue denim jeans and a basic women's red t-shirt. There was a really nice red sun dress they had, but she didn't have enough money. Maybe next time. By now, Roll had made her way to the swimwear department and pulled a red one-piece swimsuit off the rack and held it up to her body as she looked at herself in a mirror.

"How does this look?" she asks her brother.

"Are you going swimming anytime soon?" Mega asks, confused.

"I'm thinking of making my own superhero outfit!" Roll says with a smile.

"A _superhero_ outfit?" Mega asks.

"Yeah! We're gonna be partners, remember?" Roll replies, then ponders to herself, "I wonder if they have spandex pants here."

"Um... I thought we already went over this, Sis." Mega says.

"Oh, come on, Mega. It'll be so much fun to fight crime together!" Roll says, "We'll be the best team in the world!" As she puts the swimsuit back on the rack, Roll takes a look in a the mirror at her standard Red/Cream Yellow pants and blouse she is wearing now and adds, "You know... on second thought, I might not even _need_ a superhero outfit anyway. I can kick just as much butt in these threads I have on now. Besides, I've already got a hot SkyCycle. That's good enough."

As Roll leaves the swimwear department, Mega shakes his head. He had hoped Roll would have cooled down on this whole sidekick idea she had, but she's only gotten even more interested. But, Mega fears that she's not taking this very seriously and that she only wants to be his partner because it sounds fun... he knows first hand just how _'fun'_ fighting Dr. Wily's robots really is.  
>Mega doesn't want his sister out there in the heat of battle because he doesn't want to see her get hurt again, or end up like some of those unfortunate Policebots in Dr. Wily's failed attack on New York's financial district.<p>

Mega Man's thoughts now drift to Wily himself, as well as Mega's brother ProtoMan. He knows they are both holed up at Wily's freightening hideout and that they are up to no good... Dr. Wily is probably plotting his revenge right now.

"Hey, Mega!" Roll calls, "Look at this leather jacket! It's red too!"

Mega leans to Rush and whispers, "I've never seen anybody love the color red as much as Roll, boy."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's Hideout.<br>****Somewhere in the badlands of the southwest United States.**

ProtoMan - Mega Man's and Roll's older brother, the robot once known as Blues - makes his way down a corridor in Wily's intimidating fortress, which is much bigger and caverness than it was a few days ago. It will be known as 'Skull Fortress' when it's completed.

Proto can smell something rather strong coming from Dr. Wily's main robot construction room. His face scrunches up when he smells what can only be described as the smell of burning plastic or latex. He stands outside and waits for Wily to come out. He can hear the muffled voice of madman inside from behind the door, laughing maniacaly. Finally, ProtoMan can't take this horrid smell anymore and puts his yellow scarf over his face. Underneath his visor, his eyes are wincing.

Before Proto could go inside and risk choking on this rancid smell, the door opens and Dr. Wily comes out, wearing his usual white lab coat, dress shirt and tie with jeans and black shoes. Albert is wearing a black breath mask over his face so he would not choke on the stench inside.

"What the hell is that smell?" Proto coughs.

"Come here, my boy." Wily says, his voice barely audible under the mask, as he closes the door to the room and leads Proto back down the hall, away from the smell.

Albert pulls the black breathing mask off and replies, "That is the smell of brand new syntethic flesh being grafted onto the face of one of your new compatriots. Wonderful, isn't it?"

"Please don't tell me my skin stunk that bad when you built me." Proto groans.

"Oh, it did. Plus we had to implant hair into your scalp, so the process was much longer." Wily answers, "The smell of synthetic skin lingered in Thomas' lab for days. I enjoyed seeing that fat bastard gagging on it every morning."

"So... what this new lugnut's name?" Proto asks.

"The robot I am working on new will be named Crash Man."

"Let me guess... he's a crash test dummy." Proto quips.

"No, Proto... I wouldn't waste my intellect on that! Let me show you why he's called _Crash_ Man."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's Workshop.<strong>

ProtoMan lets out a sharp and impressed whistle when he sees a table in Dr. Wily's Workshop that is loaded with several deadly weapons. A Buzzsaw blade, a boomerang with sharp edges, a flame thrower, sharp blades shaped like leaves, several explosive devices that appear to have grappling hooks on their bottoms and a cannon were all lying on this table.

"This is some mean looking stuff you've got here, Doc!" Proto exclaims.

Wily chuckles with a sinister tone, "Indeed it is, my boy. These weapons are for the new Robot Masters. I have already finished two, Once Cut Man and GutsMan return with the wood I sent them out for-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Proto interrupts, "... you're making a robot out of _wood_?"

"... Wood _and_ Metal." Wily answers, "I shall name him... Wood Man."

ProtoMan chortles, but he stops before Wily could get angry with him. He didn't feel like getting into another argument with his creator. "That, uh... sounds great, Dr. Wily." Proto lies, "So... Crash Man's weapon."

A perturbed Dr. Wily grabs the cannon off of the table.

"This is Crash Man's special weapon," Wily says, grabbing an explosive, "These are Crash Bombs. Each one can attach itself to whatever surface it touches and each one is loaded with enough C4 explosive to leave a hole in the ground."

Dr. Wily loads the bomb inside of the cannon.

"Can I test Crash Man's weapon, oh Wicked One?" ProtoMan asks with delight in his voice.

"Of course you can!" Wily answers.

* * *

><p><strong>Hangar bay.<strong>

Dr. Wily leads ProtoMan to his fortress' large hangar bay, where Wily's Skullker is parked. Several User-Controlled robots are working on contructing a duplicate Skullker for the mad scientist to use in case the original is destroyed in battle.

The large hangar bay door opens with a single press of Wily's remote.

"You know that boulder outside of the fortress?" Wily asks.

"The one that pisses you off and you won't just have GutsMan remove it?... yeah" Proto replies.

"Such an eyesore, is it not?..." Wily smiles, "take it out for me with the Crash Bombs."

ProtoMan grins when given the command and approaches the edge of the hangar bay door, kneeling down and taking aim with the Crash Bomb cannon at a large boulder outside of Wily's wretched hideout.

With a press of a button, ProtoMan fires a Cash Bomb at the boulder. The bomb sinks it's grappling hooks deep into the boulder and the bomb begins flashing and beeping. After a few seconds, ProtoMan gets impatient.

"Nothin's happening!", he groans.

"Wait for it," Wily stresses, "... now!"

The bomb explodes, obliterating the pesky boulder into nothing but gravel pieces.

"Heh-heh!... Sweet!" Proto chuckles, returning to his feet and handing the cannon back to Dr. Wily.

"Now that you've given me my own weapon copy system, I'm gonna have to steal Crash Man's power for _myself_ one day."

"Don't you _dare_ steal your fellew robot's powers, ProtoMan!" Wily sternly advises.

"We'll see how you feel about that when we're facing my little brother again!" Proto smirks.

Wily grumbles under his breath at the mere mention of Mega Man. He should have been destroyed and Wily's reign as ruler of the world should have been well underway, but it wasn't. Now, Mega Man and Albert's old friend Thomas Light are getting all of the spotlight... all of _his_ spotlight

But, Albert was about to do something about that... very, very soon.

* * *

><p>Albert makes his way back to his workshop and places Crash Man's cannon back on the table and his beady eyes look at a picture of Mega Man taped on the wall.<p>

"_Defender of the Human Race_, you say?" Wily mutters, staring at the picture of the smileing hero..

_"He must die."_ speaks the little whipser in Wily's head.

Wily grabs the buzzsaw blade and flings it at the picture. The blade sticks into the wall and the blade rips clean through the picture.

"This is _WAR_!", he seethes before his face twists into an ugly, sinister grin.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_It's almost time for **Wily's War** to begin! As you can see, I am introducing some original characters into the mix that we will see now and again. But, don't worry, they won't suffocate the story. Mega, Roll, Proto, Light and Wily are still the stars of this series._

_One day we will see the entire Captain Fallout band too. (If they're going to be stuck with a name ike that, they deserve to - at least - look cool) Also, if you don't know what a Pinto is, look it up. Also, we will see some familiar characters from the Mega Man games too... (no spoilers)_

_First, there is something I should address. My Governor Character (Cochran) is totally different from the Governor character from the Mega Man cartoon. I forgot the Governor from the cartoon even existed until rewatching the episode "Electric Nightmare". He was in the episode for about a second. But, regardless. My Governor character is not a large fat guy with a balding head and a moustache like the one on the Mega Man cartoon. Instead, try to imagine somebody who looks like Donald Sutherland or Clint Eastwood. They fit his physical description._

_Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the Lynn Wersching character is named after 24 actress Annie Wersching. I couldn't visualize anybody but her playing this part, so I named her "Wersching."_

_Okay, now, they are many pop culture references here.  
><em>_First, the Metallica references. "Kirk Trujillo" is a reference to Kirk Hammet and Rob Trujillo.  
>The band names "Metalheads Inc" and "Lightning Riders" are references to the songs "Damage Inc." and "Ride the Lightning."<br>The band name "The Rebel Girls" comes from the song "Rebel Girl" by the band Bikini Kill.  
>Also, "Angus Malcolm" is a reference to Angus and Malcolm Young from ACDC.  
><em>_The store "Gamescoland" is a reference to the old Funcoland chain.  
>Also, the red dress Roll wanted to buy is actually the dress Classic Roll wears in the video games!<em>

_Feel free to review/comment. Remember, this was not the beginning of episode 2. Just a peak of what's to come._

_(Note to readers: I accidently spelled "Dress S***" in the orginal version instead of "Dress Shirt" It was late the night I posted this, I'm sorry. The errror has been corrected. Dr. Wily was not wearing a Dress S-word!)_


	12. Episode 2: Wily's War

_**EPISODE 2: Wily's War.**_

****The following takes place in the weeks after the events of "Defender of the Human Race" and before before the beginning of the Mega Man cartoon show.****

* * *

><p><strong>The year is 20X1.<br>May 20X1, to be exact.**

**Less than a month ago, the world's first free-thinking robots were created. ****They have the ability to show a full range of emotions as well as a full range of ****physical sensations like pain and fatigue, and can think like a human can.  
><strong>**Two of them are good: their names are Rock and Roll.  
><strong>**One has been programmed to be evil: his name is ProtoMan.  
><strong>**The cause of this: Dr. Albert Wily had become insanely jealous of his partner ****Dr. Thomas Light, whom he co-created ProtoMan with. Wily attacked him and ****stole ProtoMan, reprogramming the robot and Dr. Light's latest creations, ****the Robot Masters - a series of industrial robots meant to serve Mankind - ****to do his bidding in his quest to take over the world.  
><strong>**He also kidnapped Rock and Roll and almost reprogramed them as well, ****but they escaped unharmed and returned home to Dr. Light.  
><strong>**After Wily launched his first attack on New York City, Rock - having a ****strong sense of justice - volunteered to be rebuilt into a warrior robot. ****Rock was upgraded with titanium armor, a powerful plasma cannon and t****he ability to copy the weapons of his enemies and use their own weapons against them.  
><strong>**He was also given a new name: Mega Man.  
><strong>**Mega Man thwarted a second attack by Wily and was declared a hero, and e****verything since that time has been peaceful.**

**ProtoMan still wants his brother to join his side, but Dr. Wily however ****has something else in mind... revenge.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress, Dr. Wily's Hideout.<strong>  
><strong>Somewhere in the badlands of the Southwestern United States.<strong>

Dr. Wily's once seedy hole of a hideout is now a massive intimidating fortress, complete with a large skull design right in front of the complex itself. Nobody has dared try to tresspass on this horrific property since the United States military launched a failed attack on it a few weeks ago.  
>Deep inside the cold and frightening titanium structure, in his workshop, Dr. Albert Wily is finishing work on his latest project: a new group of robots similar to the original Robot Masters.<br>Unlike the original Robot Masters, which were intended to benifit humankind, these new robots are built for one reason: create havoc.

"Yes!", Albert says to himself, "It's almost time to unleash my latest creations out into the world! These will be specifically designed to help me in my quest to control mankind!... Thomas Light won't be able to do a _thing_ about it!"

All of the robot's bodies are finished and are all lying side by side on tables waiting to be activated.

First, there is **Air Man**: a blue and yellow robot with a large, powerful fan located in the center of his chest and the ability to spawn off micro tornadoes.  
>He doesn't have a human face, just two eyes right above his fan.<p>

Then, there is **Bubble Man**: a robot specifically designed for underwater missions. His weapon produces a lead bubble that can severely shock it's target. His green and white body armor resembles that of a snorkler wearing a green bikini-cut speedo over his armor. But, his body looks slightly pudgy for some reason.

Then, there is **Heat Man**: a short orange/yellow robot that produces flames out of it's body, which resembles a flip-top cigarette lighter with a head inside of it.

**Wood Man**: a robot whose body is made out of metal and a large hunk of wood and whose weapon is the leaf sheild... the leaves are made out of titanium, not real leaves.

And **Crash Man**: An agile robot with the ability to fire deadly time bombs that connect themselves to surfaces... but we know about those already. His armor is orange and white and his helmet sticks out like a pompador.

**Metal Man**: A robot encased in almost all red armor with the ability to throw buzzsaw projectiles in his foe's direction, similar to Cut Man's cutters. The only feature on his face that remotely resembles that of a human's are a pair red eyes that will glow when he is awake, surrounded by some synthetic flesh, the rest of his face is covered by metal. His primary weapon a - buzzsaw blade - is attatched to his forehead. He is the scariest-looking of the group.

**Flash Man**: A large robot with blue and white armor and a bright flash weapon encased in a plexiglass cranium on top of his head that can temporarily distort the vision of his enemy.

And finally there is **Quick Man**: A robot with black and red armor and a sharp yellow boomerang symbol just above his eyes, so it almost looks like a pair of eyebrows. He can also fling energized boomerangs at his targets. But, the best ability of this robot is his remarkable speed (or _quickness._)

All that remains now is for the new robots' programming to be completed.

"I will use these robots to _crush_ that tick Mega Man! And then, they will help me take over the world!" Wily states.

"Hey, Doc!", calls the voice of ProtoMan, "Who are you talking to _this __time_?"

Wily looks back at his best robot with furrowed grey eyebrows. ProtoMan's attitude leaves much to be desired (as well as his continued desire to not _knock_ on doors first), but he's the best fighter Wily has, and he knows it. The problem is, ProtoMan knows it too.

"I'm almost finished with these robots, ProtoMan," Albert says, "They will be joining the ranks of my army and together, we can complete our mission."

"I don't know why you wasted time building more robots, Dr. Wily," ProtoMan says, sounding a little bit egotistical, "_I'm_ the only robot you need. My little brother got lucky in battle, that's all."

"Keep in mind, Proto," Albert points, "Ultimately, it was _you_ who lost the battle."

ProtoMan folds his arms, looking perturbed. It was noticable even with most of his face covered by his visored helmet.

Wily pauses for a moment and reconsiders his last statement. Maybe he was a little too harsh on Proto. "_But_," he adds, "I see your point. You are still my best fighter."

ProtoMan just nods in agreement. "Damn right, I am." he says.

Wily turns back around and admires his newest creations. "It's only a matter of time now, my boy!", he says, "and we'll all show the world exactly who they're dealing with... and just how much of a threat I really am!"

Wily chuckles to himself as he continues work on the robots.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>****Dr. Light's Laboratory.  
>Located just outside of New York City.<strong>

The people of the world now have a new hero. His name is Mega Man.  
>The mighty "Blue Bomber" - a nickname he was given by his sister Roll, but one that the press also seems to have embraced - and his creator Dr. Thomas Light are getting a lot of mainstream publicity... something that surely must be driving Light's former friend Albert Wily crazy.<br>Their faces are gracing magazine covers, they are being booked as guests on talk shows and several companies have contacted Dr. Light about merchandising Mega Man action figures, toys, bedsheets, Halloween costumes and video games...

Imagine that. A Mega Man video game...

Right now, Dr. Light's lab is being rebuilt by several user-controlled robots, with the outer wall being reinforced with a layer of solid titanium to prevent Wily and his robots from breaking into the lab again, like they had last month.  
>Also, new advanced security measures are being installed both outside and inside the coumpound, protecting both Thomas Light's lab and house that adjoins the lab, making this one of the most secure places in all of New York.<br>The Governor of New York is covering the costs out of gratitude for saving the city from another attack.

Outside the lab, Bree Recotta from News Channel 7 is in the process of interviewing the famous duo of Mega Man and Dr. Light. Recotta has come a long way from her early beginnings. At one time, she was the station's reporter for goofy events and was nicknamed "The Cheese Woman", because her name sounds like two kinds of cheese. She was assigned to report on the National Cheese Exhibit last year too... she wasn't happy about that.  
>Now, here she stands, speaking with the most brilliant scientist alive and the Defender of the Human Race.<p>

"With this titanium scructure, nobody will be able to invade the lab again." Light says.

"And most importantly, it will keep Dr. Wily out." Mega Man adds.

"Speaking of Wily, Mega Man," Recotta follows-up, "If he launches another attack on our city, or anywhere, will you be ready?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Mega replies, "I'm ready for anything."

Before Bree asks her next question, she spots a large yellow hardhat with a red cross on the front of it sitting on the ground near her. But Bree thinks nothing of it... maybe one of the user-controlled robots left it there.

"There is another robot like you who is with Dr. Wily, is that right?", Bree asks.

"... yes," Mega Man answers, sounding glum, "His name is ProtoMan. He's my brother."

Again, before Bree can ask a question, she sees that yellow hardhat again. It looks like it's closer than it was previously. Her thin eyebrows furrow as she turns her attention back to Mega Man and Dr. Light.

"How could he be your brother?", Bree asks.

Mega turns to Dr. Light, letting him answer this question.

"He was Albert's and my first humanoid robot prototype," Light answers, "His programming was faulty and Wily managed to steal him before I could repair him."

"Is there any chance of reconciliation?" Recotta asks.

"... I hope so," Mega replies.

As Bree is about to ask another question, she feels something nudge one of her feet. She looks down and sees that same yellow hardhat again, but this time it was right next to her and it looked like something was inside it and lowered the hat on top of itself.

This was too much. She had to ask, "Excuse me, Dr. Light but... what is that yellow hardhat doing here?"

"Oh! Why, that is Doc." Thomas explains, "Come on out, Doc. Don't be affraid."

Slowly, the hardhat lifts up and a pair of big white eyes with big black pupils look up at Recotta from the shadow inside the helmet, then they look up to Dr. Light and blink.

"Doc is a prototype Met-Tool robot, or _Met_ for short," Thomas says, "The Met is one of the latest in my series of personal assistant robots. He can help around the house, and he can be a great companion for children. Doc, however, is unique and will be staying here with us."

As Light talks, Doc lifts his hardhat up even higher and reveals that he is just a head - wrapped in dark gray rubber skin - on two large yellow feet. His little lips turn into a smile as he looks up at Bree again.

"That little guy's hardhat is made out of quadruple reinforced titanium," Mega shrugs, "even _I_ wouldn't be able to blast through it!"

Bree smiles down upon the little Met and says, "Hello."

Doc says something that sounds like beeps and bloops, then his hardhat flips back and a long metallic arm with a hand on the end of it comes out of the top of his head. The hand stops in front of Recotta and it appears he's offering to shake her hand.  
>After a moment of confusion, Recotta shakes Doc's metal hand.<p>

Meanwhile, Roll watches them from well out of camera range.  
>She's happy for her brother getting publicity, but she wants to join him in his battle against Wily. She doesn't want in for the publicity or the attention. She just wants to go out there and take the fight to Wily's robots like her brother does, to help make a difference.<br>With Rush right next to her, she sits down beside him and whispers in his ear.

"I've got to convince Mega to let me be his partner," she whispers, "I just know he's gonna need me out there some day."

Roll pets Rush's head and whispers, "This is gonna be so cool, Rush! Wait 'till you see me in action! I've reinforced my non-stick frying pan with solid titanium!"

Rush's shocked eyes get big and he makes a noticeable "Aroooo?" sound.

"Yep! It can fry both eggs _and_ Robot Masters!" Roll says with a wink.

Rush's eyes widen and he gulps hard.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

Walking down one of the many corridors of his large skyscraper and wearing a black three-piece suit and tie, Marcus Vickers - President and C.E.O. of Vick-Tek, a large computer and technology corporation that he named after himself - makes his way to an observation room, accompanied by his group of 'Yes' people, namely his portly Vice President, Scott Erikson.  
>They are on their way to view the first prototype of the Vick-Tek Warrior Robot, a project Vickers himself greenlighted to try and capitalize on the Mega Man craze that is sweeping the nation right now. The prototype is surprisingly ahead of schedule, and Vickers couldn't be more elated.<p>

"We shouldn't announce this to the press just yet," Vickers says, "We don't want to look like we're ripping off the Mega Man concept."

... Vickers fails to mention that ripping off Mega Man is _exactly_ what they're doing...

"We don't want the Vick-Tek robot to be like the Zune... Have you ever heard of the Zune?", Vickers asks.

"I'm affraid I haven't, sir," Erikson responds.

"Exactly!", Vickers asserts, "Nobody remembers the Zune, at all. Period! Yet if a product has the letter _I_ in the name, people _still_ flock to it... even the iToilet. We should wait to debut this project. That way, we can give the prototype the time to reach perfection, just like all Vick-Tek products do," Marcus says with pride.

"Well, except for _Home Office X1_, sir," Erikson adds.

"Oh, God! Don't bring that up!", Vickers groans, "I've signed so many refund checks for that program, my hand is about to fall off!"

"It will not be brought up again, sir." Erikson replies.

Vickers and company arrive to the observation room, which has a plate glass window seperating it from the adjoining testing room where several scientists are preparing the company's first prototype robot. They also have a setpiece on the wall that resembles a brick wall.  
>A man wearing a black ski mask and a woman holding a purse are standing nearby in the testing room. They will be taking part in today's experiment.<p>

As Vickers sits down in the observation room, Erikson adds, "We have put our best engineers on this project, Mr. Vickers. I think you will be very pleased."

"Okay! Good work, boys!" Marcus says, his goateed lips curling into a smile.

"We will be setting up a crime senario, sir" Erikson says, "We have hired two actors from a local dinner theater to play the part of an evil masked robber and his unfortunate victim. Our robot will come in and save the day."

Once everybody is seated, the lead scientist inside the testing room states, "Good morning, Mr Vickers. We are ready to begin our demonstration. We give you... the VickBot 1000!"

The scientist steps aside and the woman holding the purse steps into view in front of the brick wall setpiece.

"Oh, my _Gwod_!" she says in her thick New York accent, "I hope I don't get mugged on this bright wonderful day in New York City."

In the observation room, Vickers asks with a furrowed brow, "This is an _actress_? And furthermore, who _wrote_ these lines?"

"Um... I did, sir," Erikson answers, sounding shamed.

Then, inside the testing room in front of the fake set, the actor with the mask comes in holding a prop gun up to the woman.

"Stick 'em up, lady! Gimmie that purse!" he orders.

"Oh, if only a robot protector would come and save me!", the woman poorly acts, placing the back of her hand to her forehead.

_"There is no need to fear,"_ a monochrome computer voice drones, _"VickBot 1000 is here."_

Right on cue, a cheesy-looking silver robot with a set of tank-like treads for legs, a lean silver torso, vacuum tube arms and a head with bright flashlights for eyes and a small speaker for a mouth makes it's grand entrance.

Vickers looks un-impressed by their silver warrior robot.

"_This_ is our robot warrior?" Vickers fusses.

"Well, it _is_ just a prototype, sir." Erikson tries to explain.

VickBot 1000 treads up to the masked actor as the woman says, "It's VickBot 1000. Thank _Gwod_ you're here!"

Vickers groans in the observation room, "I'd give real money if she'd shut-up!"

_"Flee the area immediately," _drones VickBot 1000 to the masked goon in the testing room, _"Or I will use lethal force."_

"Oh, no! I don't want any part of the VickBot 1000. Especially that Tazer Arm of his!" the masked actor says, feigning fear.

_"Tazer armed,"_ VickBot 1000 drones, taking one of his vacuum tube arms and jabbing it into the side of the robber, tazing him...  
>unfortunately, this is not a part of the script.<p>

"WAAAAAAAAH!" the actor screams as he falls to the ground, "MAKE HIM STOOOOOP!"

"Oh, _Gwod!_ Get me outta here!" the actress warbles, no longer acting.

Back in the observation room, Vickers bolts up in his chair and looks mortified. "Is he really tazing him?"

"Uh, it appears he is, Sir!" Erikson says, also worried.

"... Tell me he signed the release," Vickers freaks, twitching his fingers, "_Please_ tell me he signed the damn release!"

Vickers' team of lawyers behind him frantically try to find the release the actor signed, absolving Vick-Tek Incorporated from any liability in any harm that might come to him during the demonstration of the VickBot 1000.

VickBot 1000 mercifully stops tazing the robber, leaving him stunned on the floor, and turns to face the actress holding the purse.

_"Drop the purse, or I will use lethal force,"_ VickBot 1000 drones.

The actress screams and drops the purse.  
>VickBot 1000 takes the purse with his other hand and quickly treads away with it, racing towards a nearby wall. He then tries to tread <em>up<em> the wall, but falls on his back as soon as he hits it.

He drones, _"Drop the purse, or I will use lethal force."_

VickBot 1000 then takes his tazer arm and zaps _himself_ with it. The arm holding the purse flails around as he shocks himself.  
>Then, suddenly, VickBot 1000 explodes from the shock to his systems, sending parts of himself flying accross the room, one of them hitting the window to the observation room.<p>

Vickers nearly jumps out of his seat when the window crackles as the wreckage of VickBot 1000 collides it.

"What the hell was _that_?" he freaks.

One of Vicker's lawyers smiles, holding up a paper.

"I found the release, Mr. Vickers!" he says.

"He signed it, sir", Erikson states.

Vickers pants and places his hand under the left side of his suit jacket, feeling his heart rate return to normal. "Tell them to get to work on another prototype, right the hell now!" Vickers mutters, "In fact, let's never make one like _that_ again! Is that clear?"

"I will inform R&D right away." Erikson replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

The restructuring of the lab compound is finally complete. Now the chances of Wily breaking in again are very unlikely and the Light family can feel safe and sound in their home... hopefully.  
>The whole family - Thomas, Mega Man, Roll, Rush, Eddie and even Doc the Met - is together in the main lab.<p>

"I would say this was a job well done," Dr. Light says, "We all put forth a team effort in restructuring the lab."

Standing on a nearby work table, Doc the Met beeps as he looks up to Thomas, who replies, "Yes, you too, Doc."

"Say, Doc..." asks Mega Man.

Thomas replies, "Yes? and Doc beeps, both responding at the same time, thinking Mega was talking to them.  
>They both look at eachother in confusion for a second.<p>

"Uh... Dr. _Light_, I mean," Mega clarifies, "Now that Doc the Met is finished, what is he going to do around here?"

"The purpose of the Met is to be an assistant bot, and I wish to test Doc's capabilities before the Met series is produced to the public," Thomas replies.

"He could be your new lab assistant, Dr. Light," Mega Man says, "Since I'm too busy to do that now, being _The Defender of the Human Race_ and all."

"He could, Rock," Thomas replies, referring to Mega Man by his original name, "But I would like to place him in a more common household situation. You already have your hands full taking care of Rush, though... _hmmmm,_" Dr. Light ponders, stroking his think grey beard.

Roll raises her hand and asks, "Can I have him?"

"That is an excellent idea, Roll," Thomas replies, "I'll give you a checklist of tasks Doc can perform with you."

"Thank you, Dr. Light!" Roll peeps, clasping her hands.

"Just remember," Thomas adds, "Doc will be your responsibility."

"Don't worry, Dr. Light," Roll says, still smiling as she steps over to the table where Doc is standing, "I won't let you down!"

Roll hoists the Met under her arm and says to him, "Come on, Doc! We're gonna have a lot of fun together!"

Doc beeps and bloops and he makes a happy smile as Roll carries him off to her room.  
>After Roll leaves the lab with Doc, Mega Man looks over at his father and asks him a more serious question.<p>

"Dr. Light... has she made any mention of being my sidekick to you lately?", Mega asks.

"Not that I'm aware of, son," Thomas responds, "I think she was just excited about you becoming Mega Man, like everybody is."

"I hope you're right," Mega adds, "I don't want to see her in danger. I know how crazy Wily is... who knows how far he'll take things if he strikes back."

Little does our hero know... Dr. Wily _is_ about to strike back.

* * *

><p><em>Author's notes:<em>

_The order the new Robot Masters are introduced is the usual order I defeat them in Mega Man 2, However, many gamers have their own order they defeat them in._

_Mega Man cartoon fans have probably noticed that Air Man looks like he does in the games, not like he does in the Ruby Spears version.  
>This will be explained soon.<em>

_The scene with the VickBot 1000 malfunctioning is an homage (or, a blatent rip-off) of the scene in RoboCop when we see ED-209 for the first time and the scene in RoboCop 2 with the failed RoboCop replacments._

_Please remember to review/comment.  
>More chapters are coming very soon. Stay Tuned.<em>


	13. The Next Encounter

**_Wily's War, Chapter 2: The Next Encounter_**

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

"Finished!", cheerfully shouts the voice of Dr. Wily, "My newest soldiers are complete!"

ProtoMan stands nearby and watches his co-creator vigorously rub his hands together as he stands before his new robots.

"Now," Albert says, "Let's find out if they work."

Dr. Wily enters a command into a control and watches as all of his new robots come to life for the first time.

"Nice work, Doc," ProtoMan compliments, "Let's just hope they're not as stupid as the original Robot Masters."

Albert grins widely when he asks the new Robot Masters, "What is your primary objective?"

The new robots reply in unison, "To serve you, Dr. Wily."

"Yes! Very good," Wily says taking a picture off of a nearby table and holding it up for all of the new robots to see. It is a picture of Mega Man.

"This is our enemy," he says, pointing to the picture, "Before we can take over the world, we have to destroy this robot."

ProtoMan doesn't like where this is going and steps in. "Hold on a second," he says.

"What are you doing?", Albert hisses under his breath.

"That robot is my little brother, Mega Man," Proto says to the new robots, "You can help me in battle if you want, but the only one who destroys him is _me_! Got it?"

The new robots don't reply to ProtoMan.

"If ProtoMan has joined us in battle, you might want to honor his request," Wily adds, knowing that the robots are only loyal to his orders, not ProtoMan's

"Yes, Dr. Wily," the robots reply.

Wily grabs ProtoMan by the arm and drags him away from the robots. Wily wasn't so much dragging him as ProtoMan was just following him.

"What was that all about?", Wily asks, not pleased with Proto jumping in and bossing around the new robots.

"I thought we had an agreement!", Proto states, "_I'm_ the only robot who should destroy Mega Man. _I'm_ the only one who deals with him... besides, it's not too late to try and turn him. He _would_ make a great ally."

Wily stands in place, thinking to himself. The idea of Mega Man being on his side would be nice if it ever happened. The pain it would cause to that big softy Thomas Light would be quite fun. Albert is almost sure that it won't happen, but he tells ProtoMan what he wants to hear.

"Very well, our deal is still in place. But," Wily asserts, "these robots _will_ join you in battle."

"Got it," ProtoMan answers.

ProtoMan steps back and leans against the wall, satisfied that he has quelled Dr. Wily's desire to destroy his little brother... for now, at least. ProtoMan wants to have his little brother on his side, but his ego would also like to defeat Mega Man in battle first, just so he could always say that he is superior.  
>But, if Mega Man doesn't turn, ProtoMan is fully prepared to destroy him this time... at least he thinks he is.<p>

Wily turns back to his newest robots, then back to ProtoMan.

"My boy," he asks, "How would you like to show your little brother a sneak preview of my newest creations?"

ProtoMan begins smirking. "When?", he asks.

"Today!", Wily replies.

* * *

><p><strong>That Afternoon.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

In her bedroom, Roll is reviewing the list of tasks Doc the Met could assist her with while he is in her care. Doc stands on top of Roll's bed as she reads from the list.

"Clean the room... lame." she says, "Help with dinner... that's okay. Fold the laundry... _double lame_... you don't want to do any of this stuff yet, Doc," she says, putting the list aside, "We'll have some _real_ fun."

Roll sits next to him and asks, "Have you ever heard music before?"

Doc shifts his head from side to side.

"Do you want to listen to some with me?" Roll asks.

Doc smiles and nods and beeps.

"Cool!" Roll says as she gets up and grabs one of her heavy metal CDs.  
>As she puts it in into her player, she adds, "These guys rock! I <em>know<em> you'll love it once you hear it!", and she cranks the volume up.

As Doc awaits with anticipation to hear what this music sounds like.  
>Then, the loud shred of electric guitars, drums and a man's voice loudly singing erupt from Roll's stereo system as soon she she presses the <em>play<em> button.  
>The volume and intimidating sound of the music scares Doc and he hides under his hardhat.<p>

Roll pauses the music and kneels beside her bed to calm him down.

"Doc? Don't be scared," she coos sweetly, "Come on out, it's just music."

Doc slowly lifts his hardhat and peeks out at Roll.

"Awww, I didn't mean to scare you," she soothes, caressing the top of Doc's hardhat, "Maybe I played it too loud. Dr. Light says I play my music too loud anyway. I'll keep it down, okay?"

Still underneath his hardhat, Doc maintains his gaze at Roll as she turns the volume down and unpauses the track. Now the rock music plays at a much softer level. Roll even kneels down beside him again to make him more cofortable.  
>Doc lifts his hat a little more, listening to the music. It didn't sound so bad now that it isn't so loud. He also felt a lot safer with his friend Roll right here with him.<br>After a few seconds, Doc lifts his helmet up further, showing his whole face. He appears to be nodding along with the beat of the music.

Roll smiles and wraps her right arm around him, semi-hugging him. "I knew you'd like it!" she says.

But, outside in the hall, she hears the muffled voice of her brother Mega Man call with ugency in his voice, _"Come on, Rush. Let's go."  
><em>She then hears Rush bark and the sound of their footsteps hastily running away.  
>Roll gets up and follows them... this didn't sound good.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in New York City.<strong>

Everything is going as smoothly as it usually would here in New York: busy as always.  
>The citizens of the city have been able to carry on following the tragedy in Times Square last month, thanks to the arrival of their new hero, Mega Man.<br>And they're going to need him... just about... now.

The switchboards of emergency 911 operators are lighting up like Christmas trees. Almost all of them are calls about the sighting of a familiar flying craft with a skull on the front quickly approaching the city.

Nearby, Dr. Wily's Skullker arrives into city limits, just like the callers said it was.  
>GutsMan and Cut Man (two of the original Robot Masters) and two of the eight new robots - Air Man and Quick Man - jump out of the Skullker and land in the streets below.<br>GutsMan's weight causes the pavement to shatter upon his landing.

The screams of humans can once again be heard as the Robot Masters begin their next attack.  
>Several oncoming vehicles veer away from the deadly robots, some crashing into nearby buildings.<p>

Air Man demonstrates his power in the middle of the street, the large fan in his chest beginning to rotate very fast. Then, Air Man pushes his arms forward and twists them, causing a micro cyclone vortex (or tornado) to emerge and rip through the road ahead, sending cars flying in all different directions.  
>It's not common to see a tornado in New York City in the month of May. but Air Man just made it happen.<p>

Quick Man zooms up to a motorist and knocks on his window. The driver looks horrified when he sees him. Almost as soon as he tries to get out of his car on the opposite sideof his car, Quick Man is already there to stop him. Not matter wich way the driver tries to escape, Quick Man darts right in front of him.

Cut Man pulls the cutters off of his head and slings them towards other cars. The cutters fly low and slash into all of the tires on the left side of all of the vehicles in their path, then they come around to slash the tires on the right side.

A very brazen motorist decides to ram his van head on into GutsMan. The driver of the van dives in the back as his van slams into GutsMan.  
>But, the vehicle crumples up when it collides with GutsMan, not leaving a mark on him. The large red, yellow and black robot hardly even moved.<p>

"Hee-hee-hee-hee!" GutsMan laughed, "That kinda tickled!"

Amidst all of the carnage on the ground, one lone human can be heard desperately yelling, "Where's Mega Man?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light had received a phone call from Montgomery Toombs, the Chief of Police, asking for Mega Man's help immediately.  
>Thomas brings up a live feed from a traffic cam close to the site of the attack on Thomas' large workstation monitor in the lab.<p>

"It's him," he says, referring to Dr. Wily.

"And it looks like he brought our old friends Cut Man and GutsMan with him!", Mega Man spat.

"Who are _these two_?", Roll asks, pointing to Quick Man and Air Man on the screen.

Dr. Light looks at the new robots, unfamiliar with them. "Albert must have made them himself," he replies.

"Those people need help now!", Mega says, "Let's go, Rush!"

Rush barks and transforms into jet mode.  
>Mega Man leaps on the robodog's back and they fly off to the scene of the crime.<p>

Roll watched her brother leave and then notices that Dr. Light is preoccupied making a call to Chief Toombs while watching the attack.  
>This would be the perfect time to sneak out and join the fight without her father even noticing.<p>

Roll carefully steps away from Dr. Light and towards the lab's garage area where the family's new red SkyCar, Roll's green SkyCycle and the Air Raider now sit.  
>She keeps a watchful eye on her father and he doesn't appear to notice that she's moving.<br>Now the hard part, opening the door leading to the garage. That door makes enough noise, it would probably alert him.

Roll ponders wether or not she should take the chance. She looks at the door control, then back to Dr. Light and sees that the good doctor still hasn't noticed her.

She hears Doc the Met beeping to her. She looks down and sees his big eyes looking up at her.

Roll kneels down and whispers, "Not now, Doc. I've got to go out for a little while. Go play with Eddie until I get back, okay?"

Doc nods and runs away to find Flip-Top Eddie.

Nervously biteing her lip, Roll presses the button to open the door. Maybe Doc's footsteps will cover the sound of the door.  
>As the door opens, she barely looks back towards Dr. Light, who still is too preoccupied with the situation at hand.<br>Roll smiles and walks into the garage air pumping her arm victoriously, sure to close the door on her way out.

Thomas hangs up the phone and thinks to himself for a moment... he was sure he heard something.

"Roll," he calls, "did you hear something?"

There is no response.

Dr. Light looks behind himself and sees that Roll is nowhere nearby like she was just a minute ago.

"Roll?", he calls, "Where are you?"

He steps towards the garage door, which casts off a sound similar to what he thinks he heard.  
>Thomas opens the garage door and looks inside.<p>

"Roll?", he calls again until he notices that outside door is open and that Roll's SkyCycle is now gone.

Thomas quickly runs towards the spot where the vehicle was sitting and looks into the sky to see Roll flying away and the good doctor gasps, "Oh, no!"

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets.<strong>

Wily's robots continue to rip through the block. This attack has turned fatal for a few unfortunate user-controlled robots who were caught in harm's way. Some humans are also injured, but there are no fatalities... yet.  
>Unfortunatly, Wily's robots (much like their master) have no appriciation for innocent life, wether it be human or robot. The only possible exception is ProtoMan who takes great pride in not killing humans during these missions. Dr. Wily himself said that humans wouldn't "<em>learn anything<em>" by being killed, so Proto sticks to just scaring them, resorting to physical violence only if he has to... when it comes to blasting robots, on the other hand, Proto isn't quite as easy on them.  
>It appears Wily's robots are about to leave another scar on New York the likes of which hasn't been felt since Times Square...<br>but, their rampage is about to come to a big, quick end.

Mega Man and Rush arrive to the scene. "I'd hate to break up this little attack of yours, guys," Mega says, "But, it's my duty!"

"Look up there!", Cut Man cries out in his wheeze voice, "It's that blue jerk, Mega Man!"

"Lemmie' at 'im!", GutsMan growls, "I want to smash him for givin' me that lousy bomb for a present!"

"That _wasn't_ a present, GutsMan!", Cut Man points out.

"I know that!... _now_!", GutsMan replies.

GutsMan grabs a car and crushes it in his hands, compressing it into a ball form. He then throws it at Mega Man and Rush.  
>Mega Man jumps off of Rush and they both evade the projectile.<p>

"Nice arts and crafts project, Gutsy!", Mega Man mocks, as he lands on Rush's back, "But, you still flunked!"

Mega Man fires a powerful blast of plasma at the large robot. The shot hits GutsMan in the chest, sending him crashing into the ground behind him, cracking the pavement again. Cut Man, meanwhile, runs for cover.

Air Man steps forward and activates the fan located in his chest, causing a strong gust of wind that is nearly as powerful as a 100-mile-per-hour gust that nearly knocks Mega Man off Rush's back, but Rush powers up his emergengy magnetism power to keep Mega's metallic feet in place.

"That bot's wind power is pretty strong!", Mega says, "See if you can do a flyby, boy!"

Rush kicks in his jets into overdrive and soars ahead, despite the strong wind gust from Air Man. Mega Man leaps off and dropkicks the new robot with both feet.

Mega says to Air Man, "Mind if I borrow this?", as he touches the Wily bot's chest where the fan is located, copying his weapon.

Air Man would be saying something right now, but he has no mouth... the fan is where the mouth would be.  
>Air Man gets up and runs away.<p>

"Hey Air Man, where are you going?" Mega Man taunts, "You're not _scared_, are you?"

Air Man stops and gets angry as he faces Mega Man (the pair of eyes above his fan clearly indicates he's angry.) Air Man charges at Mega Man only to get blasted by Mega himself, severly damaging the new robot, almost splitting his upper body in two.

"That's for hurting these humans," Mega says.

"HeyMegaMan!", calls out a very rapid voice.

Mega Man looks to his side to see Quick Man standing there.

"I'veheardalotaboutyou!", Quick Man says quickly, "Theysayyou'rethebest,thedefenderofthehumanrace!But,you'veneverfacedarobotasquickasme!"

"Let me guess," Mega jokes, "You are... _Rambling Man_, right?"

Quick Man looks insulted. "Howdareyouspeaktomethatway!MynameisQuickMan!"

"Come again?", Mega Man asks.

"MynameisQuickMan!"

"Let's try again," Mega says, " Just a _little_ slower, buddy."

"Itoldyou!Mynameis_QuickMan_!Letmedemonstrate!"

Quick Man bolts accross Mega Man to his other side very, very fast. Then, Quick Man dashes to another location then another, constantly on the move, and Mega Man can't get a lock on him.

* * *

><p>Nearby, Cut Man pulls his large scissors off of his round head.<p>

"Keep him distracted, Quick Man!", Cut Man says, "And you'll give me the time to make _ribbons_ out of him! It will be a _sheer_ delight! _Eh-heh_!"

"Don't bet on it, you circuithead!", says the voice of Roll behind him.

"Huh?", Cut Man says until he gets smacked upside his head with Roll's reinforced utility arm frying pan, leaving a large dent in his orange head.  
>Cut Man staggers on his feet with his eyes crossed until Roll hits him again, knocking him down, making another dent in his face.<p>

"I can get used to this hero gig!", Roll says almost giggling.

* * *

><p>Mega Man continues to watch Quick Man zoom from point to point.<p>

"Now,aquicklessoninpain!", Quick man says, producing three boomerangs from his arm and throwing them at Mega Man almost his quickly.

Mega Man barely gets out of the way of the Quick Boomerangs before they could hit him. The boomerangs come around for another pass, and Mega Man avoids them, again just barely.  
>Mega tries blasting Quick Man, but he misses him, hitting the nearby lightpost.<p>

"HaHa!Youmissedme!Tooslow!", Quick Man says, standing in front of a parked car.

Mega Man fires another blast at Quick Man, who dashes out of the way again, leaving the car to be hit and destroyed by the shot, causing it to explode.

"I can't keep missing these shots," Mega says to himself, "I'm causing too much damage to property."

Quick Man finds a human woman and stands in front her, grabbing her by one of her wrists, holding her behind him.

"ComeonMegaMan!Blastme!", Quick Man says as the woman screams.

Mega Man knows he will miss and hit the innocent woman and he can't let that happen. He realizes he must think of another strategy, and gets an idea...

"You're too slow, Quick Man!", Mega Man goads

"What?You'rejoking!"

"No, really. You're pretty slow," Mega Man taunts, preparing to use the copied power from Air Man, "I've seen snails runs faster than you!"

"That'sit!You'vemademeangryforthelasttime!I'mgonnaendthisrightnow!"

Quick Man begins to charge right at Mega Man, but the Blue Bomber aimed his blaster arm ahead the second he saw Quick Man charge ahead and pelted him with a strong wind.  
>Quick Man's legs moves insanely fast and although he was slowed by the wind, he still presses ahead, inch by inch.<br>As soon as he's close enough, Mega Man then throws a punch at Quick Man, hitting him right in the face.  
>Quick Man gets knocked down on his metallic rear end.<p>

* * *

><p>Up above in the Skullker, ProtoMan reports to Dr. Wily, who is back at Skull Fortress.<p>

"Bad news, Doc. Your bots lost, and Air Man's in pretty bad shape."

_"What?"_, Wily snaps, _"He's already destroyed one of my new robots? Get out of __there now!"_

"Maybe I should go down there and-"

"I gave you a direct order, ProtoMan, and I expect you to follow it to the letter," Wily interrupts, "Is that clear?"

"Yeah, sure, Wily," ProtoMan replies.

ProtoMan presses a buton on his forearm, cutting of contact with Wily and shouts, "Dammit!"

* * *

><p>Quick Man <em>quickly<em> runs away from Mega Man and back into the Skullker where has fallen commrades are now.

"Going so soon, Quick Man?", Mega Man says, "Don't _hurry_ back."

Mega Man kneels down and pets Rush. "These guys weren't too tough, were they, Rush?", he says.

"You can say that again!", Roll says.

Mega Man furrows his brow and looks over to see his sister standing behind him with a smile on her face.

"Roll?", he says, "What are you _doing_ here?"

"I'm your partner, remember?", Roll replies.

"Does Dr. Light even know you're here?", Mega asks.

"Well... I think he does now," Roll replies with a nervous smile.

Mega Man puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head. He can't believe Roll didn't listen to him when he told her that fighting Dr. Wily's robots was too dangerous for her...  
>then again, maybe he <em>can<em> believe it.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Roll."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_Note to all Mega Man cartoon fans, this weekend marks the 17th anniversary of the show's debut! Happy Anniversary Ruby-Spears Mega Man! Losing so many hours of sleep to get up at 6:00 AM was totally worth it!_

_My apologies to any readers who were confused by Quick Man's rapid dialogue._

_Please don't forget to review/comment._


	14. Family Conflicts

**_Wily's War, Chapter 3: Family Conflicts._**

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Mega Man and Roll have arrived home to the lab with Rush, coming inside from the adjoining garage.

"Roll!", Dr. Light calls, approaching her and gently grabbing her by her arms, "Thank goodness, I was worried sick about you," he sighs, sounding very relieved that she's safe moreso than upset that she snuck out.

"Did you hear that, Roll?", Mega Man asks, trying to layer the guilt on his sister, "You had our father worried."

"I'm sorry for sneaking out, Dr. Light, I really am," Roll explains, looking remorseful, "I just wanted to be with Mega and take on Wily's robots with him."

"You could have gotten yourself hurt, Roll!", Mega protests strongly, "Wily's robots might _look _stupid, but they can destroy an entire city block!"

"Mega Man, calm yourself," Thomas asserts with a calm but slightly ordering tone.

"I'm sorry," Mega replies, turning his attention back to his sister, "I'm just worried about something happening to you out there, Roll. You're not built to be a fighting robot like I am, so you can't take abuse like I can."

"Is_ that_ the reason I can't be your partner?" Roll argues with her hands on her hips, "Or are you just afraid of a girl robot showing you up?"

"What?", Mega Man asks, dumbfounded, "That's not the case at all, Roll! I just don't want you getting involved in these battles because-"

"Fine!" Roll snits with an angry look on her face, "I _won't_!"

Roll storms off to her room, her metallic feet loudly clanking with each step on the staff metallic floor of the lab. It's a good thing the door leading back to the house was automated, or else she would have slammed it shut.

Mega Man watches his sister storm off and shakes his head. He doesn't believe what has gotten into his sister. He's only trying to protect her and he can't get why she can't see that.  
>Mega looks over to his creatorfather, who also looks bothered by Roll's aggressiveness.

"You know she'll try and do it again," he says to Dr. Light.

"I have a feeling that you're right, son." Light replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

"_Destroyed_?", Albert Wily shouts, throwing a wrench accross the fortress' main command center room, knocking various things over and startleing some of his other robots. He then pulls on what hair he has left, resisting the urge to rip it out.

"Hey, he was goaded back into the fight," ProtoMan replies, trying to calm his co-creator down, "I think if we get to work on repairing Air Man, we can have him back on his feet soon enough, okay?... granted, he might need to be rebuilt _entirely_, but he's still salvagable."

"He still defeated him!" Wily grumbles through gritted teeth, still gripping handfuls of his hair.

Albert thinks for a moment, breatheing heavily through his nostrils like a bull. He has visions of Thomas Light laughing in his face as Mega Man gets rewarded with even more medals, bathing in the spotlight that Wily feels_ he_ deserves, not them. He hees crowds of people gathering in the streets, not to congratulate Mega Man, but to chant _Wily is a psycho!_ to the tune of _nana-nana-boo-boo_ as they all point and laugh at him.  
>Wily hates being called a psycho, even in his warped delusions.<p>

He looks back at ProtoMan and decides, "I'm sending more of them! I refuse to let this blue titanium bastard embarrass me again!"

"You sure, Doc?", Proto asks, "You've got _the best_ right here!"

"Bubble Man, Heat Man, Wood Man!", Wily calls, ignoring ProtoMan's question and facing his new group of Robot Masters, "I want the three of you to go Baltimore and lure Mega Man into battle!"

"What about me?", ProtoMan asks, becoming annoyed with being left out, especially when _he_ wants to defeat his brother in battle and hopefully bring him over this their side.

Again ignoring ProtoMan, Wily makes a _come here_ motion with his right index finger and the trio steps up to the mad doctor.

Wily leans towards them and says, "Now, here's the plan..."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab Complex.**

In the middle of a hallway of Thomas' house which adjoins the lab, Mega Man knocks on the door of his sister's room. Doc the Met also stands outside the door, wishing his friend Roll would come out.

"Roll?", Mega Man says, "It's me. Could you _please_ let me in?"

"Leave me alone!" Roll angrily pouts, her voice muffled from standing behind the closed door. She's not very happy with him right now.

"Come on, Sis!", Mega Man groans, "I just want to talk."

Mega tries opening the door, but Roll pushes it shut from the inside.

Mega Man looks down at Doc, who looks back up at him with his big eyes below his yellow hardhat.

"I don't know, Doc. She started it," Mega pleads his case, whispering so that Roll couldn't hear him.

"Did _not_!" Roll snaps back from behind the door, hearing him anyway. Robots do have very good hearing.

_"Mega Man,"_ says Dr. Light through Mega Man's arm communicator.

Mega presses the communication button on his left forearm and replies. "Yeah?"

_"I just got a call from the port authority in Maryland. They say that a man is drowning. They've __tried everything they can to get him ashore, but none of their methods are working."_

"I'll be right down in a moment," Mega says, running away from his sister's room.

* * *

><p><strong>In the main lab area.<strong>

"Are there any other rescue robots in the area?", Mega Man asks Dr. Light as he walks in.

"It could take time for that answer and that human is running out of time... and they spotted something suspicious in the river with him. It looked like another robot," Dr. Light replies.

"Right. Tell them I'm on my way." Mega says as he stands atop of Rush and they soar out of the lab via the exit canopy in the upper half of the lab's titanium wall.

Unbeknownst to Mega Man, Roll had come out of her room and watched him leave. She stood in the door frame of the lab and hung her head down. She wished so badly that she could join her brother, but he keeps rejecting her help.

"He's gonna wish he had me out there someday," she sulks to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>Inner Harbor.<br>Baltimore, Maryland.**

Here in the city that neighbors the nation's capital, the weather is not as nice as it is in New York right now. The sky is overcast and it looks like it will rain any minute.

Mega Man arrives to the scene with Rush. It's the first time he's ever been to the Baltimore area, and it's a shame it couldn't be under better circumstances.

"Mega Man," says an officer of the Baltimore Police flagging him down, "Follow me!"

Mega Man and Rush run alongside the officer to see the drowning man in the water.

"Help- .m_rubblee_" the man wails as he is pulled under water.

"We don't know how he got here," the officer says, "We tried to rescue him, but nothing worked!"

Mega Man thinks he can see something suspicious in the water with the human. The unknown object emerges from the water and reveals himself to be Bubble Man.

"Another new robot!", Mega says.

Bubble Man pulls the human deep under water with him.

"Tell everybody to take cover," Mega says to the officer, then turns to Rush. "Rush, Marine Mode!", he commands.

Rush barks and transforms into an underwater vehicle. Mega Man picks Rush up by the handles of this new vehicle he has transformed into and they both dive off the pier.  
>Mega gets seated in Rush's new formation and they both splash into the water below. Fortunately, since Mega Man is a robot, he doesn't need to breathe underwater. His ventalation systems can last underwater for a sustained period of time before he would be in any danger. But, that human won't have long before he drowns.<p>

Once he sees the diving Robot Master pulling the human down, Mega Man takes aim and blasts the Wily robot. The shot hits it's mark in the center of Bubble Man's chest and he lets go of the human.

Mega Man instructs Rush via hand signal to go get the human and take him back to safety while he deals with Bubble Man.

Mega swims over to Bubble Man while Rush manuvers himself to pick up the human and begins returning him to the surface, but the Robot Master regains his composure and still has enough strength to fight. He fires a specially designed underwater projectile blaster at Mega Man, who avoids the shots.

Bubble Man then produces a large, ordinary-looking bubble from the snorkle in his head, but this bubble can stun any robot it touches. Mega Man's eye sensors can clearly detect something odd about this bubble, so he swims out of the way of it, only to see another bubble floating his way. Mega barely avoids the second bubble and blasts Bubble Man again.

This time, Bubble Man's white pudgy-looking chest armor is compromised and sparks emit from his chest and he can't continue the fight.

Mega Man swims over and touches Bubble Man's head, copying the Bubble weapon.

The Blue Bomber leaves the damage Robot Master behind and swims back up to the surface while Bubble Man begins to sink all the way to the bottom of the harbor.

When Mega Man emerges from the water, he sees two more robots in the distance in Heat Man and Wood Man. He also sees Rush backpedaling away from them as they both stalk the robodog, ready to attack him.

Mega Man jumps out of the water and lands on the surface.

"Why don't you two bolt-heads pick on somebody your own size!", he shouts.

The new Robot Masters turn their attention to Mega Man.

"There he is!", says Heat Man, "Shame Bubble Man didn't make it. We'll just have to take him ourselves!"

Mega Man charges for the Wily robots and Wood Man holds his hands out and several leaf-shaped shields come out of his hands and begin to spin around him.

As Mega Man fires a blast, the leafs absorb the shots.

"I've never heard of plasma-proof leaves!", Mega says to himself, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

Wood Man then makes another arm motion and sends all of the metallic leaves towards Mega Man. Mega is not fast enough to avoid all of the dangerous leaves and gets hit, leaving minor scratches and dents in his armor.  
>Heat Man takes advantage of this lull and takes action. The robot's entire body becomes engulfed in flames and the upper half of his body closes, encasing his head inside of it and he zooms towards Mega Man.<br>The blue warrior rolls himself away from the firey enemy only to find himself in dangerously close proximity to Wood Man. Wood Man throws more of his deadly leaves at Mega Man, who avoids this batch by flipping himself away.  
>Wood Man slams his fists into the ground, causing the pavement below to crack and Heat Man - whose body has reopened itself by now - then shoots his flames into the cracks<br>This causes a series of flame eruptions in the ground towards Mega Man's and Rush's location

Mega and Rush run away and barely miss getting burned by the walls of flame.

"These guys are tougher than I thought!", Mega says to Rush, "But, if they're anything like the old Robot Masters, they've got to have weaknesses."

Then, Mega gets an idea. "Maybe this Bubble weapon will cool off this walking lighter!", he says, referring to Heat Man.

Mega Man aims his blaster and fires a bubble at Heat Man, whose body is covered in flames as he prepares to strike again. The Bubble hits the ground but it doesn't pop, but it does gravitate directly for it's intended target.  
>The Bubble Lead makes contact with Heat Man doucing out the flames around his body and he begins to lose power.<p>

"What's happening to me?", he panics.

Mega Man enters a command on one of the glowing yellow buttons on his blaster forearm and fires another bubble at Heat Man. This bubble floats towards him and pops right in his face, which saturates the inside of his body, making the Wily robot worthless.

As Heat Man tries to no avail to reignite a flame, Mega Man blasts him with a plasma shot, knocking him to the ground.

"There's no way I'm gonna let you take me out, Mega punk!", Wood Man boasts.

Mega Man turns slightly to Rush. "I'm gonna need some time, boy", he says, "I have to get Heat Man's weapon. Flames and wood dont' mix."

Rush barks and jets off towards Wood Man.

So far, the trick is working and Wood Man's attention appears to have been diverted towards Rush. Mega Man seizes on this and dashes towards Heat Man's fallen body and grabs him.  
>Mega Man copies the Atomic Fire weapon just in the nick of time.<p>

"Dr. Wily's gonna be happy when I destroy you!", Wood Man says, looming over Mega Man, who is charging a powerful fire blast.

"Then, I'm sorry to have to disappoint him!", Mega Man replies, aiming his blaster at Wood Man and shooting a bright ball of flame.

The fireball passes through Wood Man's spinning leaf shields and engulfs Wood Man's entire wooden body in bright orange fire.

Wood Man begins screaming and runs around aimlessly as the fire eats through his wooden chassis. As he runs around freaking out, he begins getting close to the edge of the pier.

Showing mercy, Mega aims his blaster again and fires a weak plasma blast, hitting Wood Man and sending him flying backwards and down into the river, where he sinks all the way down next to Bubble Man.

Mega Man falls to one knee and breathes heavily, exhausted from the battle with the Robot Masters. Rush returns to Mega's side and pants with his tounge sticking out.

"This superhero business is pretty tough, boy." Mega says.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

"NO!", Dr. Wily shouts, bashing his fists into a table, "No, no, no, no, no! _Four _of my newest robots... _GONE_! How the hell did he do that? HOW?"

ProtoMan stood and watched with his arms folded. He wasn't scared of Albert's rage. There was a part of him that found it amusing, but he didn't laugh.

Then, Wily shoots a look at Proto, his eyes blazing with fury. "YOU!", Albert snaps, "This is all _your_ fault!"

"What are you talking about?", ProtoMan replies with an anoyed groan.

"If you hadn't given Mega Man the chance to get a second wind in the first damned encounter on Wall Street, I would have already taken, at least, the country by now!" Wily yells.

"Wait just a second! _You_ were the one who aborted the damn mission!", Proto argues back, his voice raising.

"That's because I didn't want _you _screwing it up anymore!", Wily fires back.

"You screw things up good enough on your own!", Proto snaps and walks away.

That remark hit Albert like a bullet... it hurt him. Deep inside, he feels a rage building up and he goes after ProtoMan. Albert caught-up to his co-creation and spun him around.

"Don't you ever talk to me that way again!", Wily hisses, "You may be my best robot, but that gives you _no right_ to treat me like a used doormat! I _built_ you!", he shouts, "I _saved_ you from Thomas Light's faulty programming! Without me, you would have been thrown away in a _scrapyard_! You _WILL_ respect me, damn you! Do you understand?"

"... yeah, I understand you," ProtoMan replies, realizing Wily is the only person he has in his life that remotely resembles a father figure, "I'm... sorry."

Wily simmers down... it felt good for somebody to say the words "_I'm sorry_" to him for once.

"Now, if more people had said what you just said, right there," Wily says, pointing hs finger, "I wouldn't have had to take over the world."

Wily gently pats ProtoMan on his shoulder, allowing himself to be human again, for just a moment. He also realizes he shouldn't be taking out his frustration on ProtoMan (even if - according to Wily's diseased mind - he was the one who blew the Wall Street mission), but should focus all of his hatred on his real enemies.

"If Thomas Light saw us argue like this, that would just make his day," Albert says, "So, let's try not to let it happen again."

"Fine by me," Proto answers, leaning against the wall again, waiting for Wily to say _he's_ sorry for accusing him of screwing things up...

"Besides, I'm not out of robots yet," Wily adds, "We are not going to fail... not this time!"

ProtoMan glazes his eyes underneath his visor. No apology from Wily.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Dr. Light's Lab Complex.**

Mega Man walks into Dr. Light's house adjoining the lab and takes his helmet off, letting his unruly brown hair show.  
>He's very tired. Two battles with Wily's Robot Masters <em>and<em> Roll giving him the cold shoulder after their dispute has left our hero exhausted.  
>As he makes his way to his bedroom, he cuts through the main family room where he sees Roll sitting on the family's couch, channel surfing the television with Doc the Met. Roll glances over her shoulder and sees her brother standing there and a brief moment of awkward silence passes, thanks to their semi-argument they had today.<p>

Roll turns to Doc and says, "Stay here for a minute, Doc. I've gotta go talk with Mega."

Doc bleeps. He doesn't her to leave.

Roll gently replies, "Don't worry, I'll be right back, okay?"

Roll stands up, revealing that she's wearing the red t-shirt she bought from the mall and her standard cream yellow/red pants, and approaches her brother, stopping right in front of him. As Mega puts his helmet down on a nearby stand, he notices that his sister doesn't look angry anymore like she did earlier.

"I'm really, really sorry about how I acted earlier, Mega," Roll says, folding her arms, sounding ashamed of herself, "I don't hate you. I love you very much, because you're the best brother in the world... I shouldn't have treated you like that."

"Hey, we're cool, sis," Mega assures with that irresistable kind smile of his.

"We are?" Roll smiles, "Thank you. I didn't want to be mad at you anymore!"

Mega and Roll draw eachother into a hug, and Roll gives her brother an extra squeeze with her arms.

After they breake the hug, Roll begins with a smile, "So..."

"No, Roll," Mega interrupts, already knowing _exactly_ where this coversation is going.

Roll's shoulders slump and that bright smile fades as she asks, "But, why?"

"Because it really is too dangerous for you," Mega says, "And I'm not trying to hold you back... I'm trying to protect you, because I love you too."

Roll sighs and she hangs her head down as Mega puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to reason with her. "Listen to me, sis. I only want you to be safe and sound. I remember when the Robot Masters hurt you that night at Wily's hideout and when ProtoMan beat Dr. Light up... it still bothers me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let something happen to you or Dr. Light again. You both are just as much my responsibility as everybody else, if not _more_."

"I understand," Roll mopes.

"Please don't be mad at me because of this, Roll," Mega pleas, "I want you safe because I care about you. You're the only sister I have."

"I know," Roll pouts, "but, I just want to help you."

"You _are_ helping. Even when you stay here and do that praying thing you do, you're still supporting me," Mega says.

Doc beeps, wanting Roll to come back.

"I've gotta go," Roll says, unable to hide the disapointment in her voice, "I'll see you in the morning."

"I'm gonna go visit the children's hospital tommorrow," Mega says, "You want to come?"

"I would love to, but... ," Roll sighs, remembering what her task is for tommorrow, "I've gotta clean the house."

"Okay... 'night, sis.", Mega says, picking his helmet back up as he leaves.

"Goodnight, Mega," Roll says as she shambles back to the couch with her head down, slumping herself down into the cushions as Doc looks up at her. He bleeps, looking a little worried because she looks so disappointed.

"I'm okay, Doc... I'm just made to be a housekeeper and not a hero, I guess," Roll mopes, feeling like her dreams of being Mega Man's partner have been dashed.

* * *

><p><em>Author's notes:<em>

_As you can see, there are some internal conflicts going on with both the Light family and Albert and Proto. We'll see how these relationships play out in future chapters._

_The battle scene with Bubble Man, Heat Man and Wood Man was going to take place in New York, but I set it elsewhere to break up the monotony. I didn't want New York to become the only city where anything of significance ever happens (kind of like Los Angeles was on 24 for so many years.)_

_Please feel free to leave a review/comment._


	15. The Next Phase

**_Wily's War, Chapter 4: The Next Phase._**

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.**

Marcus Vickers returns to the same observation room where he witnessed the abomination known as the VickBot 1000 two days ago. He's here to witness the next robot prototype that his Research and Development team has created and hopes that the team doesn't screw this one up too.  
>The new plate glass window was just installed and Vice President Erikson assures his boss, "Mr. Vickers, our team tells me that you will be far more impressed with today's prototype robot than the one from yesterday."<p>

Vickers exclaims, "They said I'd be impressed yesterday too, Scott... and then, I had to watch a robot_ taze_ a man, steal a purse and then blow himself up! Is there any update on that poor bastard?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Erikson says, "He's still in the emergency room, sir... but, there is good news. At least he's not pressing charges, because he did sign the release."

Vickers massages the bridge of his nose between his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Please tell me there won't be any human subjects today," Vickers sighs.

"No human subjects, sir. There will be no weapons testing today," Erikson answers, "Instead, our scientists will be testing the robot's communication skills."

"Good... at least a robot can't kill somebody with words... I hope," Marcus mutters.

Vickers sits in his seat, looking into the testing room, which now has bare metal walls instead of the fake setpiece from yesterday.  
>"Begin," he un-enthusiastically utters as he strokes his black goatee with his right hand.<p>

"Mr. Vickers, we apologize for the technical difficulties from our previous tests, it was only a temporary setback," says the lead scientist inside the testing room, "but, we are confident that today's robot is far superior... we give you... VickBot 5000."

A metal door opens and a tall silver robot with a slender body makes his way towards the lead scientist. His torso is thin and his arms and legs are even thinner. His metal head is round with glowing blue eyes and a mouth area that appears to be perminently stuck in a smile.  
>Clearly, this is not a robot that can strike fear into the heart of evil.<p>

He marches his way closer to the lead scientist and stops, leaning his body forward slightly to put himself at eye level with the human.

"Greetings," the scientist says, "Introduce yourself."

Vickbot 5000 says nothing, staring at the scientist, still with that goofy-looking smile on his face.

"Oh, God. This isn't gonna end well," Vickers groans, his body slumping deeper into his chair.

The lead scientist fidgets, realizing the robot isn't working properly.

He asks a little bit louder, "Um... what is your primary directive?"

The Vickbot 5000 begins making what can only be described as a farting sound out of his mouth... then, mustard begins to slowly pour out of his mouth and down his face.

Vickers' face contorts into a disgusted squint as he watches the VickBot 5000. "Is that _mustard_ coming out of his mouth?" he groans.

"Um... I believe it is, sir," Erikson replies quietly, "The team informed me that in our effort to '_go green',_ the VickBot 5000 was recycled from a condiments dispenser."

In the testing room, the VickBot 5000 spits out more mustard out of his mouth, splattering all over the face of the lead scientist in front of him.  
>Then, the VickBot 5000 begins to squirt more mustard out of his mouth and it looks like he's vomiting. The mustard gets all over the lead scientist's white lab coat, turning it yellow.<br>The VickBot 5000 then removes a large white cloth from his torso and begins to _diaper _the scientist with it, wrapping it over his clothing.

"Hey!" the scientist shrieks, "Let me go!"

The VickBot 5000 raises his right arm and spanks the diapered scientist in the rear-end.

"I also forgot to mention, he was recycled from a NannyBot too, sir," Erikson informs his boss in the observation room.

Vickers slowly begins to bring his right hand up to his face, covering his eyes, looking like he's suffering from the greatest bout of depression known to man.

"This was a bad idea," he mumbles.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab Compound.**

As Doc the Met helps her, Roll is using her vacuum in her utility arm to clean up her bedroom, now wearing the blue jeans she bought at the mall as well as the red t-shirt she wore last night.  
>As she vacuums, Roll lets out a depressed sigh as it seems that this is her lot in life. She was built to be a domestic robot, and that's what she is, but she wishes she could be so much more than just <em>this<em>.  
>Granted, she doesn't <em>mind<em> helping her father, and she enjoys cooking most of the time, but pretty much all of the other chores - especially laundry and doing the dishes - are not fun at all. And she's the only one in the house who does any of these tasks, as her brother and father are too busy.  
>Speaking of her brother, he isn't helping matters.<br>He's been such a big influence on her and he's just as much her hero as he is everybody else's, but sometimes she feels a little bit envious of Mega Man. He's able to go out and save the world while she's stuck here cleaning and tiddying up, constantly told to stay home because it's "_Too Dangerous_" to fight Dr. Wily's stupid robots.  
>Even last night when they talked, Mega said Wily's robots were "<em>Too Dangerous<em>" for her to deal with, but after beating down Cut Man yesterday, they don't seem that tough.  
>Still, Roll has this bothersome feeling that one day Mega Man is going to be outnumbered and he would need more backup than just Rush.<p>

Over the sound of her vacuum, she hears a knock at her door.

"Roll?", calls Dr. Light from behind the door, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just cleaning up. I'll be right out, Dr. Light," she replies.

Roll presses a button on her utility arm, switching off her vacuum. The vacuum retracts back into her arm and her hand re-appears immediately after. "Five minute break, Doc," she says to her Met.

Doc beeps his response as Roll opens the door for her father.

"How are you feeling?" Thomas asks, looking up to his daughter, because she is taller than he.

"I'm feeling great. Why?" she asks, trying her best to put a smile on her face.

"I've noticed a change in your mood," he says, "and especially how you've interacted with your brother since you snuck out yesterday."

Roll looks downwards at her red metallic feet, that smile fading. "I'm sorry, Dr. Light," she apologizes, "I shouldn't've acted like that. Mega and I talked, everything's okay now."

"You don't have to be angry at your brother, Roll," Thomas says, echoing Mega's sentiment from last night, "He's only trying to keep you safe."

"But, I really want to help," Roll replies, looking back up at her creator with a pleading look on her face, "Mega might need me out there one day. And... it kinda looks like fun," she adds, a slight smile coming accross her face again.

"Is that the reason why you're doing this?," Thomas asks, "Because I don't think you would enter a dangerous situation just because of that."

Roll pauses, now sounding more serious and that smile disappearing again, "Ever since Dr. Wily's robots hurt and killed all of those people in Times Square... I've wanted him to go to jail. I want to help Mega make _sure_ he does."

Roll remembers the events of the day Wily attacked Times Square like it was yesterday. Like her brother, she has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. The horrifying images of Wily's initial attack still haunt her and she still fears that Wily could come back to the lab and do the same to her father/creator.

Thomas, meanwhile, is touched that his daughter wants to do the right thing and he can't help but smile ever so slightly. We wants her to feel better about herself after doing such a courageous job yesterday, so he decides to give her a compliment.

"Your brother wouldn't like me telling you this," Thomas confesses, putting his hands in his lab coat pockets, "But, I saw you in action via the traffic cam feed."

"You _did_?", Roll asks, her eyebrows going up, nearly hidden by her puffy blonde bangs.

"I did. And, honestly... ," he adds, "the way you dealt with Cut Man was rather harsh, but impressive."

"Really?", Roll peeps, her eyes widening and with a genuine smile on her face.

"Now, dont take this the wrong way," Dr. Light adds, "I don't want to see you in danger. But... I _do_ have faith in your abilities."

"Wow!" Roll smiles, hugging her father/creator - careful not to squeeze him too hard - and adds, "Thank you, Dr. Light! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

While Thomas is glad that Roll is happy again, he hopes that she doesn't follow Mega Man into a situation much too big for her to handle. The good doctor wonders wether or not he's just made a massive mistake.

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>New York.**

It has gotten rather late now and in his mansion, The Governor of the state of New York, Geroge Cochran sits at his desk in his main office and finishing up his agendas for today.  
>His Chief of Staff enters the room holding a telephone... and he looks frightened.<p>

"Mr. Governor," he says, "You... have a phone call."

"From who, Sam?" Cochran asks, looking puzzled by his cheif of staff's expression, "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"You're going to want to answer this, sir," he replies, still looking un-easy, "It's on your line."

Governor Cochran presses a button the phone on his desk and picks up the handset, holding it up to his ear, now a little concerned himself as to what this call is about.

"Who is this?" he asks, sternly.

_"Please forgive me, Mr. Governor,"_ replies the voice of Dr. Wily on the phone, _"I didn't vote for you, but I felt the need to place a call."_

The Governor's grey brow furrows as he stands up out of his chair, towering over everybody else in the room. "What the hell do you want?", he says, his smokey voice now sounding gravelly.

_"Now listen to me very carefully, Mr. Governor,"_ Wily says over the phone, _"I want the state of New York to graciously open it's wallet and pay me a sum of... five-hundred-million dollars in unmarked bills, tax free. If you would be so kind as to do that, then I will exclude your city from further attacks by my robot army... if you don't,"_ Wily continues, sounding more threatening, _"I will have no problems stabbing your city through the heart over and over again... just like I did in Times Square. So, Mr. Governor... the answer is?"_

Governor Cochran can't believe this madman has the gall to try and boss his citizens around and play games their lives by ordering the state to pay out an unreasonable ammount of money... and he's not too pleased Wily got the phone number to the mansion either.

The tall, imposing Governor balls up his fist and his square jaw stiffens as his eyes narrow. He's not about to negotiate with this psycho... he hasn't cowered in fear over he course of his adult life, and he's not about to now.

"Now, you listen to _me_, you maggot!" Cochran growls, "The answer is no! And I don't give a damn what you've got planned! If I ever catch you terrorizing my state again... I'm gonna break your scrawny neck, if Mega Man doesn't do it first!"

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

"Then, it's your funeral, Mr. Cochran," Wily replies, sitting in his swivel chair in his workshop, "and everybody else's too!"

Dr. Wily hangs up his old land-line telephone with force, slamming it into the cradle it was connected to. Not that he was angry, he just did it for more effect. ProtoMan enters the workshop because he heard Wily's voice pick up earlier and was looking to see what's happening that's got Wily so flustered this time.

"What's got you so steamed, Dr. Wily?" Proto asks.

"I just spoke with the esteemed Governor George Cochran of New York," Albert responds, spinning his chair to face Proto, "In no uncertain terms, I told him that if he doesn't pay me a fee to exclude his city from further attacks, he and his citizens will regret it."

"And he didn't want to play ball," ProtoMan assumes.

"Exactly," Wily replies, now rubbing his hands together, plotting.

Albert didn't like the Governor's tone when he spoke to him. He deserves to pay... his city deserves to pay.. and pay they shall... _dearly_.

_"They deserve to die, but they must learn first,"_ says the whisper in Wily's head. _"Rip the city's heart out __... and eat it!"_

Wily grins and looks over at ProtoMan. "Gather the rest of the new robots", he says with a wicked tone in his voice, "I will inform them of their mission _personally!_"

Wily snickers with an errie glee as he hatches a very disturbing, sickening plan. A plan that will stab the blade of terror into the hearts of not just every man, woman and child in New York... but everybody around the world.

"You should have said _yes_, Mr. Governor!" he says as he turns to face his computer station, looking up the location of where his latest attack will take place.

* * *

><p><strong>The next evening.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab Complex.**

"Dinner's ready, Dr. Light!", Roll calls from the dining room, back in her normal cream yellow/red outfit and sounding noticibly more cheerful than she did a couple of days ago.

The good doctor had been speaking to Mega Man in the next room. "Thank you, sweetheart," Thomas says, "I'll be right there."

Doc the Met walks up to Roll carrying a glass of water for Dr. Light with his extention arm.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Doc!" Roll says, taking the glass and setting it on the table, "We got done a lot quicker than usual."

As Roll leaves the dining room with Doc following her, Mega Man turns his attention back to his father/creator, Dr. Light.

"I'm really glad Roll's feeling better," Mega Man says, "She looked pretty depressed a few days ago."

"Yes, I'm glad too," Thomas replies, remembering his conversation he had with Roll, "her and I had a nice conversation yesterday while you were out."

"I'm glad I don't have to worry about her getting involved in another one of these battles," Mega says.

Thomas pauses, knowing that there's still a chance Roll might still try and follow her brother into battle, especially after she revealed how serious she is taking this and after he told her how good of a fighter she really is.

Mega and Dr. Light arrive to the dining room and as Thomas sits down, Mega Man finds his sister cleaning up the kitchen with assistance from Doc the Met, who is standing on the kitchen counter.

"You don't have to help me with this, Doc," Roll says nicely.

Doc beeps and bloops his answer. He saw how distant she looked when vacuuming her room yesterday, so he wants to help her get chores done quicker so she can be happy again.

A sweet smile comes accross Roll's face, touched by the kindness of this little Met. "Really?... aww, thanks, Doc! You're the greatest little Met in the whole world!"

Doc happilly beeps with a smile on his face and does a backwards flip when Roll compliments him.

"Hey, sis," Mega says.

"Hey," Roll replies with a smile. Doc bleeps to Mega as well.

"I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore," he adds.

"I wasn't really _mad_ at you, Mega..." she says, shrugging, "Well, maybe I was for a few minutes."

"I admit I'm a little overprotective of you, but that's 'cause I worry about you," Mega implores, "I just hope you don't put yourself in anymore danger out there."

Roll looks back to her brother oddly when he brings up her staying out of danger. "Yeah, uh, sure. Don't worry about me," she almost stammers with a nervous smile as she and Doc leave the kitchen.

As Mega Man watches his sister and her Met leave, he has a bad feeling that when he has to fight off Wily's forces again in the future, Roll might be right behind him again.

Mega shakes his head and sighs, "What did you say to her, father?"

* * *

><p><strong>Empire State Building.<br>****Manhattan.**

Inside of the historic landmark skyscraper, two security guards are at their post waiting for the last tour group of the night to come out.

One of the guards turns his head, thinking he hears something. "Hey," he asks, "You hear that?"

"Hear what?", replies the other guard.

The first guard listens closely to what sounds like a buzzing sound. Not buzzing like a bee, more like a _saw_ carving through something.  
>As the guard steps closer to the front entrance, the noise gets louder... then, it stops.<br>The guard draws his gun and his fellow guard does the same. The seconds that pass feel like hours and both man can feel their pulses rising and thumping in their ears as they wait for whatever was making that noice to appear.  
>Then, the door is kicked in and both guards open fire. But, when they see that nobody is in the door frame, they stop.<br>The security guards keep their aim at the now doorless doorway waiting for any sign of an intruder.

All of a sudden, Quick Man zooms into the building and snatches the guns from the human's hands as fast as lightning.

Flash Man then enters the room and the top of his head begins to light up and flashes brightly. The human guards cover their eyes when their vision is severely distorted and tears involunterilly fall from their eyes from the shock. Metal Man - the robot who chopped down the door - and Crash Man enter behind Flash Man. Quick Man bolts over to the subdued, blinded guards and ties them up _quickly_.

"You go to the upper levels," Flash Man says to Crash Man, "We're going to stand guard outside and watch for any hostiles. We'll make sure nobody interferes."

"I'llhelpyouupstairs!", Quick Man says, "You'llgettheremuchquicker!"

"Now, wait just a second!", Crash Man protests, "I'm not letting you-"

Crash Man did not get to finish his complaint, because Quick Man picked him up and took off with him up the stairs to the upper levels of the Empire State Building.

Flash Man holds a communicator up to his mouth. "We're in, Dr. Wily."

_"Good,"_ Wily responds, _"Just keep an eye out for anyone who tries to stop you. You may deal with them however you wish."_

"And if Mega Man shows up?" Flash Man asks.

_"He'll show. He must, it's his duty to protect... and when he does show up... you know what to do,"_ Wily replies, the wretched smile noticable in his voice.

* * *

><p><em>Author's notes:<em>

_For those of you who have thought that Roll has been too domestic, trust me, we're going somewhere with this. It won't be anything really huge, but give it time, I hope you'll like where this heads. _As you can see, Roll doesn't enjoy doing all of the housework so she's already making the change to the Roll we know.__

__And happy birthday this week to Scott McNeil (the voice of Dr. Wily, ProtoMan, Eddie and many others.)__

_Please feel free to send a review or comment._


	16. Too Dangerous

**_Wily's War, Chapter 5: Too Dangerous_**

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

A PoliceBot with the registry number of QN-60 makes his way outside to a police cruiser where his new human partner is waiting. He had been informed that despite being injured in the Wall Street attack, she is back on duty earlier than expected.  
>When QN-60 approaches the cruiser, he can see her inside holding a flat mobile computer phone up to her ear. There were times when she looked angry with it and was raising her voice. He noticed the doors were still locked, so he patiently waited for her to unlock them.<p>

Inside the car, Officer Lynn Wersching is on the phone with her only brother, who is a few years younger than she is. This is the second time they've had a big argument recently, and when they argue now, the subject matter is always the same... it's his _issues_... suspected drug issues, to be specific. He very recently lost his job over these _issues_... and, like always, he denies it.

"You're showing the signs of a major user, that's why they let you go," Lynn says into her phone, "Even I could see it for myself when I saw you last month..."

Her brother did come to visit her when she was in the hospital a few weeks ago because he was worried about her after she was injured in Dr. Wily's failed Wall Street attack. It was the first time she had seen him in months, and something was _very_ different about him.  
>First, he looked thinner than he ever had... a little <em>too<em> thin. Also, one of his teeth was now missing. He claimed he got in a fight and lost, but Lynn thought otherwise. Finally, he wouldn't take off his sunglasses even though it was dark outside, and insisted on keeping them on.  
>Seeing him that day - and looking like that - only made her suspicions even stronger.<p>

A moment passes as Lynn listens to her brother's response... he just denied it again...

"Quit lying to me!", she suddenly snaps, "... Oh, I can prove it! Just look in a mirror!... Listen to youself! Do you realize what you're _doing_? You're _killing_ yourself!", she now weeps, "... you're killing _me_ too."

Lynn begins sobbing into her free hand. "I know things have been rough since Mom died... and I know you never forgave our father for leaving... I don't want to lose you too... you're all I've got left!"

Her round, green, tear-filled eyes look over to her right to find that her replacement Policebot partner is awaiting outside the cruiser.

"I've got to go," she blubbers, "... please, whatever you're doing to yourself, stop it... I know it feels sometimes like nobody cares about you, but _I do_..."

Lynn wipes her tears away as she listens to her brother. Afterwards, she replies, "... I love you too."

Wersching presses the screen on her computer phone. Every time she says goodbye to her brother, she's affraid it will be the last time... one day, it will be.

She unlocks the doors and QN-60 enters the car. "Good evening, Lynn," he says passively, "Are you feeling alright?"

Lynn glanced over at her new partner. He looked _exactly_ like AL-05, he almost sounded like him too... but he wasn't, and he never would be. Her old PoliceBot partner being gone makes her sad too.

"I'm... not feeling too good," she says, her voice trembling.

"The medical staff did advise you to remain home for a longer period of time. Your ankle hasn't fully healed," QN-60 stated.

He was right. Lynn is still wearing her walking cast and she is back on duty weeks ahead of schedule, but she didn't want to be at home anymore. It gave her too much time to dwell in her worries about her brother and her sadness over losing AL-05.

"It's not my ankle. I've just got a lot on my mind, A.L.," she replies, accidently referring to her new partner as AL-05.

"I am Officer QN-60, Lynn," he corrects, "Officer AL-05 was lost in the line of duty."

"Yeah, I know, you don't need to remind me," Lynn sighs, as another tear falls down her face.

"Your face is wet," QN-60 notices.

As Lynn wipes her eyes, she thinks back to AL-05. He knew about her brother and he always understood why she got upset. He always asked her how she was feeling everyday. For a robot that wasn't an advanced model, he sure had the heart of a human. That humanity hasn't yet been learned by QN-60, and that only makes Lynn miss AL-05 even more.

"I'll explain one day," she answers her partner.

_"Attention all units. Emergency,"_ speaks the voice out of the radio, _"Four robots __of an unknown origin have been spotted entering the Empire State Building."_

Lynn's eyes, which were now red from crying, widened in shock as she listened.

QN-60 knew right away who was behind this. "Dr. Wily," he says.

The voice on the radio continues, _"These robots are believed to be affiliated with Dr. Albert __Wily. All availible units are to intercept with extreme caution."_

Lynn looks around and sees several human officers and PoliceBots pouring out of the station, running into whatever vehicle they could find. She sticks her keys in the igniton and speeds away from the station along with the others.  
>She said that she was going to get that bastard Wily back for killing AL-05... now is the time.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light hangs up his phone in the main lab area. He looks behind him at Mega Man, looking quite disturbed by what he has just learned.

"It's Wily again," he says seriously.

"Where is he?", Mega Man asks.

"Albert himself hasn't been spotted yet. But, more of his new robots were spotted at the Empire State Building," Thomas replies, "All contact there has been lost."

"Is he gonna _destroy_ it?", Roll asks, deeply worried at the thought of Wily creating _even more_ destruction.

"Not if I can help it!", Mega Man adds, clinching his fists as he turns to Rush, who has already switched over to jet mode.

As Mega Man stands on Rush's back, he looks directly at Roll before she sould speak. "_Please_, just stay here," he urgently requests

Roll looks to be slightly disapointed, but not much. She wants to help him, but she can't argue with her brother right now. She didn't want to be selfish when the city's greatest landmark and even more innocent lives are at stake.

"Let's go, Rush", Mega says.

Once again, the Defender of the Human Race and his faithful robocanine zoom out of Dr. Light's lab to try and prevent another Dr. Wily disaster from taking place.

* * *

><p><strong>Empire State Building.<strong>

Flash Man and Metal Man stand outside the famous landmark skyscraper, keeping an eye out for their enemy Mega Man. Quick Man bolts back down to the ground level, suddenly appearing at his compatriot's sides.

"He'splacingthebombsnow!Hegottheremuchquicker!", he says.

Flash Man and Metal Man look at eachother in confusion, not understanding a word Quick Man just said.

Several police vehicles begin arriving to the scene with their sirens blareing.

"I would say this is a threat, gentlemen," Flash Man says with a grin.

"Not much," says Metal Man, with a gritty rasp of a voice. His voice comes from a speaker in front of his facial shield, as he has no mouth.

Metal Man pulls the round saw blade off of his forehead and throws it at the cars. The saw slices through the tires of the cruisers and causes them to veer out of control, crashing into nearby lightposts and buildings. One cruiser even flips several times before coming to a stop.

Flash Man uses his bright flash weapon to blind the other incoming human officers and policebots. Quick Man covers his eyes, protecting them from the flash. This causes even more crashes when the blinded cops plow into their fellow officers' cars, creating a massive multi-car pile-up in the middle of the street.

"Should we skin them now or later?", rasps Metal Man.

"We wait here," Flash Man says, "Mega Man will be here soon."

Quick Man mutters, "Letmeathimfirst!HesaidIwastooslow!"

* * *

><p>High above the city, Mega Man and Rush soar ahead towards the pontentially doomed skyscraper. Ironically, the flood lights shining upon the sides of the building are Mega Man's two shades of blue.<p>

_"Mega,"_ says the voice of Dr. Light who is contacting him from the lab, _"Three of the new robots__ are outside. They're attacking the police force!"_

"I'm almost there now," Mega replies.

_"That's not all,"_ Thomas adds, _"There is another robot with them who's probably __still inside the building."_

Mega Man grimly realizes that if one of the new Robot Masters has been left inside, he must be some sort of demolitions robot with orders to blow up the building. He can feel his circuits chill when he thinks of the possibility of Wily carrying out another successful attack.  
>Mega knows there is a chance he might fail this time. He knows his capabilities as well as his limitations. And he knows that while Dr. Wily's robots aren't too bright, they <em>are<em> deadly. But, having to deal with three robots outside the building _and_ getting inside the Empire State Building to stop the other one before it gets leveled is sounding almost too challenging.  
>When human lives and robot lives are at stake, Mega Man doesn't like the thought of losing, not even if only one life is at risk.<br>He made it a point to make sure that things like the Times Square tragedy and even worse events never happen again.  
>And he has no intention of backing down... not now... not <em>ever<em>.

"Then, I'll have to fight fast," he replies, "Try calling the Chief and have his officers get to safety. I'll deal with Wily's bots myself. Mega Man out".

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the lab.<strong>

After Mega Man cuts the communication, Dr. Light looks bothered by his son's willingness to dive head-first into overwhelming odds like these.

"It's too much for him," he says with uneasyness in his voice, shaking his head

"Why?", Roll worriedly asks.

"Mega knew what the weaknesses of the original Robot Masters were," he answers, "But he doesn't know what these robots' weaknesses are. Plus, he might have to race all the way to the upper levels of the building to stop another robot. And I have a bad feeling that Wily's last robot has orders to destroy the entire building."

"... are there people inside?", Roll asks.

After a pause, Dr. Light replies, "There probably are. Hopefully not as many as there would be during the day."

Roll now feels the same wave of shock that Mega Man felt just a moment ago. "But... we can't let this happen! Not again!" she shudders, scared at the idea of _another_ tragedy.

Thomas remains silent as he looks at a monitor which is showing a news feed of the incident unfolding in the city.

Roll says, "I have to help," and begins heading for the Air Raider.

"No, Roll. Wait!", Dr. Light cries out as he goes after her. Even Doc the Met runs after Roll, beeping to try to get her attention.

As an aging human, there was no way Dr. Light could catch up with Roll - a robot who can easily outrun him - , but, he still went after her into the garage.

"Roll, you could get hurt," he desperately pleas, "Please, don't get involved!"

"But, Mega needs help! I can't let them destroy the Empire State Building and hurt more people," Roll replies emphatically, "I _know_ we can stop this!"

Thomas was going to try and convince her to stop, but he couldn't. He was practically frozen inside and couldn't continue. He didn't know wether it was the fact that there was probably no stopping Roll now or that he himself was so moved to see the same compassion and strong self-determination in her that exists in Mega Man.

Doc beeps as he looks up to Roll. He wants her to take him along.

"No, Doc," she says, "Please stay here with Dr. Light. I'll be right back."

Before they knew it, the Air Raider was taking off. Now, _both_ of Thomas' "children" were about to enter battle.

* * *

><p>Back at the Empire State Building, the streets now flash red and blue from the lights of all of the crashed police cars.<p>

Metal Man points up in the sky at an approaching figure. It is Mega Man and Rush arriving to the scene of Wily's potentially biggest crime yet.

"Here he comes!", Metal Man says in his raspy voice.

"Hit him with everything you've got!", commands Flash Man.

Flash Man aims and fires his rapid-fire blaster on his right arm, Metal Man throws his buzzsaw and Quick Man hurls the Quick Boomerang all at Mega Man. Mega Man quickly takes action and avoids all of the shots from his enemies by leaping and twisting his body. The flying saw and the quick boomerang just miss one of his arms and legs respectivly.

After Mega leaps off of Rush's back and the robocanine snatches the quick boomerang in his mouth, but the boomerang is so powerful, it pulls him with it.

"Hey!Givethatbacktome!", Quick Man blurts, chasing his boomerang (and Rush) around. The sight would be quite comical if so many lives weren't at stake.

Mega Man knows this is a lucky break. With Quick Man out of the picture, this should even up the odds. The only thing that could go wrong right now is if he got taken down by one of Wily's robots.

Flash Man activates his flash weapon to incapacitate Mega Man. The hero blocks his eyes with his right arm, but not soon enough as the flash distorted his optical circuits.

Rush also falls down, blinded by the flash, and Quick Man takes his boomerang back and races back to the sides of his fellow Robot Masters.

"Let me take him out," Metal Man rasps, "I want to see the hero _bleed!_"

"Gogethim,MetalMan!You'llbearealcutup!Thebuzzaroundtown." Quick Man says, making puns, much like Cut Man.

Metal Man spins around and growls, "Don't ever make your stupid puns around me!"

"YesSir!" Quick Man freaks, "SorryMetalMan,itwon'thappenagain.I'mreallyreallysorry."

Metal Man turns back and flings his metal saw blade towards Mega Man. However, even though Mega Man's vision was not clear, his hearing is still sharp and he can hear the saw approaching. Mega dives to his right and just misses Metal Man's saw, which carves it's way into a nearby crashed Police cruiser.  
>The blade returns to Metal Man's hand and he rears back for another fling, but Mega Man blindly fires a blast back towards him.<br>The blast mananged to hit Metal Man's abdomen area and takes him down for the moment.

Flash Man aims and fires his rapid blaster at Mega Man. Even though Mega Man tries to evade the shots, even while his vision wasn't fully restored yet, one of the shots hits him dead center in the chest.

As Mega Man hits the ground, he knows he's in a tough situation now. He can't see, he's been blasted, Rush is out of action for now and he's outnumbered against a bunch of robots that he doesn't know the weaknesses to. But, the only other thing that could wrong right now is if Roll got herself involved...

"Leave my brother alone, you big goon!", snaps a _very_ familiar female voice nearby.

"Oh, no!", Mega groans to himself.

Flash Man turns his attention to Roll when he hears her voice.

"Or else your're gonna do what, Girly bot?", goads Flash Man, "Throw _flowers_ at me?"

"No... ," Roll replies firmly, "_Trash!_"

Roll's multi-purpose utility arm switches over from hand to vacuum mode and she begins ejecting all of the dirt and dust from the vacuum into Flash Man's face. The Robot Master becomes covered in it and he staggers around trying to brush it off of him.

* * *

><p>Nearby, Channel 7's news van is parked dangerously close to the scene of the battle. Bree Recotta is reporting live. One thing can be said about this woman, she's got guts. Being this close to a dangerous situation is a job a great many reporters wouldn't take if their careers depended on it, but she would.<p>

"It appears another robot has entered this battle," Recotta says referring to Roll, "It's another one of Dr. Thomas Light's robots, Mega Man's sister... it looks like she's covered the largest of the robots in debris. This is incredible, ladies and gentlemen! The defense of the Empire State Building is happening live!"

"Aren't we standing a little bit too close, Bree?", worriedly asks her production assistant.

"Don't you panic on me now, Vic," Bree replies, covering her microphone, not taking her eyes off the battle in front of them.

* * *

><p>Back in the thick of things, Metal Man has returned to his feet and places his blade on his left forarm as his scary glowing red eyes stare directly at Roll.<p>

"Your brother isn't so tough!" he rasps, "I'm sure you're even easier! Let's find out if ladybot blood is sweeter than a male's!"

The metal blade begins spinning on Metal Man's arm and he stalks Roll. Roll eyes widen and she can't help but be a little frightened at the sight of Metal Man approaching. She switches her utility arm over to frying pan mode and takes a defensive stance. Once Metal Man is close enough, he takes a swing at her with his blade, which Roll deflects with her flying pan, causing sparks to fly when the whurring blade makes contact with the reinforced kitchen item.  
>With each swing Metal Man takes, Roll backpeddles and the Robot Master advances on her.<br>Meanwhile, Mega Man tries to get his eyes focused so he can find his sister and save her.

"You're only delaying your inevitable maiming, girl!", Metal Man rasps angrilly.

Finally, Roll swings her frying pan at the same time Metal Man takes a swipe at her, striking his arm and dislodging the saw. Roll rears back again and nails Metal Man in the head with the pan, knocking him flat on the ground.

Metal Man's red eyes flicker and he mumbles, "I shoulda been a carpenter."

"Heyyou!Thinkfast!"

Roll looks behind herself and sees Quick Man zooming towards her. The quick one trips Roll by kicking her legs out from behind her while blazing past her, knocking her to the ground.

Flash Man brushes himself off and approaches Roll, who is trying to get back to her feet.

He grabs her by the collar of her yellow and red blouse and hisses, "This is what happens when you mess with Dr. Wily!"

Flash Man then picks her up above his head and throws her aside... Mega Man's vision is nearly restored, but still blurry and he watches in horror...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, over at the news 7 van, Bree continues reporting... but, she and her crew are in imminent danger.<p>

"Wily's robot appears to be... " Recotta freezes and her eyes widen, "Oh, my God! Out of the way!", she panics.

Bree and the rest of the news crew dive out of the way as Roll comes flying in their direction. The sliding door on the side of the van was still open. Roll's body went through the open doorway and crashed inside of the news van, causing it to tip over onto it's other side.

Roll had been screaming all the way here... but when she crashed inside the van, her voice suddenly silenced.

* * *

><p>"HA HA! I guess that little housekeeper should have stayed home!" Flash Man bellows.<p>

While Quick Man and Flash Man share a good laugh, Mega Man thoughts are with his poor sister. She was only trying to do what was right, and this happens to her... then his thoughts turn to pure anger when he looks at the Robot Masters, namely Flash Man.  
>With great anger, Mega Man stands up, lets out a primal yell and fires a fully charged plasma blast at Flash Man that takes him out, severely damaging the Wily bot and nearly decapitating him.<p>

Mega Man then fires a shot at Quick Man, who dodges it.

"What'sthematter,MegaMan?Tooslowtosavelittlesister?", Quick Man goads.

Mega Man gets an idea and grabs onto Flash Man's severely damaged head to copy the flash weapon. When the transfer is complete, Mega Man's blaster now has a lens that resembles Flash Man's.

"Catchmeifyoucan,MegaMan!", Quick Man says as he darts from place to place.

Mega Man uses the flash weapon, aiming it in Quick Man's direction and a bright flash emits from his blaster arm.

After the flash, Quick Man freezes in place. Mega Man steps closer, wondering if this really worked. As he steps closer, Quick Man doesn't move. He's stuck in mid-strive, his mouth gaping wide open and his widened eyes looking directly where Mega stood when he was firing the flash.  
>Quick Man's systems freeze up if he sees the flash from Flash Man... and he saw the flash.<p>

With his usually kind face taking on an angry scowl, Mega Man switches back to his standard blaster and shoots Quick Man in his chest at almost point blank range, seriously damaging him and removing him from this battle... quickly.

Mega Man then turns his attention to Roll, who is still inside of the toppled news van. He runs over to van and calls her name. "Roll!", he wails.

There is no response.

Mega Man climbs to the top of the van and looks inside to see Roll lying on her side, covered in tapes and electronic equipment, not moving.  
>Her skin was not damaged, but her yellow and red clothing was torn.<p>

"No!", Mega barely chokes, sounding like he's about to start sobbing.

He drops down inside the van and kneels beside his sister. He checks the energy readout located on her utility arm and sees that she's running very low.

"Roll!" he calls, "_please_ talk to me!"

Roll's face winces and she barely moans, painfully. Her whole body hurts right now, and it takes all of her energy to look up at her brother.

"... Mega?" she moans.

"Stay still, Roll. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise," Mega says, his voice trembling.

"What happened?", she barely asks, weakly.

Rush barks from the top of the van.

Mega looks up and responds, "Roll's hurt. You've got to take her back to Dr. Light."

Rush whimpers with a sad face.

"Don't worry, boy. Dr. Light can help," he adds.

"... Mega," Roll moans, still sounding out of it, "... I'm sorry... I had to help."

Mega Man replies, "... Don't be sorry. You saved my skin out there."

"... I did?"

"Yeah," Mega replies, delicately scooping Roll in his arms and kissing her forehead, then gently hugging her weak, limp body. His eyelids squeeze shut, holding in leaking eye lubrication as he holds his brave sister in his arms.

* * *

><p>Lynn and QN-60 arrive to the scene along with several cruisers from the station.<br>Lynn is shocked when she sees all of the crashed police vehicles around the place. She also notices that all of the human officers already here are either squinting their eyes or walking around blindly.

She pulls over and gets out with QN-60. She approaches one of her fellow human officers, whose eyes are darting all around... like he was blind.

"Jerry? What happened?", she asks.

"Wersching? Is that you?", he asks, sounding freaked, "I can't see!"

"What did this?" she asks.

"One had a bright flashbang in his head," he stammers, "Blinded us all... I still can't see anything!"

Lynn grabs her radio and speaks into it. "This is Unit 47. We're on the scene, I've got injured as well as several officers incapacitated. We're gonna need medical transportation on the double!"

As she looks around, she sees Bree Recotta from channel 7 being helped to her feet, which are now missing one shoe. Recotta's knees and one of her hands have abrasions from falling on them when diving out of the way earlier.  
>One of her crew members was also injured and blood pouring from a cut in his head he got from crash landing into the ground.<p>

Lynn also sees three of the fallen Wily robots, one of which looks badly damaged, lying in a puddle of his own oil. This was Flash Man.

She then hears the sound of jet engines and looks to see Mega Man himself being lifted out of the nearby channel 7 news van by Rush. Roll was scooped up in his arms.

Lynn raced over to the hero as he stepped off of Rush's back.

"Rush, gurney," Mega Man commands.

Rush transforms into a flat gurney - or stretcher - and Mega Man gently places Roll on him.

As Mega Man straps Roll onto Rush's back for safety, Officer Wersching couldn't take her eyes off the hero. What they've been saying about him is true... Mega Man has a selfless compassion to save lives like she's rarely seen in a robot... he reminds her so much of AL-05.  
>Also, even though he's a robot, she thinks he looks kind of cute in person too, so that was reason enough to gaze at him.<p>

A thunderclap can be heard in the distance. The sky was already dark from the lack of sunlight, so it was hard to tell how close it was. But some lightning could be seen off to the southwest.

"Okay, take her home, Rush", Mega says, "Make it fast and be careful up there."

Rush barks and flies off with Roll back to the lab.

Mega looks over to see Lynn standing nearby "Are all of your fellow officers okay, ma'am?", he asks.

"Some of them, yes," she answers, "But, some of them are blind."

"One of Wily's robots had a flash weapon. It temporarily distorts the vision of it's victims... it worked on me." Mega answers, "But, a flash that bright might severely damage human eyes."

Lynn nods, and replies, "Help is on the way. I see three robots out here, where's the other one?"

"He's inside," Mega replies, "I've got to stop him."

"The tours don't stop until 8:00 sharp now," Lynn presses, "He might have hostages."

"If he does, I'll need help getting them out." Mega says.

"After what you did for us a few weeks ago," Lynn replies, "You've got _our_ support."

"That's right, Mega Man!", says an approaching human male officer, "Just give the word."

Now, several human officers and PoliceBots gather around the hero, ready to aid their new ally as if he was one of their own.

"I can take care of the last robot," Mega Man says, "but I'll need you guys to help get any hostages out safely."

"Let's go," Lynn says.

Mega Man and several officers - both human and robot - run towards the Empire State Building, unified as a force of good against Dr. Wily... but, time is running out.

* * *

><p><em>Author's notes:<em>

_I decided to change Metal Man's personality and voice for this series. In the show, he was just like Cut Man (spouting puns, goofy voice.) In my series, I decided to make him scary! He actually had a few lines of dialogue that I cut, because they were way too creepy._

__Lynn is now a recurring character (not a main character like Mega, Roll, Proto, but a supporting character like Bree Recotta or Governor Cochran.) She will be one of our heroes' occasional allies in the fight against Wily.  
>Also, I felt the need to add another female character. Aside from Roll and Bree, the Mega Man cartoon was devoid of notable, recurring female characters.<br>We are going somewhere with her unseen brother... we will see him one day.__

_Flash Man's line about Roll throwing flowers is a reference to Marvel vs. Capcom 1 (I think) where I believe one of Classic Roll's attacks was throwing flowers._

_You have no idea how difficult it was to write Quick Man's dialogue in this chapter. The wordpad just would not accept his lines, so I had to shorten some of them._

_This marks the first chapter in the whole series where we didn't see either Dr. Wily or ProtoMan. :O_

_Please remember to leave a review/comment._


	17. Gone in a Crash

_**Wily's War, Chapter 6: Gone in a Crash**_

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<strong>

Governor Cochran watches live news coverage with an overwhelming sense of dread permeating his mind. The screen shows a picture of the Empire State Building shrouded behind a wall of falling rain. The graphic on the screen says in bold letters **"BREAKING NEWS: ESB UNDER SIEGE"**, and underneath, a smaller graphic reads, **"Security guards found alive. Tour group unaccounted for."**

"My God, what have I done?" The Governor quietly mutters to himself, placing his large hands on his head, covering his face.

Cochran has already scrambled the National Guard, not to fight off Wily's robots, but to evacuate the area surrounding the Empire State Building to try and minimalize casualties if the building is destroyed. The wise old Governor can't help but feel that he is responsible for this. Even though he wasn't ever going to cave in to Wily, he feels like he has put the life of every New Yorker - as well as the people inside of the building right now - at risk because he rejected his insane demands. The mad scientist did say he would have no problem stabbing New York through the heart... and it looks like he may actually do it.

"Sir, why haven't we scrambled the military inside the building?", asks one of the Governor's aides in a worried voice.

"I have faith in Mega Man," the Governor calmly replies, "you should too."

"But, don't you think he could use a little help against these robots?", the man asks

"The U.S. sent some of the best pilots to take out Wily's fortress, and they failed," Cochran replies, looking over to the scared aide, "Our best Police officers tried to stop him on Wall Street... _they_ even failed. Mega Man is the only one who can stop him."

"But, what if he can't, sir?" asks the Governor's Chief of Staff.

"He _will_ stop them," Cochran flatly states, now balling his right fist and holding it in his left hand right below his chin, almost in a semi-praying way.  
>The Governor does have confidence in Mega Man, but hopes he can save the day in time... time that is running out.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the Empire State Building.<strong>

Mega Man was now running up the seemingly endless stairwells as the police took the elevators. Before he entered the building, he had copied Quick Man's boomerang power, so he now has the special weapons of most of the new Robot Masters.  
>He is making good time running up these stairs as he approaches the upper floors of the famous skyscraper, but even as a robot, this amount of running is tireing even for him. This would have been much less work if Rush was here right now, but taking Roll back home so that Dr. Light could treat her was far more important.<br>As he continues to run up to the top, his thoughts drift back over to Roll.  
>He told his sister he wanted her safe at home because he worried about her,but even after their talk this week, she <em>still<em> didn't listen and now one of Mega's worst fears has come true. But, the truth of the matter is, if Roll hadn't distracted the other robots, he could have been destroyed. She helped him tonight and she paid the price for it. If Mega could go back and prevent Roll from being hurt, he would, but Mega takes comfort knowing that Roll's injuries were not severe and that she is in good hands with Dr. Light.  
>Now, Mega Man wants a piece of Dr. Wily more now than ever. His sister didn't deserve this, neither did any of those people who have been attacked this week, nor did all of the innocent people who died a few weeks ago in Times Square.<br>He was going to take Wily down hard, then he is taking his brother ProtoMan back to Dr. Light, wether he wants to be reprogrammed or not.

A steady beeping noise diverts Mega Man's attention from his thoughts and back to the issue at hand. Mega Man follows the beeping and it gets louder as he moves forward and it is accompanied by other persistant beeps.

Lynn Wersching and the rest of the officers enter the stairwell at the 80th floor of the building. Mega holds his right index finger over his mouth, signaling them to remain as quiet as possible.  
>The officers also hear the beeping noises as they cautiously walk up the stairs with their weapons drawn. Going up stars with an ankle that is still in a walking cast is grueling for Lynn, but she suppresses any discomfort she has for the sake of saving the building and anybody inside... not to mention getting herself and her fellow officers out alive as well.<p>

"Oh, man. This is not good," mutters one of the human officers.

Mega Man is sure that whoever this robot is, he knows what he's doing. As Mega studies the sound of the beeps as he gets closer, he is sure they are... "Bombs!", Mega Man whispers to himself as he sees a group of flashing time bombs stuck to the walls around him.

Lynn is the first of the officers to catch up to Mega and her green eyes widen in horror when she sees the bombs. "Sweet merciful Christ!", she gasps.

Then, they all hear a human woman screaming a few floors up. Mega's fears were right on the money, there _are_ hostages. Mega Man can't waste any time now, he has to stop this next Robot Master and find a way to get rid of these bombs, or else.

"Wait here," Mega says, turnng to the officers, "I'll be back to deal with these bombs."

* * *

><p>A tour group and some more guards were still inside on the 86th floor - where one of the skyscraper's famous observation decks overlooking the entire city are located - when Crash Man arrived, so he decided to take them with him as leverage in case Mega Man showed up.<p>

"Get over there with the rest of 'em," Crash Man orders the hostages.

As all of the hostages gather, Crash turns and aims both of his arms at the walls and fires time bombs from them. The grappling hooks connected to the bottoms of the bombs sink into the walls. The bombs themselves begin beeping and flashing, meaning they are now armed.  
>These bombs are in sync with other bombs Crash Man has planted inside of the Empire State Building. Unless they are deactivated, they will detonate when he gives the command and will blow the entire top off of the building, or worse... and there's just enough C4 in these Crash Bombs to pull it off.<p>

"The bombs are placed, Dr. Wily," Crash Man says.

_"Good work, Crash Man,"_ replies the voice of Dr. Wily through the Robot Master's communicator, _"Be ready. Mega Man has defeated the other robots. The success of this mission rests on your shoulders."_

Mega Man sneaks up to the level where Crash Man and his innocent human hostages are located. He knows he can't let these people get hurt. Mega has to find a way to defuse these bombs, save the hostages and defeat Crash Man, fast.  
>Mega Man carefully aims his blaster at Crash Man, figureing it is best to take him out first...<p>

"Mega Man!", cries one of the humans.

Crash Man turns around to face Mega Man and fires another Crash Bomb in his direction.  
>The bomb lands at Mega Man's feet and starts beeping. Mega jumps away from the bomb as it explodes in a huge yellow fireball, blowing a massive hole clean through the floor, sending debris falling down into the next floor.<p>

The blast sends Mega Man through the doorway leading to the stairwell, taking the door clean off. Mega Man's titanium body slams into a wall, cracking it in several places, leaving a crator.

Mega Man shakes the proverbial cobwebs out of his head and realizes that he is still near the majority of Crash Man's bombs... and the beeping on the Crash Bombs are starting to become faster and more persistant.

"These things are about to blow!" Lynn panics.

"I've gotta think fast!", Mega replies, pressing the buttons on his blaster to cycle through his copied weapon inventory, stopping at Air Man's power.  
>"If these cyclones are strong enough, they might rip those bombs out of the walls." Mega Man aims his blaster at a bomb.<p>

Then, a small cyclone forms from Mega Man's blast arm nozzle and then approaches the bomb, pulling it's hooks out of the wall. The cyclone begins to grow in size as it approaches another bomb and pulls that out as well.

* * *

><p>"Anybody that tries to pull a fast one on me, goes up with these bombs!", snaps Crash Man.<p>

Crash Man thinks he hears something like a strong wind coming... as he listens further, the sound resembles that of an approaching freight train. He looks over to where he saw Mega Man just a minute ago and aims his Crash Bomb launcher arms at the doorway.

Then, he sees a human-sized tornado tear through the doorway and rip all of his Crash Bombs out of the walls as it moved towards him. Crash Man freaks out and fires two more bombs at the twister, but they get swallowed up in the vortex as well.  
>Then the twister begins moving towards Crash Man himself. The Wily-created robot panics and tries to run away. But, the cyclone moves too fast and catches him in it's vortex, violently throwing him around like he was a child's toy.<p>

The human hostages remain huddled together as they watch Crash Man spinning around with all of his bombs until the tornado plows Crash Man clean through the wall to the outside. Crash Man slips out of the vortex and falls until he grabs onto the one of the skyscraper's many ledges.

The cyclone continues to rotate into the air with the time bombs until they all go off high above the streets of New York. Nobody was harmed, but the C4 created a gigantic explosion so powerful it destroyed the glass windows of many of the nearby buildings.

Mega Man runs out of the stairwell and over to the new hole in the wall and looks for Crash Man. It was now pouring rain outside now, so the visibility wasn't that great, but Mega's enhanced visual circuits helped him see the outside clearly. He saw the bombs blow up, but didn't see Crash Man go with them.  
>Mega then sticks his head out of the large breach in the wall and looks down to see Crash Man dangling off the side of a ledge.<p>

"Everybody, stay here," Mega instructs the innocent humans, "You're safe now. More help is on the way."

Mega Man then steps out through the hole and pauses for a moment, looking down upon the road below and assesses how far the fall would be from the 86th floor to the pavement below.

"I better be careful, or I'll be Mega Roadkill!", he says to himself.

Mega Man carefully leaps down and lands on the same ledge where Crash Man is climbing back up.

"Let me help you," Mega says, grabbing Crash Man's arm, beginning to copy his weapon power.

As Crash Man allows Mega Man to pull him up, he doesn't realize his weapon power has been neutralized. Once Crash Man gains some good footing on the side of the building, he aims his dual bomb launcher arms at Mega Man's chest, but no bombs come out.

"Is _that_ the gratitude I get?", Mega Man jokes, and fires a plasma shot in Crash Man's chest.

The Wily robot falls off the building, screaming all the way down as he flails his arms and legs. It looks like Crash Man's bombing days are done once he hits the pavement.

As Mega Man carefully steps to get good footing on this ledge, he contacts Rush. Hopefully, he should almost be back here by now.

"Rush, it's Mega", he says, "I've stopped Wily's other robot at the Empire State Building. If Roll's okay, I'm gonna need you to... Uh-oh!"

Mega pauses when he sees Dr. Wily's Skullker rising from below and hovering right in front of him. Even through the heavy rain, Mega Man could still see inside the Skullker's windshield and spotted Dr. Wily himself opperating the vehicle. And sitting beside him in the passenger seat was ProtoMan, who is giving his brother a wave and flashing that smart-ass smirk of his.

* * *

><p>"If you want it done right... ," Wily says, inside the Skullker, "You have to do it yourself!"<p>

Dr. Wily reaches for a button that will fire the Skullker's blasters, but ProtoMan interrupts him...

"We _do_ have our agreement, right?", he asks.

"The blasts are only strong enough to hurt him... and damage him a little," Wily replies, "You'll get your chance to destroy Mega Man."

"I _better_," Proto orders as Dr. Wily presses the _fire_ button.

* * *

><p>The Skullker fires it's mounted laser cannons upon Mega Man, but the blue warrior moves out of the way of the shot as it hits the building, damaging it. Mega Man doesn't have enough room to move however and slips and begins falling, but he grabs onto the same ledge Crash Man was clinging onto earlier. But, now his back is turned to Wily and he can't get a good firing position.<p>

The Skullker repositions itself to get a good vantage point for which to blast Mega Man.  
>As Mega frantically tries to get back onto the ledge, Wily fires upon him, hitting the hero in his back before he could move, charring his light blue armor black. Mega yelps in pain, but barely manages to keep his grip on the building. Wily's Skullker fires upon Mega Man again, now damaging his armor...<p>

Mega weakly grunts and loses his grip on the ledge and he begins falling to the streets below. The blasts took so much out of him, he couldn't even scream to warn anybody down below.

* * *

><p>In the Skullker, ProtoMan's gaze follows his little brother's body as it falls down.<p>

"He better not hit the ground, Wily," he states, "Or else, you and I are going to have serious problems."

* * *

><p>Mega Man falls quickly towards the ground. The fact that his body is reinforced titanium makes his fall even faster, and when he hits the ground below, he will tear through the pavement like a hot knife through butter. Mega Man knows he's in trouble, but he's too weak to do anything about it.<p>

His body slowly rotates and now faces the ground as it begins to come closer and closer.

Then, just before he could hit the ground, Mega hears something howl, "RAAAAOOOOOOO". Right at that moment, Rush flies by and catches Mega Man's body on his back and soars off with him back to the lab.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan sees Rush flying off with Mega Man and allows himself to breathe a sigh of relief. His little brother would be a useless partner if he was scrap.<p>

"_Next time_, my boy," Dr. Wily says with a wicked grin, "He's all yours."

"Good," ProtoMan answers, not smirking like he usually would, but looking dead serious, not happy that Wily took a chance at letting his little brother be destroyed like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light removes Mega Man's light blue titanium chest armor to expose his endoskeleton underneath.

"Wily did manage to do some damage, son", he says as he inserts a large cable into Mega Man's chest to supply him more energy while Dr. Light works over him, "but, nothing too severe though."

"What about the people?", Mega Man barely says, weakened by his injuries, "Did they make it out?"

Thomas looks up at his large dual monitor above the lab's main work terminal, which is tuned to Channel 7. The headline is that the Empire State Building was attacked and damaged, but the building is stable and nobody was hurt. The visual of Police officers escorting the hostages out is shown on the screen.

"Everybody made it out alive." Dr. Light replies.

"Is Roll alright?", Mega asks.

Thomas looks over beside the flat worktable Mega Man is lieing on now to another table where Roll is resting and recovering underneath a warm blanket. Dr. Light has her in sleep mode as her energy regenerates.  
>Doc the Met is standing right next to her on the table. His big round eyes look so sad as he looks upon his friend. He lets out a long sad beep as he pouts.<p>

"She'll be okay in the morning," Dr. Light answers, "She didn't sustain any bad damage."

"She... saved me out there," Mega says, "Wily's bots had me right where they wanted me... Roll distracted them... she _fought_ them."

"She did. Your sister is very brave and I am proud of both of you. You should rest easy for right now, Rock," Thomas says, using his robotic son's original name, "Everything's alright."

"Okay," Mega says, closing his eyes.

As Thomas steps away, Rush stands on his hind legs and whimpers sadly as he hangs his head near Mega Man. Although he is weak, Mega Man moves his right hand over to Rush's head and pets him. He owes the little guy a lot as well.

Thomas walks away to another part of the lab get some tools to repair Mega Man. He can see little Eddie pacing back and forth, worried about Mega Man and Roll.

"Eddie should have given Mega Man more energy cans," he muses.

Before Thomas can pick up the tools, he pauses and looks back to Mega Man and Roll, his children, who were both hurt tonight at the hands of Albert Wily.  
>The Good Doctor hangs his head down, regretting ever putting Mega Man in this situation, even though Mega himself volunteered to become a warrior robot and is doing an amazing job being the Defender of the Human Race. He especially regrets not stopping Roll from leaving, although Mega Man said she did help him tonight and took the fight to Wily's robots.<br>Seeing them in the condition they're in now hurts him. Even worse is that his own former 'friend' Albert Wily was responsible for it all.

Thomas' phone rings once again.

"Oh, no," he sighs to himself, "Not now. Can't the press have any decency?"

Thomas picks up and answers, "This is Dr. Thomas Light speaking."

_"Thomas!"_, says an all too familiar voice on the other end.

Dr. Light feels a chill run down his spine when he hears Dr. Wily.

_"It's nice to speak with you again, old friend! You may be wondering how I got this number, __but... really, you should have remembered to change it after I left... tell me, how are __the kids?"_, he sickly jokes.

"You almost _killed_ my children tonight, Albert!", Thomas hisses.

_"My fallen robots would have taken that as a compliment, Thomas. Thank you,"_ Wily adds, _"And you still have this fixation with calling your robots 'children', I see... how pathetic."_

Thomas says nothing, seething.

_"Thomas_," Wily eggs on, _"I know you're still there."_

Dr. Light replies, "I don't know what happened to you that could have made you like this, Albert-"

_"_You_ happened, Thomas!", _Albert snaps,_ "**You** are what happened."_

"How?", Thomas sternly asks.

_"Oh, you should remember it well!"_, Wily replies, _"Always cutting me off at the __knees, stealing my good ideas to replace your bad ideas, always pointing the __finger at me... even the night ProtoMan was activated, it was all my fault, wasn't __it? It was my guidance system, and not your stupidity. I trusted you, Thomas!... I thought you __were my friend... but, you were no better than the rest of the refuse in my life!"_

"You're justifying the deaths _you_ caused in Times Square and the terror you've created by blaming me?", Thomas angrily asks.

_"Well... it is fun blaming you for everything, I must admit," _Wily quips,_ "And in the end, when I take over the entire world, and I will... you will be to blame too!"_

"Albert, you know what you've set out to do cannot be done. World domination is a thing of fiction. Even if Mega Man would fail, you can't overthrow city after city, government after government without meeting heavy resistance. They _will_ fight you, and you _will_ fail."

Thomas can hear Wily snickering on the other end of the line.

_"I'm affraid you've underestimated me, Thomas,"_ Albert says with a wicked smile noticible in his voice, _"The robots Mega Man faced this week are just the __beginning. Soon, my robot army will be larger than you can possibly imagine. __There isn't anybody that can stop me, Thomas... especially you... I trust Mega Man __is still functioning?"_

"He is," Thomas replies, not knowing where Wily is heading with this.

_"... Good. The only reason why your meddling blue wonder isn't in a scrap __heap right now is because ProtoMan wants another shot at him. When he wakes __up, tell him this,"_ Wily says,_ "If he wants to stop me, he knows exactly where to go! I'll be waiting!"_

After a slight pause, Albert concludes, _"Goodbye again, Thomas."_

The call is terminated and nothing but dead silence is on the other end.

Dr. Light looks back at Mega Man, knowing he may not have much time left to repair him... and he might not have much time left _with_ him either.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_The next chapter will be shorter, as it sets up the big finale for this episode. (I think you true Mega Man fans know where we're going!)_

_I decided to have Crash Man be eliminated last because he has the deadliest weapon. His weakness in the Mega Man 2 game was Air Man's weapon as well.  
>And as you could see, I've experimented with referring to the Robot Masters by their first names (Crash Man was referred to as 'Crash" in the narration.)<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or comment._


	18. This Has to End

**_Wily's War, Chapter 7: This Has to End_**

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>

_"... our own van was damaged in the affair when one of Wily's robots threw the sister__ of Mega Man into it in a cold, calloused attack,"_ says reporter Bree Recoda in a pre-taped report about last night's failed attack on the Empire State Building.  
>She holds up one of her hands, which has been bandaged following her injuries last night.<br>_"Even I and members on my camera crew __sustained minor injuries, but our injuries are nothing compared the horror suffered by some __of the brave men and women of the New York Police Department, who suffered __detatched retinas caused by a flash weapon used by one of the robots. However, they all __were rushed to the emergency room for eye surgery and will make a full recovery.  
><em>_And Mega Man, who has so bravely stood in the face of Dr. Wily's hideous plans, also __was hurt. Eyewitnesses claim they saw the warrior robot get shot by Dr. Wily's __flying craft and fall several stories until being saved by his canine Rush. At this time, there is still __no word on Mega Man's condidtion and there's no telling when this streak of terror __will come to an end.  
>Reporting from outside the Empire State Building, Bree Recotta, <em>_Channel 7 Eyewitness News."_

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<strong>

Marcus Vickers is once again on his way to the Observation Room - a moment that the man is already dreading -, and he is a wreck after last night's events.

"This is a disaster!", Vickers whines, throwing his arms into the air, "I knew Mega Man wasn't invincible, but I didn't think he'd die so soon."

"Actually, sir," Erikson replies, "We recieved word that Mega Man is still alive."

"Well, he might as well be dead, after what happened last night!", Vickers freaks, "And meanwhile, humanity's last best line of defense is a robot that vomits mustard!"

"Don't worry, sir. Our scientists tell me-"

"DON'T!" Vickers shouts, pointing his finger at his portly Vice President, "Don't you say it! _Don't _you say it! The last time they said I'd be impressed, I had to watch our lead scientist be diapered and spanked!"

"They _didn't_ say you'd be impressed, sir," Erikson babbles, "But, they pulled out all of the stops."

"Well, they better have!" Marcus snaps, "Or else we're all going to have to learn how to say 'Thank you Dr. Wily, may I have another!'"

Vickers straighens his black suit jacket and storms ahead to the demonstration room one last time.

Before Vickers can sit down in his seat in the observation room, he snaps, "Give me the damn phone!"

Marcus snatches the phone away from one of his assistants and dials the direct line into the testing room where Vick-Tek's full team of scientists are gathered.

An asian scientist answers the line. "Hello, sir?" he says.

"This is Vickers," he says, "Let me just make something very clear. If this new robot prototype is anything like the first two, I'm gonna come in there and kick all of your asses faster than you can say 'Tazers, Mustard and Diapers!' You got it?"

The scientist winces as he remembers when he's had to witness this week, especially with the lead scientist and VickBot 5000. "Don't worry, Mr. Vickers. This is the good one," he says.

"It better be!", Vickers snaps, as he cuts the call and plumps down in his seat, looking impatient.

In the testing room, the unfortunate lead scientist steps forward and says, "Mr. Vickers... we present to you... The VickBot 9000!"

With that, the metal walls behind the Research and Development team opens and they all run out of the path of what is about to make it's entrance... then, a gigantic fifteen foot tall robot with massive arms and legs stomps it's way into view.

Vickers bolts out of his seat and booms, "Yes!", holding his arms out.

The VickBot 9000 continues stepping forward, his feet making a loud crashing sound with every step. He is covered head-to-toe in kevlar that is painted white, with black and red stripes on the sides of his limbs. His head is a rectangular block and his "face" is a red rectangle with a large black lens for an eye. His chest even has a huge amplifier to warn his enemies loud and clear with his words of warning.

The massive VickBot 9000 finally stops, standing tall in the center of the testing room as humbled lead scientist goes over his vital statistics...

"Mr. Vickers," says the lead scientist, "The VickBot 9000 is the largest robot in the world! He can also expand his weapons arsonal to include chain guns, missile launchers, laser turrets and greande cannons."

"_This_ is what I _wanted_!", Vickers clamors, turning to his lackeys, "Tell them to get to work on mass production immediately and to get to work on arming this boy with weapons! I want weapons coming out of his teeth! I want him out on the streets before Wily attacks again. We can then crush him and his army with one swift stroke!"

Then, VickBot 9000 speaks through his giant chest amplifier in a deep voice, "I am VickBot 9000."... he then starts tapping his large foot on the ground rather rhythmically, creating a steady beat.

Vickers looks back behind him at VickBot 9000 and sees this. "What the hell is he doing?" he asks.

Then, the sound of _Stayin' Alive_ by The Bee-Gees - a song from well over a century ago - begins to boom from VickBot 9000's chest amplifier and he begins shucking his head to the side along to the funky beat.

"Oh, dear God, no!" Vickers shudders, "Not this one too!"

Once the Bee-Gees' chipmunk-like voices begin singing the song, VickBot 9000 begins disco dancing, shaking his booty the whole time. His dancing prowess and agility is quite impressive for a fifteen foot tall, 4 ton robot!  
>Vickers however only watches with his jaw hanging open, mortified at the sight of his death machine getting his Groove Thang on in front of him.<p>

"I forgot to mention, sir-" Erikson begins.

"_What_ the hell did they recycle him from?", Vickers interrupts with a groan.

"... a dancing video game, sir." Erikson answers.

As VickBot 9000 continues to get down in the testing room, Vickers begins to shamble out of the observation room, untying his necktie.

"Scott," he sighs, "Tell R&D they're all fired."

"I will tender their releases immediately, sir," Erikson complies, following him out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Both Mega Man and Roll have been treated and recovered following their near-fatal encounter with Dr. Wily's robots last night. Dr. Light did give Mega Man the message from Dr. Wily, even though he felt he shouldn't have.  
>After hearing about Wily's and ProtoMan's dare for him to come to Skull Fortress, Mega Man had made up his mind in a nansecond...<p>

"I'm _finishing_ this," Mega Man says with raw determination.

"Mega, think about this", Dr. Light tries to plead.

"I already have, father," Mega replies firmly, putting his blue helmet back on his head, covering his bushy mane of brown hair, "This has to end before something else bad happens. So, I'm gonna take the fight right to his front door."

Roll is nearby, fully recovered from her deadly encounter with Wily's robot's and watching her brother bravely prepare for his gravest mission yet. As inspiring as his courage is to her, she's worried about him. He's going to need help and she knows it. If not from her, at least somebody... anybody.

Mega Man looks over to her. "And, Roll-"

"I know," she cuts him off, knowing he was about to tell her to stay here this time, "... I won't, okay?", she says, even though she _wants _to go help him.

"... thank you", Mega replies.

"Mega... Rock", Thomas says, still trying to reason with his son, "Albert Wily has too many defenses. A squad of fighter jets tried to take him out but their radar went blank and their weapons were shorted out. What if his outer defenses have the same effect on you?"

"I'll have to take that chance," Mega replies, turning his attention to Eddie, the short robot that carries energy cans inside of his head.

"Eddie," he says, "I'm gonna need energy. Two to go".

"Comin' right up, Mega Man!", Eddie says in his elf-like voice.

The top of Eddie's head flips open and he shoots two cans at Mega Man. Mega catches them and opens a small compartment in each of his legs that are just large enough to store energy cans. Mega nods at Eddie for another. Eddie fires off another can that Mega catches. As Mega Man opens the can and drinks it, Thomas continues to convince his son to rethink this decision.

"Rock, you've seen how deadly Wily's robots have become lately and ProtoMan will probably be determined to destroy you," Dr. Light stresses.

"Dr. Light, what happens if I _don't_ stop him?", Mega Man protests, "I can't wait for him to make the next move. Enough humans have already died."

"We can at least come up with a plan and get you some help-" Thomas says, but is interupted.

"If we got other humans involved, they could get hurt... or killed", Mega says.

"But, you need help!", Roll pleads, looking just as worried as Thomas is, "You _can't_ go in there all alone!"

Mega was about to respond, but he pauses before he could. He knows that Dr. Light and Roll are right. He _shouldn't_ be doing this alone. In addition to the outer defenses, Wily probably has more robots ready to assault him in case he makes it through. And ProtoMan will obviously be there and then Wily himself would probably have another wicked creation trying to defeat him if Mega would make it past everything else.

After a moment of comtemplating, Mega Man realizes he has to do this... "I don't think I have a choice," he says.

"But, you _do,_" Thomas says, now grabbing Mega Man by his metallic shoulders, "There can be another time."

"But, by then, Wily would have launched another attack and more people would have been killed," Mega argues, "He has to be stopped _now_!"

Thomas knows he can't argue with him. Mega Man has already made up his mind. He's planning to bring Wily to justice and nobody can make him stop. But, Thomas Light also doesn't know when to quit. It's a trait he has himself, and one that he has seen a lot in Mega and Roll, especially Mega Man.

"Then, I hope you realize what the price will be if you fail... or if Wily would manage to capture and reprogram you like he did Blues," Light says, referring to ProtoMan by his orginal name and trying desperately to convince Mega to rethink this, "All those people who you want to help - including your sister and myself - won't have a Mega Man to protect us anymore. Dr. Wily would be far more difficult to defeat... if not _impossible_. After hearing him last night... he's more of a threat than I realized."

Mega Man thinks to himself, remaining silent... he then looks back over to Roll, then back to Dr. Light.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Light," Mega Man replies seriously, "But, this is something I have to do... and I'm the only one who can do it."

Dr. Light remains silent for a moment... "If you're going to face Wily", Thomas says, now turning his back to gets something on a nearby table, "You'll need this. It will recharge the weapons you have copied from Wily's other robots for a short while longer, in case things get too challenging."

Dr. Light holds up a small microchip that Mega Man can insert into his blaster arm.

"Okay", Mega replies, taking the microchip from his creator.

Mega Man looks down at Rush and nods. Rush barks and transforms back into his jet mode. Nobody says anything as Mega Man prepares to step on Rush's back and make the journey to Skull Fortress... until...

"Wait!", Thomas suddenly blurts walking after Mega Man, "Just remember, you have a family to come home to," Dr. Light says, "That could save your life out there."

"I know", Mega replies, facing his father, "And I'll be back... I promise."

Thomas barely smiles, his voice starting to quiver and his eyes starting to water, "I'll hold you to that, son."

Mega nervously smiles too, also not sure if he will make it back home.

Dr. Light draws his robot son into a hug and Mega returns it. Roll also approaches them and embraces her brother as best she can. Her eyelids squeeze shut, but one lone eye lubrication tear escapes from one of her eyes as she wraps her arms tightly around her brother's torso.

For all they know, this may be their final moment together as a family forever...

then again, this might be the final moments of the battle for everlasting peace...

or, maybe both...

in just a matter of hours, they - along with the rest of the world - will find out.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The stage is set. Mega Man is finally going to Skull Fortress to end this war before it's too late! The big finale to episode 2 begins in the next chapter._

_Even though this was a short chapter, feel free to leave a review/comment._


	19. Skull Fortress

**_Wily's War, Chapter 8: Skull Fortress_**

_Bonus author's note: for you true Mega Man fans out there, you might want to get the music track "Wily Castle 1" from Mega Man 2 at the ready to play while you're reading the second scene. :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

In the main command center deep inside of his fortress, Dr. Wily stares at the many monitors inside of the large room which are displaying the camera feeds from the entire perimeter, both inside and out.  
>He is waiting for Mega Man to show up.<br>The only sounds that can be heard in the room are the humming of the computers and generators as well as Albert's own breathing.

"Come on!", he whispers to himself, "You're not _that_ weak, are you, robot boy?"

Wily believes there is no way he can lose... _no way_. He has too many robots, too many inventions and too many weapons to lose to just _one_ robot. There is no way that a single robot - regardless of how powerful he is - could defeat Wily's entire robot army.  
>And after Mega Man is out of the way, Albert believes it will no longer be a question of <em>if<em> he will take over the world... but, _when_.

Dr. Wily continues staring at the monitors waiting for Mega Man to appear. He glances at the radar screen nearby... still nothing there either.  
>Then, ProtoMan enters the room uninvited, and once again doesn't knock first. Dr. Wily is not startled, but certainly cought off-guard.<br>He turns his head slightly, not looking directly _at _ProtoMan.

"How many times do I have to tell you?... you shouldn't enter a room with a closed door without knocking first," Albert says, gritting his teeth.

Proto clicks his tounge and insincerely replies, "Ooops!"

That got under Wily's skin even deeper. ProtoMan's attitude as a whole is starting to rub Dr. Wily the wrong way much more often now. He's been a pain to deal with ever since this operation began. But, ProtoMan is his best robot, his best creation. _Period. _So having to endure ProtoMan's smugness is a small price to pay... so long as he doesn't get out of line again like he did a few days ago.

"You think he's gonna show?", ProtoMan asks about his brother.

"He _has to_!", Wily answers, "If I know Thomas like I think I do, Mega Man has _already _been repaired and is on his way now. Your brother has proven to be quite resiliant in our encounters with him, so I want to throw everything at him... are all the security measures-"

"Yes," ProtoMan interrupts, sounding annoyed, "You _already_ asked me that earlier."

"_All_ of them?", Wily asks, "Because, I would hate to lose _this_ battle and have to point the finger at you... like last time."

ProtoMan remains absolutely silent. He can feel his own anger bubbling, but he tries to quell it. Maybe this is a type of motivation... or maybe the old man's just being a real jerk.

"Yes," Proto replies, sounding very stern and flat and folding his arms.

"Good," Wily says.

After a moment of unpleasant silence, a sharp beep is heard, breaking said silence like glass.  
>Dr. Wily's eyes dart to the radar screen. A single blip is seen on the edge of the screen, and is advancing quickly. Albert quickly enters a command to bring up another exterior view and sees Mega Man standing atop of Rush as they jet towards the fortress.<p>

ProtoMan's angry frown is now becoming a satisfied smirk and Dr. Wily continues stareing at the monitor and watches his enemy bravely soaring towards his lair.

"Proto... get ready," he says, his face twisting into a wretched grin.

"Always am!", Proto says with confident smugness.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush can see the intimidating Skull Fortress on the horizon. It looks much different from the last time Mega and his sister were here when they were kidnapped by Wily last month, namely the giant top-half of a skull adorning the front of the structure.<p>

"There it is, Rush," Mega says, "Full speed ahead, but keep your eyes peeled."

Rush barks and boosts his speed and both he and Mega Man can feel the harsh air of the badlands on their faces as they approach the horrifying fortress.

Right outside Skull Fortress, a large door opens and several green-armored robots and orange-armored robots charge outside an take up positions. These robots are called Sniper Joes.  
>They were originally designed as Police robots by both Dr. Wily and Dr. Light when they worked together, but they were scrapped by the N.Y.P.D. after Thomas and Albert developed the new style of Policebot series, which is vastly superior (mainly because Dr. Light handled the development moreso than Wily this time.)<br>These Sniper Joe robots carry a shield in their right hands that matches the color of their armor and can blast with their left arms, and are just a few inches shorter than Mega Man or ProtoMan in height. Their heads are basically visored helmets and they have no actual face. Some of the Joes are opperating two-legged walker tanks that are eqiupped with weapons.  
>Behind them, a trio of large robots named Big Eyes are also hoping out of the Fortress. These robots have a single eye in the center of their bodies with no arms and only one "leg" that causes them to jump. They don't have weapons, but they can jump quite a distance... and anybody caught underneith them when they land will be crushed by their substantial weight.<br>Behind them are bird robots carrying egg-shaped objects that are meant to be dropped. These robots are named Pipis.

All of these robots have one mission programmed into them by their leader, Dr. Wily: destroy Mega Man.

Mega Man notices that the fortress is armed with laser turrets that can shoot both himself and Rush down if they get a good enough shot. But, they appear to only aim upwards.

"Fly low," Mega commands, "I'll take care of the ground forces myself."

Rush lowers his altitude to avoid being in the line of fire from the turrets, but the Sniper Joes stand behind their shields and begin blasting at them with their arm cannons, meanwhile the Pipi birds begin flying towards Mega and Rush very fast.

As Rush evades the shots from the Joes, Mega Man activates his blaster and takes aim at the swarm of hostiles up ahead. The first shot is intended for the Pipis, who evade it and fly past Mega Man.

Mega Man now aims for the Sniper Joes and Big Eyes down below. He switches to Flash Man's copied flash weapon and activates it. The same flash that put Quick Man to a hault now distorts the Joes' vision, leaving them stumbling. One of the Joes operating a walker tank accidently crushes one of their fellow Joes with the walker's big legs.  
>The Big Eyes blocked the flash with their metal 'Big Eye Lids.'<p>

Mega Man switches over to the Quick Boomerang and fires it from his arm cannon. The boomerang zooms very quickly from target to target, taking out each of the Joes that it hits, but not having much effect on the Big Eyes.

Mega Man then switches back to his standard plasma mode as he and Rush get closer to the enemy wily bots.

"I'm gonna need a bigger blast to take these big guys down", he says to himself.

He charges up for a stronger shot and fires at one of the Big Eyes. The shot hits the huge single-leged robot and causes severe damage, disableing it. It's large red body slumps down onto it's single leg and smoke pours out of the new hole in his armor.

"Yes!", Mega yells, clinching his right fist, "Now to take care of the others."

Mega charges for two more blasts to take down the other Big Eyes, and they both hit their marks, sending them falling down to the ground. Mega Man and Rush land right outside the fortress, but Mega hears something chirping nearby. He looks over his shoulder to see the Pipis heading his way. Mega aims and fires a blast at one of the bird-like robots and destroys it, causing it's egg to fall.  
>When the egg hits the ground, it shatters and causes a group of mini Pipis for fly out.<br>The other big Pipis drop their eggs and they also hit the ground, letting their cargo escape. All of the mini Pipis join together in a flock and head for Mega Man.

Mega leaps off of Rush and ducks out of the way of the little guys and one of their big brother Pipis. As the mini Pipis turn around for another pass, Rush jets up and zooms right at them, managing to destroy a good ammount of them. As Mega Man battles the Pipis, he realizes they aren't really that much of a threat. They are more of a nuisance.

"We don't have time for this," Mega says, switching over to Air Man's copied weapon power.

All of the big and little Pipis regroup together and head straight for Mega Man and Rush. Mega Man fires a cyclone at the remaining Pipis and the birdbots get caught in it.  
>They continue to rotate in the vortex until they hit the hard titanium exterior wall of Skull Fortress, destroying them.<p>

"That takes care of them," Mega says, "Let's go, boy."

Mega Man and Rush run towards the massive lair of Dr. Wily.

One of the Sniper Joes shakes his head after regaining his vision, still clutching his shield. He turns around only to get blasted right in the chest by Mega Man, taking him down and out.

Mega approaches the large door which Dr. Wily's welcoming commitee came out of and tries to pry it open. But, the door doesn't budge. Mega Man blasts it with a shot of plasma, but it's useless.

"Wily must've ripped a page right out of Dr. Light's playbook: build the place out of solid titanium," he says, putting his hands on his blue hips.

Rush barks to get Mega Man's attention.

"What is it, boy?", Mega asks his dog.

Rush barks again, using a paw to point up to something. Mega Man looks over to a nearby ladder that leads to a small opening in the fortress, which is barely covered by a sign featuring a **_"Dr. W"_** logo.

"Good thinking, Rush!", Mega says.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside Dr. Wily's command center.<strong>

Dr. Wily watches Mega Man climb the ladder with Rush behind him. He doesn't feel threatened just yet, but he's not happy that Mega Man found such an easy way inside the fortress.  
>It must have been the fault of those robots he put in charge of the fortress' construction... it just <em>couldn't<em> be his own fault.

Albert picks up a small hand-sized communicator and activates it. "Mega Man has breached the outer defences," he says, "Be ready to attack him on-sight."

Wily turns his swivel chair towards another communicator and grabs it. "ProtoMan, come in," he says.

ProtoMan's face appears on the small screen on the communicator. _"Let me guess, Mega Man's inside," _Proto says, with that smirk of his.

"He is," Wily answers, "I have a few more surprises for him."

_"Aw, come on, Doc!"_, Proto complains, _"Let's get this over with now!"_

"Don't give me directions!", Wily orders, "I created you and I gave you an order! And I expect you to follow it!"

_"Yeah, you told me already,"_ ProtoMan says, sounding a little perturbed.

"Good," Wily says, "You'll get your chance _if_ Mega Man can survive what's next."

_"He probably will,"_ ProtoMan says, _"And then, I'll show you how it's done!"... _ProtoMan cuts off the communication.

Dr. Wily stares at the now blank screen, his anger starting to swell again after hearing more of ProtoMan's smugness. "You just watch your synthetic tongue, boy", Wily says, "I brought you into this world, and I can damn sure take you...", Wily stops, realizing what horrible words he's about to say...

"What am I saying?", he asks himself, "Snap out of it, Albert. You know who the real bad guys are."

Wily turns his attention back to the security monitors and spots Mega Man and Rush making their way through his fortress.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in the fortress<strong>

In one of the fortress's many dark corridors, Mega Man and Rush proceed with caution, trying to find their way to Wily himself.

"Be careful", Mega says to Rush, "Wily's probably got more bots around here somewhere."

After a few seconds of searching, Mega Man spots something out of the corner of his eye... he spins around and spots a fireball heading right for him.

"Look out!", Mega shouts as he and Rush dive out of the way.

In the other direction, shots of lightning streak towards the heroes and they both evade that as well.

Two of the original Robot Masters, ElecMan and FireMan emerge from the shadows.

"Remember us, Mega Man?", asks ElecMan, "We haven't forgotten _you... _or your mutt".

Rush growls at ElecMan.

"Save it!", ElecMan snaps, "We're about to put you out of your hero job for good! Isn't that right, Fire Man?"

Fire Man's red eyes narrow as he gazes upon Mega Man and fire erupts out of his head, because he can't talk.

"Sorry, not today, fellas," Mega says, now firing a Quick Boomerang at ElecMan, who gets hit in the chest with it, knocking him down.

Fire Man aims his duel flame throwers at Mega Man and sprays fire at him. Mega Man responds with Air Man's cyclone power, which creates a firey tornado that is now heading towards Fire Man. The grey robot leaps to a higher platform to avoid the cyclone and shoots more fireballs at Mega Man.  
>Mega Man switches to another weapon, Crash Bombs, as he and his robodog run out of the way of Fire Man's fireballs.<p>

"If only I still had Ice Man's Ice Slasher, this would be easier," Mega says, turning to Rush. "Rush, distract Fire Man, while I place these bombs."

Rush barks back and jumps off.  
>Fire Man sees Rush jumping around and fires more fireballs at Rush, but since he is moving too fast for him, they miss. Then, Fire Man hears a clicking sound followed by a persistent beeping. He is confused at first... then, he looks down and sees something that has pierced the floor below him. He squats down to get a closer look.<br>When the beeping becomes faster, Fire Man's red eyes widen.

A pair a Crash Bombs explode below Fire Man, sending him crashing through the floor, leaving him severely damaged from the blasts... but on the bright side, at least he knows what made that beeping sound now.

"Take that, pyromaniac!", Mega Man says.

But, then ElecMan grabs Mega and grapples him from behind. ElecMan tries to aim his fingertips at Mega Man to electrocute him, but Mega has a firm hold on his arms.

"Time to fry, you blue chump!", says the Robot Master, "After you're charred by my lightning beam, maybe I can spend some quality time with that sister of yours! I liked the way she moaned when I roughed her up last month!"

Right before he could shoot Mega Man at point blank range, ElecMan's electrified fingertips short out... of course, since Mega Man grabbed ElecMan's forearms, he got his power.

"Uh-oh!", ElecMan says as he realizes he's screwed.

Mega Man flings ElecMan over his head and right towards a nearby wall in the corridor. ElecMan's body rams the wall, taking him out of this fight, but Mega Man isn't done with him yet. He aims his blaster at ElecMan and begins zapping him with he own electricity.

"What were you saying about my sister?", he grills with an intimidating tone in his voice, frying him some more.

"YAAAH!... I didn't mean it," ElecMan groans, "I'd only treat her with the utmost of respect!"

Mega fries ElecMan a little more, just to teach him a lesson.

"I've got a better idea," Mega says, "How about you stay _away_ from her?"

"Hey, man! Please stop zappin' me! I'll do whatever you want," ElecMan pleads.

"Okay... how about _this_ instead?", Mega replies, firing a standard plama shot at ElecMan. The shot makes contact and sends the original Robot Master skidding accross the floor.

Rush lands and stands by Mega Man's side as Mega brushs his hands together. "These guys aren't so tough," he says as he walks over to the downed body of Fire Man, who is partially buried in some rubble.

"I hope you don't mind, Fire Man, but I'm taking this for myself", Mega says as he touches Fire Man's right arm, copying his weapon power as well.

Mega Man looks up and notices a security camera aimed directly at him. Mega stands straight up and looks at the camera, because he knows who's watching...

"Is that all you've got, Wily?", he asks loudly.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Wily's command center.<strong>

Dr. Wily is leaning forward in his chair and looking at the camera feed of Mega Man, hearing the hero's voice on the monitor's speakers. He chuckles with a sinister smirk. "Oh, no... it's not all," he says, even though Mega Man couldn't hear him, "It's just the beginning."

Then, Mega Man aims his cannon at the camera and blasts it, causing the screen to go to static.

Wily's smirk melts into a frown. "He blew up my camera!", he says to himself, appalled that Mega Man would commit such an act. "That piece of... it's alright, I can make new cameras... and I'll make tham out of Mega Man's corpse!"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light monitors Mega Man's progress at Skull Fortress the only way that he can: keeping an eye on Mega's tracker. On one of his large monitors inside of the lab, the good doctor can see a persistant flashing dot located near the Nevada and Arizona borders. That was Mega Man, and since the dot is moving, he's still active.  
>Thomas regrets not making a call to the President - or anybody - to help give Mega Man some back up. The reason why he didn't was because he knew their effort would be worthless and that it would only jeopardize the lives more more humans and other robots.<p>

Nearby, Roll is sitting on a worktable, once again praying silently for her brother's safety. If there was ever a time he needs backup, it's now.  
>Roll remembers when her brother defeated the original six Robot Masters all at once last month and how efficiently he dealt with the new Robot Masters - which he did with a little help from her-, but she doesn't know how he's going to be able to take down the full might of Wily's forces.<p>

Doc the Met stands next to her on the table, looking up at her with his large eyes. He beeps, wondering if Mega Man and Rush will be alright.

"I hope so, Doc," Roll replies, the worry noticable in her voice, keeping her hands clasped, "I just wish there was some way we could have helped him."

Doc's hardhat opens just barely and he wraps his extension arm all the way around Roll's lower torso, as if to hug her. Roll looks down at her Met and picks him up, putting him in her lap and wrapping her arms around him to hug him back.

"Please, Mega," Roll sighs, "Make it back home."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Deeper in Skull Fortress.**

Mega Man and Rush continue to search Dr. Wily's fortress for the madman himself, taking a brief break in a large, dimly lit room.  
>There have been so many twists, turns and potentially deadly pitfalls here, Mega Man can't believe it. This place is <em>much deadlier<em> than it was the last time he was here.

"I'll give Wily credit," Mega says, "He sure does know how to build a fortress..." Mega suddenly silences... "Did you hear something?"

Rush remains silent and sniffs around. Mega Man also looks around, but doesn't see anything.  
>But then, out of nowhere, a large yellow orb about as big as he is soars in his direction.<p>

"Get down!", Mega panics.

Mega and Rush hit the ground as the orb flies past them, making a _whoosh_ sound. Another orb flies past them, but from a different direction. Then, _another_ orb heads straight for the other orbs and they all merge together to make a very large orb. Soon, even more orbs start flying over to merge with the big orb, making it even bigger.  
>Then, an orb with something in the middle of it - something glowing and red - heads over to the now massive orb and merges with it.<br>The orb now begins to rapidly grow a pair of arms and and pair of legs. The big yellow montrosity now stands in place and the red glowing object appears at the forefront of the creature's torso.

"What _is_ this thing?", Mega Man asks, in disbelief.

This is a new experimental robot by Dr. Wily. It is made partially of liquid metal, and a synthetic slime-like substance.  
>Dr. Wily has a nickname for him:<strong> The Yellow Devil.<strong>

Mega Man fires a couple of plasma blasts at the big yellow villain, but shots are absorbed into it's body, causing no damage at all.

"My plasma blasts went _right through_ that big yellow squishy dude!", Mega says.

That _Big Yellow Squishy Dude_ then swings his right arm at Mega Man like he would a punch and his entire arm seperates itself from the rest of the body and forms a large square-shaped object. Mega Man jumps above the square as Rush jets himself out of the way.  
>Then, the Yellow robot's red eye glows bright and he fires a powerful energy shot at Mega Man. The shot barely misses Mega Man, but it strikes a nearby wall and obliterates it, creating a big explosion.<p>

Mega doesn't have much time to survey the damage, because when he lands back on the floor, the Yellow Devil has reformed his other arm into a large sledgehammer.

The large robot swings the hammer arm at Mega Man but misses as the hero leaps over it. The square projectile merges itself back together with the rest of Yellow's body and forms an axe-type weapon of equal size to the sledgehammer.

He drives the axe arm straight down towards Mega Man. Mega just barely dives out of it's way on time, as the axe sliced into the floor.  
>The axe is stuck and Yellow is having a tough time trying to pull it out.<p>

Mega Man switches over to the Crash Bombs and fires one at the big robot. The bomb enters Yellow Devil's body and absorbs it, but the bomb explodes in his waist area and splits his body apart, sending bits and pieces of his slimey body splashing on the floor.

"Got him!", Mega says... then, Yellow Devil's body begins to reform again, with no sign of damage at all.

"Uh..., no. Didn't get him," Mega stammers after saying his foe regenerate.

Yellow turns his body to face Mega Man and fires another blast of energy from his red eye at him.

Mega doesn't evade the attack in time and this blast just barely grazes him, but it takes a lot out of him. Mega hits the floor on his back, his chest armor now scorched with burn marks on it from the shot.

An angry Rush jets straight ahead at the Yellow Devil, but gets swated away by the robot's big right hand. Rush howls as his body goes flying away until he hits the wall.

Mega Man sits back up and quickly changes his weapon to ElecMan's thunder beam. "This is for doing that to my dog, you freak!", Mega shouts, firing the lightning.

The lightning shot hits Yellow Devil's glowing red eye inside of his body. This attack appears to be hurting him, but the large experimental robot flings it's arms at Mega Man and they both detach themselves from the body. On their way, they brake apart into a group a spikes.

Mega stops fireing the lightning to leap away from the spikes.  
>The spikes gets lodged in the wall and flooor where Mega was standing.<p>

"How am I gonna stop this guy?", Mega asks himself, stunned that _nothing _appears to be working too well against this robot.

Yellow's spikes remove themselves from the wall and return to his body to reshape his arms. But, Mega notices something about the Yellow Devil... his feet appear to have partially melted into the ground. His body must be beginning to malfunction.

"Okay, big guy", Mega says, "Have some more!".

Mega continues firing the lightning at Yellow Devil's eye. Yellow appears to be staggering from the shot and struggles to fight back. He flings his right arm towards Mega Man, but it melts into it's raw liquid form before it could even get close to the hero, splattering on the cold floor below with a splash sound.

Mega keeps zapping his enemy with the lightning and it appears to really be hurting him. Yellow Devil's body is beginning to appear like it's melting.  
>Finally, after being fried by the lightning, the red eye expodes and Yellow Devil's liquid body deforms into a large puddle of slime on the floor.<p>

Mega Man falls to one knee and holds the area of his chest where he was hit, breathing heavily. This battle weakened him, but he thought ahead... Mega opens a compartment in one of his legs and removes an energy can, drinking it.

Instantly, Mega Man recuperates from the injuries in that last battle. His outer damage is still noticible and still hurts, but it's not too bad.

He runs over to Rush who got swatted earlier. "You okay, boy?", he asks.

Rush groans, shaking his head to get the cobwebs out.

"That last guy was tough, I know... I think Wily's starting to run out of reserves."

* * *

><p><strong>In Wily's command center.<strong>

Dr. Wily stares at the monitor in front of him in absolute shock. He couldn't believe that Mega Man had defeated his new robot. It should not have come as any shock, considering Mega Man had dealt with and defeated all eight of his new Robot Masters.

Knowing that maybe the threat from Mega Man really is a serious one, Wily grabs the communicator to ProtoMan and contacts him...

"ProtoMan, you're up," he says.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_**Finally**, we get to see Mega Man climbing a ladder, like he did so many times in the video games!_

_As you can see, I've patterned Mega's approach to Skull Fortress after the first Fortress levels in Mega Man 1 and 2. And in true Skull Fortress fashion, Mega will face more big bosses... gee, I wonder who's next. ;)_

_When Wily said the line, "You know who the real bad guys are," notice that - like many great villains - Dr. Wily doesn't view himself as a bad guy, but that everybody who opposes him is.  
>Something to think about there.<br>Also, we got to see how badass Mega Man gets when someone threatens his family. (ElecMan deserves it, though.)_

_Please remember to leave a review/comment._

_Note: No actual Pipis were harmed during the writing of this story._


	20. The End of the Line

_**Wily's War, Chapter 9: The End of the Line**_

* * *

><p><strong>Deep inside of Skull Fortress<strong>

Mega Man and Rush walk down a hallway in the fortress and see a room that appears to be luminated by something glowing inside and the sound of several computers and generators can be heard humming from inside the room... this is Wily's main command center.  
>Mega readies his blaster and cautiously steps forward, Rush follows him.<br>Mega turns the corner and aims his blaster arm inside the room, but sees no sign of Wily anywhere in the large room full of computers, but Mega is sure he _was_ here, because all of the monitors are linked to the cameras inside the fortress (except for the one Mega took out.)  
>Mega utilizes his advanced visual circuits and scans the room for any heat signatures, and he can see that the swivel chair in the room and still warm.<p>

"He _was_ here recently! He's got to be close! Come on, Rush!", Mega says, balling his fist as Rush barks.

Mega Man and Rush get out of the command center and continue running down the hallway, but later come to a dead end. Mega looks around for any opening and hidden pathway so they can find Wily. The Blue Bomber looks down and sees a steel grating that leads to a pathway underground.

"Down here, Rush," he says, pulling the grating out of the floor.

Mega Man and Rush jump down and begin walking down a long, dark and dank tunnel which appears to be wet with water puddled in spots.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily had fled his Command Center and was now traveling down a hidden tunnel withing the fortress which will lead him to safety from Mega Man deep underground... if just for a little while longer. He is still in contact with ProtoMan and monitoring the security feeds via a computer pad.<p>

"Hold it," Wily says to ProtoMan as he spots Mega Man on a camera feed he's watching on the pad he's holding in his other hand, "Well!... He's using the drainage pathway!"

_"What's that mean?"_, ProtoMan asks.

"From where you're standing now, you won't have to come to him," Wily answers, "I'll bring _him_ to you!"

Albert cuts contact ProtoMan and presses the screen of the computer tablet.

"I hope you brought some swimming gear!", he says to the shot of Mega Man.

* * *

><p>As Mega Man and Rush continue walking up the drainage pathway, Mega can hear the sound of his metal feet reverberating throughout the hollow tunnel.<p>

He whispers, "We must be getting close, 'cause Wily's bots just keep getting tougher or bigger... or _both_."

Then, Mega Man hears something echoing... something scary.

"Shhh!", he shooses, "What was that?"

Rush and Mega look around and hear a noise that sounds like a building rumble, sounding like it is racing their way. Then, Mega starts to feel the ground shake under his feet, almost like an earthquake tremor... but not quite.

"Uh-oh!", he says, now looking behind himself.

Within seconds, a flood of water on a biblical scale begins to flood the drainage pathway..

"Let's move!", Mega yells.

Rush transforms into jet mode and Mega quickly leaps on his back as they jet away. While Rush's speed is quite remarkable, not fast enough to outrun the rushing water.  
>The flood of water catches them and carries them away, speeding towards the end of the drainage corridor and both Mega and Rush both scream as they are swept away by the flood of water.<p>

* * *

><p>Both the water as well as Mega Man and Rush are spit out into another large, empty room inside of Skull Fortress, not too dissimilar from the ones he was in earlier, but this room was somewhat smaller.<p>

Not long after they hit the ground, the water stops flooding in, and the ammount that did pour in was slowly draining down a drainage grating in the center of the room. Mega knew Wily was behind this, he was _brought_ to this room.

As Mega Man gets up, he hears a familiar voice call out to him, "It's been a while, little brother!"

The voice belongs to ProtoMan, who drops in through a hole in the ceiling. The two robotic brothers begin circleling eachother and share some words...

"I haven't forgotten about our first fight," he adds.

"And I'm sure Wily hasn't _let_ you forget it either," Mega retorts.

"... yeah, so he hasn't," Proto replies, "what's your point?"

"The last time we met you offered me a choice to join you," Mega says.

"Mmm-hmm!" Proto nods, "Offer's still on the table."

"How about a counter-offer? I say you ditch this guy Wily and do what's right!" Mega replies, trying to reach whatever bit of humanity his brother has left.

"And go back to Dr. Light?", Proto asks with a chuckle, "Not happening!"

"What's your problem with Dr. Light?", Mega asks, wanting to know why he dislikes their creator so much.

"Don't you remember? He was the one responsible for the pain I suffered when I was first brought online," ProtoMan says with a matter-of-fact tone.

"No, he _wasn't_!", Mega snaps, getting angry at the notion that Dr. Light was to blame for ProtoMan's first painful night alive.

"_Oooh!_ Did I hit a little too close to home?... _Rock_?", Proto goads.

"Dr. Light is a good person!", Mega defends, "He would never hurt anybody, especially his own robots! If anybody's responsible for what happened to you, it's that idiot Dr. Wily!"

"Of course," Proto says, "spouting all the lines given to you by the great Dr. Thomas Light. If Dr. Wily's done _anything_, it's make me a warrior. And a warrior that would have defeated you in battle, if it hadn't been for that little runt you got there."

Rush growls and shows his teeth at ProtoMan.

"I'm not the same robot you faced the first time around, ProtoMan," Mega Man says, almost warning his brother.

"Really?... well, neither am I, Bro," Proto replies, unfazed.

"You said you wanted to fight me again... so, are you ready, _big brother_?"

"... only if your answer hasn't changed," Proto answers, referring to his offer for Mega Man to join his side and Mega's refusal to do so.

"No way!", Mega replies, activating his plasma blaster and signaling for Rush to get away.

ProtoMan smriks and activates his own blaster.

"Too bad for you, brother!", he says.

ProtoMan leaped high in the air and rained several shots of plasma down upon his brother's location.  
>Mega Man was quick to avoid them all and return fire upwards, but ProtoMan twists his body to avoid the shots. As soon as his feet hit the ground again, he dove to his right for a wall.<br>This was just a large room with only a floor, a ceiling and four walls to work with. Proto knows he doesn't have much, but, he's using it.  
>ProtoMan hits the wall and throws himself off of it for a higher jump. He fires more blasts of plasma at Mega Man, but Mega gets himself out of danger again.<p>

"Hey, Proto, want to see what firepower I've got?", Mega says as he fires a burst of the copied Atomic Fire at his brother.

ProtoMan lands on his feet and sees the large fireball heading in his direction. He leans his whole body backwards, bending only at the knees, to avoid getting burned by the fire.  
>Mega Man charges for him, before he could retaliate, but ProtoMan saw him coming and kicked his brother back with his feet, now using only his arms to hold him up.<br>Mega Man took the kick in his abdomin area and falls backwards, hitting the floor. ProtoMan props himself back up and walks back towards Mega Man with a cocky stride.

"I'm not impressed, little brother," Proto says, still wearing that smart-ass grin of his.

When ProtoMan is close enough, Mega kicks his older brother's legs out from under him with a sweep kick to behind his knees.  
>Mega manuevers himself over his brother and prepares to strike him, but ProtoMan fires another blast, meant for him. The shot misses Mega's head and goes straight up to the ceiling, causing bad damage. Rubble then falls down upon the battleing brothers and they both roll themselves out of the way of the falling debris as it hits the ground.<br>Both Mega and Proto get back up and aim their blasters at each other at the same exact time. They stood there for a few seconds, maintaining their aim at eachother, waiting for the other sibling to fire first.

"You're fast, I'll give you that," Proto exclaims.

ProtoMan fires first, Mega Man fires just nanoseconds later, virtually at the same time. The plasma shots collide with eachother, creating a bright burst of energy.  
>Mega Man covers his eyes because the light from the coliding shots is so bright that it's blinding, but ProtoMan's visor protected his eyes from the brightness and he takes advantage of it.<br>ProtoMan fires a blast at Mega Man and hits him square in his chest, sending him falling to the floor again.  
>Mega quickly removes the other energy can from his leg compartment, but ProtoMan got to him and kicked it out of his hand. As the can flew up in the air, ProtoMan shot it, destroying it.<br>Mega Man now had to withstand the pain from the blast and switched to the Quick Boomerang. He fires at ProtoMan, hitting him in the chest.

Mega fires another boomerang at ProtoMan, hitting him right in his helmet, just missing his black visor. This causes him to stumble backwards. Mega then switches back to his standard blaster and fires a shot of plasma at his brother.  
>The shot hits Proto's chest, knocking him backwards and crashing through a drain cover in the floor.<p>

Mega Man hears his older brother scream and runs over to the hole. Even though he was just fighting his older brother, the look on his face clearly illustrates concern. He promised he would try to bring him back home so Dr. Light could erase Wily's evil programming, and he doesn't want to fail his creator... or see his own brother die.

When Mega gets to the drainage hole, he sees ProtoMan clinging onto a small cravace in the drain by only his fingers.  
>Proto was still hanging on, but from the inaudible grunting he was making, he sounded like he was scared too. He has no idea what is down below. For all he knows, the fall could very well destroy him.<p>

Mega Man stands at the ledge, looking down at his brother. Mega Man was concerned and scared for ProtoMan got down on his stomach and reached out for him.

"Grab onto me!", Mega said with a sincere concern in his voice.

ProtoMan looked up. His eyes were covered by his black visor, but his mouth was slightly gaping. He almost looks shocked to see his brother - with whom he was just shooting at a fewseconds ago - showing him mercy and trying to save him.

After a few seconds, ProtoMan quickly removes his right hand from his grip on the wall and grabs Mega Man's hand and allows his younger brother to help him back up to ground level.

Once ProtoMan is out of danger, he realizes that he shouldn't have let his brother help him. Wily might be watching them both right now.

"Dammit!", ProtoMan spits, and runs away.

Mega looks dumbfounded as he watches Proto run towards the large drainage pathway in the wall from which Mega and Rush came, which is now dry.

ProtoMan looks back at his brother and says, "You haven't seen the last of me yet, brother!", then runs away.

"Some gratitude!", Mega scoffs.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light continues monitoring Mega Man's progress via his tracking device. Thomas has become a little more wary, as Mega's signal was moving very fast a few minutes, but has barely moved since then.

"Do you think he's okay?", Roll asks with concern, nervously rubbing her hands together.

"I can only hope so, Roll," Thomas replies, "He _is_ still active."

Then, Dr. Light's console beeps.

_"Dr. Light, it's Mega Man"_, says the voice that follows, covered in slight static.

"Thank goodness, Mega! Are you alright?", asks Dr. Light as Roll allows herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

_"Besides some minor damage I'm okay, and so's Rush."  
><em>Dr. Light and Roll can hear Rush barking on the other end.

"Have you found Wily yet?", Light asks.

_"Not yet, but I think I'm getting close. I just foug-... toman... aved him...-"_

"Can you repeat that Mega? You're breaking up," Thomas says.

_"... Ight? Can-... hea... -..."_

The communication goes silent.

Roll gasps. "Oh, no! Look!", she freaks, pointing to Thomas' monitor, where Mega Man's signal slowly fades out.

"We're losing track of him," Thomas says, "I'm going to try and boost the power."

Roll clasps her hands together in front of her mouth and prays for her brother again. Dr. Light is certainly concerned also, because Mega Man's communicator is not supposed fade out like old cellular phones of the past used to do when they entered certain zones. Wily must have jammed the communication.

* * *

><p>"Guys?", Mega says, now realizing that his communication is being blocked, "Can you hear me?... it's not working, Rush."<p>

Rush whimpers as he and Mega Man continue making their way through Skull Fortress and reach the end of another corridor... with an interesting doorway.

Mega and Rush approach the door causiously. Mega Man is the closest to the door and when he raises his hand, the door rises quickly, making loud _clanking_ noises as it rises. Mega Man and Rush pass the doorway and into a more narrow corridor with another door like this one at the end of it.

Mega Man and Rush step forward, then the first door slams shut, thrusting back down into the floor. Mega Man looks back at the first door while Rush is startled by the loud noise it made. Then, Mega looks at the second door again.

"He's here," Mega says with determination in his voice.

Mega Man steps forward. With every step he takes towards the second door, he thinks about his family back home, Dr. Light and Roll. He even thinks about his brother ProtoMan and that interesting moment after he saved him from falling.  
>Before he knew it, the second door in front of him opens.<p>

Mega Man can't see anything inside the new room, because it is too dark.  
>Mega and Rush enter the dark room, and the door behind them slams shut and the room is now completely dark.<p>

_**"Mega Man!"**_, says the amplified voice of Dr. Wily echoing within the room, _**"You may have beaten my other robots, but can you do the same to me?"**_

The lights turn on in the room and Mega Man can see Dr. Wily's Skullker hovering in front of him... Rush switches to jet mode and Mega leaps on his back.

The Skullker fires several shots at Mega Man, but they miss their mark. Mega Man takes out the Skullker's weapons by firing a couple of blasts at them. Rush flies past Wily's ship for Mega Man to get a good shot at the engine. Mega switches weapons and fires a Crash Bomb that clings to the ship, near it's rear engines.  
>The Skullker slowly manuvers around, trying to spot Mega Man, until the bomb blows. The engine is completely gone and Wily's Skullker crashes, flipping over several times when it hits the floor.<p>

"Set down, Rush," Mega says, "Something's telling me this was too easy."

Rush lands and Mega steps off. But, as Mega Man steps closer to the Skullker, he hears a high pitched sound. If he wasn't mistaken, that means a bomb is about to go off.

Then, several bombs that were placed around the floor of the room go off and the entire floor caves in, taking the wreckage of the Skullker, Mega Man and Rush with it.

* * *

><p>Mega Man keeps falling with the rubble and Rush is not far behind. Rush switches to jet mode and is able to control his fall, then he goes after Mega Man. The red-armored robodog goes after Mega down the chasm.<br>Mega Man reaches up for Rush and the robodog produces a handle from out of his stomach area. The handle is usually meant for hanglider mode, but Rush altered the setting himself, seeing as this is an extreme case.  
>Mega Man magages to grab onto the handle on time, and while hanging in mid-air, he watches the Skullker and the rubble fall down and crash onto the surface below.<p>

Mega looks up at Rush and lets out a sigh of relief with a smile. "I owe you, buddy!", he says.

Rush happilly barks back as he hovers down. Mega Man finally lets go when he is close enough to the ground.

"All I know is that we didn't blow up Wily up there," he says to Rush, "Not the _real_ one at least."

Mega Man's body is dirty from the dust from the explosion and he brushes himself off. But, he notices that his weapon power is down low.

"I better recharge and use that device Dr. Light gave me."

Mega Man opens a small compartment in his left forearm and inserts the recharge chip into an expansion port. All of his weapon energy is replinished, but his health remains uneffected. If Mega gets involved in another battle, he has no more spare energy, and his armor is already damaged, so he must be especially careful.

Rush barks a few times to get Mega's attention.

"What is it, boy?", Mega Man asks.

Rush nods over to what appears to be _another_ metal door at the end of a tunnel.

Mega Man is sure Wily is in there... and he's waiting for him. Mega begins walking towards that door with a purpose. Now, he's going to end this ugly war.

If everything goes right, Wily will face justice and get thrown in jail for his crimes _today_. Enough people have been hurt already, and enough people died in Times Square. His own family has been hurt by this psychopath.  
>Not anymore, if Mega Man has anything to say about it.<p>

Mega Man steps up to the door and it opens automatically... and standing inside this dark room - with a single light shinging down upon him - is Dr. Wily, with a sinister smile on his face.

Mega Man enters the room, but before Rush could enter, the door slams shut. Mega looks behind him and hears Rush complaining and pounding on the door.

"If we're going to finish this, Mega Man, then we'll do it one-on-one," Wily says with an errie delight.

"Fine by me," Mega flatly states.

Wily's grin gets wider and he holds his arms out and... begins to_ levitate_. Mega Man blue eyes widen. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a human being fly.

"You didn't know I could do _this_, could you, Mega Man?", Wily says, "Well, there's quite a bit you don't know... and it's a shame you'll be destroyed before you can tell anybody else!"

Wily's appearance begins to alter, his face becoming more gaunt and thin. His body becomes very thin also, his standard clothing barely able to hang onto him and his hands begin to change into thin talons.

Something orange appears in Wily's abdomin area, almost like a concealed weapon. His eyes begin to change from their normal human state to a red glow, and his skin becomes green.

Mega Man couldn't believe it, but unless his eyes were fooling him... Dr. Wily is really...** an **_**alien**_**!**

The room begins to look almost like outer space at warp drive and Wily levatates forward. Mega Man fires a plasma shot at him, but it passes right through him.

"This is too weird!", Mega says, firing another shot.

This time, the shot appears to have hit Wily, but it has no effect on him. Wily is able to fire some sort of weapon from the orange glow in his body. He fires at Mega Man, who leaps out of the way.

"This can't be real!", Mega says, "There's no way."

Mega switches to the cyclone power and uses it, but the cyclone does nothing to Wily. Mega switches to FireMan's fire power and shoots a fireball at Wily, but it also does _nothing_.

Wily fires a series of shots from his weapon and Mega Man leaps, dives and slides out of the way of all of them.

"I don't know what good this bubble stuff I copied will do", Mega says, referring to the Bubble Lead he took from Bubble Man, "But, anything is worth a shot."

Mega Man runs straight at Wily and jumps. Mega fires the bubble and it drops down on Wily. When Mega lands, he notices that Wily the alien is shimmering, like a static-looking picture would on a television with bad reception.

"Just an illusion," Mega says, shaking his head and looking annoyed.

Mega Man presses a button on his left forarm and runs at the fake alien again. He now saturates the alien in the Bubble Lead, letting the liquid pour all over Wily's illusion, further distorting the image of the alien. Then, an alarm sound inside of the room and sparks fly out of the glowing orange light inside of the fake alien.

_"System malfunctioning,"_ says a monotone voice inside of the room, _"Emergency lights on"_

The room is luminated when the lights turn on. This causes the fake alien to disappear, with the only thing left being the holographic device the created the illusion. High above on the ceiling is a large holographic projector that is encased entirely in glass. When used, the projector can make the entire scene appear to be whatever is desired. But, with the lights on, it's worthless.

Mega Man looks around and spots Dr. Wily (the real Dr. Wily, not an alien) abusing the controls of the holographic device, which is still floating around the room. He was so deep in focus, he didn't even notice that the lights were on.

The machine begins to make a steady declineing sound, like it's dying. When Wily looks up, he sees Mega Man stareing right back at him and freezes. Wily's eyes grow wide and his mouth starts to hang open as he stares at the robot warrior staring back at him.

Neither one says anything, but a mortified Wily loudly bemoans, "... oh, Shit!"... and with the uttering of those words, the holographic device that was projecting Wily's alien illusion earlier falls down to the floor.

Mega Man aims his blaster at Wily with a dertermined frown on his face.

"NO!", Wily cries, "Please, don't!"

Wily begins walking away from the controls with his hands raised. He knows he has been defeated and is desperately trying to convince the hero not to blast him right there.

"I'll do anything you want!", Wily pleas, "Please, don't shoot me!"

Not saying a word, Mega Man keeps his eyes focused right on Dr. Wily's face and keeps his blaster aimed at his chest as the mad doctor gets down on his knees and grovels.

"If Thomas made you like I think he has, I'm sure you won't shoot me!" Wily whines.

Mega Man says nothing, keeping his aim on Wily... he knows he can't blast Wily, because Dr. Light programmed the prime directive of robotics - no robot shall ever kill a human - into his memory core.

"That's right," Wily says, slowly getting back to his feet, "Thomas believes in right and wrong... he probably gave you those same traits... so, you won't shoot me," Wily continues, now wearing a nervous grin, confident that he's right, "There's no way."

Mega Man knows Wily is right, he can't kill him, and he doesn't want to - even if Wily is a vile and low snail -, because Mega just doesn't think that way... but, he _can_ intimidate him. Mega Man stiffens his blaster arm _just_ a little bit... and Wily screams.  
>"Oh, my God!", Wily wails, falling back to his knees, "... okay, maybe you <em>could <em>shoot me! But, give me a chance to redeem myself! I'm not that bad of a person! I've got voices in my head, they made me do this!"

"I don't care what your excuse is! You're coming with me, Wily," Mega Man says, "and then, you're going to jail."

Still on his knees, Wily looks up at Mega Man, totally defeated.

"Get up!", Mega barks with an angry tone in his voice he's never used before.

Wily stands back up and Mega Man grabs him by his red necktie and yanks him forward, bringing him face to face with him.

"You're right," Mega says with narrow eyes and a quiet, serious tone, looking directly into Wily's eyes, "Dr. Light _did_ give me a strong sense of what's right and wrong... and after everything you've done, you're lucky _I'm_ the one who's arresting you, because they's a lot of people who want to do _worse_ to you!"

Mega un-ties Wily's necktie and turns him around, using it to tie the madman's hands behind his back. Albert doesn't fight, because he knows he has lost.

_"You should have killed him when you had the chance,"_ says the little whisper in Albert's head.

* * *

><p>In the sky, moving away from Skull Fortress.<p>

Mega Man and Rush are flying back to take Dr. Wily to the authorities. Mega has Wily hunched over his shoulder, so he's not going anywhere.

"It won't be long, boy," Mega says, "Before you know it, this snake Wily will be in the slammer."

Wily grumbles something unintelligible, unhappy that he is going to jail.

Everything is going great. The short-lived war is over and everlasting peace can finally be a reality...

until _this_ happens...

Another Skullker catches up to Mega Man and Rush and fires it's weapons. The blast hit's Rush's backside, and the poor robodog painfully yells and howls. He loses altitude fast and takes a nosedive.

As Mega Man gets Wily off of his shoulder, another blast hits him in his upper back, severely damaging and compromising his blue armor, and he falls off of Rush. Wily also loses his footing and falls down, screaming on the way down.  
>Rush's nosedive was so steep, the fall for Mega Man and especially Wily was not too far to the ground.<p>

Mega Man's body hit the ground and cracked it as it hit. Rush crashed himself on the surface as well. Dr. Wily's fall was very short, but hard. He hit his head on the ground, knocking him out cold.

The Skullker lands nearby and ProtoMan steps out of it. He runs right to Dr. Wily's fallen body and kneels down beside him, he sees that a small ammount of blood is oozing out of Wily's head where he landed.

"Dr. Wily, it's Proto," he calls, sounding concerned, "Can you hear me?"

Wily doesn't respond. ProtoMan places his hand on Wily's neck and feels a pulse. He's alive, but just knocked out.  
>ProtoMan picks him up and carries him back to the Skullker. Then, Proto goes back to where his little brother Mega Man is lying. He looks over at the fallen body of Rush. He was barely moving and smoke was pouring out of his backside where he was shot. He assumes the mutt will survive, but he doesn't matter... Mega Man <em>does<em>.  
>He stopped when he got close enough and noticed that he also wasn't moving and that his back armor was blackened from the shot.<br>He kneeled down and checked his brother's energy meter... it was low.

Proto stood back up and crossed his arms... if he wanted to, he could drag Mega Man back to Skull Fortress and have him reprogrammed so that they can finally be brothers in battle... and he wants that badly... but, he remembers what happened earlier today back at the fortress.

ProtoMan smirks as he kneels down to his brother. "I know you can't hear me, right now," Proto says, "But, you _did_ save my life back there... and I haven't defeated you yet... so, I'll let you go back to Light."

ProtoMan can hear somebody contacting Mega through his communicator. He recognized the voice, it was Dr. Light.

_"Mega Man, It's Dr. Light. Are you alright?... Rock, can you read me?..."_

Then, ProtoMan hears the very distant sound of Police sirens approaching. Maybe he gathered too much attention getting here.

ProtoMan looks back at the Skullker, then back to Mega Man and says a few parting words."... 'Till next time, Bro."

Proto runs back to the secondary Skullker and takes off with the unconscious Dr. Wily, heading back to Skull Fortress, which is still safe enough despite Mega Man's assault on it.  
>Meanwhile, both Mega Man and Rush remain lying on the barren ground of the badlands as the authorities approach the scene to assist the fallen heroes.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_There are quite a bit of elements taken from the Mega Man video games. The double doors leading to Wily are right from the games. And the big, empty room Mega Man and ProtoMan fight in are much like the majority of big battle rooms in the games.  
>The whole Wily sequence is directly based off of the battles with Wily in Mega Man 2. (Right down to the Bubble Lead and the falling holographic device.)<br>Even the scene with the flood in the drainage pathway is from Mega Man 1._

_Yes, this is the first time I have used a really dirty cuss word in the Defender of the Human Race series (even though they were all over the place in another one of my stories). I am not going to be using them often here. They will only be used if I feel it's needed._

_Please remember to leave a review/comment. Episode 2 concludes in the epilogue chapter!_


	21. Episode 2 Epilogue: Maybe

_**Wily's War, Epilogue: Maybe**_

* * *

><p>The world had spun around for Mega Man. He felt a bad pain all through his back when he was blasted and it resonated through the rest of his body, then he blacked out.<p>

Mega has awakened, but he doesn't want to open his eyes. He feels so weak, so tired, that everything feels heavy, even his eyelids. As he remains with his eyelids closed, he noticed that everything sounded so calm around him, sounding nothing like the wretched hive that was Skull Fortress. The gentle hum of the computers around him sounded familiar

Mega Man opens his eyes for the first time since this afternoon when he was struck by ProtoMan. His eyes adjust to the light in the room for a few moments, but once they were adjusted, he knew right away that he was back home, because he recognizes the metal walls of Dr. Light's lab. He sees the face of his sister Roll to his right. She had her hands clasped together, praying, and looks worried. But, then her eyes widen and she smiles, unclasping her hands.

"He's awake, Dr. Light!", Roll says, sounding very relieved.

Mega then sees Dr. Light's face to his left.

"Rest easy, Mega," he says, placing a hand on his left arm, "you sustained some bad damage, but you'll be in top shape by tommorrow."

"What about Rush?", Mega asks, sounding tired.

"Don't worry, he'll be just fine. The poor boy just won't be doing any flying for a little while," Thomas answers.

Rush was on a nearby worktable that could easily be moved because it has wheels on the legs. Roll was able to bring Rush over to Mega's side. Rush also looked beat, but his mood perked up a bit when he saw Mega Man.

Mega barely smiles. "Hey, boy," he says, "We've been through a lot this week, haven't we?"

Rush groans in agreement with him, resting his head on the table as Mega pets him.

"... What about Wily?", Mega Man asks.

Thomas is not able to hide the disapointment when he answers, "There was no trace of him at the scene. The authorites were too late."

Mega closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. It bothers him knowing that Wily is still at large. All of that hard work battleing almost all of Wily's robot army... gone, just like that.

"It's okay, Mega," Roll adds, "You did your best."

"Indeed," Thomas adds, "And I'm sure you'll get Albert again, and soon."

"... It was ProtoMan," Mega says, "It had to be him."

Everybody remains silent for a moment, knowing that the only reason why Albert Wily is not sitting in jail right now is because of ProtoMan.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily is asleep in his quarters at Skull Fortress. He sustained a concussion from the fall he took being rescued.

Somebody nearby watches over him, actually careing.  
>How anybody could care about this sick man is beyond comprehension. Who in their right mind would have <em>any<em> remote sense of compassion for _him_?

... ProtoMan, that's who.

ProtoMan watches Wily at rest. He's been standing there for a while now. He didn't want to leave. ProtoMan may be programmed to be a bad guy, but something _drove_ him to bring Dr. Wily back alive. Myabe it was whatever that feeling was that made him not destroy Mega Man when they first did battle with eachother last month.  
>Proto can be a harsh critic of Wily sometimes, and Wily can also be harsh on him and he knows that Wily is a wicked, rotten old man... but deep down, Proto cares for him. He probably wouldn't admit it to anybody, but he does. ProtoMan views Dr. Wily as a father figure... he's the closest thing to a parent that he has.<p>

As ProtoMan muses over how this whole week has gone, he spots a rough sketch of what looks like a new Robot Master nearby. Proto picks it up and studies it, noticing that this new robot is really Air Man, but with a much more intimidating look, complete with an actual human-like face and a much bigger chest fan.  
>The note from Wily reads "Air Man, New Chassis."<br>Proto is surprised that Wily went along with his idea of totally overhauling Air Man. Maybe Wily is starting to view Proto as more than just his best fighter. Proto would certainly like that, but here is just one thing Proto would like more than anything, especially after what happened today... he wants Mega Man to be here with him as an ally.  
>ProtoMan is not about to give up on turning him to his side, no way. Ever since he returned to the fortress, ProtoMan has been cussing himself out for not dragging Mega Man back here to be reprogrammed. With Mega Man and ProtoMan on the same side, this war would have been <em>over<em>.

But, maybe Mega Man and ProtoMan _can_ be a team... or brothers... someday...

... maybe.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<strong>

Sitting behind his sleek desk in his office overlooking much of New York is Marcus Vickers, a man who wasted money from his own personal fortune developing worthless robots over the course of the past two weeks. However, for a man as rich as him, it was just a drop in the hat.

He reads the New York daily paper, which reads in big letters on the front cover, _**SO CLOSE!**,_ referring to Mega Man almost apprehending Dr. Wily yesterday.

"... he should have gotten him," Vickers says, as he looks over the article.

"Yes, he should've, sir," Erikson says, agreeing as always.

"I mean, I know he's good, but... he should have put Wily in jail! ... that bothers me."

Vickers folds the newspaper and continues, "I still think we need to make a robot warrior of our own... one that doesn't vomit mustard and taze itself."

"We are in the process of hiring a new Research and Development team as we speak, sir," Erikson updates.

Vickers rubs his hands together as he continues, "Our old R&D team had never built a robot before... we need somebody who knows what they're doing. Thomas Light and Dr. Wily aren't the only robotics scientists out there in this world. There are others... there was one guy in Russia, but I can't remember his name though."

"I'll look him personally, sir," Erikson adds.

"Good, Scott. Once we hire some robotics scientists who know what the hell they're doing, it's smooth sailing from there... In the meantime, I think we can salavge VickBot 9000."  
>Vickers continues with enthusiasm, "I've been in negotiations with concert promoters... and I think we're going to take him out on tour! Just visualize it, Scott... <em>VickBot 9000: <em>_The Dancing Machine!_"

"Sounds good, sir," Erikson nods and puts on a smile, just going along with his boss.

"We'll sell out arenas all over the world! We'll even make 2-foot-tall replicas to sell to the kids during the holiday season. The merchandising rights _alone_ will make us _millions_! More than enough to cover the costs fot this robot warrior project. Creating our own robot warrior is going to be a challenge, though... but, I've never backed down from a challenge in my whole life!"

Vickers gets up and looks out his large window and looks upon the New York skyline as the sun begins to set, causing the sky to look orange.

"Vick-Tek will have it's own robot warrior one day," he says with a grin, "and who knows... he might even be _better_ than Mega Man... just maybe."

* * *

><p><strong>A few nights later.<br>****High atop a skyscraper in New York City.**

Mega Man stands alone on the roof of a tall skyscraper without his helmet. His brown hair moves when a breeze flows through. He can see that the repairing process over at the Empire State Building has already begun.  
>Luckily, the governor really appriciates Mega Man and Dr. Light and decided graciously that he will cover the cost of repairs.<p>

Roll walks up to the roof and joins him.

"You okay, Mega?", she asks as she appraoches her brother.

"Yeah, how have you been since the other night?", Mega asks.

"Great," she replies, "... did you really mean what you said?"

"About what?", Mega asks.

"About me helping you," Roll answers, "You said I saved you."

Mega smiles. "Yeah, it's true."

"So... does this mean I can be your partner?", Roll asks with a big smile.

Mega Man looks a little hesitant to let her get involved in something like this, especially after what happed to the of them in the past few days. Mega Man finally replies, "Roll... I'll think about it."

"But, there's a chance, right?", Roll asks.

"Um... I guess?", Mega replies, unsure of his response.

"Thank you so much, Mega!", Roll says happily, hugging her brother tightly and kicking her right leg back, "You're the greatest!"

"Um... thanks!", Mega says, "Why don't you go back inside with Dr. Light and the Governor?"

"Okay. When are you coming in?", Roll asks, still with that smile on her face.

"In a few minutes", Mega answers.

Roll walks back down the stairwell and back inside with an extra spring in her step.

"I hope you know what your doing, sis", Mega says to himself.

As Mega Man looks back in front of him, at the New York City skyline under the cover of night, he thinks about his brother ProtoMan and wonders why he did what he did.  
>He saved ProtoMan's life and he repays him by blasting both him and his dog Rush, leaving them for dead and recovering Wily.<br>Mega Man hasn't forgotten that moment in time where Proto, who usually sounded confident, was scared and accepted his hand to help him...  
>Mega also thinks about that fact that this city and every city Wily plans on attacking is still in danger because he got away.<p>

This battle for everlasting peace is still going on because of it. Actually, it's not a battle anymore... it's _war_. And it's a war that is going to keep getting uglier and uglier until there is a winner.

But, while Wily is still at large and free to continue on his crucade of destruction, Mega Man is still here too. And as long as he is here, he will keep fighting Wily and ProtoMan until they are defeated.  
>It won't be easy fighting ProtoMan again, though.<p>

"Why, brother?...", Mega says, as if he was asking ProtoMan, "Why did you do this?"

Unfortunatly, Mega Man doesn't have his answer, and he probably won't get one for a while.

Mega Man wishes that ProtoMan was on the side of good, like he was meant to be. He wishes that his family could be a complete one, and not torn apart by a madman.

Maybe one day, that dream will come true... maybe.

But, until then... the war is on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Wily's War the episode is done, but the war itself continues in... well... I haven't thought of a good name for episode 3 yet, so let's just call it "Episode 3" for now.  
>Much like last time, there wil be an interlude chapter between episodes to bridge the gap. Episode 3 itself will arrive soon after.<br>__Again thank you to all of my reviewers! (BlackRussian, lalalei, Kuraselache, DestinyZX and Dragolord09) Your feedback is much appreciated._

_Also, another Mega Man 2 reference: The scene where Mega Man stands atop the skyscraper is based on the title screen of Mega Man 2.  
><em>_I wonder who that robotics scientist in Russia is ;)_

_Please remember to leave a review/comment._

**_Update: _**If you want to stay updated on the status of this series (and other projects of mine), check my update blog on my profile page


	22. Interlude: Hatred and Hardships

_**Interlude: Hatred and Hardships**_

* * *

><p><strong>May 20X1.<strong>

**Skull Fortress.  
><strong>**Located somewhere in the badlands between Nevada and Arizona.**

It was mere hours ago that Dr. Wily's fortress was under attack. Almost all of the robots patrolling the outside were either destroyed or severely damaged. Some of the remaining Robot Masters who were assigned to stop the threat were incapacitated. Wily's new experiment, a giant robot made out of liquid metal and synthetic slime - known as The Yellow Devil - was destroyed beyond repair. Even ProtoMan, Wily's best robot and right hand, couldn't get the job done. And finally, Albert Wily himself was defeated and captured by the robot who tore through his fortress like a one robot army... Mega Man.

Dr. Wily was suposed to be in jail right now and the war for control of the world was supposed to have been over and everlasting peace should have reigned... but instead, Wily is resting comfortably in his quarters here at the fortress, thanks to ProtoMan rescuing him.

It is here where ProtoMan has stayed ever since, keeping an eye on his co-creator, also making sure that if any other threat were to invade Skull Fortress again - whether it be Mega Man again or whomever, - they would have to go through _him_ if they wanted Wily.

After a while, ProtoMan got tired of standing, so now he sits cross-legged on the floor, which is surprisingly chilly, despite the fact that the fortress is located in the hot badlands.

Finally, after hours of lying there, Dr. Wily finally moves, letting out a frazzled groan.

"I was wondering when you were gonna wake up," ProtoMan says, now standing up.

"_Ugh_," Wily groans, "Proto... is that you?"

"Who else?" ProtoMan replies with a smirk.

"... I have a headache," Wily says.

"You're gonna have one," Proto replies, "You took a pretty bad fall during the rescue operation."

Wily's right eyebrow rises. "... that's right!", Wily says, remembering yesterday's events, "And Mega Man?"

"... he managed to escape. I had him too, but the police arrived, bailed him out," Proto answers with a lie. The police hadn't arrived to the scene yet and Proto himself chose to leave his brother behind... although he wishes he hadn't.

Wily's dilated eyes look up to ProtoMan when he hears his answer. Albert barely gets up and shambles over to Proto. "... _you_ came back for me, didn't you?" he asks.

"I wasn't about to let you go to jail," ProtoMan answers, "it would be a pain to try and look after these idiotic boltheads by myself," ProtoMan answers, "Besides, you rescued me from Dr. Light... so, I returned the favor."

Wily begins to grin, even though his head hurts to do it. The grin is not wretched like it usually would be, but rather gratified because he is pleased that ProtoMan did come back for him.

"You _are_ my boy," Wily commends, patting Proto on his grey titanium shoulder.

ProtoMan couldn't help but smile at the compliment, yet the smile still resembled that smirk of his. It felt good to finally be back in the mad doctor's good graces, which is much better than being on his hit list... like Mega Man is.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that month. Over a week after Mega Man's assault on Skull Fortress.<strong>

**The Bronx, New York.**

On a street corner in the Bronx of New York, a small protest has being held.

"No More Robots!" the protesters chant, then clap their hands, "No More Robots!"

One person holds a picket sign that reads **"H.A.R.: Humans Against Robots"**, another carries a sign that reads **"_NO_bots!"**

This group only consists of no more than 15 people, and they are led by a caucasian man who is in his late 30's with sandy blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He stands roughly 5'11" and is in very good shape, not overly musclely, but clearly looking like he hits the gym. He is wearing a black slacks, a white dress shirt and a grey suit vest and carrying a bullhorn.  
>His name is William, and he is the individual who organized this protest out here in the middle of the street. William has always been against the idea of robots in society, and the events of the past few months have only fueled that fire. He also dislikes robots and wants them all removed from society for the threat they might pose to humanity in the future...<p>

"Are we going to stand for this anymore?", William shouts into the bullhorn with a voice that is surprisingly youthful, yet tinged with a slight rasp from smoking ciggarettes.

The unfortunate souls who join him all loudly reply, "No!"

"Are we gonna let 'em take our jobs anymore?", he shouts.

"No!"

"Are we gonna let them terrorize us anymore?"

"No!"

"Are we going to fall for their put-on superhero acts anymore?"

Just then, as if right on cue, Mega Man soars past the scene of the protest, standing atop Rush's back. He was unaware these unfortunate, misguided people were here holding this protest and slowed down when he heard the noise below.

The protesters shut up immediately and look up at Mega Man, who is now looking down upon them. Some of the protesters feel bad for joining in on this protest now that Mega Man is here, and they feel guilty now that he's spotted them, and just start to leave. A couple of them didn't believe the supposed "cause" at all and only came because they wanted to be on T.V. (and the promise of free money from the William, the ogranizer)

There are those that do belive in the protest and aren't too fond of robots, but even they do not have any dislike for _this_ robot, because he's a hero.

The Defender of the Human Race just looks down upon the protesters without saying a word. He can clearly see the hateful signs the protesters are holding... he's never seen this kind of a reaction from humans towards robots before. Even Dr. Wily doesn't _hate_ robots... at least he thinks he doesn't.

Nearby, other humans who aren't protesting - and who were shooting dirty looks at these unfortunate protesters just seconds ago - also look up, but _they_ cheer the hero out of gratitude.

"Don't listen to 'dese losers, Mega Man!" calls a New York Mets cap-wearing citizen in his bronx accent, "We love ya'... unlike these jabronis!"

Mega gives a slight nod towards his vocal supporter. With an indifferent-looking expression, Mega Man tells Rush, "Keep going home, Rush".  
>The tone in Mega's voice clearly illustrates that he sounds bothered by what he's just seen.<p>

As Mega Man and Rush fly away, William shouts without the bullhorn, "Yeah, go ahead and leave! We don't really _need_ you anyway! Am I right?..."  
>He turns around and sees that nobody is responding. Those left look kind of nervous, even those who believe in the protests while the others who felt bad have already ditched this jerk.<p>

"The only one we don't need is _you_, ya' jackass!" shouts the bronx guy.

"Shut-up, robot-lover!", William shouts, pointing his finger.

"You know what I love?" the Bronx guy says, now stepping forward, "this city, The USA and kicking scrawny punk's asses like yours!"

William growls, "Why you son of a-"

The two men begin grappling in the middle of the street. More citizens as well as the protesters try to split them up, but ultimately more tempers flare between both groups of people and the fight only gets bigger, and soon the scene looks like a riot has broken out.

Soon the police are called to brake up this brawl in the streets.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab complex.**

_"An anti-robot protest held in the Bronx today led to violence between the protesters and __other citizens who had an opposing viewpoint,"_ states News 7 anchor Kirk Trujillo, _"And according __to our News 7 poll, 99% of you who responded appriciate robots and disagree with these __protesters. Those who became violent at today's protest were arrested and are being held on bail. __We have also learned that the man who led this protest is none other than the son of-"_

Dr. Light turns the telelvision off in the family room of his house which adjoins the good doctor's large titanium reinforced lab structure, and turns to face his son Mega Man.  
>Nearby, Roll is sitting on the family's couch with Doc the Met in her lap. She's grown quite attached to the little guy since he came under her care a few weeks ago. Wherever Roll is, Doc is not too far behind.<br>Rush and Eddie are also nearby.

"I can't believe those humans reacted that way, Dr. Light," Mega says, looking confused by the behavior of the protesters, still sounding a bit taken back.

"Why would they _do_ that?" Roll asks, "After everything Mega's done for them."

"These people did not just single Mega out," Thomas replies, "They had a grieveance with _all_ robots... I should have anticipated such a minor backlash to robots having a bigger presence in society."

"But, why would these humans dislike robots?", Mega asks, "Except for Wily's robots, we're all meant to help people."

Thomas sighs and answers, "Some humans just dislike anybody that are anything other than what they are. I wouldn't let them bother you, Mega. They are nothing but a scant minority of people in this world. As you saw, some of them didn't even _believe_ in what they were protesting."

"You say it shouldn't bother me... ," Mega says, walking away, "but, it does."

As Mega leaves, Roll looks like she's getting angry thinking about those rude humans on the news.

"_This_ is the thanks he gets? It's not right!", she huffs, "If any of those people end up in trouble, we should just ignore them!"

"Don't ever think that way, Roll," Thomas orders, "It is your brother's duty to protect all of humanity... even those who think the way these few misguided people do."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****New York City Police Precinct.**

William the lead protester sits alone in a private cell. He was moved here, because when he was placed with the other inmates, he only got into brawls with them, and since he is considered a high-profile inmate, it was decided to keep him seprated from the others for his own good.  
>He now has a black eye from the fight he started earlier today, and his jaw feels stiff too after taking another punch here.<br>He hears a set of footsteps approaching. One footstep sounded totally different than the other, like this person is wearing two different shoes.

Then, a female officer with dark red hair pulled into a low-hanging ponytail approached the door.

"William," she says, referring to him by his first name, "You made bail. You're lucky your father is so generous. Come on out."

She unlocks the door and opens it. William stands up and walks out.

"Thank you, Officer... ," he pauses, looking down at her nametag on her uniform, and then briefly glancing at her bust, "... Wersching."

"Oh, you're welcome... and by the way," Lynn says pointing to her green eyes, "my eyes are _up here_."

She leads him back out and remarks, "If I catch you looking at me like that again, I might just charge you with sexual harrassment and you'll go right back in there."

"... sorry, officer," William groans.

"Just don't misbehave yourself again," Lynn advises, "I don't think your dad would be very happy."

"He never _is_ happy with me," William responds, bareing a smirk.

"Yeah, I can see why," Lynn retorts.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

Now that Lynn is off-duty - and now that she's gotten that scumbag out of the station, - she returns to the locker room preparing to head home. But, first she opens her locker and grabs her phone. She sees somebody has left a message.

Her phone readout says, _"1 new mesage: unknown caller."_

She was curious, so she played the message, sitting down on a bench nearby.

_"Start of message,"_ says the monochrome computer voice...

_"Hey, Lynn. It's, uh...it's me,"_ says the familiar male on the other end, whose voice can be described as a snarl that sounds very tired and ragged, yet boyish and gentle.  
>Lynn's eyes widen when she recognizes that this voice belongs to her brother! He would usualy be recognized on the caller I.D., she wonders why he used a different number from someplace else.<p>

He continues, _"I've thought about all that stuff you said last week... and, uh... I shouldn't've lied to you," _he _finally_ admits, "_I've got some problems... __I've gotta go away for a little while... I've gotta get myself cleaned-up."_

Lynn hears her brother sniffleling on the other end, obviously struggling to keep his composure.

_"I'm goin' to that new treatment place, or whatever, outside of town... I don't want to do this no more,"_ he says, his snarly voice trailing off a little bit, _"So... if you wanna come by and talk, I'm not hard to find. I'll see ya'... I love ya', sis... and thanks."_

As the message ends, Lynn breakes down crying into her hands.

She knew her brother has problems, but now that he's not lying about it anymore and is trying to do something about it, there may be a chance he _won't_ wind up just another statistic.

"Oh, God, thank you!", she sobs.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>****Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.**

Vick-Tek has announced the debut of their newest invention... The VickBot 9000, the disco dancing machine! The press have gathered inside of the large testing room where the disco dancin' fool first came to life (, which is also the room where atrocities such as the faulty, self-tazing Vickbot 1000 and the mustard-vomiting, scientist-spanking VickBot 5000 dwelled also.) With his black caesar haircut perfectly combed and his goatee freshly trimmed, wearing a fancy business suit, Marcus Vickers sits alongside his Vice President (and Yes Man) Scott Erikson at a table, and behind them stands the gigantic VickBot 9000 himself, which is not yet active (or else, he would have been shakin' his booty right now.)

"Will there be any questions?", Vickers asks.

The reporters talk all over themselves, trying to get in a question.

"Mr. Vickers!" cries out one voice belonging to a buxsome platinum blonde reporter for the entertainment news show _Entertainment Exxcess_, named Anastasia Love.

"Yes, you!", Vickers replies, pointing to her as the other reporters pipe down.

"What are the, like, details of this tour VickBot 900 is, like, gonna be on?" Anastasia asks, like only a valley girl bimbo can.

"Firstly, it's the VickBot _9000_," Vickers corrects her, "Secondly, the tour will launch in July, and it is called '_The VickBot 9000 Groove on the Move Tour 20X1_.' Tickets will be availible soon."

The reporters hollar to get their questions in again and Vickers points to a familiar female reporter in the crowd. She reports on _real news_ - news that doesn't discuss what color thong the latest one-hit-wonder pop diva was seen wearing on the beach, unlike _Entertainment Exxcess_ - and plans on asking a much more interesting question for the Vick-Tek President.

"Bree Recotta, Channel 7, New York," she states, holding her notepad and pen.

"Oh, yeah!", Vickers says, smiling, "The Cheese Woman!"

Bree begins lightly frowning as she hates being called '_The Cheese Woman_.' She wants to be more than just '_The Cheese Woman_,' and every time she hears that name, she gets a little angry, especially knowing that stupid silicone-augmented bimbos like Anastasia Love are holding a lead anchor job (even if it is on a stupid entertainment show), while Bree - who has busted her rear end to get the biggest scoops in New York, and recently getting herself injured doing so - isn't anywhere _near_ the anchor desk.  
>So, she's going to lay it on Vickers harder than she planned.<p>

"In a recent conference call with your investors," she begins, "you revealed that your company had spent millions of dollars acquiring mass quantities of unsolidified titanium metals... and I'm sure _this_ big boy isn't made from solid titaniim," Bree presses with a slightly stern sound to her voice, "so, exactly what _are_ you using it for, Mr. Vickers?"

Vickers looks a little bit caught off guard. He thought everybody would think those materials were for the VickBot 9000, but this women wasn't biting.

"And spare me the typical corporate B.S. ... _sir_," Bree adds with a slight smirk and a tilt of her eyebrow, knowing that she's got him right where she wants him.

Erikson leans into Vickers' ear and whispers, "Should I have her removed, sir?"

"No, no," Vickers whispers back, "I've got this."

Vickers leans into the microphone again and answers Bree. "It is no secret that we did spend a significant sum of money for raw titanium materials... and, yes you are correct, they weren't for the VickBot 9000. They are for..." Vickers pauses, choosing his words carefully, "an un-anounced project. A project much bigger than the VickBot 9000. It's still in it's development stages."

"What is this _un-announced project_, Mr. Vickers?" Bree asks.

Vickers doesn't respond... he just smiles. "No comment... any more questions, anybody?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light is performing a follow-up check-up on Roll's systems following her painful encounter with Wily's robots at the Empire State Building.

"Your joints, limbs and extemities are still responsive," Thomas says after the check-up, "Your neural capacities are also fully functioning."

"I wish you guys would stop worrying about me," Roll says, shrugging her shoulders, "I feel great."

Doc the Met stands beside Roll and he bleeps and bloops, looking up at her with his big eyes.

"Aww, I know you care about me," Roll replies, picking Doc up and nestling him in her arms, "But, I'm made out of pretty stern stuff, just like my big brother. Isn't that right, Mega?"

"Still, Roll," Mega Man says, "Dr. Light just wants to make sure we're always healthy. I'm sure Dr. Wily doesn't care about his robots like Dr. Light does about us... even ProtoMan."

Thomas pauses for a moment. His mind drifts back to ProtoMan - the robot he originally named _Blues_ - and wonders what Wily must treat him like, of if he even shows any care for his robots at all.  
>Thomas lets out a sigh and his shoulders sag under his white lab coat. Mega and Roll notice their father's change of mood.<p>

"Dr. Light?", asks Mega, "Are you okay?"

"Yes... I was just thinking about... your brother," he admits.

Still holding Doc in her arms, Roll tisks, "_Pfft!_ I wouldn't even waste my time on _him_, Dr. Light."

Unlike Roll - who clearly is not fond of their older brother - Mega Man feels that there is good reason for Dr. Light to feel this way about ProtoMan. Mega remembers seeing the brief glimpse of what his brother was like on his first night online and he was so different from what he is now.  
>He also remembers when Proto accepted his help to save his life back at Skull Fortress a few weeks ago. Mega Man remembers Dr. Light telling him that his brother at one time had full free will, and he is sure there must still be some free will in his system and that somewhere in that metal heart of his, there must be some goodness left.<br>ProtoMan's reprogramming clearly still bothers Dr. Light, and it will continue to bother him until he can get the chance get him back.  
>Mega knows it won't be easy, but he feels he has to bring ProtoMan back home so Dr. Light can get him back to normal... if he can.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

Deep inside of the scary lair of Dr. Albert Wily, the mad doctor himself and ProtoMan are repairing the damage left by Mega Man during his assault on the fortress two weeks ago. Wily himself has also been hard at work preparing some new robots as well, expanding his robot army.

In the fortresses hangar bay, where his replacement Skullker currently sits, Wily and ProtoMan perform a head count of the remaining Robot Masters.

"GutsMan: Active," Dr. Wily says, checking off a his name on a list, "Cut Man: active... Bomb Man: active... Quick Man: active... Metal Man: active... Flash Man..." Wily lets out a sigh.

Proto clicks his tounge, "My little brother really did a job on him."

Of all the eight new robot masters Wily unveiled recently, some of them did not fair too well. Bubble Man and Air Man were severely damaged. Wily plans on giving Air Man a complete overhaul, while he has done nothing with Bubble Man, who has sat offline since being recovered from the bottom of the Baltimore Harbor.  
>Flash Man, however, was destroyed when Mega Man - in a rage after seeing him attack his sister Roll - blasted him with a full power plasma shot. His memory core was destroyed and there was no way Wily could revive him fully.<p>

"Yes... may he rest in pace," Albert shrugs, "No matter. I can still use his flash weapon and incorporate it into a new robot!"

"Damn," ProtoMan snorts, "That's kinda cold, Dr. Wily. I mean, Flash Man wasn't a friend of mine, but still."

"When he died, he failed, Proto," Wily says, "So, we scrap him and make another robot who _won't_ fail."

ProtoMan stares back at Wily as he continues the head count. He certainly would appriciate it if Wily won't act so careless about him if he would be as un-lucky as Flash Man... besides, he's Wily's best robot, he deserves better than these rustbuckets.

Wily finishes, "Wood Man: ... active, but needs new wood. And Fire Man: active. All six of the original Robot Masters are online. And 7 from group two are still online... or least, not dead."

Wily puts the list down, "You may leave us, my robots."

"Yes, Dr. Wily," reply the remaining Robot Masters, en masse, as they walk away.

Wily turns back to ProtoMan. "Now that we know how powerful our army is," Wily says, "It's time to disscuss our mission strategies, my boy. But, first, I want you to review this list of new Robot Master concepts."

Albert hands ProtoMan another list - this one full of names - and ProtoMan looks over them.

Proto sees some names with circles around them: Snake Man, Magnet Man, Pharoh Man, Dive Man, Ring Man, Stone Man, Shadow Man, Dust Man, Crystal Man, Drill Man and Bright Man.

"I guess Bright Man is going to be the new Flash Man?", Proto asks.

"Precisly, my boy!", Wily answers.

ProtoMan at the list again and sees names with lines through them, obviously the rejects: Roach Man, Water Man, Music Man, Lucha Man, Pocky Man, Gas Man, Quiz Man, Soda Man, Worm Man, Kong Man, Shout Man, Smoke Man and Burger Man are amung them.  
>One of the names scratched out was "Napalm Man."<p>

"Napalm Man sounds kinda cool. Why'd you scratch him out?", Proto asks.

"We already have two demolitions robots in Bomb Man and Crash Man, there's no need for redundance," Wily responds.

"You should reconsider that one," Proto says, "There's nothing wrong with more big explosions. So, what have you got in mind for these _missions_ you've been talkin' about?", Proto asks, putting the list down and folding his arms.

"I have been doing my research... there are many, many ways we can terrorize people and strategically overtake the world. I've discovered where all of the world's fault lines are," Wily says with a wicked glee, "If we were to..._ distrupt_ them, we would create a series of massive earthquakes. And the best part is, I could trigger them whenever I want!"

"Cool!" Proto grins, "It's _mean_, but still cool! What else?"

"Once Air Man is reconstructed," Wily replies, "I can use his enhanced air power along with Ice Man's slasher beam and all of that liquid nitrogen at the Zero Refrigeration Company to create a giant glacier. Or perhaps I could steal those lovley red rubys our astronauts found on the moon not long ago and create a weapon from them... I have heard they have some sort of power. Speaking of space, I hear there is a large solar focusing lens that they are keeping safe and secure in deep space, far away from someone like me! The destruction that could cause if the lens was weaponized would be devestating!"

"All of these plans sound good, Doc... but one question," Proto asks, "How're we gonna _fund _these missions? We can't rob that many banks that soon."

Wily's smile becomes even wider. "Funny you should ask!", he says, removing a remote from his lab coat pocket and presses a button.

"I have invented three new robots who will pose as a rock music group," Wily says.

"... are you serious?", Proto asks, looking unimpressed.

"Yes, Proto! Humans are stupid," Wily asserts, "they'll buy into whatever crap the entertainment industry vomits up at them! And with robots being so popular right now, they will buy right into the first all-robot rock band! Nobody will ever know that I am their manager. We will put out an album and start a tour, and the more suckers that buy into them, the more money we'll make!" Wily adds, "And the more money we make, the more brilliant plans can be funded!"

Then, a trio of robots make their way to the hangar bay.

"Proto, meet Gemini Man, Spark Man and Gyro Man... otherwise known as Cold Steel!"

The three new Robot Masters are currently in their "Cold Steel" costumes, hiding their true appearances.

Gemini Man is the only one with a full human face, but his cheeks look somewhat gaunt. He is wearing black shoes, brown-red slacks and a blue suit jacket, as well as a dark brown wig to cover up his head.  
>His main power was going to be the ability to create a holographic double of himself, but Wily has had difficulties getting said power to function properly, so until then, he will serve as the "lead singer and guitarist" of Cold Steel.<br>Spark Man was wearing a tall black top hat and a face mask to cover his mouth area. He was wears a grey vest and a white t-shirt to cover his form.  
>He has no hands, but rather two thin rods that he will use to play the drums with. But, these "drumsticks" can fire sparks of dangerous electricity, not too dissimilar from that of ElecMan's power.<br>Gyro Man's face is completely covered by a red wig, a blue bandana with a silver cross-like ornament, black sunglasses and a red bandana covering his mouth area. He is wearing a blue denim vest, a grey t-shirt, low-hanging shorts and purple/black sleeves to hide his true form.  
>He has a large set of blades on his back that take the form of an X and reselmble helecopter blades. They are very sharp and deadly. He will be the group's Bass Player.<p>

"Okay, Dr. Wily..." ProtoMan admits, "I've gotta hand it to you. I've never seen a human more prepared to take over mankind than you."

Wily chuckles, "I like to plan ahead, my boy."

"So, what're we going to do first?", Proto asks.

Wily looks back at his co-creation and smiles again, "First, we go back to New York and deal with your pest of a brother! Let's book ourselves a flight to John F. Kennedy airport!"

Wily chuckles as he preapres for the next encounter with Mega Man... and it could prove to be a difficult challenge for The Blue Bomber.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_As you can see, the beginning of Episode 3 is going to take place where "The Beginning" took place, JFK Airport. I figure, I've already adapted half of that epiosde, I might as well do the other half._

_If you don't like this "William" character, don't worry... you're supposed to hate his stinkin' guts! As you can tell, I am going to touch on some very serious subjects in Episode 3, and his racism against robots is one of them. (But, if I saw somebody in the street waving around a sign that says "NObots", I really wouldn't be able to take them seriously.)_

_As you saw, Napalm Man was referenced on Wily's list, but he was never on the show (aside from that weird rendition of him on the opening sequence.)  
>Some of the rejected Robot Masters on Wily's list (Shout Man, Worm Man and Kong Man) were actually Robot Masters that were scrapped by Kejii Inafune during production.<em>

_Please feel free to leave a review._


	23. Episode 3: The Week

_**EPISODE 3: The Week  
><strong>__(Most of Act 1 is based on events featured in the episode **"The Beginning"** by Mark Jones)_

**The following takes place between the Mega Man cartoon episodes _"The Beginning"_ and _"Electric Nightmare"_**

* * *

><p><strong>June 20X1.<strong>

**It is a period of war.  
><strong>**This war is not being faught between nations or between factions  
><strong>**However, it **_**is**_** between good and evil, with the freedom of the entire world ****hanging in the balance.**

**On one side, stands Dr. Albert Wily. ****A man who allowed the hand that was dealt to him in life get the better of him. ****Armed with an incredible mind, but cursed with one that is diseased, he has built an ****army of robots to help him try to take over the world.**

**On the other side stands Mega Man, Defender of the Human Race. ****Mega Man is a robot, created by Dr. Thomas Light, Wily's old friend who ****turned on him when he began his quest for world domination. ****Mega Man has foiled Wily's plans twice since the mad doctor began his quest.****  
><strong>**Mega Man will fight to protect the world until Dr. Wily falls.**

**... this is The Battle - or The War - for Everlasting Peace, and it still rages on...**

**... and this week will be the most challenging for all parties involved...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Sunday, Part 1.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday, June 5th, 20X1<strong>

_"He's a Dancin' machiiiiiine!"_ sings a group of singers

We then see the massive VickBot 9000 disco dancing in a T.V. commercial, standing on a floor full of flashing lights with a laser light projector behind him and the obligitory disco mirror ball sparkling above him.

_"That's right! Vick-Tek presents the VickBot 9000!"_, says an announcer's boombing voice_ "And he's ready to get his Groove Thang on all __over the world! He's 15 feet and 4 tons of disco dancin' mania! And he won't stop 'till he gets __enough... which may be never!"_

As the announcer speaks, we see the VickBot 9000 demonstrating his dancing rutines, including _The Robot_... naturally. And he's joined on stage by several attractive dancing girls in bright flashy outfits - including the obligitory bell-bottomed pants - who mimic his moves as he makes them.

_"Get your tickets now to witness the hottest robot entertainment act in the world! The __VickBot 9000's Groove on the Move!"_

We then see VickBot 9000 shaking his metallic rear-end right into the camera, where we can see the words **"Shake Your Booty"** have been printed right on his... booty.

We then see the 2-foot-tall toy replica version shucking and jiving on the screen as well.

_"And coming soon, the Mini VickBot 9000. You and your family can get funky with __your own mini VickBot in the comfort of your own home, or your own roller derby rink, or own your __own disco dance floor. And when he's not dancing, you can put him in any crazy pose you want!"_

The commercial ends with the VickBot 9000 ending his dance, pausing with his left hand on his hip and his right hand pointing up in the air, the sterotypical Disco pose.

A Graphic on the bottom of the screen urges the viewers to got to Vick-Tek's website for ticket information and show dates.

The commercial fades to black, then we see another commercial...

_"Welcome to Pizza of the Round Table!"_, proclaims a man with a british accent wearing regal clothing from the era of the round table.

We hear a triumphant middle earth fanfare as we see a pizza being sliced with a sword on the screen, while several knights are seen dueling in the background.

The man continues, _"Pizza of the Round Table is the only resturaunt where you and your family can __enjoy a pizza pie, a jousting match and the reclamation of the Holy Grail all at once. Our pizza __pies are rated better than Electric Pizza's greasy cheese-covered favor discs that they claim to __be pizza in nine surveys out of ten. Order within the next 30 minutes by carrier pigeon or telephone __and you will recieve a complimentary order of middle earth breadsticks and the Fellowship __of the Onion Ring for only-..."_

The ad is cut off and the words **"SPECIAL REPORT"** appear on the screen.

_**"The following is a 7 Eyewitness News Special Report."**_ says the announcer on the screen.

We then see 7 News anchor Trish Falkenburg sitting at the anchor desk, looking serious.

_"We interrput regular programming to bring you an urgent news bulletin,"_ she says, _"John __F. Kennedy international Airport is under attack by Dr. Albert Wily and his robots. Reports __state that the robots that are attacking are six of the seven robots who attacked Times __Square last month. Reportedly, several hostages have been taken in the main terminal and __any attempts by airport police to stop these robots have been met with heavy resistance.  
><em>_All citizens have been ordered to stay away from JFK Airport until the situation is resolved. __We will now go to Chopper 7, which is now flying above the airport for a live look."_

We then see a live shot from the chopper, high above the unfolding carnage taking place below. The original six Robot Masters - Cut Man, GutsMan, Bomb Man, Fire Man, ElecMan and Ice Man All repaired and back in action - wreak havoc here at JFK Airport. Cut Man tosses his cutters to slash the tires of any approaching vehicle. GutsMan rips a chuck of asphalt out of the ground and throws it at a speeding S.W.A.T. team truck and the rest of them are gathering humans and other robots to take as hostages.  
>And reporting from the helicopter is Bree Recotta, roving news reporter. Despite being injured whilst caught in the middle of one of Wily's attacks last month at the Empire State Building, Bree is still putting herself right in the middle of a particularly dangerous situation to get the story.<p>

_"Thank you, Trish,"_ Bree says, _"The attack on JFK Airport began merely fifteen minutes ago. __Eyewitnesses reported that after the flying craft used by Dr. Albert Wily arrived, the six robots __responsible for the deaths at Time Square two months ago started pouring out and __beginning their attack, also several old Sniper Joe units formerly used by police also have joined in on the attack. Any police vehicle that has tried to stop them has either been destroyed __or severely damaged and even some police officers have been taken hostage. We do not yet know if there have been any deaths or serious injuries.  
><em>_If I may make a plea right now... I don't know if you're watching this Mega Man, but if there was __ever a time when we need you, it's right now."_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Laboratory.<br>Just outside of New York City.**

Mega Man places his helmet on his head as he watches the carnage begin to unfold at JFK Airport on the large computer station monitors inside the lab along with Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and Doc the Met.  
>Deep inside, Mega can feel an anger bubbling inside him. This should not be happening right now. Dr. Wily should be in jail... and he <em>would<em> have been facing justice, if it hadn't been for ProtoMan.

"I'm gonna finish the job I started," Mega says, "I'm outta here, guys. Come on, Rush!"

"We're outta here!" Roll echos as she follows Mega Man, "See you later, Dr. Light!"

"Whoa, whoa! Where you going?", Mega asks, coming to a stop and facing his sister.

"With you!", Roll replies as her little friend Doc steps up beside her.

"No way, Roll. It's too dangerous for you!", Mega protests.

Roll's eyes widen and she puts her hands on her hips, looking very displeased that Mega is refusing to let her be a part of the team again, especially after their talk last month.

She snits, "You said we were-"

"I said I'd _think_ about it." Mega interrupts, "And I _have_ thought about it... I almost lost you last time, I'm not putting you in danger like that again... I'm sorry."

Roll stares back at her brother with an irritated look on her face as she folds her arms.

Without another word, Mega Man leaps on Rush's back and jets out with him, heading towards another battle with Wily and his deadly robots... and Roll wishes she was with him.

"Your brother is right, Roll," Thomas says behind her, "Dr. Wily's robots are very dangerous... you know first hand."

"And if I recall corrently, _I_ was the one who saved his titanium butt at the Empire State Building last month!", Roll huffs, "He even told me so!... and _you_ said you had faith in my abilities!"

"Yes, you are capable," Thomas replies, "But, these are very dangerous circumstances."

Roll begins eyeing the garage door and plans on sneaking out like she did last time.

"And don't even think about sneaking out again, young lady," Thomas advises, "Or... you'll be grounded for a week."

Roll glazes her eyes and groans, "All men are the same...even robots!"

Doc the Met beeps and bloops quizically. Roll looks down to see his big eyes innocently looking up at her as he beeps again, almost as if to ask, _Even me?_

Roll can't help but let out a smile and answers, "'cept you, Doc."

Doc lets out a sigh of relief.

Roll looks behind herself at Dr. Light, then back down to Doc the Met... she doesn't care what her father says, she's got to help her brother.  
>Roll kneels down and whispers quietly, "You want to have some <em>real<em> fun?"

Doc nods and smiles.

"Go over to that big door and press the button to open it, but be quiet. Then press the other button right outside to open the other big door. I'll be right behind you."

Doc nods and walks towards the door leading to the garage.

Roll stands up and waits for Doc to arrive to the door. His hardhat flips open and his extendable arm pops out and reaches up to the button.  
>Just as he presses it, Roll tries to cover for the noise of the inner garage door opening by asking, "So, which boltheads did Wily bring with him this time?"<p>

"The six Robot Masters," Light replies, "At least your brother can use their weakness to his advantage... and I'm sure ProtoMan is with them."

"I still think Mega's going to need help, Dr. Light", Roll says, walking towards the garage as she talks, trying to cover the sound of her footsteps, "If you say it's too dangerous for me, then don't you think it's too dangerous for _him_ too?"

"Mega has reinforced armor, Roll. Plus he has trained himself to be as efficiant a fighter as he can be. Do you not have faith in him, Roll?... Roll?"

Thomas looks behind himself after she doesn't reply, and realizes that Roll is gone. "Don't tell me you did this again," he sighs as he rushes to the wide open garage only to see Roll flying away in her SkyCycle.

He sighs, shaking his head, "What am I going to do with this girl?"

* * *

><p><strong>JFK Airport<strong>

As The six original Robot Masters create terror down on the ground and as the leftover Sniper Joe units that weren't destroyed in the raid on Skull Fortress last month gather all of the hostages, Dr. Wily hovers above the scene of the crime in his Skullker vehicle (an exact replacement for the one that was destroyed last month.)  
>With him in the passenger seat, as always, is ProtoMan.<p>

"So, Doc," Proto asks, "Is there any _reason_ why we're attacking this place, aside from luring out my brother?"

"Of course, my boy, "Wily answers, "Create terror, scare people... and do some very bad things!"

ProtoMan asks, "You're not planning on... you know... _killing_ these humans, are you?"

"Not if they... behave themselves," he pauses, looking a little odd as his right eye began to twitch. Wily could hear that little whisper in his head again, urging him to kill them all.

ProtoMan even notices Wily's weird facial ticks. "Okaaaay," he says, a little uneasy, "Um... any other reason why we're here?"

Wily calms down and begins to grin, wiping the sweat that just formed on his balding head. "Yes, actually. And I couldn't help myself on this," he responds as he veers the Skullker over towards an awaiting commercial plane.  
>The vehicle slows down and hovers right besides the plane, where ProtoMan gets a clear view of one of Wily's worker robots painting a large picture of Wily's head on the dorsal wing atop the rear of the plane.<p>

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Proto groans.

"But, this is what the future will look like, Proto," Wily says with a grin, "Once I take over the world, my face will be on everything, everywhere!"

"Something tells me that you just always wanted to see your face on the side of an airplane," Proto quips.

"... Maybe, my boy," Wily admits.

Wily's command console begins beeping and a familiar _Plong_ sound can be heard on the radar... It's Mega Man.

"Showtime!", Wily snears with an even wider grin.

Before Wily could press a button to summon all of the Robot Masters, Proto blocks him. "No, no!" he scolds, "There you go again! We've got a deal, remember? _I_ fight my brother, those boltheads outside do everything else."

With a slight wave and a smirk, ProtoMan says, "See ya!" and makes a mad dash for the rear door of the Skullker and dives out.

Wily's eyes follow him as he leaves and he snarls, "I really should have implanted an obidiance program into that boy."

Wily turns back to presses the communication button on his console and barks, "Attention Robot Masters, Mega Man has arrived... deal with him accordingly!"

* * *

><p><strong>Out in the middle of the airport.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush land in the middle of the carnage and he spots all six of the original Robot Masters running towards him.

"Just like old times," Mega says.

"Hold on, boys," Bomb Man says in his duck-like voice, "I'll take him first."

The robot Master reaches into his round belly and pulls out a round black bomb and ignites it with a flame coming out of his finger. He hurls it in Mega Man's direction, but the Blue Bomber fires a blast at the bomb, causing it to explode before it can reach him.

"Aw, man! He blew up my bomb!", Bomb Man blurts while stomping on the ground with his metal foot, "Let me try again!"

Bomb Man opens up his stomach again, but as he reaches inside, Mega Man fires another blast aimed right for the Robot Master's rotund belly. The blast causes all of the bombs inside to explode, blowing Bomb Man's body apart into several pieces and knocking all of the other Robot Masters to the ground.

"You guys are easier than I thought!" Mega goads.

"That does it!", bellows the mighty GutsMan, who gets back to his feet, "I'm gunna crush you, ya' little blue dweeb!"

"Not today, you're not," says a smug voice nearby.

Mega Man and the remaining Robot Masters look over to see ProtoMan approaching the scene, his yellow scarf flaps in the breeze. "My little brother and I have some unfinished business," ProtoMan smirks, not taking his gaze off of Mega Man, "... Don't we?"

GutsMan gives ProtoMan a shove with his right hand and growls, "Hey! Get outta the way! We got ourselves _a_ opportunity ta destroy that blue jerk!"

"Wow! You're learnin' some big words there, Gusty!" Proto laughs, turning to GutsMan, "Well, you've _missed_ the opportunity. Mega Man's Mine!"

"Who says?" Cut Man jumps in.

"I do!", ProtoMan snaps.

"Hurry up and make up your minds!" Mega calls, "I don't care if it's one at a time, or _all_ at a time! I'm ready."

ProtoMan looks back to his brother and grins. "Looks like somebody's gotten confident. Reminds me of somebody I know!", he says.

GutsMan grumbles and tries to march forward, but Proto puts his arm up. "What did I just say?" ProtoMan says to GutsMan with annoyance, "_I'm_ taking care of this! Go fight the police or something!"

GutsMan growls and slams his big foot onto the ground, shattering the asphault, "You're gunna get it one day, Mega Twerp!"

He then storms off along with the other Robot Masters, leaving ProtoMan to face Mega Man.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring up the part where I saved your hide last month, _Big Brother_," Mega gloats with a smirk of his own.

"You didn't _save_ me," Proto scoffs, his pride not allowing him to admit Mega was right, "I didn't _feel_ like getting myself out of that jam. Can we just fast forward to the part where we fight?"

"I don't mind," Mega answers, "Especially since I owe you for blasting my dog last month!"

Rush growls angrilly and shows his teeth at ProtoMan.

"Hey, sorry!", Proto Man responds with a matter-of-fact tone to his voice, holding his hands up,

"_That_ was just business. If you had only had a _real_ vehicle instead of a dog taking you around everywhere, I'd have shot that instead. If you really care that much about him, you better keep him away."

Mega looks over to Rush and nods.

As Rush steps away, Proto takes advantage of his little brother turning his attention away from him and fires the first shot. Mega Man saw the shot coming, and leapt out of the way, landing on his feet.

"Nice try, Proto!", Mega responds with his own blast, which his older brother avoids, "But, I'm affraid your record is about to slip to 0-and-3!"

And just like that, the two robot brothers are in battle again...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Roll arrives to the airport in her SkyCycle and jumps out. Doc follows her out, landing perfectly on his large yellow feet.<br>Roll runs ahead and sees several of the Robot Masters causing destruction and battleing the police, who have sent in another squad. The Wily bot closest to her is the deadly Fire Man, who is shooting balls of fire towards a police van racing towards him.

Roll turns to Doc and picks him up. "Doc, I'm gonna need a hand... _your_ hand!", she says.

Doc beeps quizically.

"Just follow my instructions," Roll answers, "I'll do the rest."

As Fire Man targets the Police, he feels something tightly wrap itself around his waist, like it was a hand with a very long arm.  
>He turns to see Roll - whom he remembers kidnapping in April - holding Doc in her arms. Doc had used his entension arm to grab ahold of the Robot Master.<p>

"Now, Doc!", Roll says.

Roll jumps and Doc begins rapidly retracting his arm back into the top of his head, but the action actually pulls both himself and Roll towards Fire Man.  
>Before Fire Man can react, Roll lifts her right foot, kicking him right in his face and knocking him to his knees.<p>

Doc lets go and steps away as Roll switches her utility arm to dispenser mode. As Fire Man gets up, fire erupts out of the top of his head, indicating that he is very angry.

"Maybe you should cool off, Hothead!" Roll quips, aiming her utility arm at Fire Man and hosing him with a steady blast of water. The water douces Fire Man's body and puts out his flames long enough for Roll to deliver a hard left kick to his abdomin area, then a swift right roundhouse kick to his head, which knocks Fire Man down to his knees again... but, now comes the finisher.

Roll switches her utilty arm from dispenser mode to Frying Pan mode. She rears back and strikes Fire Man on top of his extinguished head, knocking him out cold.

Doc steps up to Roll and jumps in the air, happy to see his friend victorious.

"Come on, Doc!" Roll says with a confident smile, "This is easy! Mega's gonna see how much he needs us!"

* * *

><p>"Hey!" calls Cut Man, pointing ahead, "Look over there!"<p>

GutsMan looks over his shoulder to see Roll dealing with Fire Man.

"Well, what'da'ya know! It's Mega Twerp's sister!", GutsMan adds.

"ProtoMan said we should fight the police... _or_ something! Eh-heh!" Cut Man laughs.

"And she's the somethin'!" GutsMan laughs, "This is gunna be fun!"

Cut Man eyes a passing monorail car up above them and pulls his cutters off of his head. "It looks like little sister is about to be _CUT OFF_!", Cut Man puns, throwing his cutters up towards the track for the monorail. The cutters slice clean through the tracks, severing them in half.  
>Then, they come back around to their owner and slice the track's support beams, causing the tracks to colapse and the car itself to fall down.<br>Thankfully, the car is un-occupied, or this would have been another massacre.

GutsMan stands below the falling car and manages to catch it effortlessly in his big hands.

"Hey you!", he shouts up ahead.

Roll looks over with Doc to see the hulking Robot Master pointing at them.

"We've got a present for ya!", GutsMan shouts as he throws the entire monorail car in Roll's direction.

Roll gasps and her eyes widen in horror as the car heads right for her and Doc.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Mega Man had heard GutsMan shouting and was morified to see that it was his sister Roll who he was menacing.<br>His emotions turn to horror as he sees GutsMan hurl the monorail car at her.

Mega quickly darts towards his endangered sister, avoiding another blast from ProtoMan.

ProtoMan watches his brother run and sighs, "... damn! He _is_ good!"

Roll stood in terrified silence as the car was heading for her. She wanted to scream, but no sound was coming out, she was in such shock. Doc was scared out of his mind, and ducked under his hardhat.

Roll, put her arms in front of her, as if to block the monorail car as best as she could.

Then, Mega Man and Rush swooped in and shoved her out of the way of danger as Rush grabbed Doc.

The monorail car crashes into the ground where Roll and Doc once stood and crumples like an accordion with a horrifying crunching sound. Anything trapped under there would have been crushed.

Mega Man and Rush stop now that Roll and Doc are safe. Roll opens her eyes and sees her brother standing in front of her.

"Thanks, Mega!" she says, her voice still shakey.

"_You_ were supposed to stay home!" Mega argues, sounding like he is out of breath and pointing his finger at Roll.

"No way!" Roll protests, regaining her composure, "We're in this together!"

"Roll, you almost got yourself destroyed! Again!" Mega argues back.

"Okay, I made one_ little _mistake," Roll replies, "You're no better! I had to save _you_ back at the Empire State Building!"

"And I did pretty well by myself at Skull Fortress the next day!" Mega responds.

"Whatever," Roll shrugs, "I'm your partner whether you like it or not!"

"Roll, behind you!", Mega suddenly calls, pointing behind her.

Roll spins around, facing a Sniper Joe who is creeping behind her, and switches her utility arm to vacuum mode. The power of her vacuum rips the shield the Sniper Joe was carrying out of his hands and sticks it to Roll's vacuum.  
>Roll then reverses the power, sending the shield right back at him and knocking him down.<p>

Roll turns back to face Mega. "Thanks," she says.

"Wow! That was good!" Mega admits.

"Really?", Roll peeps, "Come on, Mega! Give me a chance, please!"

_"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" _yells the voice of Dr. Wily high above on the Skullker's loudspeakers, _"DO __SOMETHING!"_

With that instruction from Dr. Wily, GutsMan, Cut Man, ElecMan and Ice Man all circle the heroes, ProtoMan meanwhile is standing nearby, in no hurry to fight. Mega Man and Roll stand with their backs to one another as Rush growls at the Robot Masters, all ready to fight... Doc hides under his hardhat.

"Well, it looks like you've got your chance, sis!" Mega says.

"Oh, man! I've been waiting for this!" Roll says with confidence.

"That's what I was affraid of," Mega admits...

_**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<br>**Sorry for the cliffhanger, but if i didn't split up the first two chapters, than the first chapter would have been nearly 10,000 words. And I didn't want the chapter that long._

_The VickBot 9000 commercial has two Michael Jackson references. First the lyrics that start the commercial are reminicent of the song "Dancing Machine" from the Jackson 5 and the "He won't stop 'till he gets enough" line from the announcer is a refernce to the song "Don't Stop 'till You Get Enough."  
>Also, the line from the announcer about putting the Mini-VickBot 9000 doll in "Any crazy pose you want" comes from a real life T.V. commercial for Kiss dolls in the 1970's... yes, there really were Kiss dolls.<em>

_I decided not to have Mega get crushed by the monorail car in my version of the story. The only reason why that scene existed was to transition to the flashback. Since I already took care of that with Episode 1, there was no need for it.  
>I also decided not to show Mega Man and ProtoMan fighting again, because I really did not feel like writing another Mega vs. Proto fight scene so soon. It would get very redundant if they fought in all of the episodes.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment._


	24. Sunday, Part 2

**_The Week, Chapter 2: Sunday, Part 2._**

_(**Special Thanks credit:** The Mayor character's last name, "Hill", was given to him by BlackRussian in her Ruby-Spears Mega Man series **"Mega Man: Recut."** The name "Hill" is used here with her permission. Thank you very much!)_

* * *

><p>Mega Man, Roll and Rush stand ready for Dr. Wily's Robot Masters to attack.<p>

Ice Man holds out his gloved hands, prepared to fire a blast from his Ice Slasher beam. He fires the icy beam, causing the heroes to leap away and creating a sheet of ice on the ground where they once stood. Mega Man runs towards Ice Man, however, evading several shots from the warmly-dressed Robot Master. Mega leaps into the air and kicks him in his chest so strongly, he knocked him off his feet.

Mega Man grabs his flailing left arm, copying his weapon once again. Since Fire Man has already been incapacitated, Mega Man figures he might as well use Ice Man's own weapon on him. As Ice Man barely gets to his feet to try and continue the fight, Mega zaps him with the slasher, freezeing him into a statue of ice, naturally.

As Roll regains her composure and glances over to see her brother fighting Ice Man, several bolts of lightning crackle at her feet, just missing them. She looks over to see ElecMan approaching her.

"Come on, toots!" he says, with a leering grin, "I'm sure you'll get a real _charge_ outta me."

Roll gets a disgusted look on her face when she hears ElecMan make his pass at her. "I'd rather kiss a toilet than you, you scumbot!" she snears.

Doc runs in front of his friend Roll, angrilly beeping at ElecMan.

"Why you little...", ElecMan growls as he aims his fingertips at Doc, shooting his lightning.

"Doc, no!", Roll screams.

Doc hides under his hardhat as the lightning hits it, protecting him from the shot. He peeks his head back out and sticks his tounge out at the Robot Master, making a whoopie cushion sound.

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, you creep!" Roll shouts, clinching her fists.

"Alright," ElecMan smriks, "_You_ look like you're close to my size! Seeing as you like to play rough, I think I'll see how you like 100,000 watts of electricity when I-... HEY!". ElecMan was never finished his sentance, as Rush swooped in from behind and picked up ElecMan with his front paws.

Roll switched her utility arm over to juicer mode and held it up. "Drop him off here, boy!", Roll calls.

Rush hovers over and drops ElecMan off upside down and Doc shoots his extension arm at him, grabbing him by his ankles. ElecMan lands upside down, head-first on top of Roll's juicer and both she and Doc hold him in place.

"Hey!" ElecMan whines, "Let me go, or I'll zap all of you!"

"Mega!", Roll calls, "Over here!"

Mega Man looks over and sees the amusing sight of his sister and Doc holding up ElecMan. Mega aims his blaster and fires, striking the Robot Master in the chest and Roll throws him down.

"I told you we'd make a great team!" Roll exclaims.

Mega Man can hear a buzzing sound behind him, and that was the sound of Cut Man's cutters. Mega leaps high up into the air, missing the giant scissors and turns his body to face his foe in mid-air. He fires another shot from his blaster, hitting Cut Man his the chest, taking him down.  
>Mega lands near the Robot Master and grabs his arm, copying his power again. The pair of cutters that Cut Man had flung in Mega's direction now fall lifelessly to the ground.<p>

"No!", Cut Man wails, "You took my weapon _again_!" Cut Man frantically gets up and runs away from Mega Man.

"You better get going, Cut Man," Mega Man says with a smirk errily similar to his brother's, "Or as _you_ would say, you better _Cut_ out of here!"

Mega fires the cutters from his blaster arm, and Cut Man desperately tries to pick up speed. The cutters follow him all the way back to the Skullker. Cut Man runs inside Wily's flying craft and wails, "Dr. Wily! Help!"

"You IDIOT!", Wily yells, "Those damn cutters of yours are heading right for us!"

Wily presses a button to close the Skullker's rear door before the cutters could follow Cut Man inside. The cutters wedge themselves deep into the door, but cannot cut through it.

As Roll steps up to her brother, she groans, "_Ugh_... Mega, did you _really_ just make that pun?."

"I was just giving Cut Man a taste of his own medicine," Mega replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"And that's what I'm gunna give _you_, ya' blue dweeb!", Bellows the mighty GutsMan, who stood by waiting for he chance to battle Mega Man.

"Not today, big boy!", says ProtoMan, who grabs onto one of GutsMan's massive arms, copying his power. Once the copy is done, ProtoMan's forearm apeared to be twice as large, as does his hand as a large piece of thick titanium armor suddenly appears on his left arm, increasing his strength in that arm by a huge margin.

"Hey!", GutsMan booms, "Whadda you think you're doin'?"

"Tending to unfinished business," ProtoMan answers, "Get back with the others in the Skullker."

"But, I wanna crush Mega Man!" GutsMan whines

"Too bad!", Proto says, stepping towards his brother and sister.

GutsMan grows angry and tries to flip over a nearby baggage truck... but, without his strength, he can't even do _that_ anymore. He then runs back to the Skullker, sounding like he's crying like a baby.

Mega Man stands in front of Roll, trying to protect his sister from the approaching ProtoMan. "Roll, you need to get away," he says with seriousness in his voice.

"Come on, Mega," Roll argues, "You saw how I handled these goofs! He can't be _that_ tough."

"Oh, I'd do what he says... _sis_!", ProtoMan teases.

Roll puts her hands on her hips and snaps back at ProtoMan, "I'm _not_ your sis! Jerk!"

"Roll, stay back, I'm serious," Mega urgently barks, "He's not like the others."

Even Doc beeps, pulling at one of Roll's arms with his extension arm, trying to get her away from here.

"Fine, whatever!" Roll huffs, picking Doc up and running away as Mega Man turns his total attention to ProtoMan

"You didn't know you weren't the only robot who could copy weapons, did you, little brother?", Proto asks with that smirk, slowly stalking his brother.

Mega Man doesn't respond, keeping a sharp eye on ProtoMan, trying to figure out how he can defeat him now that he has GutsMan's strength in his left arm.

Proto suddenly leaps straight ahead at his brother, who aims his blaster at him and fires. ProtoMan dodges the shot and punches Mega Man right in his chest, sending him flying backwards, crashing through the outer wall of a nearby hangar which is storing an unfinished commercial airplane similar to the old 747 design from over a century ago.  
>Rush, Roll and Doc all watch in horror as ProtoMan jumps into the hole in the hangar wall. They begin running over to the hangar, hoping Mega Man isn't about to be destroyed.<p>

* * *

><p>ProtoMan, still equipped with his super arm, looked around the hangar bay and sees no trace of his brother. The rubble from the new hole in the wall was still here, but Mega Man wasn't.<p>

"Where the hell did you go?", ProtoMan mutters, "You're not gonna rob me of my victory that easily, little brother."

ProtoMan looks over at the unfinished airplane being stored here. The front tip of the plane - where the cockpit would usually be - has not been even been built yet. He guesses that is where his brother is hiding and approaches the plane. But then, Proto hears something behind him. He turns around to see his brother's two large blue feet speeding in his direction.

Mega Man swung from a nearby cable that was dangling and dropkicked his crooked brother, sending _him_ flying backwards and into one of the airplane's four large turbine engines.

Mega Man dashes over to a nearby console which is connected to the plane. The console is meant to test the plane's systems before the cockpit instruments are installed. Mega enters a command to start up the plane's engines.

ProtoMan struggles to get to his feet, then feels a strong rumbling all around him inside of the engine. Then, he feels an incredible pulling force trying to suck him inside. Proto grabs onto the sides of the engine - his grip with his left hand is much stronger, thanks to the Super Arm - trying desperately not to get sucked inside.

Mega Man is sure that even if ProtoMan does get sucked into the engine, his damage won't be fatal, thanks to his reinforced titanium armor. Mega aims his plasma cannon at his brother and fires, and the blast strikes Proto dead center in his chest, causing him to lose his grip on the engine, sucking him inside.

Seconds later, the engine makes a horrid noise that sounds like twisting metal and a huge plume of smoke erupts from the back and ProtoMan is spit out of the back of it, landing on the floor with a loud slam.

Mega Man runs over to his fallen brother and sees that he's in rough shape. His armor is badly damaged, sporting large gashes in some areas and indentations in others. Fortunately, he doesn't appear to have any internal injuries and he is not losing any oil, a robot's equivalent to blood. His yellow scarf has been ripped to shreds, and a big chunk of his helmet was sliced off, but miraculously, both his visor and the skin on his face are undamaged.

ProtoMan is so weak, he can barely move and lets out a very weak moan.

"Relax, Proto," Mega says with a re-assuring tone, "You're going to be okay."

Mega Man helps his damaged brother to his feet and begins taking him out of the building, carrying his older brother to his side with his right arm slumped over Mega's shoulders.

"What are you _doing_?", Roll asks from outside, looking into the hangar through the hole in the wall.

"I'm taking him home to Dr. Light," Mega answers.

"Have you totally fried a circuit or something?", Roll asks, totally flustered at the thought that ProtoMan is coming back home with _them_.

"Dr. Light can fix whatever it is Wily's done to him," Mega firmly answers as he walks through the hole in the hangar wall, with ProtoMan still held to his side, "Then, he can fight _with_ me to stop Wily."

"This jerk?", Roll replies with a disgusted facial expression, "No way!"

"I'm not arguing with you on this, Roll," Mega persists, "We're getting this garbage out of his systems."

Suddenly, two metallic clamp arms grab ProtoMan out of Mega Man's grasp and pull him up into the sky. These clamp arms belong to the Skullker, and they quickly pull ProtoMan into the flying craft through the rear door.

"No!", Mega yells, firing another shot from his blaster, but the Skullker quickly flees the scene.

Mega Man slumps down to his knees, then into a sitting position on the ground with his head in his hands. Mega looks back up to the sky and clearly sees that the Skullker was already no longer visible.  
>Mega balls up his right fist and holds it up to his forehead, clearly looking frustrated. He had his brother right in his hands and was about to take him home, but just like that, he was gone, back in Wily's clutches.<p>

Roll approaches her brother, kneeling down beside him. "I'm sorry, Mega," she says sincerely.

"Roll, don't you remember the video Dr. Light showed us?" Mega asks, still sounding angry that Proto was just snatched away so easily, "He wasn't _always_ like this. All I wanted to do was bring him back to the lab so Dr. Light could let him be normal again, so we could get him away from Wily," he then mopes, "So he could be our brother, not our enemy."

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime Later.<strong>

The hostages have been freed by Mega Man, Roll and the New York Police Department. Thankully, there are no casualties and any injuries sustained during the attack were minor.

Mayor Hill and Police Chief Toombs approach Mega Man and the rest of the Light family. This is the first time they have met the heroes since the Medal of Valor cerimony in April.

"Hey-hey!" pipes the smiling Scottish Chief, giving Mega Man a congratulatory slap on his titanium back, "You really got 'em good today, laddy!"

"Thank you, sir," Mega Man shrugs.

A smile comes accross Mayor Hill's moustached lips. "Chief Toombs just informed me that there were no human or robot casualties during the attack. The damage caused here can easily be repaired... and the crew here says they'll get to work on removing _his_ ugly mug off of that plane," the Mayor says, pointing to the airplane with Wily's picture painted on it.

The Mayor extends his hand to Mega and shaking it. "Thank you, Mega Man," he says, "on another job well done."

"You're welcome, Mr. Mayor... but the credit belongs to all of us," Mega modestly admits.

Roll tilts her head and sweetly asks her brother, "Even _me_?"

"Even though you _should_ have stayed home where it's safe... yeah, even you, sis," Mega replies with a charming smile.

Roll now smiles and gives her brother a tight hug right in front of the Mayor and the Police Chief. "Thank you, Mega! You're the greatest brother in the world!"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man, Roll, Rush and Doc return home from their mission at JFK Airport. Roll is the first to run inside to meet Dr. Light.

"Did you see us, Dr. Light?", Roll giddily asks, "We were kicking Wily's robots' cans! Weren't we, Mega?"

"I'll give you credit, sis," Mega admits, "You were pretty good out there!"

"Indeed, I saw you, Roll," Thomas says with his hands in his pockets, "And I am very proud of both of you for being so brave... _but_..."

Roll's smile drops slightly, "But, what?"

"I asked you not to sneak out, Roll... yet you did anyway," Thomas calmy states, as he is not angry with his daughter, but disappointed.

"... oh!" Roll frets, remembering what her father said earlier, "I'm sorry, Dr. Light! I didn't mean to," she stammers, her voice bcoming more of a desperate plea, "well, I _did_ mean to, but... I didn't mean to let you down, honest. I'm so sorry!"

"I can forgive you for sneaking out, because I know you have the same compassion and self-determination to help people like Mega Man does," Dr. Light says, "If I was still a young man, I might have been inclined to join you both too."

Roll looks relieved, slumping her shoulders down as she lets out a sigh of relief. "I knew you'd understand, Dr. Light."

"Don't get me wrong, Roll," Light clarifies, "You're _still _grounded."

Roll's eyes widen and her mouth hangs open. "But... I just helped Mega save all those people!" Roll desperately pleads her case, "Mega even told me I did great! And you're _still_ grounding me?"

"You did a great thing by helping those people today," Thomas says, "but, you still went against what I, as your father, told you to do."

"But, I... I," Roll mumbles.

"I'm sorry, Roll. But, you have to learn your lesson somehow," Thomas says.

Roll pouts, "You're no fun _at all_, Dr. Light!", and leaves the lab. Doc the Met, of course, follows her on the way out.

Mega Man steps up to his father/creator, unsure that grounding Roll was the best call. "Jeez, Doc, don't you think that was a little harsh?", he asks.

Thomas lets out a sigh as he answers, "I hated having to ground her, because she's such a good girl, but I told her not to sneak out. I had to do it, because if I didn't, she would _never_ listen to me."

"I know you don't want Roll in danger any more than I do," Mega says, "but I have to admit, she handled herself pretty good out there... granted, we almost got squished by a monorail car."

"But, that's exactly why I don't want her out there," Thomas counterpoints, "They targeted her because she got in their way. What if you couldn't have made it to her on time?"

Mega Man just nods, "I understand... I was so scared she was going to get crushed, I think I broke the sound barrier just getting to her."

"I just don't want anything happening to her," Thomas sighs, "And if you hadn't convinced me to rebuild you, _you_ wouldn't be out there in danger either, Rock."

"I know," Mega answers, "But, I'm the only one who can stop him."

Thomas nods, "Yes... I'm affraid you are."

* * *

><p><strong>Roll's bedroom.<strong>

Behind the closed door of her bedroom (which she locked, because she doesn't want to talk to her father right now, ) Roll paces the floor, her elated mood shattered.

"I can't believe he grounded me!", she exclaims, her voice a mix of anger and shock, "After we helped all of those people at the airport, he _still_ grounded me! We were supposed to go out this week too! Now I feel like I'm in jail!"

Doc the Met stands on Roll's bed, watching her vent. He beeps to her, sounding like he's asking a question. He wants to know if he's grounded too.

"Yeah, you probably are too, Doc," Roll mopes.

Doc lets out a disapointed beep, letting his hardhat slump down over his big eyes.

As Roll slumps down onto her bed next to Doc, she sulks, "Now, I'm stuck here for a week doing these lame chores."

Doc looks up to his friend Roll and bleeps, saying that they can still have fun here at home.

Roll looks back down and can't help but smile again. "You're such an optimist, Doc," she replies, "But, what are we going to do?"

Doc looks around Roll's room, then he beeps, nodding his head towards Roll's computer.

"You want to play a video game?" Roll asks with a noticable giggle in her voice.

Doc nods and smiles.

"Okay," Roll replies, getting up to start-up her computer, "I bought this really cool one at the mall a few weeks ago. It's called _Skyblasters_. I know you'll love it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<br>****Located somewhere in the badlands between Nevada and Arizona.**

Deep inside the main command center room of Dr. Wily's massive fortress, the Robot Masters who were involved in today's mission, and are on the wrong end of one of Wily's angry tirades.

"I can't believe you idiots failed me so badly!", he yells, "If I had known you were each going to be such worthless piles of slack, I would have personally scrapped you all myself!"

GutsMan, Cut Man and ElecMan mope while Ice Man shivers, still suffering the effects of being frozen by his own ice weapon. Meanwhile, Fire Man is still cross-eyed from being struck by Roll's frying pan and Bomb Man is still in pieces... literally.

"All of you, get out of my face!" Albert yells, "I have _important_ repair work to do, so go make yourselves useful... and try not to screw it up!"

GutsMan whines, "But, without my super strength, I can't do anything around here!"

"Well, that's just too damn bad!", Wily yells, "Now shut-up and get out of my face!"

As Wily's robots scatter, Albert storms out of his main command center and makes his way down the cold dark corridors of his fortress.  
>All the way down to his workshop Wily talks to himself, still angry about the failure at JFK airport.<p>

"Morons!" he mutters, "He's just one robot! He can't be that difficult! He got lucky last month... I'll show him and Thomas and their whole happy little family! I'll build more robots... _better_ robots... and soon, Mega Man will finally..."

Albert pauses and freezes in the middle of the corridor. He is sure he heard someone follow him. He looks behind himself, but sees nothing but the unforgiving titanium walls of the corridor.

Wily hollars, "Who the hell was that?"

But, nobody responds.

Albert turns back and continues walking until he reaches his workshop. He opens the door and there, lying prone on a flat worktable, is the damaged body of ProtoMan. He is in recharge mode right now and the remains of his yellow scarf have been disposed of.

Albert takes his labcoat off and throws it aside, grabbing his tools to begin work on fixing his best robot. Wily uses the tools he has to detatch ProtoMan's damaged titanium chest plate off, revealing his internal parts and his metal "skeleton" underneath.

"Well, this is useless now," Albert says of the shredded piece of titanium armor, tossing it to the ground, "Time to make another."

The loud _clang_ sound the damaged armor makes when it hits the floor wakes up ProtoMan, who groans.

"Oh, my head," he moans, reaching up to the area of his helmet that was severely damaged, where a blade from the airplane's engine collided with it. Miraculously, only the helmet was damaged and not Proto's head.

"Lie still, my boy," Wily advises, "You were damaged in the battle with your goodie-two-shoes brother."

Behind his visor, ProtoMan looks up at Albert. "Is this the part where you yell at me and say I screwed things up?", he asks, weakly.

"... no, my boy," Wily replies, surprisingly, "You did good. You took charge, showed no remorse. I like that. I'm sure Mega Man only got lucky."

"He did," Proto replies, "He kicked me into a big airplane engine... I felt a lot of pain... not as bad as whatever the hell I felt when I was born... I don't remember anything else."

"You were out of it, Proto," Wily says, "It looked like they were going to try to take you back to Thomas Light."

"_Ugh_... thanks for saving me from going back to that idiot," Proto replies.

Wily can't help but grin at ProtoMan's desire to never be taken back to Dr. Light's lab and to stay here and continue serving his his second-in-command.

"Anytime, my boy," Wily adds.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Mega Man stands tall on the roof of Dr. Light's lab complex as he stares ahead at New York City off in the distance.  
>He has replayed today's moments over and over again in his mind, wondering if there was some way he could have brought ProtoMan back to the lab before Wily got him back.<br>Even if Roll and Mega hadn't argued over bringing Proto back, Wily still would have had enough time to snatch ProtoMan. And even if Mega could have caught up with Wily, he didn't have enough power left after being struck with the Super Arm.

Dr. Light walks up to the roof, exiting the stairway canopy leading to the top. "Well, you sister is not in the mood to speak to me tonight, it seems," Thomas says, shrugging, "So, I wanted to check on you."

"I'm okay, Dr. Light," Mega sighs.

"But, something's wrong," Thomas notices, "I know when you are bothered by something, you always come up here. You can tell me, son. Is it those unfortunate protesters again."

Dr. Light is making reference to the small group of Anti-Robot demonstrators whose leader promises to start another protest tomorrow afternoon, using today's attack at JFK International Airport as an example.

"That's _one_ thing that bothers me... but it's something else," Mega says, "... it's my brother."

Thomas puts his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and listens intently to his son.

"Today, after I defeated him, he was too weak to put up a fight... I was going to bring him back home for you... I know you want to him to be normal again... I had him in my arms," Mega continues, growing agitated, "Then, Wily swooped down and took him... If I had only been able to get him back in April, he wouldn't have been there to save Wily last month... this war would have already been over!" Mega hangs his head down and sighs, "I'm sorry, father."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Rock," Thomas says, using his son's original name and putting one of his arms over his shoulders, "I know you're doing your best... and your best is better than what anybody else has been able to do Wily."

"But, it's not enough... not for me anyway," Mega says, staring ahead at the city, "not until Wily's in jail."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_I really don't have any insights on this chapter. Just adjusted a few scenes for this episode._

_Thanks again to BlackRussian for use of the "Hill" name._

_Please remember to leave a review or comment._


	25. Monday

_**The Week, Chapter 3: Monday.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Monday, June 6th, 20X1<br>****Governor's Mansion.  
><strong>**Albany, New York.**

The Governor of the state of New York, George Cochran, is meeting with Mega Man in the large mansion in Albany, the capital of the state of new York.

"I want to thank you for saving JFK International yesterday," the proud tall Governor says, "You did a great job. And I noticed that your little sister got involved again."

"She did," Mega shrugs, "She'd be here with me now, but... please don't tell her I said this, but Dr. Light grounded her for sneaking out to fight."

Governor Cochran couldn't help but laugh at that comment. "Well, you can tell her that I think she's a tough little girl. And I'm glad this world has _both of you_ and Dr. Light here for us," he says.

"I'll tell her, Mr. Governor," Mega smiles, "That will make her feel better... but, Dr. Light won't hear the end of it."

Changing the subject to a more pressing matter, Cochran says, his smile disappearing, "Mega Man... I want to apologize."

"For what, sir?", Mega Man asks.

"For these anti-robot protests that are taking place," Cochran replies, "I know that you and all robots in this world don't mean the world any harm... except maybe for the Wily robots. And you, in particular, are the finest robot in the world."

"Thank you, sir," Mega replies, "I admit, those people really bothered me. I don't know what that guy's problem is."

Cochran's brow furrows when Mega referrs to the lead protester as _That Guy_. The wise governor asks, "You _really_ don't know who started all of this?"

"No, sir," Mega responds, as he has never heard who the leader really is.

The Governor sighs and walks over to a window, looking outside of it. "The man who is behind these protests is... my son," he painfully admits.

Mega Man is surprised to hear this revealation from him, but come to think of it, they do have a resemblance.

The Governor continues, "Ever since William lost his job at a computer company, when they decided that robots would be more efficient than the slackers they hired, my son has hated robots. And recently, he's been trying to get robots outlawed. He keeps saying that all robots want to wipe out humanity. And when Wily started attacking the country, my son wouldn't shut-up about it. So, he took it upon himself to spread his message of hatred to others. When he started the fight at the last protest, I offered to bail him out of jail on the condition that he stopped this foolishness... yet, he still does this garbage."

The elder Cochran turns back to face Mega Man and adds, "I truly and deeply apologize for my son's actions. I will deal with him myself when the time is right."

"There's no need to apologize, Mr. Cochran," Mega says, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't know he was your son."

"I understand. I'm surprised you hadn't heard," the Governor replies, "he's been all over the news."

The tall governor steps over to Mega Man, standing next to him. "To be honest," he says, sounding heavy-hearted, "I wish my son had the same qualities that you have. You have all of the morals and ethics that make for a good person. I'm sure Dr. Light is very proud of you."

Mega nods, "He is, very much so."

The Governor smiles, but the smile disappears as he looks down at hs feet, his thoughts reverting back to his own son, who is an embarrassment to him.

"I wish I could say the same for my son," he says, "but, something tells me that I never will."

* * *

><p><strong>Eleswhere in Manhattan, New York.<strong>

Another Anti-Robot protest has begun in the city and it appears a slightly larger group of people has formed this time. William Reid Cochran, the Governor's own son, is once again the man behind all of this.  
>Like last time, he has his bullhorn with him and is shouting his hateful words into it... and once again, the majority of people just ignore him, but that will not stop him from spreading his word of hate and trying to instill fear of a robot apocalypse.<p>

"You saw what happened yesterday! These robots tried to take JFK airport," he says into the bullhorn, "Before you know it, they'll try to take our banks, our hospitals, our White House... our _children_! Are we gonna stand for that?"

"No!", reply all of the unfortunate souls who have joined William, en masse.

"Are we we gonna keil over and die for these robots when they tell us it's time to die?"

"No!", they repeat.

"So, what are we gonna say when it's time to revolt?", William asks.

"Shut-up, jackass!", yells a nearby motorist.

William quickly turns around and yells into the bullhorn, "YOUR MOTHER!"

The driver flips William off with his arms as he drives past and the citizens nearby who _aren't_ joining-in on William's rally begin laughing.

"Oh, you people think it's _funny_, do you?" he says on his bullhorn at the nearby citizens, "We'll see how funny it is when robots everywhere turn on us and make us their prisoners! Can't you See? They've already started turning!"

Then, a Police cruiser approaches the scene. William immediately spots the Policebot seated in the passenger seat, looking directly at the protesters.

"Oh, look who's here," William groans.

The human driver of the cruiser, Officer Lynn Wersching steps out and looks directly at the son of the Governor.

"Oh!" William says, sounding more perky, "Look who's here!"

William turns to face his supporters and says, "Don't worry, everybody. I'll handle this."

"So, you're at it again, huh, sonny boy?", she goads, stepping up to him, "I hope you're not starting any fights this time."

William grins and replies, "Don't worry, officer. I will refrain from letting things get out of hand. We are just having a nice peaceful demonstration, not causing any civil unrest."

"Okay," Lynn says, "Then, I guess _'Your Mother' _is your way of saying _'Have a Nice Day_?'"

William shrugs. "I admit, there was one unfortunate non-believer who got the better of me. But, I assure you," he says, wearing a coy smile, "I won't start any trouble... although, I _could_ get used to the idea of _you_ putting me in handcuffs."

Lynn smirks, "Trust me, I'll leave it to my friend over here," she says, nodding back towards QN-60.

As Lynn begins to walk away, William mocks her. "Your _Friend_?", he says with a snide tone, "... I knew you were a lousy Robot Lover."

Wersching turns back around to look at William with narrow eyes. Some of the protesters start backing up, getting a bad feeling about where this is going.

Lynn steps right up to William, and sternly orders, "You just better behave yourself, racist... I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Yes, Officer," William replies with a smug tone, "I'll be a good boy. In the meantime, you should run along with your robot _friend _over there. I'm sure there's an _actual _crime happening that requires your attention more than this."

Lynn snears and walks away, back to her cruiser and QN-60 follows her. William gives a wave with a smarmy grin. "Have a nice day!" he calls.

As Lynn drives away, she admits, "This is why I like some robots better than humans."

"Thank you, Lynn. I have never been more flattered," QN-60 replies.

Right then, Lynn has remembers her old partner, AL-05, who was destroyed in Dr. Wily's failed Times Square attack.  
>She smiles bacuase her current partner remined her so much of him, because that comment sounded exactly like something he would say.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

In his main office on the upper levels of his corporation's skyscraper, Marcus Vickers puts his black suit jacket on, ready to interview some of the candidates for the very important job of lead designer for the Vick-Tek's top secret "Robot Warrior" project, for which the company has aqquired a massive ammount of titanium metal to build their robot's armor and chassis with.  
>Last month, the company's (now former) Research and Development team began work on the project, trotting out the VickBot series of robots... to say the results were disasterous would be the understatment of the millennium.<br>However, the company's new VickBot 9000 attraction would not have been possible if it were not for those early (horrid) efforts... the previous R&D team is getting no royalty money from the VickBot 9000, of course.

With Mr. Vickers, as always, is his Vice President - and _Yes Man_ - Scott Erikson.

"Today is a new beginning, Scott," Vickers says, "The beginning of undoing the damage done by our unfortunate former R&D team, and the birth of our own Robot Warrior."

"It is indeed, sir," Erikson says.

"Did we ever hear back from the Russian scientist," Vickers asks, "Dr. Cossack?"

"We tried to acquire his services, sir," Scott answers, "But, his people say he has put all of his work-related projects on hold until further notice."

"Why?", Vickers asks, flustered.

"His people say it was a personal matter, sir," Erikson answers.

Vickers lets out a sigh. "Damn shame. I read-up on him," he says, "he's the third most proficiant robotics scientist in the world, behind Thomas Light and that loon Wily. I would have liked to have had _him _develop this project, I really would have... he's probably holding out for more money."

Erikson gulps, about to offer an opposing viewpoint to his boss, which is something he has really ever done. "I must say, I _do_ doubt that, sir," he says, "Personal matters are usually... not good."

"Yeah, but they always say 'personal matters' if they're not _really_ inerested yet," Vickers claims - in what is unquestionably a very bizarre opinion - , and then takes his seat behind his desk, "If we don't find our scientist with this group of candidates, let Cossack know just much money he can make from working with us."

"Yes, sir," Erikson says, now sitting next to Vickers, who is now reaching over to his intercom button and pressing it.

Vickers asks, "I trust that all of the candidates have signed the non-disclosure embargo?"

"They all have, sir," Erikson replies,"Anybody who discussed the Robot Warrior project will be served with a One-Hundred-Million dollar lawsuit."

Vickers leans into his intercom, presses a button. "Send in the first!", he says.

* * *

><p>The first candidate for the job is an inventor named Sam Post, mostly known for making consumer projects<p>

"So, Mr. Post," Vickers begins, "What kind of projects have you worked on?"

"Well, Mr. Vickers I helped refine the Ajax Global Satilite Positioning system most recently, but before that, I developed the advanced Home Alert home security system. I also invented the NannyBot series of robots."

Vickers' eyes widen, remembering the troubles with the recycled Nannybot that went into the VickBot 5000 prototype... the one that vomitted mustard.

"Y-you invented _what_?" he stammers.

"...the NannyBot series, sir. The _original_ NannyBot."

"The ones with the metal faces always stuck in a smile, right?", Marcus asks.

"Yes!" Post replies, smiling.

Vickers justs looks accross at Mr. Post... and then his eyes shift to a shiny red button on his desk. Vickers then presses the shiny red and the floor underneath Mr. Post gives way, and the chair he is sitting in tilts over, dropping him down a long shaft leading all the way to the buttom of the building.

Erikson looks horrified as he nearly leaps out of his chair next to Vickers'. "You never told me there was a trap door in the officer, sir!", Erikson mutters.

"It's for emergency reasons, Scott," Vickers calmy answers, "It has come in handy in few times when I've had to fire somebody."

"If you don't mind me saying, this was _not_ an emergency, sir!", Erikson protests.

"Do you remember the Vickbot 5000? That's reason _enough_ to dump him back into the garage."

"The _Garage_?," Erikson gasps, "But, that's an an eighty-story drop, Sir!"

"Don't worry, Scott," Vickers replies, "We haven't had a trap door fatality yet. My security team has taken measures to make sure it's a safe drop down."

Erikson lets out a sigh and eases back into his chair.

Vickers presses his intercom button and says, "Next!"

* * *

><p>In the parking garage of the Vick-Tek corporate headquarters, Mr. Post's screams can be heard echoing in the garage as he falls out of a hole in the ceiling, until he falls into an extra-deep dumpster full of sand.<br>His body causes a huge plume of sand to emerge from the dumpster, cloudling the entire floor and a yellow sand cloud.

A few seconds later, Mr. Post barely finds his wa to the ledge of the dumpster, his clothing stained, his horn-rimmed glasses dirty and spitting sand out of his mouth.

"What was wrong with the NannyBot?" he warbles.

* * *

><p>Another candidate for the job is speaking with Vickers and Erikson (whose heart rate has finally returned to normal.) This candidate is a man named Anil Dermish, an Indian-American man who is a notable figure in the world of technology.<p>

"So, Mr Dermish, tell us your qualifications and also why you think you would be the man to build our Robot Warrior."

Mr. Dermish looks at his international translator to read Vickers' question, translated into Indian.  
>He then looks up with a smile and replies (in his native language),"Ah! I think you will be very pleased Mr. Vickers. I have created many technological innovations such as the new rocket proulsion system used in modern day space launches, which is much less crude than the methods used in the 20th century. I also was hired by the denfense counsil in my home country to develop a new security system that helped bring to justice an entire gang of hoodlums."<p>

Vickers awaits for the translation on his international translator, but, there's one problem... the translator is not working. It is an official Vick-Tek translater which was developed by his previous R&D team... that pretty much explains the whole problem right there.

Vickers nervously shakes the translater device, then tries to hit it with his hand, but it still doesn't work.

Vickers, barely mumbles to Erikson, "Cover for me, Scott."

Mr. Dermish continues (in his language), "I feel that Mega Man is a truly great hero and that Dr. Light is perhaps the greatest scientific mind in the world, but I would be more than honored to help join the cause to bring this madman Dr. Wily to justice, for the good of humanity."

Erikson smiles and nods, pretending he understands what Mr. Dermish is saying. "Oh!", Erikson says, "Muchias Gracias!"

Vickers looks at Erikson with a flaberghasted face. "He's _not_ hispanic!", he blurts.

Erikson immediately bolts out of his chair and stands aside, affraid he might be the next one to be jettisoned down a trap door.

Vickers looks back at the confused Mr. Dermish and asks, "Could you excuse me for a moment?"

Marcus gets up and walks to a smaller room in his office. He opens a compartment in the small desk in the office, pulling out a large bottle of Scotch, and a glass already filled with ice.

Vickers looks up to the sky and groans, "Why?"

He then opens the Scotch bottle and pours some of it into the glass. Vickers brings the glass to his lips... but then he eyes the large bottle.

"Oh, yeah," he sighs, putting the glass down, opting to drink straight from the bottle instead.

This is going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

><p><strong>A few interviews later.<strong>

By now, after drinking quite a bit of his scotch, Vickers clearly looks sloshed. His hair his messy, his right eyelid is drooping, his tie is untied, he has the hiccups and his breath reeks of alcohol.

The next potential candidate for the job tries to sell himself to Vickers. "I am a graduate of Harvard with a major in science, and-"

Vickers hiccups, interrupting him, "Lissen, buddy... I juss wand you ta do one thing, uhkay?" Vickers slurrs, as Erikson looks concerned, "I want, er- ,we want, no, I.., _I_ want you ta' juss make... make me a robit that make things 'splode real well, uhkay?"

Erikson says to the Harvard grad, "Um... I think you should re-schedule your interview. Mr. Vickers isn't feeling well. I think it was something at cattering."

As yet another potential client leaves, looking quite disgusted as he walks out, Erikson says on the intercom, "Today's rounds of interviews are over. All further interviews have been-"

Vickers hiccups again as he nods off in his chair.

"... delayed until futher notice," Erikson finishes, "In the mean time, please summon Mr. Vickers' limo. He needs to return home."

Erikson tries his best to get his boss to his feet, pulling him out of his chair and Vickers lazily puts his arm over Erikson's shoulders.

"Lemmie tell you somethin', Zcott," Vicker slurrs, "I would not never put you down the trap door, man! I like you, man!"

"Um, thank you, sir," Erikson replies, still trying to drag Marcus out of his office.

"Nah, man, I mean it, y-you're the one of 'da good ones, man," drunken Vickers rambles, "Even though ya' got theat guy's launguage wrong, it's okay, man."

"I appriciate it, sir. Please, just wait here for a moment while I get the dossiers for the other job candidates," Erikson says, making the misktake of letting his inebriated boss out of his grasp.

"Groovy, man," Vickers moans. But as soon as Scott lets go of Vickers, he colapses face first onto the marble floor of his own office, passed out.

Erikson walks back up to him, trying to wake him up. "Sir? You appear to have fallen down... sir?", he says, trying in vain to pick him up.

Finally, Erikson picks up Vickers' legs and begins dragging his drunken body out of the office.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

Mega Man walks down the hallway on the upper floor of Dr. Light's house adjoining the lab without his trademark blue helmet, letting his bushy brown hair show. He walks up to Roll's bedroom door which is right accross from his own and he can hear her rock music playing loudly from behind the door.

"Next time we go to the mall, I'm buying her some headphones," he says, sure to make a note of it.

Mega then knocks on her door. "Sis, it's me."

Mega hears the music come to a sudden stop and seconds later Roll opens up the door and smiles when she sees him. "Welcome back, Mega," she says, "I hope you weren't _too_ bored while you were gone."

"I'm okay. So, how's the grounded life treating you?" Mega asks jokingly.

Roll's smile disappears. "Oh, very funny," she groans.

"I'm just teasing you, sis," Mega says, "It's not like you're not allowed to leave your room."

"I know, but it's boring doing all of the housework around here," Roll mopes, "and laundry day is tomorrow... my _favorite_ day," she adds with sarcasm, her shoulders sagging.

"The Governor wanted me to tell you you did a great job at the airport yesterday," Mega adds, "he said you're pretty tough."

"Really? Wow, that's great!", Roll peeps, but then she sighs, "... at least _somebody_ appriciates it."

Mega sees how disheartened Roll is about being grounded and feels sorry for her. He decides to try and cheer her up, even though it might only encourage her to get herself in the middle of danger yet again.  
>"Dr. Light won't be happy that I'm telling you this," he says with hesitation, "... but, I think you did a great job too, sis,"<p>

Roll looks back up to her brother and almost gasps at his praise. Coming from him, it means a lot to her. "You really mean it?", Roll asks.

"You did take out two Robot Masters and a Sniper Joe," Mega replies, smileing, "that's pretty good if you ask me."

"So...does that mean I'm a hero now too?" Roll asks.

"You helped me save a lot of lives yesterday... that makes you a hero," Mega smiles.

Roll suddenly gives her brother another tight hug like the one she gave him at JFK. "Oh, thank you, Mega!", she says, almost sounding weepy. She was so touched by her brother's words, she can barely contain her emotions.

"Hey, ease-up on the hugs, sis!" Mega chuckles, "I don't know how much pressure my armor can take."

Doc the Met steps up to Roll and beeps.

"Oh, I'm okay, Doc," Roll replies, picking him up and holding the Met in her arms, "Mega was just telling me how great we did yesterday!"

"You did a great job too, Doc!" Mega adds.

Doc happily bloops and beeps.

Mega Man's brow furrows when he hears Doc's comments. "... did he say _he_ was grounded too?", Mega asks.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

Dr. Wily is in his workshop with ProtoMan - who is missing his yellow scarf - as he works on repairing BombMan's body for the second time since he was stolen from Dr. Light. A film of persperation covers Albert's balding head as he works on the Robot Master. It was not hot n the workshop, but Wily is still breaking out in sweats.

"So, when are you gonna get me a replacment scarf, Doc?" Proto asks.

"You'll get it soon, Proto," Wily replies, half-focused on repairing Bomb Man.

"I got a look at myself in a mirror... granted, I looked good, as always," Proto grins, "But I don't look right without a scarf."

"... just give me time, my boy," Wily says, looking over his shoulder out into the outer corridor for a moment, then back to Bomb Man.

ProtoMan notices that Wily doesn't sound like himself today. The Dr. Wily he knows would have snapped at him by now for constantly bringing up the scarf. And the fact that he insisted on ProtoMan being here for the repairing process combined with the fact that Proto catches him looking over his shoulder every so often indicates to Proto that Wily just hasn't been acting right. He's noticed ever since he woke up after being repaired yesterday.

"You alright?", Proto asks Albert.

"I'm mad as hell after losing to your brother _again_ yesterday," Wily replies with a gravelly tone, "No thanks to those refuse piles for Robot Masters."

"Okay. Just askin'," Proto says.

Wily suddenly stops working on Bomb Man, then gets up and slams the door to the workshop. Once he shuts the door, Albert sits back down and returns to work.

"What was _that_ about?" Proto asks about the door.

"Those idiots outside," Wily lies.

ProtoMan didn't hear GutsMan, Cut Man or any of the other robots making any noise outside the room. "I've gotta tell you, Doc... you look like you're kinda spooked," Proto says.

Albert sighs and wipes the sweat off his head with his labcoat sleeve. "I've have been very... busy lately."

"Maybe you need a vacation or something," Proto jokes.

"There will be plenty of time for vacationing after I take over the world," Wily says, "... why are you asking me these things, ProtoMan?"

"I can't help but notice," Proto replies, "Besides, I worry about you... you _are_ my creator and all."

Dr. Wily breifly looks up at ProtoMan after he says that. He's never heard anybody say that they worry about him (of course, conviniently forgetting the times Thomas Light showed concern for him many years ago.)

Wily nods, then continues work on Bomb Man, not saying another word... and still irked about a strange feeling he's been having. The truth of the matter is, Albert _is_ spooked by it, just like ProtoMan suspected. Wily is sure he has heard something - or somebody - following him around the fortress when he is alone and he doesn't know what it is, but it's been bothering him ever since he returned to Skull Fortress yesterday.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I'm sorry if there weren't enough "Mega Man"-related scenes in this chapter._

_Vickers' drunken line about wanting his Robot Warrior to "Make things 'splode real well" is a reference to the video game **'Splosion Man** and** Ms. 'Splosion Man.**_

_For updates on this episode, check out the Update Blog on my profile page. __Please remember to leave a review/comment._


	26. Tuesday

_**The Week, Chapter 4: Tuesday.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday, June 7th, 20X1<br>****Dr. Light's Lab Complex.**

In the laundry room of Dr. Light's house, Roll mopes as she pulls the clean laundry out of the dryer with Doc the Met helping her. She had planned on going out to the mall today because she wanted to buy the CD from this new all-robot rock group called _Cold Steel_ that she heard about. But, she can't do that, as she is still grounded.  
>Instead, she is stuck here doing the housework... <em>again<em>.

"It's not fair, Doc," Roll muses, "All I want to do help Mega take Wily down... and I get punished for it."

Doc watches as Roll folds the laundry as she sulks. He doesn't like seeing her so depressed, he always likes to see her be happy, like she was yesterday when Mega Man told her how great she did. So, he decides to try and make a tedious chore such as this somewhat entertaining.

Once Roll is done folding a blanket and setting it aside, she turns to look for a bedsheet she had just pulled out of the dryer, but she can't find it. "It was just here a minute ago," Roll frets, "Doc, have you seen a blue bedsheet around here?"

Doc beeps and Roll looks over to see that Doc has wrapped himself in the blue sheet like it was a cloak and is sticking his extension arm out of a makeshift 'sleeve' and is waving at her.

Roll cackles when she sees her little Met goofing around. "Okay, wise guy," she says, "Anything else you've got on?"

Doc sticks his feet out, revealing he is wearing a pair of socks which are clearly too small for his feet. The socks flop around as Doc wiggles his yellow feet in circles.

Roll laughs, "You're funny, Doc!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later.<strong>

Now that all of the laundry is done, Roll and Doc are in the kitchen and Roll is teaching Doc how to make Gingerbread Men.  
>Doc stood on the kitchen counter in front of a mound of pre-made gingerbread dough as Roll produced a rolling pin from her utility arm.<p>

"Okay, now grab onto the handle, Doc," Roll instructs.

With the hand connected to the end of his extension arm, Doc grabs onto the one handle the rolling pin has, as the other half is connected to Roll's arm. Together, they begin to flatten the dough with the rolling pin.

"You're doing great, Doc!" Roll says, "Now, take this and press it into the dough."

Roll hands Doc a plastic cookie cutter in the shape of a generic figure with a round head, two arms, two legs with feet and a torso. Doc uses the cutter several times to make the shapes into the flattened dough.

"Congrats, Doc! You just made your first Gingerbread Men!", Roll says, offering him a high five, which Doc reciprocates.

Roll approaches the sink and begins washing the utility arm's rolling pin. "I don't know who makes the better team, Doc," she says, "Mega and Rush, or you and me!"

Doc beeps and bloops exitedly, wanting Roll to look at something. Roll turns around to see that Doc has made a different shape on the dough slab: just a round head with two feet... like him!

"Hey, you made a Gingerbread _Met_!", Roll giggles.

Doc beeps and smiles.

* * *

><p>While the cookies are baking, Roll goes back to her room with Doc and turns the radio on, listening to her favorite hard rock station. Once the current song is over, the station begins playing the new hit single from the all robot rock group Cold Steel.<p>

"Aw, right!" Roll cheers, turning up the volume, dancing along to the rock music.

"These guys kick butt, Doc!", she cheerfully says, "They might be even better than Captain Fallout and Atom-Smashers!"

Doc is so happy to see Roll smile again that he starts dancing too... about as well as a Met can dance, anyway.

At one point, Doc flips his harthat open and flips upside-down, landing on his extension arm and spinning around on his fingers.

Suddenly, Roll's utility arm opens on it's own. Her hand retracts and a wand with flashing red lights appears in it's place. This was Roll's automatic baking sensor. Whenever something in the over was done baking, this sensor would go off to alert her.

"Oh, man," Roll groans, "The song's not even _over_ yet."

Doc stands back on his feet and beeps up to Roll. He says he wants her to stay here and have fun, he will take care of the cookies, and he runs off back to the kitchen.

"Don't forget the oven mitt, Doc!" Roll calls. She decides to follow him down anyway to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

* * *

><p>When Roll arrives to the kitchen, she finds Doc holding the tray full of Gingerbread Men high above his head with his extension arm - with the oven mitt on - and placing it on the counter.<p>

"I would have done that, Doc," Roll says, kneeling down besides her Met.

Doc retracts his extension arm and looks up at her, beeping. He says he wanted her to have fun because he doesn't want to see her doing all of the housework and he wants to see her happy again.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Doc!", Roll says, "Thank you!"

Roll picks her Met up and gives him a kiss on his dark grey rubber-skinned cheek. Doc's little lips begin smiling and he jumps high in the air after the kiss.

Roll is so happy she has Doc with her. He's like the best pet in the world and a best friend all rolled-up (no pun intended) into one. They both couldn't be happier to have eachother.

* * *

><p><strong>WoodStarr Rehabilitation Clinic.<br>****New York City.**

Officer Lynn Wersching arrives to the new rehab clinic just outside of town in her police cruiser, but she is off-duty right now. She is allowed to use her Police car for personal use until the piece of garbage car she owns now can be fixed.  
>She is here to visit her brother, who checked into this facility late last month. She had the chance to talk to him on the phone the day after he arrived here and she promised him she would come to see him when she got enough time.<br>Lynn gets out, wearing sunglasses, black jeans, a white tank top and a loose black button-up shirt. Her dark red hair is hanging to her shoulders.

Once she enters the facility, she removes her sunglasses and approaches the female Robo-Receptionist at the front desk, who greets, "Welcome to the WoodStarr Rehabilitation Clinic. Are you checking in or visiting?"

"Visiting," Lynn replies, with a slight smile.

"What is the name of the patient you are visiting?" asks the Robo-Receptionist.

"Wersching," Lynn answers, "First name: Lancaster."

"Searching... " replies the receptionist, searching the files just by running a check in her data banks inside of her head, "... I'm sorry ma'am, but there is nobody checked in to this facility under the name _Lancaster Wersching_."

Lynn looks puzzled for a moment, then remembers that her brother hates being called _Lancaster_, and always has. He prefers to use the name "Castor", dropping the _Lan_ and replacing the _E_ with an _O_.  
>Although, those around him in recent months had begun calling him <em>Casper<em>, because they rarely saw him and whenever they did, he looked as pale as a ghost.

"Last name: Wersching. First name: _Castor_," Lynn says.

"Searching... " says the robo-receptionist, "I'm sorry ma'am, but Mr. Wersching checked out of this facility before finishing his recommended treatment on June 2nd, 20X1."

Lynn's green eyes grow wide with shock. Not only was her brother not here anyomore, but he wasn't even here for a _quarter_ of his treatment!

"What?", Lynn exclaims.

"Repeating. Mr. Wersching checked out of this-"

"No, I heard you!" Lynn interrupts, sounding freaked, "He _said_ he would be here... is that the only Castor Wersching in your system? There has to be a mistake!"

But, Lynn knows deep down inside that this _isn't _an error. How many _Castor Werschings_ can there be?

"There is no error, ma'am. I am sorry," replies the robo-receptionist.

"Is there a way you can find out if he checked-into another clinic?" Lynn asks.

"We would have been notifed if Mr. Wersching had entered another facility, ma'am. He has not," calmly replies the receptionist.

Lynn runs back outside and grabs her phone, dialing her brother's appartment number, but, he doesn't answer. Lynn remembers that her brother doesn't have a mobile phone anymore (he says he didn't want to pay the bills anymore) nor does he have any social networking connections, so the _only_ way to get in touch wih him is dailing his appartment.

Lynn tries again, and her brother still doesn't answer. Right now, she's mad as hell at her brother. Not only did he not finish his stay in rehab, but he never ever told her he was leaving, or that he had already left.

"Dammit!" she yells.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in New York.<strong>

Mega Man is making a special public appearance, and a large crowd has gathered, including lots of children who are excited to meet their first real life superhero.  
>Mega is enjoying being around all of the grateful citizens, who are getting their picture taken with him, getting autographs or simply thanking him for being here to protect them.<br>Despite the cheerful mood here, Mega's guard is up right now, because he never knows when and where Dr. Wily and his bots will strike. They might even pay him a visit here for all he knows, and Mega doesn't want that, because all of these innocent humans would be in harm's way.  
>But, unfortunately for Mega Man, there <em>is<em> going to be a confrontation today... but not with Dr. Wily or his robots, or even ProtoMan.

"I heard there was a famous robot here," says a familiar voice booming on a bullhorn, "I thought I would come by and pay a visit."

Mega Man recognizes that voice and looks ahead, barely spotting William Cochran standing there holding the bullhorn in his hands and wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt with a black tie, and small black sunglasses covering his eyes.

A hush falls over the crowd as all of the people here look over at the son of the Governor standing there with a smirk on his face. They recognize William from the news and know that things are about to get a little more heated than they thought out here on the warm summer day.  
>William steps forward towards Mega Man and all of the people between them begin to step aside, parting like the red sea.<p>

Both Mega Man and William stare accross from eachother as the racist human steps closer and more people get out of the way.

Finally, William stops just two feet from Mega Man, standing directly in front of the robot hero. They are nearly eye-to-eye with eachother, with William being the taller of the two by only a half an inch.

"I just wanted to tell you something," William says without use of the bullhorn, and with a slight smugness to his voice, "Despite the fact that you are the Hero of the Day, the _'Defender' _of the Human Race... I don't like you very much."

"I've noticed," Mega replies, flatly, "Do you know how much heartache you're causing for your father?"

William chortles, "I think a machine like you has no business telling a human _anything_ about heartache!"

William's tone now becomes a little more venomous as he continues, pointing his finger at Mega Man, "You are still nothing more than an unfeeling, abominable robot, just like all of the others. You're just a machine who's looking to take over the world."

Mega scoffs. "I think you have me mistaken for Dr. Wily, sir."

"You're fighting for control just as much as Wily is, you're just not honest about it... and Dr. Thomas Light is no better than he is either, he just hasn't killed anybody yet," William jabs.

Mega Man can feel the anger building inside of him at the notion that Dr. Light was _anything_ like that psychopath Wily.

"Right now, all of the sycophants all over the world, including the ones here, love you right now," William continues, "And they will honor you and give you whatever you want for saving them... but one day, they will all learn to hate your kind... even you. And I'll be right there to clean-up the mess that Dr. Wily and your _'father_' made," William says, making the _finger quotes_ with with his hands when he refers to Dr. Light as Mega's father.

"I'll see you soon... abomination!", William says with a smirk, getting one more shot before turning his back and walking away.

The citizens around the scene begin loudly booing and hissing William as he walks away, still holding the bullhorn.

Mega Man stares ahead at the hateful human as he leaves. Deep down inside, William's hateful remarks about him and all robots being abominations and the comment about Dr. Light hurt Mega. But, Mega was able to quell his anger and be the better _man...  
><em>something that the younger Cochran is honestly not good at being.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily is still in his workshop deep within the large fortress, busy constructing the newest additions to his robot army. Cut Man and GutsMan (whose special powers have now been restored) are with him to help the mad scientist construct the new Robot Master.

Albert is currently working on the newest addition to his collection of Robot Masters: Bright Man. Bright Man's currently unfinished chassis is primarily orange and he will be equipped with solar panels on his chest that will help replenish his power and amplify his fortitude. His face is rather goofy looking. The only area of his face that resembles a human's is his mouth/nose/chin area, which is very prominent and pudgy, and the synthetic skin has a yellowish tinge to it. Clearly, Bright Man will not be the most intimidating Robot Master, but his weapon _will_ be deadly. He will be equipped with the Bright Flash, which is similar to the fallen Flash Man's flash weapon, but Bright Man's version has been modified. Instead of one bright flash, Bright Man will be able to use his blinding flash power for a prolonged period of time.

"Give me his weapon," Wily orders, then he growls, "And _don't_ drop it!"

Cut Man reaches to a nearby shelf and grabs a large custom-made light bulb ornamint which contantains the bright flash module inside of it, and hands it to Wily. Albert takes the bulb and places it atop of Bright Man's head, slowly rotating the bulb into place until it is fit tightly.

"Now, give me the solar battery," Wily orders, holding his hand out.

GutsMan and Cut Man look around for Bright Man's battery, but they can't find any trace of it in the workshop.

"The _battery_, you idiots!", Albert barks, "Give it to me now!"

"We can't find it, Dr. Wily!" Cut Man panics.

"Yeah! Wherever it is, it ain't in this room," GutsMan says.

Albert turns around and looks for it himself. "It's right here, you morons!", he snaps, searching the table for Bright Man's solar battery. But, it appears his robots were right, he can't find the battery either.  
>Albert lets out a ragged sigh. He must have fotgotten the battery when he was last in the storage room. He doesn't trust these two to go find the battery without breaking it, along with everything else, so he has to go get it himself.<p>

"I'll get it. Do not touch _anything_!", Wily orders as he leaves the workshop. He hesitates once he stands alone in the corridor outisde, because he knows this thing that is haunting him - whatever it is - will follow him again.  
>Albert takes in a deep breath, clinching his fists, and presses onward down the corridor.<p>

All the way to the storage room, Dr. Wily listens for anything out of the ordinary, but he doesn't hear anything this time. Albert looks over his shoulder twice on the way, but once again, he doesn't see anything or anybody following him.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily reaches the storage room and turns the lights on by flicking the poorly installed switch on the wall. The room's two dim lights turn on, just barely luminating enough of the dark room to make things visible to the human eye. Wily enters and begins searching for the solar battery he needs for Bright Man.<p>

"Where the hell is it?", he mutters to himself.

In the middle of the search, he hears that noise again. Albert freezes as he listens to the noise... it doesn't sound the same as it had before, but it sounds like footsteps. A few seconds later, it sounds like the footsteps are now here in the storage room with him... and they are getting closer and closer.

Albert slowly picks up a large piece of shiny silver titanium and can see the reflection of something in the metal... and it's getting closer.  
>Wily tightens his grip on the metal piece and quickly turns to face whoever this is, ready to strike this culprit with it.<p>

Much to Wily's shock and surprise, it was ProtoMan who was in the room with him. ProtoMan caught Albert's arm in his left hand, preventing himself from getting hit with the hunk of titanium.

"Jeez! I come to check on you and you want to hit me?", ProtoMan complains.

"You really need to learn how to _knock_ when entering a room," Wily groans as Proto lets him go.

As Wily turns to continue searching for the solar battery, ProtoMan - who is still without his scarf - stands behind his co-creator with his arms folded. "You're not gonna convince me you're not spooked by somethin'," Proto says.

"I am fine," Dr. Wily lies.

"Yeah, and my armor is blue too," ProtoMan retorts.

Once Albert finally finds the solar battery he came here for, he grabs it and begins to leave, without saying another word about this haunting feeling he's been having.

"So, are you gonna tell me what it is that's bothering you so much or not?" Proto asks.

"I'm too busy for questions, Proto," Albert replies as he walks away, "I have an army to build."

"Fine. Suit yourself," Proto says with a chortle.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_To any fans who feel that Roll is still being too "domestic" for your tastes, as I said before, it will be dealt with very, very soon. Trust me.  
>Speaking of Roll, she did say in the episode "Cold Steel" that Cold Steel (the band) was her favorite rock band... at least until the episode was over. Captain Fallout and The Atom-Smashers must have become her favorite band once again afterwards. Despite having the silliest name in the history of rock music, at least they're not working for Wily.<br>And for those of you whose minds are in the gutter, no, Roll and Doc are NOT a romantic item._

_I really do hate William. I hope you do too._

_Please remember to leave a review or comment... in the meantime, I think I'll go bake some Gingerbread Mets!_


	27. Wednesday

_**The Week, Chapter 5: Wednesday**_

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday, June 8th, 20X1.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

In Roll's room, Roll and Doc are playing Skyblasters together and Doc is having a lot of fun playing the game with his friend.  
>The large sentry ship on the screen that is hovering in front of Roll's and Doc's player-controled fighter ships blows up in a bright computer-generated explosion.<br>The words _"Final Battle awaits"_ appear on the screen afterwards.

"Aw Right!", Roll exclaims, "Now we've gotta blow up the Doomsday Machine!"

Doc bleeps, asking if this is the end of the game.

"No way, Doc," Roll replies with a smile, "We've still got three more galaxies to save."

As Roll and Doc play the game, Roll is contacted by Dr. Light on her communicator on her utilty arm.  
>"Roll, could you bring Doc down to the lab for a few minutes?", he asks, "The President of the robot manufacturing plant is here to see him."<p>

Roll lets out a sigh as she pauses the game. "Alright, we'll be right down," she groans.

* * *

><p>Roll and Doc arrive to the main lab area, where Dr. Light is speaking with the President of the robot manufacturing plant where the Met series of robots will soon be mass produced. The man's name is Terry Foley, a balding caucasian man who stands at 6 feet tall.<p>

"Ah! Here he is," Thomas says, "This is the prototype for the Met series. We named him Doc."

"Greetings, Doc," says Mr. Foley, smiling.

Doc bleeps and smiles.

"He's been online for nearly a month and he's been in the care of my daughter, as per her request," Dr. Light adds.

Roll smiles. "He's a great little robot," she says, "We have a lot of fun together, don't we Doc?"

Doc nods and beeps.

"Let me show you some of his abilities," Thomas says, now turning to Doc. "Doc, Demonstration mode 1," he states.

With that instruction, Doc the Met nods to Dr. Light and begins to demonstrate some of his basic abilities and talents. Doc runs around the lab, performing various tasks like handing Dr. Light his paperwork, reaching up to grab something on a high shelve with his extension arm and other random tasks.

"I must say, Dr. Light, this little guy is great!", says Foley, "My kids would love him... I'll tell you what, I'll offer you $25,000 dollars if I can bring the prototype home with me."

Doc beeps and bloops quizzically and Roll looks mortified. "What?", she gasps.

Thomas replies with uneasiness in his voice, "That is quite an offer, sir, but really-"

"Dr. Light, please... come here," Roll interrupts, pulling Dr. Light aside.

"Dr. Light, I know you're mad at me for sneaking out the other day, and I know I shouldn't have done it, but _please_ don't take Doc away from me!", Roll pleads, looking like she's on the verge of crying.

Doc walks up to both of them and looks up to Dr. Light. He shakes his head to say "no," and looks worried that he might lose his friend.

"I never said I was mad at you, Roll, I was just disapointed at that time," Light replies, then reaches for Roll's hands and holds them, assuring her, "and secondly, I wouldn't _dare _seperate you and Doc from eachother. That would be like taking Rush away from your brother."

"Oh, thank you, Dr. Light," Roll sighs.

Thomas returns to the president of the company and says, "As I was saying, I'm affraid I cannot accept your offer. Doc is a part of our family, I can't bring myself to seperate him from us."

Doc happily bleeps and leaps into Roll's arms as he takes his extension arm and wraps it around her.

"Well, I understand," says Foley, "I guess I can get my kids one when we begin producing them. I'll still need copies of the bluebrints for the prototype. I want all of the Met robots to be as good as yours."

"Certainly," Thomas says, turning to grab the duplicate plans for the Met robot. He sees Roll and Doc hugging eachother when he turns around. A smile appears behind his thick beard. He knows Roll can be a bit of a hassle to deal with when she wants to get involved in saving the world, but she's a great daughter and a sweet girl.

Roll looks up and smiles, giving her father a thumbs up with her right hand.

* * *

><p><strong>New York City.<strong>

Standing atop the roof of one of the city's many skyscrapers, surrounded by nothing but blue skies, Mega Man and Rush are practicing out some of Rush's other transportation modes.  
>Yesterday's confrontation with The Governor's son William still lingers with him. Dr. Light told him that he shouldn't let it bother him, but it still does. Mega is not only the Defender of the Human Race, but the prime representitive for robotkind and he wants to do both jobs well, but the protests from William feels like a major hindrance to more important issues... like the war with Wily.<p>

Mega tries to shake off these feelings, because right now he just wants to have some quality time with his robodog.

"Okay, Boy," Mega says, "Hang-glider mode!"

Rush barks, jumping high into the air and transforming himself into a hang-glider.

"Okay, Chopper Mode!" Mega commands.

Rush then transforms into a mini helicopter-like vehicle and a set of chopper blades come out of his back.

"Last one, Rush," Mega says, "Bat Mode."

Rush barks again and flies low, now out of Mega Man's sight, below the edge of the building.

"Rush?" Mega Man calls, "Where did you go?"

Then, Rush rises into Mega Man's line of sight, in "Bat Mode." Rush's body has bat wings on his sides and his paws are re-aranged more to the center of his body. But, his helmet now encases most of his head and esembles a cowl, exposing only his eyes and the lower half of his face. And instead of his usual pointed dog-like ears, his helmet has bat-shapped ears.  
>Flapping his bat wings to keep him afloat, Rush barks, but with a noticably more gravelly and rugged tone. Rush is truly <em>The Bark Knight<em>.

"Uh, that's pretty cool, Rush," Mega says, looking a bit bewildered by Rush's Bat-like appearance, "But, I think you better leave the superhero stuff to me."

Rush groans with displeasure, looking disapointed.

"Just kidding, Rush," Mega laughs, "Come'ere and get your Battery Biscuit."

Rush perks up instantly, returning to his standard robodog appearance and leaps onto the roof where Mega Man tosses him the Battery Biscuit. Rush catches it in his mouth and chows it down.  
>But, after Rush eats his treat, he sticks his neck out and barks.<p>

"What is it, boy?" Mega asks, sounding concerned.

Rush barks several times, with ugrency.

"A fire? Where?" Mega asks.

Rush barks, transforming into Jet Mode.

"We don't have time to waste," Mega says, stepping onto Rush's back, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Down below on the streets, a five-alarm fire has broken out inside of an appartment complex and several people have gathered outside, including all of the inhabitants of the burning complex... save for one other person, who is still caught inside.<p>

Several fire engines have arrived to the scene along with ambulances with their sirens wailing. Several Firefighting Bots are connected to nearby fire hydrants and try in vain to douce the burning inferno with their dual hose cannons that they have for arms to try and make some headway for their follow human and robot partners to go in and retrieve the victim that is still trapped.  
>But, the fire is too intense for any of them to get inside.<p>

Channel 7's Bree Recotta and her camera crew are stationed nearby.  
>"This is absolutely horrible," she says into the microphone as her cameraman is getting a shot of the burning buiding, "The firefighters here are trying to put the fire out, but it's no use!"<p>

Bree then hears something above and looks up. "Look!", she hollars as her brown eyes widen, "Up in the sky... It's Mega Man!"

Then, Mega Man and Rush arrive to the scene and almost all eyes go from the fire in the appartment to him and a cheer breaks out.

"Mega Man!", hollars the Fire Captain - a strong, yet large-framed human man with a shaved bald head and a gap in his teeth, - "Down here, quick!"

Mega and Rush land on the street. "What do you need, Captain?" Mega asks, selflessly offering his services.

"There's a girl who's trapped inside," says the Captain in his New Jersey accent, "We can't even get t'rough d'ese flames!"

"Leave it to me," Mega Man replies, "I've got something that will help put out the fire."

"What is it?" asks the captain.

"Ice," Mega answers, retracting his left hand into his blaster arm and firing Ice Man's copied Ice Slasher beam into the apartment fire, vanqishing enough of it to make an entrance path into the building.

As the fire crew cheers, Mega Man and Rush run into the raging blaze.

* * *

><p>Mega Man continues to use the Ice Slasher to quell some of the flames. Thanks to Rush's enhanced hearing, he can hear the sound of somebody crying for help and coughing. It sounded like a young girl.<p>

Rush barks - pointing with one of his front paws - indicating that he hears the girl above on the next floor.

"Good work, boy!" Mega says, aiming his cannon arm upward, firing more of the ice beam into the inferno, putting out enough to carry on.

The stairs leading to the next floor have been burned away, but Mega Man has another method of getting upstairs.

"Rush, Coil mode!" Mega orders.

Rush barks, standing with his legs stiff as possible and produced a springboard that pops out of his back. Mega Man jumps on the coil and catapaults high into the air and onto to the next floor. Rush then leaps up to follow him, returning to his standard form.  
>Using more of the Ice Slasher to reduce the flames, Mega Man and Rush move forward to the apartment where Rush hears the wails for help. Mega Man kicks down the door and runs inside.<p>

"Where are you?" he shouts over the crackling flames.

"In here!" wails the girl's voice.

Mega and Rush pinpoint the location of the girl to a nearby closet. Using one more blast of the Ice Slasher to extinguish the flames, Mega runs over and opens the closet door, finding a crying little human girl with light brown skin, along with a Golden Retriever Dog.

The girl reaches up and Mega Man gently picks her up into his arms and assures her, "You're okay now, young lady." He turns to Rush and instructs, "Rush, get him out of here. I'll be right behind you."

Rush barks to the real dog, who understands what he is saying. Rush transforms into Jet Mode and the Retriever steps onto his back.  
>But, then, the entire building rumbles and shifts. The structure has been compromised by the fire and there is no time left to stick around.<p>

"Rush, go!" Mega orders, still holding the little girl and begins running out. Rush and the dog follow him as the building shifts again, making a horrifying crashing sound.  
>As Rush jets out of the building with the dog, Mega Man leaps down onto the main floor and runs for the door. Then, the entire appartment begins to colapse, making a nightmarish rumbling sound and Mega Man barely makes it outside in time with the little girl safe and sound.<p>

Everybody around - Firemen, EMT's, robots, bystanders and all - begin cheering loudly when Mega makes it out with the girl. His blue titanium armor is smudged black in some areas from the fire, but the girl is safe, aside from some coughing from the smoke.  
>Even Bree Recotta is speachless as she witnesses Mega Man emerge from the colapsed building, her cameraman capturing all of it.<p>

_"Bree, you're live"_, says her director in her earpiece, _"Say something."_

Shaking her head and smiling, Bree sighs, "Mega Man... he is simply _amazing_!"

Suddenly, two adults with tears of joy streaming down their face - an African-American man and his wife, a Spanish female, the parents of the girl Mega Man rescued - run up to Mega to retrieve their daughter.  
>As the family is reunited, Mega Man recognizes the man standing in front of him, as he has seen him before... he was one of the protesters at the first Anti-Robot protest in The Bronx several days ago.<br>When the man looks up at Mega Man, he sees the look in the hero's eyes and he knows that Mega remembers him.

"I'm so sorry," the man says with a pleading tone, "Thank you. I'll never protest robots again."

Mega Man nods. "I forgive you, sir. Just _please_ remember that _a robot_ did this for you."

Even now, Mega Man is proving that he is a better human being than some humans are... namely, William Cochran.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In his workshop, Dr. Wily watches Mega Man's and Rush's brave rescue operation on live television. Standing overtop of Air Man's new body, which has just begun construction and has not even halfway finished, Dr. Wily stares at the monitor with narrow eyes and a hateful look on his face.

Wily balls up his fists and seethes, "Enjoy the celebrations while you can, Mega Man... they will end soon enough. And instead of the people of the world cheering for you... they will be crying over your destroyed body"

Then, out of nowhere, Wily hears a familiar voice... not the whisper in his head, but _another_ voice - a German voice -speak into his ear, "Sie haben mich enttäuscht!"

Wily freaks, letting out a frightened screech as he turns around... but, again, he finds nobody standing there. But he heard that voice... it sounded real.  
>Wily's eyes were now wide with fear as they darted all around the workshop, looking for whoever spoke. Albert's breatheing was becoming rapid and he was terrified... a feeling he had not felt since he was a child... when he had to live with <em>him<em>.

Albert grabs a power drill and backpeddles until he reaches one of the cold titanium walls and slumps down into the corner. He keeps the drill held up, ready to use it like a weapon in case whoever that was shows up again... but Albert has a bad feeling he knows who it was.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****William R. Cochran's residence.  
><strong>**Manhasset, New York.**

"What did you say?" William says into his phone with a venomous tone in his voice, speaking with one of the anti-robot demonstrators he stood with the other day, the same one whose daughter was rescued by Mega Man today, "You're abandoning the cause?"

After hearing an answer, William then shouts, "I don't give a damn if he saved your kid! He's one of them!... Oh, you're thankful now, but when he remembers your kid and shoots her when robots start taking over, are you gonna love him then?"

The angry William awaits a response, then growls, "I'm going to remember this... and you better remember it too, you heretic! You'll burn in hell just like your appartment did!"

William slams his phone down, ending the call.

After a few moments of trying to calm down, he grabs a small audio recorder and speaks into it.  
>"Mr. Kyle has abandoned the cause," he says into the recorder, "All because the abomination known as Mega Man saved his stupid child. That damn robot is reason why this cause is floundering. If only he had never existed, a lot more people would have joined me. I'll have to pound on the drum even harder if I am going to succeed."<p>

He stops his recording and picks his phone up again, dailing the operator.

_"Please state the person or business you wish to call,"_ says the operator.

William's face twists into an angry frown, because he can tell when a robot is on the line.

"Give me the numbers for televison channels 4, 5, 7 and 9," he says, planning on using his relation to his father to try and get himself some air time to gain more followers to his hateful cause.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

Lynn pulls up to the small apartment complex where her brother Castor lives. She had made several calls to him last night and he never answered... not even once.  
>Now, she's both mad and worried. She's mad that he might be trying to avoid her, and worried that maybe... something awful has happened to him.<br>Lynn tries to block out such thoughts he she gets out of her police car and begins storming up to the front door of the complex.

Wearing her normal civilian clothing, Lynn walks right past the landlord and heads directly for the stairs heading up to the second floor where her brother lives. Once she arrives to _appartment 4_, she clinches her fist and pounds on the door with her right hand.

"Castor, it's your sister!", she sternly calls, "Open up!"

There is no answer.

"Castor!", she barks...

Still nothing.

Lynn steps back and prepares to kick the door down when finally, the door opens... and an asian man is standing there instead of her brother.

Lynn looks confused. "Who are _you_?", she asks.

The asian man replies in Japanese, but Lynn can't understand what he's saying, because she didn't have a translator device with her. She pulls our her badge and points at it. Then she points to herself, then points to the inside of the appartment.

The man gets what she's trying to say - she's a cop, she needs to search the appartment - and steps aside.

Lynn steps inside and sees the man's wife standing there, holding their baby and loking worried. She looks around and finds no trace that her brother ever lived here. She checks every room and doesn't find him or any of his possesions.  
>It's like he never existed.<p>

She looks back to the asian family with her hands raised and says, "I'm sorry."

She then leaves, feeling a whirlwind of anxiety.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Lynn sees the landlord again and asks with a shakey voice, "Where's Castor Wersching?"<p>

"Oh, God," the landlord groans, "Don't even get me _started_ on that guy."

"Look! I'm his sister _and_ I'm a cop," she snaps, "If you don't tell me what the hell happened to him, you're going to have a lot of problems!"

"Hey, easy, lady!", the landlord warbles, putting his hands up, "I'm sorry!"

"Tell me what happened to him, dammit!" she shouts.

"The guy hadn't payed his rent in months!", the landlord reveals, "He left last month. He sold pretty much everything he owned... he looked like something was wrong with him."

Lynn felt her body going numb when she learned about her brother's whereabouts. He said Castor left _last _month, which meant he was already gone _before_ he went to rehab.

"Something was wrong with him?", Lynn asks with a trebling voice, "How bad did he look?"

"He looked like he was sick... Really skinny too," the landlord said, "Probably drugs or something. I don't know where he is. That's all I know, lady. Please, don't arrest me!"

Without saying another word, Lynn walks back outside and can already feel her eyes stinging and the tears running down her face. She slumps down on the stairs of the apartment and weeps into her hands.

She is sure her brother has a serious drug problem - he fits the description of a hard user of the more addictive drugs like Hyrdo-X - and not only did he abandon his rehab, but he's now homeless, jobless and unreachable.  
>Lynn never knew just how bad her brother's situation was. She would have had him live with her if only she had known, but he never told her anything... just like always, he kept his personal life a secret.<p>

Castor is out there somewhere in this big city, and he's all alone. And if he's alone, he's probably using drugs.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man returns from the lab with Rush, their bodies freshly polished and the smudge marks from the firey rescue have been cleaned off.  
>As the robot dog goes into Mega's room and waits for him, Mega himself sees that his sister's bedroom door is ajar. He figures he'll go check on her to see how she's feeling today.<br>He heard she was feeling better in the past few days, despite being stuck here at home.

"Hey, sis," he calls, knocking on the door, "How are you... oh!". He shooses himself once he sees that Roll was already recharging in bed. Doc the Met - who was also recharging - is next to her, and she has her arms wrapped around him. Roll had her ponytail holder off, so her long blonde hair was down, and a trade paperback of the comic book _Gorgon: The Mutant Hero_ was lying on her nightstand. She was reading it with Doc until he entered recharge mode.

Mega carfully reaches for the doorknob and begins closing the door, careful not the wake either Roll or Doc up. Roll shifted a little bit and nestled up with her little Met buddy Doc a little more.

"Goodnight, Mega," she barely calls, not opening her eyes, but knowing he was there.

"'Night, sis.", Mega replies, as he closes Roll's door, leaving her to rest.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily quickly walks off to his quarters deep within the intimidating fortress. He has barely gotten any sleep since two days ago, because he can't shake the feeling that he's being watched by something... or somebody.  
>Albert made sure that he had been around his robots as much as possible, because he didn't get this strange feeling when he was around them. Especially when he was with ProtoMan. Wily felt safest around ProtoMan, because he proved that he was willing to protect him when he retrived him from Mega Man's clutches last month.<p>

The voice in his ear today has only made Wily's fear worsen, and now, Albert was alone as he entered his quarters... there was nobody else to watch over him now. He was alone again, just like he was today.

Albert hurries into the room, constantly looking over his shoulder and slams the door shut and locks it once he reaches his quarters, making sure nobody can get in. Albert then turns on the dim lights when he enters the room, which has rough sketches of new the Robot Master designs taped all over the walls.

Albert takes his lab coat off and pulls off his tie as he pulls the raggedy covers off his mattress when he hears something behind him.

_"Albert!" _, bellows that voice again... once Wily heard it, he knew who it was... it was a voice Wily had hoped he'd never hear again. The voice that haunts every nightmare he's ever had... the voice of his father.

Albert's head snaps back over his shoulders and his beady eyes widen when he sees his father standing there behind him, looking just as young as he had 40 years ago, still reeking of alcohol.  
>In actuality, however, even though Wily can see and hear his father... he is still in his quarters alone, and he is having a hallucination.<p>

_"It's been a long time, hasn't it, my boy?"_ asks his father, in German.

"You're DEAD!", Albert yells at the image of his father, also in German.

_"Oh, I'm not dead,"_ Wily Sr. grins, _"I will never perish!"_

"How did you find your way here?", Albert freaks, "This is MY fortress!"

_"I followed your fear... it was easy to trace... and now,"_ Wily Sr. says, his grin widening, _"I __have some bad news for you... you've disappointed me again."_

Albert began to shudder. He knew what that meant... it was always the prelude to another viscious beating.

"No! No, damn you!", Albert warbles, begging off from his father's image.

_"You failed again... defeated by this Mega Man character."_

"He got lucky!," Albert snaps, "I can destroy him! I _WILL_ destroy him!"

_"That's not good enough,"_ Wily Sr's image says, _"You and your stupid little robots... you make __me SICK!"_

Wily Sr. begins unfastening his belt and pulls it off, wrapping it around his fist.

"No! Father, I promise, I won't fail again!", Albert panics, clasping his hands together.

Wily Sr rears back and throws his belt-wrapped fist at Albert. Even though there was nothing else in the room with him, Dr. Wily reacted as if he had just been punched... because still remembers what it felt like.  
>He still remembers the lashings accross his back, the kicks the the ribs, everything. And the image of his father does all of those things to him, just like Albert remembers.<p>

Then, Wily hears a familiar friend... the whisper.

_"You have to stop him now!",_ it says.

"I can't!", Albert warbles.

_"What's the matter Albert,"_ Wily sr. mocks, _"Talking to that voice in your head again? You little __psycho!"_

"No, father!", Albert pleads.

_"Start acting like a man!... act like ME!",_ Wily Sr. orders.

_"Reach under the bed," _urges the whisper,_"do it!"_

Then, Wily Sr says with an evil glee in his voice, _"Maybe I'll take that bastard robot with the visor __you made and take a chainsaw to him! Then, maybe I'll drill into his memory core just so I __can hear him scream."_

Albert felt a fire burning inside of him when he heard his father threaten to hurt ProtoMan... that angered him. His eyes became narrow and he seethes when he looks up at his father. Albert reaches under the bed and pulls out a wrench... the same wrench he used when he faught back against his father in real life many decades ago, which was the last time he saw him.

Albert looks back at the hallucenation of his father, who is now backpeddling. Albert's wretching grin appears on his his and his eyes narrow.

"Now, I'm going to finish what I started!", Dr. Wily hisses, saliva oozing out of the sides of his mouth.

Albert charges for his father's image with the wrench in hand and swings. Dr. Wily closes his eyes as the wrench hits a nearby water pump that was stored in the corner of the room. Wily grabs it and yanks it down to the floor, causeing the pump to make a loud tumbling noise when it hits and warm water begins pouring out of it.

Albert got on his knees and continues beating the water pump until it was a twisted hunk, and he laughed the entire time... in Wily's ill mind, that water pump was his abusive father.

Albert stood back up and opened his eyes. The presence of his father was now gone and so was this feeling that he was being watched. He had finally extinguished the spectre of his abusive father... and now, it was time to move on to more important business.

_"Now... wasn't that easy?"_, the whisper asks.

"Yes," Albert whispers back.

_"Now, it's time to do the same to Mega Man... to Thomas Light... all of them,"_ the whisper says, _"... and the world is yours!"_

"Yes," Wily replies with a chuckle, his wicked smile growing even wider.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I do realize this was a pretty dark chapter and I am sorry if you were uncomfortable reading it... but, it only gets darker from here.  
>The next chapter is the darkest yet... beware the Thursday from hell. You don't want to miss this it.<br>This was originally going to be two seperate chapters (the scene where Wily hears his father's voice was the cliffhanger), but I decided to make this one large chapter because it felt much better._

_Hydro-X is a made-up drug, btw. I refuse to reference actual drugs in this series, but it is the Mega universe's equivalent to heroin._

_Rush is still acting goofy seeing as how he's dressing up as BatMan... but, at least he's not talking like Astro._

_Please remember to leave a review/comment._


	28. Thursday, Part 1

_**The Week, Chapter 6: Thursday, Part 1.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday, June 9th, 20X1.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

In one of the large empty battle rooms inside Skull Fortress, ProtoMan - now wearing a brand new yellow scarf that Wily had ordered one of his robots to steal from a store - participates in some target practice with hastily made hulks of junk.

The floors and walls in this room are still stained with the dried up remnants of The Yellow Devil's liquid metal/slime material. The walls still have huge holes in them from blasts that Yellow Devil missed in his encounter with Mega Man.  
>ProtoMan knew that thing was a hunk of junk... or rather, a blob of junk.<p>

As ProtoMan leaps from place to place, blasting the junk heaps to bits, he is frustrated. When he saw Dr. Wily this morning, he didn't look spooked anymore, but he did have that weird crazy look in his eyes he gets sometimes.  
>Dr. Wily had called a meeting with all of his Robot Masters to be held in Skull Fortress' hangar bay... but, ProtoMan was not invited.<br>Wily said he wanted to him to continue sharpening his skills, because the time for another mission was upon them.  
>But, still, Proto is frustrated that he was left out of Wily's meeting.<p>

"Why the hell am I not in that damn meeting?" he asks himself, firing a blast at a target as he darts accross the room. "_Sharpen your skills_, he says?... What's there to sharpen?", Proto grunts, "I _am_ sharp!"

ProtoMan fires another blast at a target, quick and efficient. Before he knew it, there was nothing left to destroy and ProtoMan's left hand reappeared where his blast nozzle was a few seconds ago.

"Why the hell didn't I bring my brother back here?", Proto groans, "We'd have taken over by now..."

Proto puts his hands on his red and grey hips and looks accross at the smoldering remains of the junk targets he had just blasted. "I better calm down... if I'm not careful, I'll end up talkin' to myself," Proto says... to _himself_, ironically.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortess Hangar Bay.<strong>

"My Robots!... The time has come!", Dr. Wily shouts while standing in front of one of his Skullkers, his confidence back and his fears exterminated. Instead of his usual Pink dress shirt and red tie, Albert is wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt under his labcoat. He continues, "Mega Man has disrupted my quest to take the world for the last time! Metal Man, Heat Man, Quick Man, Crash Man, GutsMan, Cut Man! Prepare yourselves!", he calls the names of the Robot Masters who are healthy enough for the job, "We are all to head out to the city of brotherly love... and the most rotten place on Earth... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!"

"Aw, Right!" booms GutsMan, clinching his large yellow fists, "I've been waitin' to crunch that blue geek like tin foil even since JFK Airport!"

"I wish to make the hero bleed," Metal Man rasps, clinching his fist.

"But, what about ProtoMan?" asks Cut Man, "He won't be happy if we try to destroy Mega Man. He wanted that _slice_ of the pie all to himself! Eh-heh!"

Wily sighs with his hands on his hips. "If ProtoMan is directly engaged in battle with Mega Man, you should leave him be. He knows what he's doing... however," Wily says, leaning closer and pointing his index finger at his robots, "If any of us get the chance to destroy Mega Man, or his little blonde sister, or Dr. Light or _any of them_... we take it! We need to show the world that we are not playing around. We need to strike fear into the heart of everybody!"

Wily then speaks in a silent rasp, "So let's not waste anymore time... we have work to do."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab complex.**

In her bedroom, Roll stands in front of her mirror, putting her long blonde hair into it's usual high-hanging ponytail with her green ponytail holder behind her head.  
>Doc steps up to her with a smile and beeps, wondering what they are going to do today.<p>

"More _Skyblasters_, we'll finish up reading _Gorgon_, all sorts of fun stuff," Roll replies, sounding cheerful, "The best part is, I don't have any chores to do today But, first I'm going to try and negotiate with Dr. Light to get un-grounded. I've _got_ to get that Cold Steel album. But, I _should_ ask if I can get out of doing some of these chores... I'm tired of laundry days."

Doc beeps to Roll again.

"Of course you can come with me to the mall, Doc," Roll replies, kneeling down besides her Met, "Maybe we can get you a new hat!"

Doc shakes his head and beeps. He likes his hardhat, it makes him feel safer.

"Okay, we don't _have_ to get you a new hat. But, you should learn to change-up your wardrobe," Roll suggests.

* * *

><p>In Dr. Light's main lab structure, Roll and Doc arrive to see that Mega Man and Rush are already there with Thomas.<p>

"Ah, Roll," Thomas says, "There is something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Well... can we talk about something else first?", Roll asks.

"Why, of course," Thomas answers.

"Dr. Light," Roll begins to ask, with the sweetness of a child, "Can I _please_ not be grounded anymore?"

"... actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Dr. Light replies and Mega Man can't help but stifle a chuckle in the background.

"Seeing as you have learned you lesson, I have decided that you are officially no longer grounded, Roll," Thomas says.

"Thank you, Dr. Light!" Roll peeps as Doc jumps.

"You should also thank your brother as well," Thomas insists.

"After seeing you kick the Robot Master's titanium tails, I think you deserved better than being grounded, sis," Mega says, stepping forward along with Rush.

"Aw, thanks Mega," Roll beams, "You _are_ the greatest brother ever!"

"I am aware that you wish to aqquire the album from that new all-robot music group, so I have given you enough funds to buy it," Thomas adds, "just, please listen to it at normal level, Roll."

"Wow! Thank you!", Roll says, now turning to Doc, "Come on, Doc. We're going out!"

As Roll, Mega Man, Rush and Doc turn to leave, it looks like today is going to be a very good day... but, then... this happy mood is wrecked.

The new Emergency signal that Dr. Light just installed into the lab's large computer station begins to blare. This meant that there was an emergency occuring somewhere that most likely involved Dr. Wily.  
>Mega Man runs to the computer along with Rush. Roll, still desiring to be a fully-fledged member of the team also joins them, and Doc follows her.<br>Dr. Light enters a command that brings up a map of the United States of America, and a flashing dot is centered in Philiadelphia, Pennsylvania

"Let me bring up the satilite image," Thomas says, entering another command, then a series of video clips appear on the screen, showing Wily's Skullker spotted in the Philadelphia area.

"Okay, Rush. Let's move!", Mega says, hoping to get another chance to recover ProtoMan.

As Mega Man and Rush leave, Roll is about to follow them, but then Dr. Light clears his throat, trying to get Roll's attention.

Roll turns to see the good doctor standing with his arms folded, giving her a look that clearly says '_Not so fast, young lady'_.

"Oh!... um, Dr. Light?" Roll asks with the same polite tone she used a few moments ago, putting her right hand behind her back and crossing her fingers, "Can I please-"

Thomas puts one of his hands up, interrupting her.

"Roll," he says, "...only if you keep yourself out of trouble. I don't want to have to ground you again."

"Yes!" Roll peeps, "Let's go, Doc!"

Roll and Doc run to the garage and Dr. Light lets out a sigh as he watches them leave. He hopes that he hasn't made a grave mistake letting his daughter go with Mega Man again.

* * *

><p><strong>Philadelphia Art Museum.<br>****Philadelphia, PA.**

Outside the famous Art Museum, Dr. Wily's Robot Masters await Mega Man's arrival.  
>Local Police have been instructed to remain far enough from the area to not be in danger, because Mega Man is on the way. But, several human officers and Policebots stand with their weapons drawn at the Wily robots from far away.<p>

"WhereisthatslowpokeMegaMan?", babbles Quick Man in his rapid speach.

"Until that blue dweeb gets here, I'm gunna have me some fun!" GutsMan announces.

The large Robot Master then begins running towards the Art Museum and up the many stairs leading to the entrance. His large feet crackle the concrete as he runs up the stairs.  
>Once he gets to the top, he turns around and jumps up and down, raising his fists in the air, mimicking Rocky Balboa, a fictional boxer from well over a century ago.<p>

"Hey, yo!", GutsMan victoriously hollers, "I did it!"

The Robot Masters have a good chuckle down below, save for Metal Man, who doesn't laugh at much of anything.

"Eh-Heh, Eh-Heh! Hey, GutsMan," calls Cut Man, "You could be the champ, Quick Man could be the Corner Man, and I could be the... _CUT _Man! Eh-Heh!"

That pun angers Metal Man, who grabs Cut Man by his throat and rasps in his face, "I'm telling you for the last time! _Do not_ use your stupid puns around me!"

"Iwoulddowhathesays,CutMan!MetalMandoesn'tfoolaround!", advises Quick Man.

"Uh, whatever you say, uh, sir!" Cut Man warbles.

_"Stop it, you idiots!"_ booms the voice of Dr. Wily on the Skullker's loudspeaker from above, _"Mega Man is almost here."_

With that, ProtoMan jumps out of the back door of the Skullker and lands near his fellow robots. "Well, I guess that means it's time for me to do your jobs for you again," ProtoMan gloats.

"Who put you in charge?" Crash Man asks with a perturbed tone.

"Last time I checked, I'm the second in command!" Proto snaps, pointing his right thumb to himself, "So, Mega Man is _mine_."

"Not this time, he ain't!", GutsMan bellows, returning from the top of the stairs.

"That so?" Proto replies, looking up at GutsMan.

"Yeah, that's so!" GutsMan answers, "Dr. Wily says if any of us get to Mega Man, we get to destroy him!"

Behind his visor, ProtoMan's eyes narrow and he looks up at Wily's Skullker. "... He _did_, did he?" He asks, sounding quite displeased.

"Enough!" Metal Man rasps, pointing up to the sky, "Here he comes!"

Mega Man and Rush zoom straight down, maybe a little too fast for Wily's robots as even they are startled at Mega Man's steep entrance.

Mega Man fires a blast at Cut Man, striking him in the chest, removing him from the fight. Mega then leaps off of Rush's back and quickly aims at Metal Man, taking him out as well.

With a growl, GutsMan charges for Mega Man, but Mega jumps over his head, leaving the large Robot Master running right underneath his legs and stumbling to the ground.

The entire time, ProtoMan just stands by and watches, waiting for his turn. "Okay, you boltheads," he says, "You want a chance to destroy my brother? Okay, you've got it... but, I''m not impressed."

"Rememberme,MegaMan?" mutters Quick Man.

Quick Man darts all over the place, moving so fast that Mega Man can't get a lock on him. Quick Man states, "Youcannothitme!"

Mega _quickly_ switches to the Ice Slasher and blasts it onto the ground, creating a sheet of ice.  
>Quick Man doesn't see the ice and slips on it when he zooms past it, sending him flying towards Dr. Wily's Skullker with a scream and crashing into it, causing the flying craft to spiral out of control.<p>

* * *

><p>Inside the Skullker, Dr. Wily stumbles at the controls of his ship, trying to regain control as it spins around like a top in the sky.<p>

"Why didn't he LOOK before he ran?" Wily shrieks as he reaches for the contols, before falling to the floor of the ship.

* * *

><p>"That takes care of them," Mega says, "and I've got just enough juice left in the Ice Slasher to finish off that walking lighter," he says of Heat Man.<p>

Mega fires the Ice Slasher at Heat Man, but he lowers his flip top back down over his head, blocking the beam from harming him.

"That's not good!" Mega says to himself.

Then, Mega Man hears a familiar clicking noise, followed by beeps. He looks down to see a Crash Bomb stuck to the concrete below him.

"That's even worse!" he says, running away from the bomb before it explodes.

The force from the explosion nearly sends Mega Man staggering. Before he can get a good aim at Crash Man, another Crash Bomb lands near him, forcing Mega to avoid that as well as he leaps high in the air.

The bomb goes off and Mega Man lands on the ground, but then GutsMan tackles him from his left side.

Mega Man tries to get up, but GutsMan puts his large yellow hand on his chest, pinning him down.

"Yer' gunna get it now, you blue dweeb!" GutsMan laughs, balling up his other large hand into a fist and rearing back, "I'm gunna flatten you like a titanium pancake!"

Just then, Rush jets up to GutsMan and bites him on his hand.

"OW!", GutsMan yells, "Get offa' me, you robo mutt!"

GutsMan pulls Rush off of his hand, leaving Mega Man alone. But, Rush wrestles with GutsMan and bites him on one of his arms instead.

"YAAAAH! Stop bitin' me, you slack heap!", GutsMan freaks.

"Don't worry," Heat Man says, opening his body back up and igniting his head on fire, "I'll turn him into a _Charred_ Hero!"

"Not today, buster!" shouts the voice of Roll, high above the scene in the Air Raider, aiming her utility arm downwards and doucing Heat Man with a heavy dose of water, the same way she dealt with Fire Man earlier this week

"Oh, no!" Heat Man whines, "Not _again_!"

Heat Man runs away, but Roll swoops down and rams him with the Air Raider. She then plows the Air Raider into Metal Man and then Cut Man and all three Robot Masters are clinging to the front of the flying craft.

"Hang on, Doc!" Roll says, grabbing the Raider's throtle handle and pulling it all the way back, bringing it to a dead stop and sending all three Robot Master's bodies flying backwards until they crash to the ground.

Roll parks the Air Raider and says, "Duty calls, Doc. I'll be right back after I'm done kickin' butt!"

As Roll jumps out of the Air Raider, Doc the Met remains under his hardhat, barely peeking out from underneath it, not sure if it's safe to come out yet.

* * *

><p>As almost all of the other Robot Masters have been incapacitated and GutsMan is struggling with Rush, Mega Man gets back to his feet to deal with whoever is left, but he gets blasted directly in his left forearm by his brother ProtoMan. As Mega slumps back down to his knees, he clutches his arm, which is showing some major damage as sparks spit out of what used to be the energy readout and communicator on the side of his forearm.<p>

"Oooops!" Proto goads, "Looks like you blaster is busted, bro! I guess that means you can't fight anymore, so you'll have to surrender to us!"

"Not a chance!" Mega replies with a pained, yet angry sneer.

ProtoMan fires another shot, but Mega leaps and avoids it, running towards the downed bodies of Cut Man and Metal Man.  
>Even though he cannot copy their powers anymore, he can still use their weapons. Mega yanks Cut Man's cutters and Metal Man's saw blade off of their heads and throws them toward a nearby lamp post. Cut Man's cutters chop the post down while Metal Man's blade slices the lamp off of the top of it, leaving a single pole falling to the ground.<p>

ProtoMan fires another shot at his brother, who runs towards the fallen lamp post, narrowly avoiding further injury.

Mega Man grabs the severed lamp post pole and runs towards ProtoMan. Proto fires two more shots that Mega avoids with help from the lamp pole, propelling himself high into the air and crashing down, striking Proto direcly in the face with it, sending him backpedling.

Mega can that feel his energy is down thanks to the onslaught from the Wily robots. Weakened and with no plasma cannon, Mega Man knows he has to finish this fight, and quick.  
>Once ProtoMan regains his composure, he aims his blaster at his brother again, but in a desperation move, Mega Man throws the pole at him like a javelin.<p>

The pole flies perfectly into the blast nozzle of ProtoMan's blaster arm, causing sparks of electricity to fly out of it for a few seconds. Proto screams in pain, falling down into a sitting position and clutches his arm.

"Now we're even, big brother," Mega says, sounding like he's out of breath.

Staggering back to his feet, still with the lamp pole impaled into his arm, ProtoMan replies in a seriously pained voice, "So we are."

Proto grabs the pole with his right hand and yanks it out, his face wincing in agony when he does and he lets out a painful yelp. Oil begins to leak profusely from the nozzle area of his destroyed blaster arm. His left hand canot even revert back in place, because that he also damaged.

Mega Man looks worried when he sees how badly damged ProtoMan really is. "Proto... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!", Mega insists.

"Maybe you didn't," Proto replies, his voice sounding like a painful whimper at times, "But, you sure _did_!"

Favoring his arm, ProtoMan looks up at Mega Man and barely smirks. "You and I really _are _brothers!", he moans, "We're not affraid to fight dirty if we have to... you proved it twice this week. You're good at it... just like me!"

Mega Man stares back at his injured brother and ponders what he just said. On two occasions battling Proto this week, he resorted to some very extreme measures to defeat him. He also knows he has hurt him both times and he feels guilty about it.

"That's why I want you on our side, bro... usually only bad guys fight like that," Proto barely adds, "I'll see how low you can go next time, Mega. See you later!"

Proto musters all the strength he can to run away and Mega stands there, putting his head in his hands. "What have I done?", he mutters.

While Mega Man and ProtoMan were battleing, Roll was about to have her own problems...

* * *

><p>"Hey, Blondie!", yells Crash Man to Roll, who turns to face him, "Fire in the hole!"<p>

Crash Man aims his launcher arms and fires a Crash Bomb in her direction. Thinking fast, Roll switches to vaccum mode, automatically switching it to full reverse.

The power of the wind from the vaccum stops the Crash Bomb from heading in her direction and sends it flying back towards Crash Man. The bomb connects itself to Crash Man's chest, the sharp teeth on the underside of it piercing his white armor, and begins beeping, meaning that it is armed.

Crash Man scrams in horror, then explodes into several pieces, sending his limbs flying everywhere, including his head. Crash Man unbelievably survived the bomb destroying his chassis, but is muttering gibberish right now.

"Duuuhh! Dat wuzzz a baaad ideee," his seperated head barely groans.

The explosion was so powerful, it even knocked Roll to the ground. She lands with a thud on the pavement and grunts.

"Well," she pants, "That was fun!"

Then, Roll looks up and her blue eyes widen in fear as Dr. Wily's Skulker has regained control and is advancing on her.

* * *

><p>Inside the Skullker, Wily's beady eyes stare down at Roll, and he hears that whipser in his head beckoning him.<p>

_"Do it,"_ it instructs, _"destroy her."_

Wily hesitantly places his hand over the "fire" button, but he is not sure if he should do it, because he knows how ProtoMan would react if he destroyed either of his siblings.

_"Don't think about his feelings,"_ the whisper orders, _"Destroy Light and his family, and the world __is yours!"_

Wily can no longer fight the whisper. His eyes narrow, and he presses the button to fire upon Roll with the Skullker's side blasters. And since she is not wearing armor, the shots will surely cause severe injuries... if they don't kill her first.

* * *

><p>Doc the Met looks out from the Air Raider seat and sees Wily's Skullker advancing. He lets out a loud beep and leaps out, running towards his friend Roll as fast his feet can take him.<p>

He looks so scared as he watches Wily's weapons power up, and Roll on the ground, frozen with her horrified eyes looking up.

Doc knows he has to save her, and he knows he can. All he has to do is block the shot with his nearly impentrable hardhat. Doc continues beeping, trying to get Roll out of the way.  
>He pops his extension arm out and slams it on the ground to help catapault him in the way of the shot...<p>

Wily's Skullker fires four shots simultaniously from four plasma cannons mounted on it's sides...

Roll barely shifts herself out of the way, avoiding getting hit by three of the shots...

and Doc the Met... the brave, selfless little soul gets directly in the way of the fourth shot... and he didn't pull his yellow hardhat down in time...

the final shot hits Doc directly in the center of his head, above his eyes, burning a hole into it.

His simmering body falls down to the ground right beside Roll.  
>She looks down to see her little friend seriously injured and she screams, "DOC, NO!"<p>

Roll's terrified screams snap Mega Man back to attention and he looks over to see Wily's Skullker bareing down on her.  
>Mega makes a lightning fast dash for Wily's Skullker to save Roll and Doc.<p>

* * *

><p>Inside the Skullker, Wily's finger hovers over the "fire" button again. Now that he has struck Doc, he plans on doing to same to Roll.<p>

As the Robot Masters pile inside, the injured ProtoMan sees that Wily is about to blast Roll.

"What the hell are you _doing_?", he snaps through his pain.

"It has to be done, ProtoMan," Wily hisses, his eyes now widened.

Just Then, Mega Man Leaps onto the front of the Skullker and punches through the front windshield with his damaged, but still functional left arm, grabbing Dr. Wily by his purple shirt.

"It's over, Wily!" Mega yells, "Surrender, or else!"

Wily freaks as Mega Man begins pulling him out of his seat and he grabs his Electro Magnetic Shock Stick.

"NEVER!", Wily yells back through gritted teeth.

Through the large hole in the Skullker's windshield, Wily jabs the weapon into Mega Man's torso, creating a horrible pain sensation in Mega's chest, feeling just like a shotgun blast.  
>Mega Man yelps in agonizing pain and lets go, falling back down to the surface.<p>

Wily then takes the Skullker out and aborts the mission.

_"Now is your chance!"_ the whisper says, _"Destroy them all!"_

"The damage is done," Wily mumbles back with a dazed grin, "I want them to _feel _this."

* * *

><p>As the Skullker flies away, Mega Man clutches the area where Wily jabbed him just moments ago, but the cries of Roll behind him bring him back to attention.<p>

"Oh my God, no!" Roll warbles, "No!... Doc, can you hear me?"

Doc lets out, garbled beeps, looking up at Roll. He sounds like he is hurting badly.

Mega Man forces back the pain all over his body and gets up to see Roll panicking, on her knees over Doc the Met, who appears to have been seriously damaged.  
>Rush is nearby and whimpers, worried about Doc.<p>

"We've got to get him back to Dr. Light," Roll freaks, "He has to fix him!"

Roll picks Doc's body up and runs towards the Air Raider, jumping inside. Once there, she gently places Doc into the passenger seat and takes off.

"Rush, Jet Mode," Mega says, still in pain, "Double time it back to the lab!"

* * *

><p>In the skies above, Roll is traveling back to New York at an unsafe speed. She will most likely get a speeding ticket, but she doesn't care. Nothing matters right now except getting Doc back home so Dr. Light can fix him.<p>

"Don't worry, Doc. Everything's gonna be okay once we get back home. Dr. Light's gonna fix you," Roll says, sounding like she's about to sob, "just _please_ hold on!"

Doc lets out another garbled beep as his half-closed eyes look up at Roll.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Roll runs into the lab carrying Doc's broken body in her arms.

"Dr. Light!" she calls with a desperate look in her eyes, "Doc's hurt! Please, you have to fix him!"

"Quick! Bring me the emergency energy regulator," Thomas instructs.

Dr. Light takes Doc from Roll, who races to find the regulator, which is designed to keep a robotic patient stable by supplying a constant stream of power. Thomas sets the Met's body on the nearby work table, but once he gets a good look at his damage, he knows this situation is dire... if not fatal. Doc's eyes are now closed and he is not responding.

"Oh, my dear Lord," Dr. Light gasps.

Thomas pulls back Doc's harthat and sees how bad the damage inside Doc's head is. Roll returns with the regulator, plugging it in to Doc's power port on his side.

"It's gonna be okay now, Doc!", Roll warbles.

"Roll...", Thomas stammers, " I don't know if... if I can..."

"_Please_, Dr. Light," Roll begs, interrupting her father, "You've fixed Mega and me so many times, I know you can help him!"

"I'll try for you, sweetheart," Thomas assures, "I will."

Mega Man and Rush return to the lab and they make their way to Roll's side. Only now does Mega see just how badly Doc the Met has been damaged. He didn't say anything, because he is speachless... judging by the looks of it, the shot from Wily must have gone clean through into his memory core.

Thomas grabs a tool and begins examining Doc's damage, still looking deeper into Doc's damaged head, as Roll clasps her hands together, praying hard for little Doc to wake up again.  
>A few seconds later, after examining him, Dr. Light spots the destroyed remnants of Doc's memory core. If this stops functioning, a robot - including his or her identity and memories - is essentially dead. No ammount of repair can possibly make them the same again.<br>Then... the emergency energy regulator begins making a steady flat persistant beep and a red light goes on.

"Father," Mega says, taking off his blue helmet.

Thomas looks up at the regulator and sees the red light. "I know, son," he replies.

"What's happening?" Roll panics.

"The Regulator... it's not getting a signal anymore," Thomas says, solemly.

"... B-but can't you boost the power, or something?", Roll desperately asks with a slight stutter.

"Roll... his memory core has been destroyed," Dr. Light sighs, stepping up to Roll and putting his hands onto her shoulders gently, the words sounding so difficult for him to speak, "There is... nothing more I can do."

Roll's jaw slowly begins to fall and and her lips tremble.

"But..." Roll chokes, the words barely making it out, "but, he's my friend!"

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Thomas warbles.

Eddie, the flip-top robot races into the lab and jumps onto the table. "Eddie must help!" he says, opening the top of his head and raising a pre-opened energy can and pours some into Doc's mouth.  
>The liquid runs into the Met's mouth and then down his face... Doc still does not move and the energy regulator's flat tone is not changing.<p>

"But... Eddie's energy cans _always_ work!" Eddie mutters, "Eddie wants you to wake up, Doc!"

Eddie uses his head to try and nudge his friend awake... but, Doc doesn't answer.

Mega Man balls up his fist and holds it in front of his mouth, trying so hard to fight back his own sadness as he realizes that it is too late. Rush gets into a flat position, looking sad as he lowers his head into the floor.

Roll's eyes begin to glisten and she lightly shakes her head from right to left, already in denial that this could have happened. "No!", she says, "There has to be a way to save him! I'll fix him myself!"

Roll steps up to the table and tries to fix Doc, grabbing the same tools Dr. Light was using earlier, but Mega tries to explain, "Roll, there's nothing we can do."

"He was _alive_ when I brought him here!", Roll says, sounding like she's about to cry as she tries to check inside of Doc's blast wound to see how she can fix him. "We're not like humans, we're not supposed to just _die_!... right?", Roll innocently aks, her watery eyes looking up to her father.

"Roll," Thomas pleas, sounding like he is about to cry as well, "all life is precious... even robot life."

Roll's head drops and she begins leaning down beside the table, putting the tools down as her eye lubrication begins to escape from under her eyelids and runs down her cheeks as she caresses her little Met.

"Doc... it's me, Roll," she whimpers, "You've got to wake up... you can't leave yet... we haven't even finished SkyBlasters yet," Roll blubbers, now weeping as she continues, "you haven't even heard the rest of your favorite book. You fell asleep before I could read you the ending!... we have so many things left to do together, Doc!... you can't die! I love you!... _please_ wake up!"

Roll's picks Doc's body up off the table and slumps to the floor with him, sitting down with him nestled in her arms, holding him just like she would a baby. She begins openly sobbing as she looks down upon his body. He was always so full of life... now, he was lifeless.  
>Mega and Thomas get down on their knees and embrace Roll as her body shakes from her weeping.<p>

The reality quickly settles in... Doc really _is_ gone, and there was nothing anybody could do to save him.  
>Roll lets out painful, screaming sobs as she cries with her Met held tightly in her arms... and she wasn't going to let him go.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_I just want to say I'm sorry, everybody. I realize that this chapter might have upset some of you. Doc's death and Roll's reaction was the hardest scene I have ever had to write. I admit, I wrote it with tears in my eyes._

_Well, now that I have ruined every Mega Man game for you (you might never be able to blast a Met without thinking of Doc), p__lease leave a review or a comment. (Also, don't be afraid to admit if you cried too.)_


	29. Thursday, Part 2

_**The Week, Chapter 7: Thursday, Part 2.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Lynn Wersching's townhouse.  
><strong>**Outside of New York City.**

While the Light family is deeply hurting a personal tragedy right now, Officer Wersching was troubled about her brother, who has vanished without a trace.

Lynn pulls a shoebox out of her closet in her small townhouse. She lifts the lid off of the box and finds a group of digital photograph displayers bunched together inside. She turns one of them on, which is the first time it's been activated in over a year.

Within seconds, old family photographs from a happier time in the officer's life appear on the screen. First, she sees a picture with herself as a little girl with her mother - who is now deceased - and her father, who later abandoned his family. Lynn guesses she must have been two years old here, before her brother was born.  
>She can't even bring herself to look at her father. He was the one who started the slow downward spiral her family has been on for years.<p>

Lynn cycles through the photos using the touchpad on the device, trying to find shots of her brother, but cannot find them easily. Finally, she brings up the menu and types in _'Lancaster'_ into the search box.

The first picture that shows up is one of Castor when he was just a boy. It was a picture from Halloween, and Castor's face was painted up to mimic one of his favorite rock stars, Sheamus McFadden from The Screamin' Demons, a well-known heavy rock group who still tour to this day, even though they are getting long in the tooth.  
>Castor dressed up as him every year for Halloween for years. Lynn remembers always being the one who painted his face before they left to go Trick-or-Treating.<p>

The next picture is of Castor at age 13, who had already been forced to become the man of the house when he was too young to be. He was barely smileing, and it looked so forced. Lynn could see the pain behind those eyes of his.

The next picture was a shot of both brother and sister together, right before their mother died. Lynn was 20 and had already aspired to become a police officer; Castor was 16 with long bleached blonde hair, the color he always wanted it to be instead of it's natural red. He wanted to become a rock star, much like his music heroes... and he had "it."  
>Lynn remembers seeing him sing on stage at a small club with a band he formed... he became something really special when he was under those lights with that microphone in his hands.<br>He looks destined for greatness in this shot... and he looks healthy.

Then, Lynn sees a picture of herself and Castor from just two years ago, and it's the most recent image she has of him.  
>By now, Lynn was a police officer. Castor, on the other hand, just stopped caring about everything. He began pushing away everybody who was close to him - even his now-former bandmates and his girlfriend - and he hardly smiled anymore, and when he did it was brief. He was just a miserable person to be around. His hair was still blonde, but was six-inches long and slicked back, and he had a goatee.<br>He already looked like something was wrong with him, and his voice had become the tired and ragged snarl it is now. Lynn felt that he had started doing drugs at this point. They had a big fight about it the week after this picture was taken... they rarely talked in the two years that followed, and when they did, they usually argued about his suspected drug problems.  
>Lynn didn't see him again until he visited her in the hospital in April, and he looked unhealthy (looking very thin and missing a tooth,) adding more fuel to her suspicions.<p>

Finally, another shot of Castor and Lynn toghether when they were kids appears, the earliest shot that Lynn has seen so far. He was just eight and she was twelve.  
>In the picture, young Lynn had her arms wrapped around her brother, who had a slightly mischievous smile on his face.<br>Lynn can feel the tears welling up already when she sees her brother looking so happy and young, the exact opposite of the man he has become since.

"God, what did you do to yourself, Castor?" she gently weeps to to picture.

Lynn inserts a memory drive into the picture displayer to copy most recent image of Castor she has and contacts her partner QN-60 on her mobile phone.

_"Officer QN-60, reporting. Good afternoon, Lynn,"_ he states.

"Sixty, before we began patrol tonight, I'm going to need some time at the station to file a missing person's report," she says.

_"Copy that. Who is the subject?"_, he asks.

"... my own brother," Lynn replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Standing atop the roof of Dr. Light's house adjoining the lab is Mega Man, his armor still showing the damage he sustained from earlier today... the worst day of his life.

Mega is kneeling on one knee, resting his right arm on his right leg, and holding his head in his hands. He is in shock over what happened today. First and foremost, he has had to endure his first casualty since becoming Mega Man, and worse yet, it was a member of his own family in Doc. He was a great little robot and Roll was so happy to have him, and Doc was so happy she was his friend.  
>Poor Roll's screaming sobs are stuck in Mega's head. No matter how much he tries to focus, the pain in her voice still haunts him.<p>

Something else that haunts Mega is how aggressive he has been when fighting his brother ProtoMan recently. He wants him home so bad, but when he fights him, Mega can't help but get angry with him for helping Wily cause all of this destruction.  
>And Mega himself is scared of how angry he has gotten when fighting ProtoMan, affraid that he might accidently go too far one day.<p>

Mega Man pulls his helmet off of his head and holds it, staring at it. He knows he is the Defender of the Human Race - a job that so far, he has not failed at - and he does not regret being rebuit into a robot warrior, but the stress is becoming overbearing on him.  
>His family has been hit with a tragedy, he is questioning himself and - to make matters worse - Governor Cochran's hateful son is trying to exile robots. Mega Man knows that there is only one man to blame for this... for everything...<p>

Dr. Albert W. Wily.

Mega Man grows angry when he thinks of the mad scientist and everything he has done... including hurting and killing all of those humans and robots in Times Square two months ago, taking his brother away from him, and now murdering poor Doc.  
>Gritting his teeth and scowling, Mega then stands up and with a yell, throws his blue helmet into the silver titanium exterior of Dr. Light's lab. The helmet slams into the lab building's outer shell and falls to the ground.<p>

Mega stands tall, clinching his fists and staring out into the New York skyline.

"You're going to face justice, Wily," he says, "If it's the last thing I ever do!"

* * *

><p><strong>Times Square.<br>****Manhattan, New York.**

It was here on the busy street where Dr. Wily's war on humanity began not long ago. It is also here where William Cochran stands with a group of thirty people, spewing his hateful venom in other one of his Anti-Robot Protests.  
>Like usual, most New Yorkers are ignoring the protesters and just walk way, but that doesn't stop William from spreading his message.<p>

"Two months ago, they came here and they killed our fellow humans," he shouts into his bullhorn, "But today, we stand here and shout that we will not let robots do this to us again!"

The protesters cheer William's comments.

"We will stand and spread my word of truth to the entire world until every last robot is shut down!", William shouts, "Until they are all sent to the scrap yard, where they rightfully belong! We are going to take our planet back from these metallic bastards, and we are taking it back NOW!"

The protesters cheer again... but then, a black car pulls up to the curb in front of the protesters, being driven by a robot driver, naturally. The back passenger door opens up and _Governor_ Cochran steps out, towering over everybody else there.  
>Everybody goes silent when they see the Governor standing there. Even William is surprised to see his father there.<p>

"Dad?", William asks with a nervous half smile, "Are... you here to join the cause?"

George stares accross from his hateful son with narrow eyes. William gulps, knowing that when his father gives him that look, he is not very pleased. "I guess not," he shudders.

The tall Governor looks accross at all of the protesters, looking each of them in the eyes. Now a crowd is starting to gather because they know that the Governor is here.

"I cannot believe you people have stooped to this level," the Governor says in his smoky voice, looking at the protesters, "Do you not realize the day in age for which we live in? I had thought that our culture had finally been able to let go of hatred... but, it seems that when it comes to some of you, I am mistaken. You say you dislike robots... what I want to know is, what have robots - who are _not_ controlled by Dr. Wily - done to you?"

Nobody replies.

"That's what I thought," The Governor continues, "They've done nothing to you... nothing but _help_ you. Let me me ask a question... is there anybody here with a loved one who is in a nursing home?"

Two people raise their hands.

"Both of you," Mr. Cochran says, pointing to them, "Do robots abuse your loved ones?"

The protesters shake their heads, at a loss for words.

"They take care of your loved ones," The Governor says, "They can be trusted not to take advantage of them..."

The Governor sees people of African, Hispanic and Asian decent amung the protesters and approaches them, saying, "You know, there was a great man who walked this Earth... he has a beautiful memorial in Washington D.C... his name was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for equality... and he died because he believed in it. What do you think he would say if he saw each of you standing up for something he opposed? Something horrible like this?"

All of the ethnic protesters hang their heads in shame, realizing just how horrible these protests truly are.

William grows uncomfortable and steps up to his father. "Dad, _please_," William begs with a desperate sound in his voice, "don't do this."

The Governor looks down upon his son and replies, flatly, "I'm talking... shut-up."

William suddenly feels like he's only one inch tall now that his father has put him in his place. He remains quiet, as his old man told him to do.

Mr. Cochran continues to the protesters, "I know all of you are still upset about what happened here two months ago... we all are. But, that is not the fault of robots in general... it's all the fault of Albert W. Wily. I just got off the phone with Dr. Thomas Light on the way here... did you know that his family of robots, Mega Man included, suffered a personal tragedy today while protecting people like you?"  
>The Governor continues, his voice raising slightly, "That's what you people don't get! Robots are not just machines that you throw away after they don't work anymore... they are so much more now, Dr. Light's children in particular. They are like us... they feel like we do."<p>

With the same gracefulness and cander he uses in his speaches, the Governor concludes, "If you want to make things right, you would take these terrible signs and put them down. And you should all go home and give robots a chance... because I think you realize now, what you've been doing just isn't right... in order to _be_ a human, you have to _think_ like a human, not like a monster."

With that, all of the protesters begin to turn around and leave, dropping William's disgusting signs. The other bystanders who have gathered begin applauding the Governor, as well as these people who have abandoned William, who is still standing there in stunned silence as his _'cause'_ has just colapsed.

"No!", William snaps, now yelling into his bullhorn, "Get back here! Don't listen to him! Robots are Evil! They're all going to-"

George Cochran snatches the bullhorn out of his son's hands, looking down upon him with those wise narrow eyes again.

"Stop this, William!" he orders, dropping the bullhorn onto the ground, "I taught you better than to use your talents for inspiring hatred. You should do the same as all of them and quit embarrassing yourself."

Governor Cochran turns and walks back to his car, as the onlookers keep applauding.

"Damn you!", William shouts, "You ruined everything!"

Mr. Cochran turns back as he opens the door to his car. "You've disappointed me, William... _again_," he says as he gets back inside his car, shutting the door.

As his father's car drives away and the people around applaud, William stares at the car, his face a mask of wretched hate.  
>He then looks around at the citizens around him and yells, "Shut-up! You're all heretics! You're going to regret not listening to me one day... AND YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"<p>

As the citizens of New York boo him, William Cochran picks up his bullhorn and storms off a defeated man.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

In his workshop, Dr. Wily is hunched over ProtoMan, finishing the repairs on his damaged arm. At first, ProtoMan was insisting on repairing himself without asistance, until Dr. Wily ordered him to allow him to do it, because of the severity of the damage.  
>In fact, Proto has been in a foul mood since Philadelphia. He has barely spoken since.<p>

As Wily places the red titanium armor back over ProtoMan's repaired left arm, he glances at his creation, who is staring straight up at the ceiling, just like he has since he arrived to the workshop.

"Your repairs are finished," Wily informs ProtoMan.

Without a word, not even so much as a _thank you_, ProtoMan gets up and begins to walk away. Wily's stare follows him and he's had it with this silent treatment.

"Speak, dammit!", Wily yells, his voice echoing thoughout the corridor outside.

Proto stops, then turns to face Dr. Wily. Without that smart-ass smirk, the usual ProtoMan cockiness or cool-headedness, Proto replies with anger in his voice, "I tought we had an agreement! I deal with my siblings, and if they have to be destroyed, _I'm _the only one who does it!"

"Back to _this_ again?", Wily groans.

"Damn right, it's back to this!", Proto snaps, "That was the reason I wasn't a part of the mission briefing this morning, wasn't it? You were planning to take them out behind my back!"

"This is WAR, dammit!", Wily yells, "I want the world, and I'm not waiting around for you to make peace with your brother and sister, or to finally defeat them in battle! The world is mine! And I am going to TAKE IT! ... _ALL_ OF IT! ... Anybody who dare gets in my way will fall... no matter who it is!"

ProtoMan steps forward, pointing his finger at Wily, snearing, "I'm tellin' you for the last time-"

"NO! _I_ am telling _YOU_," Albert shrieks, "_I_ am your creator, and you will do what I tell you to do! And when the day comes when I order you to destroy your brother... you _will_ do it!," Wily now hisses, "Do you understand?... _Blues_?"

ProtoMan frowns when he hears Wily refer to him by _that _name. "Aye-aye... _Albert_," Proto flatly replies, clearly enfuriated with his master, and storms off.

Albert stands and watches his creation leave. He knows he has made ProtoMan angry, but he doesn't care anymore. Nothing else matters but taking the world, consequences be damned.

Wily turns and approaches a picture of the happy little Light family, ripped out of a newspaper recently and was taped on the wall. The picture showed Mega Man, Roll, Thomas Light, Rush, Eddie and Doc the Met, who was in Roll's arms. Despite the fact that the war had already started when this shot was taken, they all looked so happy in this picture.

Albert stares at the picture and his rotten evil grin returns. Even though he did not defeat Mega Man in battle today, he has accomplished something far more hurtful... he has wounded Mega Man and his whole family, especially Dr. Light - who views his robots as parts of his family -, and poor Roll as well.  
>To Wily, that felt better than defeating him, at least for today. And Wily plans on wounding them even more as the war goes on.<p>

Wily pulls a black permanent marker out of his lab coat pocket and slowly draws an X over Doc the Met.

"One down," he says to himself, referring to the fact that he destroyed Doc, "five to go!"

Wily then begins chuckling with sinister delight. He soon begins his manical cackle which echoes throughout the halls of Skull Fortress.

Dr. Wily has lost his mind... or whatever remnant he hadn't lost already, at least. And he's more dangerous than ever.  
>He wants to take over the world, and in his mind, he's going to do it... no matter who lives, or who dies.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_Astute readers might have already picked up on this, but for those of you who haven't, I will reveal this now. The main inspiration for Lynn's brother Castor is the late Layne Staley, former lead signer of Alice in Chains, who also had a very bad drug addiction. When I was creating the Castor character, Layne was stuck in my head and I have based some elements of Castor's personality and physical appearance on that of Staley's. In fact, Castor's tired and gentle snarl voice is essentially Layne's speaking voice.  
>This is my way of paying tribute to him.<em>

_The Screamin' Demons are a made-up band for this series (as is Sheamus McFadden), but they are like the 20X1 version of Kiss._

_btw, the MLK memorial is rather amazing. You should see it sometime._

_Please remember to leave a review or comment._


	30. Friday

_**The Week, Chapter 8: Friday**_

* * *

><p><strong>Friday, June 10th, 20X1.<br>****Dr. Light's lab complex.**

It has been nearly a day since tragedy struck the Light family. The mood has been very melancholy around the residence ever since, but one member of the family is hurting worse than anybody.

Now, early in the morning, Roll makes her way downstairs to the kitchen, like she does every morning. Usually she's bright and chipper, but today, she slowly shambles downstairs, hanging her head down, staring at the floor.

Doc's death has devestated her. She held on to her Met for hours yesterday, sobbing hysterically and refusing to let him go.  
>When she finally did let go of Doc's body, she ran to her room and wept even more. She then put herself into recharge mode, because she didn't want to be awake anymore.<br>She left the door ajar all night, because she always left it open in case Doc wanted to come in her room.

When she woke up, she tried so hard to re-enter her sleep because she didn't want to be awake, but her programming would not allow her to recharge for longer than necessary.

As Roll arived to the kitchen, she didn't start making breakfast like she did every morning. She just stood there for a moment, feeling empty inside. Nothing felt the same to her anymore. Even minor things like turning a doorknob or looking outside a window felt alien to her now. All because her little friend wasn't here anymore... taken from her in the worst way possible.

Aside from her brother Mega Man, Roll spent most of her time with Doc. He never argued with her or tried to lecture her and was always there to be a friend.

Roll looks down to her side, hoping that Doc would be there and that yesterday was just a practical joke or a nightmare.

But, he wasn't there... and he would never be there again.

Roll looked over and saw the little Gingerbread Met that Doc made himself sitting in a cookie jar. Just seeing the Met shaped cookie causes Roll's eyes to leak lubrication again. As she cries, she remembers that only two days ago, Doc had been the one to take those cookies out of the oven, only because he knew how sad Roll was being grounded and doing the household chores and he wanted to see her happy again.  
>Just like Mega and Rush, Doc was such a kind soul and he had a lot of love in him for a little robot.<p>

The sound of approaching footsteps can be heard. Roll spins around, her ponytail whipping behind her, hoping that maybe those footsteps belonged to Doc...

But, it wasn't Doc, it was Dr. Light.

Even though she loves her father, Roll couldn't hide her sadness and disapointment.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," Thomas said, with softness in his voice.

Roll noded, "Hi, Dr. Light." She couldn't bring herself to say _Good Morning_. because there was nothing good about this morning.

Dr. Light stood accross from Roll and for the first time in years, the man was at a loss for words. He felt so sorry for Roll, because he wanted so badly for both of his children to live peaceful lives, not this terrible open warfare that exists now.

"What do you want for breakfast this morning, Dr. Light?" Roll asks, much like she usually does, but sounding glum.

"You can forgo breakfast this morning," Thomas answers.

"... thank you," Roll says, "I don't want to cook."

Again, more awkward silence passes between them.

"I didn't even get to say _goodbye_ to him," Roll chokes, hanging her head down. "It's all my fault," she whimpers, "I never should have let him come with me."

Dr. Light stepped forward and spoke to his daughter, trying to console her. "Do not blame yourself, Roll... I wish I could have brought him back."

Roll's eyelids squeeze shut when her father lament his inability to save Doc's life. All day yesterday, it bothered her that Doc was considered a lost cause so quickly, and she cannot contain her feelings anymore.  
>She replies, "I've seen you fix <em>everything<em>... you worked the impossible... why couldn't you fix Doc?"

Thomas sighs. "The blast went right into his memory core," he says, "the damage was too great."

Suddenly, Roll turns around and snaps, "You didn't even _try_!"

Thomas looks shocked to Roll exhibit such a sudden mood change.

Since Roll has a full range of human emotions and traits, she is currently feeling what most humans go through when dealing with a loss of any kind: stages of grief.  
>Yesterday, she was in denial at first when Doc died. Now, she's angry at the world.<p>

"You only looked at him for a few minutes, then called it quits!", Roll adds, her voice rising, "I think Doc deserved more than that!"

"Roll," Thomas pleads, "There was nothing I could do! _Nobody_ could have saved him!"

"Hell, you were getting ready to give him to the man from the factory anyway, weren't you?", Roll spits.

"No! Don't you remember what I told you that day?" Thomas asks, a sense of urgency in his voice, "I would _never_ do anything to hurt you like that!"

Roll folds her arms and can't bring herself to argue with her father anymore. A part of her knows he's right, and she feels horrible for yelling at him, but so many things are bothering her now, she couldn't help it. She can feel her eyes water again and she walks away.

"Roll, please," Thomas pleads.

"Leave me alone," Roll warbles.

As Roll leaves she sees her Brother Mega Man standing nearby, along with Rush and Eddie. They were awake now, and were all concerned over what was going on.

Seeing Mega just re-ignited the flame of anger deep within Roll and she turns around, returning to the kitchen and to her father.

"That's another thing," she says with raw emotion, "_Nobody_ is gonna stop me from going out there with my brother and fighting that bastard Wily or his robots!  
>Roll's face than turns into an angry snear, as another tear runs down her face, she seethes, "I'm gonna make him <em>pay<em> for what he's done!"

All eyes are on Roll now and nobody is speaking.

Roll wipes her tears from her face and concludes by bringing up something else that has bothered her deeply for many weeks, and she didn't have the courage to bring it up until today.

"That's another thing," she says, looking directly into the eyes of her father, "build another domestic housekeeping robot... I'm not supposed to be the maid... I want to be your _daughter_! I'm sorry... I quit!", she says with another tear escaping her left eye.

With that, Roll storms off, walking right past her brother Mega and the others and goes back to her room upstairs, slamming her door once she gets there.

Mega Man steps up to his father, who looks shaken. None of them have ever seen Roll get this angry. "Dr. Light, let me talk to her," Mega requests.

"No, you should leave her be," Thomas advises, looking shaken, "She's suffering right now... but, she's right."

"Father, I know she wants to get vengeance for Doc, but she going to get herself destroyed if she does this," Mega says, worrying his sister will become too involved and get hurt again, or worse.

"I'm not talking about that," Dr. Light clarifies, "... I should have never made her a domestic robot. No father ever makes his daughter serve as the housekeeper... not a good father, at least. And I have to try to save Doc one more time... I _have_ to. Not just for her... but for my own conscience."

* * *

><p><strong>Later That Day.<strong>

Roll is lying on her bed, still with her hair in her ponytail and wearing her yellow and red outfit, which was stained with tiny smudges of robot oil... they were from Doc's body as she held him yesterday.  
>Her face is glistening with her eye lubrication, which has now soaked into her pillow. Roll feels so horrible and selfish for snapping at her father like she did this morning. She knows deep down inside that Dr. Light <em>did<em> try to save Doc and if he said it was too late to save him, then it must have been.  
>She wants to go back downstairs and apologize to him, and to the rest of her family for them having to see her act like that, but she doesn't have the courage yet.<p>

Roll grabs a nearby stuffed teddy bear and hugs it. The bear wasn't like Doc. It wasn't trying to make her smile the way Doc did and it wasn't going to ask her how she's feeling.  
>This bear isn't <em>alive<em> like Doc was.

Roll gets angry again and throws the bear up against the red-papered wall of her room. She can feel the anger boiling inside her again.  
>Roll knows that if there is anybody to blame for what happened to Doc, it sure isn't Dr. Light, or Mega Man or anyobdy else... nobody but one man... one evil, rotten monster, a pitiful excuse for a man.<p>

With an angry frown on her face, Roll walks up to her computer and powers it up.

Within seconds, she goes onto a search engine website and types in the following phrase...

_'Exact location of Skull Fortress'_

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the main lab.<strong>

Dr. Light is tirelessly working over Doc the Met's body, trying to see if there is _anything _he can do to revive him.  
>Mentally, he ponders that there had to be some way to extract data from Doc's memory core. Something... <em>anything<em>. But, such efforts have been turned up empty, as the core's data is all but gone, with nothing left but garbled programming.  
>Thomas knows there is hardly any real chance to fully revive Doc - some possible ways to save him have already been explored twice by now, - but he pushes on, refusing to accept that Doc cannot be saved.<p>

Nearby, without his helmet on, Mega Man watches his father try to pull off the miricle of miricles. He suggests something that he knows he probably shouldn't...  
>"Dr. Light, can you just give Doc a new memory core?," he asks, "he was only online for just over a month."<p>

"That wouldn't be right, Rock," Thomas says, looking up to his son, "If I did, and it worked, he would be up and walking again... but he wouldn't be Doc anymore. He could even have a totally different personality if a new core was installed. Roll would notice right away... she would never forgive me if I did that."

Thomas continues working over Doc's body, and he theorizes, "Maybe if I placed the core into a new body... no," he groans, "it still wouldn't work. The body wouldn't even get a bloody signal."

Knowing his options for bringing Doc back to live are exhausted, Thomas becomes frustrated and lightly pounds his left hand onto the worktable, putting his right hand over his forehead, sighing.

"Rock, I must ask you... who did this to him?", he asks.

"Wily did," replies a somber Mega Man.

"Yes, but which robot?", Thomas asks.

"... Wily did it himself, Dr. Light," Mega answers, his voice how shuddering, "With the guns on his shuttle."

Once he learns that Dr. Wily himself had destroyed Doc the Met, Thomas is overwelmed with shock and grief. He had to get up and walk around, putting his hands on his forehead as he does.

Causing the deaths of all of the innocent people in Times Square was bad enough... but Wily destroying Doc by his own hand is far more painful.

"That day when Albert and ProtoMan broke in here," Thomas says, "and when he called here and challenged you to face him last month, Albert said that I was to blame for what he has become... that I never admitted that he was right often enough... maybe he was right. Maybe I should have given him more leeway, he wouldn't be be doing this right now... and this horrible war would have never happened."

Mega Man sees that his father/creator is expressing doubts for the first time since he was brought online, and tries to reason with his feeling of guilt. "Don't feel that way, Dr. Light," he says, "Wily is a psycho. He would've snapped sooner or later, no matter what you told him."

Mega steps up to Thomas and calmly says, "I know you feel bad about what happened to Doc, and I do too... I wasn't there in time to save him, and I wish I could've been. But, it wasn't _your_ fault."

"I'm afraid it is, son," Thomas says, "Roll had asked to go with you again. I allowed her to as long as she didn't get involved in the fighting... she did anyway."

Mega replies, "As much as I don't want her out there in danger, she was only doing what she felt was right. She wants to help stop Wily too."

After another sigh, Dr. Light turns back to Doc and picks up his work tools, trying in vain to revive him. "I have to keep working on him," Thomas says with resolve, "I will not quit until all I know for sure I can't resolve this."

Mega Man sees how Dr. Light desperately (and to be honest, obsessively) wants to save Doc, even though there's no real chance to pull it off and puts his hand on Thomas' shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Father, you're pushing yourself too hard," Mega says.

"I can't quit on him," Thomas answers, "Not after what Roll said."

"I know you want to save him... but what are the chances of doing it?"

Thomas sighs again, realizing his son is right, that all possibilties were exhausted long ago, and replies, "... with the severity of the damage he has... it cannot be done. He would never be the way he was."

Mega Man knows what he is about to say is perhaps the hardest words he has ever said, but he knows he has to say them, for his father's own sake.  
>"I know you want Doc back too," he begins, "And you've gone above and beyond the call of duty to try and save him... but... we have to let him go. You've done everything you could do."<p>

Thomas puts his tools down, hanging his grey-haired head down slightly, feeling the sting of tears welling up in his eyes.

"He was just as much a part of this family as your sister and you," Thomas says, his voice now choking, "I don't... _want_ to let him go. When I built Doc, Rush, your sister and you, I intended for all of you to live in a peaceful world... I never wanted _this_."

Mega Man keeps his hand on on his father's shoulder as Thosmas lets out his emotions, trying to keep his own emotions in check. "I know you didn't , Dr. Light," he says, "There will be peace soon, I promise... I won't let Doc's or anybody else's memory go in vain."

Letting out one more sigh, Thomas stares at Doc's severely damaged and lifeless body, mentally going over all of the possibilities again one more time before ultimately realizing that his son is right... Doc must rest now.

Without another word spoken, Thomas grabs a white sheet and gently places it overtop of Doc's body, covering him in it.

Doc the Met was build to be just a little assistant robot that was no bigger than a pet, but he had the heart the size of a giant, and the same courage, bravery and selflessness that Mega Man and Roll - his best friend - have.

He was more than just a little robot... so much more.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****New York City.**

Clutching a bagged bottle of stiff liquor, William Cochran waddles down down the sidewalk, clearly drunk out of his mind, in the middle of a binge that started last night after being humiliated by his own father in front of the whole world as yesterday's unraveling of his protest group was shown on the network evening news.  
>Even though William still looks like he's dressed well, his tie barely hangs off his neck and his button-up shirt is partially untucked.<p>

"This is how the world ends!", he slurrs, messing up his words, "We're welcoming our new robot overlords! YAAAAYY!"

William brings the bottle up to his lips and takes another chug. "It's _only_ the human race, everybody!... WHO CARES!", he wails, sounding like he's laughing, "Let 'em kill us all! HA-HA!"

A user-controlled robot who is cleaning the outside the store he has been stationed to begins looking over at drunk William.

William's face twists into an angry scrowl that would give Dr. Wily's scowl a run for it's money.

He growls, "Don't look at me, you piece'a garbage!" and runs at the robot, kicking him and shoving him, knocking him to his knees.

The cleaning robot becomes scared and runs back inside the store, leaving his cleaning equipment outside.

"Yeah! You better run!" William yells, grinning, "I'll take a bath in your oil, you scrap heap!"

The human store owner comes over and yells out his door, "Get away from my store, you drunk! Or I'm callin' the police!"

"Go ahead! Call the police, you sycophant! See if I care!" William shrieks and begins walking down the street, nearly tripping over himself.

His eyes look up to see a bunch of flatscreen television sets displayed in an electronics storefront window... and all of them are showing Mega Man.

"This is all YOUR FAULT!", William shouts at the many images of Mega Man, "They're not listening to me because of _you_!... ABOMINATION!"

William takes his bottle and throws it into the store window, shattering the glass and sounding the alarn. William then begins taking the TV sets and ripping them out of the window and throwing them out into the street, destroying them.

Then, he hears the brief sound of a police car siren and a flash of it's red and blue lights. And as fate would have it, the officer driving the car is Lynn Wersching, who was on her way back home from active duty.  
>Since she technically wasn't on duty anymore, she was alone, without QN-60 there to back her up, but that wasn't going to stop her. Right now, there was a crime happening... and she wanted to bring this scumbag down.<br>Lynn gets out of the car and stands outside, staring accross at Cochran Jr.

Once he sees her standing there, he stops destroying things. "Hey! Look who it is!" William slurrs, pointing at Lynn, "It's the robot lovin' cop with the nice rack!"

Lynn says nothing, standing with her arms at her sides, watching William carefully as he shuffles her way.

"What's'a matter, darlin'?" Cochran mutters with a twisted grin on his face, "I'm not robotic enough for your tastes?"  
>William begins walking like a stiff robot and makes rigid machine-like movments while saying, "Gink-Gonk! Beep-Bloop!"<p>

Then, he resumes stumbling towards her, but Lynn decides to give him a warning. "You've committed a crime, Mr. Cochran. I suggest you turn around and get on your knees," she says, calmly.

"Or you'll do what? Sick your scrap heap robot partner on me?... I don't see him anywhere around!", William barks, pointing at her again, "You know, you make sick, you robot loving bitch!"

Lynn clinches her fists and narrows her eyes. After dealing with the heartache of her brother going missing - and probably relapsing into drug use - she's not in the mood to put up with this jackass.

Lynn presses, her voice sounding more forceful than it previously was, "I'm telling one more time-"

"You can tell me all you want!", William snears, "Whatever crime I've committed is nothin' compared to what the rest of the human race has done by embracing these robots!"  
>William now clinches his right fist and growls, "And whenever I see a robot lover like you again, this is what I'm gonna do to 'em!"<p>

William throws his fist at Lynn, but she ducks it, locking his right arm under hers, then kicks the back of his right leg out with her right leg and uses her whole body to shove him down to the pavement, crackling his back on it.

William wails in pain when he hits the gound, and Lynn begins dragging him to the side of the cruiser. But, when she opens the door, William begins violently struggling and tries to hit her again.  
>But, Lynn blocks his punch with her arm and punches him back, connecting right in his jaw, causing blood to splatter out of his mouth.<br>William tries to struggle again, but she punches him again, this time a little higher. She was aiming for his nose, but struck his cheek instead, knocking him silly. The second punch was so violent, William is knocked out and he slumps over.

As the proverb goes, the lights are on, but nobody's home.

Gritting through the pain in her right knuckles after how hard she decked William and out of breath, Lynn slaps her handcuffs on the robot racist and begins reading him his rights.

"William Reid Cochran," she growls, "You're under arrest for disturbing the peace, destruction of property and the attempted assault of a police officer."

After Lynn cuffs William, she begins hoisting his limp body into the back seat of the car. "You have the right to remain silent," she continues reading him his Miranda, "Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law... and a bunch of crap I don't feel like reciting right now, so get in the car, you racist bastard!"

As she shoves William's drunk, beaten-up body into the car, Lynn makes sure that she slams the door on his ankle.

Lynn knows that she will probably get in trouble for handling him the way she is (arresting someone while off-duty, not reading him his entire Miranda rights, roughing him up like this), but, she doesn't care anymore, especially after everything that's gone on in the past two months.

Besides, he's so drunk, he won't remember this later, anyway... Even if he does, it's her word against his.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_It appears that William has finally gotten what was coming to him... but we probably haven't seen the last of him.  
>But, it appears we may have seen the last of Doc the Met. Goodbye, my little Met friend. :'(<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or comment. The epilogue is next. But, don't expect a big action finale, even though Roll has vengeance on her mind. This will be more of an emotional climax and low-key, but I hope you enjoy it._


	31. Episode 3 Epilogue: Saturday

_**The Week, Epilogue: Saturday.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, June 11th, 20X1.<strong>

_**_**"Live, from the first station in New York to broadcast in super-definition, it's 7 Eyewitness News: Late Edition!"**_**_

We see the News 7 anchors at the desk, starting off their newscast, which is running just over an hour late because of a baseball game.

_"Good evening. Welcome to the late edition of Eyewitness News, I'm Kirk Trujillo,"_ says the male anchor.

_"And I'm Trish Faulkenburg,"_ states the female anchor seated next to him, _"After launching a months-long series of anti-robot protests in New York, William Cochran - son of New York Governor George Cochran - was arrested again following a drunken tirade outside an electronics store, where Cochran physically attacked a cleaning robot and later began destroying televisions from the front window of the WideScreen HQ store."_

_"Our own Bree Recotta is live outside the scene of the incident right now," _Kirk says, throwing it to Recotta.

We then see a shot of Bree Recotta standing accross from the _Widescreen HQ_ store, which now has two police cruisers nearby to make sure nobody else tries to cause damage or steal the property. The remnants of smashed televisions can still be seen in the street.

_"Thank you Kirk and Trish,"_ she states, _"The son of Governor Cochran, William Cochran, has become a known person in New York... as well as one of the most hated. Over the past few weeks, he has led several anti-robot protests out in the streets which led to near-riot conditions. But, toight, he is residing in a jail cell for the second time. Witnesses say they saw William staggering down the sidewalk behind me clutching a liquor bottle-"_

_"Hang on, Bree,"_ Kirk interrupts, _"I'm sorry, but, we are recieving word that Dr. Albert Wily has just issued another recorded message. I've been told we are going to that video now."_

* * *

><p>We then see a grainy video of Dr. Wily himself standing in his main command center deep within Skull Fortress. He was alone, without any of his other robots around (mainly because they are almost all damaged, and ProtoMan is not happy with him right now.)<p>

_"Good evening, my future prisoners,"_ Albert says with a grin, _"It is Dr. Wily, the most brilliant man who ever lived. I am speaking to you now to confess my sins to the world. Today, I commited a horrible act... I destroyed one of Dr. Thomas Light's little Robot companions. No, it was not Mega Man... although, I tried my best to kill him... but it was a cute little robot wearing a yellow hardhat. He bravely jumped in the way of a blast intended for Mega Man's adorable little sister. And she was so upset to see her little friend turned destroyed right before her eyes. I must confess... I didn't feel bad for what I did... in fact, I would do it again!", _Albert says, with an evil grin on his face.  
><em>"So I wish to give fair warning to all of you... if you value your life, I suggest you stay away the next time I visit your town... very bad things tend to happen when I'm around. And if the citizens of the world do not surrender to me...,"<em> Wily pauses, grinning wider and looking into the camera,_ "I cannot guarentee _anybody's_ saftey. And rest assured, your hero Mega Man will not be around to protect you for much longer... the world will fall,"_ Albert adds, now cupping his hands together,_ "and it will fall into my hands! Until next time... goodnight."_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

It is now after midnight. Everybody is asleep at the lab... everyone except Roll.

Wearing her faded blue jeans and a jean jacket over her cream yellow and red blouse, and carrying a red duffle bag over her shoulder, Roll carefully unlocks the door to the lab using a screwdriver in her utility arm and quietly sneaks in, trying to make sure her metallic feet do not make too much noise as she enters.

Once inside, she makes her way to the lab's storage area and takes a few energy cans, placing them into her bag. Roll then grabs a secondary fuel tank and puts that into her bag as well.  
>After she gathers what she needs, Roll zips her bag up and walks over to the garage door and opens it.<p>

She looks back towards the lab's entrance, regretting she couldn't tell her father and brother how much she loves them... but, they would know something was up and would just try to stop her.

Roll has thought hard about what she's about to do. She wondered wether or not she should even try to do this. But, every time, she remembered poor Doc's final moments... how much pain he must have been in.

Roll's mind was made up... it has to be done.

She closes the inner garage door and opens the door leading to the outside. She grabs the keys to her SkyCycle off of the wall of the garage and mounts herself on the craft.

Roll starts the SkyCycle and peels out of the lab, not looking back and leaving her home and her family behind.

* * *

><p>Mega Man (who is without his helmet), Dr. Light and Rush raced down to the lab to see what was happening. They had been alerted by the security systems, but did not see anything wrong inside of the lab.<p>

"That's strange," Thomas says, "Nothing has happened here. There is no sign of any intruders."

Mega wonders why the security systems have gone off... until he looks over his shoulder and realizes who _isn't_ here.

"Check the security cameras!", Mega blurts with worry in his voice.

Without saying a word, Thomas goes over to the lab's main console and replays the security feed. He sees the video of Roll entering the lab and going into the garage, then taking her SkyCycle.

"Oh, no!", Thomas shudders, the color leaving his face, "Roll has run away from home!"

"... she's not running away from home!" Mega says with fear in his voice, "She's going after Wily!"

"Rush! Jet, now!" Mega orders, with panic in his voice.

* * *

><p><strong>In the skies above New York.<strong>

High above New York, Roll flies her SkyCycle dead ahead towards the southwest, where Dr. Wily's Skull Fortress is. She is sure she has just enough fuel to make it to his fortress.  
>Her long blonde ponytail flaps in the wind behind her as she zooms ahead and her usually friendly face is full of anger as she stares ahead at the dark sky ahead of her.<p>

All she can think about is avenging Doc... if her brother won't defeat Dr. Wily, she _will_.  
>But her will to get vengeance for Doc is clouding her judgment. Going to Skull Fortress is impossible... but, trying to invade the fortress, take on all of Wily's forces and apprehend Wily himself is nearly suicide. Even Mega Man - who is built for combat - could not easily apprehend Wily when he stormed the fortress last month. That mission nearly resulted in his destruction.<br>Roll is not built for combat, but she doesn't care... not anymore.

Behind her, Roll can hear a familiar pair of jets. She knows it's Rush, and wherever he is, Mega Man is.

Mega contacts her via their communators. _"Roll, listen to me!" _, Mega begs, _"Please turn back around and come back to the lab!"_

Roll takes one hand off the handlebars and enters a command in her arm, blocking Mega's communations with her. She then speeds up and tries to lose Mega by maneuvering herself between the many buildings here in the city. Mega and Rush follow her effortlessly.

Roll then veers down into Central Park and Mega Man decides to use a drastic measure before his sister does something she'll regret.

"I'm sorry, Roll," he says, "but, this is for your own good."

Mega switches to blaster mode and fires a stun blast directly at the engine of her SkyCycle. The blast hits the rear of Roll's SkyCycle, criplling the engine and she loses control.  
>Roll panics as the flying craft heads downward into the grass and she looks back at Mega, angry that he would do this.<p>

Roll's Skycycle hits the ground heavily, managing to not sustain much more damage than it has already sustained, but Roll leaps right off, not missing a beat, and continues running towards her destination.

Mega Man leaps off of Rush and he chases her, his feet able to run at a faster speed than her's.

"Roll! Stop!", Mega hollers, but Roll doesn't listen, still running forward.

Finally, Mega Man leaps ahead and tackles Roll from behind, taking her down to the ground, staining her denim jacket green from the grass.  
>Roll yelps as they land on the grass, but Roll still tries to carry out her plan.<p>

"Let go of me!", she shrieks, struggling with her brother.

Mega Man grabs onto Roll's bag, but she manages to slip it off of her and tries to keep going. Mega Man then reaches out and grabs her by her left arm, just above her utility arm apperatus.

Roll looks back with fire in her blue eyes, fire that Mega Man has never seen in those sweet eyes of hers, and it scares him.

"Mega, let go!", she snaps, growling and gritting her teeth.

"What's gotten into you?", Mega yells.

"I said I'm gonna make Wily pay!", Roll seethes, "You're not gonna stop me!"

"It's _suicide_ if you go to Skull Fortress, Roll!", Mega snaps.

"Not if you come with me!", Roll yells, trying to plea to Mega Man, "You got in there before! We can _both_ get Wily! We can _stop_ this war before anybody else gets killed!"

"Roll, I know you're upset about Doc!", Mega pleas loudly, "But, doing this isn't going to bring him back!"

Roll stops struggling and her face begins to scrunch into a sad pout as she turns away from Mega Man. He can hear her voice turning into a sobbing whine now and he tries to console her.

"Roll, please-," Mega tries to beg.

Roll whips her head back around, revealing the eye lubrication tears running down her face, and yells "You don't know what it's like to watch somebody you love get killed in right front of you! ... I do!", Roll begins to sob, "Doc was my _friend_!... and Wily killed him!"

Roll began openly sobbing and wailing as she slumped to the ground, covering her face with her right hand, letting out all of her pain and anguish. Mega kneels down with her and hugged her as she leaned her face into his shoulder, letting out body shaking sobs.

"I know you're hurting, Roll," Mega soothes, "Doc was my friend too... all of ours. I know you want Wily to pay for it... but, you're only going to get yourself killed too if you're not careful. Do you realize what it would do to me and Dr. Light if... if _that_ hapened to _you_?"

Roll doesn't answer, still blubbering.

"I've already lost a brother to this psycho before I even met him... I can't lose my only sister too. I love you."

Roll uncovers her face, which is now dripping with tears, and wraps as much of her arms around Mega as she can. Rush whimpers and nuzzles up to Roll too, like a good little dog would.

"I'm going to stop Wily," Mega says, "I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done to us and everybody else, I promise... but, you've gotta leave him to me."

"I just want to help," Roll barely snivels.

"I know you do," Mega says, rubbing his right hand up and down his sister's back, not letting go of eachother.

"Let's just go home," Mega says, "Dr. Light is worried about you."

Mega stands up and Roll gets up with him. He wraps an arm around his little sister, and along with Rush, who is pulling the SkyCycle along with the help of a tractor beam, they take their time walking back home to the lab together.

Mega Man has two very important jobs - Defender of the Human Race and prime representive of Robotkind - but, for right now only one job is more important than the rest: being the best brother he can be for his little sister right now... and he's the best brother in the world.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_"The Week" is over... and I couldn't be more glad. This has been the most taxing thing I have ever written (which includes a lot of stuff I have never published.) This episode has been in production since before I even finished posted Wily's War weeks ago, so I'm happy it's done._

_The interlude for Episode 4 will be much, much longer this time (perhaps 4 or 5 chapters) as Episode 4 does not take place until after "The Strange Island of Dr. Wily."  
>This will cover a lot of ground, but I am not adapting the full episodes of the cartoon show... besides, that's BlackRussian's job anyway. :)<br>The interlude will start in early November._

_Please remember to leave a review or comment. Check the blog on my profile page for updates.  
>Thanks to BlackRussian, Kuraselache, lalalei, DestinyZX and Dragolord09 for their reviews. I really appriciate them.<em>


	32. Interlude, part 1: Farewell to a friend

_**Interlude, part 1: Farewell to a Friend.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday June 11th, 20X1.<br>****Dr. Light's Laboratory.**

It is nearly 1:00 AM in New York.  
>Dr. Thomas Light stands alone in his laboratory, pacing the cold hard titanium floor, waiting for his children Mega Man and Roll to return home.<p>

This week has been terrible for all of them... just two days ago, Doc - Dr. Light's prototype for the Met series of robots - was detroyed by Dr. Wily during a battle.  
>What made Doc's loss so much more painful and tragic was that he was Roll's companion, much like how Rush is Mega Man's companion. Roll and Doc were almost always together, and Roll is not taking his loss well.<br>The reason why she and Mega are not here right now is because Roll wanted to take matters into her own hands and attempted to travel to Skull Fortress to try and deal with Wily herself.  
>Mega Man, knowing that Roll would have surly been killed or captured, pursued her and stopped her from embarking on her suicidal mission.<p>

Thomas continues to walk back and forth in the lab with his stout arms folded behind his back.  
>He is still troubled by what Roll said to him yesterday morning, proclaiming that she had 'quit' being the domestic household robot because she felt more like the house's maid, rather than Dr. Light's daughter.<br>Thomas never knew that Roll felt the way she did. If only she had told him how much she did not want to be the housekeeper, he would have gotten to work on a new domestic robot much sooner.

Finally, after what felt like hours - even though it had only been nearly a half-hour - Mega Man, Roll and Rush return home. Roll's damaged SkyCycle was left in the garage nearby.

Thomas turned around to see his children walking inside. Mega still had his arm around the shoulders of Roll, who was still hanging her head down, looking very distraught.  
>She was still wearing her blue denim jeans and jacket, which were smudged green from falling in the grass at Central Park.<p>

Dr. Light approached them both and Roll looked up to face her father. "I'm sorry," Roll warbles, apologizing for what she's done and how she blew up at her father yesterday.

"It's alright sweetheart," Thomas says as he hugs his daughter, "I know you are hurting right now. Everything will turn out right."

Roll doesn't reply when her father tries to assure her. Doc is still gone, and nothing was going to change that. She buries her face in her father's shoulder and allows herself to let out her sadness again, wishing that she still had her friend Doc with her... and wishing that Albert Wily was in jail.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

Rush leaves Mega Man's room and walks accross into Roll's room, where her door is ajar. Roll always kept her door ajar in case Doc wanted to come in.

As Rush entered, the room itself was dark, luminated only by the shine coming from the moon peering through the window. Rush walked around to the other side of Roll's bed and looked up to see her awake, lying on her right side with her hair down, looking out the window at the starry sky above.

Rush sat down directly accross from her and he noticed her eyes looked wet, as she was still upset. It was so dark in the room that Roll didn't even notice Rush at first until she blinked her wet blue eyes.

She looked down and barely lets out a half-smile. "Hi, Rush," she says with a sweet tone, putting her hand out and rubbing the side of his head.

Rush lets out a whine.

"You miss Doc too, don't you?" Roll asks, and Rush nods.

Rush barks as quietly as he can to Roll.

"You want to sleep in here with me?", Roll asks, somewhat surprised, "But, won't Mega get lonely without you?"

Rush barks again. He wants to be in here to keep her company.

Roll's bottom lip trembles for a moment, because Rush wanting to sleep in her room remains her of Doc. "Sure," Roll sighs as another tear falls down her face, "You can stay with me as much as you want."

Rush nods and lies down on the floor, flat on his stomach right next to Roll's bed. After a moment, Roll shifts in her bed and calls, "Rush?"

Rush looks up to Roll, who lightly pats her hand on her bed. "You can come up here if you want, boy."

Rush barks and leaps up into bed next to Roll, lying down next to her over her red covers. Roll wraps her arms around her robodog, hugging him.  
>Even though she didn't have Doc here with her anymore, at least she still has somebody to cuddle up with.<p>

After a long and painful day, Roll finally allows herself to slip into recharge mode with Rush snuggled up in her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****New York City Police Precinct.**

Here in this small, cramped jail cell, William R. Cochran is lieing on his back on top of the stiff bunk attatched to the wall.

Not only is he hungover, but he also has a concussion, his face is banged-up from last night's confrontation he had during his drunken rage (, his left eye is now black, his bottom lip is swollen and stitched-up and his jaw hurts like hell,) and his back is stiff from being thrown down hard on asphalt.

Then, there is a knock outside his cell, and in William's hung-over skull each knock sounds like a thunderclap.

"What?", he groans with irritation in his voice.

The door opens and the Chief of Police himself, Montgomery Toombs walks in. "I'm in charge around here, lad," he says in his slight Scottish accent, "Don't ya' think I deserve a little more then just 'what?'"

"Ugh," William groans, barely opening his eyes to look up to the Chief, not getting up out of the bunk because his back can't handle it. "What... _sir?_", William 'corrects' himself, still managing to sound like a complete smartass.

The Chief refrains from reeming William's punk carcass out right here. "Got a couple questions for ya'," Toombs says, "You remember anything about last night?"

As annoyed as William is, he tries to jog his scrambled brain to remember how he ended up like this. Aside from walking into several liquor stores yesterday, he doesn't remember much of anything after that, except for a few scant bits.

"I remember wanting to break something," William answers, "... aside from that... I don't remember."

"You remember how ya' got here?", Toombs asks.

William thinks again... "No," he answers, "Got anymore brainbusters, or can I sleep?"

"No, that's about enough o' you I can take," The Chief says, turning around to leave, "Have some good nigh-nigh time in there now!"

Toombs grabs the cell door and slams it as hard as he can, making sure the sound explodes in William's head. He deserves it.  
>William grabs the sides of his craniums as the sound of the door reverbates in his head.<p>

Once outside, Chief Toombs grabs his cup full of ice cubes and leaves the holding area, meeting up with Officer Lynn Werching who was waiting to hear about the Chief's meeting with the robot racist.

"I don't think you have to worry about him too much, Lass," he says, putting a cube in his mouth and chewing it, "I don't think he even remembers where he was born."

Lynn smiles barely. She was concerned that William might file a complaint against the department and try to have her punished. But, it appears she put enough of a beating on him to blank out any memory of last night.  
>In fact, her right knuckles are taped up and sore from how hard she decked him.<p>

"Thanks for checking, Chief," she says.

"I've still gotta reprimand ya', though," the Scottish Chief says, "You've gotta read the _whole _Miranda, Lynnie. I don't care how boring she is."

"I'm sorry, boss," Lynn says, hanging her head down.

"I appreciate you bein' so dedicated, but I gotta be honest," he says, "I think you should take time off."

Lynn keeps her head down as she listens to Toombs, who contunes, "You've been working yourself to death, lass. You ain't even fully recovered from your ankle injury yet, and you're still on the beat. And I know you miss your old partner," he adds, with remorse, "... and I know your worried about your kid brother."

Lynn looks up, feeling a lump in her throat as she says, "I just don't want to be home anymore, Chief. Whenever I am, I just think about them."

A tear falls down Lynns face and she quickly wipes it off, embarrassed to let out her emotions in front of the Chief. "I'm sorry, boss," she says.

"Hey, don't be, Lass," Toombs replies, "We're only human... well, most of us, anyway," he adds, nodding towards a nearby Policebot guard in the hall.

The Cheif's quip was enough to get a chuckle out of Lynn. After she regains her compsure, Lynn says, "Maybe you're right, I do need some time away from here. I've got stuff to do."

"What are you gonna do?", The Chief asks.

"I've gotta find my brother," Lynn replies.

As she walks away, Chief Toombs sighs. "Oi... the kid doesn't know when to stop," he says.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

By now, word has spread to the general public about Doc's death (thanks to Dr Wily's rambling communicque he broadcast last night, announcing to the world that he was responsible for it) and the front area of Dr. Light's lab complex is now adorned with over a hundred flowers of all kinds, lit candles in glass jars and hand-written sympathy notes which have been left by many humans who wanted to pay their respects.

Standing in front of one of the glass windows in front of the house that adjoins the lab, Roll looks outside at all of these items that these kind humans have left, and they didn't even know much about Doc aside from seeing him a few times in the media.  
>Seeing such an outpour of care from these humans has made Roll feel better about them. She had previously had been slightly weary of some humans, especially after having to see the unfortunate souls who had briefly followed William Cochran in his anti-robot protests in the last few weeks.<p>

Roll stayed here for a while, because she was not looking forward to what was taking place today, because she knows she will get upset again.  
>When a robot is damaged beyond repair, the robot's body is sent to a nearby recycling plant and melted down to make parts for new robots. Dr. Light decided to forgo that process when it came to Doc, however. He has decided to honor him with a funeral, which is preferred by most humans.<p>

Roll was dreading this because she knew it was probably the last time she would get to see Doc ever again, aside from her own memories. One of the advantages of being a robot is that all of her memories can be accessed at any time just by finding it in her memory banks.

Roll closes her eyes and remembers when Doc was first born... she can see and hear every bit of that memory clearly.

* * *

><p><strong>Two months earlier.<strong>

It was an exciting time in the lives of the Light family.  
>Just days ago, Mega Man had been declared the Defender of the Human Race by the President after he had defeated Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters in battle. Also, their family was expending. Rush and Eddie had just been welcomed a few days ago and now a new member was about to enter the world.<p>

Mega, Roll, Rush and Eddie had all gathered around a worktable where Dr. Light was standing. The good doctor was holding a remote control and was about to press the button that would bring the newest member of their family to life.

"Let's see if he works," Thomas says, aiming the remote at the prototype Met robot, who was in a standing position with his eyes closed and his yellow hardhat resting on top of his head.

Dr. Light presses the button and seconds later, Doc's eyes flutter open. Once his eye circuits focus, he looks around and his eyes widen and he lets out a scared beep.  
>He didn't know who all of these giants were all around him and he was a little startled, so he quickly hid under his hardhat.<p>

Mega Man shrugged, "I think you've made the world's most scared robot, Dr. Light."

Thomas stroked his bearded chin. "Perhaps we need to get him familiarized with us."

Rush leaped up on the worktable and happily barked. Doc peeked out from under his hardhat at Rush, who barked again when he saw him. Doc bleeps and hides under his hat again as Rush licks it, unware that a big lick from Rush is a sign that he likes you.

"You guys are going about this all wrong," Roll says, stepping up to the table.

She kneels down and gently coaxes, "Hey, it's okay to come out. We're you're new family."

Doc barely peeks out again and looks at Roll, who smiles. Doc likes her, she's very friendly.

"My name is Roll," she says, "What's yours?"

Doc blinks and lifts his hardhat up to reveal most of his face. He beeps to answer Roll.

"Hi, Doc!", she says, her smiles becoming brighter, "Do you want to meet the rest of your family?"

Roll stands up and introduces everybody to Doc. "This is Dr. Light," she says, pointing to Thomas, "He invented all of us."

"Eddie says hello too!", says Eddie, who leaps up onto the table next to Doc. Doc likes Eddie already, because he's short like he is.

"And this is Mega Man," Roll says, putting her arm around him "He's my big brother, and he's a real superhero!"

"Hi, Doc," Mega says with a smile.

Doc smiles and beeps, but then Rush gives Doc a big lick on his grey rubber-skinned face.

"And that's Rush," Roll giggles, "He's our robodog. He likes to lick people, so don't worry about him."

Roll kneels down again and wraps her left arm around Doc, semi-hugging him. "We're all gonna be one big happy family," she says, "You never have to be affraid of us, we'll always be here to protect you."

Doc beeps a few times as he snuggles up to his new friend Roll. They were going to be friends until the end...  
>an end that came much too soon.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day.<strong>

Roll opens her blue eyes and her eye lubrication pours from underneath both sets of eyelids, running down her cheeks. She promised Doc that they would be there to protect him... yet, he's gone now.

"Roll," softly calls the voice of Dr. Light, "It is time... that is, if you're ready."

Roll doesn't know if she will _ever_ be ready for this moment. "I'll be right there," Roll chokes.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

Outside the complex, the entire Light family stood outside around back of the lab in the back yard area. Mega stood without his helmet and Dr. Light was without his white labcoat, as it was too warm outside to wear it.  
>And inside a a square case lies the lifeless body of Doc the Met. This case would serve as his coffin.<p>

A hole was dug out right beside a tall tree in the back yard. This was Doc's favorite tree in the world, he even told Roll it was. They would occasionally spend time together sitting under this tree when Doc was alive. Everybody felt this tree would be the most appropriate place for Doc to be.

And once he is sealed in his case, the tree will not breach it, protecting him from it's growing process under the ground surface. If anything, the tree would only protect him even more, which is fitting.

Dr. Light stepped up to Roll and spoke. "Roll, I thought it would be best if you kept Doc's hardhat," he says, holding up Doc's quadruple-reinforced yellow hardhat with a red cross on the front, (the hat that would have saved his life if he had amanaged to put it back on in time, ) "This way, you will always be able to have a part of him with you."

Roll gently grabs Doc's hardhat and looks at it. As much as she would like to always have something to remind her of Doc, she feels very uncomfortable with the idea of Doc not having his hardhat, even though he was not alive to wear it anymore.

"I can't take this from him," Roll warbles, quickly walking up to Doc's case and reattaching his hardhat. "He always he said he felt safe with his hardhat," she snivels, "I don't want him to be without it."

"If that is how you feel, sweetheart, that is alright," Thomas says, holding Roll's hand.

Mega Man remains silent during this proceeding. Watching his sister suffer like this is tearing him apart and he is just barely able to keep his own sadness contained. To make matters worse however, Dr. Wily - the monster who did this to poor Doc - is still out there.  
>He got away with murder again.<br>Mega quickly tries to quell any angry thoughts about Wily for right now. This is not the place nor the time to think about _him_... this is Doc's time.  
>He has to stay strong for Roll, and even for Dr. Light, who is also having a difficult time accepting Doc's death.<p>

Roll personally takes Doc's open case with him inside of it and carries it over to the hole by his favorite tree. Roll turns around and asks Dr. Light with a trembling voice, "Can I take him out before we do this?"

Thomas nods and everybody allows Roll to have her final moments with Doc the way she wants.

Roll sets Doc's case down on the ground and pulls his body out. His large yellow feet dangle lifelessly as she carries him with her, until she sits down by the tree like they liked to do.

She holds her Met in her arms and gently sways back and forth. Roll breaks down in tears again, knowing that this will be the very last time she will get to cuddle her friend before he is buried.

"I'm so sorry, Doc," Roll sobs, her tears dripping off her face and landing on Doc, "We're gonna get him for you... I _promise_"

Roll kisses Doc twice on his left cheek and weeps, "We're friends forever... I love you so much."

By now, Eddie and Rush were very sad and Dr. Light's tears were freely falling down his face. Mega Man is still containing all of his emotions as much as he can, and it is only getting more difficult. He balls up his left fist and holds it in front of his chin, fighting the urge to let go of his sadness like Roll is.

Shortly thereafter, Roll finally places Doc back in his burial case, very gently. She then stands up and walks over to Mega, who hugs her. She has her back turned to the tree, because she can't bare to watch Doc being buried.

Dr. Light steps over and seals Doc the Met inside of his air tight case and locks it. He then slowly places the case inside the hole on the ground next to Doc's favorite tree and steps away.  
>One of Thomas' user-controled assistant bots walks over to the grave and proceeds to cover Doc's case with the dirt from the hole. Much like Roll, Thomas could not bring himself to bury his creation because it was too difficult for him.<p>

Dr. Light steps over to his two robotic children and wraps his arms around them as Roll continues to weep and as Rush and Eddie also stand beside them, allowing their own sadness to show.

The members of the Light family stay in their embrace for a long time afterwards. And hopefully, they will never have to endure a tragedy like Doc's death ever again.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that evening.<strong>

The sun is just now starting to set, even though it is past 8:30 at night.  
>Roll has gathered much of the flowers that the kind humans have left and decorated Doc's resting place with them.<br>Since Doc was placed here, Dr. Light made sure that he had a marker by the spot where he was laid to rest, or rather a titanium headstone that stood out and had the name "Doc" inscribed on it.

Roll returns with a candle that one human left and places it in front of the headstone, surrounded by all of the flowers. Now, Doc's favorite tree serves is a beautiful memorial for the lovable Met.

Instead of looking down at the site, Roll now looks up to the sky, which is now a palette of pink, orange and blue.

"I miss you already, Doc," she says.

Roll talked to the sky because she believes that if there is a Heaven and if there is a place for robots, then Doc is up there ... and he is at peace.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_This is essentially an extended epilogue to episode 3. The first two scenes were originally planed to end that episode, but I scrapped them and used them here. This also lets us have a beautiful goodbye to Doc._

_Please remember to eave a review or a comment. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, but stay tuned._


	33. Interlude, part 2: The War Continues

**Note from the author:**_ Before we begin, I need to address Quick Man's dialogue, or rather, my problems with it. I will no longer be writing Quick Man's dialogue without spaces. The reason is because the word software on this site will not cooperate with his lines, often erasing whole lines of Quick Man's dialogue, and I'm sick of it. Quick Man's dialogue will now look like everybody else's, making it easier to read for some readers... just try to imagine that he is talking really, really fast._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Interlude, part 2: The War Continues.<br>_**_(Features scenes based upon the events of the episode **"Electric Nightmare"** by Jeffrey Scott)_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The next week.<br>**Dr. Light's lab complex.**

Mega Man is on the upper floor of Dr. Light's house to check on how Roll is doing. While the entire Light family is still coping with the loss of Doc, Roll is still stuggling the worst. She hasn't snuck out to try and attack Wily since last week, probably because Dr. Light has taken several measures to make sure she doesn't try that again. Her mood changes from day to day, and sometimes from mintue to minute. Some days, Roll is very depressed and spends time alone and sits beside Doc's tree, and sometimes she gets very angry... today is one of the angry days.

Mega knocks on Roll's door. "Sis, it's Rock. Are you okay?"

There is no answer.

Mega knocks again, but there is still no response. Then Rush comes running up to Mega and barks, trying to get his attention.

"What is it, boy?", Mega asks.

Rush barks again, trying to get Mega to folow him downstairs.

"This is _not_ good," Mega says, sure that Roll is doing something rash again.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Mega walks over to the door leading to the backyard area and sees Roll setting up several wooden stick figures around her, each of them are taller than she is. The 'heads' of the figures all have a scribbled rendition of Dr. Wily's head drawn on them with black marker.<p>

Once Roll sets up all of her wooden Wily dummies, she takes a karate fighting stance. Mega Man watches as Roll begins attacking all of the stick figures with swift kicks and fierce hand strikes like an elite martial artist, breaking her targets to pieces. She chops the wooden body of the last Wily dummy in half, letting out a "YAH!" as she does. She then turns her utility arm vacuum on and pulls the top half to the stick figure towards her. With another yell, Roll delivers a roundhouse kick to the head of the dummy, breaking it to pieces when her red titanium foot strikes it.

Mega Man's eyes widen. He doesn't know if he's impressed with his sister's incredible fighting skills... or scared that she's still got vengeance on her mind.

As Roll stands overtop the wreckage of her Wily stick figures, all of which she just destroyed, she slumps down into a sitting position on the grass and puts her face in her hands. Her anger may have been quelled, but she is still very sad.

Mega walks outside with Rush to console his sister. Roll looks up to her brother, revealing her moping face and her wet eyes.

"I thought doing this would make me feel better," she sighs, "but it doesn't. The real Wily is still out there... and Doc's still gone."

"I promise you, I'm going to get him, Roll," Mega assures, putting one of his blue arms around his sister.

Roll nods and replies, "_We_ are gonna get him."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that Night.<strong>

Roll is making her way to her father's lab right next to the house before she goes to her room to recharge for the night, (which she has been doing much earlier lately since Doc passed.)

When she enters the lab, she is surprised to see a female humanoid robot wearing a french maid outfit over her mostly metallic body who is cleaning things in the lab as Dr. Light watches her, holding a computer tablet and evaluating her performance.

Thomas looks up to see Roll standing in the lab and approaches her. "Ah, Roll!", he says, "I have invented some new domestic assistant robots. This is one of them. Her name is Dorris, she will be the primary housekeeper."

Dorris looks over to Roll and nods. "Greetings, Roll," she says in her thick Austrian accent.

"Um... Hi," Roll replies oddly with a wave as Dorris returns to her duties.

"You were right about being the domestic robot of the house," Thomas admits, "I never should have had you perform all of the household duties.

"Does this mean... I don't have to do any of that stuff anymore?", Roll asks, "No more Laundry Days?"

"As long as you continue to keep _your_ room clean," Thomas replies with a smile, "and as long you are always home by Ten O'Clock. All of the rest is Dorris' duty now."

Roll begins smileing for the first time in days. "Thank you, Dr. Light," she says, her reaction much more understated than Dr. Light had anticipated. As happy as Roll is with the fact that she no longer is needed for random household chores, this moment is very bittersweet. Now she has a lot more free time, but Doc isn't here to spend her time with anymore.

Dr. Light notices his daughter's mood and holds her by her shoulders, bringing up the moment when Roll had rejected being a domestic robot, when she said that she didn't want to be the "_maid_", and she only wanted to be his daughter.

"You may not be the housekeeper anymore," he says, "but, you were _always_ my daughter, and you always will be."

Thomas and Roll draw eachother into a hug and Dorris momentarily pauses and watches them, unfamiliar with these advanced human feelings.

* * *

><p><strong>A week later.<br>Skull Fortress.**

Deep within his large fortress is the man who killed Doc the Met and who is responsible for the deaths of 22 humans and several other robots in April during the Times Square attack and his failed attack on Wall Street... Dr. Albert Wily.

Inside of his workshop, the evil Wily is busy working on his latest plans to take the world. Taped on his wall (next to the picture of the Light family with an 'X' over Doc the Met's face) is a chart displaying all of the United States' faultlines.

Next to that are the blueprints for two new weapons of terror: a large vehicle with massive drillers on them and a new Robot Master named Drill Man, who will be armed with two driller arms and have another driller on his head.

Elsewhere on another worktable lies many microchips that Dr. Wily has been testing on scrapped user-controled robots that were stolen from a recycling plant. Their purpose is to give Albert direct control over a robot by instilling the chip into their cranial cicuits.  
>So far, the results have proven successful and he plans on using this method very soon. But, right now, Albert's main goal is completing work on an electronic A.I. overide system that will give him control over anything electronic once applied to a power grid.<p>

Wily grabs the override device - which looks like a small box - and begins eyeing several appliances he has set aisde in the room, which are all plugged into a multi-connection outlet. Wily connects the override device to the outlet and returns to his chair, typing in a command.

Dr. Wily then looks back to the appliances - a vacuum, a toaster and an iron to be specific - and watches them come to life on their own.

A wide grin appears on Wily's face as he watches the appliances attack eachother as he ordered them to. "Good!", he says, "Destroy one another!"

Surprisingly, the toaster appears to be winning this fight. It wraps itself around the power cord of the iron and slams it against a wall, then it leaps onto the vacuum's kickpedal, causing it's bag-carrying back to fall down.

Dr. Wily chuckles as he watches. "I wonder what mayhem we can cause when my wonderful device is applied to New York's main power grid?", he asks himself.

In addition to being obsessed with destroying - or at least defeating - Mega Man, Dr. Wily is becoming obsessed with trying to overthrow either New York City or Washington D.C. first in his quest to conquer the world, and most of the missions he is planning involve either one or both of these cities.

Rubbing his hands together, Dr. Wily says, "Now, it's time to prepare for a full-scale version of this plan!"

Pressing a button on his console, Albert summons several of his Robot Masters. "Attention all robots! Meet me in the command center. We will be going over our plan to strike the New York City power plant!"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, lying on a matress on the floor in his quarters at Skull Fortress, is ProtoMan. ProtoMan has barely spoken to Dr. Wily since last week. He did not like Wily going around Proto's back to try and destroy Mega Man and Roll on that fateful Thursday morning.<p>

Also, he was bothered by how ruthlessly Wily destroyed that little hardhat robot and how much he has gloated about it, especially after the little hardhat didn't even attack them. The reason why Proto is bothered by Doc's death is because Proto prefers not to kill or destroy his enemies, and will only destroy robot hostiles if absolutely necessary. Wily could have taken that robot hostage and reprogrammed him i he wanted to.  
>He didn't have to kill him. Even when Proto blasted Rush last month while rescuing Wily, he made sure that he didn't destroy the robodog.<p>

There is a knock at the door. Proto knows there is only one person who ever comes to his room anyway, so he knows who it is.

"It's open," Proto half-heartedly replies.

Dr. Wily opens the door and stands in the frame, waiting for ProtoMan to follow him to the command center.

"I heard the announcement," Proto says.

"But, I am making sure you show up," Albert replies, "Especially since you were late to the last meeting."

ProtoMan gets up and leaves, walking down the corridor along with Albert, snidly remarking, "I'm just glad you're_ inviting _me to these briefings again. The last mission wasn't that successful without my input."

"I wouldn't say it was unsuccessful, my boy," Wily answers with a grin.

"Oh, wow!", Proto sarcastically groans, "you destroyed a robot that wasn't even two feet tall... how impressive."

"I wounded Mega Man and his entire family," Wily says with a slight growl, "That was good enough."

Proto chortles. "You only pissed them all off," he says, "especially my brother... trust me, I know him better than you do. He fights rough when he gets angry."

Proto remembers his two recent encounters with Mega Man, which resulted in some bad injuries to both sides.

* * *

><p>In the command center, Dr. Wily and his robots have gathered around a perfect model replica of the New York City power plant, about one 100th of it's actual size and without a roof. As all of the Robot Masters - at least those who are still functioning - stand around Dr. Wily as he explains how the plan will go, ProtoMan sits cross-legged on top of a large mainframe casing nearby.<p>

"Now this is the plan. We arrive in the Skullker," Albert says, holding up a small hand-sized replica of his Skullker shuttle, "Since Bomb Man is still not repaired, I will take down the outter wall personally with the Skullker's laser weapon."

Dr. Wily then pulls out a section of the wall of the plant and sets it aside. "Then, we begin our assault by sending in ElecMan, Cut Man and GutsMan," Wily says, but he is interrupted by the sound of ProtoMan enjoying a good chuckle.

All eyes turn to Proto, who says with that smrik of his, "Oh, don't let me interrupt... proceed."

Wily huffs, "As I was saying... in case they shut down the power grid, ElecMan, you keep it running. There is a chance Mega Man could arrive, so Ice Man, Fire Man and Wood Man will stand guard."

ProtoMan now cackles loudly.

Perturbed at ProtoMan's mockery of this plan, Albert turns around to face him. "What is so damn funny?", he hisses.

"Oh, nothing," Proto says, "only the fact that you picked the worst possible robots for the job."

"Explain," Albert says with his arms folded.

"Well, first off, I wouldn't trust GutsMan and Cut Man to plug in a 9-volt battery let alone the electric override box," Proto says.

GutsMan balls his fists and Cut Man opens and closes his cutters atop his head, both not happy with ProtoMan's remark about their inteligence (or lack thereof).

"Then, even if ElecMan _can_ keep the grid online, once Mega Man defeats him, it will just go offline again," Proto says, "And speaking of my little brother, Mega Man will go through the other three boneheads outside. He'll copy the Ice Slasher and freeze Fire Man.. again. Then, he'll copy his flame thrower, and torch Wood Man... again. And lets say the _other_ three boneheads don't screw things up on the inside... here comes Mega Man! He freezes Gutsy into an ice cube, blasts Cut Man, copies his Cutters and fries ElecMan... again. And all of a sudden, _you're _going to jail," he says, pointing to Dr. Wily, "And I'm forced to go back to Dr. Light... not exactly _mission: accomplished_."

"Very well, then," Albert says, throwing his arms up in the air, "I suppose you have a much better idea?"

"Of course I do," Proto grins.

"Well? ... what is it?", Wily says.

Proto hops back down to the floor and steps up to the model of the electric plant.

"Thought you'd never ask," Proto says, "First, after we blast our way in, we send Bright Man inside and blind the workers and security. That way, nobody can shut the power grid down, because they can't _see_ a damn thing."

"Oh, boy!", Bright Man says, "I can't wait to bright up their lives! _Hee-hee_!"

ProtoMan groans while Metal Man grows angry.

"I am _sick_ of all of these damned puns!", Metal Man growls.

"Settle Down, metal-head. Your part's next," Proto says, "We place the big grunts and the deadly bots around the inner perimiter and have them guard the Skullker. That's you GutsMan, and you too Metal Man and Fire Man too. Cut Man, I'll cover you while you place the override box on the power grid... I hope you know how to install it."

"Of course I do! Eh-heh!", Cut Man replies, "First I take this box, and... um... I, um... I take this wire here... and..."

Wily groans and facepalms as Cut Man stammers.

"Nevermind," Proto says, "_I'll_ put the box on. You try and deal with Mega Man."

"What about me?", ElecMan complains, "Electricity is my area of expertise!"

"Me too! I can get the job done the quickest!", Quick Man babbles.

"Some of you are being left out because of your weaknesses," ProtoMan replies, "I'm getting sick and tired of being outnumbered because of all of you, and so does Dr. Wily."

Albert looks up to ProtoMan who folds his arms.

"So, doesn't that sound better?", Proto asks, still wearing his smartass smirk.

While Wily won't allow himself to admit that ProtoMan's plan was better than his, he give him credit. "Impressive, my boy," he says, "GutsMan, CutMan, Bright Man, we will discuss this with ProtoMan tomorrow. You may all leave."

All of the Robot Masters leave the command center, but ProtoMan remains standing accross from Wily. "I have the feeling there is something else we need to discuss," Proto adds.

"Indeed, there is, Proto," Dr. Wily responds, "I have learned that my old aqquaintance Dr. Light will be showcasing his new series of domestic household robots at the robotics exposition in a few days. And supposedly, these robots are already serving in his wonderful lab complex."

"And?", Proto asks.

"I want you to sneak into the convention center when this takes place. Then, I want you to use this on one of Thomas Light's domestic robots," Albert replies, handing ProtoMan the remote reprogrammer, the same device that helped Wily instantly reprogram the original Robot Masters so quickly. "Use it on whoever you think will be the closest to them."

"Sounds easy enough," ProtoMan says, "Just one problem, though. People will recognize me if I step out to do this. I mean, we're all on every _most wanted_ list in the world."

"You say you're the best robot I have," Wily remarks, "so, I'm sure you will _find_ a way to pull it off."

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>****World Robotics Expo.**

The expo has gathered it's largest crowd ever, mainly because Mega Man is here in attendance at Dr. Light's booth, where the good doctor will be showcasing his newest series of household robots, which include Dorris the maid, as well as a butler robot named Morris, a new type of Nanny robot named Delores... that's Dorris, Morris and Delores.

This presentation was originally going to showcase the Met series of robots and Doc was to have been a part of it, but since the little guy is gone Dr. Light could not in good faith add the Met series as a part of his presentation.

Roll is here with the rest of her family, because both Mega Man and Dr. Light felt it would be best if she got out of the house (she hadn't left the lab complex since the night she tried to attack Wily). Besides, they both can keep an eye on her here and make sure she doesn't try to go after Wily again.

The event coordinator approaches the Light family, shaking Mega Man's hand. "I just wanted to say, we are all extremely greateful for everything you've done, Mega Man," says the coordinator.

"You're welcome, sir," replies a sheepish Mega, "but, I was just doing my duty."

The coordinator also shakes Roll's hand, more gently. "I also wanted to say, I am so sorry for all of your loss."

Roll nods, "Thank you."

As Mega Man, Roll, Rush and Dr. Light leave their domestic robots behind to see the crowd, an interesting fellow approaches the backstage area wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that says **'Security'** on the front. He is wearing the shirt over top a longsleeved whte shirt along with black pants, a blue baseball cap and black sunglasses... and fake sideburns. But, his lower calves and his feet are noticably large, too large to be human... and his hands are red. This is not a human, of course... this is ProtoMan in disguise.

ProtoMan walks over to the scene with a wand device that is usually used to detect any weapons or explosives. But, Proto wasn't really using this device, but rather sizing up which robot would be the best to reprogram for Dr. Wily's latest mission.

Proto eyes Morris the butler robot. "No, too stupid," he whispers to himself.

He looks at Borris the chauffeur and decides he isn't the one to plant the chip on, because he will not be around the Lights most of the time. Delores probably won't be around the Lights at all, so Proto doesn't even glance at her.

Then, he sees Dorris the maid, a perfect candidate. Since she is the maid, she will be inside the lab complex at all times. Proto calls Wily via a microphone inside his fake sideburns.

"Proto to Wily," Proto whispers, "I've found the perfect robot to reprogram. She's kinda hot, too."

_"Good work, my boy,"_ Wily answers, _"Now, reprogram the robot and and get out. If you are __caught, abandon the mission and return to the fortress."_

Without responding, Proto puts the security wand in the rear pocket of his pants and pulls out Wily's automatic reprogrammer from underneath his shirt. Proto aims the device at Dorris and pulls the "trigger" on it, starting the reprogramming process.

Suddenly, Dorris' eyes open and she is active.

"Don't move. You are under the command of Dr. Albert Wily," ProtoMan whispers, "Your mission is to spy on Dr. Light and his robots. Re-enter recharge mode and await further instructions."

"Affirmative," Dorris says flatly in her Austrian accent, then closes her eyes again.

"It's done, Doc," Proto whispers into his microphone, "Now, all I've gotta do is... uh-oh."

Proto pauses as he sees a PoliceBot enter his line of sight, searching the area. He groans, "Security's dead ahead."

_"Get the hell out of there now," _Wily instructs, _"Your ride should be outside the building."_

Proto urgently begins walking away from Dr. Light's domestic robots as the PoliceBot (which happens to be Officer QN-60) stands in place and slowly scans the area, turning his head to the left, away from ProtoMan... then, he turns his head to the right and in Proto's direction. The Policebot spots a man wearing a Yellow shirt quickly walking away.

"This is Officer QN-60 reporting," he says, "A suspicious subject has been spotted, most likely of robotic origins."

_"Copy that, QN-60. Officer JK-11 responding,"_ replies a fellow Policebot, _"What is the status __of the subject?"_

QN-60 raises his right arm, which is armed with both an automatic weapon that fires bullets and a laser blaster, ready to engage this "subject" and begins walking towards him with momentum.

"Subject is heading towards the east exit," QN-60 replies, "He is wearing a yellow t-shirt, black pants, a blue baseball hat and sunglasses. I'm in pursuit."

QN-60 follows ProtoMan as he tries to leave, ready to take him down. Then, a large truck that is dragging a large container full of robots comes between ProtoMan and QN-60 and Proto takes this as his cue to bolt out of here. He begins running towards the exit to the outside of the convention center, but QN-60 also wastes no time, leaping over the container to continues pursuit. But, he no longer sees this yellow t-shirt guy.

"Attention, I have lost sight of the subject," QN-60 asserts, "Repeat, I have lost him."

_"Copy that, QN-60," _replies a human officer who is in command of security detail for the expo, _"All units, go to yellow alert."_

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the convention center.<strong>

ProtoMan runs out of the convention center and looks around.

"Dammit! How the hell am I gonna get out of here!"

Suddenly, ProtoMan hears a _whoosh_ sound and feels himself being whisked away, carried in somebody else's arms. Since he was traveling at insane speeds, he knew it was somebody very _quick_ who got him out of here.

QN-60 runs outside, keeping his weapon arm at the ready as he scopes the area.

He still doesn't see any trace of ProtoMan.

_"QN-60, this is Officer JK-11, what is your status report?"_

"Continuing search for subject," 60 replies, "I suggest widening search peramiters to prevent his escape."

The only problem is, ProtoMan has already escaped.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Quick Man slows down and lets ProtoMan down and back on his feet, far enough away from the convention center.<p>

"Dr. Wily said he wanted to get you out of there quickly, so he turned to me!", babbles Quick Man, very, quickly

"Yeah, thanks," Proto Man says, not sound amused at the fact that another robot had to race him to safety as he sheds his disguise, revealing his grey and red armor again.

"I think you'll need these," Quick Man says, holding out Proto's visored helmet and yellow scarf.

"You think?" Proto mocks.

"You better hurry up and get to the electric plant. Need a lift?", Quick Man asks.

"... not a chance," ProtoMan groans, as he places his helmet back on his head and his scarf around his neck, because there is no way in hell that he is going to let another robot carry him all the way to the electric plant.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the World Robotitcs Expo.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll and Rush are on stage with Dr. Light as he makes his presentation for the domestic robots.

Roll leans over to Mega and whispers, "I'm glad Dr. Light has built a new robomaid. Now I can concertrate on making myself a better fighter."

"That's what I'm worried about," Mega mutters under his breath, knowing that it is only a matter of time before his sister gets herself _too_ involved in fighting again.

Then, a security guard comes up on stage and whispers, "Mega Man, we need you right away."

Mega nods, "I'll be right there, sir."

"What's goin' on?", Roll asks.

"It's...," Mega hesitates, not wanting Roll to get involved in the state of mind she's still in, "I'll explain later. Let's go, Rush."

As Mega Man and Rush leave the stage, Roll glazes her eyes and follows them anyway.

"It's Wily isn't it?", Roll presses, "Don't lie to me, Mega."

Mega stops to face his sister. "Yes, it is. He's been spotted at the electric plant," he replies.

"Then I'm goin' with you," Roll says.

"No, you have to stay here," Mega says.

Roll looks very uptight with her brother's refusal for her help. "Mega-"

"You have to stay here to protect Dr. Light," Mega interrupts, "Security says they saw somebody suspicious around here and are on alert. If you don't believe me, ask around. Roll, I'm trusting you to keep Dr. Light safe just in case Wily has a spy here. Can you do that for me?"

Roll nods, "... Yeah, I can."

"Okay, I'll be back," Mega says as he and Rush run out of the convention center.

Roll folds her arms and returns back to Dr. Light. It is good knowing that Mega isn't shutting her out altogether and that he wants her to keep Dr. Light safe, but she wants to go after Wily and bring him down... for Doc and everybody else.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Governor's Mansion.  
><strong>**Albany, New York.**

Wily's mission at the power plant was a failure, thanks to Mega Man (and also thanks to Wily altering ProtoMan's original plan) Not long ago, Dorris the maid - now under Wily's command - had tried to kill Mega Man by trapping him in the lab complex's bathroom and drowning him in chemicals that would have eaten away at his skin and metal exoskeleton had he been submerged for too long. During this time, Wily returned to the power plant and installed the electronic A.I. override system into the main power grid and was about to launch his grand plan very shortly. Now, this crazy day is about to go _insane_.

In his office at the Governor's Mansion, Governor George Cochran is going over the last assignments for the night. The past few weeks have been hard on the wise old Governor, as his son William was jailed for his insane behavior the day after the Governor saw to it that his son's hateful anti-robot group was disbanded. Unlike last time, he hasn't paid for William to make bail and has let him pay for his actions. A part of him feels bad for doing so, but he feels that the only way his son will learn anything is by making him face his actions.

As the Governor is going over his paperwork, he hears something squeeking on his desk. His eyes narrow and he looks over to his lamp, which appears to be positioned an inch lower than usual. He grabs the lamp and positions it back where it was, returning to his work.

Then, he hears the printer beginning to make copies _by itself_, spitting out pages at him that read **"Obey Wily" **on them.

"What the hell?", Cochran rasps.

The Governor's lamp begins contorting by itself and begins jumping towards him and within seconds, all of the electronic equipment in his office comes to life.

Then, a woman's scream rings out just outside the room. The Governor recognizes the sound of the voice... it belonged to his wife, Jackie. Jackie is his second wife. His first wife (who was]William's mother) had died from cancer years ago.

Jackie - a blonde-haired woman who is just about to enter her 60's, but still looks great for her age - races into the office and looks scared to death.

"Jackie!" the Governor calls, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, my God," she warbles, "He's here!"

"Who?", Geroge asks.

Then, they head the familiar wicked chuckle of Dr. Wily, who has entered the office alongside ProtoMan, CutMan, GutsMan, Bright Man and a new Robot Master: Pharaoh Man, a tall robot with a mostly black chassis and white arm and leg gauntlets, with a head that resembles an Egyptian Sphinx.

"What do you think of my latest plan, Mr. Governor?", Wily asks, holding his arms out at all of the raging appliances in the room.

"What the hell do you want?" Cochran growls.

"Oh, I think you already know what I want, Mr. Governor," Albert answers with his wretched smile, "But, this is more of a matter of what I want _you_ to do... and you better do what I tell you to do, or else."

"Or else what, you psycho?" George growls.

Wily's smile disappears, and his gets that scary look in his eyes again.

"Uh-oh," Proto groans.

"Grab her, Pharaoh Man," Wily instructs as Pharroh Man steps over and grabs Mrs. Cochran by her arm. She whimpers as the Governor tries to fight him, but the new Robot Master shoves him off and down to the floor.

Wily hisses, "Or else, I will order Pharroh Man to burn your wife's face off! That's what!

Now, you're going to sit down at your desk and broadcast a message that you are _resigning _as the the Governor of New York and electing _me_ as your replacment."

The Governor looks back at his wife, who is now sobbing as Pharaoh Man holds his right hand up near her face and begins creating a bright orange sphere of pure energy. If it makes contact with a human, they will be horrible burned by it.

"That's right," Wily grins, "You are going to do exactly what I tell you, aren't you?"

Governor Cochran looks back up at Wily and snears, knowing that Wily has him right where he wants him.

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct<strong>

While one Cochran is being held up by Dr. Wily, another is still locked away in his cell and instead of wearing a fancy three-piece suit, William Cochran is wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit. He still has no memory of his violent drunken encounter with Officer Wersching, which led to his arrest. Altough the bruising on his face has cleared up, his back is still stiff as a board.

William is trying to get some sleep, but the constant sound of banging metal keeps him awake. "Stop it!", he groans.

But, the clanging metal sound becomes more frequent and then shouts, "SHUT-UP!"

He then hears what sounds like gunfire. _That _gets his attention. William gets up out of his bunk and lumbers over to the barred door of his cell and soon sees two human officers and a Policebot down the hallway in a firefight with electrical equipment such as a computer, a vacuum and a Jaws-Of-Life machine which is used to slice open car chassis' after horrific car crashes to gain access to victims.

William's blue eyes widen in horror when he sees the appliances coming to life. "Oh my God! It _is_ happening!", he gasps, referring to his apocalyptic daydream he used to try and scare people into joining his anti-robot cause.

As the police forces are losing ground to their electric enemies, the computer turns it's attention to William William then runs to the back of the cell and yells, "Get away from me! Somebody help!"

The computer's mouse and keyboard sneak their way in and grab William by his ankles, tripping him down to the floor and begin pulling him towards the cell door.

William then screams, "AAAAAAAH! HELP ME!", wailing like a five-year-old child.

* * *

><p>In his office, Police Chief Toombs contacts Dr. Light's lab, while clutching a baseball bat.<p>

Dr. Light's and Mega Man's image appears on the screen. _"What's wrong, Chief Toombs?"_, asks Thomas.

"We need Mega Man's help, an' need it fast!", shrieks the Chief, "If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't've believed it, but-"

The Chief's desk lamp suddenly comes to life and the Chief whacks it with his bat. "There be Gremlins here, lads!", Toombs shrieks as his telephone comes to life and wraps it's cords all around his arm. "They're all over the city!"

_"I'll be right there, Chief," _Mega Man says.

"Don't worry about me, Lad! I can take care o' these ones myself! There's more in the city. Go get 'em!", Toombs replies before smashing his own telephone, cutting off the call.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush prepare to leave the lab, which has it's own power supply, isolating it from the appliance attacks. "I have a bad feeling Wily's attack on the power plant has something to do with this," Mega says, "I don't know how he's doing it, but I've gotta stop him."

"I'm going with you," Roll says, following her brother.

Mega turns around, probably to try and convince her to stay home, but Roll cut him off right away. "And you're not going to stop me," Roll says with an emphatic sound in her voice, "You need as much help as you can get this time, and you know it."

"Roll," Mega sighs, "... if you're coming along, we better get going."

The look of shock on Roll's face is priceless. "... what?", she gasps.

"You said nobody was going to stop you from coming along with me anymore," Mega explains, "So, I'm not stopping you. And I might as well have you where I can keep an eye on you."

"W-... wow! Thanks, Mega!," she smiles, running to the garage, "I'll be in the SkyCycle."

"Rock," Dr. Light says, stepping up to his son, "I think you're making a mistake. She might behappy for the moment, but your sister is still grieving, she might let her anger get to her again."

"I know, father," Mega replies, "But, you know her. She's going to come along no matter what either of us say."

"Come on, Mega. Let's get going!", Roll calls from outside.

Thomas looks back up to Mega Man and reminds his son, "Just _please_ make sure nothing happens to her, son."

Mega Man nods. "We'll be back," he says as he and Rush run out to the garage.

Thomas lets out a worrysome sigh as he approaches the lab's main computer to keep an eye on the anarchy taking place in the city. He hopes that this mission doesn't result in a tragic end like the last one.

* * *

><p><em><strong>More notes:<strong>_

_I never wanted to use Dr. Wily's automatic reprogrammer, because I thought it was way too convenient of a plot device, but I couldn't think of any other possible explanation for how Dr. Wily reprogrammed Dorris under everybody's noses so quickly._

_Also, since Dorres said "Hasta, La Vista" twice in the episode, I've decided she has an Austrian accent. I am not adapting the entire episode for this series, just some scenes._

_Please don't forget to leave a comment or a review._


	34. Interlude, part 3: Nightmares end

_**Interlude, part 3: Nightmares End, Struggles Continue**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later That Night.<br>****Gizmo City electronics outlet.**

Governor Cochran caved in to Wily's demands and broadcast that he had relinquished the seat of Governor to Dr. Wily, just like he was told to do.  
>Meanwhile, Wily's appliance invasion has spread all over the city, causing electric appliances all over the state to come to life and attack humans and robots.<br>Thankfully, the electric override does not work on other robots, or the city would have an _even __worse_ problem on their hands.

Mega Man, Roll and Rush have been dispatching the raging appliances all over the city. Mega Man barges into the Gizmo City ctore, where the worst of the activity has been reported. Roll is already on her way to catch up with him.

Along with Rush, Mega begins blasting the raging electronic devices. "Everybody take cover!", he yells as he blasts a treadmill that was stalking a human.

_"Mega Man!",_ states the voice of Dr. Wily as his face appears on every television in the store, _"I see you are trying to foil my latest plan."_

"I'm putting an end to your electric nightmare, Wily," Mega fires back, "And you're going to jail for everything you've done... especially to my family!"

_"That's right!"_, Albert says, snapping his fingers, _"I destroyed that little hardhat thing, didn't it?"_

Mega Man balls his fists and snears at the picture of Wily on the screen. "You're lucky my sister's not here right now. She wants to break every bone in your body."

_"Really?"_, Wily grins, _"Well, I assume I'll find out how lucky I am, because she just-so-hapened to have __just arrived in the parking lot outside!"_

Wily brings up a live shot of Roll getting off of her repaired SkyCycle and running inside the store. _"I'm affraid she will have to fend for herself, though,"_ Wily says, _"Your hands will be too full to __help her!"_

Wily laughs as all of the appliances in the store circle around Mega Man and Rush and prepare to attack.

* * *

><p>Roll runs in the store wearing her standard cream yellow and red blouse and pants, looking for her brother. "Mega?" she calls, cupping her right hand to her mouth.<p>

There is no response, but she hears a lot of commotion up ahead. She runs towards the commotion and cuts through the cosmetics department.

_"Welcome to the cosmetics department, Roll!"_, says the voice of Dr. Wily.

Roll freezes and looks up at a flatscreen monitor that shows the grinning face of Dr. Wily and her eyes become filled with hatred.

"You!", she hisses.

_"My sympathy card must have gotten lost in the mail,"_ Albert mocks with a crooked smile, _"So, __I figured I would give you my condolenses personally."_

"Doc had more humanity in his pinky than you'll ever have, you monster!", Roll snaps, pointing at the screen.

_"Aw! A nice ladybot like you shouldn't be so mean to a gentleman like myself,"_ Wily says, _"You need to be taught a lesson."_

"I'm right here, Wily!" Roll growls, clinching her fists, "Come and get it!"

_"I'm affraid I'm too busy taking over the world to take you up on your offer, my dear,"_ Wily says, _"But, I do have a suitable replacement."_

Suddenly, another female robot with pink and purple hair and wearing a white coat and a Gizmo City robot employee tag tackles Roll and slams her into a nearby makeover chair, which locks Roll into place with a strong metal restraint, trapping her arms at her sides.  
>Roll tries to break loose, but she can't.<p>

Dr. Wily laughs on the screen above. _"I think you need to enhance your looks, Roll. Perhaps __a little make-up will make you look more presentable,"_ Wily says as the Gizmo City Cosmetics Girl produces from her own utility arm an automatic shammy loaded with make-up on it and rubs it in Roll's face, smearing yellow, blue, purple and pink make-up all over her.  
>As the make-up is lathered all over Roll's face and getting smeared into her hair, she only grows angrier because she knows Wily is only humiliating her.<p>

_"That's not enough, my dear,"_ Wily states, _"I think you need some plastic surgery... perhaps a __FACELIFT is in order!"_

The Gizmo City robot then produces a saw from her arm and it begins whurring and she leans forward, inching herself closer to Roll's face.

_"Take comfort in the fact that very soon, you will be reunited with your little hardhat friend!"_, Albert chuckles with a snearing tone.

That remark about Doc ignites a flame inside of Roll. She musters all of her energy and brakes out of the make-up chair and grabs the Gizmo City girl's arm and plunges the saw blade towards her enemy.  
>The blade makes contact with the Cosmetic robot's chin, slicing her synthetic skin and she staggers back a few steps.<p>

Still with wet make-up smeared on her face, Roll stands up and produces a round and sharp can opener from her utility arm (which looks very similar to the Gizmo City girl's own blade) and with a primal yell, she charge ahead at the Wily's controled robot.

Before the Cosmetic girl could even defend herself, Roll slashes her blade accross her enemy's stomach area. While the damage on the Cosmetic robot is not severe enough to cause her to lose any oil, sparks shoot out of the frayed wires inside of her body.

Roll kicks her down to her knees and then rears back her left arm and whacks her accross the face with the exterior of her utility arm, wrenching the Gizmo City robot's head sideways at a sickening angle and knocking her down to the floor.  
>The impact of the hit was so hard, the Gizmo City's girls jaw made a gutteral crunching sound.<p>

Roll spins around and fires her can opener blade at the screen with Wily's face. The blade hits the screen, causing it to blow up.  
>She turns back to the Gizmo City girl and switches her utility arm to vacuum mode and she holds the vacuum up to the Cosmetic girl's face and powers it up at maximum strength. The Gizmo City robot screams until her enter face is pulled clean off, revealing her metallic skull. She then slumps over lifelessly.<p>

Roll stands back up and realizes the horrible things she's just done and is in shock. Turning off her vacuum (which causes the cosmetic girl's face to fall to the floor), Roll shambles backwards until she touches the wall and slumps to the floor, frightened of what she had just become.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush quickly make their way to the cosmetics department after taking out the appliances that Dr. Wily has sicked on them.<br>"Hurry up, Rush!" Mega hollars, "I just heard Roll screaming!"

They finally arrive to see the department in shambles and sees the body of the Cosmetics robot slumped over on a nearby glass counter and without a face.  
>Rush sniffs around and spots Roll's scent and runs around a corner and Mega follows him.<p>

There they find Roll staring at the de-faced Cosmetics girl, sounding like she's out of breath and with loads of make-up covering her face.

"Roll!", Mega calls, kneeling down beside his sister, "Are you okay?"

"... Y-yeah," Roll stammers.

"What happened?", Mega asks, concerned about how shaken Roll is, not to mention the carnage that happened here.

"It was W-Wily," Roll mutters, her eyelids squeezing shut, "... he made fun of Doc and... I lost control of myself."

"It's okay now, Roll," Mega Man assures, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Roll opens her eyes, but they widen in shock when she sees the Cosmetics robot getting back to her feet, now resembling a scene out of a horror movie without her face.

"Mega!", Roll gasps.

Without missing a beat, Mega turns around and blasts the Cosmetics robot in the center of her chest, splitting her body in half thanks to the earlier damage that Roll had given her in battle.

Mega turns back to face his shaken sister and tries to help her up to her feet. "We've gotta get you home," Mega says.

"I'm not going home," Roll protests, as she wipes much of the make-up off of her face with a nearby towel, "We've gotta stop Wily."

"You're not in the right frame of mind, Roll," Mega argues, knowing that Roll's emotions are clouding her judgment (as the Cosmetics robot found out earlier.)

"Don't start with me now, Mega," Roll spits, her face turning angry, yet trying to hide her pain underneath, "I promised Doc we were going to stop him."

"And we will," Mega stresses, grabbing Roll by her shoulders, "Right now, I'm worried about you just as much as I am about this attack."

"But, I _promised_ Doc! We can't let him down," Roll warbles.

"We won't," Mega assures, "I only want you to go home so Dr. Light can check-up on you."

Roll hangs her head down, trying to regain her composure. She wants to keep going to avenge Doc so that he, as well as all of the others Wily has killed, can rest in peace. But Roll knows that what she did to the Cosmetics Robot was over the line and she was scared knowing that she was capable of this.

"I'll go home if you promise you won't take Wily alone," Roll replies.

"I won't," Mega assures.

Roll nods and leaves the wrecked Gizmo City store with her brother and Rush.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Wily's plan was foiled by Mega Man when he destroyed the electronic A.I. overide device and sent Dr. Wily himself running away after defeating Pharaoh Man in a serious battle at the Governor's Mansion.  
>As promised, Mega Man didn't go at this alone, he had Rush and a few availible police units helping him.<p>

Before Wily's plan was foiled, Mega and Roll caught Dorris attempting to kill Dr. Light and rescued their father, destroying Dorris' body in the process, but not severely enough to kill her.  
>Now, all appliances are back to normal and Dorris has been rebuilt and has been re-programmed, erasing Wily's corruption.<p>

"I have made a few changes to Dorris' programming," Dr. Light says.

"As long as she's not serving Wily, it sounds good," Mega replies.

"She will not be serving Albert anymore," Thomas adds, "But, she will continue to serve as the housekeeper... and as Rush's personal assistant."

"... are you serious?", Mega asks, not believeing his ears.

Dorris returns to the lab, being led by Rush who is on a leash being held by Dorris. "Did you enjoy your walk, Sir Rush?", Dorris asks, disconecting the leash from Rush.

Rush happily barks.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, sir," Dorris says, returning to her household duties.

Mega shakes his head at the sight. "I guess the little guy deserves a personal servant, after all he's been through," he shrugs.

Thomas steps up to Mega and asks, "Have you spoken with your sister today, Rock?"

"A little bit. Why?", Mega asks.

"I have noticed she has been very reserved since coming home last night," Thomas replies, looking concered, "Did something happen during the confrontation at the Gizmo City store?"

"Things got very... heated," Mega answers, not willing to discuss just how far Roll went in battle last night, "I'll go see if she's okay."

* * *

><p>Mega has left the lab and is going to the back yard to find Roll. He knows she's there because that's where Doc is.<p>

Mega goes out back and spots Roll, who has since cleaned all of the make-up off of herself. She was on her knees in front of Doc's tree, holding her clasped hands together with her head down. The flowers that had surrounded Doc's resting place two weeks ago had since wilted away, but Roll has made sure that there is always at least one fresh flower by the tree, along with a new candle to replace the old one.

Mega Man steps outside and sits beside his sister, who is still praying. Mega did not want to interrupt Roll when she was praying like this because he thought it would be rude.  
>A moment later, Roll opened her eyes and upclasped her hands, now sitting down in the grass next to Mega.<p>

"Dr. Light's worried again, isn't he?", she asks.

"He is," Mega replies.

Roll sighs, "I haven't told him about what I did last night. I'm scared he'll think I've fried a circuit and wipe my memory like he did the maid."

"Dr. Light would never do that, sis," Mega says, "especially to his own daughter."

"I don't like what happened to me last night. When Wily made fun of Doc... I could've... I could've just..." Roll says, affraid to complete the sentance, but almost strangling with her hands an imaginary Wily that isn't there.

"I know how you feel, Roll," Mega says, "I've even lost control a few times."

Roll looked over to Mega with her head tilted, shocked that her brother was even capable of losing his cool.

"When Wily's robots threw you into that news van at the Empire State Building... I was affraid I'd lost you," Mega admits, "and I blasted the one who hurt you... the police say he was in _really _bad shape."

Mega is referring to Flash Man, who he blasted in the head with a fully charged plasma shot. Mega's vision was distorted fron the Robot Master's flash attack and he could not see well, but the shot connected and destroyed Flash Man's memory core, destroying him beyond repair.

"It's actually bothered me ever since," Mega admits, "If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn't have hurt him _that _badly."

Roll is surprised that Mega Man would show remorse for damaging a Wily bot too badly, but at the same time it's nice to know that her brother has a good heart... unlke ProtoMan.

"I want Wily in jail so badly, and I know you do too," Mega continues, "I want to avenge everybody he's taken from this world... including our little buddy," he says, pointing at Doc's resting place, "And I _will_ avenge them when I send Wily to prison. But, we can't lose eachother in the process," Mega says, "We've all got to stay strong so we can pull through this together."

Mega puts his arm around Roll. "And since I'm your brother, I'm always going to be here for you," Mega says, "If you're even feeling down, I want you to talk to me. I'm not hard to find right accross the hall."

Roll smiles, yet looks like she wants to cry and she rests her head on his shoulder. "You _are_ the best brother in the world, Mega," Roll snivels.

* * *

><p><strong>One week later<strong>

_"In our top news story of the week, Dr. Thomas Light, the inventor of Mega Man, will be meeting __with President Henry and the United Nations at a top secret location to discuss an important __matter later this week,"_ says News 7 anchor Kirk Trujillo at the start of the newscast, _"There is no word on wether or not it involves the ongoing attacks from Dr. Albert Wily, who just last week launched another attack on New York that caused all electronic equipment to come to life. We will have more on this story as we hear about __it later in this newscast."_

We then see Trish Faulkenburg begin the next news story, "_In other news, the U.S. Government has announced that in the wake of last week's attack by Dr. Wily, they are developing a new type __of weapon that is better suited to fend off robot attackers like Dr. Wiy's. The new weapon __will be used in place of traditional guns with bullets for ammunition and will be tested by __the Geneva Police in Switzerland before getting final approval for use in this country. But, this news has caught the attention of the upstart Citizens for the Ethical Treatment of __Robots group. They do not wish to see weapons that would be harmful to robots invented at all. Ironically enough, this group was founded by former members of William Cochran's Humans __Against Robots protest group, who had a change of mind on their view of robots following their former leader's arrest."_

* * *

><p><strong>New York.<strong>

Outside a recording studio here in the New York area, a rock star named "Red" Burton sits on top of a large equipment crate, waiting to meet somebody he hasn't seen in years. Red is a famous bass guitar player for the rock group Captain Fallout and The Atom-Smashers (which happens to be Roll's favorite rock band.)  
>Even though his name is <em>Red<em>, his eyes are blue, his t-shirt, jeans and shoes are all blue and his long hair is bleached blue. He clearly has a good sense of humor.

He is here in New York as the rest of the band are on a break from their concert tour to put down a bass track as a favor to one of his fellow rock friends... but he's also here because he's worried about a former bandmate of his.  
>When he was in his late teens and early twenties, Red was in a band with Castor Wersching. Although Red managed to continue living a clean life, he witnessed Castor's long decent into drug use and depression. Red tried to get him to stop, as did the rest of his former bandmates, but Castor forced everybody away.<br>When the band spit up and everybody went their seperate ways, the Atom-Smashers recruited Red because of how proficiant he was as the bass. The band was without a lead singer at the time and Red tried to get Castor the job, but he never returned his calls.  
>Red hasn't even spoken with him in nearly five years, but Castor's sister Lynn called him recently and told him about Castor's disappearance and wanted any help she could get to find him.<p>

Red looks up to see Lynn walk in, wearing civilian clothing since she off duty right now. "Hey, Lynn," he says in his low-key drawl, smiling, "It's been a long time."

"Hi, Red," Lynn replies, giving Burton a big hug.

"So, have you busted anybody lately?", Red asks.

"Oh... yeah," Lynn replies, referring to her rather violent takedown of William Cochran last week, without mentioning him specifically by name, "Let's just say he was a real jerk."

"That how you screwed-up your foot?", he asks, noticed Lynn's walking cast.

"I was caught in the middle of one of Wily's attacks," Lynn says, "It was a... really bad day."

"Damn!", he says, "Did you see that Mega Dude?"

"Yeah, we've met," Lynn smiles, "He's cool. Kinda cute too."

"So, what's goin' on with Castor? Is he still missing?", Red asks, his smile disappearing.

"Yeah... he is," Lynn replies, becoming worried when her thoughts return to her brother, "He's been missing for over a month. He was in rehab, but... he left," she says, her voice becoming shaky, "Has he called you or anyone in the old band?"

"No," Red answers, "if _you_ haven't seen him, then probably none of us have either."

"I saw him in April. He visited me in the hospital... he looked so skinny," Lynn says.

Red stokes his soul-patched chin. "He's still on Hydro," he muses, referring to Hydro-X, one of the most addictive and deadly drugs in the world.  
>It was Red who years ago feared his friend was using this and tried to convince Lynn to get him to stop. Longtime users of the drug tend to lose several teeth as well as their musculature, becoming very thin and gaunt.<br>The longer the drug is used, however, the worse the damage gets. Severe users tend to suffer from occasional stabbing pains - mainly in the stomach - which can only be quelled by taking more of the drug. But prolonged use in this stage leads to the breakedown of the victim's internal organs.

"He finally admitted to it to me," Lynn says, "He went to rehab, but he didn't finish... Did he ever tell you why he got into that stuff?", Lynn asks, trying to think of any explanation.

"Yeah... one night I went to pick him up after a gig, and he'd had a few drinks. This was sometime after your mom died and he broke up with Jillian... he said everyone he cared about would either die or abandon him. He was scared you were gonna die while you were working too. He said he didn't want to hurt anymore."

Lynn nods, taking in that Castor's use of the drug tied into his noticable depression. But, now she wanted to find out who introduced him to the stuff. She knew it wasn't Red, because he's lived clean his whole life.

"Do you know anybody who might have got into this?", she asks.

"... yeah," Red replies, his voice sounding disgusted already, "There was this jackass who came to a lot of our gigs and paled around Cast. His name was Vinnie Shipwreck. It wasn't long after he met him that Cast started... lookin' different."

"Do you where lives?", Lynn asks.

"Asuming he's not in jail, he lives somewhere in Red Hook, but that was five years ago," Red replies.

"Sounds like I'll be paying Vinnie a visit very soon," Lynn says.

Lynn and Red talk for a little while longer, but soon Lynn has to leave as she doesn't want to miss her shift.

"I've gotta go. Thank you, Red," Lynn says,

"I hope you find him, Lynnie," Red drawls, "If you need any help from me, let me know. I'll be here in a second if I can make it."

"I will," Lynn says, giving Red one more hug before leaving.

* * *

><p><strong>Addicts Annonymous.<br>****Manhatten, New York.**

Gathered in this room are ten people sitting in chairs in a circle. One of them is the leader of this Annonymous meeting. Almost all of these people are everyday average people. But, the last member of this meeting is unquestionably _not_ a regular average Joe and is recognized by several of the attendees

"Why don't we start off our daily meeting with you, sir," says the leader of the group to the noteworthy fellow.

Shrugging his italian suit-clad shoulders, the recognizable fellow replies, "Hello... my name is Marcus."

"Hi, Marcus," replies everybody en masse.

"I'm an alchoholic!", confesses Marcus... Vickers.

After the unfortunate bungling of the round of interviews for his company's top secret "Robot Warrior" project, rumors spread that Vickers had become an alcoholic. Afterwards, Vickers decided to seek some sort of treatment to keep his nervous stockholders off his back.

"And would you like to talk with us about your struggles with alcoholism, my brother?", asks the leader of the meeting.

"I certainly would," Vickers says, loosening his tie, "It is a very long story, and one with quite a few chapters. So, it's best to start with the very first chapter and the person who drove me to take my first drink. Somebody who I work with on a frequent basis."

Suddenly, Vickers' Vice President Scott Erikson enters the room. "Hi, sir," he says with a a grin on his face.

Vickers pauses and twiddles his thumbs and sighs. He then looks up to the rest of the people in this meeting and asks, "Well, that takes care of chapter 1. Can you excuse me for a moment? Maybe you can let the next person tell their story and I'll begin with chapter 2 when I get back."

"That's okay, Marcus," says the leader.

Vickers gets up and walks out of the room with Scott.

* * *

><p>Outside the Addicts Annonymous meeting room, Vickers stands with Erikson. "Can't this wait until later?", a perturbed Vickers asks, "I'm trying to improve my image here."<p>

"I'm sorry, sir," Erikson says, "But, I did want to inform you that the VickBot 9000 tour has just sold out Madison Square Garden! Isn't that great news, sir?"

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Vickers replies, blowing off the news, "The public is more stupid than I thought they were. What about the Robot Warrior project?"

"Um, well, sir, we haven't screened any more candidates since your unfortunate... episode," Scott replies.

"Any news on the Cossack front?", Vickers asks.

"We did place another call, sir," Erikson answers.

"And?", asks an impatient Marcus.

"His people people didn't answer our call," Erikson replies, looking nervous.

"Well, call him again!", Vickers snaps, "and that's an order!"

"Y-yes, sir!," Erikson stammers turning around to leave, then turning back to ask, "Do you want me to call him right _now_, sir?"

"Yes! Now get the hell outta here!", Vickers snaps.

Erikson rushes out and Vickers puts his hands on his forehead... "God, I could use a drink," he sighs.

* * *

><p><strong>Cossack Family Citadel.<br>****Moscow, Russia.**

The Cossack family has held this citadel for generations and it's current occupant is Dr. Mikhail Cossack, one of the world's greatest scientific minds. Mikhail has seen to it that the citadel has had significant technological and security upgrades, making this building the most secure in all of Russia.

Much like Dr. Light, Dr. Cossack's area of expertise is robotics, but his work has been very much under the radar in the grand scheme of things. His work has not been as recognized as much as Dr. Light's and Dr. Wily's (before Wily became the world's most wanted man,) and that has only driven Cossack to push himself harder.  
>And while Cossack will not admit it, he is somewhat jealous of Dr. Light's fame and his proficiancy and he often wishes that he was the world's leading robotics scientist. But at the same time, Mikhail also has great respect for Dr. Light because of his excelence.<p>

Recently, Dr. Cossack suffered a personal tragedy in his life when his beloved wife Helena succumbed to a fast-spreading form of cancer. Dr. Cossack has since put all of his work on hold for the time being to deal with the loss. And while he is still coping with her loss, another member of the Cossack family is struggling even more.

The tall Russian scientist, wearing a three-piece suit and tie and his black rimmed eyeglasses stands outside a room in his palacial citadel and is clearly not happy. He is on the telephone with a representitive of the Vick-Tek corporation in the United States... this is the tenth time they have called since April (at least that he's aware of.) Even after repeated replies from his handlers that he is on hiatus, they _still_ call him.  
>So, this time, Cossack has decided to respond to them personally.<p>

"Listen to me very carefully," Cossack says in perfect english through his Russian accent, staying calm, yet sounding annoyed, "And I will say it in english, so even _you_ can understand. I am not availible to work on any projects until further notice! I just lost my wife mere months ago and I have personal matters to attend to. Next time, I will call _you_ if I am ready. Until then, stop calling."

Dr. Cossack terminates the call and rubs his sandy blonde beard, then through his neatly cut crop of hair. "Lousy American corporations," he mutters in his native Russian, "No class."  
>Mikhail has no time for greedy corporations... not when one very special girl requires his attention more.<p>

Then, a doctor who specializes in grief counseling exits the room Dr. Cossack was standing outside of and apporaches the scientist

"Thank you for coming in so late to see my daughter. How do you think she is doing, Doctor?", asks Cossack, in Russian.

"She is doing significantly better than she was two months ago, Mikhail," replies the grief counselor, in Russian, "To be quite honest, her recovery is quite remarkable, given the circumstances."

Mikhail lets out a sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to lose her too," he chokes.

"I think she will be okay, my friend," says the counselor, "She made a reference to this Mega Man robot again."

"Yes... I am _well aware _of him," Dr. Cossack says, with a pang of the aforementioned jealousy towards Dr. Light in his voice, but with genuine respect for Mega Man himself.

"I really must get going," the counselor says, shaking Dr. Cossack's hand.

As the Russian counselor leaves, Dr. Cossack knocks on the door to his daughter's room.

"Come in, father," Kalinka replies, knowing that he is nervously standing outside, like he always has since she started seeing the counselor.

Mikhail enters his daughter's room in the Cidadel and sees the 16-year-old girl sitting by her window looking outside with her soft green eyes at the incredible view she has, wearing a purple tunic shirt and white pants, playing with a lock of her wavy shoulder-length blonde hair.  
>Kalinka - who is only 5'1" tall - walks up to her father - who is over a foot taller than she is at 6'4".<p>

"I am so happy you are feeling much better, Kalinka," Dr. Cossack says in Russian, embracing his young daughter.

"As long as I know I still have you, father," Kalinka replies, also in Russian.

"Always, my daughter" Mikhail assures.

When Dr. Cossack's wife died, Kalinka took it especially hard, sinking into a deep depression. Mikhail put all of his work on hold to care for her and feared she would never recover.

However, soon after Mega Man hit the scene, Kalinka slowly begin to come around again and she became inspired to keep living her life because of Mega.  
>While Dr. Cossack may wish he had achieved Dr. Light's fame, he is very greateful towards him, because his finest invention in Mega Man helped keep his daughter alive.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>Brisbane, Australia.**

All of the members of the United Nations and Kieth Henry, the President of the United States, are gathered here to discuss a very important matter with Dr. Light. The location of this meeting is being kept a secret so that Dr. Wily will not try to 'interfere.'  
>All of the parties involved sit around a large table and the few representives who couldn't make it to this gathering are joining via video conference and their faces are shown on a large screen on the wall of the room. Dr. Light is wearing a grey suit and tie, a departure from his usual white lab coat.<p>

The President of the United States stands up and speaks. "Dr. Light, before we begin, I do speak on behalf of everyone here that we are thankful for the continued efforts by yourself and Mega Man to fight terror."

All of the attendees of the meeting begin applauding Thomas, as do the members on the video screens. The President motions to Dr. Light, who then stands up.

"Thank you, everyone. On behalf of my children, it is much appriciated," Thomas says, "We will continue to strive for a world where everlasting peace will reign supreme. In fact, everlasting peace is why we are gathered here today," Thomas continues, "Peace that is threatened by Albert Wily." Even mentioning Wily's name makes Thomas uncomfortable, especially after what he's done lately.

"Dr. Wily is the perhaps the most serious threat that this world has ever foaced in history," Light states, "And while he is the only major threat in this world, there will always be a chance that another evil could rise and threaten a nation, an entire region or even all of civilization.  
>Therefore we need to take pre-emptive measures to make sure that doesn't happen... being a pacifist, I deplore weapons of any kind... ", Thomas pauses, the takes a breath, "but I understand there are times when such measures are needed."<p>

Thomas' thoughts revert to Mega Man. Because of Dr. Wily, Rock volunteered to be rebuilt into a warrior robot. Thomas feels bad for having to rebuilt his own son into an instrument of warfare... but, he knew it had to be done... and Rock was not going to take 'no' for an answer.

"So, since I know that all of your nations have already approved of this, I present to you the world's first global counter-terrorism robot... a robot who will be a peacekeeping force that is felt throughout the world and should help keep the world safe from any danager, including Dr. Wily...  
>I present my proposal for <em>Project: Gamma<em>."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_It appears we know where episode 4 is going now, don't we? ;)  
>Now, even though I have introduced the Cossack family, they will not be a main focal point of the episode (they might not even be featured in it.) They will be central players in a future episode, however.<br>In following with Ruby-Spears Mega Man tradition, I have altered the appearance of a character from the video games and made them older. I imagine that much like Roll, Kalinka Cossack would not be a little girl in the Ruby-Spears universe, but would be in her mid to late teenage years and look slightly different._

_The news blurb about plasma bolt ammunition being used in Geneva explains why the police used laser handguns in "Bot Transfer."_

_Also, "Red" Burton is named after the late Cliff Burton, the greatest bass player who ever lived... no, not **that** Bass, I mean bass guitar._

_Please don't forget to leave a comment or a review._


	35. Interlude, part 4: No Strings

_**Interlude, part 4: No Strings.  
><strong>(features scenes based upon the events of the episode **"Mega Pinocchio"** by Jeffrey Scott.)_

_Note to readers: this chapter is massive. It's the longest in this series so far. _

* * *

><p><strong>July 20X1 (the next month)<strong>**  
><strong>**Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man is flying in the rainy nighttime sky above New York City in the Air Raider (with the glass dome on to block out the rain.)  
>Mega wanted some time alone tonight and he would usually stand atop the roof of Dr. Light's lab, but since it was raining, he decided to take a drive instead.<p>

The Air Raider's sensors detect the sound of a panicked scream for help down below and Mega veers the craft closer to the surface to investigate.  
>Mega traces the signal to a small laboratory complex outside of town. The Air Raider's console screen then shows a live image of an elderly scientist who is wirey thin with short white hair and wire-rimmed glasses being bullied by GutsMan and Cut Man outside his lab.<p>

"Somebody help me!", shrieks the man as he is roughed up by the Robot Masters.

Mega Man lands the Air Raider down at the site of the lab and leaps out. "Leave him alone, you Scum Bots!", he commands.

"If you want to save the old codger, come 'n get 'im, Mega Twerp!", GutsMan yells, carrying the old scientist over his shoulder and plowing into his lab by crashing through the wall and Cut Man follows him in through the hole.

Mega Man runs in after them, preparing his plasma cannon and leaping in through the hole made by GutsMan.

* * *

><p>Once inside, Mega Man sees GutsMan and CutMan holding the old scientist hostage.<br>Mega aims his blaster at the Robot Masters and threatens, "I'm only telling you one more time, let him go or you're going down!"

"The only bot who's going down is _you_, blue boy!", Cut Man laughs.

Then, a cannon behind Mega that is positioned on the ceiling begins firing a translucent green laser light at him. The beam does not damage Mega, but he begins having sudden convulsions and yelps in pain. He then falls face-first to the floor of the lab and doesn't move.

"HA-HA! That little blue dillweed's out like a light!", GutsMan laughs.

Then, a door opens and out of the darkness comes Dr. Albert Wily and ProtoMan.

ProtoMan wastes no time and races to his fallen brother's side. "If he's anything like me, he should have the same shutdown code," ProtoMan says as Wily watches.

ProtoMan twitches his fingers together, knowing that once he reaches into the blast zone of the laser, it will not feel very good.

"Hell with it!", Proto groans, quickly reaching in the green light and entering a button combination on his brother's left forearm. Proto grinds his teeth as he feels a shooting hand in his right hand caused by the paralizing beam.  
>Once it is entered, Proto painfully orders, "Shut it off," while shaking his right hand.<p>

Wily presses a button on a remote in his hand and the green beam goes away while Mega Man remains lying flat on the ground, not moving.

Albert's eyes grow wide and so does his grin as he rubs his hands together. He has never been happier in his whole life.  
>"I did it!", he exclaims, "Mega Man is out of commision!"<p>

"Now we can _cut_ him to ribbons! Eh-heh!", Cut Man wheezes.

"And then we can smash him!", GutsMan adds.

"Unfortunately, that is not in the cards," Wily says, "I have something else in mind... if Mega Man cannot be destroyed... he can be _turned_."

ProtoMan smirks when Wily reveals that he will not be destroying Mega Man, but rather forcing him to turn on his family and be on their side. Sure, Mega would not be turned willingly, but this is what Proto has wanted all along.

"Let's not waste any time, boys," ProtoMan says, "It won't be long before my sis and Thomas Light realize that something's wrong."

Within a matter of minutes, Dr. Albert Wily - the man who wants to rule the world - will have control over Mega Man - the Defender of the Human Race - and all hell is about to break loose over the course of the next 24 hours.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Roll nervously paces the floor of the living room of Dr. Light's house next to the lab. "He's been gone too long," Roll frets, "He said he was just going out for a _little while_... and that was _an hour_ ago!"

Even Rush is worried about Mega Man, looking outside the window to see if he's back yet.

"Your brother did say he needed some time to himself. But, I can go check his location via his tracker," Thomas sugests.

Roll continues pacing back and forth. "I've just got a bad feeling something's wrong," she says, "Rush, let's go find Mega."

"It's still raining outside, Roll," Dr. Light reminds his daughter.

"Then, I'll get a raincoat," Roll fusses. But, as Roll goes to get her jacket, the doorbell rings. Roll goes over to the door and opens it, seeing Mega Man standing on the over side, alive and well.

"Sorry I'm late," Mega shrugs with a sheepish smile.

"Where _were_ you?", Roll asks with relief in her voice, "We were all worried sick about you."

"Wily's robots attacked an innocent scientist's laboratory outside of town," Mega replies, "They managed to knock me out."

"Are you alright?", Thomas asks, putting his hand on Mega's shoulder, which is soaked from the rain.

"Aside, from a headache, I'm okay," Mega answers, "The doctor appearently had some pretty mean security bots in his lab. When I woke back up, he said Wily's robots ran scared."

"Who was this scientist Albert attacked," Thomas asks, stroking his thick grey beard, "Maybe I've heard of him."

"His name was Dr. Petto," Mega replies, "He's from europe and he's conducting experiments with human A.I. in robots."

Thomas continues stroking his chin. He's never heard of this _Dr. Petto_ before. He has heard of a man named Cossack and another scientist named Wagner, but not _Petto_.

"Hmmmm... I will have to look him up," Dr. Light says.

Mega lightly shakes his head and gets a sudden urge to retire for the night. "... if you don't mind, I'm goin' to bed. That battle took a lot out of me."

"Are you sure you don't want me to check-up on your systems?", Dr. Light asks.

"Trust me, I'm okay," Mega replies, "I'll see you tommorrow. Goodnight, guys."

On his way up to his bedroom, Mega wonders why he felt the urge to go right to bed, and even turn down a medical check-up from Dr. Light following a big battle... Mega doesn't even remember a battle even taking place. He saw GutsMan and Cut Man with Dr. Petto, then he blacked out. And then, there was this pain in his head. It was centered in the upper left side near his cranium.

"This headache won't go away," Mega moans, touching his head through his helmet, "maybe I should let Dr. Light check on me."

_"Ignore it. Recharge."_

... There was that urge again, and Mega follows it's order, opening his bedroom door and going inside, closing the door behind him. He then lies down on his bed and enters recharge mode, going to 'sleep', completely unaware of what's wrong with him.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****New York City.**

Dr. Wily is attacking the city again and is planning on doing the unthinkable... or perhaps, the improbable.  
>He is planning on hijacking a building... at least it appears that way.<br>In actuality, Wily doesn't care about the building and plans on destroying it. But, if all goes according to plan, he won't be the one destroying it... Mega Man will be.  
>Down below, people were already flooding out of the highrise and into the streets as several members of the media have already arrived.<p>

Four reinforced grappling hooks from the bottom of a double-bladed helicopter are connected to each corner of the building. Robot Masters are standing on the roof, including GutsMan, Cut Man and Napalm Man, the robot who was originally scrapped by Dr. Wily. Napalm Man can fire missiles and drop bombs from all over his tall purple body. Right above his eyes is a much larger warhead that can seek out it's target and cause major damage.  
>Conspicuous by his absense is Dr. Wily himself. He is back at Skull Fortress to witness this plan in motion as ProtoMan pilots the chopper.<p>

"Where is that little dweeb," GutsMan growls, "He's takin' too long!"

"I can see him!" Cut Man says, looking through a pair of binoculars, "He's almost here now... time to for you to _cut_ in, Napalm Man!"

Napalm Man steps forward and speaks, contacting Dr. Wily back at Skull Fortress. "Dr. Wily, Sir," he speaks in the drawl of a gruff Texas drill instructor, "Requesting permission to open fire on target, Sir."

_"Fire at Will,"_ Wily replies.

"Sir, Yes Sir," Napalm Man replies, opening up compartments on his shoulders and torso, revealing several missiles locked and loaded.

"It ain't the fourth of July anymore," GutsMan says, "but it's never too late for fireworks! HA-HA!"

Napalm Man fires his entire payload of missiles at Mega Man and Rush.

* * *

><p>"Uh-oh! Trouble at 12 O'Clock!", Mega says when he spots the missles heading straight for him. He powers-up his blaster and fires, taking out all of the missiles, creating a masive explosion.<p>

_"Napalm Man, when Mega Man is close enough, fire your Napalm Bombs,"_ Wily says.

"Yes, sir!", Napalm Man responds, stepping forward towards the ledge of the skyscraper and aiming his daul cannon arms ahead, firing two Napalm Bombs.

As Mega Man and Rush approach the roof, Mega Man catches them in his hands and quickly throws them back, towards GutsMan and Cut Man. The Robot Masters try to flee, but get caught in the explosions, sending them flying to the other edge of the roof, almost falling off.

Napalm Man fires two more bombs at Mega Man, but he catches another one in his right hand and Rush catches one in his mouth. Mega Man blasts Napalm Man his his chest, taking him down.

"I think you need some new weapons, buddy," Mega quips.

_"Rock, there are more robots down on the surface below terrorizing the citizens,"_ says Dr. Light, _"and Roll insisted on helping you again. Keep an eye on her until the Robo Rescue Squad can arrive, please."_

"Got it," Mega responds, "Rush, swing around to the surface. You and me are gonna give Wily's robots another Napalm gift."

* * *

><p>On the surface below, four Robot Masters wearing rocket packs on their backs are working on rigging the building to topple down in the most effective Man is planting Crash Bombs all around the building along with Drill Man, a new Robot Master who is drilling holes into the side of the building for Crash Man to fire the bombs into.<p>

Meanwhile, another new Robot Master steps forward. He has mostly black armor, with a red chestplate and arm gauntlets and a red head. His mouth is covered by a face shield, much like Metal Man's. His special power is the ability to manipulate metal with magnetism.  
>The new robot holds his arms out and within seconds, metal support beams are ripped out of the building by his magnetism power and he throws them aside without even touching them.<p>

This robot's name is Magnet Man. There is only thing that spoils his overall intimidating aura... he has a large horseshoe-shaped magnet placed directly on his forehead. Despite his odd appearance, he is still a very deadly Robot Master.

Also, nearby is Ring Man, a robot who has the ability to throw Ring-shaped projectiles... and that's about it. Ring Man has mostly red and yellow armor and a face shield like Metal Man and Magnet Man, as well as an ornament atop his head with a small ring on the top. Ring Man occasionally glances up to look for Mega Man, but continues looking over at the building, awaiting the destruction that is about to take place.

"Huh-huh, this is gonna be knarly, man!", he says in his beach bum voice.

Ring Man looks up again and sees Mega Man and Rush approaching. "Woah! It's that Mega Guy, dudes!"

All of the Robot Masters stand at attention and await Mega Man to arrive.

"Get ready, boys," Mega says, ready to throw the Napalm Bombs at them, "Give Dr. Wily a message for me."

_"... you are affraid... you are affraid you will drop these bombs and destroy the building..."_

Mega Man shudders as he feels that urge again and he feels frightened that he will lose his grip on these bombs. His hands tremble as he strugles with this strange feeling.

_"... you're so scared that you drop the bombs toward the building... __**DROP THEM..."**_

The urge in his mind is suddenly stronger and Mega's eyes glaze upwards. In his dizzy state, Mega Man lets his arms droop and he loses his grip on the bombs, letting them fall down dangerously close to the side of the building.

Then... the bombs strike one of the lower levels of the building, which stand out more than the others. At that moment, all of the Crash Bombs go off, causing the entire building to nearly colapse now that Magnet Man has ripped the support beams out.

The only thing keeping the structure in place is the grapples from the chopper above. Mega Man suddenly comes to and realizes what he just did, his eyes growing wide with horror.

"That's our exit cue, dudes!", Ring Man says.

The four Robot Masters on the ground launch themelves straight into the air with their rocket packs and head back towards the roof of the building.

"I can't let them get away," Mega says, "Get us up there as fast as you can Rush."

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the Wily Chopper.<strong>

All of the Robot Masters are onboard and ProtoMan operates the controls.

"The plan worked, Doc," Proto says, "my little brother droped the bombs right on target."

_"Good,"_ Dr. Wily answers, _"Now... , when Mega Man reaches the roof, retract the grapples and __drop the building. Then, get the hell out of there."_

ProtoMan looks over the console, not only making sure that Mega Man is on his way, but also to ensure that there are no casualities. He does a quick scan of all of the surrounding buildings and sees that that odds of any fatalities occuring are very low.

_"Proto!"_, the mad doctor barks, _"Did you hear me?"_

"Loud and clear," Proto replies as he sees Mega Man reach the roof.

Proto presses the button to retract the grapples, letting the entire building fall...

* * *

><p><strong>Soon afterward.<strong>

Where there was once a very tall highrise, there is now nothing more than a towering cloud of dust after the building colapsed, sending everybody running for their lives. Miraculously, there were no casualties during the attack, however quite a few humans have been injured.

While Dr. Light and his Robo Rescue Squad along with the New York Fire Department and EMTs arrive to the scene, Roll is already here and is beside herself with worry, because Mega Man was on the roof when the building began colapsing.

Roll was already praying as Thomas stood silent, staring ahead at the cloud that was the skyscraper  
>"Please be alive," Roll whimpers behind her clased hands. She had already lost Doc last month, she shuddered at the thought of losing her brother and her dog too.<p>

Soon after, Mega Man and Rush emerge from the dust cloud, almost all grey from being smothered in dust. Rush looks okay, but Mega looks weak.

"Mega! Rush!", Roll cries as she runs towards them. Dr. Light and a throng of news media follow her.

Roll embraces her brother, getting dust all over herself in the process, but she doesn't care as long as they are okay.  
>However, all of the scared citizens at the scene reacted totally differently than they usually would when they saw Mega Man. Whenever Mega Man was around, people would usually brake out in applause... but, this time, they all stood in awkward silence.<br>The news media however was louder than ever...

"Mega Man, why did you bomb the building?", asks one reporter from Channel 4, "It was already evacuated. Did you really have to stop Wily from taking it _that_ badly?"

"I... don't know what happend?", a confused Mega Man replies.

"You don't know," asks Dick Ferguson , a smarmy reporter from channel 5, "Or you don't want to talk about it?"

"What _did_ happen to you, Mega Man?," asks Bree Recotta from channel 7, "were you damaged?"

"Here's the _real_ question, Dr. Light," Ferguson interupts, with a smartass tone in his voice, "Why should we put any trust in you or your so-called _advanced _robots? Answer _that_!"

Bree looks over and sneers at Ferguson for being an overwhelming jackass, (something that he is known to be.)

Ferguson shoves his microphone in Dr. Light's face. Caught off gaurd and not prepared for this as he is more concerned with Mega Man's well-being, Thomas replies, "Well... I..."

Ferguson yanks the mic away and snaps, "Thank you, Dr. Light. Your silence speaks volumes."

"I would be more than happy to answer your questions at a later time," Thomas says.

"Good!" Dick says, "Plenty of time to think of an excuse."

Several PoliceBots step up. "Attention," says officer CB-01, "Let's give them some room to leave. Nothing to see here, move along."

Bree watches as Mega Man and the Lights leave the area with the Police holding the rest of the press at bay. Just by looking at him, Recotta could tell that Mega Man wasn't acting right.  
>After all of the good things he has done for the city, he wouldn't just <em>drop<em> those bombs like he did... there has to be a reason, and Bree is determined to find out what that reason is.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that Day.<br>****Dr. Light's lab**

Mega Man is in the lab, sulking over what happened today. Still stained with dust, Mega leans over a worktable with his head in his hands... mainly because his head hurts.

"I can't believe I let that happen back there," Mega sighs, clearly bothered by how he failed to save the building, "I was about to throw those bombs at those new Robot Masters... then, I was scared... I might hurt somebody."

Mega felt that urge in his head again as he spoke, forcing him to admit he was scared... yet, he had no reason to be scared. Most of the humans were far away from his enemies.

"Don't feel bad, Rock," Thomas says, trying to comfort his son, "You only made a mistake, and nobody was seriously hurt. Everybody makes mistakes, even the best of us."

"Even you?", Mega asks, his blue eyes looking up to his father.

Thomas nods, "I've make quite a few mistakes in my life, But, I have learned from them, and I'm sure you will learn from today. Imperfection is a very human quality, there is nothing to be ashamed of."

Mega Man thinks about what Dr. Light said and it bothers him. Normally, he would think nothing of it, but in Mega's current state of mind he can't let it go.

"You said you've made a lot of mistakes... ", Mega asks, "am _I_ one of them?"

Thomas's brows furrows and he looks worried. "Why, of course not," he states, emphatically, "You're not just an ordinary robot, and neither is your sister... you are my children. You both are the greatest things that ever happened to me, so don't even think you are a mistake. My only regret is letting Albert design your brother's guidance system. Then, he would still be here and we would be a family."

Mega's eyes look tired and he barely whispers, "... it's not going to happen."

"... What did you say?", Thomas asks, noticing Mega's comment.

_"... you feel pessimistic... ProtoMan will never come back... this war will never end!..."_

"I'm convinced... Proto's never coming back," Mega states, sounding very glum, "This war will never end either, will it?"

"Of course it will, Rock," Thomas asserts, "We have to stay strong. You even said so."

Mega stands up and grabs the left side of his head again and begins to walk away, but Thomas follows him. "Son, please listen to me," he pleads.

"I want to left alone," Mega moans, "I don't feel good."

* * *

><p>As Mega enters the house nextdoor to the lab, the pain in his head continues to throb. It hasn't gone away since last night, but Mega has ignored it the whole time.<p>

Mega enters the bathroom of the house (which has just been repaired following the acid attack from Dorris) and runs the water over one of the sinks, taking his helmet off and setting it on the bathroom counter.

As Mega begins washing the dust off of his face, he feels something on his head and it hurts when he touches it.

Mega stops the water and looks at his reflection in the mirror... and he sees a large circular wound on the upper left side of his head, right above his CPU port. It is like somebody cut into his skin, and sealed it with a laser tool, because his unruly brown hair is singed around the wound area. _This_ is what is hurting him...

_"... ignore it..."_

"Something's wrong!" Mega mumbles, looking scared.

"..._IGNORE IT!..."_

Mega's eyes begin glazing over again as the urge is stronger than it was earlier. "It was... a trap," Mega drones, "Dr. Petto's lab was... a trick..."

_"... IT IS NOTHING!... Right now you have more important things to worry about... the President __is in danager... you have to go to the White House and stop it... you are the Defender of the Human Race... __you can't fail again..."_

Mega Man barely shuffles to the door, fighting the stange impulse in his head. "Dr. Light... Roll," he moans, "help... me,"

_**"... YOU WILL NOT WARN ANYBODY!..."**_

The urge overwhelms Mega Man and he can no longer fight it. He now enters a zombie-like state as his head lulls to the side and the fingers on his left hand begin twitching.  
>This was the work of Dr. Wily's mind control chip. Now, Wily had increased the power of the frequency and Mega Man could not resist anymore, overpowering his self-determination.<p>

_"... you must go to Washington D.C. ... the President is in danger..."_

"... the President is in danager," Mega drones to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Channel 7 studios.**

It is now late in the evening and Bree Recotta is sitting in front of her desk with a cup of coffee, on the phone with her husband.

"Look, I'm going to be really late tonight, something very important has come up. Much bigger than what happened today," Bree says, trying to explain that she is investigating something about the building colapse today.

"... I have to get to the bottom of this, this is way too important," Bree asserts, then listens to her husband's reply.

Bree answers, "It's Mega Man, _that's _why it's so important... he wasn't acting right today. I've met him and interviewed him, and he was never like this. Why would he just _drop_ those bombs like he did?... something's up."

As Recotta talks with her husband, she watches the footage of Mega Man from earlier today during the failed mission in the city, specifically the part where Napalm Man's bombs fall from his hands and strike the highrise. There was something about Mega that caught Bree's eyes when she reviews the clip.

She leans closer to her monitor to try and pick up on it better. "I've gotta go," Bree says into the phone, "I'll call you when I'm coming back home... yeah, love you too." Bree's lips barely turn into a sweet smile when she replies to her husband at the end of the call.

Bree hangs up the phone and gets back to work on this footage of Mega Man. Bree powers up her video editing software and runs the footage through there.  
>Bree enters a command to run only the section of the footage where Mega drops the bombs and soon zooms in on his face at that moment.<p>

After waiting for a few seconds for the footage to buffer, the footage runs again. Mega Man's face clearly changes expression when he flies by, right before he drops the bombs. It looks like his eyes are glazed over and his body looks limp.

Bree pauses the clip and studies the odd look on Mega's face at that time. "What is wrong with you?", she asks to the still frame of Mega Man on the screen.

Bree didn't know anybody else to follow up on this, except one person: Dr. Thomas Light.  
>She picks her phone back up and dails the number to Dr. Light's lab, hoping that he might be able to help. She knows that as a journalist, she is supposed to remain impartial and not get involved, but this isn't just another big story... the fate of the world could be riding on this.<br>She has to do something.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Roll comes down to the lab to find Dr. Light looking bothered. "What's wrong, Dr. Light?", she asks.

"Your brother is being too hard on himself over what happened today," Thomas replies, "He appears to be very distraught."

"I'll go talk to him," Roll says, "It's probably that jerk news reporter who's bothering him."

Then, the lab's phone rings for what seems like the hundredth time.

"That's probably him right now," Roll huffs, "I'm about to give him a piece of my mind for being so rude to my... oh!..." Roll sees the name on the caller I.D. readout. "This is the woman from channel 7, the one who interviewed you guys."

Thomas considers wether he should even answer the call, especially knowing how the press acts. But, having met Bree Recotta, Thomas has a feeling he can talk to her. "I'll take the call," he says, stepping forward and answering the phone.

"Dr. Thomas Light speaking," he says.

_"Dr. Light, this is Bree Recotta, from channel 7," _Bree starts.

"Miss Recotta, I do hope you know that I am not interested in an interview," Thomas responds.

_"I'm not calling for an interview," _Bree presses, _"This is extremely important. It's about Mega __Man."_

"What is it?", asks Light.

_"I have footage from earlier today when Mega Man dropped the bombs during the fighting with Wily's robots," _Bree answers, _"Upon __closer examination, Mega Man looked like he had something wrong with him."_

Thomas looked worried. Bree's finding makes sense, especially when mega had said he wasn't feeling good.  
>"Please, Miss Recotta, clarify," he says as Roll runs off to the house to find her brother.<p>

_"He looks fine at first. Then, he looked like a zombie," _Bree answers, _"His eyes were glazed over and he looked weak."_

Thomas thinks of all of the possible things that could be wrong with Mega Man.. until he remembers last night. Mega Man said that he was knocked out trying to save a scientist that Thomas had never heard of. He also remembers that Mega hasn't seemed the same since he came back and is constantly looking like he has a headache... he then realizes something horrible.

"Oh, no," Thomas mumbles, "Albert!"

Roll returns to the lab with Rush. "Mega's not here!", Roll panics.

"Use the tracker to find out where he is now," Thomas answers, "as well as where he was last night."

_"What's wrong, Dr. Light?"_, Bree asks, _"Is there anything we can do to help?"_

"Yes," Thomas says, "... pray."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

With his mind control helmet on his head, Dr. Wily watches the video from Mega Man's point of view as he arrives to Washington D.C., the national mall specifically, where President Henry will be making a speach to the media tonight outside the White House.

Wily's grin widens as he realizes that he is about to kill two birds (literally) with one stone.

Wily hears that Dr. Light is trying to contact Mega Man via his communicator, but Wily influences Mega Man's decison.

"Ignore their call," he says into the helmet's microphone, "Just proceed to the White House. Tell the agents that you want to meet with the President before he begins his speach."

Mega Man ignores Dr. Light's call and moves forward, just as Dr. Wily told him to do.

ProtoMan stands leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "I've got a _really_ bad feeling about what direction this mission of yours is taking," Proto speculates.

Dr. Wily turns around in his swivel chair with his evil grin. "Your bad feeling is right on the money, my boy," Albert answers in a sinister tone, "Your brother is about to begin an assasination attempt of his first President."

"This is goin' _way_ too far, Wily," Proto frets, not liking that his brother is about to be forced to commit murder.

"Mega Man doesn't even have to hit him," Wily responds, "Once he fires his blaster at the President, the federal agents will take him into custody... clearing the way for me to take over."

"What if he kills him?", Proto asks.

Wily's evil smile gets bigger. "Well, then... that's _two_ people I wouldn't have to worry about anymore."

Wily chuckles as he turns his attention back to Mega Man's new mission, but ProtoMan shakes his head, unable to believe that his little brother is being forced to carry out this mission.

Proto feels that attacking the President would be acceptable... maybe. But an assassination attempt feels like too much... not to mention comepletely un-necessary.  
>But, what Albert neglected to tell ProtoMan was that he had full intention of having Mega shoot to kill. Not so much to remove the President, but to kill Mega Man himself.<p>

Dr. Wily knows that Mega Man has the prime directive of Robotics programmed into his systems, which means that if he intentionally commited an act that would kill a human, he would enter automatic and perminant shutdown for violating the prime directive. Wily wouldn't dare mention this to ProtoMan, because he would enter a rage if he knew.

But, in Wily's diseased mind, ProtoMan's wishes don't matter right now... only taking over the world does.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<br>****Washington D.C.**

Mega Man arrives to D.C. in the Air Raider, just outside of the No Fly Zone over the White House, which is there for security reasons.

He gets out of the vehincle and looks confused as he places his helmet back on his head, covering the incision wound. He doesn't know why he's here, all he knows is that he's tired and his head will not stop hurting.

He thought the President was in danger, but there's clearly no danger anywhere around... except the chip in his head.

"What am I doing here?", Mega groans.

_"... The President is in danger... approach the White House and tell the agents you are here __for extra security..."_

Mega Man gets that look in his eyes again, and Wily has him in the palm of his hands.

"President is in danger," Mega drones as he approaches the White House on foot.

Mega Man approaches a human secret service agent standing outside the main stage where The President will be making his speach tonight.

After speaking into the microphone inside of his sleeve, he approaches Mega. "Good Evening, Mega Man," he says, pushing his black sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, What brings you here?"

"The President's life is in danger," Mega Man replies, "Dr. Wily has a spy here and I need to be here."

The agent speaks into his sleeve microphone again. "Did you get that?" he asks his superiors on the other end, "... copy that."

The Secret Service agent looks back to Mega Man. "The President has been alerted. He says he will go on with his speach. Do you have an I.D. on the spy?"

"I won't know who he is until I see him," Mega answers, "I'll have to check everybody out."

The Secret Service agent nods as Mega Man walks forward. Mega looks even more confused. Everything he just said didn't sound true. There was no threat to the President that he was made aware of.

"I have to leave," Mega mutters to himself.

_"... you will stay here and act like you are patrolling the area..."_

Mega looks dizzy again and begins patrolling the area, trying to find the threat that doesn't exist.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Petto's lab.<strong>

Roll and Rush arrive to Dr. Petto's lab and await the police. Roll begged Dr. Light to let her go to D.C. to find her brother, but Dr. Light insisted that he must be the one to handle this

Soon after, several police cruisers arrive to the scene and Chief Toombs himself is one of the officers on the scene.

"I heard you guys needed our help, lass," the Scottish Cheif said, "so I'm overseein' this investigation myself. But first, you gotta tell me whats goin' on."

"I think Dr. Wily did something to my brother, Mr. Toombs," Roll says, looking worried.

The Chief's aged and scarred brow furrows. "How?", he asks.

"I don't know," Roll worries, "He came here to fight Wily's bots last night and he hasn't been the same since. Then, he just disappeared and flew of to D.C."

Toombs turns his head and spits the gum he was chewing out of his mouth into the grass and turns to his officers, which are mostly Policebots with a few human offcers.

"Let's not waste anymore time," Toombs barks, "Get in there, lads!"

All of the Chief's officers barge into the lab and runs inside, followed by Chief Toombs himself, Roll and Rush. And nearby stands Bree Recotta, who narrates the live breaking news broadcast as her cameraman captures the whole scene.

"And now the the Police have busted into the mysterious lab complex where it is believed that Dr. Wily was running a secret opperation," Bree says, "The only question now is, where is Mega Man... and is he alright?"

* * *

><p>Inside the lab stands the Dr. Petto robot with his hands at his sides. The police run in and spot him and aim their weapons at him.<p>

"Put your hands where I can see them!", commands a Policebot.

Dr. Petto does nothing. The Policebot steps forward and nudges Dr. Petto, causing him to fall down.

"He's a robot!", Roll gasps.

Chief Toombs looks up and sees a security camera stationed up on the ceiling. "WX, find out what this camera is connected to," orders the Chief, "If there's any video o' what happened here, I wanna see it!"

"Yes, sir," replies WX-85 as he leaves to search another room in the lab.

Rush stands on his hind legs near the worktable and sniffs. He barks to get Roll's attention.

"What is it, Rush?", Roll asks. She looks down and sees several blue microchips scattered on the table.

Roll presses a button on her utility arm to contact Dr. Light. "Dr. Light, this Dr. Petto guy was really a robot."

_"That explains why I had never heard of the name," _Thomas says, _"What else have you found?"_

"We found some microchips here," Roll replies as the Chief steps up to the table.

"I'll send ya' a picture of 'em, Doctor," says the Chief, holding up his phone and getting a capture of the chips.

* * *

><p>In the skies above and on his way to find Mega Man, is Dr. Light, who is driving the family's red SkyCar.<p>

On his communicator, he sees the image Chief Toombs sent him of the microchips, and chills run up his spine.

"Yes, just as I feared," Thomas says, "those are robot mind control chips. Albert was working on the design when we worked together. Once installed, a user can control a robot's every action. We scrapped the project because I felt it was unethical... Wily must have installed one inside Rock."

_"What are you going to do, Dr. Light?"_, asks Roll.

"I'm going to have to power him down and bring him back to the lab before it's too late," Thomas says, feeling his lab coat pocket to make sure he brought the remote to shut Mega Man down. But, there is only one problem... he forgot it.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>

As President Henry takes the stage, Mega Man stands behind all of the press that has gathered wondering where this threat is. Then, he learns the horrible truth...

_"... there he is. Now... assassinate him..."_

Mega Man feels his body go numb when this urge in his head tells him to assassinate the President. He stares ahead at the President and looks horrified. He tries to turn around and leave, but the urge orders him to stay and finish him off.

_**"... you will kill the president..."**_

Mega Man turns back around, looking like a zombie again with his eyes rolled up into his head and slowly begins to shuffle his way through the press and up to the President, his left foot dragging as he walks forward. Even now, Mega Man knows what he is doing is wrong and tries to fight it, but he is powerless.  
>Even now, Mega tries to muster up enough strength to warn the president and overcome Wily's control, but it seems impossible.<p>

"Mr. President," Mega barely moans, switching over to blaster mode and raising it up to him... "Take cover!"

Mega Man was able to fight off Wily's impulses just enough to warn the President. The Secret Service agents rush the stage and whisk the President away as Mega fires a blast that barely misses everybody. As other Secret Service agents try to take Mega down, Mega shoves them off of him like they were rag dolls.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

"DAMMIT!", Albert yells as he slams his fist on the desk in the Command Center, "The plan is ruined!"

"Relax," Proto says, "We've still got control over Mega Man. Just have him come back here to the fortress so you can reprogram him."

"Perhaps you're right," Wily says, trying to calm down... then he hears a familar voice speaking to Mega Man.

_"Rock! Don't do this!"_... it was Thomas Light's voice.

Wily's eyes widen as he looks back to the screen and sees his former business partner on the screen approaching Mega Man. "What the hell is Light doing there?", Wily snaps.

"He must've found out," Proto answers.

Then, Wily gets an idea... instead of Mega Man removing the President, he can command him to kill Dr. Light.

"Perhaps this plan isn't as ruined as I feared," Albert smiles.

* * *

><p>"Rock, it's me," Thomas says with urgency, "It's your father, Dr. Light."<p>

A zombiefied Mega Man keeps moving forward, his left foot continues to drag.

"Dr. Light, get out of the way!", barks a Secret Service agent, one of many who all have their guns trained on Mega Man.

"No!", Dr. Light yells back, turns around and stands in front of Mega, "Don't hurt him! I will handle this."

Light turns back to face Mega and explains to him what has happened, "Dr. Wily implanted a microchip into your circuits and is trying to control your thoughts. That's why you dropped the bombs today. You have to try and fight it."

Mega weakly raises his blaster arm up to his own father.

"Rock... no!", Thomas begs, "Don't you remember me?"

Mega looks into Dr. Light's eyes, trying so hard to fight Wily's programming. "...Father," he barely moans.

"Yes!," Thomas says, "Now, put down your blaster. Please, Rock you have to keep fighting Wily's control."

_**"... KILL HIM!..."**_

"You can't let the human race down! You'll be letting your sister and I down too!"

_**"... DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! KILL THEM ALL!..."**_

"If you fire that blaster at me... you'll violate the prime directive of robotics... you'll shut down and I'll lose you forever!", Thomas pleads, tears escaping from his eyes.

Mega's face winces as he struggles to fight Wily's control and he lets out an agonizing scream, clutching his head again. Wily had turned the frequency on the chip up to it's maximum level and it was too much for Mega to handle.

Then, Mega feels horrible pain through his whole body... then everything goes numb... and the world around him fades to black.

* * *

><p><em>"We have learned that Mega Man was lured here by Dr. Wily and trapped,"<em> explains Bree Recotta as we see security camera footage from inside Dr. Petto's lab of Mega getting blasted with a green stun laser and colpasing and later having the chip placed in his head. Dr. Wily had used a scapel and carved into Mega Man's synthetic flesh to gain easy access to his CPU port cover. But, Wily was so obsessed with the mission, he forgot to cover his tracks and delete this footage.

Bree continues, _"Mega Man was paralyzed by a stun laser and had his systems tampered __with by Dr. Wily. This would explain the colapse of the skycraper yesterday."_

We then see zoomed in footage of Mega Man at the skyscraper yesterday. This is the same clip that led Bree to believe that something was wrong.

_"When checking this footage recorded yesterday, myself and several colleagues at the channel 7 __news team noticed Mega Man was not acting right and placed a call to Dr. Light to warn him. __Then, Wily used Mega Man to try and assassinate President Henry earlier tonight. But, News 7 __has learned that Mega Man has been recovered and that the President is safe and unharmed. __Dr. Light is currently repairing Mega Man's systems and will take measures to insure that __something like this never happens again."_

* * *

><p>Mega Man wakes up and feels very weak. The entire scalp area of his synthetic skin has been removed, revealing much of his metallic skull, because Dr. Light had to connect him to several piece of equipment and the skin was already damaged beyond repair thanks to Dr. Wily's crude surgery. His face is still intact and undamaged.<p>

Mega Man knows he is back at Dr. Light's lab because he sees Thomas and Roll stands above him, looking very concerned about his health. He can feel Roll's hands holding on to his right hand. Before he could ask what happened to him, Mega had one concern on his mind.

"Is President Henry alright?", he asks, looking very worried and his voice sounding like a moan.

"He's fine, son," Thomas replies.

Then, The President himself steps over to the table, patting Mega Man on the shoulder. Members of the Secret Service stand nearby, following protocol. "You give me quite a scare back there, young man," says the President.

"I'm sorry, sir," Mega Man weakly replies, "I don't know what happened to me... I wasn't in control of myself."

"Oh, I would say you _were_ in control of yourself at some point... because it was _you_ who saved my life," Henry says, "Because Wily was the one responsible for this, and not you-"

"Wily?", Mega asks, still confused.

"I'll let Dr. Light explain to you later," The President clarifies, then continues, "because of the circumstances, I've granted you a Presidential pardon for what happened yesterday. I know that the _real_ Mega Man is a hero, that's why I chose you to be the Defender of the Human Race... just, please try and make sure what hapened to you this week doesn't happen again."

"Yes, sir. Thank you," Mega replies, barely smileing.

"I'll see you again soon," The President says, "Hopefully it will be under better circumstances. Your creator and I still have some more important business to discuss with the U.N. involving _The Project_."

"Indeed, we do, Mr. President," Thomas replies with a nod.

As the President leaves with the Secret Service, Mega Man looks over to his father and sister. "Are you sure that Gamma is a good idea?" he asks.

This was a tough question for Dr. Light. He doesn't like the fact that he is developing a powerful weapon that is designed to be a war machine for the sake of protecting humanity, but he feels that Gamma's creation is necessary, especially after how he almost lost his son tonight.

"... I think it's for the best, son," Thomas replies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I told you this chapter was long! And I am **glad** it's done.  
>As you can see, I have chosen to remove Bree's snide remark from the Mega Pinocchio and give it to a new OC reporter. (And yes, I named him Dick because he's a... well, you know.)<br>I decided not to show the building colapsing, because it was too similar to 9/11.  
>Also, at the end of the chapter, Mega looks like he did when his helmet was off in the first episode of the cartoon (no hair, just metal.)<em>

_If you're wondering who this scientist "Wagner" is, the one that Dr. Light had heard of, stay tuned. He's an OC and we will see him soon._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. (I lost some sleep over trying to get this chapter right, so feedback is much appriciated.)_


	36. Interlude, part 5: Shaken

_**Interlude, part 5: Shaken.  
><strong>(Features scenes based on the events of the episode **"The Big Shake"** by Richard Merwin.)_

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****Governor's Mansion.  
><strong>**Albany, New York.**

_"You have a visitor, Mr. Cochran,"_ states the Governor's assistant on his intercom.

"Who is it?", asks the Governor.

_"It's your son William," _replies the assistant.

The Governor pauses and sighs, "Let him in."

William enters his father's office, wearing one of his three-piece suits and a cocky grin on his face. He sits down on the opposite side of his father's desk, still smiling.  
>William had served his time in jail and was let go, but still had to perform community service as well as pay for the damages he was responsible for last month.<p>

"I hope you've finally learned your lesson... unless you're here to give me a hard time," says the Governor.

"I want want you to admit I'm right," William says with a bold tone to his voice.

"I see... hard time, it is," The Governor sighs.

"You can't deny it. Not anymore," William grins, "In the past month, random appliances started attacking us and your great robot defender Mega Man leveled a building and almost killed our President... pretty much what I said would happen."  
>William puts his feet up on his father's desk and continues, "So, I want you to admit that I was right all along about robots turning against us and also I want you to appologize to me for embarassing me in public."<p>

Governor Cochran replies in a gravelly voice, "I'm not doing _anything_ until get your feet the hell off my desk."

William grins again and does as his father says, taking his feet off his father's desk as the Governor contines, asserting, "First off, you embarassed _yourself_ in public, I didn't. And second, Albert Wily was the one responsible for what's happened in the past month, not robots in general and not Mega Man."

William chuckles. "You are so blind," he says, "You're so quick to blame Wily, but he's just a part of the problem. They are _all_ responsible for this. Wily, Light, Cossack, the list goes on. These abominable pieces of garbage are going to be the ruination of society one day."

"Are you finished with your racist garbage yet?", the Governor asks, "I have more important things to do than listen this dreck."

William's smile vanishes and he is angry. He leans on his father's desk and stares him right in the eyes.  
>"One day, you're going to see that I was right all along," William says with a forbodding tone in his voice, pointing his finger at his father, "These <em>wonderful<em> robots that you love so much will turn on you... and nobody will be able to do a damn thing about it, even you. I just hope that I can stop it in time."

The Governor sits back in his chair and asks again, "Are you finished or not?"

William only grows angrier, but instead of yelling, he stands up and calmly responds, "I'm finished. You may be my father, but you aren't my Governor anymore."

"What is _that _suppsed to mean?", Mr. Cochran asks.

"I'm leaving this hole of a state," William answers, "It's quite obvious that I make you sick... and honestly, the feeling's mutual. You can live your life with your robots... and you can die with them."

William turns around and storms his way out of his father's office and out of his father's life.

The Governor remains seated in his chair and appears to be calm, but he was just rattled by his son's comments. As much as William always disappointed him, he always hoped that his son would make him proud and change his attitude. He still cared about him... but, it appears William has shut his father out of his life for good.

_"Mr. Governor, the Mayor the is on line 1," _his assistant says on the intercom.

Cochran leans in his chair and replies in a choked voice, "Give me a few minutes."

The Governor grabs a nearby pencil and can feel his emotions rising. Without even realizing it, his large hands snap the pencil in half.

"Damn you, William," he mutters.

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

A man who likes to call himself Vinnie Shipwreck (real name: Vincent Kerwin Houser the 4th) sits behind a desk in the interrogation room of the Police station, handcuffed to a rod on the side of said desk.  
>Vinnie looks like a chump. He is slightly obeese with a brown mop of hair that hasn't been cut in months, a pock-marked face full of stubble and pale white skin.<br>Vinnie isn't as much of a user of drugs as much as he is a dealer, but today, it appears his dealing days are done. He sold some Hydro-X to an undercover officer posing as an addict. That's when the police moved in and arrested him. His entire stash of drugs has already been confiscated and he is most likely going to jail for conspiring to distribute illegal materials.

Right now, Vinnie is joined by his attorney (yes, this man has a lawyer... and his lawyer is a robot who is wearing a three-piece suit and a toupee on his steel body,) and he is awaiting to be taken to jail, where he will most likely attempt to post bail and await his trail.

But, he gets an unexpected visitor. The door to the interrogation room opens and Lynn Wersching walks in. Vinnie squints his eyes when he sees Lynn enter the room. "Have I seen you somewhere before, baby?", he asks.

"Oh, you might have," Lynn replies, "I'm here to ask you a few questions in regard to a missing person you have dealt with in the past."

Vinnie's robot lawyer puts his metal hand up and drones, "My client does not have to talk to you if he does not wish to speak with you."

Vinnie shrugs and smirks. "I don't know what to tell you, sweetheart," he says.

Lynn decides to play ball with this jerk. "I tell you what... if you tell me what you want to know, then maybe I can give you some legal advice that will help trim some of your sentance. Believe me, with the charges you have, you stand no chance of winning."

"I'm sorry, officer Redhead," Vinnie says, "I don't _have _to talk anymore. Ain't that right?"

"That is correct," Vinnie's robot attorney says, "My client does not have to speak with you unless he chooses."

Lynn is fed up with this robot and steps over to him, grabbing his neck and shutting him off (it was an older unit with an easy ON/OFF switch.) Vinnie's lawyer now stands lifeless with his head slumping down and the dealer is freaking out.

"There's no lawyer," Lynn says staring accross from Vinnie, "there's just you and me."

"I know where this is goin', I've watched those cop shows," Vinnie mumbles, "You're gonna go all crazy on me, aren't you?"

"As much as I _want_ to, I'd get in trouble for it," Lynn replies, "I just want to know when you last saw a man named Castor Wersching, and I'll be gone."

"Castor?", Vinnie asks as his eyebrows go up, "I remember him. He was one of my bros, and my best customer. He couldn't live without Hydro, man."

"Your 'customer' was my brother! Now, where is he?", Lynn asks, her voice lowering into a more intimidating sneer.

Vinnie freaks, "Oh, man! you _are_ gonna snap aren't you?"

"Tell me what I want to know, and I will leave," Lynn grits, now leaning towards Vinnie.

"Okay... I haven't seem him since last year. I tried to call him a few weeks ago, but some Chinese dude answered the phone. He just disappeared. Maybe he's tryin' to get clean... he doesn't have the strength if you ask me."

"That's because you're an enabler!", Lynn now shouts in his face, "He was going to be something in life, and you ruined him!"

Vinnie cowers under the desk when Lynn shouts.

"So, you don't know where he is?", Lynn asks, calmly.

"N-no Officer, um, M-ma'am," Vinnie stammers, "If I did I would'a told you!"

"Don't lie to me," Lynn asserts.

"I really don't know, man! Please believe me!", Vinnie whimpers.

"Can you tell me where you think he might be?" Lynn asks.

"I don't know w-where he would be," Vinnie answers, "The last few years I knew him, he never left home, he was a hermit."

Lynn figures that this moron has already reached his breaking point and she's not going to get as much as she hoped out of this moron.

"Here's your legal advice," she says, as promised, "Pray like hell the judge doesn't throw the book at you."

Lynn switches Vinnie's lawyer robot back on and leaves the interrogation room.

QN-60 stands outside the room and walks with her. "I admire your intimidation tactics, Lynn," he says.

"Thanks, Sixty," Lynn sighs. She had hoped she would find out something about her brother, but this guy knew nothing either.  
>Until she finds him, she just hopes he's alright and that he's trying to stay clean.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that month.<strong>

Dr. Wily's latest plan involves altering the underground faultlines of the country to create earthquakes whenever he desires. Today, Wily created several earthquakes in New York, and one of them was centered close to Dr. Light's lab, nearly destroying the entire complex and almost killing Mega Man in the process.  
>Mega Man survived however and is about to lure Wily out to ground level so he can end this deadly plan of his and hopefully apprehend him.<p>

Mega Man, Roll and Rush entered the damaged city with the destroyed hulk of Dr. Light's anti-quake stablizer to attract Dr. Wily's attention and soon ended up in a battle.  
>Roll managed to dispatch Cut Man, but ProtoMan swooped in and captured her, bringing her back with him to Dr. Wily's Skull Driller vehicle, the instrument of destruction responsible for today's earthquakes.<p>

Mega Man and Rush are in pursuit of Dr. Wily to stop the madman and to save Roll.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Wily's Skull Driller.<strong>

Roll tries to brake free from ProtoMan's grip, but he is too strong. Dr. Wily meanwhile is travelling down a tunnel and is heading towards another fault line. With all of the damage that has been done already, the next quake will be catostophic if Mega Man doesn't stop him.

Sitting at his control console, Wily looks over towards Roll and she gets an angry look on her face. Wily grins and gets out of his the Skull Driller is on autopilot. Albert had some very cruel things going on in his mind.

"I take it you don't like me very much," Wily says as he steps over to Roll.

"I hate you," Roll hisses, "You killed my friend."

"Yes, the little robot with the hardhat," Wily says, snapping his fingers, "The one I shot in the _head_, right?"

Wily's comments only make Roll even angrier.

"I can't imagine what kind of pain he must have felt before he died," Wily taunts, trying to get Roll upset, "He must have suffered, badly."

"_Don't_ you talk about Doc!", Roll threatens.

Wily continues, "And just think, he would still be alive today if you had just stayed home. But, you couldn't, could you? You had to join your brother and be a hero too."

"Stop it, you monster!", Roll snaps, "Or else I'll-"

"You'll what?... Kill me?", Wily chuckles, "I don't think you would violate the prime directive of robotics, would you? Of course you won't... I guess Doc's death will go in vain!"

"Leave him alone, you _bastard_!", Roll shrieks.

Wily chuckles, "Aw! You're a bad girl for using language like that. I'm sure Doc wouldn't like to hear you say that!"

Roll tried to kick Wily, but she was too far away.

ProtoMan has remained silent as he kept his grip on Roll and he feels extremely uncomfortable with the direction Wily is taking this. He is very close to telling his creator to knock it off, but somebody is about to drop in before Proto can do that.

With the help of Drill Man's copied drill power, Mega Man drills a hole in Dr. Wily's Driller and drops into the craft. ProtoMan lets go of Roll so that he can try to get a good stun blast on his brother and to keep his sister out of the crossfire.

Mega Man fires off the drill out of his arm and at his brother. The drill grinds into Proto's blaster arm and causes it to malfunction. "Still fighting dirty, huh brother?" he smriks.

Dr. Wily enters a command on his console, but Mega Man shouts. "It's over now, Wily!"

Wily puts his hands up and slumps into his chair and ProtoMan joins him, sitting in the other seat beside Albert's still clutching his left arm.  
>"It looks like you've beaten me at long last," Wily says, "But, I don't plan on staying for the victory party... and you may not live long enough!"<p>

Then, the roof opens up on the Skull Driller and Albert's and ProtoMan's chairs begin taking off like space shuttles, sending them flying off.

Mega can see the console on the Driller's controls read **"Self Destruct: 10 seconds."**

"Let's go!", Mega shouts as both he and Roll leap out of the same hole that Mega Man created to make his entrance and run onto the back of Rush, who was waiting for them outside. Rush jets Mega Man and Roll to safety as the Skull Driller explodes.

"Now we've got to get Wily," Roll says pointer his right index finger, "That way!"

Rush soars Mega Man and Roll past the wreckage of Wily's Driller and sees that there is a three way fork in the underground railroad.

"He went... that way, I think," Roll says, "Or maybe... to the right?"

"He got away again," Mega sighs as Rush slows down and he steps off.

"No! He's gotta be around here _somewhere_!", Roll frets, "... it's all my fault."

Roll walks away and kicks some of the gravel on the ground with an angry grunt.

Mega Man follows her and tries to calm her down. "It's not your fault, sis."

"Yes it is," Roll now mopes, her voice starting the shake, "I never should have come along... just like when Doc died."

"Roll, if anything, you helped me a lot out there," Mega says, "Cut Man could have buzzed me up there, but you stopped him. If anything, you helped make this mission a success."

Mega steps in front of his sister and holds her by her hands. "Wily might have gotten away this time," Mega assures, "But, _we_ stoped him. And we'll stop him again."

"And what if he gets away again?", Roll whimpers.

"We'll still stop him," Mega says, "Wily doesn't escape because it's anybody's fault. He escapes because he knows what he's doing. But, he can't get away forever. He'll face justice one day, and soon. So, don't give up on me. I need ya', sis," he gently says with that irresistable smile, "we're partners, remember?"

Roll nods as the tears begin to flow from her eyes as Mega admits that he accepts Roll as his partner in crimefighting. All she wanted was for her brother to let her be his partner because he was just as much her hero as everybody else's. And right now, he's here for her like he's been there for the human race.  
>"Yeah, partner," Roll weeps, trying to smile as Mega wipes away the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

The lab is still in shambles following the massive earthquake that hit here. However, despite the power of the earthquake, Doc's tree still stands undamaged.

Roll steps up to Doc's titanium headstone and places a new flower beside it and lights a new candle in front of it. She backs away from Doc's resting place and gets on her knees, staring at his headstone.  
>It's been over a month since she lost Doc, but it still hurts like it was just seconds ago.<p>

Roll gets emotional when she thinks about what Wily said today. She cannot shake the notion that she was responsible for Doc dying. If she could do everything differently, she would have made sure she had stayed home (even though her brother would have been outnumbered, and might have been defeated.)

"I wish you were still here, Doc," Roll weeps, "I miss you every day."

Roll thinks about Doc again remembers how happy they used to be together. She remembers all the times they played Skyblasters and read his favorite book, and she remembers how much his beeps sounded like such a cute giggle when she would tickle his big yellow feet.  
>And she also remembers a personal trait he always had. Whenever Roll felt down, he would always try to cheer her up because he wanted her to be happy again. All he really ever wanted was for Roll to be happy, because she was his best friend.<br>And if he was here right now, he would be trying to cheer her up.

Roll's wet eyes look up to the sky, knowing that if Doc is up there, he still wants her to be happy.  
>Roll then thinks that maybe the best way to honor Doc's memory is not bringing down Wily, but to keep living life with the rest of her loved ones while she has them... because if she misses that time with them now, it might never come again.<p>

Roll barely smiles and crawls over to Doc's headstone and rubs it, her fingers running over the large 'Doc' letters engraved on it.  
>"Thank you, Doc," she says, "I love you forever."<p>

Roll gets up and goes back inside to be with her family, whom she also loves.

Before she enters the damaged back door, she turns back around to face Doc's resting place.  
>She gives him a little wave with her fingers and walks back inside, just as a butterfly lands on Doc's headstone and slowly flaps it's wings... almost like it's waving back, then flies away.<p>

If there is a place in heaven for robots, Doc is watching over her... and he is smiling again too.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_As you can see, One one scene from Big Shake was featured here. There are only two chapters left in this interlude, so Episode 4 is not too far away now._

_Please don't forget to review or comment._


	37. Interlude, part 6: The Road to Gamma

_**Interlude, part 6: The Road to Gamma.**_  
><em>(Features scenes based on the events of <strong>"The Strange Island of Dr. Wily"<strong> by Richard Merwin.)_

* * *

><p><strong>August 20X1.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

Screams are echoing inside of Skull Fortress today and nobody can hide from them.  
>Earlier today, Dr. Wily had planned on covering the entire northeast United States under a massive glacier. However, during the operation, Dr. Light had managed to trick Ice Man into believing that Dr. Wily had cut him out of his inner circle.<br>Ice Man then had Dr. Light give him some unused robots and used his new Ice Robot army to attempt to take out Wily's army.  
>This resulted in a three-way battle between Mega Man and Roll versus Dr. Wily and his Robot Masters versus Ice Man and his Ice Robot army.<br>Mega Man and Roll succeeded (with some help from three high school teenagers named Bobby, Ramon and Janet) and stopped Dr. Wily's glacier.  
>However, Dr. Wily is not taking Ice Man's betrayal lightly... he is making him pay dearly for stabbing him in the back.<p>

All of the Robot Masters have gathered in the corridors of Skull Fortress and ProtoMan and jostling his way past them as he approaches the closed door of one of the fortress' large battle rooms.

Ice Man's raspy screams are heard from inside along with the sound of surging electricity. "AAAAAAH! STOP!", wails Ice Man.

"NOT UNTIL YOU SAY IT!", Wily shouts, "WHO IS YOUR MASTER?"

"Y-you are!", Ice Man weeps.

"YOU SERVE _ME!_ AND WILL YOU SERVE ME _FOREVER!_", Albert howls.

"... AAAAAAAAAH!", screams Ice Man, who Wily is torturing again, just to make sure he gets the man's point.

"Now, GET HIM OUT OF HERE!", Dr. Wily shouts.

Seconds later, the doors slide open and two Sniper Joe units exit the room carrying a flat gurney... and the charred, electrocuted body of Ice Man rested on top of the gurney. He sounds like he is whimpering as the robots take him off to his quarters. His synthetic flesh has been melted and is now blackened following Wily's use of electrical surge cannons on the turncoat Robot Master. His eskimo clothes are in shambles and burned as well.

ProtoMan stares slackjawed at Ice Man's smoking and charred body as he is hauled away. "What the hell?" ProtoMan mumbles.

"Attention all robots!" booms the voice of Albert, who has just left the battle room, standing accross from all of his robots, "Let this be a lesson to those of you who would _think_ of betraying me. Should any of you turn on me... there will be deadly, if not fatal, results..."

Albert glances at ProtoMan as he concludes, "And that goes for _all_ of you."

ProtoMan turns and leaves the scene, muttering under his breath, "He's getting worse all the time."

* * *

><p><strong>September 20X1<strong>

_"Our top story today is: Jurrassic Bust," _says News 7 anchor Trish Faulkenburg, _"Robosaur Park __administrator Otto Raptor was arrested today for selling dangerous Robosaurs to Dr. Albert Wily __and conspiring with him to create a formula that would alter the A.I. of all robots to make them behave like cavemen. The Robosaurs broke loose from the park today and ran loose in the city __while they were operated by Albert Wily's robots.  
>In their path of destruction was our broadcast <em>_rival channel 5, where one of the Robosaurs stomped on reporter and journalist Dick Ferguson's __sports car."_

We then see footage of Dick Ferguson throwing a fit that his beloved sports car was crushed... oh, well.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<strong>

Despite today's Robosaur attack on the city, Marcus Vickers is about to interview a new candidate to invent his corporation's top secret Robot Warrior.

"Sir, don't you think it's a little bit too soon to interview our candidate for the Robot Warrior project?", asks Scott Erikson, "The city _did_ just endure a major attack by raging robosaurs."

"Time is of the essence, Scott," Vickers replies, fresh out of his stay in Addicts Annonymous, "In the past two months, we've seen appliances come to life, massive earthquakes, robotic dinosaurs and, last but not least, Mega Man himself being reprogrammed by Dr. Wily... we have to get ball rolling on the Robot Warrior project _now_... even though I wanted Cossack."

As Vickers sits down alongside Erikson, the Vice President asks his boss a very important question... "You're not going to drink this time, are you, sir?"

"... as long as there are no robots that vomit mustard or disco dance, I should be fine," Vickers replies.

"Send him in," he says, leaning into his intercom.

An older gentleman with a totally bald head and a pointed goatee walks into the office. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he says in his sweedish accent, "I am Dr. Arnold Vagner."  
>His name is <em>Wagner<em>, but his accent causes him to add a V sound to some words.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Vagner," Vickers greets, shaking the scientist's hand.

"Eh, that's _Vagner_," corrects the scientist.

"Excuse me?", Vickers asks.

"I think his name is Dr. _Vogner_, sir." Erikson says, confusing the scientist's name as well.

"No, no. Not _Vogner_... _Vagner_," says the doctor, "... vith a W."

"... oh!' I'm sorry Dr. Wagner," Vickers appologizes.

"That is okay," Wagner excuses, "you vere zimbly making a miztake."

"So, Dr. Vagner- er, Wagner, what are your qualifications. We need to know if you are the right man for the job."

"Vell, for ztarters, I vas vorking on my very own varrior robot vhen that crazy Dr. Vily ztarted attacking. But, vouldn't you know, Dr. Light created his own varrior in Mega Man."

"Wait a second," Vickers says, "You already have a design for a robot warrior?"

"Vhy, yes, I do!", Dr. Wagner replies.

"Then, you've got yourself a deal!", Vickers smiles.

"Vreally? Vell, that vas the easiest vork interview I've ever had!", Wagner says.

"Let me get you your contract," Vickers says, approaching his file cabinet, but Erikson follows him.

Erikson begins, "Sir, I'm sure Dr. Vogner-"

"Wagner," Vickers corrects.

"_Wagner_ is a talented scientist. But, you _did_ want Cossack, sir," Erikson says, "Don't you think we should wait for him to make his services availible again?"

"Cossack had his chance, and he blew it," Vickers asserts, "Wagner already has a design, and I've got the materials and the money. You snooze, you lose."

Marcus returns to the desk with the contract with Dr. Wagner's name written on it already. "All you have to do is sign right here," Vickers says, handing Dr. Wagner a pen.

"Very vell!" Wagner says, signing the contract, "I am zure that ve vill make a vonderful robot varrior, Mr. Wickers," he says, shaking Vickers' hand.

"That's _Vickers_," Marcus adds, as Erikson already looks worried about where this is going.

* * *

><p><strong>November 20X1.<br>****Macintosh Shopping Mall.**

Roll is shopping for Christmastime nearly a month in advance to find gifts for her family. Roll did not want to be here on Friday morning (the infamous Black Friday), because it sounded like too much of a hassle to take part in that stampede.  
>Rush is with her and is carrying her bags on his back. Roll has begun to feel better since the earthquake attacks. Although see misses Doc deeply and still has days where her sadness gets the better of her, Roll has been able to pick herself up with the help of her family.<p>

As Roll walks ahead, she hears a familiar bleeping and blooping sound... the same beeping that _Doc_ used to make! There was no mistaking a Met's beeps.  
>Roll freezes and looks to her left and sees a yellow hardhat with two big yellow feet underneath it, standing atop a display of several boxed Met robots, the perfect gift for the Holiday season.<br>She gasps and runs over to him, not taking her eyes off the little guy. When she reaches the display, the Met turns around and beeps to her with a smile on his dark gray rubber-skinned face.  
>Roll's breath is taken away when the Met looks at her with his big round eyes, just like Doc used to.<p>

As much as Roll wishes this Met was really Doc, she knows that this is _not_ Doc. This Met has a green cross on his hardhat and so do all of the Mets pictured on the boxes; Doc had a _red _cross on his hardhat because he was the prototype and he was unique.  
>The consumer Mets were scheduled to be mass produced in the summer, but the plans were delayed because of Doc's death.<p>

Roll steps up to the display Met, still looking a little shellshocked and gently waves to it. "Can you wave back?, she asks.

The Met beeps, and pops his extension arm out of his hardhat and waves to Roll with his hand on the end of it.

Roll fights the tears that are building, because this Met acts just like Doc... but it's not him.

The Met retracts his extension arm back under his hardhat and looks at Roll quizzically. He beeps, asking her why she looks so sad.

"I used to have a Met like you," she replies, sounding weepy, "Until I lost him."

Wondering what Roll means when she said she had lost her Met, the display Met beeps, asking if she needs help finding him.

"... no, that's okay," Roll sighs, rubbing the Met's hardhat, "I just miss him."

"Excuse me, miss," asks the robo sales assistant, "I see you are interacting with our Met. Would you like to have one for yourself?"

A tear escapes Roll's left eye as she replies, "... I would."

"Well, you're in luck! We have plenty of Mets in stock and they are availible the low price of only... ma'am?", asks the assistant, who sees that Roll has already left.  
>Roll did want to have a Met... but, she just wanted <em>her<em> Met.

The display Met watches Roll leave with her head held down as Rush walks beside her. The Met wishes that he could make her happy again... just like Doc did.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanksgiving Day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Today has been a busy day for the Light family. They were all on a float in the annual Thanksgiving Day parade in Times Square (Mega Man got a bigger ovation from the crowd than Santa Claus,) but thankfully, there was no sign of Dr. Wily or his Robot Masters, even though Mega Man was expecting them to show up.

Now, later in the evening, Morris the robobutler puts the Thanksgiving turkey on the family's table. It is a smaller turkey, since Thomas is the only human here to eat it. There are other selections of robot food for Mega Man, Roll and Eddie to eat, including a large bowl of Battery Biscuits for Rush. Rush licks his lips (even though dogs don't really have lips) as he eyes the bowl of treats.

"Eat up, boy. You've earned it," Mega says.

"Before we begin, I suggest we have a toast," Dr. Light says, holding up his glass.

Mega holds up a glass full of Energy punch and Eddie pops the top of his head open and lifts an energy can up halfway, but Roll is praying at the table with her eyes closed.

"Roll?", asks Thomas.

Roll opens her eyes and unclasps her hands. "I'm sorry," she sighs, holding a glass up, "They say you should pray before dinner on Thanksgiving."

Mega notices that Roll has looked downtrotten today. He knows she's having a tough time because this week is about family and friends being together, yet Doc isn't here anymore.  
>Even though there are only five members of the Light family at the dinner table, there are six chairs. The sixth was Doc's chair, which is next to Roll's.<p>

"I propose a toast in honor of the best children a robotics scientist could ever design," Thomas says, "to Rock and Roll, the loves of my life."

Roll barely smiles and Mega Man replies, "Thank you, father... I also want to toast to somebody."

"To whom, Rock?" Dr. Light asks.

Mega Man holds up his glass again, with a rare nervousness in his voice, says "I propose a toast to those who have fallen this year... including one of our own."

Roll's bottom lip quivers as she fights the tears that are coming. She adds, "For Doc."

Thomas repeats, raising his glass higher, "For Doc."

As everybody sits down, Mega looks accross to Roll who is wiping the eye lubrication from her eyes. She looks up to him and smiles, giving him a 'thumbs up' with her right hand.

* * *

><p>On the snow-covered streets of New York, Lynn's police cruiser is on patrol. QN-60 is driving tonight while a depressed Lynn looks out the window. This makes the third Thanksgiving without her brother or any family.<p>

It has also been six months since she's seen him, but she did get a lead on him back in the Summer, however. Members of Addicts Annonymous reported to police that a man matching Castor's description had joined their meetings recently but he disappeared again.

Lynn takes a small ammount of comfort knowing that he's still alive and that he is _trying_ to seek treatment, but she still fears that he has relapsed into drug use again.

As the cruiser slowly patrols the streets, Lynn sees a very thin man on the sidewalk next to her, wearing a beige trenchcoat and jeans, as well as a blue and orange winter knit cap. He has red hair too. The man glances over his shoulder and looks at the police car, revealing some of his somewhat gaunt face.

Lynn's eyes widen and she leans forward to try and get a better look at this man. "Oh, my God... it can't be", she gasps.

The man looks behind himself again, but then begins running for his life.

"Dammit!", Lynn snaps, getting out of the car and running after him.

"Officer QN-60 reporting. Possible sighting of missing person #420673. Wersching, Lancaster."

* * *

><p>Lynn chases the man she thinks is her missing brother down an alleyway. Now that she is no longer wearing her walking cast, she runs faster than she has been able to do in months so that she can catch up with him.<p>

Finally, the chase leads them down an alley where the man tries to climb up a fence that is blocking his path. Lynn catches up with him and pulls him down, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"I'm innocent, I tell you!", says the man. Lynn looks over and now that she can clearly see his face, she can tell that this is not her brother. This is just some bum.

"I didn't take the donations from the Santa Claus man at the mall!", says the bum in his weird-sounding voice, "I've never stolen anything in my life!"

Out of breath, Lynn gets back to her feet, leaving the bum behind.

QN-60 turns the corner and stops when he sees his partner apporaching. "Did you lose him?", he asks.

"It wasn't even him," Lynn replies, still gasping for breath.

Lynn then hugs her robot partner and lets her emotions go, weeping into his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Instead of spending his Thanksgiving day with his robots, Dr. Wily is in his workshop. The walls are covered with newspaper clippings about this top secret project that Dr. Light is working on and

Albert places a print of a satilite image of the Great Sandy Desert region of Austrailia, where it appears that there is a large structure that ordinarilly wouldn't be there.

ProtoMan enters the workshop, again not bothering to knock. "So, you're gonna spend all day in here?" he asks.

"I'm working on something, Proto," Albert replies, still looking at the satilite image.

"Come on, Doc," Proto says with a smrik, "It's Thanksgiving."

"To me, it's just Thursday," Wily replies coldly, "It's _always_ been just Thursday."

"Okay, then," ProtoMan says, "What's so important that we couldn't go hunt for a bird?"

Without taking his eyes off the various images and clippings, Dr. Wily answers, "Thomas is building something in association with all of the nations of the world... and it's something _big_. Have you been following the news?"

"Too boring for me," ProtoMan replies.

"I have," Wily says, "Ever since July, There have been reports of Dr. Light meeting with the United Nations on a top secret project. Then, in August, 20 miles of satilite image captures over this region of Austrailia went dark on the satilite, impossible for somebody like me to get a look at what was going on there. So, during our recent trip to the moon," Wily says, referring to the recent mission where he weaponized the Solar Focusing Lens (and failed), "I was able to grab this image of the blacked out area."

Wily rips the image off of the wall and shows it to ProtoMan. "As you can see, there is something under construction here... something that a single nation could not possibly afford on it's own."

"Looks like something we're gonna have to destroy," Proto says.

"No, my boy," Wily grins, "I don't want to destroy this... this is something I want to take for myself!"

ProtoMan asks, "So, when do we take it?"

"Thomas' little secret might not be finished until next year. That is when we take it, " the mad doctor replies, "I am certain that the key to unlocking the door that will lead me to world domination rests with whatever it is that he's building."

* * *

><p><strong>January 20X2.<br>"Project: Gamma" building site.****  
><strong>**Great Sandy Desert region of Austrailia.**

A small unidentified flying object is rocketing towards the building site of Project: Gamma, Dr. Light's top secret project in conjunction with the nations of the world.  
>Even though this is considered a U.F.O., this is not an alien, but rather a mechanical rocket-like robot (complete with eyes) that was sent by Dr. Wily.<p>

The rocketbot is equipped with a camera inside of it's eyes that is sending back live images to Skull Fortress. The rocket camera quickly approaches a large barrier in the dessert with several signs that read, **"WARNING: trespassers will be arrested. Attackers will be shot/destroyed."  
><strong>Beyond that wall as a gigantic metallic rectangular structure, about as tall as any skyscraper, hiding what's inside from prying eyes.

While the rocket is high enough to fly over the wall, it is no match for the impenatrable security system. Several blaster turrets emerge from the top of the wall and fire a hail of plasma bolts and anti-aircraft ammunition. The rocket is destroyed by the security turrets, exploding and falling down upon the sandy surface in many broken pieces.

Seconds later, the wall around the Project: Gamma structure opens and a large hovercraft hovers towards the remnants of the rocket. They are using this vehicle because there are proximity mines in the sand to further prevent intruders from getting inside.

The hovercraft slows down when it approaches the remnants of the rocket robot. A human male who is sweating in this Austrailia heat looks through a pair of computerized binoculars, which can scan it's targets for any signs of explosive and hazardous materials.

"A'right, it's clean, mates," the man says in his Austrailian accent, "Gather the scrap and lets take it back to H.Q."

As several robots jump down to the surface, the human grabs his communicator and calls back to the Project: Gamma Headquarters.

"H.Q., this is McNeil. We found the remains of the target," says the human.

_"Well done, mate,"_ replies the Security captain, _"What's your asscessment?"_

"To be honest," McNeil says, pulling up his white Austrailian Safari hat, "It's bad news, as in _Dr. Wily_ bad news. He must have found out about this somehow."

_"Got it,"_ replies the security captain, _"I'll contact the appropriate parties personally, including Dr. Light."_

* * *

><p><strong>Over the South Pacific Ocean.<strong>

On their way to investigate some strange activity on a small remote island somewhere in the south pacific are Mega Man, Dr. Light, Roll and Rush. They are traveling via a jet that has been loaned to them by the the U.S. government for the sake of this investigation.

The jet is on auto pilot and Roll and Rush stare out the passenger side window, captivated by the view. Meanwhile, Dr. Light is recieving a call from the building site of Project: Gamma. He looks bothered by what he has heard on the call and strokes his beard.  
>Mega Man sits accross from his creator and awaits to hear the news, but he is certain it is bad news.<p>

"... I see," Thomas says, "Be sure to amplifiy security. This project cannot be compromised before it is completed. Alert me if anything else happens. Good day."

As Dr. Light terminates the call, Mega Man asks, "What was it?"

"An object was spotted rocketing towards the building site of Gamma," Thomas replies, "It was equipped with a camera. They don't know where it was sending the video to, but-"

"It's Wily," Mega says, with a grim certainty that it was sent by Dr. Wily, "Even the most desperate tabloid wouldn't go that far to try and see what going on in there."

Roll overhears this and steps over to her family, sitting down next to her brother. She has noticed how worried Mega has been about Wily's attacks lately. Maybe it has smething to do with his use of Dr. Light's time machine (a device which Dr. Light has since ordered to be destroyed,) where Mega had jumped into the future... a future where Dr. Wily had taken over because Mega was not there anymore.

"I know you're concerned about Wily, but I think you're worrying too much, Mega," Roll says.

"I have good reason to worry, sis," Mega replies, "We've been fighting him for almost a year, and his plans are getting more and more crazy... and the battles are only getting tougher."

"I think you need a vacation, Mega," Roll suggests, half-smiling.

"What makes you think that?", Mega Man asks.

"Well, we _are_ heading to a tropical island," Roll replies, "I'd hate to let it go to waste. Especially since I packed-up for it appropriately."

"This island is not heavily populated," Thomas says, "In fact, I doubt there are any humans on it at all."

"Great!" Roll shrugs, "So, we've got the island all to ourselves!"

"I have a bad feeling we won't be the only ones there," Mega sighs, still concered about Wily.  
>And Mega Man has good reason to be concered too... because Wily's already there.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>On the island surface.<strong>

Dr. Wily taps his foot on the ground impatiently as ProtoMan approaches. "Bad news," Proto says.

"I already know," Albert replies, "The spy robot we sent to Austrailia has been destroyed."

ProtoMan clicks his tounge, "Nope... _different_ bad news."

Dr. Wily lets out a ragged sigh. He knows what this means. "Where is he?", Albert asks.

"He's almost here," Proto replies, "flying a big jet too. So, it's a safe bet they're _all_ here."

"Tell the others to prepare for battle," Albert orders as he looks up, "I have more important things to worry about."

"Got it," Proto says, running off to gather the remaining Robot Masters here.

Dr. Wily looks up at a group of crude stone statues standing before him that are all in the shape of men. Dr. Wily has already found a way to implant the statues with mechanical parts and plans on using them to help him destroy Mega Man. He doesn't need these to take over the world... for that, he needs to get access to Dr. Light's mysterious _Project: Gamma_.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>

Dr. Wily's plan is not working the way he had hoped. First, while the stone statues _did_ come to life via the microprocessors implated on their bodies, they attacked everybody, not just our heroes. Now, both the Lights and Wily's army are fighting the same enemy.  
>To make matters worse, everbody is now trapped on this island as Dr. Wily's device has triggered a radioactive shield, preventing anybody from escaping.<br>In the middle of the battle, a stonebot that was blasted by Mega Man shatters to pieces. One of the chunks of rubble strikes Dr. Wily in the head and knocks him out cold.  
>As the forces grow too strong for both groups to handle, The Lights flee back to the jet and too saftey, but Mega Man has an idea...<p>

"Mega, hurry up!", Roll calls as she runs up the stairs leading to the jet's enterance.

Before she enters, she turns around to see Mega Man carrying Dr. Wily on his shoulders.

"What are you _doing_?", Roll asks indignantly.

"I'm bringing him onboard," Mega answers, "As long as we've got him, I know ProtoMan and the others aren't going to try anything."

Roll's face only looks more shocked and angry. "No!", Roll argues.

"This isn't up for debate, Roll. We've got to find a way off this island and stop these stones statues and Wily's the only one with answers," Mega says, turning around to Wily's robots down below.

"Hey! Hurry up and get onboard," Mega calls.

"My brother is _helping_ us?", ProtoMan says, "Sounds good to me. Everybody follow him, I'll cover for you."

Wood Man, Elec Man, Quick Man, Cut Man and GutsMan follow Mega Man into the jet and ProtoMan brings up the rear, blasting stonemen left and right, with no remorse. Proto doesn't believe this things are alive like a human or a robot, so he doesn't mind shooting them.

Once everybody is onboard, Roll jumps into the pilot's seat and flies thejet away and a few stone men who were attempting to climb aboard fall off.

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the jet.<strong>

Dr. Wily's Robot Masters all stand by as Mega Man has his blaster arm aimed directly at the unconscious Dr. Wily. Dr. Light stands by and watches

"Don't try anything," Mega warns ProtoMan.

"Hey, don't worry, _Mega_. We'll behave ourselves," ProtoMan grins.

"Ugh... what happened back there?", Dr. Wily grunts.

"That's what I want to know," Mega Man replies.

Once Albert opens his eyes, he stares down the barrel of Mega Man's blaster and nearly jumps out of his seat in shock.

"Does _this_ jog your memory?", Mega Man says, sticking his blaster in his face a little bit more.

"Alright, Mega Man, you win!", Wily begs off, putting his hand up, "What do you want to know?"

"Start by telling me what the deal is with those stone men outside," Mega grills.

"We planted microprocessors to control them with a device I invented called the Neutronator. They were supposed to do my bidding by-"

"By having them kill us all?", Roll angrilly asks as she re-enters the passenger section, leaving the jet on autopilot.

"No, by having them unbury something for me in the middle of a large volcano... something very interesting," Wily replies.

"What is it?", Mega asks.

"... I... don't know," Dr. Wily shrugs, "But, I want to find out. It is probably responsible for the radioactive barrier keeping us here."

"If we are to escape this island, you will have to destroy this neutronator device," Thomas concludes.

"Yes, I figured that out for myself. Thank you, Thomas," Wily replies, annoyed, "But, I can't do it alone."

"Then send your goons out to do it, idiot," Roll spits.

"My robots are not enough to deal with all of these stone men!", Wily snaps.

"We ain't?", GutsMan asks.

Albert turns around and shooses GutsMan. "Shhhhh, I'm trying to make a deal," he says.

Albert turns back to Mega Man and Dr. Light and tries to make a deal with them. "The only chance that we all have of surviving is," Wily starts, before taking a deep breath, ashamed that he is about to say this... "if we work together."

"I think we'll do just fine without you. We don't _need_ your help," Roll hisses, folding her arms.

"I'm affraid he's right, Roll," Thomas says, " This is an entire legion of stone robots we are dealing with, too much for us to deal with alone."

Thomas looks at to Dr. Wily and replies, "So long as you don't betray us, we can work together."

"And if you do stab us in the back, you'll get it, Wily," Mega warns.

"I agree to your terms. No backstabbing, we'll fight eachother at a later time. So, it's a deal... I say we shake on it," Wily says, sticking his right hand out to Mega Man and Dr. Light.

Mega Man just turns his back on Albert, and soon Dr. Light does also. "Just don't try anything, Albert," Thomas advises.

As Mega and Thomas return to Roll, who does _not_ look too happy with this, Rush stays and stares at Albert, making sure he doesn't do anything out of line.

ProtoMan taps Dr. Wily in the shoulder and Albert turns to face him. Albert gives ProtoMan a wink of his right eye and ProtoMan just nods. He knows Dr. Wily has no intention of honoring this word and when he gets the neutronator back, we will adjust the modulation to have the stone bots target Mega Man... then they hear Rush growling.  
>Albert turns to see Rush stands there, giving him a death stare and showing his teeth.<p>

"Are you growling at me?", Wily asks, perturbed.

Rush nods, still showing his teeth.

Meanwhile, Dr. Light and Mega Man are trying to convince an angry Roll that this was the best course of action, no matter how much any of them don't like it.

"I don't trust him for a second," Roll says.

"I don't either, Roll, but we don't have a choice," Mega says.

"Yes we do!", Roll insists, "All we have to do is blast all of them right now!"

"Roll, I know you're still upset about what Wily did," Thomas says, referring to Doc, "but it's the only way we're all going to make it out alive."

Roll looks down at the floor with her arms folded, still steamed at the idea of working _with_ Doc's killer. She then looks back up to her father and her brother. "He's gonna turn on us," Roll warns, "I know he is."

* * *

><p>On their way to deal with the stone men, the group of Mega Man, Roll, Rush, ProtoMan, GutsMan, Cut Man, Wood Man, Elec Man and Quick Man travel together through the island. Roll was originally going to stay onboard the jet, but everybody had a feeling that it would not have been good for Wily's health if she had.<br>Now, Dr. Wily and Dr. Light are being forced to work together while Mega Man and Roll are being forced to team with their brother ProtoMan, ElecMan has eyes for Roll and GutsMan and Cut Man are itching to fight Mega Man... what could _possibly_ go wrong?

"You people are moving too slow for me!" Quick Man mutters very quickly, "I would have been there and back by now!"

"What is he _saying_?", Roll groans.

"He's saying that you and I need to be together more often, Mega Babe," Elec Man says with a slick coy tone to his voice.

"Kiss off, you pervert!", Roll snaps, shoving ElecMan away, knocking him over into a a pond.

ElecMan starts ectrocuting in the water and he panics as the other Robot Masters laugh.

ElecMan finally gets himself out of the water and is still shaken. "Oh, so you think that was funny, huh?"

"Nah, we don't think it was funny, Elec... It was _hilarious_," Proto smirks, shoving ElecMan back into the pond as he screams again.

Proto rushes up to the front of the group with his siblings and puts his arms over their shoulders. Roll is annoyed at Proto's behavior, while Mega looks somewhat morose.

"I've gotta be honest, guys," Proto says, "This is what I've always wanted. Working alongside my little brother and sister."

Roll shoves Proto's arm off of her and turns around, sticking her finger in his face. "Don't call me you sister, I'm _not. _Don't talk to me. Don't don't touch me," she snaps before storming off with Rush.

"Geez, looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of her bed this morning," Proto laughs, "but, nevermind her, bro. We're finally a team."

"We're not a team, ProtoMan," Mega responds, still walking forward. But, Proto steps in front of his brother and while walking backwards, tries to coax him.

"Come on, admit it," Proto smiles, "You've wanted this too, just like I have."

"Maybe I would have wanted it if you didn't work with these morons," Mega sighs.

This causes GutsMan's anger to rise and he grumbles under his breath as the other Robot Masters hold him back.

"Them? Hey, don't worry about them," Proto says, then whispers, "We can blast them right now, if you want."

"And Wily too," Mega spits, glancing at Proto before storming ahead to catch up with Roll and Rush.

Proto stops and throws his arms in the air. "Why is everybody in a bad mood?" he hollars, "We're on an island."

ElecMan shambles ahead, looking like he is weak from being thrown into the water. ProtoMan huffs and carrys on... but not before shoving ElecMan into another nearby pond.

"WAAAAAAAH!", ElecMan yells, "GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

On the jet Dr. Light and his family arrived in, he and Dr. Wily were working together to stop these stone men. Aside from informal talk during work, the two men did not say anything to eachother. While these men were former friends for years, they now cannot stand the sight of one another.  
>Also, both men know what the other is thinking, but neither want to show their hand.<p>

Dr. Light has the same feeling Mega Man had, that Dr. Wily has learned about _Project: Gamma _and sent the spy bot that was destroyed in the outback.  
>Likewise, Dr. Wily is sure that Dr. Light knows about the spy bot, but is not about to let the good doctor know that he knws about <em>Project: Gamma<em>.

After a long period of awkward silence, Dr. Wily speaks. "So... how's life?", he asks with a grin.

"Complicated, thanks to you," Thomas replies.

Wily stiffles a chuckle, "You don't know what _complicated _is, Thomas."

Thomas stops working and turns to Albert, sternly replying, "You made me rebuild my own son into a fighting machine! Then, you killed one of my own robots, one the was a part of my family!"

"Yes, war is a terrible thing, isn't it?", Wily adds with a sinister grin, showing no remorse for what he has done.

"You're going to pay for you've done, Albert," Thomas warns.

Albert chuckles and smirks, "You really think you'll _win_, don't you?"

"I _know_ we will," Thomas replies with resolve, then jabs, "and you will fail, like you always fail."

"We'll see," Albert chuckles, returning to work.

"See about _what_?", asks the skeptical voice of Roll, who just returned to the jet with Rush as the others were investigating.

Albert turns and grins, "Just catching up on old times. Don't worry about it."

"What's the status update, Roll?", Thomas asks, quick to make sure Roll doesn't attack Wily now that she's so close.

"Mega and the others found out where the stone guys took the neutronator," Roll replies, "It's in a big dead volcano not too far from here. All of them are heading there too, so Mega and the others are going to stop them."

"That's not good," Thomas says grimly as he approaches the computer station with Roll... and Dr. Wily carefuly sneaks away.

"By my calculations," Thomas asseses,"if they were to find a way to reactivate that volcano... it could destroy the entire island and us too."

Roll pounds her left fist into her right hand, "Then we better get go- where's Wily?", she freaks.

Roll, Rush and Dr. Light looks over to see that Albert has already fled. They both run to the door and Roll tries to open it, but it will not open.  
>Dr. Wily had an instant weilding device and quickly sealed the jet's door shut.<br>Roll switches her utility arm to her frying pan mode and smashes out the small window and tries to grab Wily by his hair, but he rusn down the steps adjoining the door.

Wily turns and laughs, "When you get to the afterlife, tell Doc I said hello! HA-HA!"

"DAMN YOU, WILY!", Roll yells, pounding on the door with her right arm.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

Mega Man, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters entered a large volcano which contained three giant stone men that were also wired by Wily, but were damaged. The other stone man had been working to repair their giant brothers and when they came to life, they did battle with all of them, ProtoMan was taken out of the fight while protecting Dr. Wily from a giant stone man as the mad scientist joined them  
>Once Dr. Wily altered the frequency of the neutronator that was controlling the stone men, he programmed them all to attack Mega Man, but Roll had found a way to get out of the jet with Dr. Light and Rush and they all arrived to the volcano to help Mega Man.<br>Wily and the Robot Masters escaped with ProtoMan, leaving the Light family to die, but Mega and Rush were able to get Roll and Dr. Light out while they remained to deal with the stone men. The battle become so intense that the volcano became unstable and began caving in on itself.

Outside, far from danger was Dr. Light and Roll. As they heard the horrifying rumbles coming from the volcano and saw the smoke billowing out of the top, they were both hoping that Mega Man and Rush would be okay.

Then, Mega Man and Rush flew out of the volcano and back towards their family. Roll ran towards her brother as they landed and gave him a tight hug, kicking her right leg up.

"I was affraid we were gonna lose you," Roll warbles.

"It got a little hot back there, but I'm okay, sis," Mega replies, smileing.

Thomas approaches his children and pats Mega on his back. "Albert got away, but at least he won't be able to use those abominable stone creatures at all now."

"I was hoping we would catch him," Mega sighs.

"Hey, it's not a total loss," Roll says, "There's a beachhead just to the north of here. Maybe we can have that vacation we were talking about."

"I don't know, sis," Mega Man shrugs, "I've have enough of this _tropical paradise_."

"Let's just go home, instead," Thomas suggests.

The Light family all walk away from the volcano with their arms wrapped around eachother, in no particular hurry to return to the jet.

But, little did they know that their next challenge would be their most difficult yet...

and it could be their last...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily and his Robot Masters pour out of the Skullker after it lands in the fortress' massive hangar bay.

"Take ProtoMan to the workshop to be repaired," Wily orders, "There is something I have to check."

As the Robot Masters attempt to carry ProtoMan off to the workshop, Proto shoves them all off. "I've fine enough," Proto snaps, "I can take myself."

* * *

><p>Albert enters the command center and sits down in front of his main console. He ses a flashing red light on a screen, which reads, '<em>Footage ready'.<em>

Wily brings up the recorded footage sent from the destroyed spy robot from Australia. He sees from the point of view of the rocket robot as it approached the top secret construction site of Project: Gamma. He can see the large structure in the distance and can barely see something inside of it. Just then, the picture goes to static when it reaches the end.

Albert types in something into the console to set the video back to just before it reached the end and enhances the image.  
>When the image is done enhancing, Wily zooms in tight on the structure... and he sees a giant robot encased inside that is nearly as tall as the structure itself.<p>

"Yes!", Albert barely says to the image as his eyes widen and he slowly begins to smile.

**This** was the weapon of destruction he always dreamed of having. In Wily's diseased mind, there was no question that this giant robot would soon be his...but how would he do it?

_"Nobody can stop you now," _says the whisper in Wily's head, _"You have already won."_

Wily's smiles becomes more twisted and he rasps to himself, "Happy new year, Dr. Wily!"

Wily keeps his stare on the image of Project: Gamma as he begins maniacaly laughing, sure that the world will fall into his hands once he has the giant peacekeeping robot under his control

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The longest interlude you can possibly imagine is finally done (it actually went a chapter longer than i expected.) Yes, it was another long chapter, and I'm sorry. Now, even though I didn't reference some episodes in this interlude, that doesn't mean they didn't take place. I just didn't show them.  
>Also, I took creative liecence here... even though much of "Mega Man" is fantastical, I never bought that Dr. Light just happened to have a massive jet parked in his back yard.<em>

_As far as Dr. Wagner's accent, I'm sure Swiss people probably don't talk like that, but I felt the need to give him a funny accent of some kind._

_Very astute readers might have picked up on this, but the bum that Lynn chases down is based on The Nostalgia Critic's "Chester A. Bum" character._

_Also, did you notice the Australian guy with the white hat named **McNeil**? :)_

_Please don't forget to leave a comment or review. __Prepare for Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race, Episode 4... _**GAMMA!**


	38. Episode 4: Gamma

_**EPISODE 4: Gamma.**_

**The following takes places between the first and second seasons of the Mega Man cartoon show.**

* * *

><p><strong>The year is 20X2. March 20X2, to be exact.<strong>

**The War for Everlasting Peace has endured for nearly a full year. Mega Man - along with ****help from his sister Roll, his dog Rush and their creator Dr. Thomas Light - has foiled all of ****Dr. Wily's attempts to take over the world, but Wily has escaped apprehension every time.**

**This war has already weighed heavily on the Light family, who lost one of their own when Wily killed the prototype Met robot known as Doc, but Dr. Wily's obsession with conquering the world has only become stronger and his plans have become more and more bizzare and dangerous with each passing mission.****  
>Now, Wily has his eyes on Dr. Light's top secret creation in conjunction with the nations of the world, the giant peacekeeping robot known as Gamma, the most powerful machine in the world.<strong>

**If Gamma were to fall into the wrong hands, the results would be catostrophic ... ****especially if those hands belong to Dr. Wily.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gamma, Chapter 1: Alpha.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Sydney, Australia.<strong>

Members of the press from all over the world have gathered here today to witness the unveilling of Dr. Thomas Light's newest creation.  
>While is has been no real secret that Thomas was working on something big in conjunction with all of the nations of the world, nobody really knew what it was, save for the parties involved.<br>This creation will hopefully ensure that there will be everlasting peace throughout the world for many years to come.

Dr. Light is currently taking a stage standing in front of a wide open patch of barren land and the news photographers snap pictures of him as he enters. With Thomas are his creations and children Mega Man and Roll, as well as their dog Rush.  
>While most of the Light family are excited to be here for this big moment, Mega Man cannot help but feel unsettled.<p>

Over the course of the past year, he has witnessed Dr. Wily's attacks grow from random strikes in New York all the way to complicated and deadly plots for world domination, which have included finding a way to bring all appliances to life, creating massive earthquakes by altering fault lines, shrinking entire cities to sell them to known criminals, creating a giant glacier in New York and hijacking a large solar focusing lense and weaponizing it.

Defending the human race is only getting harder and harder for Mega Man and he knows he can't do it alone. While he does have his sister Roll as his partner now, he worries that one day she might get herself in serious danger... or worse. He is also distraught about his brother ProtoMan still serving Wily as his right hand bot, and seemingly enjoying doing so.  
>Hopefully this new creation of Dr. Light's will help deter Dr. Wily from carrying out any more plans... but, Mega has a feeling that it could only make things worse.<p>

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Dr. Light says into a group of microphones that are cobbled together in front of a podium, "I am happy to be here in Sydney to introduce my latest invention. This is undoubtedly the most advanced peacekeeping robot ever made. Now, seeing as there is nothing behind me, you may be asking yourselves where this peacekeeping robot is... well, he should be here any second."

Dr. Light checks his wrist watch (he is one of the very few who still wears one) to check the time.

Roll nudges Mega Man's side with her elbow and whispers, "This is gonna be so cool!"

Mega nods back, not speaking, unable to shake this feeling of dread he's been having lately.

After several seconds of silence, Dr. Light chimes, "Ah! Here he comes!"

Then, the sound of approaching jets can be heard in the sky. The jets get louder and louder and the press begins looking around until a large shadow comes over them.

Everybody looks up to see a towering giant robot soaring over them. Everybody points and looks at the larger-than-life robot which has a blue torso and legs, and red arms with wide broad shoulders. The 'head' of the robot has a caucasian-shaded face with bright white eyes and a square jaw.  
>The top of his head is red and almost looks like a beanie... a beanie with two silver drill-like horns sticking out either side.<p>

When the intimidating robot prepares to land in the patch of land well behind Dr. Light's stage, he re-arranges his body into an upright standing position and slowly lowers himself down to the surface. Gamma's jet engines are so powerful, they cause the ground to shake like an earthquake.

The peacekeeping robot finally lands in the landing zone, clearly showcasing his towering height, appearing to be 100 stories tall, about as tall and as wide as a skyscraper, if not _even wider_ than one.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Gamma!", Thomas boasts, holding his hands out toward the giant robot as a frenzy of camera shutters are heard clicking in the media section.

"Gamma is a joint project by myself as well as all of the nations of the world," Dr. Light begins, "Gamma's mission is simple: help preserve world peace and make sure that no threat can ever harm humanity... including Dr. Wily, if he is foolish enough to try. Now, even though Gamma is technically a robot, in actuality he is operated by a small crew located inside Gamma's head, or the _bridge_ of the robot. He is armed with several missile launchers and turrets, as well as a large plasma beam cannon, which is located inside of Gamma's mouth area. There isn't anything else on earth that can match Gamma's firepower. But, believe me when I tell you, I don't take great pride in creating something like this, because I am a pacifist, but with the uncertain times which we live in, the nations of the world felt that it is best to make a pre-emptive move to deter terrorism."

"But, Dr. Light," asks one reporter who stands up, "What about Mega Man? Gamma is not going to replace him, is he?"

"Mega Man still has a job to do," Thomas answers, "Apprehending Dr. Wily is still his top priority. However, if Albert would ever think of planning a full-scale assault on the entire world... at least Mega Man will have a lot of help."

Mega Man steps up to the microphones and confidently assures the reporters, "Don't worry everybody, Wily's still going to face justice."

"Are we going to be able to see the inside of this Gamma robot today, Dr. Light?" asks another reporter.

"I'm sorry, but I'm affraid not," Light answers, "The inner workings of Gamma are top secret."

"Dr. Light, I don't mean to sound morbid, but what are the chances of Dr. Wily destroying or hijacking this Gamma robot?" asks another reporter.

"Gamma has been specially reinforced," Dr. Light answers, "it would be nearly impossible to destroy him. As far as Gamma's security, we have taken special measures to make sure that no unauthorized persons can even get inside Gamma, let alone hijack him."

If he only knew, however...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In his main command center deep inside of the fortress, Dr. Albert Wily sets with his loafer-clad feet up on the main computer station inside the room, watching the live coverage of the unveiling of Gamma with a confident grin on his face.  
>Now that Albert has seen the peacekeeping robot in all of it's glory, he only wants it even more.<p>

_"Don't worry everybody, Wily's still going to face justice,"_ says the live shot of Mega Man.

Albert chuckles at Mega Man's guarantee of apprehending him. "I wouldn't be too confident, blue boy," he says.

Then, Dr. Light appears on the screen again. "_As far as Gamma's security, we have taken special measures to make sure that no unauthorized persons can even get inside to Gamma, let alone hijack him."_

"We'll see, Thomas," Wily says with a sinister confidence, "We will see!"

Dr. Wily laughs aloud again, because very soon, his latest and deadliest plan yet will go into motion.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

Sitting at his desk in his office on the upper floors of the Vick-Tek skyscraper, Marcus Vickers stares at a computer tablet which displays the front page of the online edition of a major national newspaper.  
>It reads <strong>"Light debuts peacekeeping robot Gamma at conference"<strong> in bold text at the top of the screen.

"I can't win," Vickers depressingly sighs, "Right when my company is about to unvail our Robot Warrior at long last, Dr. Light upstages us _again_."

Vickers puts the computer down and sneers, "I know he's only doing what he feels as best for the world, but if I didn't know any better, I'd think I had a mole in my company."

"Sir, I seriously doubt that anybody in this company is supplying information to Dr. Light," says Scott Erikson, Vick-Tek Vice President.

"How do you know unless you find out?", Vickers snaps.

"As I said, I'll see to it that our private investigators get to work on finding any perpatrators right away, sir," Erikson replies, completely changing his tune.

"Wait a second, Scott," Vickers says, his voice sounding skeptical and suspiciously eyeing Erikson, "How do I know _you_ aren't tipping off people?"

Scott freaks out at his boss' sudden accusation. "Uh, I w-would never betray the company, sir! Y-y-you know that I'm the m-most loyal employee you have."

Vickers keeps his stare on Erikson as he inches his finger towards the shiny red button on his desk, which causes the Vice President to leap out of his chair in fear of being dumped into the parking garage.

Vickers sighs and moves his finger away from the trap door button and rubs temples of his head. "I apologize, Scott," he says, "You're right, you are the most loyal person to this company."

Erikson lets out a sigh of relief, but is still hesistant to sit back down. Given the frame of mine he suspects his boss is in, he might press that button any minute.

Vickers continues, "I am so focused on making sure that our Robot Warrior project is a success that I'm over-reacting to a great many things lately... But, seriously, _do_ get our private investigators involved. Because, if anyobdy_ is _betraying this company... I'll have to drop them down a higher trap door."

Erikson gulps at the thought of the trap door, even though nobody has died from a trap door fall... yet.

"In the meantime, I'm going to place a call downstairs to Dr. Wagner," Vickers says, pulling his phone out of his pocket, "I want to know how close this project is to being a reality.

Erikson leaves (and allows his heart rate to return to normal) as Vickers calls Dr. Wagner, the Sweedish scientist who was hired to build the long-anticipated Top Secret Vick-Tek Robot Warrior project.

The robot was almost ready in January but needed more time for bug testing, and since Vickers did not want a repeat of the abysmal VickBot prototypes from last year, he allowed Dr. Wagner to have extra time to complete the robot warrior.

_"Greetings, this is Dr. Vagner," _answers Wagner, _"Vith who am I zpeaking vith?"_

"Doctor, it's Mr. Vickers upstairs."

_"Ah, yes, Mr. Wickers!"_, Dr. Wagner says.

"Vickers," Marcus corrects (again), "Do you have any good news regarding my robot warrior?"

_"Yes. I vant to tell you that the robot varrior vill be ready by Tommorrow night. Then, ve can begin __testing his capabilities as vell as his recognizance zkills."_

"Bless you, doctor, you're a mircle worker," Vickers beams, "I look forward to seeing him in action tommorrow night."

Vickers terminates the call and looks uplifted from the news that his robot warrior will finally be a reality tomorrow. The smile on his face then disappears as he turns his chair around, looking at the news headline about Dr. Light's Gamma again and he groans. "He beat me again."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day.<br>****Dr. Light's laboratory.**

As the sun is setting on this mild March evening, Mega Man stands atop the roof of Dr. Light's lab and stares across at the New York City skyline off in the distance.

Mega's forbodding feeling about Dr. Wily's next attack is haunting him more than ever right now. He has a bad feeling that something about to go horribly wrong, and that Dr. Light's new Gamma robot _could_ play a big part in all of it.  
>Mega had voiced his concerns to the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the nations of the world who launched the project to begin with, but they were dead set on proceeding anyway.<br>Mega wonders why everybody was so insistant on making Gamma. Was he not doing a good enough job as the Defender of the Human Race? Wily has launched over a dozen attacks since last year, and he's managed to get away each time. Maybe the people of the world are getting impatient...  
>Another thing that bothers him is how persistant Dr. Light was at designing Gamma. Mega knows that his father dislikes creating a weapon of any kind unless it is absolutely necessary... then, why did he fell the need to create Gamma?<p>

"There you are," calls the voice of Roll from behind him, "I've been looking all over for you. You must like it up here."

Roll stands beside her brother and notices he's been acting a little uneasy since they came back home from Australia yesterday. "You okay?", she asks with concern.

"Yeah. I'm just a little worried," Mega replies.

"About Wily?", Roll asks.

Mega nods. "It's been two months since he's launched an attack of any kind, which means he must be working on something big... bigger than then anybody can imagine."

Roll asks, "Like what?"

Mega doesn't respond right away, knowing that everybody around the lab is probably sick of hearing him worry about this subject, but Roll answers for him...

"You still think Wily's going to go after Gamma?", she asks.

Mega Man replies, "I don't think he will... I _know_ he will."

"Even if that monster does try to go after him, Dr. Light said that Gamma is the most secure machine in the entire world," Roll says, trying to assure her brother.

"I know what Dr. Light said... but, do you really think that's going to stop Wily?", Mega asks, looking over to Roll.

"... No," Roll replies, shruging her shoulders.

"I know it would be difficult for anybody to take Gamma, maybe impossible, "Mega adds, "But, if there's one thing I've learned about Wily, it's that he can make the most impossible nightmare senario and make it possible. He made made appliances come to life and shrunk entire cities last year, for goodness sake."

Roll would know all about Wily creating nightmares. Last Summer, he blasted her friend Doc the Met during an attack that took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And ever since, Roll has had an even stronger desire to assist Mega Man in bringing Wily to justice and has been a valued assistant in many of the missions that have since passed.

She steps away from her brother to the other side of the roof and looks down at Doc's resting place, right beside his favorite tree in the back yard area, which is just starting to show signs of sprouting new leaves.

Roll steps back to Mega Man and puts an arm over his shoulder. "I know you're worried about Wily, Mega. I am too. But, I think you're worrying a little too much lately. Remember, when that plane flew too close to The White House a few weeks ago? You were freaking out about that until we found out it was a malfunction in the controls onboard."

Mega looks downward to the ground below as he thinks about how stressed out he's been lately thinking about whatever Wily must have up his sleeve. But Roll puts her right arm on his left shoulder and tries to ease his fears a little bit.

"Look, Mega, as crazy as Wily is, I don't think he stands a chance at hijacking Gamma. You personally went through the security drills with the team last month and even _you_ couldn't make it past all of them, and you're the best robot in the world."

Mega sighs as the sky on the horizon gets darker, wishing that he had had more time to go through each of those security drills to ensure they were flawless. "I hope you're right, Roll."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day.<br>****Gamma site.  
><strong>**Sydney, Australia.  
><strong>

As the giant peacekeeping robot stands tall (taller than any building in the continent) in the hours before dawn breaks, a duo of security policebots stand outside patrolling the area and keep an eye out for any undesireable persons. The group of guards would be larger, but the shift change is taking place so the ammount of guards is smaller for the moment. The rest of the guards should be here any minute.

Earlier today, several humans (including tourists) were coming by and gawking at Gamma or taking pictures of it, and taking pictures of themselves standing in front of the robot. Now as it is the middle of the night, there is a peaceful lack of activity here, aside from a pair of rogue kangaroos who bounced past the scene earlier.

One Policebot eyes somebody driving up to the scene in a black sedan, parking just outside the security gates.

"Attention Supervisor Savage, subject is approaching the site. Recommended course of action?", asks the Policebot.

_"Ask him what he's doing here. If he's a hostile... you know what to do."_

"Copy that," replies the Policebot, who eyes the driver as he gets out of the car and approaches the policebot guards.

This fellow is carrying a handled case of some kind and running a hand through his perfectly styled brown hair. He is a suave-looking man, wearing a black suit a yellow cloth underneath that looks almost like a scarf. He is also wearing sunglasses... at night. And also, his feet are noticably larger, and he has red hands.

The Policebots can clearly see that this is a humanoid robot and approach him with weapons at the ready in case he is a threat.

"Hold it," says the lead Policebot, "Identify yourself."

"Howdy," says the robot in the suit, using a put-on Texan voice, "I'm from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. I need ta' inspect your robot to make sure he don't malfunction anytime soon, you hear?"

The two Policebots glance at eachother, then turn their attention back to the suit guy. "Gamma has already passed inspection," replies the main Policebot, "No further inspections were planned to our knowledge. I'll need to see your badge and registration number if you are to proceed."

"Why, my registration number's DLN-000, son," replies the suit-wearing robot.

"Checking database," says the Poliebot. Once he finds out who the registry number _DLN-000_ belongs to, he reacts appropriately... "What?", he blurts.

"I would've said the same thing myself," says Proto, using his real voice now.

Proto's left hand retracts into his forearm and he quickly blasts both of the policebots standing in front of him with the copied Ice Slasher, freezing them both into frozen ice statues.  
>Before he was sent on this mission, ProtoMan said he wanted the special powers of certain Robot Masters in case he would need them, so he got them (no matter how much the owners of said powers protested.)<br>ProtoMan knew what he was doing too, because if he had fired a plasma blast outside of Gamma, the sudden surge of energy would have been detected and would have triggered a full security alert and this mission would have been lost.

Without enough time to gloat over his victory, ProtoMan quickly picks up the frozen bodies of the dispatched Policebots and moves them towards the front of Gamma, near the gargantuan peacekeeping robot's left foot, where one of the entrances are located. Then he hears something...

_"SL-55, what's the status update of this subject outside?"_, asks a voice coming from the Policebot's right arm. It was the secruity supervisor.

Proto kneels down and presses a button on the Policebot's frozen arm and mimicking the Policebot's voice, replies, "He is an agent from the American F.B.I. He is coming up to check on Gamma."

_"Copy that. I thought we were done with tests, but I suppose we could let him in and get it over with. The next shift will __be reporting any minute."_

After the call is cut off, ProtoMan smiles. "I'm so glad you people are stupid."

Proto takes the frozen Policebots and places them beside a pair of recharging chambers and is soon his way up to the top levels of Gamma, where that fool Thomas Light said the bridge was located. But, he knows he doesn't have much time to accomplish this mission. He knows the outer security was the easy part (easy for him, at least), but there is still the inner security that he doesn't know anything about. Plus, when the next shift of Policebots arive, they could snoop around and find their frozen partners. And if ProtoMan is captured, he knows the mission will be a bust and he will probably be brought back to Dr. Light. He also knows that all of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters don't have the skill that he posesses, so he is the only one who can pull this off.

"Nobody ever said this job was going to be easy," ProtoMan quips to himself as he proceeds, still carrying his mysterious case.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I decided to remove Gamma's second head that he had on top on his big square-jaw head, because I thought it was too goofy looking for this story. I also made Gamma much bigger than he was in Mega Man 3. (In Mega Man 3, Gamma was only big enough to fit one person in a cockpit inside his head.)_

_I almost cut the first half of the scene with Vickers, because even though it is kind of funny, it is a little strange. But, the idea is that Vickers is so wrapped up in this "Robot Warrior" project that he might be becoming paranoid._

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment._


	39. Agent Double 0 Proto

_**Gamma, Chapter 2: Agent Double-0-Proto.**_

* * *

><p>Inside the massive Gamma robot, ProtoMan sneaks around looking for a way to get to the upper levels, still in disguise wearing his suit and sunglasses. He hasn't encountered any additional security yet, but he is sure they are here somewhere.<br>Behind his sunglasses, Proto can see the elevator which leads to the top levels of Gamma up ahead, but as he walks forward, he spots something right above them.

"A surveillance camera?", he whispers as he eyes the camera, which is slowly moving from left to right in search of any suspicious activity. Proto notices that this doesn't look like an ordinary camera, but rather a scancam unit that can easily decern robots from humans. If he's caught on one of these, he could be in trouble, because they are most likely wired up to the bridge.

Proto inches himself forward and looks around the area, spotting two similar cameras to his left and right. This job just got a lot harder.

Proto waits a moment and studies the camera movements, then he quickly bolts to his right and slips under the blind zone of the right camera as it moves to the right at the same time the central camera is moving to _it's_ right. With his body back against the wall, Proto walks sideways towards the corner of the wall, so close to the elevator he can smell it, so-to-speak.

As the cameras move to the left, Proto carefully sneaks towards the elevator and presses the button to summon the elevator itself, just barely staying just under the camera's blind zones.  
>The elevator doors open and Proto seaks inside, just barely avoiding detection by the cameras as he does so.<p>

Proto lets out a slight whistle of relief. "_Whew! _That was pretty close."

Proto allows himself to catch a breath as the elevator goes up to the upper levels.

He peeks down out of a bulletproof window in the elevator and sees the ground down below get further and further away as the elevator rises. "Good thing I don't have a fear of heights," Proto mutters, "unlike that big pansybot Bright Man."

On his way up to the top levels of Gamma, ProtoMan thinks back to what Dr. Wily said before he left for this mission. Wily had said that once he had control of this Gamma robot, there would be _nothing _in the world that could stop him, not even Mega Man. Proto was wary about Albert's ramblings about this robot because it sounded like every single _'I will take over ze vorld! Bwahahahaha!'_ speach he's ever given when coming up with one of his ridiculous plots... that is until he saw this Gamma robot for himself.  
>Proto believes that unlike most of Wily's other bizzaro plans, <em>this one <em>might actually be the one that wins Wily the world, ending this war that is being waged between Wily's army and everybody else, namely Mega Man.

As Proto continues looking outside of the elevator window, he silently imagines what life will be like once this war is over. He was made for combat and he doesn't know what life will be like without warfare. Sure, there will most likely be large sectors of anti-Wily resistance forces, but with Wily controling Gamma they will all be wiped out in no time. There would be nothing left to do. And then, there's his siblings.  
>Ever since he was born, Proto had always wanted a little brother, but he rejected Dr. Wily and chose to fight against the mad doctor and Proto.<p>

Having to do battle with his own brother has been hard on Proto at times, and he wonders if it has been hard on Mega Man too. Proto hopes that with Gamma under Wily's control that Mega Man and Roll will come to the conclusion that _'if you can't beat them, join them'_ and turn on that fool Thomas Light and join him. Or else, maybe Wily will re-program them.

Much like this mission, Proto figures he's got one chance to make this count... because a chance like this might never come again. Proto just hopes that both of his siblings - especially Mega Man - are not destroyed trying to defeat Gamma when they inevitably try to stop Wily.

* * *

><p>The elevator arrives to the main deck of Gamma where the bridge is located, near the front of the head of Gamma. Proto steps out but sees two more security robots patroling the area. These guards are modified Policebots that were built to serve on Gamma. Their armor is even tougher than a stardard Policebot's as well.<p>

Proto quickly dashes out of the elevator and into a nearby room which appears to be for supplies for the human crewmembers.

The securitybots look over when they hear the elevator arrive. But, when they see nobody is inside of it, they both become suspicious.

"I'll check it out," says one of the bots, who gets his weapon - a semi-automatic laser rifle - at the ready and moves forward.

The bot approaches the elevator and checks it, confirming that there is nobody inside.

"Nothing," he says. Then, the security bot looks to his left and sees that the supply room door is open. He is sure his human superiors had left it open, but he decides to check it anyway. "Investigating," he says, as he enters the supply room.

Once inside the dark supply room, the securitybot scans the area, looking for any sign of intrusion.

While he doesn't see anybody, he does notice that a large cardboard box full of candy is out of place. It looks like it is turned upside down with all four flaps of the box sticking out.

The securitybot aims his rifle at the box and carefully steps forward. He kicks the box over to see that there was nothing underneath.

The securitybot asseses that there is nothing wrong and that somebody must have been too lazy to throw the box away, but that doesn't explain why the elevator would just come up to this level on it's own. There is reason for alert and he decides to warn the bridge crew.

The securitybot turns back around only to see a humanoid robot in a suit standing in front of him, blasting him with an ice cold beam of energy. Within seconds, he is an ice statue just like his friends outside, courtesy of the copied Ice Slasher beam.

Proto knows that the other guard is outside and that he needs to dispatch him, preferably in a non-fatal way. Proto leans against the wall and knocks on it.

"What was _that_ noise?", he hears the remaining guard ask, "Is that you, GA-68?"

The remaining securitybot approaches the supply room with his rifle drawn and turns the corner.  
>The only thing he sees is a bright flash coming from what looked to be a humanoid robot's arm... and that is that last thing he sees, because his visual circuits have been distrorted.<p>

After using Bright Man's copied flash weapon, ProtoMan switches to the Ice Slasher and freezes the the securitybot, much like his identical friend. ProtoMan smirks as he exits the supply room and begins walking down another corridor and sees the word** 'Bridge'** with an arrow on the wall in front of him

"This is easy," he chuckles, "They said my little brother couldn't even pass the security measures, but I don't see what's so hard about it."

Proto follows the directions, but comes to a dead stop when he turns the corner to see a large corridor loaded with red laser motion detection lasers zag-zagged all over the place.

"Oh!... okay, _this_ is gonna be pretty hard," Proto admits.

There was seemingly no place to go. Proto stares at the lasers and tries to figure out a way past these damn things, but there wasn't. There was just no room for anything to get past the security system. One of Snake Man's Search Snakes could make it through, but it couldn't reach the bridge, and even if it could, there was no way it could take out the crew inside. The mission would be a bust.  
>If only there was some way he could shut these lasers down...<p>

Then, Proto heard his answer walking up the hallway in his direction, whistling a happy tune like nothing was wrong.

ProtoMan smirks.

* * *

><p>A human bridge crew member walks down the corridor returning from the bathroom. He whistles as he walks, about to turn the corner to get back to the bridge, but much to his shock and horror, he sees the suit-clad ProtoMan standing in front of him and aiming his blaster at him.<p>

Proto puts his red right hand over the crew member's mouth. "_Shhhhh! _I don't want to have to use this," Proto threatens, nudging him with his blaster, "but, I _will _if you cause any trouble. If you tell me how to get on that bridge, I won't have to blast you. That clear?"

The scared guard nods, more affraid of being attacked by Proto than being court martialed for treason.

"Good boy," Proto says, smirking. Even though Proto had no intention of seriously harming this human (because he prefers not to kill,) he knows that intimidation is the best means to get this human to give him access onto the bridge.

"Now, very quietly, tell me how to shut down these lasers," Proto says.

As Proto uncovers the crew member's mouth, the man mumbles, "Th-thumb reader, over there."

"And what about getting on the bridge?", Proto asks.

"Same thing," the scared human says.

"So, I don't even _need_ you to get on the bridge, I just need your thumb," Proto grins, "Sounds good to me."

Proto then blasts the human with a stun blast, knocking him out, but he is not hurt.

"Sorry, pal," Proto says, hoisting the crew member's body over his shoulders, "but, I've got a job to do."

Proto lifts the human over to the thumb reader on the wall and presses his right thumb into it. The reader beeps and the laser traps all disappear at once.

Proto chuckles to himself, "I know you tested the security, little brother. But, there's one thing I'm sure you didn't do, because you don't have the heart for it... take a live hostage."

Proto carries the limp human all the way over to the final door and sets him down, then he decides to take off his black suit, stripping down to his grey and red armor underneath. He figured it would be a shame to have to ruin a good suit in combat anyway.

However, there was one thing missing. Proto puts his case down and opens it. Inside the case was not a weapon, or a bomb... it was his red visored helmet, and he couldn't make a proper entrance without this. Proto pulls his helmet out and places it on his head, looking like himself again.

Now that he was properly dressed, ProtoMan was ready to take over Gamma.

* * *

><p>On the bridge, a small crew of six humans are manning their stations and two more security robots stand guard at the door.<p>

The crew is unaware of the danger that awaits them on the other side of that door.

"Where the hell is Sorrenson?", grumbles the commander.

"Maybe the bloke had constipation," jokes an Australian crew member nearby.

Everybody gets a good chuckle out of that line, except for the Australian security chief. This supposed 'F.B.I. investigator' was suposed to be here minutes ago. And the news was about to get worse.

The bridge door opens and in walks ProtoMan. "You're all relieved of your duty!", he says, aiming his blaster in the air and using Bright Man's Flash Stopper once again, blinding everybody on the bridge, including the two roboguards. Proto then blasts all of the humans with stun blasts and then takes out the guards with a stronger blast, damaging them.

_"Attention, Supervisor Savage, this is unit GA-49,"_ says a Policebot who just arrived to the outside of Gamma as a part of the current security shift, _"Units GA-55 and GA-64 are nowhere to be found. Recommended __course of action?"_

ProtoMan approaches the console where the security cheif was a moment ago and answers in a put-on Australian voice, "No worries, mate. They just stepped out to recharge. Everything's good on the inside, resume patrol."

_"Copy that."_

Proto leaves the console and begins gathering the limp crew members and guards so they can be sent to the prisoner area.

Proto would have contacted Wily, but the advanced security would have traced the transmission of the contact. Proto does not want to take any chances. He knows that Wily and company are already on their way, but they don't have much time.

While monitoring the transmissions coming from Gamma, ProtoMan knew that regular status reports were made every thirty minutes with the commanding officer on deck giving a ten-number clearance code, informing the main security headquarters that everything was all clear. If that report wasn't made on time, the rest of the security team (who are located elsewhere in the city) would know something was wrong and lock down Gamma, preventing Wily from stealing it for his evil purposes.  
>To make things even more difficult, the number code always changed each time, so the window of opportunity to sieze Gamma was a very small one, and was getting smaller by the second.<p>

"You better hurry up, old man," Proto says to himself as if he were speaking to Wily.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

A full team of Policebots stand outside Gamma, unaware that the peacekeeping robot has already been compromised.  
>All of the bots detect something approaching in the sky above. The leader of the team uses his visual circuits to zoom in to the direction of the approaching potential threat. The leader spots a very plain-looking shuttlecraft fast approaching the site.<p>

"Attention, Supervisor Savage. Shuttle of unknown origin approaching. What is the reccommended course of action," asks the lead Policebot on his communication arm.

_"Proceed with caution,_" replies ProtoMan from the bridge in the fake Australian accent. He had to tell them to proceed with caution, or else they would have known something was up on the bridge.

The shuttle parks outside and the Policebots stand with weapons at the ready. A few tense seconds pass as all of the Policebots stare at the shuttle.  
>Then, all at once, several of Dr. Wily's robots - including GutsMan, Cut Man, Ring Man, Metal Man and Drill Man - dash out of the shuttle and race towards Gamma. Then, very quickly, Quick Man bolts out and runs right past the Policebots and back.<p>

"It's Wily's robot forces! Defend Gamma!", commands the Policebot.

The Robot Masters begin battling with the ground forces as Gamma stands tall above them.

The battle rages on for nearly a minute until the large peacekeeping robot begins to move. Gamma leans downward and slams a fist down to the ground, once again nearly creating an earthquake in the process.

"Uh-oh! That Gamma robot really _is_ online!", GutsMan panics.

"We better _cut_ out of here!", wails Cut Man.

Just like that, all of Dr. Wily's robots flee the site of Gamma and pile back into the shuttle, flying away to safety.

"Wily's forces are fleeing," states a Policebot, "Repeat. Wily's forces are fleeing."

_"Well done, mates. We'll contact H.Q. and get some more hands over here,"_ replies ProtoMan - still mimicking the security supervisor's voice - knowing exactly what to say to keep the rest of the Gamma team off their back for just a little while longer.

* * *

><p><strong>On the bridge<strong>

ProtoMan turns away from the main console, saying, "Wow! I didn't know that you knew how to opperate one of these things... Doc."

Dr. Albert Wily turns from Gamma's main control console, grinning from ear to ear. "I know Thomas Light beter than most people do, so I had a feeling he would make the controls easily enough for a trained monkey to understand."

During the fight with the Policebots, Quick Man had darted past the exterior security with Dr. Wily and got him inside, then bolted back out to join the battle and he pulled it all off before Gamma could be automatically locked down. Wily didn't name him _Quick Man _for nothing.

Dr. Wily rubs his hands together, nearly salavating at the tought of owning the single most powerful robot in the world. "Great job, my boy," he says to ProtoMan, "Now the good part begins!"

_"Commander Jensen, the is Security Headquarters. Give your security clearance code,"_ says a new voice out of the nearby security console.

ProtoMan and Wily's eyes meet as they glance at eachother. "It's too late for them to do anything, right?", ProtoMan asks.

Wily begins wickedly kackling as he sits down at the main console. "I would say it is!"

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma Security Headquarters.<strong>

Tensions are running high inside the dimly lit command center of the Gamma Security Headquarters.

The lead security chief - a British man named Stu Atkinson - stands with his arms folded behind his back, but he is very uneasy about the events of the past half-hour. First a random F.B.I. agent appears to inspect Gamma, then Wily's forces launch an attack, then flee. Now, they are contacting the commander on the Gamma bridge and there is no response.

"Something's wrong here," says the man in his British accent, "Enter red alert and lock down Gamma until further notice."

"Yes, sir," replies a robot operator who is sitting at a console entering a command to lockdown Gamma. However, a few seconds later, the lockdown is lifted, and that could only be possible if the commanding officer commanded it... yet, there is still no response from Gamma.

"What the 'ell is going on 'ere?", grits the chief of Gamma security.

Then a few seconds later, a human tech urgently cries, "Sir, Gamma's moving!"

The Gamma chief's eyes turn to the large viewscreen in the room which is showing an overhead radar view of the Gamma site. A large blip on the screen representing Gamma is slowly moving from it's base and is heading towards the northeast.

Without hesitation, the security chief makes the only call he feels he has to make, regardless how how much it would financially cost, he cannot take the chance, especially if it is Wily... even if it means human lives have to be lost

"Activate Gamma's self destruct," the security cheif commands with a shakey voice, "Authorization code: Worthington-23-Beta-78-0. Destruct."

_"Gamma self destruct activated,"_ says a computer voice inside of the command center.

"Now, we pray," the chief says.

Gamma's self destruct was set on a thrity-second timer, allowing the commanding officer to override it if he used his security clearance card and gave a retinal scan...

unfortunately for humanity, Wily and ProtoMan still had the unconscious bridge crew with them.

29 seconds later, the same computer voice says, _"Gamma self destruct aborted."_

"Oh, dear lord!", the security chief shudders along with everbody else in the room, horrified as they watch Gamma continue towards the northeast.

"According to it's present course, Gamma appears to be heading towards North America, sir," says the robot at the console.

"Contact the Presidents of the United States and Mexico as well as the Prime Minister of Canada right away," orders the chief, "And get me on the phone with Dr. Light. We need Mega Man now!"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab<strong>

It is the early afternoon here on the east coast of the United States and the general public has no idea of the threat that is heading in their direction right now. But, they soon will.

The emergency signal blares inside of Dr. Light's lab and Mega Man is the first person to arrive to the good doctor's computer console to respond to the incoming call. Roll and Dr. Light himself are close behind.  
>As Mega Man presses the button to respond, he has a bad feeling that he knows what - and who - the matter is about.<p>

The Security Chief of Gamma is seen on the large screen and he looks very worried. _"Mega Man, Dr. Light, this is Chief Atkinson from Gamma control,"_ the British chief says.

"What's happened?", Mega Man asks with a urgency in his voice, because he already knows what the answer will be.

_"Wily's robots attempted to attack Gamma a short while ago, but they fled. They attacked after __a man arrived, claiming to be an F.B.I. agent,"_ Atkinson says, "_Now, Gamma has left the area __and is heading towards North America and all contact has been lost with the entire crew. We tried to self-destruct Gamma, but it was overidden."_

"It was Wily and ProtoMan," Mega says, clinching his fist and angry that he wasn't given more time by the security staff to test every possible way in.

_"We didn't know it was them,"_ Atkinson insists, _"We apologize, sincerely. Please, you have to __help!"_

"I'll do it," Mega says, "I'll take down Wily _and_ Gamma, if I have to."

Mega cuts off the communication and prepares to leave, but Dr. Light looks very nervous. "Rush, Jet mode," Mega instructs, "We've got to intercept Gamma before it's too late."

"I'm in too," Roll adds.

"No!", Thomas suddenly gasps, grabbing Mega by his arm.

"What?", Mega blurts, confused by Thomas' sudden refusal for him to help pevent a Wily attack.

"Rock, _please_... you can't do this, neither of you!", Thomas pleads, "Gamma is too strong for both of you, especially when he's in the air. You have to stay here until we can devise a plan."

"Dr. Light, that thing is heading right for us and Wily is the one in control, I'm sure of it!", Mega argues with his father, "I can't just stay here, I have a duty to fufill. I _have_ to stop it."

"But, if you go now, without planning a proper attack, it will most likely fail... you could die," Thomas says, "I can't lose you... defeating Gamma will be extremely difficult, but now that he's in Wily's hands-"

"Then, why on earth did you create the thing?", Mega interrupts in a bark, unable to contain his frustration anymore, "Didn't you realize that this was going to happen once they found that spy robot in January?"

Mega's sudden emotional outburst creates a hush in the lab for a few seconds afterwards. Roll and Rush feel uncomfortable watching this unfold in front of them, because this is the first time they have ever seen Mega argue with his creator.

Thomas pauses, trying to keep his emotions in check, then continues, "Yes, I did have my suspicions. That's why Gamma had several security measures. I don't know how Wily made it past them."

"They were flawed, that's why," Mega replies, "I wanted more time to test those systems. Why couldn't you have convinced everybody to let me do it?"

"I tried to, but there wasn't any time," Thomas sighs.

"Yes, there was," Mega fires back, "You could have convinced them to delay the project, so why didn't you?."

"Rock, listen and understand... one of the reasons I built Gamma was so that you wouldn't have to fight anymore," Dr. Light admits, "You have no idea how difficult it is to see you and your sister having to participate in open warfare like this. And after Albert took Doc from us, I have been affraid he would take one of you too. If all had gone according to plan, this horrible war would have been over with in mere days."

"Why?", Roll asks.

"The plan was to have Gamma launch an all-out assault on Albert's fortress to apprehend him and recover ProtoMan," Dr. Light reveals, "Neither one of you would have been in any danger... the war would have ended."

Mega lets out a sharp sigh, unable to hide the displeasure of his father's reasons for creating Gamma in the first place. "You built Gamma, father, so you must know how to destroy it... if there even _is_ a way to destroy it."

"It is possible, Rock," Thomas says, "You have to destroy his reactor. It can be done from the outside with enough firepower, but his hull is very tough. Plus, with all of his defenses, it would be difficult to even get a good shot it. That is why you cannot do it alone."

"Then, I'll get help... and I'll need a _lot_ of it," Mega says as he turns to the labs computer station, trying to get a fix on where Gamma is now.

Mega Man's fears of Dr. Wily hijacking Gamma have now come to fruition, and for the first time in his life, he doesn't know if he can stop Wily this time. But one thing is for sure...  
>this is going to be one hell of a bad day.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_As you can see, there is now some strife in the Light family as Gamma is now approaching. _

_The chapter title, "Agent Double-0-Proto" is a reference to James Bond (007.) I know the silly title is a stark contrast to the seriousness of this episode, but I couldn't help myself.  
>There are also some Metal Gear Solid references in there, see if you can find them. :)<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment._


	40. First Strike

_**Gamma, Chapter 3: First Strike.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<br>****Washington D.C.**

President Keith Henry is in the Oval Office of the historic White House, thinking that the only things he has to worry about today are getting a revision of the American Health Care bill passed in Congress and whether the family cat is going to pass his medical check-up...  
>if he only knew, however.<p>

The President's Chief of Staff enters the office with several Secret Service agents. He clearly looks aghast as he informs, "Mr. President, we have an emergency."

"What is it, Alan?", asks the President.

"Gamma has been hijacked, presumably by Albert Wily," the Chief of Staff says, "At the rate of speed it's going, it should be over Hawaii within the hour. And it could be on the west coast within an hour of that."

"Has the media picked up on it yet?", the President asks.

"It's just hitting the AP now, sir" the Chief of Staff answers.

President Henry stands up and puts his black suit jacket on. "Raise the terror alert to it's maximum level," he orders, "Inform the citizens of Hawaii to take cover immediately. Also, scramble all availible pilots onboard the U.S.S. Victory so they can be on alert."

"... we're not attacking Gamma right away?", asks the chief of staff.

"No. A frontal assault is _not_ recommended," the President explains, "I have to consult with Dr. Light first before we can mount an offensive. He is the only man who knows what Gamma's weaknesses are."

* * *

><p><strong>Bree Recotta's house.<br>****New York Suburbs.**

In her bedroom and in deep sleep under the covers is Channel 7 beat reporter Bree Recotta.

Bree had to work late last night covering a massive 100-car pile-up on the Manhatten bridge. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but it was a mess (and spending so much time leaning out of the News 7 helicopter to report was not very appealing to her after the first ten minutes, let alone doing it for hours.)

Her mobile phone rings, causing her to wake up from her sleep. In fact, she was in such a deep sleep, by the time she woke up she actually missed the call.  
>Bree lets out a tired moan and turns around to face her husband's side of the bed. Nobody was there but a pillow, because he had to leave for his job. But, her hands felt something on top of the pillow, it was a note that was left there. It had to be from him.<p>

Bree rubbed the sleep away from her eyes using the white shirt she had on (which is actually one of his shirts) and picked the note up, which reads, _"Sorry, I missed you. I'll see you tonight... barring a Wily attack and/or another __100-car pile-up. lol. Love you. XOXO. - Max."_

Bree smiles when she reads the note from her husband. Bree lies flat on her back and tries to get some more sleep, but her phone rings again. Recotta sighs and reaches to her nightstand to grab the phone and sees that it is her boss the news director, Herman Hagar.

"Oh, God," she groans, knowing that he only calls when another news story is about to brake. "It's Bree," she answers.

_"Recotta! You've gotta get to the station right away," _Herman barks.

"What's wrong?", Bree asks the director.

_"The big Gamma robot that Dr. Thomas Light debuted a couple of days ago is on the loose." _Hagar says, _"It's coming towards the U.S. and it's probably Wily's doing. So, it's a safe bet it won't be long before he shows up in New York."_

"What?", she blurts, now sitting straight up in bed, now wide awake and still clutching her phone, shocked and terrified at the thought of Dr. Wily controlling Gamma.

_"You heard me. Now get to the station, pronto!"_, Herman says, before hanging up.

This wasn't going to be just another long workday for Bree... but, it could be the most dangerous time for everybody in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<br>****Approaching the islands of Hawaii**

On the bridge of the massive peacekeeping robot turned Wily Death Machine, Dr. Albert Wily sets behind the main command console along with several of his Robot Masters who helped create the diversion in Australia earlier. The shuttle carrying the robots had docked with Gamma on their way out of the continent.

ProtoMan returns to the bridge after giving a check to the entire structure of the peacekeeping robot, but Ring Man has some exciting news for him.

"Yo, ProtoDude!", Ring Man speaks out of his face-shield, "Guess what?"

"What?", Proto replies, sounding annoyed at the Ring-centric robot.

"Now, check this out, man," Ring Man says, "Even though we left Australia 'n stuff like a couple hours ago, according to my internal chrono-meter thingie, we really traveled back in time to _yesterday_... that's totally awesome!"

Ring Man is correct. Since Gamma is travelling eastward, they shifted time zones where it is still the day before... but, ProtoMan could care less.

"... Yeah, that's great, pal," Proto says, blowing him off and approaching Wily.

"Dude!... _I_ thought it was cool!," Ring Man muses, "This is like a totally awesome experience! We could make a new Robot Master out of it. He could be, like... _Time Man_, or somethin' like that."

"We already experimented with time travel. Didn't work," ProtoMan replies back as he steps up to Dr. Wily to give him a status report.

"Anything I should know about, my boy?", Albert asks.

"I checked the insides of this big boy," he says, referring to Gamma, "He's got a big reactor in the back of his torso, but his armor's pretty thick so it'll take a lot of firepower to get through there."

"So, we'll just have to watch our backs," Wily surmises as he stares at the main viewscreen in front of the bridge, staring at the Hawaiian islands as they fly overhead.

"Why aren't they scrambling fighters and attacking us?", Wily asks himself, wondering why the Hawaiian defense forces aren't alerted, "They _know_ we're here. They couldn't possibly _miss_ a one-hundred story tall robot soaring above them!"

"I think they're scared," Metal Man rasps.

"Huh-huh, they're _scurred_!", Ring Man repeats, altering the word 'scared' to try and be funny.

"They're waiting for us to pass," ProtoMan replies, making a tactical assessment, "They probably know about the reactor and they'll try to strike when we're not looking."

"Yes! That's it!", Wily hisses, "Well, it appears we will have to _defend_ ourselves in case they are stupid enough to challenge _my_ Gamma! Once we strike, I will send my message out to the world so that they know just who they are dealing with."

"Uh, _you're welcome_, by the way," Proto adds.

ProtoMan walks towards the security station and Ring Man tries to get Proto to react to the fact that they all _'traveled back in time'_.  
>"Dude," he says, "We totally traveled in time! How is that not the most awesome thing ever?"<p>

"Shut-up," ProtoMan spits.

"Wha... well, if that's your attitude, bud, fine," Ring Man says, "I'm shuttin'-up."

"Good. Start right _now_ while you're at it," Proto adds.

"I've already shut-up," Ring Man replies, putting his metallic feet up on a console.

"You're still talking," Proto argues, the anger in his voice becoming more noticable.

"Hey, I'm through with talkin' dude."

"Then, shut the hell up!", Proto hisses.

"I did," Ring Man replies, "You're the one who's like not shuttin' up 'n stuff."

"... screw you, bolthead," Proto groans before leaving the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>Hawaii.<strong>

The panicked citizens of the state of Hawaii stare up at Gamma as it flies over their islands. Surprisingly, Gamma does not attack the islands down below and doesn't even appear to be paying them any mind and proceeds to the northeast.

However, on the U.S.S. Victory aircraft carrier in the ocean to the east of Hawaii, several fighter jets are being prepared for takeoff. Human pilots climb into their fighters and await word to blast off.

Then, Gamma flies right past them just a mile to their west, but, still clearly visible due to it's gargantuan size. Every human and robot pauses and stares at the hijacked peacekeeping robot as it passes. And shortly after Gamma flies past them, they know it is time to strike.

_"5... 4... 3... 2... 1. Take off!"_, says the operator in the radios of the pilots. And with that order, the jets begin taking off one by one, heading straight for Gamma... and heading straight for their their doom.

* * *

><p>A steady beeping nose comes from Dr. Wily's command console on the bridge of Gamma and a smaller window appears on the viewscreen, showing the live radar with many dots closing in on Gamma.<p>

"Ah-ha! There they are, right on schedule," Wily says, "Everybody had better grab on to something because we are about to welcome our friends from the Hawaiian air force!"

ProtoMan knows that there is a chance that Wily could listen to that scary little voice in his head again and go too far in dealing with these fighters, so he leaves.  
>If Wily is going to kill, he doesn't want to see it.<p>

* * *

><p>A double squadron of ten jets converge on Gamma as the gargantuan robot has it's back turned as it flies towards the northeast.<p>

"All wings: lock all weapons on target," orders the wing leader.

The co-pilot of the wing leader's jet locks on all of the craft's weapons onto the center of Gamma's back where the robot's reactor is located. All of the other jets follow and lock their weapons on target as well as they get closer and closer to their target.

_"Prepare to fire on my mark,"_ commands the wing leader, _"3... 2... 1..."_

Suddenly, Gamma comes to a stop in mid-air and turns around, aiming it's fingers at the jets and fireing plasma blasts from it's fingertips.

_"BREAK FORMATION!",_ the wing leader hollars to his wingmen, _"EVASIVE MANUVERS!"_

The jets try to avoid Gamma's fire, but it was too late. The plasma shots tear though some of the jets like a hot knife through butter.

Some pilots are able to eject from their jets before their jets explode... and others are not so fortunate.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>

President Henry and several members of his cabinet - including the Vice President, the Secretary of Defence, the Chief of Staff, the Atterney General and many others - are gathered here in the Situation Room and are staring at a monitor displaying the status of the Hawaiian Air Force Squadrons on radar, showing several dots very close to a large dot, Gamma.  
>Their expressions turn to horror when they see each blip on the radar disappear all at once, yet the large dot representing Gamma still shows on the screen and proceeds to the northeast.<p>

Without wasting time, The President orders, "Activate the Emergency Alert System. Inform all Citizens on the west coast to get off of the streets and into cover immediately, because it's about to become a war zone."

Henry turns to his main Secret Service officer and orders, "Get my family to the underground level as soon as you can."

"Yes sir, Mr. President," replies the agent, who leaves the room.

"Everybody else, leave the room," Henry says, "I have an important call to make."

The President's entire staff leaves and gets to work on trying to manage what could be the biggest attack on American soil in it's history... if not the biggest attack on _the world_ in it's history.

The President puts his hands on his dark-skninned closely cropped head, and takes a moment to take a breath. There is no doubt that Mr. Henry is quite concerned. When he and all of the other nations worked together to created Gamma with the guidence of Dr. Light, they did it with the intention of creating a robot that would maintain peace... now, Gamma poses the greatest threat the world has faced since Dr. Wily began his war to overtake humanity nearly a year ago...  
>and speaking of Wily, the President has no doubt in his mind that he's the man controlling Gamma.<p>

The President turns to make a second call to the only people that he knows can help...

He presses a button on a desk control in the Situation Room. "Contact Dr. Light via teleconference immediately."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man, Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and Eddie stare at the large monitor in the lab which is showing live news coverage of the failed attempt to destroy Gamma. Thankfuly, there are no live shots of the Hawaiian forces being shot down.

_"And we are just recieving word now that the entire squadron from the U.S.S. Victory has fallen," _says the grey-haired national news anchor, "_ten fighters in all, all taken down at __the hands of Gamma, and whomever is at the controls... presumably, Dr. Albert Wily. We can __only hope that some of those brave pilots escaped with their lives."_

The anchor puts his finger up to his right ear and listens to something on his earpiece. _"... I am just reciveing word that Dr. Albert Wily has just sent out a pre-recorded message, claiming __that he is in control of Gamma at the moment."_

"That's it," Mega Man firmly asserts, "I'm going after him."

Before Thomas could try and talk his son out of attacking Gamma head-on, a beeping is heard from the lab's computer console. Roll steps up to the console to see what is the matter. "We're getting a call... it's from The President."

_"Stand by for The President," _says a voice on the other end as the Presidential seal appears on the screen. Then, President Henry appears live on screen.

_"Dr. Light, Mega Man... I'm sure you've heard," _Henry says.

"We have heard," Thomas grimly replies.

_"I have been contacted by Canada and Mexico. They have offered to join our air force in a full-on __assault on Gamma before it can reach the mainland," _President Henry says, _"Gamma is set to __arrive to California within an hour, and Mega Man, I am requesting your assistence. I know you __have never let us down. And despite that incident last year, I know that when the chips are down, __you _are_ here for us... and I'm sorry to have to ask you to join us, but right now, the world needs you more then ever__."_

Mega looks back to Dr. Light, who is clearly distraught knowing that his son is about to face off with his greatest challenge to date, but like when Rock volunteered to become Mega Man, he knew there is no stopping him. He gives Mega Man a nod.

Mega looks back to the President. "I'll be there, sir. Don't be sorry, just tell me when you need me," he replies, full of compassion and self-determination, more than ever.

_"Right now," _Henry replies, _"Thank you, Mega Man."_

The screen cuts back to the news footage and Mega Man turns back to face his family.

Dr. Light steps up to Mega Man and puts his hands on his shoulders. "Go for Gamma's back. That's where the reactor is," Thomas advises, "Try to get onboard if possible."

Mega nods. "I'm going to stop him," he assures, "This war ends today."

* * *

><p>Outside the lab, Mega Man and Rush walk outside and can clearly see that the panic is already setting in. People are driving wrecklessly and he can already hear the faint sounds of sirens off in the city nearby.<br>Mega Man knows just as well is the citizens do that trouble is on it's way... and it's coming_ here_.

"Rush, jet mode," Mega says.

Rush barks and transforms into his jetboard mode, but as Mega gets on, he hears somebody behind him.

"Wait up!", Roll calls, running outside to catch up with her brother.

"Roll, not now," Mega stresses.

"I'm not trying to join in. Just hear me out," Roll insists, "Do you _realize_ what you're up against?"

"I do, Roll, but I've got a job to do," Mega replies, "and at least I've got a lot of help."

"You promise you're coming back," Roll asks, sounding very worried about her brother.

"... I'll be back," Mega replies with certainty in his voice, "Just help Dr. Light prepare for when this thing gets here."

"... when?", Roll frets.

Mega pauses, realizing his mistake, "I meant _if _Gamma gets here. I've got to go."

"Wait," Roll says, "... just be careful up there, big brother."

Mega barely smiles, "I will."

Mega steps on Rush's back and jets off to the west and Roll stands outside the lab, clasping her hands together to pray again... praying that her brother and Rush - as well as all of the others who are about to attempt to stop Gamma (and Wily) - survive this nearly suicidal mission.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corprate headquarters.<strong>

While the majority of Vick-Tek employees are quickly leaving the building in following the message from the Emergency Alert System, Marcus Vickers is remaining here in his skyscraper with a small group of people. He was advised to leave, but he is staying put anyway.  
>He walks down the hall towards an elevator, without his usual suit jacket, but still wearing his shirt, tie and pants with black leather shoes.<p>

Vick-Tek's Chief Financial Officer steps up to her boss - clutching her briefcase in her hand as she is ready to evacuate - and asks, "Mr. Vickers, aren't you going to leave too?"

"I'm affraid not, Terresa," Vickers replies very confidently, "I have very important work to do. I have to stay."

Vickers proceeds to the elevator and steps inside. He then hears somebody calling, "Excuse me! Pardon me! Comin' through. Pardon Me!"

It was Erikson, trying to get onbaord the elevator. Vickers waves his hands between the doors as they begin to close to allow Erikson time to enter.

"Thank you, sir," Erikson says, straightening his tie as he steps inside, "Is there an update?"

"Gamma is going to arrive to California in roughly a half an hour," Vickers replies, "And it is confirmed now that Dr. Wiy has taken control of it."

"Okay, that's... not very good, sir," Erikson stutters.

"The U.S., Canadian and Mexican air forces are about to converge on California along with Mega Man to try and mount an attack on Gamma," Vickers continues, slowly smirking "... and it's times like these when I am glad that we have _our own_ robot warrior to help save the world."

"Well... that makes me feel a_ little _better, sir," Erikson replies, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"There is nothing to fear, Scott," Vickers says, with confidence in his voice, "In a matter of hours, we will show Dr. Wily who he should _really_ be affraid of."

* * *

><p>We see a grainy video of Dr. Wily, mugging in front of the camera. This must have been recorded before Dr. Wily boarded Gamma, because it looks like he is in Skull Fortress in this video.<p>

_"Greetings my future slaves, this is Dr. Albert Wily,"_ he says with that horrible grin that only his wretched mouth can make, _As you have probably noticed by now, Dr. Light's wonderful new creation known as Gamma is now heading towards North America, and I just wanted to end the speculation right now. Many of you believe that I am the one who has taken Gamma and I am going to use it to take over the world... the mere thought that I would dare use such a great robot such as he sickens me... ,but you would be right! I HAVE taken over Gamma!  
>In a matter of hours, you will get to witness the kind of power that I have now with Gamma. And there is nothing that your hero Mega Man can do about it.<br>Your freedom ends right now! Soon, you will learn to respect me as your new master. I'll see you soon!" _

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_We saw Bree here because she will be playing a part in the story later on._

_"That incident" the President references was the events of Mega Pinocchio, which are covered in the earlier interlude chapter "No Strings."_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment._


	41. The Arrival

_**Gamma, Chapter 4: The Arrival**_

* * *

><p><strong>San Francisco, California.<strong>

Over the skies of San Francisco, the largest assemblage of jetplane fighters and bombers to ever converge in North American territory have gathered together and are heading towards the coastline, all of them preparing the do battle with unquestionably the greatest threat humanity has faced in over one hundred years.  
>Pilots from the western United States, western Canada and northern Mexico are about to fight together in an attempt to save humankind from being conquered by Dr. Wily and Gamma, but before they begin, the leader of the group arrives.<p>

Mega Man and Rush zoom into the crowd of jets and fly alongside them. "This is Mega Man reporting in," Mega says into his forearm communitcator.

_"Good to see you, Mega Man. It's a shame we couldn't fly under better circumstances,_" says the wing commander, _"Any advice on how to take this thing __down? We're gonna need it."_

"Try to get around back and strike the target Dr. Light gave you," Mega replies, "If Gamma's hull takes enough of a pounding, we can take out the reactor."

_"Roger that," _says the wing commander, _"Follow the man's advice, boys and girls."_

As the group of heroes fly forward, they now see the large and imposing shape of Gamma flying in their direction. looking taller than any building in the area.

_"Look at the size of that thing!"_, gasps a pilot when he sees the approaching peacekeeping robot.

_"Cut the chatter!"_, barks the wing commander, _"Let's just take Wily out and go home in one __piece. Mega Man, what's our recommended course of action?"_

Mega remains silent for a moment, feeling a myriad of emotions as he stares ahead the Gamma which he now knows is controlled by Dr. Wily. He knows that once he gives the word to begin the strike on Gamma, not everybody is going to make it out alive, whether it be the pilots or lives down below... or possibly even him and Rush. But, he he knows that the time to strike is now, and hopefully they can all stop Gamma and apprehend Wily and end this war.

"Begin your attack, full throttle," Mega replies, "I'll try and keep Wily distracted."

With Mega's order, all of the fighter jets and bombers zoom ahead along with Mega Man and Rush in an attempt to stop Wily once and for all...

but, if they only knew...

* * *

><p>"There he is!", Wily blurts on the bridge of Gamma, getting out of his chair and pointing at the viewscreen, which shows Mega Man and Rush heading towards them with an entire fleet of military aircraft behind them. "... There he is!", he repeats in a more raspy tone, his grin growing wider as he stares at Mega's image on the screen.<p>

"Proto, my boy... go and guard the top hatch in case he tries to get inside," Albert orders, his eyes not leaving the screen.

Proto steps up to Wily and gives him some advice before the battle begins... "Remember our deal," he says flatly, before leaving the bridge to guard the emergency hatch at the top of Gamma's head.

"With my Gamma, not only will I cripple the world's defenses... but I will be rid of Mega Man too!", Wily says running his fingers over the command console to fully arm Gamma for attack, "This is going to be such fun!"

* * *

><p>Gamma begins to slow down as it approaches the coastline and adjusts it's stance in mid-air.<br>Several area's of Gamma's chest, arm and leg armor begin to open up and several cannons and launchers begin to protrude from all over it's body, as well as the tips of his fingers.

Mega Man can see that Gamma is about to fire upon himself and all of the fighter jets alongside him and warns them all, "Take evasive action! Gamma's about to open fire!"

Just then, Gamma begins firing laser blasts from it's hundreds of embedded turrets as well as heat-seeking missiles from several launchers. While Mega and Rush as well as many of the allied jet fighters manages to avoid being hit, some others are not so lucky. Gamma manages to take out ten jets in the fighter group in just it's first barrage alone. Mega turns his head and watches in horror as the some of the damaged jets fall to the ground and explode on impact.

"We've got to get around to the other side of Gamma fast!", Mega hollars to Rush, who barks.

_"Attention all wings," _yells the wing commander, _"Increase throttle and get on Gamma's six! We __have to bring this thing- AAAAAAH!-..."_

The commander was cut short as his jet was destroyed by a hail of laser fire from Gamma's finger cannons.

Mega looks over his shoulder and sees the Commander's jet turn into a fireball.

As Gamma continues to rain fire upon the group of fighters, it lowers itself down to the ground and lands on it's feet, shattering the ground in the process. One fighter jet swoops down low and try and bombard Gamma, but the death machine reaches up and grabs the jet out of the sky and throws it away towards the Golden Gate Bridge. The jet crashes into the iconic bridge and is destroyed, and leaving the bridge itself badly damaged.

"Full power, Rush!", Mega orders, "We can't let anymore humans get killed."

Rush increases his speed to his fastest level, taking Mega and himself head-on with the towering Gamma, who appears to have noticed them and focuses much of it's firepower on them.

Gamma's shots all miss the duo and strike several buildings behind them. Normally, Mega would try to avoid as much property damage as possible, to avoid human casualties, but the entire area was evacuated before the fighting began, so structural damage is not as much of a concern.

As Mega and Rush begin to fly past Gamma, the monster robot turns to follow them and takes a swing at them with it's large right fist with large spikes sticking out of them.

The blow misses Mega and Rush, so Gamma swings his whole left arm at them as he continues to turn. Mega sees the large arm heading for him and gets down flat on his stomach on top of Rush as Gamma's arm flies past him.

"That was too close," Mega says as he gets up.

* * *

><p>By now, the fighter escort has finally begun opening fire upon Gamma, firing several missiles at the giant robot. The missiles strike Gamma's torso, but hardly do any damage, leaving black scorring marks.<br>Gamma then turns around and fires upon the jets once again with it's massive array of weapons and manages to take out even more of the fighters.

A nearby squadron of bombers fly overhead of Gamma, preparing to drop off their payload of bombs all at once on the _'peacekeeping'_ robot.

Gamma looks upwards at the bombers and opens it's massive square jaw and fires a large burst of bright yellow plasma from his mouth. Within seconds, all of the bombers are destroyed at once. Nobody had time to escape.

* * *

><p>Although Mega Man is horrified at Wily's use of Gamma to destroy all of these jet fighters - and taking most of the brave pilots with them - Gamma's brief turn of attention back to the rest of the group bought Mega enough time to fully charge his plasma cannon and for Rush to fly around to get a clear shot at Gamma's back.<p>

"This is for all of the people you've taken, Wily!", Mega spits as he aims and fires a large yellow ball of plasma at Gamma's back. The blast hits it's target, causing the most damage to Gamma so far, but it is still not enough to compromise it's nearly impenatrable armor.

Gamma turns back to Mega Man and tries to take him and Rush down again, firing more blasts that Rush evades.

"This isn't gonna work!", Mega shouts over the sound of firefight going on all around them, "With the way Gamma is moving, there's no way I can take out the reactor quick enough and we're losing too many people as it is. I'm going to have to try and get inside through the emergency hatch at the top. Rush, take me up there."

Rush barks and soars towards Gamma, who reaches for the team with his large hands.

Rush just barely avoids getting grabbed by the big hands of Gamma and flies Mega Man up to the escape hatch atop of Gamma's red head.

Mega Man leaps off of Rush and dashes towards the center of Gamma's head (or roof), hoping to breach the emergency hatch and get inside. But, when he gets close enough, the hatch opens and ProtoMan jumps out, firing a shot from his blaster. Mega Man avoids the shot, but it appears he will have to do battle with his brother yet again if he wants to infiltrate Dr. Wily's killing machine.

"Sorry, Mega," Proto says, "I can't let you in. You're not on the list. Shame you had to whine and complain about the two of us fighting alongside eachother back on that island a couple of months ago, I could've bumped you up."

"I don't have time to battle you, Proto," Mega says, "Just step aside and let me in."

ProtoMan chuckles, "You think I'm just gonna betray Wily and _let_ you in?"

"Proto, please stop listening to Wily's lies for just one minute and look around at what he's doing!", Mega shouts, trying to reach his brother's humanity, assuming Wily hasn't taken that away from him too.

ProtoMan looks around as Mega Man urged him to do and shrugs, "Looks like he's about to take over the world."

"People are _dying_! Can't you see that?", Mega shouts.

"... Yeah, I can see that. But, I can't break through Wily's think skull when he's in the middle of one of his missions," Proto replies, "I'm lucky he even allows me to offer you all of these chances to join me."

"If you don't help me stop this, I _will_ take you down," Mega threatens, aiming his blaster directly at ProtoMan.

"Sorry, bro," Proto says, "I've got a job to do."

"So do I!", Mega shouts, firing a blast at Proto, who jumps out of the way.

The two brothers continue trading shots at eachother until Gamma madly swings at a pair of jets that were soaring towards it, causing both Mega Man and ProtoMan to lose their balance.

Mega nearly falls off the edge of Gamma's head and struggles to return to his feet.

ProtoMan also falls to his side, but capitalizes on his brother's poor position and blasts him in the chest, knocking Mega Man off of Gamma.

Proto gets up and runs to the edge to see if his brother lands on Rush... he was sure he would.  
>And sure enough, as Mega's body falls nearly fifty stories, Rush flies past and Mega barely catches hold of him by gripping into his back, barely hanging on.<p>

Unfortunately, Wily saw them coming too and used Gamma's left arm to smack both of them in the air, sending them flying backwards and crashing to the pavement, shattering it in pieces.

Mega Man moans in pain and winces as he tries to summon the power to get up and Rush staggers as he shakes off the strike.

Gamma ignores all of the jet fighters around it and approaches Mega Man. Mega's eyes widen as he sees the gargantuan death machine stalk him and lean downward, opening it's mouth.

He knew that Wily was powering up Gamma's plasma beam and quickly gets back up to his feet and runs towards Rush. "Rush, Jet!", he yells.

Mega jumps onto Rush's back as Gamma fires it's plasma shot, obliterating the ground where he once stood, creating a white hot crator.  
>Rush and Mega zoom out of danager as Gamma continues firing the plasma, attempting to take them both out and gutting several nearby evacuated buildings in the process, until the weapon overheats.<p>

Mega checks his energy readout on his left forearm and sees that he is not doing too good right now. The battle with ProtoMan and being pounded by Gamma took a lot out of him. Mega knows that this mission has been a disaster and has to be aborted before anybody else gets hurt, or worse.

Pressing the communication button on his forearm, Mega states, "All pilots, retreat! Gamma's too powerful, we have to regroup!"

As Rush flies Mega away from Gamma, the remaining fighters follow suit and Gamma stands tall in the middle of San Francicso, undefeated. Gamma raises it's arms high into the air victoriously as the allied forced flee for the lives.

* * *

><p>Back on the Gamma bridge, Wily and all of the Robot Masters enjoy a hearty laugh after they dominated Mega Man and the oposing forces.<p>

"Yes! Run, you cowards!", Wily shouts like a madman (which, of course, he is), "Run in fear from my ultimate weapon!"

Wily enters a command into his console and Gamma takes off once again while ProtoMan returns to the bridge.

"Excellent job protecting the emergency hatch, my boy," Wily praises.

"Yeah, thanks," Proto answers, shrugging it off.

"Don't worry, Proto. You'll get another chance at your brother soon enough... just like you say, he always comes back," Wily smiles, "and that's what I'm counting on."

"Oh... joy," Proto groans, knowing that Albert has some wicked intentions in his diseased mind and will most likely try to destroy Mega Man instead of letting him handle the situation.

Wily ignores Proto's trepidation and focuses on the mission at hand. "Before I take over the world, I need to return to Skull Fortress and gather the rest of our Robot Master brethren. Nobody will be able to stop me once the full power of my robot army and Gamma stand together! _Nobody!..._ even Mega Man and Thomas Light! MUAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Gamma flies ahead toward Skull Fortress, mercifully leaving San Francisco behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Nearly an hour later.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

As large as Dr. Wily's Skull Fortress is, it is a mole hill compared to the giant Gamma. The large robot, piloted by Wily himself, arrives to the exterior of the fortress, and standing on the edge of the fortress' hanger bay located inside of the right 'eye' of the large skull decoration outside are the remainder of Dr. Wily's robot army - including Air Man, ElecMan, Phararaoh Man, Gemini Man, Bright Man, Fire Man, Snake Man, Bubble Man and many others - who are cheering and hollaring the arrival of their master who had just sent Mega Man and the allied forces running away back in California.

Gamma lowers itself near the hangar bay and opens it's own set of hangar bays and the Robot Masters begin to run towards the assortment of vehicles in the fortress' bay, including Skullkers, Skull Copters and Air Raiders with a purple and beige paint scheme.

The Robot Masters board the vehicles and begin flying towards Gamma to dock in it's hangar bays.

Wily's quest for world domination continues, and the worst is yet to come.

* * *

><p>Up on the Gamma bridge, ProtoMan reports, "Everybody's onboard. And we now have a full supply of vehicles too."<p>

"Good, good," Wily grins, "Now it's time to stab into the heart of the world before I take it over."

"Let me guess," Proto quips, "New York City?"

Albert looks back at ProtoMan, the grin still on his aged face, "You know me well, Proto."

Now with his full robot army with him, Dr. Wily leaves his fortress and takes Gamma to New York City, the city he plans on overthrowing first in his quest to take over the world.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>

It is approaching the evening hours of the east coast and panic is starting to set in all accross the country.

President Henry's Chief of Staff urgently enters the Oval office and finds the President standing by his window, staring outside. The President knows just how grim this situation has become now. Enough human lives have already been lost today alone... and he fears it could get worse before this day is done.

"Mr. President, Gamma is heading to the east," the Chief of Staff says, "Wily made a trip to his fortress and satellite imaging spotted several vehicles docking with Gamma. It's too soon to tell if they are heading for D.C., but you need to come with the Secret Service underground. Your wife and children have already been moved there."

Henry says nothing and stares outside the window. "E.T.A.?", he asks.

"Within the hour, sir," the Chief of Staff replies, "Sir... I know you would be opposed to this... but, we need to consider taking extreme measures to destroy Gamma if our next offensive fails."

"Like what, exactly?", the President asks, looking over to the Chief of Staff.

"... Nuclear options, sir," he replies, barely able to say the words, knowing how grave the circumstances would be.

"I will _not_ use nuclear weapons on American soil," the President firmly answers, "And even if the human cost _was_ worth it... it wouldn't work. Gamma has radiation shielding and it can withstand a nuclear blast. We have to assemble more forces and hope we can destroy that thing before it's too late."

An odd period of silence passes until Henry answers, "I'll be down shortly. If Dr. Light calls, let me know immediately."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man chugs down an energy can as Dr. Light looks over the damage Mega sustained during battle. Aside from some minor blast marks on his chest and some scratches and dents, Mega appears to be healthy and is determined to re-enter battle with Wily and stop Gamma before it's too late.

"I could only get one clear shot on him," Mega says, "it was a fully charged blast, and it _still_ wasn't even enough to breach Gamma's armor. We shouldn't have hit him from the front, he saw us all coming."

"It's okay, Rock. You did your best," Thomas says.

"My best wasn't good enough," Mega says with anger in his voice, crushing the blue energy can in his hand and throwing it to the ground, "Wily's still on his way here now and I've got to stop him before more people die."

Mega Man gets up and says, "Rush, are you ready to move?"

Rush barks, telling Mega that he's ready.

Mega Man has much self-determination, but right now his family fears that he is _too_ determinated to take down Gamma and Dr. Wily.

"You're leaving now? Before we get the briefing?", an aghast Thomas asks as Roll watches this discussion nervously.

"I can't risk any more humans getting killed," Mega responds, "I have to stop this _now_."

"You can't take Gamma on alone, Mega!", Roll pleads.

Thomas adds, "Your sister is right. Wily will have all of Gamma's weapons trained on you, and you alone. You won't have any back-up... it would be suicide!"

Mega Man sighs and clinches his fists. He knows his family is right and that he would stand no chance at even coming close to Gamma, but he feels that every second that Gamma is under Wily's control is a failure of his duty as Defender of the Human Race.

"I always knew this project was a mistake," Mega admits, now looking up to his creator, "It should have never been made."

Thomas bows his head down and looks down at the titanium floor of the lab, knowing now that he has made a terrible mistake developing Gamma. He only hopes that his knowledge of this titanic robot can help Mega Man and the military destroy it.

"You were right, Rock," Thomas muses, "I should have listened to you."

"... yeah... you should've," Mega solemnly responds.

The lab's computer console beeps again, signaling that there is another call coming. It was President Henry, who is now in the underground bunker well underneath the White House.

_"Mega Man, are you alright?"_, he asks.

"I'm not missing any parts, sir," Mega replies.

_"Gamma is about to enter New York state. We will have a fighter squardron that is twice the size __as the previous mission there to help, should you accept participating in this mission."_

"I'll be there, Mr. President," Mega replies, without a hint of doubt in his voice, "Wily will want to take me out more than anybody else. I'll try to distract him and give the pilots as much of a clean shot at the reactor as I can."

_"Are you sure you want to risk yourself like this?"_, the President asks.

"I think it's the only choice we have right now, sir," Mega replies, realizing how difficult this mission will be.

The President nods. _"Thank you, Mega Man."_

The lab's emergency alarm blares at the same time the President's staff picks up Gamma's signal.  
>Thomas steps up to the computer console and brings up a live shot of something <em>very large<em> hovering over the state of New York.

"Gamma is entering New York," Thomas shudders as he looks at the live shot of Gamma arriving, getting ever closer to Dr. Wily's favorite target: New York City.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_During the scene with Mega and Proto atop of Gamma, I felt it was important to see Mega trying to reason with him, rather than just rushing in with blasters blazing like he is usually forced to do.  
>Also, I'm sorry if the San Francisco geography sounds a little incorrect to some of you readers.<em>

_I strongly considered having Gamma head to Washington D.C., but for story reasons, I had to stick with New York._

_Yes, I put a Star Wars reference in there ("Look at the size of that thing!"), I couldn't help it.  
>The way Dr. Wily says, "There he is!... there he is!" is a reference to Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan.<em>

_Please be sure to leave a review or comment._


	42. Victory at Last

_**Gamma, Chapter 5: Victory at Last.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<br>Approaching New York City.**

Dr. Wily sits at Gamma's command console and stares into the viewscreen at the sight of New York City on the horizon.

"And now the moment I've been waiting for," Albert says, his grin still wide on his old face, "My takeover of the world begins tonight. And I am going to defeat Mega Man in his own back yard!"

Albert was careful with his words (saying 'defeat' instead of 'destroy') because ProtoMan is standing next to him. But, if he is lucky, Wily _will_ destroy Mega Man in front of the world tonight.  
>He turns to ProtoMan and asks, "Are they ready?"<p>

ProtoMan nods.

"Good," Dr. Wily says, "Mega Man and all of his military friends are in for a big surprise! And afterwards, all the President's horses and all the Prime Minister's men won't be able to put the world back together again... without _me_, of course," Albert laughs.

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>****Albany, New York.**

Even though he should be underground right now, Governor George Cochran is staying in his office to manage the emergency that is about to hit his state. Being a man who served in the United States military in the last major war ever fought on this planet nearly 50 years ago, the Governor was not one to run and hide from a challenge, not when there's a fighting chance to win. He stays and fights.  
>And right now, he's staying, doing whatever he can to help.<p>

"I want every citizen off the streets," the Governor says into his phone, "only the National Guard and emergency personell are to be on these streets in case Wily brings an invasion team with him. Mega Man is going to be in the air trying to stop him, so we need all hands on the ground."

A member of the Governor's staff runs into the room. "Gamma's here, Mr. Governor! It's heading for the city," he says.

Cochran looks out his window in his office and puts down the phone, ignoring who he was just talking to as they too had gone silent. He walks towards the window and sees Gamma looming to the south of Albany, heading directly for the City.

He never thought he would see this day come, but it's happening right in front of his eyes.

"Don't let us down, boys," the Governor mutters, as if he was talking to both Mega Man and the brave men and women who are about to take to the air in the next attemt to stop Gamma.

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 7 studios.<strong>

Everybody is scattering in the building, trying to get to the lower levels, but Bree Recotta is currently on the roof with a camera crew who is catching a live shot of Gamma. Bree is not on the air right now, as anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Faulkenburg are broadcasting from the inside while the live shot of the _'peacekeeping'_ robot is being streamed on live television.  
>Bree is on the phone with her husband Max, who does not want her in danger like this.<p>

"Look, I don't want to be here either, but it's my job," Bree says into the phone, then awaits a reply, "... I know it's dangerous. And if things get out of hand, I'll take shelter."

Bree's husband knows by now that she won't do what she says she will, no matter how dangerous this situation gets. Afterall, this woman has remained on the air in the middle of a hurricane, while chasing tornadoes and dangerously close to several Dr. Wily-led attacks over the past few years (one of which she did get hurt, outside the Empire State Building.)

"... no, I'm serious, I'll take cover," Bree insists.

Then, her husband goes silent on the phone... because he sees what the whole world is seeing right now.

"Bree!", shouts the cameraman, "Look at this!"

Bree looks up and sees Dr. Wily's towering Gamma soaring over the city, looking about as large as the Empire State Building. Again, Gamma is flying overhead and not attacking anything... at least, not yet. But, it's appearance is awe-inspiring... and horrifying at the same time.

"Oh, my God!", Bree shudders as her brown eyes grow wide.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush soar out of Dr. Light's lab and towards Gamma again, hoping that this time they will get the job done. Mega stares ahead at the huge robot as it flies towards Liberty Island which is off the the distance in front of the darkening orange sky.<p>

"It's now or never, boy," Mega says to Rush, who barks back.

Not far behind them is a much larger assemblage of fighter jets and bombers, nearing two hundred aircraft in the air. And they aren't the only ones following Mega Man right now.

Mega Man hears a familiar engine sound behind him... "Don't tell me," he groans.

Mega looks over to his right and sees Roll catching up with him, operating her SkyCycle.

"Roll, what are you doing here?", Mega asks, sounding concerned (and a little shocked) to see her here about to enter this battle.

"You said you needed as much help as you can get," Roll answers as her blonde ponytail flaps behind her, "so, I'm here."

"This battle is too dangerous for you to be in!", Mega barks.

"But, you say that all the time!", Roll argues.

"Well, I _really_ mean it this time!", Mega urgently answers, "Roll, please listen to me. I wouldn't have a problem with you joining me, but you don't have any weapons that can fight this thing, and there's going to be weapons fire all over the place. You're going to get yourself killed!"

"But, what if you need to get inside?", Roll asks.

"It's not worth risking your life. I can handle it," Mega insists, "Please just stay home where it's safe."

"... Alright, fine," Roll sighs, giving up and backing away. But, as she eases down the speeds on her SkyCycle, she makes sure that she stays in the sky, not too far from Mega Man. Still as headstrong as ever.

_"Mega Man, come in,"_ says the wing commander for this mission, _"We're ready, when you are."_

"I'll get his attention. When he turns his back, fire everything you've got," Mega responds, charging up his blaster to full power again, not knowing that Roll is still nearby.

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma<strong>

Dr. Wily and ProtoMan stare at the viewscreen, which has a rear view of the peacekeeping robot, showing Mega Man and Rush fast approaching with Roll and two hundred planes not far behind him. Dr. Wily's hands hover over the controls as he stares.

"Mega Man's gaining on us," ProtoMan reminds.

"I know... I'm just waiting for the right time," Wily says, entering a command for Gamma's deadly plasma shot.

"So, that's why we're bypassing Liberty Island?", Proto asks, notcing that Gamma has just flown right past the Statue of Liberty, which was Dr. Wily's intented target.

"Yes, my boy... taking Mega Man out of much more important," Wily replies, still stareing at the viewscreen.

Proto has a bad feeling that Albert is going to do try to destroy his brother again and puts his right hand on the madman's left shoulder and squeezes it hard enough for Wily to take notice. "I'd hate to remind you again, but _don't_ forget our deal," Proto says in Albert's ear.

"Don't worry, Proto," the mad doctor insists, "All I need is one good shot... then, it's _your _responsibility."

Proto lets go of Dr. Wily's shoulder and stands with his arms crossed. "You better make sure the shot isn't _too good_," he adds.

"Proto... you had better hold on to something," Wily suggests, "We're about to U-Turn."

ProtoMan stands back and grabs ahold of another console behind Dr. Wily and watches what is about to happen.

Dr. Wily waits for just the right moment to strike as he sees Mega Man, Roll and the military support gets closer and closer...

"Goodbye, Mega Man," Wily mutters, entering a command into his console.

* * *

><p>Soon after Gamma passes the Brooklyn Bridge, the <em>'peacekeeping'<em> robot makes a sudden sharp 180 degree turn in mid-air and fires it's powerful plasma shot from it's mouth, directly at Mega Man.

"MOVE!", Mega yells down to Rush, who veers hard to the right, nearly making Mega Man lose his balance.

But despite Rush's attempt to get Mega out of danger, Gamma's shot just barely finds it's mark, striking Mega's left arm. Since Mega was still charging a blast, his arm explodes when it is blasted by Gamma's plasma shot, blowing almost all of it off and leaving a twisted stump of a shoulder, causing robot oil to leak out of what remains. The blast and the explosion from Mega's arm was so powerful, it knocked him off of Rush.

Rush also is grazed by Gamma's shot, which burns clean through the armor on his left legs, causing him to fall down to the river below with Mega Man.

Roll lets out a blood curdling scream of "NO!" with wide eyes as she watches her brother and Rush fall down towards the river.

Mega Man's and Rush's own painful screams cut the air as they plummet straight down into river near the Brooklyn Bridge, until both of their bodies hit the water, creating a huge splash... and hope for humankind drowns with them.

* * *

><p>Onboard Gamma, Dr. Wily laughs maniacally as ProtoMan watches with great apprehension as his brother Mega Man falls into the river. For the first time in his life, he worries whether or not Mega Man survived an attack from Dr. Wily. Sure, Mega Man has had a few close calls, but nothing like <em>this<em>.

"I got him! Mega Man is out of my way!", Wily cheers, "Now, let's make sure Little Sister runs home!"

Wily enters another command to switch to Gamma's array of laser cannons.

* * *

><p>Gamma now appears to focus on Roll and fires several shots from the laser cannons embedded in it's fingers.<p>

Roll veers the SkyCycle out of the way and lowers it down to the Brooklyn Bridge - the same one that was nearly cut down during the Cold Steel mission last year - barely avoiding being struck by Gamma's blasts.

Roll dives off of the SkyCycle as it skids accross the bridge, sparks shooting out from underneath, and runs for cover as Gamma continues it's barrage of fire in her direction. As Roll runs for her very life, Gamma's shots are getting closer and closer, blowing holes in the bridge itself.

Roll finally dives off of the side of the bridge and out of Gamma's sight, grabbing onto the side of the bridge itself with a plumber's snake in her ultility arm like it's a grappling rope and dangles from it, hiding from Gamma's sights.

* * *

><p>Back onboard Gamma, ProtoMan looks at the screen as Roll dives off of the bridge. He notices something when she jumps... "She didn't fall. She's still on the bridge," Proto says.<p>

"No matter, as long as she is out of our way," Wily happily says, still basking in the glow of defeating Mega Man, "Now, we have the intripid military to take care of."

"I'm going to go get her and my brother too," Proto says.

"NO!", Wily yells, "You'll get shot down by the military in an instant! Your siblings are not going anywhere, you can get them later."

"By then it might be too late!", ProtoMan argues.

"I've given you an order and you will follow it!", Wily snaps, pointing a finger directly at ProtoMan.

ProtoMan becomes frustrated as Wily turns back to his command console and presses the contact button. "Attention all robots," Albert barks, "It's time to attack!"

* * *

><p><em>"All contact with Mega Man has been lost!"<em>, the wing commander says, _"Mega Man is down. All wings, lock on target and fire at __will!"_

All of the jets begin open to fire on Gamma. But, Gamma fires back with a hail of laser fire, managing to destroy some of the missiles, but not all of them. The warheads from the allied military hit the front of Gamma, but do very little damage.  
>Then, two large doors open on Gamma's back and all of Wily's Skullkers, SkullCopters and Air Raiders fly out - all operated by Wily's Robot Masters - and swarm for the military like bees out of a hive.<p>

_"BOGEYS AT 12 '0'CLOCK!"_, shouts the wing commander, _"All wings break off and take evasive action!"_

The allied fighters split their formations, but are overwhelmed by the onslaught by Wily's forces as well as Gamma, which fires upon the military jets again.

"I've been waiting for the chance to spill blood today!" Metal Man rasps as he tightens his metallic fingers around the flight yoke of the SkullCopter he is flying and presses his thumbs down on the contols to fire upon the allied military forces.  
>Metal Man's first shot tears into the fuselage of a jet, destroying it.<p>

Meanwhile, Spark Man puts his Air Raider on autopilot and clashes his two silver lightning rod arms together and fires a large sphere of electricity towards another fighter, crippling it's systems and causing it to plummet out of control.

Gamma and Wily's robot army manage to take down nearly ten percent of the allied military forces in just one minute.

* * *

><p>Now that she is out of hiding, Roll watches in horror from the Brooklyn Bridge as Gamma and Wily's Robot Master army destroy jet fighters left and right near Liberty Island.<p>

She weeps not only for the terror that is unfolding before her eyes, but also for Mega Man and Rush, certain that they are gone too. What is especially disturbing is that everything that she and her family has fought for is all unravelling right in front of her... Dr. Albert Wily is winning.

"No!" she whimpers, "It can't end like this!"

Roll slumps down onto the surface of the bridge, unable to watch anymore.

Then, she hears the voice of Dr. Light coming from her communicator in her utility arm. _"Roll, are you alright?"_

Roll answers, "Dr. Light?"

_"You need to get back to the lab right away," _Thomas says with urgency, _"I'm still getting a signal __from your brother and Rush's tracking beacons deep in the river."_

"What?", Roll gasps, "You are?"

_"Hurry. We have to get him back before Wily can find him."_

Roll gets back to her feet and runs back to her SkyCycle, which now has major damage to the paint on it's bottom side, and hops back on, taking back off to Dr. Light's lab.  
>As long as Mega Man is still alive, there's still hope. That's why she has to hurry, because there's not much more time left.<p>

* * *

><p>Back in the middle of the battle, things are looking worse and worse. Nearly half of the allied forces have been taken down and several pilots can be seen parachuting down into the river ... meanwhile, Wily's army has yet to lose a single craft and Gamma is still too powerful. Gamma turns it's back to the fighting and flies towards Liberty Island again as the lopsided dogfighting rages on.<p>

Gamma lands on the island on it's feet and approaches the Statue of Liberty, New York's symbol of excellence and America's beacon of hope. Gamma himself is taller than Lady Liberty by several stories and the statue actually sways due to the earth-shaking magnitute of Gamma's footsteps.  
>Wily decides that instead of destroying the statue, he will stand Gamma directly in front of it.<p>

Wily purposely chose Liberty Island (and directly in front of the Statue of Liberty) as Gamma's prime landing zone to make the ultimate symbolic statement... Liberty is no more; Wily rules all.

* * *

><p>The dwindling fighter group has yet to retreat and the wing commander barks, <em>"All wings, hear this. <em>_We're running out of time... evade the emeny fighters and engage Gamma and try hit it's weak __area. Ignore Lady Liberty, nothing else matters but taking down this son of a bitch!"_

The allied fighters fly ahead at full throttle towards Gamma and Wily's Robot Masters follow them. They face a nearly impossible challenge as they are taking fire from from Wily's flying craft from the back and also targetted by Gamma in the front. Even more pilots get shot down by the Robot Masters as they head towards the large _'peacekeeping'_ robot.

There's one pilot who has an idea... and it might get him and his co-pilot killed, but as the wing commander says, nothing else matters right now.

Captain Carlos Almeida remembers his failed attempt at bombing Skull Fortress last year, when this terrible war began. He has been waiting for a chance to take him out ever since then, and now he has it... he also realizes that he should be careful what he wishes for, because this is much deadlier than a fortress.

"This bastard doesn't have any bomb jammers on it, so this should work," he says to his co-pilot directly behind him, "Arm the entire payload and keep them locked in place."

"Uh, Captain... are we kamikazeing this thing?", the co-pilot asks.

"Exactly... if we can survive the first pass," the Captain answers.

The bomber flies ahead at Gamma, evading the weapons fire coming from in front of him and behind. Gamma has taken notice of him by now and rears it's massive arms, about to strike.

The Captain pulls up and narrowly avoids being struck and nearly loses control of the plane, but he keeps it together and flies behind Gamma.

"I'm behind Gamma," Almeida says, "Everybody keep his attention, I'm bringin' him down now!"

The bomber soars ahead and then pulls a 180 and heads back for Gamma, preparing to take the death machine down. The target area was easy to spot: a large blast score that was left by Mega Man earlier today.  
>Captain Almeida wasn't a fan of robots a year ago, but after everything he's done to protect the world, Mega Man is a robot that he would take a bullet for if he had to. He hopes he can do Mega Man proud if he can pull this off.<p>

"Target in sight, prepare to eject!", Carlos says as he zooms ahead towards the center of Gamma's back at breakneck speed.

"Now!", he yells, as he and his co-pilot pull back on their ejection levers, blowing the top off of the plane and shooting them out.

The bomber flies ahead towards Gamma, fully armed. If this hits Gamma's back, it might be enough to compromise the hull and destroy the reactor... but, Gamma turns around and swats the plane with it's left hand, destroying the plane and badly damaging the left hand in the process.

"Dammit!", the Captain yells as he slowly parachutes to the ground.

Meanwhile, the remnant of the allied military begins to drop like flies when they are caught between Gamma and Wily's Robot Masters and are now outnumbered and nearly out of ammunition.

This battle is already lost, and it was lost the moment Mega Man was shot down by Gamma. There was only one thing to do now.

_"All wings, this is mission control. Abort the mission and get the hell out of there."_

All of the fighters turn around and begin flying away, but that does not stop some of Wily's more sadistic Robot Masters (like Metal Man) from pursuing them and firing upon them anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma Bridge.<strong>

Dr. Wily gets up from his seat behind the command console and steps around it, towards the viewscreen. He watches as the last remnants of resistance flee for their lives, chased away by his Robot Masters.

"This is the greatest day of my life!", he says in a whisper, "My conquest has begun at last! And Mega Man... is... GONE!"

"Not quite," ProtoMan says.

Wily turns around, expecting to hear bad news, because it is usually at times like this when Mega Man gets a second wind and foils his plan... but, unlike every other plan to overtake the world in the past year, that news wasn't coming this time.

"My brother's still alive, he's got to be," Proto says, "and according to the reading on this console, my sister fled during the battle. She's heading back to Light's lab, but I'm going to go get Mega Man before they can."

Albert's grin widens and he snaps his fingers, getting a wicked idea. "Get GutsMan and Cut Man and follow her in a Skullker, then bring her and Thomas back here. I want them out of my way."

"But, what about my brother?", Proto asks, annoyed.

"They will _lead you _to him, Proto,", Wily replies, "Now go!"

ProtoMan sighs and leaves the bridge, about to return to the lab where he was born to help complete this mission, and try and find his brother.

Meanwhile, Wily turns back to the screen and stares at the sight of the New York City skyline which is now under cover of night. "Liberty is dead," Albert laughs with a wretched smirk on his face, "All that remains is MY order!"  
>Wily enters a fit of holwing laugher as he clinches his fists victoriously.<p>

Dr. Wily has always wanted the world under his control... and it looks like it may actually happen this time, because Mega Man is out of commission.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Now that Mega Man and Rush are injured and the military doesn't stand a chance against Gamma, what is the world going to do now? D:_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment._


	43. Rescue Operation

**_Gamma, Chapter 6: Rescue Operation_**

* * *

><p><strong>White House.<br>Underground level.**

The mood in the underground bunker is very gloomy right now. Despite two massive operations that would have wiped out any other enemy force, Dr. Wily's Gamma is still fully functional and he now has a new foothold on the world. Things were bad enough when Wily had a base of operations in the badlands, but now he has the ultimate weapon and a robot army at his side. If he wants to wipe out a city, he now has the capability to make it so with Gamma's firepower.  
>To make matters worse, Mega Man was severely damaged by Gamma during the battle and is still missing.<p>

The President sits in his bunker office, with his head resting in his hands with his elbows on the desk in front of him. The Chief of Staff enters the office and says nothing... what is there to say?

Henry looks up to him and muses, "This world has faced evil tyrants and terrorsts for hundreds of years, and not one of them has managed to come as close to taking over the world as Wily has."

"What is our next recommended course of action, Mr. President?", asks the Chief of Staff.

"... I don't know, Alan," The President answers, "With Mega Man out of commission, this mission just became the most difficult in the world... but, we're going to fight like hell, until last every last drop of blood is gone from our body."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light has Roll's water-resistant red duffle bag and is loading it with a replacement left blaster arm for Mega Man. Roll is planning on swimming to the bottom of the river to recover Mega Man and Rush before ProtoMan and his buddies can get to him.

Roll returns from her room and enters the lab wearing her underwater diving suit, which is mostly red with traces of yellow and purple on the sides of the outfit. This suit more resembles a female gymnast's outfit, and the left sleeve of the suit is shorter than the right to allow Roll to use her utility arm.  
>This suit could have been useful during the Pfister Mining Company mission last year, if only she had thought to bring it with her.<p>

As Roll stuffs her normal yellow and red outfit in her bag, she asks Dr. Light, "Where are they?"

"Their signals are located near where they fell, just to the south of the bay bridge," Thomas answers, "They are at the bottom of the river and their signals are registering weak power levels, so you had best hurry. Eddie will join you."

Eddie sticks his body out of the top of Roll's duffle bag. "Eddie says it's a pretty tight fit in here," he says in his elfen voice.

Thomas adds, "You will need to meet with me back at our storage facility in Glendale."

"Why not here at the lab?" Roll asks.

"There's something back there that your brother might need to use against Gamma, and Wily and his robots might target the lab, so it's best that-"

The lab's intruder alert siren blares and everybody's attention turns to the computer screen, which displays one of Dr. Wily's Skullkers approaching the complex. They _are_ coming, but much too soon.

"What are we going to do now?", Roll frets.

Thomas runs over to a nearby table, grabbing a microchip. He also pulls the storage facility keycard out of his pocket. "You will need to go to the storage facility, Roll," Dr. Light responds, putting the card and the chip in her bag and zipping the bag shut, "On that microchip is repair instructions to fix Mega Man's and Rush's damage."

Roll notices that her father is putting the keycard in her bag after he said _he_ would go there. "But, what about you?", she worries.

"... I will stay here run interference," Thomas replies, knowing his fate.

Roll is stunned, almost unable to speak when she hears that her father plans on sacrificing his own well-being for her. Finally, she blurts, "No! I'm _not _leaving you here!"

Thomas grabs his daughter by her arms, urging her, "Roll, listen to me! All that matters right now is finding Rock and getting him repaired. He's the only one who can stop Wily."

"But, I don't want to you to die too!", Roll whimpers with a trembling lip.

"I won't, sweetheart," Thomas replies, "Now, please, go!"

Roll grabs her red bag and runs to the garage, and Thomas follows her. Once she enters the garage, Roll stops for a second and turns to face her father. "Dr. Light-,"

"You have to go, Roll. There's no time," Thomas urges.

"I just have to tell you... I love you, Daddy," she chokes.

"... I love you too, sweetheart," Thomas replies gently, knowing that they might never see eachother again.

Thomas presses the garage door button and the door lowers itself shut, seprating both father and daughter, possibly forever.

* * *

><p>The Wily Skullker blasts Dr. Light's lab's security systems which would normally prevent robots from invading the family's home and lands out front of the complex.<p>

ProtoMan, GutsMan and Cut Man exit the shuttle and run towards the front door of the house adjoining the lab. GutsMan leads the charge, taking his huge fist and plowing through the door.

ProtoMan then leads the way, walking through Dr. Light's house and towards the lab area with his blaster at the ready. "Don't kill _anybody_. That's an order," Proto sternly orders, "I'll deal with them myself."

* * *

><p>Making sure that he covers for Roll as she leaves, Thomas pulls his lab computer's main drive out of the compartment it is stored in underneath the console. He then disconnects it and grabs a magnetic devise and sticks it to the side of the drive. This device then erases the entire drive, making sure that all data that could reveal Mega Man's, Rush's or Roll's whereabouts are deleted.<p>

Then, GutsMan pounds through the door of the lab after punching it several times with his massive fists.

ProtoMan walks in with Cut Man behind him and he points to Dr. Light. "Grab him," he orders as he looks around for Roll.

Thomas puts his hands up as GutsMan and Cut Man - two of his own creations - step up to thier true inventor. Cut Man grabs a hold of Dr. Light's arms. "Eh-Heh, I got him, ProtoMan!", he says.

Proto continues looking around and sees no trace of his sister. He then runs to the garage area and opens the door, seeing that only two vehicles are there: the red SkyCar and Roll's SkyCycle. The Air Raider that was taken from Wily last year is gone.

Proto returns to the lab and storms towards Dr. Light. Since the computer is destroyed and they can't trace where she's going, Proto decides to interrogate his co-creator.  
>ProtoMan still believes Wily's lies about Thomas being responsible for the pain he endured on the first night he was alive over a year ago, so it is not too difficult for Protoman to conjure up some anger towards his former creator.<p>

"Where did my sister go?", he asks, his usual cool attitude replaced with an angry scowl.

Thomas doesn't answer Proto, refusing to reveal his daughter's location. Instead, he tries to talk to him. "What happened to you, Blues?", Thomas asks.

Proto grows angrier and grabs Thomas by the lapels of his lab coat and now yells in his face, "WHERE DID SHE GO?"

"I never built you to be like this," Thomas says, again, not telling him about Roll.

"Fine. You won't answer me, so I'll find out for myself," Proto says walking back to the garage.

"No!", Thomas yells, trying to breaks free from Cut Man's grip.

"Take him back to Gamma," ProtoMan orders, "I'm going after my sister."

As GutsMan and Cut Man haul Thomas away, ProtoMan returns to the garage and slams his right forearm into the driver's side windshield of the family's red SkyCar and unlocks it from the inside.  
>Proto then gets inside and rips the neck of the steering wheel off and pulls out the ignition wires and hotwires the car by hand. The wires spark when they touch and ProtoMan twists them together. Once he hears the engine come to life, ProtoMan peels out of the garage and pursues Roll.<br>If she's anything like him, she's probably returning to the bay bridge where their brother was shot down earlier... he would too if he was in her shoes.

Proto knows that all he has to do is capture them both and his job is complete... he will finally win this war and have his siblings at his side. He just needs to get to Mega Man before Roll does.

* * *

><p>Operating the Air Raider as it flies out towards the bay bridge, Roll feals a whirlwind of emotions. She knows that Dr. Light has sacrificed his saftey for her and Mega Man. She doesn't know if she'll ever see him again and she can't get her mind off of what Wily's robots might be doing to him right now. She can feel tears running down her face as the winds blows against her, but she wipes them away. She doesn't have time to focus on him right now, even though it is haunting her, because all that matters is getting back Mega and Rush. But, she knows she can't do this alone, especially if Wily's robots come after her... which unfortunately is about to happen.<p>

Roll looks down at the dashboard and sees a shot from the rear view cam behind the Air Raider, showing the red SkyCar and Wily's Skullker off in the distance. She knows that Dr. Light is not driving the SkyCar and that it was hijacked.

Driving with her left hand, Roll presses her contact button on her utility arm, calling the hotline to New York Police.

_"Aye, what is it?"_, answers Chief Montgomery Toombs, who is up to his neck in calls right now and doesn't know who is on the other end.

"Chief, it's Roll, Dr. Light's daughter," Roll says.

_"You're okay?", _he asks, suddenly sounding even more alert,_ "Is Mega Man okay?"_

"Mega's hurt, but I'm about to go find him," Roll replies, "I'm being chased by Wily's robots."

_"Tell me what ya' need, lass!",_ Toombs asks.

"Have some of your officers meet us at the Brooklyn Bridge park, near the river," Roll responds before being rocked as Wily's Skullker fires upon the Air Raider, striking it's engines. The ship rocks and an alert siren goes off. Roll's panicked eyes look down to see the words **"Engine critical, abandon craft"** on the screen.  
>"They're coming after me! Please, you have to help us!", Roll cries out.<p>

Roll desperately tries to regain control of the Air Raider as it flies closer to the river.

* * *

><p>"Careful, you idots!", ProtoMan yells from the SkyCar, "I said fire a warning shot. Don't shoot her down!"<p>

_"Oooops! Sorry, ProtoMan, Eh-heh, eh-heh,"_ Cut Man apologizes, insincerely.

ProtoMan slams his large red foot on the ignition pedal and tries to race closer to Roll, whose Air Raider is now on fire from the Skullker's shot as she flies over the river towards the bay bridge.

"Why hasn't she abondoned that thing?", Proto says, then growls into his communicator, "If she blows up, I'm gonna destroy both of you scrap heaps."

* * *

><p>Roll unzips Eddie from her bag. "Eddie, we're about to go diving! Hang on tight!", she says, as she straps the duffle bag to her back. Roll grabs Eddie and puts him under her right arm and climbs out of the Air Raider in mid air.<br>The flying craft explodes seconds later as Roll falls down towards the river. She dives in feet first and immediately switches her utility arm to Fan Mode and uses it to propell herself and Eddie down towards Mega and Rush.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan parks the SkyCar at the edge of the last street before the river begins and the Skullker lands right next to him. Proto stares ahead at the flaming remains of the Air Raider as it crashes into the river. He knows that Roll is okay, he saw her jump out.<p>

Proto replays the moment back in his mind and studies it... Roll looked different. First she had a red bag on her back...also, she wasn't wearing that yellow and red stuff she usually wears, she was wearing a swimsuit of some kind. Proto assesses that she was fully prepared to recover Mega Man herself.

"Just as I thought she would," Proto smirks, "Thank you, sis. You just made my job a little easier!"

_"ProtoMan, whatta we do?"_, GutsMan asks back in the Skullker.

"Take Light back to Gamma," Proto responds, climbing over the guard barrier protecting meant to protect motorists from driving into the river, "I'm going after my siblings. Call Wily right now and have him send his underwater robots for backup."

As the Skullker takes off, ProtoMan dives into the river head first and swims after Roll.

* * *

><p><strong>Underwater.<strong>

With Eddie in her right arm, Roll propells herself down towards the bottom of the river where Mega Man and Rush are right now. Roll can hear their signals _pinging_ in her head as she homes in on their location.

As she gets closer, the pinging sound becomes more rapid and her visual circuits can sense traces of robot oil in the water closeby. Shortly thereafter, she sees them both lying there.  
>Once she is close enough, Roll switches off her fan and swims towards them.<p>

Rush perks up when he sees Roll and Eddie heading his way. His damage is minor, thankfully, but he is too weak to transform into a vehicle.

Mega Man, on the other hand, looks really bad. Most of his left arm is entirely gone, all the way up to his shoulder and only twisted metal and wires remain. Traces of oil still leaks from the remnant of his arm. Also, his chest and left leg armor appears to have been scorched from the explosion of his blaster being shot.

Roll arrives to her brother and shakes him. Mega's eyes barely open and he looks up to see her over him. Eddie swims over and pops an energy can to Mega. This can has a sipping apperatus that can allow Mega to injest the fluid underwater.  
>Last year under this very bridge when Mega Man was in bad shape, Eddie gave him a can with baby bottle's nipple on it... it was quite embarassing.<p>

Roll catches it and puts it in Mega's mouth. Mega drinks the liquid, allowing him to regain energy, but Mega immediately winces in pain as he feels his injuries.

Eddie pops Rush some battery biscuits as Roll tries to help Mega Man up... then, trouble arrives.

Roll and Mega look up to see three Robot Masters swimming in their direction: Bubble Man, Dive Man and Wave Man, all of them built for underwater attacks. Roll looks to her side and can also see ProtoMan not too far either.

Roll motions to Rush. Rush transforms to one of his underwater vehicle forms. It hurts him to do it because of the damage he has sustained, but he pulls it off. Mega and Roll quickly get on and Eddie jumps inbetween them and Rush takes off.

ProtoMan angrily motions to the underwater Robot Masters to follow them. The three of them follow the heroes along with ProtoMan.

Dive Man - the largest of the three underwater Robot Masters - fires one of his torpedoes from atop his head. The torpedo follows Rush and gains on him.

With Roll holding him, Eddie flips his head open and fires off an energy can at the torpedo. The torpedo targets the can and explodes when it hits, buying our heroes more time.

Proto ferociously swims ahead of the trio and fires his plasma blaster, making sure not to do any more serious damage to his targets, but Rush evades the shots as they near the surface.

* * *

><p><strong>Brooklyn Bridge Park.<strong>

Rush rises above the water with Roll, Eddie and the injured Mega Man. Thier bodies are all soaked and and dripping water, and Roll's usually vabriant ponytailed hair is now flat from being saturated by the water and she shifts her bangs out of her eyes with her hands so she can see.

"Hurry, everybody! Follow me," Roll says as Rush transforms into his standard form and Roll helps Mega by holding him up on his right side.

As they run away, Wily's robots rise to the surface to and continues the pursuit.

Mega Man weakly yelps, "They're gaining on us."

"Don't worry, I've got this," Roll replies, as she switches over to vacuum mode. She leans down and picks up a rock on the ground via her vacuum, which gets wedged in the attatchment. Then, she switches to reverse and fires the rock in Dive Man's direction as he prepares to fire another torpedo (although it probably would not work, seeing as torpedoes are not airborne projectiles... Dive Man isn't too smart.)

The rock sticks in Dive Man's launcher on top of his head as Dive Man fires the torpedo, almost causing his head to explode. ProtoMan, Wave Man and Bubble Man are knocked back into the water from the explosion, buying Mega Man and his family more time, which has become crucial.

* * *

><p>Mega Man, Roll, Rush and Eddie run up to the spot where Roll told the police to pick them up here in the park, and they see two crusiers parked there with there lights on.<p>

Chief Toombs himself made the trip with several PoliceBots and stand outside with weapons at the ready.

"Get in here now, lads!", he yells, waving them to get in his car. Rush and Eddie dive in the back seat as Roll helps Mega Man inside.

"I detect three incoming hostiles, Chief!" says a PoliceBot, as ProtoMan, Bubble Man and Wave Man come into view.

"OPEN FIRRRRRRE!", Toombs shrieks, aiming a rifle in each hand at the hostiles along with the PoliceBots, who aim their weapon arms at them as well.

The police opens fire on ProtoMan, Bubble Man and Wave Man... but, they have an advantage now. Toombs and the officers are all armed with the new Plasma Bolt ammunition.

The plasma bolts strike ProtoMan's armor, making deep indentations and burns on him. Proto yells in pain and he takes cover.  
>Bubble Man and Wave Man try to stay and fight as they shot-up by the police, the plasma bolts soon ripping through their armor and seriously damaging them as they fall down.<p>

"Let's get the hell outta here!", Toombs yells as he runs back into his car.

As the police cruisers drive away, ProtoMan calls back to Wily. "They've got the police helping them now," ProtoMan says, "They're getting away. We need air support!"

_"Coming right up, my boy!"_ Albert responds, about to send help.

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York.<strong>

The two police cruisers that picked up Mega Man and his family speed down the streets with their lights off to not attract attention. Mega Man, Roll, Rush and Eddie are in the back of the Chief's car, which is leading the way.

"There's a storage facility in Glendale, Dr. Light said we have to go there," Roll says, giving the Chief the address.

"Gotcha, lass," Toombs says, turning to the Policebot driving the car, "Follow her directions."

"Yes, sir," replies the Policebot.

But, as the police cruisers speed to the facility, more trouble is on the way.

Mega Man looks over his shoulder and sees two SkullCopters, another Skullker and Gyro Man flying above them.

"There's more of them," Mega says, fighting off the pain, "They're in the air!"

The Chief looks at the car's dashboard console and sees them coming. "Son of a!", he yells, "It's a good thing I came preapred for it!"

Toombs pulls a missile launcher out from between the front seats and lowers his window. "Ya' never wanna leave home without one!", he says.

* * *

><p>High above in the sky, two SkullCopters opperated by Ring Man and Crash Man fly alongside Gyro Man (who is an flight-based robot, so he is flying on his own) and the Skullker, operated by ProtoMan along with Metal Man and Ice Man, who has not been involved in any missions since the New York Glacier thanks to his betrayal of Dr. Wly.<p>

"I saw Mega Man and Roll get into the car with that Scottish guy from the police," ProtoMan says, "_Don't _destroy that car. I want them alive."

"Is that what Wily says, or what _you_ say?", Metal Man asks in his raspy voice, preferring to kill the Lights and quench his desire to make them bleed.

"It's what _I_ say! You got a problem with that?", replies an annoyed ProtoMan.

"I will obey, _only_ because Wily told me to follow your orders," Metal Man rasps.

* * *

><p>The cruisers speed in the streets as the spotlights from Wily's Skullker shines down on them.<p>

The Chief's car is in front; his escort is in the back. The Policebots stick their bodies out the windows of the rear car and open fire on Wily's forces with their upgraded Plasma bolts.

Some of the shots strike the Skullker, and crack the windwhield. ProtoMan replies by opening fire upon the police cars, using the shuttle's side-mounted blasters (the same ones that killed poor Doc the Met.)

The shots miss, just barely, and Crash Man gets an idea. "This is gettin' boring," Crash Man says, "It's time for things to heat up!"

Crash Man aims his right launcher arm at the cars and fires a Crash Bomb at them. The bomb connects to the rear car, sinking it's grapple teeth into the chassis.

A second later, the car explodes, destroying all of the Policebots inside with it.

"Damn you!", Chief Toombs shouts, sticking his body out the window of his car and aiming the missile launcher at Crash Man's Skull Copter. He fires at Crash Man and the missile zooms directly for him. Crash Man jumps out of the SkullCopter as the Chief's shot hit it, causing it to explode. Crash Man escaped in time and survived, but he falls in the middle of the street, shattering the pavement when he hits it.

"They're gonna keep follwing us. We've gotta trick 'em," Toombs says, "50, contact the closest unit 'n have 'em meet us under the freeway overpass comin' up!"

"Yes, sir," replies VH-50.

* * *

><p>"He's got a damn missile launcher!" ProtoMan gasps, "We'd better stay clear until we get a clear shot."<p>

"No!", Metal Man argues, "We could lose them!"

"I don't want Wily electrocuting me anymore! We've gotta go after 'em," Ice Man agrees.

"Don't worry, boys, I'll get 'em!", Gyro Man says, swooping down towards the remaining car with their targets inside.

* * *

><p>Roll looks out of the rear window and sees Gyro Man (former member of Cold Steel) heading in this car's direction. Chief Toombs tries to get a shot with the missile launcher, but he can't.<p>

"He's too close," he shouts.

"I'll get him," Mega moans, still with much self-determination despite his severe damage.

"No, Mega, stay down," Roll replies, "I can take him."

Gyro Man lands on the back of the cruiser and powers down his chopper blades on his back as Roll sticks most of her body out of the rear passenger side window and grabs Gyro Man's attention.

"Well if it isn't Cold Steel's Number 1 fan. And might I say, I dig that new outfit", he says, coyly commenting on Roll's diving suit.

"Dig _THIS_!" she shouts, aiming her utility arm at him and shooting a cable with a hooks on it that pierce Gyro Man's armor.

"Ouch! What are you doing, you little-", he begins, before Roll interrupts him by tazing him, shooting several jolts of electricity into his circuits and causing him to shake uncontrollably until he falls off the car and into the street.  
>Roll disconnects the tazer cable from her arm and gets back inside. Since the tazer was one of her own modifications she made to her utility arm recently, she can make a new one.<p>

"Chief, Unit 60 is awaiting under the freeway overpass," VH-50 the Policebot says.

Toombs gets back inside and talks to the Lights. "When I say go, we've gotta get you out."

"Why?", Roll asks.

"You're switchin' cars. We'll trick 'em into thinkin' you're with us, but you'll be makin' clean getaway," Toombs explains.

* * *

><p>A minute later, the Chief's cruiser arrives to the freeway overpass to meet with the closest availible unit, which happens to be Officer Lynn Wersching and QN-60. Lynn stands outside as the Chief's car pulls up and she opens her rear door, helping Mega Man and his family get in her car.<p>

Toombs tells Lynn and 60, "Don't leave until you see Wily's group flying past. Don't stick around and check up on me. Mega Man's gonna give you an address, so take 'em there."

"Got it," Lynn says and she and Roll help Mega Man get inside and as The Chief and VH-50 leave.

Lynn can hear the familiar sound of the Skullker flying over head. She stands and watches as the shuttle and the SkullCopter go after her boss' car.

"He's not gonna make it!", she frets.

"Lynn, you're disobeying the Cheif's orders. We must leave," 60 says.

Lynn gets in back in the car and QN-60 drives The Lights away in the opposite direction, away from danger.

* * *

><p>"We don't have time for this!", ProtoMan spits, powering-up the Skullker's primary weapon, located in the jaws of the ship.<p>

He carefully aims it so that the chances of any casualties taking place are very low.

ProtoMan fires the blast, which barely grazes the side of Chief Toombs car and explodes on the asphalt beside it, knocking the car over on it's top, causing it to skid out of control.

"Got 'em!", Proto cries out, clinching his fist.

The Skullker and the SkullCopter land on the street and all of the Robot Masters pile out and stalk the crashed polce cruiser.

VH-50 staggers out of the car, but Metal Man flings his Metal Blade at him. The blade slices deep into the PoliceBot's chest and ProtoMan blasts him, causing the PoliceBot to fall to thepavement. But, since his memory core is still intact, he will survive.

Chief Toombs barely tries to get out of the wrecked car as blood trickles down his face.

"I'll deal with him," Proto says, "Check the car and see if my brother and sister are alright."

Ice Man runs over to the crashed car and looks inside, finding no trace of Mega Man or the Lights. "They're not in there," Ice Man replies.

"What?", an annoyed ProtoMan asks.

"Look for yourself, they're gone!", Ice Man responds.

"He's not lying, man," Ring Man adds.

Proto turns to Chief Toombs and decides to ask him, in his own way.

Toombs reachs for his gun, but ProtoMan slaps it away and grabs him by his jacket, picking him up high in the air with one hand. "Where did Mega Man and Roll go?", he asks, menacingly.

"Go to hell!", Toombs replies.

"Let's try this again," Proto says, drawing his blaster and aiming it for the Chief's head, "Where... did... they... go?"

Chief Toombs replies his own way... by spitting a bloody wad of saliva in ProtoMan's visor. "Screw you!", he yells.

ProtoMan tosses Toombs away, causing him to land hard on his side on the street as he yells in pain from the landing.

"You take him back to Gamma," ProtoMan says, "We've got more leverage now."

"What about you?", Metal Man asks as he places his Metal Blade back on his forehead, now stained with robot oil.

"I'm gonna try and find my siblings, _that's_ what. Can't do that at Gamma," Proto snaps back.

As Metal Man, Ice Man and Ring Man pick up Chief Toombs and take him back to the Skullker, ProtoMan remains standing in the middle of the street. "Well, time to break the good news," Proto sarcastically says to himself.

"It's Proto," he says, pressing his communication button.

_"And?"_, Wily asks, expecting ProtoMan to inform him that Mega Man has been captured.

"They got away," Proto replies.

_"... He got _away_?" _, Dr. Wily complains, _"How the hell did he get away?"_

"They were in the police car when we started chasing them, then they just disappeared," ProtoMan answers, then stops when he arrives to the freeway overpass where the switch took place.

"Wait a minute... I found something," he says, crouching down and spotting a drop of dark liquid and wiping it up with his finger.

"What is it?", Albert asks.

"... My brother's blood," Proto responds, spotting drops of Mega Man's oil on the ground, _"_They must've bailed out underneath this freeway overpass... but, this is the only trace of it I can find."

_"I know that Mega Man is not as much of a threat, given his current condition. And we do have Thomas captive,"_ Wily says, _"but, I'm not taking any chances. I want you to keep looking for any trace of Mega Man or his family that you might find. I've come too far for that blue bastard to destroy things again!"_

"Trust me, I'll be looking," ProtoMan replies, "But, I'll need more back-up."

_"You'll have it, just find him!"_, Albert orders, _"Once Thomas gets here, I will try to get the information from him personally."_

ProtoMan stares at the drop of his brother's oil on his finger and thinks to himself, wondering how his siblings could have disappeared so easily.

Proto looks at the ground asphalt and tries to spot any more traces of his brother's oil. He doesn't find it, but what he does detect via his visual circuits is a trace of exhaust going in the opposite direction from where they came.

"They switched cars," ProtoMan surmises.

ProtoMan ponders to himself, considering that maybe his siblings are being taken to the underground Police Station in Times Square for protection. As easy as that conclusion sounds, Proto rules it out. The police station is well fortified, especially after the Times Square attack last year, but it's still a prime target. If he was Mega Man, he would want to lay low at a place nobody would think he would be... but, Proto doesn't know where that place would be.

"Where are you, little brother?", Proto says to himself.

* * *

><p><strong><em>More Author's notes:<em>**

_I added Roll's underwater suit because I wondered why she didn't have an underwater outfit in the 20,000 Leaks Under the Sea episode, yet Dr. Light did. So, since she was required to dive for Mega and Rush, she should dress appropriately.  
>Speaking of Roll, with Mega Man temporarilly incapacitated for most of this chapter, I felt that now was the time for Roll to step up and show just how important she is to this team (and show her kicking butt.)<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or comment._


	44. Damage Control

_**Gamma, Chapter 7: Damage Control.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<strong>

Dr. Wily paces the floor of the bridge impatiently. The fact that Mega Man is not dead is driving him crazy... or, _more_ crazy than he already is.

"If word gets out that Mega Man is still alive, the people of the world might not take my conquest seriously," Wily says to himself, "So, I need to quell whatever hope they may have _now_ and let everybody know that _I_ am in charge. But, how can do that?... the image of Gamma occupying New York has alreay burning into people's minds from staring at their television sets like mindless zombies..." Wily snaps his fingers. "That's it! I will use the media!"

Albert contacts GutsMan and Cut Man, who are returning to Gamma with Dr. Light. "GutsMan, how is our prisoner doing?", he asks of Dr. Light.

_"He ain't puttin' up a fight! He knows better! HA-HA!"_, GutsMan answers with a laugh.

"Good. Once you bring him back here, I'll need you and Cut Man to perform one more task for me," Dr. Wily says, "The media has painted me to be a fool and a madman while heaping prise upon Dr. Light and Mega Man for too long. I think it's time for them to give me equal air time."

_"Uh... what does that mean?" _, GutsMan asks.

Albert groans at GutsMan's stupidity. "Let me make it simple, so that even _you_ can understand. There's a reporter in this state who frequently covers our missions," he replies, "I want you to bring her to Gamma so that she can interview a _real _newsmaker... and she can cover my takeover of New York City and the world!"

_"I think it's that Cheese Woman who always shows up," _Cut Man says, _"Don't worry, Dr. Wily, __we'll get her."_

"Make it quick," Wily says, "We're approaching the prime time hour and I want as many eyes as possible watching this."

Wily cuts off the communication and then gets another repulsive idea... Albert sits back down at his command console and cycles through a list of contacts that are built into Gamma's memory banks, including emergency hotlines to all of the leaders of the world, including the President of the United States.

Albert contacts the U.S. President and awaits his response. The wait is unually long, most likely because they are in shock that Albert wants to_ talk _with them, rather than attack.

Finally, a live video feed of President Henry appears on the viewscreen in front of Albert. _"What do you want?"_, the President asks flatly.

"Good evening, Mr. President," Wily says with his sinister smile, "I hope today's events have not been too... tragic."

_"You are responsible for the deaths of nearly one hundred brave men and women, not just from __our military, but those of Canada and Mexi-"_

"Yes, I'm well aware, Mr. Henry, but that's not what I'm calling about," Wily says, "I'm contacting you to negotiate the terms of your surrender."

The President looks angered at the implication that his country would dare surrender to this madman. _"The United States will never surrender to a terrorist, especially you!" _Henry angrily repsonds.

Wily chuckles, "Because you still think Mega Man is going to save you, is that right?" Albert leans forward in his chair and hisses, "Mega Man is _dead_! And Dr. Light is now my prisoner onboard Gamma!"

Dr. Wily can see a slight change in President Henry's expression once he hears Wily's lie about Mega Man being dead.

"Yes, Mr. President... your defender is gone!", Albert grins with a manacing tone in his old ragged voice, "You and all of the other nations of the world don't stand a chance. Gamma can wipe out all of your military forces, as you just witnessed. Nobody can stop me... Ss, I am offering you the chance to surrender... and it is an offer that will help save lives. I suggest you accept and show your fellow nations that _my way_ is the only way. If you do, I will spare as many lives as I can when claim the United States as mine."

The President takes a deep breath and reiterates, _"As I said before, the United States will never negotiate with a terrorist. We will fight you until every last drop of our blood is spilled."_

"_Spilling blood_, you say?... I can arrange that!", Wily snaps with a dark glee in his face, "Gamma has enough firepower to bombard an entire city. If you do not surrender, I will begin with New York City! So, sit back and watch!"

_"Dammit, Wily! Do you realize what you would be doing?", _The Prsesident yells, "_You will be killing many innocent people, including children!"_

Dr. Wily cuts off the call and enters a command in the command console, powering-up Gamma's weapons and taking aim at New York City straight ahead. "I know exactly what I'm doing," he mutters to himself with chuckle.

If he wants to, Dr. Wily can level the entire city. Albert's finger hovers over the **"fire"** button, ready to press it and destroy all of Manhattan... but, he thinks about what he's about to do. Much like he did a year ago when this war began, Wily thinks to himself that it would be best to minimize the bloodshed (for now, at least) and use _fear_ as his weapon. Surely, the little whisper in Wily's head must be having a fit in there. While Albert decides against massacreing the city, he still decides to show Mr. President how serious he is.

Wily enters a new command, then presses **"fire."**

* * *

><p>Gamma opens it's mouth and fires it's yellow plasma beam ahead at the Wall Street district. The blast hits five skyscrapers and blows their top halves clean off. The blast is so powerful, several other building nearby are damaged. Thankfully, all of these buildings were evacuated before Gamma arrived, so there were no casualties, but Dr. Wily's message has been sent... Wily rules all.<p>

* * *

><p>After he powers down Gamma's deadly plasma beam, Wily contacts The President again. Henry's face re-appears on the viewscreen, and he appears to have grown even angrier now that Wily has scarred New York City yet again.<p>

"I trust those buildings were evacuated?", Wily grins.

_"They were,"_ The President answers, _"Don't do that again."_

"You are not in a position to boss me around anymore," Wily snickers," Now, as your new ruler, I am going to gave you a command, and if you don't want another massacre on your hands, you will do as I tell you. I do not want any military presence within a 25 mile radious of Gamma, at least not without my permission. If I see even_ one_ thing appear on our radar that I don't approve of... I will press this button again, and I'll bring _all_ of New York down next time, including residential areas!"

The President's face nearly changes colors as Wily continues, "Oh, yes! Whole cul de sacs, appartment complexes, trailer parks, you name it... all gone! All I have to do is press this button," Wily says as his index finger rubs the edges of the **'fire'** button in a circle, "And the blood will not be on _my_ hands, Mr. President... it will be on _yours_!"

* * *

><p><strong>Glendale, New York.<strong>

The Police cruiser carrying Mega Man and his family is on it's way to the storage facility that Dr. Light has here in Glendale.  
>Officer QN-60 is driving them there while Officer Wersching looks out of her window and looks at Gamma opening fire upon Manhattan off in the distance.<p>

Mega Man and Roll hear the sound of Gamma's plasma weapon in the distance and look as well. Roll gasps as Mega hangs his head down, wishing he could have stopped this.

"My God, what the hell is that?", Lynn asks.

"It's a trillion-dollar mistake," Mega replies, still in pain as a towel is now wrapped around what's left of his arm to soak up his oil, "And I've got to stop it."

"How are you going to do it?" Lynn asks, "You're in no condition to fight _that_ thing."

"I will be soon. Wily's gonna pay for this," Mega replies, still dead-set on stopping Wily and Gamma before it's too late.

The cruiser arrives to the main gate of the storage facility and the gate is locked shut and a security robot approaches the cruiser. "Identification, please," he says.

"Officer QN-60, New York Police Department, requesting emergency access to the facility," Lynn's policebot partner replies.

"Access granted, Officer," replies the securitybot and the cruiser drives inside and searches for Dr. Light's facility.

"Dr. Light's storage facility is facility #14," Roll says.

"There it is, 14," Lynn says, pointing it out.

The cruiser parks in front of the large structure and everybody gets out. Roll and QN-60 help Mega Man and Rush out while Lynn watches the surrounding area for any sign of hostiles. "I don't see them anywhere around, we lost them. Let's hurry up and get inside," Lynn says.

Mega Man grunts in pain as he walks out, still hurting badly from the encounter with Gamma.

"Don't worry, Mega, we'll get you patched up soon," Roll says as the group approaches the door to the facility.

Roll pulls her red bag off of her back and opens it, pulling out the keycard to gain access inside. Roll runs it through the scanner and the door unlocks.

As everybody enters the facility and as Roll locks the door, Mega asks his sister an important question. "Where's Dr. Light?"

"Wily's robots attacked home. Dr. Light was supposed to come here and meet with us, but... he stayed behind so we could escape," Roll chokes.

"He's still alive, I'm sure. He's probably onboard Gamma," Mega says.

Like Roll, he knows what Dr. Wily is capable of. While he probably won't kill him (at least not right away,) he might try to hurt their father to get information out of him. Mega was careful not to say that out loud, because he knows that Roll would get worried. She's had enough heartache losing Doc and she doesn't deserve anymore, and neither do any of Dr. Wily's victims.

The group continues to walk through the massive facility, which is nearly the size of a warehouse and has several of Dr. Light's inventions stored everywhere.

"We should be safe here," Mega Man says to Lynn and QN-60, "Dr. Light has a group of defense robots around here somewhere."

The group arrives to a room nearby which is basically a smaller version of the lab back home. complete with a worktable, repair supplies and a computer station. Dr. Light had made sure that he had a secondary lab to work in, in case of an emergency.

Mega Man steps over to the worktable and lies down on it as Roll opens her bag again and removes the microchip containing the repair instructions for Mega and Rush, as well as Mega Man's replacement left arm.  
>Roll can tell just by looking at him that Mega is very weak right now, despite an energy refill from Eddie. Roll looks down and sees that the towel wrapped around Mega Man's arm is nearly soaked with his oil, and it looks like he has lost a lot of it.<p>

"You need oil, bad" she shudders.

"At least there's plenty of it here," Mega replies.

"Yeah... I'll, uh, get to work on repairing you right now," Roll nervously, unsure if she can handle the stress of having to operate on her own brother.

"Ma'am," QN-60 says, stepping up to Roll, "In the interestest of time in this situation, as well as your emotional status, I recommend that I perform Mega Man's repairs personally. I can download the repair instructions into my memory."

"... okay, here," Roll says, handing the Policebot the chip.

60 inserts the chip into an expansion slot on his arm and downloads the instructions. "Download complete. I will begin repairs immediately," he says, walking towards the repair equipment nearby.

Lynn removes the oil-soaked towel from Mega's shoulder and Roll trembles. The sight of her own brother in this condition is very bothersome (and if she was a human, she would be sick right now.)

Mega knows how uncomfortable his sister gets when it's time for extensive repair work to be done on him, and he turns to her. "You might want to leave the room for a few minutes, Roll."

"Yeah... I can't watch," Roll quivers and leaves, taking her standard cream yellow and red outfit with her so she can change out of her underwater suit.

"Mega Man," 60 says, "I recommend that I shut you down for your repair process."

"No," Mega answers, "I've gotta stay awake in case something happens."

"Then, the repair process will most likely hurt," the Policebots advices.

"If it hurts, it can't be as bad as getting shot by Gamma," Mega replies.

"If you insist," 60 responds.

Lynn is kneeling down beside Rush who is still whimpering from his damage and she rubs his head. She looks up to her partner as he prepares to work on Mega Man and asks him, "You _do_ know what you're doing, right?".

QN-60 looks to her and replies matter-of-factly, "... I do _now_."

* * *

><p><strong>Cossack Family Citadel.<strong>

The sun still has not risen in Russia, but it is now morning. Like everybody else in the world, Dr. Mikhail Cossack is watching the progress on Dr. Wily's occupation of New York.

As he watches the shots of the monsterous Gamma towering over the Statue of Liberty and opening fire upon all of New York City, he wants to curse his nation and all of the others helped fund the creation of something like this. From the moment Mikhail heard of it, he felt that Gamma was too much of a gamble to take and could be a potential burden... or a threat.  
>He was right about the latter.<p>

He also ponders wether or not he should have taken the offer from Vick-Tek to develop a warrior robot. At least Mega Man would have had some help battling Gamma right now.

Nearby is Dr. Cossack's daughter Kalinka, now 17 years old. When her hero Mega Man was shot down by Gamma, she became very upset and could not watch any further.  
>Mikhail can still hear her sniffling behind him. He feels terrible when he hears his daughter cry... it is something he has had to hear too much of when his wife passed away. Seeing Kalinka sink into a depression thereafter only hurt him worse.<br>While she has since recovered greatly from her grieving process, he now worries that her future might be in jeopardy, thanks to Dr. Wily.

Mikhail looks behind himself and sees that Kalinka is now is lying on a sofa with her back turned from the television, clutching a pillow.

Mikhail kneels down beside her and lightly shakes her. "Kalinka," he gently calls in Russian.

Kalinka turns overand looks up to her father with her green eyes, still clutching her pillow, her face wet with tears.

Mikhail tries to encourage his daughter, "I know you are scared about Wily.. to be honest, I am too. But, the whole world will band together and defeat him and destroy this nightmarish monstrosity."

Dr. Cossack wipes the tears from Kalinka's face as she whimpers, "I fear for Mega Man."

Mikhail barely smiles for his daughter. "I believe he is going to pull through. This isn't the first time Mega Man has been challenged like this."

"But, he has never faced anything like this," Kalinka replies.

"No, he hasn't. Nobody has," Mikhail replies, "Hopefully, nobody will ever have to face anything like this again. But, there is a way to stop Gamma. There has to be."

"I hope Mother is watching over him," Kalinka says.

"... yes... I hope she is too, angel," Mikhail replies, "I _do_ hope."

* * *

><p><strong>News 7 Studios.<br>New York.**

_"This is unquestionably one of the most challenging days in our lifetime. We can only hope that Mega Man is still alive and can help us. We really need you right now," _says channel 7 anchor Kirk Trujillo in a sullen voice, until he is interrupted by a massive rumbling, followed by the sounds of people in the studio screaming nearby.  
>We see both him and follow anchor Trish Faulkenburg leap out of their seats as the camera pans to the left, where we see GutsMan and Cut Man invading the studio.<p>

_"This newscast just got CUT-OFF!",_ Cut Man says into the camera, laughing.

We then see GutsMan pick Trujillo up by his suit collar and growls, _"Where's the Cheese Woman?"_

* * *

><p>Bree Recotta was on the roof when GutsMan and Cut Man arrived and has abandoned her report on the Gamma attack.<p>

"What are they doing_ here_?", her panicked cameraman asks.

"I don't know," Bree answers, "But, we both have to find a way to get out of here, fast."

"How are we going to do that? It's a ten story drop from here," the cameraman freaks.

GutsMan and Cut Man make their way to the roof and spot them. "She's the one!", GutsMan says, pointing to Bree.

Bree's cameraman holds his camera up and threatens to hit the Robot Masters with it. "Don't make me hit you with this!" he says, before GutsMan shoves him to the roof surface with one hand. His head bounces off the surface, knocking him out.

Bree's brown eyes widen as she backpeddles away from the Robot Masters. Never in her career has she ever been personally threatened by somebody during a broadcast.

"Back off! I'm just a journalist!", Bree yells.

"Eh-heh, I wouldn't step back any further if I were you," Cut Man advises, pointing behind the reporter.

Bree looks behind herself and sees that she is nearing the edge off the roof. Bree gasps and steps away from the edge, only to walk into the large hands of GutsMan.

"Dr. Wily says he wants to have a word with you, Cheese Lady," GutsMan says, keeping a grip on Bree by keeping his fingers wrapped around her torso.

"What does he want with me?", Bree asks, clearly looking intimidated.

"He says people like _you_ are makin' 'im look bad!", GutsMan replies, "So, now he says he wants equal time!"

"You should be happy, lady. You're about to take part in the biggest news story ever!", Cut Man says with that annoying laugh of his as GutsMan carries Bree away with him as they return to their Skullker.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

ProtoMan continues to search on foot for any trace of Mega Man and Roll, but it is nearly impossible to follow the exhaust trail left by the police cruiser that whisked his family away. Then, Proto hears the sound of yet another Skulker heading in his direction.  
>As the Skullker lands nearby, ProtoMan approaches it to join with Fire Man and Snake Man (a Robot Master who has a human-shaped body with a snake design, complete with a head that resembles that of a snake, complete with a tail running down his back.) And walking out with them are a few new Robot Masters.<br>Wily had just finished work on these three mere days ago.

The first of the new Robot Masters is named Tomahawk Man, who resembles a Native American chief with warpaint designs on his synthetic face and a red headdress. His weapon is a tomahawk blade.

Next is unquestionably the goofiest Robot Master ever made. His name is Charge Man and his red and pink body resembles the front car of a train with a round face on the middle. Despite his stupid appearance, he is called Charge Man for a reason: he is great at charging though any obsticles in his path.

Next is the _second_ goofiest Robot Master ever made. His name is Plug Man. His body is shaped like an electrical plug with two large prongs sticking out on both sides of his short oddly-shapen body. His ability is firing shots of electricity from his prongs.

And there is the newest of the Robot Masters. This robot has a mostly dark blue and white body and has a head that looks like a blob of oil with eyes and a mouth.  
>His name is Oil Man and his weapon of choice (no surprise) is an oil blaster. The oil he uses is not the same as robot oil blood, it is pure crude oil and is highly flamable.<br>Naturally, he and Fire Man would make a deadly combination.

"Well, you're not exactly the brightest Robot Masters of the bunch, but I'll take you," ProtoMan says, "Just remember to follow my orders and there won't be any problems. We'll win quicker that way."

"Aw, right, baby!", Oil Man says, "My first mission is gonna be a hot one!"

"All aboard! CHOOOO-CHOOOOOO!", Charge Man hoots.

ProtoMan groans at how irratating these new robots are. At least Tomahawk Man keeps his mouth shut.

As the group boards the Skullker, ProtoMan mutters to Snake Man, "Train Boy here better be good, or I'll blast him before my brother can."

"I don't think Mega Man issssss going to be blassssssting anybody anytime ssssssoon," Snake Man hisses.

"You really ought to get theat lisp of yours fixed," ProtoMan suggests.

"Lissssssp? Who ssssssaid I had a lissssssp?", Snake Man asks as the group of Robots board the Skullker to continues the search for Mega Man.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_When I ran the poll asking you who you would like to see in future episodes, Time Man and Oil Man were the winners. So, Oil Man is here! Time Man isn't around just yet, but as you read earlier, Ring Man did make a reference to him._

_I know the scene with Dr. Cossack and Kalinka is brief, but it is there to continue their story arc. I almost cut it, because it doesn't have any relation to the story, and we won't see them again for the rest of the episode._

_Please remember to leave reviews or comments._


	45. Abuse of Power

_**Gamma, Chapter 8: Abuse of Power.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<strong>

Inside one of Gamma's large hangar bays, the Skullker containing Bree Recotta arrives. Bree steps out of the rear of the Skullker, being shoved ahead by Cut Man as GutsMan follows them out.

ElecMan walks up to them and speaks. "I'll take her up the meet the man personally."

"Wait, what about my cameraman?", Bree frets.

"He's not invited, which is why we left him there," ElecMan answers, "This is a Dr. Wily production. Now, you're coming with me, toots!"

ElecMan walks away, but Bree doesn't follow him, so GutsMan shoves her as easily as he can (knowing that he could shatter a human's bones with a _real_ GutsMan shove), but it is still enough to knock Bree to the floor.

"Move it, Miss Limburger!", he snarls, incorrectly guessing what Bree's last name is.

Bree gets back up, brushes off her suit blazer and slacks and follows ElecMan towards the elevator. As she walks to the elevator, Recotta looks all around at the size of this hangar bay and sees Dr. Wily's full stock of vehicles which took part in the battle above New York earlier. As unsettiling as it is to be held here, Bree can't help but be in awe of Gamma's massive size.

Soon Bree and ElecMan arrive to the elevator and the door closes and the elevator itself beings moving. After a few seconds pass, Bree looks over and notices that ElecMan is looking at her... or to be more accurate, _staring_ at her.

"I've gotta ask you, lady... do you like robots?", he asks.

"... What?"

"Actually, here's a better question... are you single?", ElecMan asks.

Bree is creeped out by ElecMan's line of questions. "I'm married... to a _man_, thank you very much. Not interested," she sneers, holding up her left hand which has a diamond ring on her finger.

"That's too bad, lady. You'd really get a _charge_ outta ElecMan," he says with a grin, holding his right hand up as electricity sparks from his fingers.

Disgusted, Bree looks away and out the elevator window, seeing how high in the air she is, clearly able to view almost all of New Jersey from up here  
>Recotta is not often nervous, but seeing as she is currently all alone with the most dangerous man in the world and his robot army inside of their walking death machine, while ElecMan is hitting on her, she can't help but feel uneasy.<br>She just hopes she makes it out of this predicament alive to see her husband again.

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma Bridge.<strong>

Inside the bridge of the massive Gamma, a camera has been set-up and Dr. Wily is standing in front of it, straightening his red necktie. Nearby is his old business partner Dr. Light.

"How dare you, Albert!" Dr. Light seethes, "You have taken a peacekeeping robot and turned it into a war machine!"

"Thomas, my poor fellow, you should realize that the line between peacekeeping and warfare is very thin," Albert says, "But, don't worry, when I take over the world, there _will_ be peace... because nobody will have the fortitude to oppose me as long as I have Gamma."

"You would be surprised, Albert," Thomas says.

Wily snickers. "I don't think your _son_, will be able to oppose me ever again."

"LET GO 'A ME!", yells Chief Toombs as he is dragged onto the bridge by Ring Man and Metal Man.

"Man, this Chief dude is crazy!", Ring Man says.

"You haven't seen how crazy this Scottsman can get!", Toombs shouts.

"Shut-up, Human! Or else, I'll cut your throat!", Metal Man threatens.

"Go ahead and try, rustbucket!", the Chief replies.

"Leave him alone, I want him alive," Wily says.

"You want _me_ alive, but you ain't got no problems killing all of our guys out there earlier?", Toombs yells at Wily.

"All justifiable homicides," Wily replies, "And by the way, just because I want you alive, it doesn't mean I don't want to hurt you. And the more you talk, the more I wish to hurt you."

"And the more he'll _let me _hurt you," Metal Man replies, his glowing red eyes flashing.

"By the way, since you're both here, I wanted to ask both of you an important question," Wily says, but eyeing Thomas in particular, "You don't happen to _know_ where Mega Man went, do you?"

Thomas says nothing, but the Chief replies, "I wouldn't tell you jack, man."

ElecMan arrives with Bree Recotta to the bridge. Bree looks shocked to see that Dr. Light and Chief Toombs are both here as well, most likely as hostages. They aren't the only ones either. On her way here, she saw the entire bridge crew gathered together as hostages, about to be moved to the designated Prisoner room.  
>As Bree looks accross at Dr. Wily's grinning old face - and he looks more creepy in person than he does on television, - her bad feeling about being here is only getting worse.<p>

"Ah, Miss Recotta," Wily says, "Such a pleasure to finally meet you!"

"What am I doing here?", Bree asks.

"Tonight, you will have the honor of interviewing the new ruler of the world and the smartest man alive!... and Thomas Light too," Wily replies, getting in his jab at Dr. Light.

"I refuse to play along with your sick games, Wily!", Thomas spits.

"Whether my friend here agrees or not doesn't matter anymore, my dear," Wily says, pulling a sheet of paper out of his labcoat pocket, "But, I value _your_ participation, Miss Recotta. Here is the script you'll be using for this interview."

Bree takes the paper from Wily and reads it. She becomes uneasy after reading these questions and gets cold feet. "This is _wrong_," Bree says, "I'm a journalist, I have integrity... and I'm not about to throw it all away for your enjoyment."

Wily only grins. "So, both you and Thomas don't wish to participate, I see... Miss Recotta, I am sure that in your years of news journalism, you have had to cover the unfortunate death of a human being... but, have you ever been _responsible_ for one?"

Bree shudders at Wily's words. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I take it that you haven't. Let me explain," Wily smiles, "If you refuse to take part in this interview, then let me show you what the circumstances will be."

"Albert, please don't do this!", Thomas says.

"Metal Man, put our friend the Chief down," Wily says.

Metal Man tosses Toombs to the cold hard floor of the bridge.

"ElecMan?", Albert asks.

"My pleasure," he replies, sticking his hands out and zapping the Chief with a sustained charge from his Thunder Beam.

Toombs screams in agony is he is electrocuted by ElecMan's lightning. The voltage is not at maximum, but it is strong enough to hurt and torture a human. If he keeps the weapon trained on him for too long, however, the result could be fatal.  
>Both Dr. Light and Bree are horrified as they watch the police chief get electrocuted in front of them.<p>

Dr. Wily turns to Bree and hisses, "Now, you had better accept this interview, _Bree_, because your refusal will result in the Police Chief's death!"

"Albert! Stop this!," Thomas pleas over the horrible sound of surging and crackling electricity.

Bree begins crying as she watches Toombs howl as he is electrocuted. The sight is too horrifying for her to watch and she pleads, "Stop!"

Wily ignores thier pleas and continues, "Cheif Toombs has a wife and four children... do you want to be the woman who took him away from them? I don't think you can live with that, can you?"

Toombs screams, "No!... don't do it!" If he had his way, he wouldn't want _anybody_ giving in to Wily, even for something as trival as this, and even if it meant his own death.

Bree however, can't bear to be responsible for somebody dying, and pleads. "_Please_ stop it! I'll do it!"

"I'll only stop ElecMan if you agree to play along," Wily says, with his sick grin.

"I'll do whatever you want, just please don't kill him!", Bree weeps.

ElecMan finally ceases his Thunder beam and Toombs remains lying on the floor, his body steaming and smoke coming out of his mouth and nose as he barely make strained painful gasps. He twitches as he bring his trembling hands up to his chest.

Wily grins and chuckles as he looks back over to Bree, who is beside herself. "Congratulations, Miss Recotta. You just spared your first life... now, wat do you have to say about that?"

With tears streaming down her tan face, Bree angrily snivels, "Damn you, you bastard!"

Wily looks annoyed by Bree's attitude and motions to ElecMan again. ElecMan presses his fingers into the small of Bree's back and zaps her with a quick jolt of electricity. Bree yelps in pain as her body involuntarilly arches before she falls to the floor on hands and knees and whimpers.

Wily chuckles as Dr. Light tries to attack him, only to be held back by Ring Man.

"_Now_ do you see what you've done Thomas?", he asks, "You are just as responsible for the events of the past year as _she_ would have been if she hadn't agreed to conduct this interview!"

"The only one responsible for this is you, Albert!", Thomas replies, as calmly as he can, trying to surpress his rising anger.

"No, it's all yours, Thomas. It was _you_ who wouldn't accept that I was the superior intellect, and it was _you_ who designed Gamma. And because of your selfishness, the world has fallen into my hands, and I will make you watch."

Thomas tries to charge for Wily again as the evil doctor laughs. "Okay, everybody," Wily says, rubbing his hands together, "Five minutes to airtime!"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Storage Facility.<strong>

Roll is elsewhere in the storage facility in Glendale, wearing her usual cream yellow and red outfit and drying her long hair with her utility arm hair dryer. Her hair doesn't look quite as styled and puffy as it usually does, but it'll do.

After she's done, she pulls her hair back into her green ponytail holder again and picks up her damp underwater suit and balls it up, looking around this place to see what Dr. Light has here.  
>She sees the various security droids Mega Man mentioned, all standing in a row and offline. They were hulking tank-like robots with blasters. He and Dr. Wily had co-developed them when they worked together years ago. They looked pretty old, but powerful.<p>

Roll looks to her side and sees the big egg-shaped time machine vehicle that Mega Man was forced to use a few months ago. The time travelling components have since been removed from the machine and destroyed, as Dr. Light felt that time is a thing that should not be tampered with after Mega Man returned from a dark and deadly mission in an alternate future time.  
>She also spots the wreckage of the Anti-Quake stablizer that was hastily built when Dr. Wily was causing earthquakes to break out last Summer.<p>

And then on a shelf, she spots an un-painted Met hardhat. The helmet was silver and lacked the yellow paint and colored cross that all Mets have.  
>Roll steps up to it and picks it up... nobody was underneath it. Just an empty hardhat.<p>

As she looks at the hardhat, she can't help but think about her fallen friend Doc. As dangerous as this day has been, she wishes he was here to join her right now, because there wasn't anything they didn't do together during his short time alive.

Roll puts the hardhat up to her body and hugs it, because she misses being able to hug Doc. It felt so good to be able to wrap her arms around a Met helmet again... if only Doc was inside, this feeling would be complete.

Eddie runs up to Roll and says, "Roll, Eddie sees something Mega Man could use!"

"What is it, Eddie?", Roll asks.

"Come here! Eddie will show you!", he says.

Roll follows Eddie deeper into the facility, still holding the silver Met hardhat close to her.

Eddie runs along until coming to a stop. He turns around and says, "Up there!", using his head to point it out to her, because he doesn't have any hands.

Roll looks up and sees a black triangular armor add-on that was built for Mega Man to use in combat during special operations, but was temporarilly scrapped because it was tempermental and didn't always work as well as it should have. When it worked, the wearer of the suit could be cloaked and rendered invisible not only to the human (and robot) eye, but also to radar.  
>Along with this add-on was a silver blaster nozzle that could connect to the add-on itself and surpress the sound of weapon fire.<p>

Roll's blue eyes widen and she gasps when she sees these items. "The stealth suit!", she says, "That's_ it! _Mega can use this to sneak up on Gamma!"

* * *

><p>In the secondary lab room, QN-60 continues to perform repair work on Mega Man.<br>Mega's scorched titanium chest plate has been taken off, exposing his internal endoskeleton torso and the circuitry within.  
>As the Policebot continues working on removing Mega's destroyed left arm so that the new one can be put on, Mega Man winces and surpresses any cries of pain he might have with a stiff upper lip.<p>

"I told you it would hurt," 60 says.

"Keep going," Mega grunts, the pain noticable in his voice.

Mega hears Rush, who is still whineing because of his damage. Mega looks over to Rush and sees that Lynn is still keeping him company, like she has the entire time they have been here.

"Aw, poor baby," she coos as she scratches his furry face. Rush likes her, but he's still too weak to give her a big lick on the face like he usually does to people he likes. And likewise, Lynn loves dogs of all kinds, yet she doesn't have one herself, because she doesn't have the time to take care of a pet.

Mega talks to her, trying to keep his mind off the pain from this procedure. "I remember you," he says, "You were at the Empire State Building when Wily tried to take it down."

Lynn smiles, "Yeah, I was. And it _would've_ come down if it wasn't for you."

Lynn continues to rubs Rush's face as he lies down on an adjoining table. "I love this little guy," she says with a smile, "Can I have him?"

Mega barely smiles back, "Sorry, he's taken. I can't imagine what it would be like to be without him."

"So, she's your sister?" Lynn asks Mega, referring to Roll.

"She is," he replies, "She wanted to be a crimefighter too... I always told her this was too dangerous, but she handles herself well out there."

"Well, you should always be nice to her. She really risked her neck to save you," Lynn suggests.

"It wouldn't be the first time she has, Officer," Mega replies, barely smiling, "I've got the best family in the world."

"... What about that red guy with the sunglasses?", Lynn asks.

Mega's smile disappears. ProtoMan is still a sore subject. "He's my brother," he replies.

"Doesn't sound like a good brother to me. He's always trying to kill you," Wersching surmises.

"... he hasn't really tried to kill me. He's always trying to get me to turn and join him... but, that's never going to happen." Mega continues, "I still think there's some good in him... before Wily stole him from my father and fed him lies, he was a kind robot... but, I never got to know that side of him."

"I would hate to interrupt, but this is going to hurt," QN-60 says.

Mega nods, knowing what's about to come.  
>60 continues working on Mega Man and successfully detaches Mega's damaged arm. Mega Man lets out a pained grunt through gritted teeth as this has been the most painful of the operation so far. His eyelids squeeze shut as he contnues talking to Lynn to keep his mind off of the pain.<p>

"Do you have any family, officer?", he asks with a very strained voice.

Lynn doesn't respond right away as she gets the courage to answer. It felt strange talking to the hero of the world (who happens to be a robot) about personal things, but if he can do it, she might as well too.

"Yeah," she answers, sounding somber, "I've got a brother too... his name is Lancaster, but he likes to call himself 'Castor.'... he's the only family I have. But, I haven't seen him in a year... I'm affraid I'll never see him again."

Mega opens his eyes and looks over to her. "Why?"

"He's missing," Lynn responds, "... he's got a really bad drug problem. He tried to get treatment, but he dropped off the radar. I've been looking all over for him for a year and I can't find him. He's had such a hard life... and he doesn't deserve it, because he's a really good person." Lynn smiles as she recalls a random act of kindness her brother displayed a few years ago, "One time he saw a homeless person on the street, he was a kind old guy, always held up Bible passages scribbled on cardboard. Instead of giving him spare change, my brother took him to get lunch at a diner..."  
>Lynn can feel the tears welling up when she recalls her brother's generous act, wondering how somebody like him could end up the way he has. "My brother didn't even <em>make<em> much money, but he still did it," Lynn weeps, "but, now _he's_ homeless... I don't understand that part."

"Do you think he's still here in New York?", Mega asks.

"I hope so," Lynn replies, wiping the tears from her face

"I'll keep an eye out for him," Mega says, "And if I find him, I'll bring him back."

Lynn looks shocked at Mega Man's interest in wanting to find Castor, despite the fact that Mega usually has much more important tasks than finding _one_ person. "... Really?", Lynn chokes.

Mega nods, "We _both_ want our brothers back to normal again. The least I could do is help you find yours."

"Thank you!", Lynn chokes.

QN-60 begins attaching the new left arm from Dr. Light into Mega's empty shoulder socket as Roll runs into the room, still holding the unpainted Met helmet. "Mega!", she peeps, "The stealth suit is still here!"

"Is it still intact?", Mega asks.

"Yes. If it still works, you can use it to sneak up to Gamma without being detected," Roll says.

"It's the only chance we've got," Mega replies, "The only surefire method of destroying Gamma is getting onboard and taking out the reactor. And as glitchy as that suit is, I don't know how successful it would be."

"How about sneaking in through the hangar bay doors while somebody rescues the bridge crew?", Roll asks.

Lynn jumps in and suggests, "We could use a transport back in the station."

"Not recommended, Lynn," 60 adds, "According to my scanner, all air traffic has been haulted by order of The White House."

Roll gasps when she sees something on the computer console. "Look, it's Dr. Light!", she exclaims, pointing to the screen.

Everybody looks at the screen to see Bree Recotta standing accross from Dr. Light_ and _Dr. Wily, about to start their _'interview.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<strong>

On the bridge of Gamma, Dr. Wily is standing proudly with a wide grin on his face. Standing to his right is Dr. Light, who clearly looks displeased with having to take place in this, especially after what took place earlier.  
>And to Wily's left is Bree Recotta, holding a microphone in her right hand, which trembles slightly. She is still noticably shaken after being forced to watch somebody be electrocuted and later getting a jolt of Electricity herself. She has never been scared during a live report, until now.<br>Behind her is ElecMan, here to make sure she follows Dr. Wily's script.

A green Sniper Joe robot points to Bree, informing her that Wily's pirate broadcast has begun.

Bree takes a deep breath and begins speaking. "This is Bree Recotta from WNYC-7 in New York City," she begins, doing her best to hide her fear, "and I am here onboard Dr. Light's peacekeeping robot known as Gamma, which has occupied Liberty Island on it's path of terror."

"Path of _righteousness_, to be accurate," Dr. Wily adds.

"Joining me are Doctors Albert Wily and Thomas Light. My first question is to you, Dr. Wily," Bree says, looking down at her pre-written list of questions. She hates having to do this, but she knows how serious a Dr. Wily threat is now that she has had to witness it - and experience it - herself.

"... how does it feel to be the supreme ruler of the world?", she reads, half-heartedly.

"Well, to be honest, Bree, world domination is something I've dreamed about since I was a small child... when I would be_ beaten _within an inch of my life by my no-good father on a frequent basis," Albert answers, "I always wished for the world to feel the same pain I felt, so now I have decided to...give it back."

"Does that justify the killing of good men and women, including the ones you _shot down _like an animal today?", Thomas scowls to Wily.

"I believe Miss Recotta is asking the questions here, not you, Thomas," Wily says.

"It's _Mrs._ Recotta," Bree clarifies.

"Oh! I stand corrected. Maybe the lucky gentleman is watching right now!", Wily says.

In a vile move, ElecMan decides to get Bree's husband's attention and wraps his right arm around her body. "Hey, Mr. Recotta! I like your wife!", ElecMan says, mugging to the camera.

Bree is startled by ElecMan's perverted act and shoots him an angry scowl. She could slap the taste out of his smirky face (and that dumb-ass mask) right now. "Get _off_ of me!", Bree spits.

"Admit it, you like me too," ElecMan grins.

"ElecMan!" Wily snaps, pointing to him, displeased that he is disrupting the interview.

Bree regains her composure and continues the pre-scripted interview.

"My next question is for Dr. Light," she says, letting out a sigh, ashamed that she is forced to read this question, "... how does it feel to be... responsible for taking part in the creation of a... massive killing machine. More importantly... what is your reaction to the fact that... Mega Man is... dead?"

"You don't have to do this, Mrs. Recotta," Thomas says, turning to the camera trying to get the attention of the viewers, "Wily is holding her under duress and forcing her to-"

Dr. Wily has had enough of Dr. Light's interference and punches him directly in the right side of his face and knocking him down.

"I believe Thomas' portion of the interview is done, but I can answer for him," Albert grins, shaking his hand from how hard he punched Dr. Light, "He says he is ashamed that he created Gamma and that he will miss Mega Man dearly."

"Mega Man is not dead," Thomas grunts, "He is alive!"

Dr. Wily then kicks Dr. Light in the face, knocking him down again. "Continue with the interview, my dear," Albert says with his evil smile.

Bree nervously looks down at her script again and decides to try and use things to her advantage, hoping that Mega Man indeed _is_ still alive and seeing this right now. "Dr. Wily, let me ask you... if Mega Man is dead, then why do you have teams of robots searching all over the city for him?"

Wily appears slighty puzzled as he was not expecting this question (it wasn't quite the same version he had in the script), but answers anyway. "Why, my robots are searching for his corpse, my dear," Wily answers.

"He clearly landed in the river near the bay bridge," Bree says, "did he just _disappear_, or are your robots so incompetent, they lost him?"

Dr. Wily is starting to grow angry and so is ElecMan. He holds his red fingers close to Bree's upper back and she can feel all of the hairs on her body standing on end, much like anybody would in the seconds before they are struck by lightning.  
>Bree trembles because he knows she has gotten on Dr. Wily's bad side, but she knows that now is not the time to cower, consequences be damned.<p>

"Mega Man was lucky to have fled the river," Wily growls, "but, ProtoMan and a team intercepted him."

"You're lying!", Bree says, turning to the camera, quickly saying "Mega Man, help us! There are injured hostages onb- AAAAH!"

ElecMan zaps Bree with more electricity for nearly two seconds and she screams as her body covulses from the shock. When ElecMan stops electrocuting Recotta, she falls to the floor, whipering and shaking.

"CUT OFF THE TRANSMISSION!", Wily orders the Sniper Joe, before turning to ElecMan. "Put her with the others!", Albert yells.

ElecMan stops electrocuting Bree and picks her up, carrying her off as she gasps and shudders.

Dr. Wily turns to Dr. Light and picks him up by the lapels of his labocat. Dr. Light's right cheek is red and the area around his eye is blackening as his lower lip is bleeding. "I'm going to ask you one more time, and it will be the last time," Wily hisses, "_Where_ is Mega Man?"

"I'll _never_ tell you!", Thomas says.

"He can't hide forever because my Robot Masters are...," Wily pauses as an idea pops into his head... then he starts grinning. "You sent them to the storage facility in Glendale didn't you?"

in the final year Albert and Thomas worked together, they had obtained a high security storage facility to store various projects to ensure that they would be secure and that nobody would find them. If Thomas wanted something hidden, it would be there.

"No!", Thomas replies, but his urgency in his response gives it away.

Dr. Light tries to tackle Albert, but the Sniper Joe takes him back down to the floor.

Dr. Wily pulls his communicator out of his labcoat pocket and speaks into it. "ProtoMan, come in," he says.

_"Did Light spill his guts?"_, Proto responds_._

"Not in the way I would have wanted, but I know where Mega Man is," Wily replies, "There's a storage facility in Glendale that Thomas has leased. Look for facility #14, they _have_ to be there."

_"On our way!"_, Proto replies.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>

President Henry and his staff watches in horror as the live feed of Bree's "interview" and her electrocution was broadcast on all of the major networks and the internet.

The President turns away, his dark skin complexion almost turning grey following the horrifying sight he had to witness. He looks up to his staff and orders, "You heard her, they have injured hostages and we have to get them out alive. Contact Gamma and tell Wily we need to get those people off of there!"

"You _do _know who we're dealing with, Mr. President," the Secretary of Defense says, "Wily won't give them up, at least not easily."

"We have to try!", The President barks.

"Mr. President... Wily's not answering. He's ignoring us," says the Chief of Staff, grimly.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_I realize that this chapter had some unsettling and dark scenes, and I'm sorry if you were bothered by them. I actually cut some stuff out that I was affraid could have made this an "M" rated chapter. ElecMan's behavior was far more disgusting in the original draft too. I had to alter those scnes, because they made my skin crawl._

_I think this is a much better way to introduce the stealth suit than "Master of Disaster", don't you think?_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment._


	46. Time is Running Out

_**Gamma, Chapter 9: Time is Running Out.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<strong>

Marcus Vickers makes his way to the underground laboratory that has been set up where the company's long-awaited Robot Warrior is ready to come online.  
>If there was ever a time for the Robot Warrior to make his debut, it's now... also, if there was ever a time to pray that this thing doesn't fail hard like the others, it's right now. With him as always as Vice President Scott Erikson.<p>

"Sir, the present situation is worse than anticipated," Erikson says, "Dr. Wily not only has Dr. Thomas Light in custody, but he has the New York Chief of Police and a news reporter as well. And there are rumors circulating that Mega Man is dead."

"Well, at least I won't feel as bad about debuting my Robot Warrior at the same time Mega Man is around anymore," Vickers says, "We won't have to worry about comparison in the marketplace."

"That... sounds kind of cold, sir," Erikson says, puzzled by his boss' grim comments.

"It won't sound so cold when our Robot Warrior takes down Gamma," Vickers boasts, "People will quickly forget all about Mega Man and hail our product as the s_upreme _Defender of the Human Race."

* * *

><p>Vickers and Erikson arrive to the underground lab room where Dr. Arnold Wagner and his team of scientists are completing their final check on the Vick-Tek Robot Warrior, which is standing in the center of the underground bunker, still offline.<p>

"Ohhhhhh, my God," Vickers sighs in awe at the sight of his Robot Warrior, sounding like a kid who just saw the coolest toy in the world.

The robot warrior was moderately tall with sleek black and red armor. He had two blasters for arms and his head resembled a motorcycle helmet, with a black visor-like piece above a face shield, even though he has no actual face to shield.  
>The robot certainly looks like a mean machine, and Vickers looks happy with this Robot Warrior. This wasn't some cobbled together piece of garbage that vomits mustard. This was the real deal at long last.<p>

The doctor notices his employer heading in his direction. "Ah! Mr. Wickers," he says, mispronouncing his name again, "Our vork is nearly complete!"

"It couldn't come at a better time, Doctor," Marcus says, "The world needs a miracle and it needs it now!"

"You are fortunate that I am the Sveedish miracle vorker," Dr. Wagner proclaims.

"You better be, or we're all dead, you twit" Erikson says under his breath, in a rare moment of defiance.

"Vhat vas that I hear you say," asks the perplexed Doctor as an annoyed Vickers ushers Wagner along.

"Uh, why don't tell me more about this robot warrior, Doctor," Vickers stammers as he puts his arm around Dr. Wagner like he was his good buddy.

"His custom-made titanium armor vas made to vithstand heavy firepower," Wagner says.

"Like Mega Man," Erikson adds.

"And he has a very powerful zet of plasma cannons built into his arms."

"... kind of like Mega Man, but double," Erikson repeats.

"Stop it!", Vickers says under his breath.

"And he has a zet of rocket jets build into his feet, allowing him to travel to any location vithout losing much time," Wagner says.

Erikson comments, "Good, that's pretty much what Mega-"

"How _original_, Dr. Wagner," Vickers interrupts, sucking up to him, "I'm sure you have built an excellent robot warrior, but I must ask, what is his name?"

"Ah! I decided to give our robot varrior a very fitting and dignified name... zo, I named him _Toby_," Dr. Wanger replies.

Vickers is incredibly unimpressed with his Robot Warrior's whimpy name, but desperately tries to keep up his fake enthusiasm. "... sounds good!", Vickers says with a dopey smile.

"We're ready, doctor," says a member of Wagner's team.

"Very vell! It is time to vitness history!", he says, "Zcience marches on!"

Erikson steps of the Vickers and whispers, "At least Mega Man didn't have a whimpy name."

"Oh, shut-up," Vickers shooshes, "This could be humanity's last line of defense. Show some respect."

"Showing respect, sir," Erikson replies.

The scientists disconnect 'Toby' The Robot Warrior from the computers nearby and prepare to activate him. Vickers anxiously rubs his hands together, knowing that his year-long dream of making his own robot warrior is about to come to reality... and hopefully it will work this time.

"Activation in... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!", Wagner says, pressing a button on a remote in his hand.

Within seconds, Toby comes to life, lifting his head up and looking at the humans around him. The black visor he has for eyes flashes as he scans all of the humans around him.

"Yes! You're alive!", Wagner peeps.

"What is my mission?", Toby asks in a deep bassful voice.

"That evil Dr. Vily has taken over a zuper robot named Gamma," Dr. Wagner says, "He is currently on Liberty Island, to the north of here! You have to go ztop him and zave the day."

"Understood," Toby says, "Proceeding to destination."

"Wait a second, how is he going to get out of the building?", Vickers asks, suddenly unsure about all of this (, which is an all too familiar feeling when it comes to testing his robots.)

Toby's foot jets begin to ignite and everybody in the room backs away and Toby is lifted off of the floor and flies into the air... and he keeps flying until he crashes through the ceiling head-first, letting several pieces of building material fall down down below him.  
>Toby keeps skyrocketing upwards, crashing through the majority of the floors in the Vick-Tek tower, causing more building remnants to fall down into the lab.<p>

Vickers' once hopeful expression is slowly melting into a face that can only be described as gobsmacked. "... no," he shudders.

Several seconds later, a crashing sound can be heard coming _down_ towards them... Toby falls back down to the lab room with a whole toilet covering his head and covered in water and dust, crashing to the floor.

Vickers stares at the colapsed body of what was supposed to have been the ultimate fighting machine and looks like he is in a state of shock. All of the time and money was just burned right before his very eyes, and the only potential opponent to Dr. Wily's Gamma (aside from Mega Man) defeated _himself_.

"This vasn't zupposed to happen!", Wagner freaks, "He vas zupposed to listen to our commands. Mr. Wickers, If you just give me one more day, ve can have Toby up and running so he can defeat Dr. Vily!"

The entire time, Vickers' gobsmacked face slowly turns into an enraged mask of fury, his face slowly turning red as his anger boils. He is so angry, his body starts to shake.

Finally, Vickers turns to Dr. Wagner and replies in a toneless, angry rasp, "... Get... the hell... _OUT_!".

Vickers then storms off to his secondary office deep inside of the bunker, leaving the man who invented Toby speachless.

"Maybe you should have thought of something more original. Just my opinion," Erikson says to Dr. Wagner before he follows his boss.

* * *

><p>Erikson arrives to Marcus' underground office and sees him clutching another full bottle of scotch and drinking it down straight from the bottle... and he appears to be weeping.<p>

"Sir, you really shouldn't be doing that," Scott says, trying to stop his boss from doing this.

"It doesn't matter anymore, man," Vickers whines, "We're all dead!"

"That's not _necessarily_ true, sir," Erikson emplores, "Mega Man might still be alive, and Gamma could still be destroyed, and-"

"No, man, we're all dead!", Vickers moans, "Wily's won, it's over."

"But, sir I... yeah, hell with it. We're all dead," Erikson submits, realizing how grave the situation really is and grabs a glass for himself, "Here, let me have some. We might as well drink while we still can."

While the two top executives of the Vick-Tek corporation drink their night away, grieving the loss of their supposed 'defender' Toby, the _real_ Defender of the Human Race is preparing to do something about Dr. Wily and Gamma... and somebody _else_ is on his way to stop him.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Storage Facility.<strong>

Now that his repairs are finished, Mega Man is back on his feet and determined to not only save his father Dr. Light, but to also save all of the hostages onboard Gamma and to defeat Wily. Rush's damaged armor has also been patched up and he is ready to go again.

Mega grabs the wide stealth suit, planning on following Roll's idea to use it to sneak onboard Gamma. As Mega Man puts the piece on his back and plugs it into an access panel underneath his damaged chest armor, Roll now has concerns about the idea.

"How are we even gonna get a transport in the air to rescue the hostages when all of the flights are grounded?", Roll asks.

"We've got a few connections," Mega replies, "We can get the President's or the Governor's help. If they can get us in the air, I can sneak on Gamma with this suit and clear the way for you guys to rescue everybody... if the suit works, that is."

"What are you going to do to this Gamma thing?" Lynn asks.

"After I know Dr. Light and the rest of the hostages are safe, I'm going to destroy it, And Wily's going to jail," Mega Man replies, "And this war is going to be over."

While Mega Man may be determined to stop Wily once and for all, he is going to have more immediate problems to deal with in a few short seconds...

Everybody is alerted when a loud _crash_ sound in heard just outside the storage facility, followed by the security alarms blareing inside.

"They've found us!", Mega gasps, knowing right away that this is the work of Wily's robots outside.

"How are we going to get out of here, they're in the way of our car," Lynn asks.

"We're going to have to fight them off," Mega replies, "Hopefully this stealh suit works."

* * *

><p>Charge Man plows through the entrance of the storage facility, ripping the door off. "CHOOOO-CHOOOO!", he hoots.<p>

"_Ugh._ I don't know who's worse, you or Ring Man," ProtoMan groans as he steps ahead of the group of Robot Masters, which also includes Tomahawk Man, Snake Man, Oil Man, Fire Man and Plug Man.

"Hey, ProtoMan," Oil Man asks, "what do we do when we see Mega Man?"

"Shoot to stun. That's my orders," Proto replies.

"What? I thought Fire Man and me could burn 'em up!", Oil Man says with enthusiasm.

"The only one who's going to be burned is _you_ if you don't follow my orders," Proto angrilly says, pointing his finger in Oil Man's face before he storms forward to find his brother and sister.  
>Snake Man catches up to Oil Man and gives him some advice. "Don't worry, he'ssssssss alwaysssssss like thissssss when he'ssssss angry," he hisses.<p>

The Robot Masters search the large storage facility for any trace of Mega Man and Roll. Then, Tomahawk Man stops in his tracks and looks around as he hears a loud _clank_ sound.

"SHHHHHH!", Tomahawk Man says rigidly as he pulls his Tomahawk blade off of his back, "I sense something... battle is upon us... machines of war, heading this way."

"What the _hell_ is he talking about?", Oil Man asks.

"I hear it," ProtoMan answers, "Security drones. Dr. Wily said they'd be here. They're ancient, so they won't be too hard."

A few seconds later, a group of four securty robots with tank treads on the bottom rush the Robot Masters and ProtoMan and they open fire upon them. The Robot Masters avoid the barrage and attack them with their own weapons, which tear through the armor of the old securty drones.

But, Mega Man (wearing the stealth suit) and QN-60 jump out and fire upon ProtoMan and the Robot Masters as well, buying Roll, Lynn and Eddie the time to escape on Rush's back as he jets accross to the other side of the large facility, towards the secondary lab.

"Good to see you're feeling better, little brother. I'd prefer to defeat you myself," ProtoMan says, "although I'd like to know what that thing on your back is."

"The deck's not going to be stacked in your favor for much longer," Mega says, firing back at ProtoMan.

The two groups of robots trade fire as Oil Man gets an idea, yelling, "Fire Man! You and Me!"

Oil Man aims his left arm at Mega and 60 and sprays black oil from his spray nozzle. As the oil shoots towards them, Fire Man aims his twin flamethrower arms at it and sprays fire, turning Oil Man's oil shower into a wall of fire.

"Take cover!", Mega yells as he and QN-60 dodge the sea of flames as it rushes near them.

ProtoMan takes advantage of the lull in combat and aims his blaster at Mega Man, charging up a shot that will be strong enough to take him down, but not destroy him.

ProtoMan fires and QN-60 jumps in front of Mega Man, protecting Mega from being blasted but taking the full brunt of it himself. The Policebot goes down as sparks burst from his damaged chest and Mega Man takes cover from the hail of enemy weapon's fire. He knows QN-60 won't stand a chance if he doesn't help him, so he calls back to Eddie.

"Eddie, over here!", Mega shouts.

The little flip top robot runs over to Mega Man's aid and asks, "Eddie asks what do you need?"

"Smoke can, and fast!", Mega responds.

Eddie steps out of cover and shoots a can out of his green head towards ProtoMan ad the Robot Masters. The can sprays smoke in the faces of the Robot Masters and blinds them.

"Not this crap again," Proto grunts, as Eddie has used this diversion before, during the Robosaur Park siege.

Mega Man quickly grabs QN-60 and helps him back to his feet and they run back with Eddie to join Roll, Lynn and Rush.

* * *

><p>Mega Man helps 60 into the secondary lab room as Eddie runs in behind them. Mega shuts the door, locking and barricading it. Hopefully, the door will keep ProtoMan and the Robot Masters out long enough.<p>

Lynn gasps when she sees how badly her Policebot partner has been hurt. "Sixty! Are you okay?"

"I am... in need of repairs," QN-60 replies.

"We've got to blast out of this room through that wall," Mega says, pointing towards the wall facing the south direction, which is close to where Lynn's and 60's cruiser is.

"I'll chop through it," Roll says, ready to switch her utility arm to hatchet mode (which she only uses in case of an emegency.)

"There's no time," Mega says, "I'll have to use my plasma cannon to burn through the wall."

Then, the sounds of the Robot Masters pounding on the door can be heard from the outside. The doorway is reinforced, but isn't enough to withstand a barge from the Robot Masters.

"You both must survive and and deal with Wily. I will stay behind and buy you some time to escape," QN-60 says.

"You're _staying_?", a worried Lynn asks, "But, they'll kill you."

QN-60 replies, "I am aware that in my present condition, the chances of surviving a battle with Dr. Wily's robots are 1,000 to 1."

"Then, we're all leaving here together," Lynn insists.

"No. You must survive too," QN-60 says, "My only prupose is my duty to protect and serve, and by helping Mega Man, I am upholding it."

As Mega Man begins using his blaster to make a persistant stream of plasma to burn through the wall, Lynn looks up to her tall policebot partner and struggles to contain her sadness. If he dies, she will have lost two partners in one year, the first being Policebot AL-05 in Dr. Wily's failed Wall Street attack last year.

QN-60 puts his right hand on Lynn's shouder and tells her, "Go find your brother, partner."

Lynn snivels and gives her Policebot partner a hug and he puts his right arm around her. Even though he is not an advanced model like Mega Man and Roll, he has learned much about human behavior in the past year, much like Lynn's first partner.

Mega Man completes blasting the hole in the wall, allowing Roll, Rush and Eddie to leave first. He turns to Lynn and tries to get her to come along. "Officer Wersching, we have to go now," Mega pleads.

"Go," QN-60 says.

Lynn lets go of QN-60 and runs out of the hole in the wall.

Mega Man looks back and says, "Thank you."

60 nods and Mega Man jumps out. Then, the door nearly breaks open as Charge Man rams it.

QN-60 looks around and finds two large ion cases. If left alone, they are fine, but if they are blasted, they can become dangerous and kill or destroy anything in sight. He drags the ion cases over to the center of the lab and awaits the Robot Masters to break into the room.

Charge Man smashes through the door and Plug Man jumps in right behind him, Fire Man and Oil Man are nearby also.  
>Knowing that he is outnumbered and realizing that he has to try and take out as many of the Robot Masters as he can, QN-60 quickly aims his weapon arm at the fallen ion cases and fires plasma bolts at them...<br>but, at the same time, 60 feels something grab onto him from behind and feels himself being swooped out of the storage facility through the large hole Mega Man made.  
>At that moment, QN-60's plasma bolts strike the ion cases, and a massive explosion erupts, creating a gigantic blue ball of fire and energy that nearly blows half of the storage facility up with it.<p>

* * *

><p>Inside the storage facility, the explosion was so powerful, ProtoMan and Snake Man are shot backwards, crashing into random things stored in the room. Their bodies crash with such force, their armor is bashed and dented when they hit the floor.<br>Fire Man, Oil Man and Tomahawk Man were also shot backwards, but their damage was much worse since they were near the explosion, but they will probably survive.  
>As far as Charge Man and Plug Man, they were gone, almost totally destroyed into melted hulks of titanium and oil. Nobody caught in in the blast radious could have survived... nobody<p>

"What wasssssss that?", Snake Man hisses.

"It was an ion bomb," ProtoMan grunts, "Good thing it wasn't any bigger, we'd all be dead. Now, get up, Mega Man's getting away."

* * *

><p>Roll, Lynn, Rush and Eddie are startled when the ion explosion happens behind them. They are all shocked to see Mega Man flying towards them with QN-60 safely in his grasp.<p>

"Sixty!" Lynn gasps as she runs over to her partner as Mega Man lands with him.

"It appears the odds were in my favor," he replies, turns his head to Mega Man, and asks, "Why did you save me?"

"I don't believe in a no-win senario," Mega replies, half-smiling, "And also don't believe in leaving people behind."

The team arrives to see the police cruiser has been destroyed, all that's left is a smoking, smouldering mass, destroyed by the Robot Masters.

"Rush, jet mode. Take everybody out of here while I fly with the stealh suit," Mega commands.

Rush barks back twice, indicating that his fuel reserves are low.

"Blast!", Mega spits.

"How do we get out now?", Roll asks.

Mega Man looks to his left and sees the parked Skullker nearby, it's back door still wide open. "I've got an idea," Mega replies.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan and Snake Man jump out of the burning remains of Dr. Light's storage facility and into the parking lot. Their damage is minor, but noticeable on their bodies.<p>

"Where did they go?", Snake Man asks in his slithery voice.

ProtoMan looks around and sees Roll and Lynn up ahead with Rush and Eddie nearby.

"Don't move!", Proto yells, aiming his blaster at them as he and Snake Man approaches.

Roll, and the others turn around and face Proto and Snake Man and put their hands up. "You almost got away from me... _sis_," ProtoMan smriks.

Roll stays quiet. Usually she would snap at ProtoMan for insinuating that she is his sister.

"What's the matter? Tama's got your tongue?", Proto grins, making a reference to the domestic RoboCat series known as _Tama_.

"Wait a sssssssecond," Snake Man slithers, "Where'ssssssss Mega Man?"

"I'm right here," Mega replies, blasting Snake Man with a shot from literally out of nowhere.

Snake Man goes down and Proto spins around only to see no Mega Man anywhere in sight. His visual circuits in his eyes cycle through all of his vison modes, but he still cannot find even the slightest trace of his brother.

"What's the matter, _Bro_? Can't see me?", Mega asks.

"Show yourself!" Proto orders.

"I can't do that... you said I fight dirty, so _here's_ dirty for you," Mega says as he shoots his brother while using the stealth suit, leaving no sign he is even there.

The blast strikes Proto and he goes down, seeminly knocked out from the deadly explosion.

Mega Man decloaks and lands himelf on the ground. "It's a good thing I was able to fix this thing before they got here," Mega says.

"Good work, Mega," Roll says, hoisting her red duffle bag onto her back, "now lets get in that Skullker and finish off that overgrown titanium creep Gamma."

Roll, Eddie and Rush run toward the Skullker while Lynn helps QN-60 onboard, but Mega Man picks up ProtoMan's body and brings him with him.

"What are you bringing him for?", Lynn asks with distaining in her voice for ProtoMan.

"Trust me, we're gonna need him," Mega replies.

As Mega hefts Proto's uconscience body inside, Lynn looks back up to 60 and sighs, "You scared me back there, partner."

"I'm sorry, Lynn," 60 replies, "scaring you was not my intention."

Lynn smiles as she and 60 get onboard the Skullker. In within the next hour, Wily's grip on the world might be brought to an end before it realy began...  
>or it might just be the beginning of Wily's new world order.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_In the original draft, QN-60 was going to sacrifice himself in the storage facility, but as I was reviewing this chapter, I wasn't satisfied with it because I realized that it wasn't necessary. Also, I felt that Mega Man, being the hero that he is, would try to save him and he wouldn't leave him to die. So, he saved him. :)_

_The Tama was a reference to an enemy in Mega Man 5._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. The big final battle is coming up next._


	47. Omega

_**Gamma, Chapter 10: Omega.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma.<strong>

It is now almost midnight on the east coast. To the casual observer, it would appear that there is very little hope that Gamma will be destroyed and that Dr. Wily will most likely conquer the world... but, humankind still has one more shot of hope left.

On the bridge of Gamma, Dr. Wily strokes his cleft chin with his right hand and is growing impatient.

"He hasn't contacted us," Albert says of ProtoMan, "... I knew I should have sent more back-up."

"You've underestimated my children, Albert," a captive and injured Dr. Light says, "They will fight until the end."

"Well, the _end_ is near!" Dr. Wily growls as he turns to face the Robot Masters in the room, GutsMan, Cut Man, Bright Man and Quick Man, "All of you, get aboard a Skullker and help ProtoMan."

"Hey! I see them on the radar," Cut Man says, "Maybe they got him, eh-heh!"

"That's too bad," GutsMan says, "I want to smash that Mega Puke!"

As Dr. Wily sees the Skullker approaching on the viewscreen, he contacts ProtoMan. "Proto, did you capture Mega Man?"

There is no response.

"Proto, come in! Did you get Mega Man?", Albert asks again.

Finally, there is a response, but it is garbled and fuzzy. _"... is Prot... been damag... , rest of... __didn't make... got 'em."_

"Repeat that, Proto, I couldn't read you," Wily says.

_"... got them... both of them. Open the hangar b...", _the distorted voice of Proto says.

Dr. Wily gets a huge smile on his face when he hears the news that ProtoMan has captured both Mega Man and Roll. He turns to his Robot Masters and beams, "He got _both_ of them!"

As the Robot Masters cheer, Dr. Light sighs regretfully. Dr Wily turns him him and taunts, "So, _what_ were saying about your children fighting until the end? HA-HA!"

"Just, please don't hurt them," Thomas pleads.

"Oh, I'm going to do _more_ than hurt them," Albert chuckles, "I'm going to reprogram them and I'm going to make you watch! And then, you and your 'children' will be my slaves forever!"

Dr. Wily turns back to Cut Man and happily barks, "Open the hanger bay doors!"

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Skullker.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll, Lynn and the others await Gamma to open it's hangar bay doors so that Mega Man can sneak onboard with the stealth suit. QN-60 is no longer with them, because he was dropped off at the Police station to be repaired.  
>ProtoMan's limp and unconsciece body sits in a nearby seat and Mega had used his arm communicator to contact Wily using an uncanny ProtoMan impersonation as Roll used a fan in her utility arm to create a static sound, much to Roll's chagrin.<p>

"_Please_, don't do that ProtoMan voice again, Mega," Roll groans as she pilots the Skullker toward Gamma.

"Sorry, but I had to do it or else he wouldn't have bought it," Mega apologizes.

"Do you think they did?", Lynn asks.

"We better hope they did," Mega replies.

The sound of Cut Man's voice is heard coming out of ProtoMan's forearm, _"Okay, ProtoMan, __the hangar bay doors are open. You can bring Mega Man and his sister onboard any time."_

Roll lets out a sigh of relief as she flies the Skullker around to the rear side of Gamma and sees that the doors to both hangars are open, just like Cut Man said they would be.

"I'm going in," Mega says, "I'll destroy the reactor. The power overload will short out all of the security systems, then I'll take Wily. Dr. Light and the rest of the hostages should be gathered in the prisoner room on level 50."

"Are you even going to have enough time to get yourself out alive?", Roll asks, looking back to her brother.

"As long as this suit works, I'll have plenty and we'll be gone before they even knew we were here," Mega responds.

"Just, please be careful, Mega. I've already almost lost you once tonight," Roll begs.

Mega nods as Roll enters a command in the Sullker's console that opens the rear door of the shuttle. Mega Man cloaks himself invisible and flies out.

As the Skullker slowly approaches the lower hangar bay, Lynn shakes her head, overwhelmed that she is taking part in a mission that will determin the future of humanity. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?", she sighs.

"It's just another day for us," Roll barely smiles with a shrug.

By now, Mega Man has already made it inside. _"I'm in. There are cameras all around, so try to avoid detection until I take out the reactor,"_ Mega communicates, _"Wily will probably close the doors, but I'll get them open when I'm on the bridge."_

"Got it," Roll answers as she parks the Skullker inside the hangar bay backwards to avoid anybody spotting her, Lynn and an unconsciece ProtoMan inside. As the Skullker lands, the hangar bay door closes.

"I hope this works," Roll says.

* * *

><p>Mega Man travels throughout the insides of Gamma en route to the main reactor room which is a few floors up from where he arrived.<p>

On his way to the reactor room, Mega sees a few Robot Masters walking the halls such as Drill Man, Wood Man and Dust Man. They don't even know he is here, because they can't see him. Mega Man grins, but stays quiet, thinking that maybe he should have used this thing earlier today.

As he approaches his destination, he can hear the humming noise made by the reactor. He knows he is close to destroying this horrible _'peacekeeping' _robot now and hopefully avenging everybody who give their lives to try and stop Gamma.

Mega carefully turns the corner and sees the reactor itself, pulsating with enough energy to power the enter state of Texas, all used to power this monstrousity.

"It's time to finish this," Mega whispers to himself.

* * *

><p>Roll leaves the pilot's seat and walks to the rear of the Skullker. "Let's go get Dr. Light and the hostages, before this thing goes sky high," Roll says.<p>

"What about_ him_?", Lynn asks, looking at ProtoMan, "He'll call Wily when he wakes up and blow our cover."

Roll realizes Officer Wersching is right. "I know he has a shut-down code, but I'm affraid if I try to enter it, he'll wake up."

Lynn says, "You go and get the hostages. I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't even move."

"Are you sure?", Roll asks.

"I've got _this_," Lynn reples, removing her gun - loaded with plasma bolts - from her holster, "If he tries anything, he won't get very far."

Roll nods and turns to Rush. "Rush, stealth feet," she commands.

Rush nods and small compartments on his sides open and tiny arms come out of them, placing yellow sponge pads on the bottoms of his paws to cover the sound of his steps.

Roll peeks out the back door of the Skullker and sees that there are no Robot Masters here, just the cameras above, moving from left to right.

Roll steps on Rush's back and says, "Move only when I tell you to so we don't get caught, boy."

Roll waits for the prime opportunity to leave, and when she sees it she tells Rush to go.

Now both Roll and Rush leave the Skullker and as the door closes again, only Lynn and Eddie remain inside with ProtoMan. Lynn keeps her gun trained on ProtoMan's head as she stares at him.

"You have no idea how bad I want to shoot you right now... you and your friends have killed a lot of people and robots... including my old partner," she says to ProtoMan with an angry voice, referring to the destruction of Officer AL-05 last year in the Wall Street attack. "The only reason why I haven't blown your positronic brain out is because Mega Man wants you alive... so why don't you give me a reason to pull the trigger?"

Lynn steps closer to ProtoMan and keeps her pistol aimed at his head. "Come on! Give me a reason!" Lynn growls.

... "If you say so," ProtoMan replies.

Lynn's eyes widen and she doesn't even have enough time to react as ProtoMan then quickly slaps the gun out of her hand and grabs her by her arm, yanking her towards him as he jumps out his chair, nearly pulling Lynn's shoulder out of it's socket.

Proto then turns Lynn around and puts her in a sleeper hold by wrapping his right arm around her neck and fitting his left hand inside his grip, cutting off the flow of blood to the brain, but careful not to choke her.

"Next time you see my sibs, tell 'em I said '_thanks'_ for not shutting me down," Proto says.

Lynn violently struggles with Proto, trying to break free, but Proto's grip is too strong. Eddie tries kicking at ProtoMan's feet to get him to stop, but obviously, it's not working.

"Now, before you pass out, let me tell you something," Proto adds, "If I could've done things differently back there, you're partner wouldn't have died, and nobody else would've either. Killing isn't my thing, so don't blame me. I was just doing my job."

Lynn's struggles become weaker and weaker as her eyes begin rolling into her head. She softly moans with each struggle until she passes out in ProtoMan's sleeper hold. Proto lets go of her and places her in the passenger set in front of the Skullker's command.

"Eddie says you leave her alone!", Eddie says, still trying in vain to attack Proto.

"You know, I'm sick of you always gettin' in the way! So, I'm gonna put you somewhere where you can't interfere," ProtoMan smriks, picking Eddie up and sealing him in a storage compartment high above near the ceiling of the Skullker.

Eddie's feet can be heard kicking and his elfen voice is mufled.

* * *

><p><strong>Prisoner Holding room.<strong>

A Sniper Joe stands by and watches over the gathered hostages, which includes Bree Recotta, Chief Toombs and the entire Gamma bridge crew.  
>Some members of the bridge crew are suffering from blurry vision following the flash attack when ProtoMan took the bridge, some members have worse vision than others. The security robots are now unfrozen, but have been stripped of their weapons. But, Bree Recotta and Chief Toombs are fairing the worst following ElecMan's electrocutions.<p>

Both Bree and the Chief appear to have lackluster eyes and pale skin, and their breathing is shallow, incidating that they have both gone into shock. The Cheif is also favoring his left arm so he might have some heart damage, given his age. Both of them are lying on the floor with their heads elevated slightly as the Gamma crew tries to aid them.

The Gamma Captain steps up to the Sniper Joe and tries to reason with him. "Look at these people," he says, "They are going into shock and they need medical treatment. Please, just let them go and keep us."

The Captain tries to step forward, but the Sniper Joe just aims his blaster at him - still holding his green shield -, threatening to shoot him if he gets any closer.  
>Then, a female finger taps the Sniper Joe on his shoulder. He turns around and gets whacked in the head with Roll's frying pan, leaving a large dent in his head... he then colapses. It works every time.<p>

Roll and Rush enter the room and the bridge crew looks up. "You're Dr. Light's daughter," says a member of the crew.

"Sure am, and we're getting out of here," Roll replies, "Is everybody okay?"

"My bridge crew is," answers the captain, "But these two were electrocuted and are suffering from shock, they might be having heart problems."

Roll gasps when she sees the Chief and Bree and see steps up to them.

Despite Chief Toombs' condition, he still smiles when he sees Roll. "I knew youse kids was gonna show up," he says very weakly.

"Don't worry, we're getting all of you out of here alive," Roll assures.

"Where's Mega Man?", Bree asks, her voice sounding dazed.

"He's here too. He's gonna take out the reactor and get Wily...," Roll pauses as she looks around, realizing that somebody is missing, "... Where's Dr. Light?"

* * *

><p><strong>Reactor Room.<strong>

Mega Man steps up to the controls of the reactor to Gamma. The energy surging from the reactor is so powerful, it is distorting his cloaking device in his stealth add-on.

_"Mega, it's Roll. Please answer,"_ Roll calls, sounding stressed.

"What is it, sis?", Mega whispers into his arm.

_"I've found all of the hostages, but Dr. Light isn't here with them!"_, Roll worries.

"... then Wily must have him. Don't worry, I'll get him out alive," Mega says, "Just get those people out of there."

_"But, what about you?"_, Roll asks.

"Don't worry about me, just worry about the hostages. The reactor is about to overload."

Mega grabs the controls of the reactor and raises all of the power levels to their maximum levels. Then, Mega slides a lever control forward, giving the reactor a boost of energy so big, it will colpase within minutes.  
>The humming noice made by the reactor becomes a roar and the whole room rattles as sparks of electricity shoot out of the reactor itself. This thing will go up any minute. Mega then blasts the controls so nobody can stop the energy overload.<p>

"Get ready, Wily," Mega Man warns.

* * *

><p>In the hangar bay, ProtoMan runs toward the elevator and contacts Dr. Wily to warn him that about his brother. "ProtoMan to Wily, come in!"<p>

_"What is it, my boy?", _an elated Wily replies.

"Mega Man's onboard Gamma and so is Roll," Proto says with urgency in his voice.

_"Yes, just like you said they were! Good work, ProtoMan," _Dr. Wily says, oblivious to ProtoMan's true message.

"Are you even _listening_ to me?" Proto freaks, "Mega Man and Roll are on the loose and are trying to destroy Gamma and rescue the hostages."

_"WHAT? But, you said you-"_

ProtoMan interrupts his master, telling him, "It was a trick. Mega Man stole the Skullker and took me captive. He has some sort of flight suit that makes him invisible and he snuck in with the others. He's going in to destroy the reactor, so quit wasting your time talking to me and go to red alert!"

Just then, the warning klaxxon roars inside of Gamma, indicating that the reactor is critical.

"It's too late now! We've got to get off of this thing now before it blows up!"

_"No... you should leave and return to Skull Fortress with the Robot Masters," _Wily replies, _"I will deal with Mega Man myself!"_

"What?... Dammit, Wily!", Proto snaps as he runs towards the elevator.

* * *

><p>Roll, Rush and the securitybots help the injured hostages back to the hijacked Skullker. Two bridge crew members are helping Chief Toombs as Roll is helping Bree. When the klaxxon rings, everybody stops for a moment.<p>

_"Attention all robots! Mega Man is onboard Gamma. Find him and destroy him on sight!"_, yells the voice of Dr. Wily.

"If they didn't know we were here before, they do _now_. Everybody run!", Roll orders as the group picks up speed.

Then, a monotone voice says, _"Warning. Reactor unstable. T-Minus four minutes and twenty five seconds to __core meltdown."_

* * *

><p>Several Robot Masters arrive to the Reactor floor and look for Mega Man.<p>

"Where is he? I'm gonna defeat him quicker than anybody can!", Quick Man says.

Out of nowhere, a plasma blast is fired and strikes Quick Man in the chest.

"Fire in that direction!" Ice Man orders and all of the nearby Robot Masters fire their weapons in the direction where the blast came from, but they hit nothing but the wall.

"Where the hell is he?", Gemini Man yells.

"Over here!" says the voice of Mega Man from behind them all, blasting GeminI Man in the back before jetting off towards the bridge while fully cloaked.

Mega avoids getting hit with even more weapons fire as he heads for the Bridge to save Dr. Light and make Wily pay for his crimes.

* * *

><p><strong>Hangar Bay.<strong>

Roll and the others run towards the hijacked Skullker, but are now in pursuit by the Robot Masters Metal Man and ElecMan.

"We'll cover you," says a Gamma SecurityBot as he and his fellow SecurityBot partners turn around and charge for the Robot Masters.

Metal Man and ElecMan quickly dispatch the SecurityBots with their special powers almost effortlessly. Meanwhile, Roll opens the Skullker's rear door and the hostages enter. Rush is the last to enter the Skullker and is sure to close the door as he gets in.

"Officer Wersching! Are you alright?", Roll calls, only to see Lynn knocked out in the passenger seat and no sign of ProtoMan.

The sound of Metal Man's metal blade is heard outside the door as he tries to carve through it and get inside. Roll gets into the pilot's seat and powers-up the Skullker. And the shuttle lifts off of the floor of the hangar bay, Metal Man falls off before he could breach the door.  
>Roll turns the Skullker around to see that even more Robot Masters have arrived to the hangar bay and are ready to attack.<p>

Roll powers up the Skullker's four side-mounted shoulder cannons and takes aim... she realizes that these are the weapons that took Doc away from her.

"It's time for a taste of your own medicine!" she angrilly growls, pressing the **'fire'** button.

The Skullker opens fire upon the Robot Masters in the hangar bay and most of the shots hit their marks, severely damaging the ones that she hits, but not killing them.  
>The armor of several of the Robot Masters is blown apart by Roll's hail of laser fire and soon the entire Hangar Bay floor is covered in scrap metal and oil.<p>

Roll ceases firing and turns the Skulker around to face the hangar bay doors. She powers up the Skullker's most powerful weapon, the plasma beam cannon located in the "mouth" of the craft.  
>Roll fires the weapon twice at the hangar bay doors and compromises them, creating a large hole in the doors, just large enough for the Skullker to fly through. She then flies the Skullker straight into the hole, and the shuttle's hull is torn as it squeezes out of the hole in the door, but Roll barely makes it out with everybody onboard alive.<p>

Roll switches her utility arm to smelling salt mode and waves it under Lynn's nose and she wakes up gasping and wincing in pain, clutching her dislocated shoulder.

"Officer, are you okay? What happened?", Roll asks.

"The bastard with the scarf got away," Lynn replies through gritted teeth.

Roll calls Mega Man to warn him. "Mega, we've freed the hostages, but ProtoMan escaped," she says.

* * *

><p><strong>Gamma bridge level.<strong>

"I'll keep an eye out for him. Are you out yet?", Mega asks.

_"Yeah, we're flying low to avoid getting shot out of the sky," _Roll replies, _"Just please get Dr. __Light back."_

"I will. And thanks, Roll... you're the best partner I could ever have," Mega says.

_"Anytime, big brother," _Roll replies sincerly.

Mega Man cuts off the communication and approaches the bridge area. The myriad of laser detectors in the final corridor before entering the bridge are online, but are fluttering on and off because of the power fluctuations  
>Mega Man steps through them anyway, which trips another alarm, but it doesn't matter, because Gamma is built with an overide system that only Mega Man and Dr. Light can use in case of an emergency.<br>Mega presses his thumb into the thumb reader and the door to the bridge opens...

Mega Man nearly gasps when he sees Dr. Wily facing the door and holding Dr. Light in front of him as his hostage with a rifle taken from the securitybots pressed up to his head.

"I know you're there, Mega Man!", Wily growls, "If you don't want your _father's_ brain matter splattered all over you, then I suggest you turn off that new stealth suit of yours and take it off.

"Don't do it, Rock!" Thomas pleas, before Wily shoves him down and trains the rifle at him again.

"SHOW YOURSELF!", Wily hollars.

Mega Man decloaks and appears out of nowhere on the bridge, wearing the wide stealth suit add-on on his back and the blaster silencer on his arm.  
>Mega knows that Wily has him right where he wants him, and knowing Wily's fractured frame of mind, he<em> will <em>pull the trigger if he doesn't do what the madman tells him to do.

"Good," Wily says, "Now, take off your new gizmos and toss them aside."

"Just please don't hurt him anymore," Mega says as he slowly removes both of the Stealth Suit pieces off and tosses them aside.

Wily chuckles as he keeps Thomas held at gunpoint, not upholding his end of the deal.

"Come on! I did what you wanted, now let him go!", Mega shouts.

"You are so trusting, aren't you?", Wily grins, "You're so concerned about what's right in front of you that you don't pay any mind to what's _behind_ you."

Just then, GutsMan decks Mega from behind with his massive right arm. He strikes Mega so hard, his blue helmet comes off and falls to the floor.  
>Wily laughs as Mega tries to get up and blast GutsMan, but GutsMan slaps Mega's arm away and grabs him, picking him up over his head and throwing him into a nearby control console.<br>Mega's body crashes through the surging equipment and he groans in pain.

"Let me help you, GutsMan," Cut Man says as the shears on his head open and close rapidly, "Slicing Mega Man would be a _SHEAR _DELIGHT! Eh-heh!"

Cut Man yanks the scissors off of his head and throws them at Mega Man. Mega gets up and just barely avoids being decapitated, but the blades slash him accross his left cheek, tearing his synthetic flesh.  
>The cutters slice was so deep, they carve into Mega's metal skull and oil flows from the gash and down his face like blood from a laceration.<p>

Mega falls back down to the floor , moaning in pain as Cut Man's scissors return, now stained with Mega Man's oil. Cut Man begins stalking Mega Man and wheezes, "Looks like I cut him too close... maybe I need to get even _closer_!"

"Leave my son alone!" Thomas yells as GutsMan grabs Mega Man with his hand and pins him up against the wall.

Then, the sound of somebody clearing their throat is heard behind them. It was ProtoMan. "Planning on doing something to my brother without telling me, boys?" Proto asks.

"Oh, uh, no, ProtoMan," GutsMan lies, "We was just-"

"They are teaching your brother a lesson before we reprogam him," Wily interrupts.

"Yeah... sure," Proto says, not buying Wily's lie.

ProtoMan steps up to see that Mega is pretty banged up. His armor is bashed in some areas and oil from the gash in Mega's cheek drips onto it.

"Man, this hasn't been your lucky day, Mega," Proto says.

"Look who's talking," Mega groans before he quickly reaches up and grabs Cut Man's arm, copying his weapon power.

"No! Not again!", Cut Man whines.

Mega aims upwards and fires a cutter at GutsMan's arm, slicing clean through it and almost cutting it off, freeing Mega from his grip. ProtoMan tries to interfere, but Mega switches to his standard blaster mode and fires a shot right into his brother's chest when he gets close enough, knocking him down.

"DAMN YOU, MEGA MAN!" Albert yells, now aiming the rifle at Mega Man.

Thomas stands up and wrestles with Wily for control of the rifle, saving Mega from being shot.

Meanwhile, Mega Man grabs Cut Man and hurls him towards Dr. Wily. The Robot Master collides with Wily and they both go down in a heap. Dr. Light takes the rifle from Wily and removes the magazine.

ProtoMan gets back to his feet, but Mega Man was ready for him, aiming his blaster at him, ready to fire.  
>Proto grows angry as he stares at his brother. After all of the damage Mega Man has endured today, and despite going against both Gamma and Dr. Wily's full robot army, he <em>still<em> saves the day.

"Why can't I beat you?", Proto snaps.

"Because you're on the wrong side," Mega says as Dr. Light steps over to the main controls of Gamma and activates it's propulsion systems to fly it away from Liberty Island.

Then, Cut Man and GutsMan - whose right arm is barely dangling by a few wires - begin to leave as the bridge begins to shake from the pressure of the reactor about to blow.

ProtoMan doesn't move as Mega keeps his aim on ProtoMan. "You better let me escape, little brother," Proto says, "If we stay here much longer, we'll all be dead."

"You're coming with us whether you like it or not, Proto," Mega says.

"No way, "Proto snaps, "I'm not letting that old man anywhere near me. I've experienced enough pain thanks to his faulty progamming for one lifetime, thank you."

"Please, ProtoMan, listen to me," Thomas attempts to plea, but then, an explosion occurs on the floor above the bridge and several hunks of scrap fall down upon them all.

"Get down!", Mega cries as he covers Thomas and protects him from the falling debris.

ProtoMan takes this opportunity to run away... and shockingly leaves Dr. Wily behind!

Dr. Wily gets back to his feet as he tries to stagger away, but Mega Man re-emerges and aims his blaster at him. "You're not going anywhere, Wily!", he yells, "You've already lost, even your own robots have abandoned you. Now surrender!"

Wily turns and backpeddles from Mega Man. His evil grin appears on his face and he laughs. "You think _this_ is the end?", he asks, "It will never be over! Not until I have taken over the world. With time, Mega Man, you will eventually lose everything and everybody you care about, and all you'll have left to do is die when I-"

Another explosion on the bridge interrupts Wily and more debris falls right on top of him, burying him deep in it.

_"Warning: two minutes until reactor meltdown. All hands, evacuate Gamma,"_ says the computer voice.

Mega tries to unbury Dr. Wily, but Dr. Light stops him. "Rock, we're running out of time," Dr. Light says.

"I promised the world I'd bring him to justice," Mega responds as he unburies Wily.

Thomas grabs Mega by his shoulder and says, "Rock, please... leave him be. It's not worth it."

Mega ignores his creator because of the prime directive of robotics. Mega is afraid that if he leaves Wily here to die, he will violate the directive.

Finally, Mega Man uncovers Dr. Wily, only to find his head is at an awkward angle with a broken neck... and his skin is torn to reveal the damaged metal underneath.  
>This wasn't Dr. Wily at all... <span>i<span>t was a perfect robot duplicate. That is why ProtoMan didn't bother to retrive Dr. Wily, because he knew he was a duplicate.

Mega Man is momentarily stunned at this revealation, but has no time to react for too long, because Gamma is about to destruct. Mega runs over and grabs the stealth suit and his helmet, putting them back on.  
>"Let's go!", Mega says as he flees the bridge and Dr. Light follows him.<p>

* * *

><p>Gamma is flying up into the sky and is about to go supernova. Several areas of the peacekeeping robot's armor erupt with fire and smoke billows from it.<p>

All of Dr. Wily's vehicles that were stored on Gamma begin to flee and head towards the southwest, where Skull Fortress is located. Even the emergncy escape shuttle connected to the bridge floor is fleeing with ProtoMan, GutsMan and Cut Man onboard.

The emergency hatch on top of Gamma's head opens and Mega Man gets out, helping his father out as soon as he exits.  
>"Hang on tight," Mega says as he grabs Thomas and soars away via his stealth suit pack.<p>

As Mega Man flies away with his father safely in his grip - both of them injured, beaten and tired - Gamma's reactor blows, creating an explosion of biblical proportions that lihts up the sky, and the burning and twisted remnants of Gamma plummet into the Atlantic Ocean down below.

The world's first peacekeeping robot - and the world's greatest nightmare - has finally been destroyed.

* * *

><p><strong>White House.<strong>

Everybody who is gathered in the underground bunker is erupting in cheers following the fall of Gamma... everybody except President Henry, who's greatefulness is more subdued than everybody else's.  
>The President walks off to his private office and sits down in his chair, letting out a sigh. His Chief of Staff follows him into the office. "Mr. President, are you alright?", he asks.<p>

"I'm fine," the President answers, still looking morose. "I'm glad Gamma is gone and hopefully Wily is gone with it," he continues, "But, too many people died today, both Military and innocent citizens... and their lives wouldn't have been lost if we had never requested Dr. Light to make Gamma in the first place. What happened today was the world's fault."

The President looks up to his Chief of Staff and says, "I need some time alone for a few minutes. Let me know if Dr. Light or Mega Man are alright."

"Yes, sir," the Chief of Staff replies and he leaves President Henry to mourn the deaths of all those who were lost today.

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York.<strong>

The stolen Skullker lands amungst a swarm of police cruisers and ambulances that have gathered here to pick up the rescued hostages. Those who have gathered on the surface are already cheering, not only because of the safe return of the hostages, but they just watched Gamma's destruction off in the distance.

EMTs and MedicBots run to the Skullker and begin helping the hostages off. Chief Toombs and Bree are carried out first with help from the Gamma bridge crew and are loaded onto stretchers. Lynn Wersching steps out next, her shoulder clearly looks like it is messed up following the encounter with ProtoMan.

Roll and Rush step out and run around to the other side of the Skullker with Eddie. Roll gasps when she sees how horrific Gamma's destruction looks as it's remains plummet into the river. Roll clasps her hands together and preys out loud, "Please be alive... please tell me they made it out."

Off in the distance, Mega Man flies into view with Dr. Light safely held under his arm.

"There's Mega Man!", shouts one of the police officers and a thunderous cheer erupts once again.

Mega lands near Roll and drops Dr. Light off. Roll runs up to her father and hugs him gently as Rush and Eddie run up to Mega Man, who is taking his stealth suit off as everybody celebrates around them.

* * *

><p>Nearby, a car pulls up to the scene and a caucasian man with short black hair gets out and runs into the gathering. He runs past the police and straight to the ambulances, which are all loading patients inside of them. The man looks worried sick as he searches all over for his loved one.<br>But then, he finds her as she is being loaded onto an awaiting ambulance... "Bree!", he calls as he runs over to her.

Bree looks over to see her husband Max running over to her and she weakly reaches out to him with her right hand. As he arrives, he holds her hand and begins openly weeping. "Oh, my God!", he weeps, "I thought I was going to lose you!"

"I thought I was going to die back there," Bree weakly replies, "But, I held on... I had to see you again... besides, I'm not one to bail out on the biggest news story of all time."

Max barely smiles as a MedicBot steps up to them and says, "Sir, we have to take this woman to the nearest medical center. She is suffering from shock and possible cardiac damage brought by electrocution."

"He's with me," Bree barely says.

"Sounds like no more danger for you for a while," Mr. Recotta says as he gets into the ambulance with his wife.

"Don't bet on it," Bree replies.

* * *

><p>Roll looks over to Mega, who looks badly battered and beaten, still with oil covering half of his face, and is noticably not in a celebratory mood, unlike most of the others around.<p>

She gasps, "Oh, Mega!... what happened to you?"

Mega doesn't answer Roll's question, because despite the fact that they all just saved the day and the world, one thing haunts the Blue Bomber... "Wily wasn't onboard," he says

Roll looks confused. "What do you mean he wasn't onboard?", she asks

"Wily wasn't onboard when Gamma went down," Dr. Light adds, "It was a perfect robotic duplicate... he fooled us all."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The big shock about Dr. Wily being a duplicate is straight from Mega Man 3 (which oddly enough, was the boss battle before Gamma.)_

_I considered giving Bree's huband a silly cheese name too (Monterey Jack), but I felt that would have been too silly._

_The story is not over just yet, the epilogue is will be up shortly. __Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment._


	48. Ep 4 Epilogue: Some Time to be Alone

_**Gamma, Epilogue: Some Time to be Alone.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

All of the Skullkers, SkullCopters and Air Raiders that were once a part of Gamma's fleet of arial craft return to Skull Fortress all at once, carrying all of the injured Robot Masters, all of which managed to survive. In fact, Fire Man, Oil Man and Tomahawk Man have already been recovered from their near-destruction experience in Glendale.  
>Behind them is the emergency escape shuttle with ProtoMan, GutsMan and Cut Man inside.<p>

Once all of the craft land inside the fortress' hangar bay, ProtoMan leaves the emergency shuttle and heads directly for Wily's command center deep inside the fortress.  
>He knows how Wily gets when he fails a mission, but this has to be the biggest failure yet. He is fully expecting to be yelled at, or maybe even attacked for failing to capture Mega Man and the rest of his family, allowing them to destroy Gamma. Whatever his punishment will be (and he's sure he's getting it), Proto's not looking forward to it, but he might as well debrief with Wily now and get it over with.<p>

ProtoMan enters the command center (without knocking), and sees the real Dr. Wily sitting in his swivel chair in front of several glowing monitors and slowly turning to face him.  
>Not only was Dr. Wily not onboard in the final hours of the Gamma's existance... but he was <em>never<em> really onboard Gamma at any time and was safe back here at Skull Fortress over the course of the entire operation, while his robot twin was having all of the fun onboard Gamma. The duplicate was under control from Albert back here, of course.

When Albert turns to face ProtoMan, he is wearing a smug smile on his face, not acting the way ProtoMan expected he would.

"Well, you're takin' this whole thing real well," Proto scoffs.

"Eh... you could say that, my boy," Albert replies, "Gamma was never my invention to begin with, so the losses we took were minimal, aside from Chrage Man and Plug Man."

"So, what inspired you to stay here at the fortress?", Proto asks.

Albert answers, "Ever since I saw Gamma in the images sent from our spybot, I had a suspicion that maybe I should sit this one out... and my suspicion was right! Don't get me wrong, I would have _loved_ for this mission to have been a success, and it almost was. But, it wasn't.. and I'm okay with that, because while I did not take the world, I did wound it."

"So, you're not gonna, you know, yell at us like you usually do? 'Cause, I'm _really_ sick of that," Proto asks.

Albert answers, "While I would have preferred you capturing Mega Man and his family... no, I am not going to yell at you. If anybody deserves to be yelled at... it is Thomas Light. He and all of the world leaders wanted Gamma... so they got it!" Wily's old face twists into a rotton smile as he continues, "This mission only proved just how weak and ill-prepared this world really is, especialy when their blue hero is nowhere around."

ProtoMan warns, "I don't know about that. They're only gonna be more prepared the next time we strike."

"All of the preperation in the world cannot possibly ready them for what I have in store for them this year," Albert grins as he approaches ProtoMan, "This_ is_ the year, my boy... this is the year when I take over the world!"

Wily puts his arms around ProtoMan's damaged torso and says, "I think it's time we inform the world that I'm not really dead. I would like to break the news to them before Mega Man does."

Albert Wily laughs as he is about to embark on his craziest and deadliest series of missions yet... Gamma was only the beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>Lynn Wersching's townhouse.<strong>

Lynn returns home with her right arm in a sling. Her shoulder was reset back to normal, but she is still in very sore shape.  
>She drops her jacket onto her couch and sits down. This has been a terrible day for a lot of people, most especially for the families of the people who died today. Thankfully, Gamma has been destroyed and Mega Man saved QN-60 from sacrificing himself to save them all.<p>

Her phone rings on the coffee table accross from her couch. "God, who the hell is calling at this time of night?", she groans.  
>Lynn leans over and grabs the phone with her good arm and answers. "Hello?"<p>

_"... Lynn?"_, replies a familiar tired and ragged voice on the other end.

Lynn's eyes widen as she recognizes the voice. There was no mistaking it. "Castor!", she gasps, "Oh, my God, you are alright?"

_"I was gonna ask the same thing about you, after everything that's happened today," _Castor replies, sounding noticably worse then he did a year ago, now with a harsh lisp most likely caused by losing more teeth.

"I'm okay," Lynn replies, not even going into details about how crazy her night has been, "Where are you? I've been looking all over for you"

_"Yeah... I know you have,"_

"Castor, why didn't you tell me what was wrong with you to begin with?", Lynn asks, "I would've been there to help you, you know that."

_"... I... I couldn't," _Castor answers, _"I didn't want you to get in trouble. It'd be kinda embarassing __if they knew about me."_

"Castor, you're not an embarrassment to me. I love you, no matter what you've done! I know you've still got a problem... and _you_ know you do too, because I know you've tried to seek counseling since you left. Why didn't you finish?"

_"I can't do it," _Castor says, _"I just can't."_

"Yes, you can! It's not that hard," Lynn says.

_"... you don't know what they put you through in there. It's not just detox, they go deeper," _Castor says woefully, recalling how treatment in rehab facilities is far more personal then just detoxification. The treatment is just as much psychological as it is physical and doctors typically want to go into your past and pry it open. Some people can handle it, and some can't.

"Please, Cast," Lynn pleads, "just come back. Everything will be alright."

_"... I can't come back," _Castor says.

"What? Why?", Lynn asks.

_"... I don't want to... I don't want anybody seein' me like this,"_ Castor admits, _"I know what __I've done to myself... and I never should've lied to you... but, it's too late for me."_

"No, Castor!", Lynn now weeps, trying to break through her brother's depression, she pleads, "It's never too late. I know you feel ashamed of yourself, but you can stop this! _We_ can stop this! I still care about you. Even Red is worried about you. Please tell me where you are."

_"I'm sorry, Lynn... I can't."_

"... so that's it?", Lynn asks, now growing angry, "You're just gonna let the drugs win? You're just gonna give up and leave me?

Castor doesn't reply, but it sounds like he's becoming stressed on the other end.

"You can try to give up, but I'm not," Lynn says, "I'm going to keep looking for you, and I'm going to find you one day. And if I have to drag you to get help, I'm going to do it. I'm not going to let you die!"

Lynn lets her anger get the better of her and she hangs up on Castor. She can't see how he can continue to allow himself to continue this self-abusive behavior.

A minute later the phone rings again, but Lynn doesn't answer it, letting it go to the voicemail.

It was Castor again, and he sounded upset. _"Lynn, please... don't let it end like this... n__ot like this... I'm sorry."_

Lynn picks the phone back up and tries to reason with her brother again. "You know what you have to do, Castor," Lynn says, "I don't care what your excuse is, it's _not_ too late. Stop listening to the influence while you _do_ have time."

_"... Yeah," _Castor replies, knowing deep down inside that his sister is right, but not knowing if he has the strength or the willpower to stop himself.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Dr. Light is currently speaking with The President via video conference as Roll is nearby, wearing a paint-stained white button-up shirt and blue jeans. She is painting the Met hardhat she found at the storage facility, making it yellow like a Met hardhat should look. She will soon be adding a red cross on the front, as a tribute to her friend Doc.

"I am sorry that Gamma could not be dealt with sooner, Mr. President," Thomas says.

_"It's alright. Gamma was more powerful than any of us could have imagined," _President Henry says.

"I think we all realize now that the world doesn't need a war machine to maintain peace," Thomas says.

_"Indeed... in our desire for this war to end, we got overzealous to find a way to stop Wily. I am __sorry that I ever got you and your family involved in this project."_

"No apology is necessary, Mr. President," Thomas says.

_"Please tell Mega Man that he has my gratitude. The same goes for all of you,"_ Henry says.

"I will, sir," Dr. Light replies before the call ends.

As the call finishes, Thomas turns to Roll, who stops painting the Met hardhat for a moment. Mega Man is not with them right now, because he is standing on top of the roof of the lab to have some solitude.

"Will you relay that mesage to your brother, Roll?", Thomas asks.

"Sure. But, I'm worried about Mega. He's been up there on the roof all day," Roll says.

"He's bothered by yesterday's events... as am I," Thomas replies, "He always had a bad feeling about Gamma... I should have listened to him."

"None of us knew this was going to happen, Dr. Light," Roll assures, trying to make her father feel better.

"... Rock did," Thomas sighs.

* * *

><p>Atop of the lab, Roll steps out to the roof and expects to see Mega Man standing there, looking accross at the New York skyline like he usually does.<p>

"Mega? Are you up here?", Roll calls.

As she looks around, she sees that Mega is nowhere is sight and presses her communication button on her utility arm. "He's not up here, Dr. Light. And he's not in his room either!"

_"I'll check his tracker," _Thomas replies, _"... I've found him. He's in the city, alone."_

Roll frets, "I've gotta go talk to him"

_"No, you should stay here. I'll go talk him,"_ Dr. Light responds, _"I need to handle this."_

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in New York, Mega Man is taking a walk by himself so he can have some time to himself. The damage to his body and face has been repaired and he looks as good as new.<p>

As he walks, people recognize him and thank him for saving them from Dr. Wily last night. But, even though he is appriciative of their gratitude, Mega is deeply haunted by what happened yesterday.

He looks over to his right and sees the damaged remains of the buildings that Gamma blasted yesterday, already with human and robot construction crews hard at work to repair them.  
>Seeing the destruction caused by Dr. Wily makes Mega think about all of those fighter pilots from the U.S., Canadian and Mexican air force who were killed trying to stop Gamma.<p>

None of this should have ever happened... even going back to last year, those who died (including Doc), should all still be here right now.

Mega Man hears the jets of the SkyCar (which was found and recovered after ProtoMan had left it behind) approaching behind him, but he keeps walking with his helmeted head down low.

"Rock?", Dr. Light calls, stepping up to him, "Are you alright?"

"... no, I'm not alright," Mega admits, sounding glum.

"What's wrong?", Thomas asks, concerned.

Mega stops walking and after a long pause, he replies, "Everything that's happened is bothering me, not just last night, but everything else. This war, Doc, my brother... I can't get any of it off of my mind anymore." Mega lets out a sigh as he continues, "Wily came so close to taking us all out... he destroyed these buildings and killed all of those people and robots, and instead of sitting in a jail cell, he's at his fortress... he was there the whole time."

Thomas sees how bothered his son is and tries to encourage him. "But, you still stopped him though. It doesn't matter that he got away, the only thing that matters is that we stopped him. You did such an exellent job, The President even wanted to thank you. He is also feeling bad about this whole situation too."

"... that's another thing that bothers me. When I voiced my concerns about Gamma, nobody listened to me... even _you! But, w_hat hurts even more is that you never told me that he was made to replace me. I don't enjoy fighting, but I _chose_ to become what I am for a reason... I want to make a difference and do what's right, to help everybody... and you were about to take that away from me," Mega adds, sounding sad as he begins walking away.

Dr. Light lets out a sad sigh as he watches his son walking away. He remembers that from the beginning, Mega was worried about Gamma being a failure, or perhaps a threat, but everybody carried on with it and tried to convince him that everything would be okay. As much as Thomas blames himself for not trying to do what he son asked and delay the Gamma project, he is especially saddened by Mega's reaction Gamma's other purpose: replacing Mega Man as Defender of the Human Race so that Mega could 'retire' and live a safe and happy life at home.  
>Now that Thomas knows how seriously Rock is taking his responsibilities, he deeply regrets ever building Gamma in the first place.<p>

"Rock, wait," Thomas says, catching up with his son, "We were wrong, we all were. Gamma _was_ a mistake, and I realize that now... I'm so sorry I never listened to you..." Thomas pauses, before choking, "I'm sorry I let you down. I promise, I will not carry on with something like this again without discussing it with you first. I hope you're not mad at me."

"... I'm not mad at you, father," Mega replies, "I just wish you would have never made that thing... none of this would have ever happened."

"Rock, I-"

"Please, father... I just want to be left alone for a little while," Mega interrupts, "I'll be back home later."

Mega Man walks away and Dr. Light stops following him. He watches his brave son walk away to wherever it is that he's going and he feels terrible that Mega Man (and his entire family) has to live such a difficult life, having to fight to protect humankind.  
>Now, Thomas feels like he has only added to their heartache by building Gamma, especially after learning how deeply this has hurt his son.<p>

Instead of following him, Thomas respects Mega Man's wishes and lets him have his time alone, stepping back into the SkyCar and returning home to the lab.

Mega Man himself continues walking, in the opposite direction away from home. He might go to the hospital and visit those who were injured like the Police Chief and Bree Recotta (who both survived their their encounter with Dr. Wily and ElecMan)... maybe he'll go look for Officer Wersching's lost brother... maybe he'll help the rebuilding effort... but, he's not going home yet, because he doesn't want to be there right now, not yet.

Until then, Mega Man keeps walking... and he hopes that one day this ongoing war for everlasting peace will come to an end.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The scene with Mega Man walking at the end was another tribute to Mega Man 2, where Mega Man was shown walking after the game was over._

_The scene with Lynn and Castor was difficult because I had a tough time thinking of what Castor's dialogue would be, considering both his addiction and his depression. I did not want him to sound selfish, and I hope he doesn't._

_And that about does it for "Gamma", the biggest episode of this series I have posted so far. Thank you to all of my reviewers: Qqtt991, BlackRussian, DestinyZX, and lalalei, as well as everybody who has read this series since it started. And Kuraselache, I hope you're doing okay. :)_

_Now, if you don't mind, I am going to take a rest from updating this series for a little while (, I've been working non-stop on it since July.) It has been so much fun to make this dream of mine come true, and I'm grateful that so many of you enjoy it, but I need to have a little more time to put the interlude and the next episode together.  
>Don't worry, my break will not be too long and the story will continue... and things are about to change.<em>

_And please don't forget to leave a review or a comment._


	49. Interlude: Year Two, part 1

_**Interlude: Year Two, part 1.**_

* * *

><p><strong>April 20X2.<strong>

It has been nearly one month since the peacekeeping robot Gamma was hijacked by Dr. Wily and wreaked havoc on the world. The cities that were affected by Gamma's attacks are still undergoing repairs, most especially New York City, which endured the worst of Dr. Wily's and Gamma's wrath.  
>Dr. Wily has not launched any attacks since that fateful day, but the Gamma attack struck more fear into the hearts of many moreso than any of his previous attacks.<p>

The fallout of the Gamma hijacking has weighed heavily on all parties involved. All of the leaders of the nations involved in the Gamma project are taking a lot of heat from their citizens for funding and taking part in the development of Gamma and allowing the hijacking to take place thanks to their carelessness.

Dr. Thomas Light has even come under fire from some talking heads in the news media - one of them being a smarmy New York City news journalist named Dick Ferguson, - but not so much from the public, because the facts about the handling of the Gamma project quickly became public knowledge: Dr. Light had requested some more time to perfect Gamma because of Mega Man's uneasiness about the peacekeeping robot's security integrity, but construction continued on schedule. And because of that, Gamma's security systems were flawed, and Wily capitalized on it.

Mega Man, on the other hand, is just as popular with the public as ever, still being met with great praise, as is his sister Roll who is also becoming noticed, especially after her involvment during the Gamma operation. In fact, her ponytailed hairstyle is now being emulated by several human women and girls in America.  
>The hairdo has been dubbed <em>"The Roll"<em> by the public.

However, Mega Man has been affected by the Gamma fallout too, but in a much more personal way.  
>After learning that Dr. Light had built Gamma to replace him as the Defender of the Human Race, and after nobody in power heeded his warnings about a potential hijacking of the titanic robot, Mega spent more time away from home and instead helped the community in any way he could. For a brief time after the Gamma hijacking, Mega's relationship with his fathercreator Dr. Light had become strained, and despite Thomas' attempts to talk things out with him, Mega could not bring himself to speak to him.

Now that some time has passed, the tension between them has calmed down and the Light family continues to love eachother and live their lives in peace... as much peace as they can get, anyway, for Dr. Wily is planning his next major threat on humanity.

* * *

><p><strong>Military base.<strong>  
><strong>Carlisle, Pennsylvania.<strong>

Mega Man and Dr. Light are in Pennsylvania today as a guest of the United States Military to watch a demonstration of the new defense supercomputer system that Dr. Light developed to help defend important installations and buildings from falling prey to a full-scale Wily army invasion.  
>After Gamma, the United States government realized just how massive Wily's robot army has become and requested Dr. Light's help in designing this supercomputer that will coordinate and run the automated defences at all of the Unitited States military bases. Soon, more supercomputers will be built to aid military units through all of North America and Europe.<p>

With Thomas and Mega Man is General Hothelman, who is decked out in full uniform and is also wearing sunglasses indoors, thanks to an eye condition that makes his retinas sensitive to light.

"Ensign," the General orders, "Begin the Simulation run now."

"Yes, sir," replies the young technician seated at a computer console, turning to enter a command to begin the live simulated test run of a full-on invasion attack against a military base, secured by Dr. Light's new defense supercomputer.

Then, a fully rendered CGI visual appears on the screen, showing polygonal renditions of all of Dr. Wily's vehicles approaching a military base, including Skullkers, SkullCopters, Skull Tanks and Air Raiders.

"While the computerized defenses deal with fending off hostiles, you can give orders to protect the soldiers on the base," Thomas says, "Feel free to give the simulation commands."

"Very well, Doctor," The General replies as he looks at the screen and commands, "Ensign, Red Alert. Prepare all defenses and evacuate all members to the safe zone."

"Yes, Sir. Defense systems online," the Ensign replies.

The simulation shows the CGI military base's defenses coming online and taking aim at the Wily forces, including several turrets and missile launchers, and opening fire upon them, destroying several craft.  
>In the simulation, some of the Skull Tanks manage to crash through the exterior barbed wire fenses and speed towards the base, but several hidden compartments in the ground open and large hammer-like weapons appear and slam into the ground, sending out a shockwave when they hit said ground, knocking the Skull Tanks over on their tops.<br>Then, out of the roof of the base, a large dish that resembles a satilite dish appears and powers-up. The dish then fires a powerful blast of energy at the remaining arial craft, destroying them.  
>By now, all of the simulated hostiles had been destroyed and the words, <em>"Remaining Hostiles: 0.0; Military Casualties: 0.0"<em> appear on the screen.

The General half-smiles when the simulation is finished. "Very impressive, Dr. Light," he says, "Dr. Wily will think twice before launching an attack on our military bases now. But I do have one question, and I apologize for having to ask it, but after the Gamma incident we have to be more cautious."

"I understand, sir," Thomas replies, exchanging a glance with Mega Man.  
>If only the right people had been this cautious last month.<p>

"How do we know that Dr. Wily won't come here to destroy the supercomputer?".

"I truly don't think you have to worry General Hothelman," Thomas replies, "Even if Dr. Wily _did_ try to attack this base, it would take a weapon of enormous strength to take one of these offline. Each of the supercomputers will be contained inside of a secure structure like this one. It would take a massive power surge to take one of them offline."

"Exactly how massive?", asks Hothelman.

"More than it would take to generate power to the entire northeastern United States," Thomas responds.

The General's right eyebrow tilts behind his sunglasses. "That's good to know."

Soon, Dr. Light and Mega Man wrap-up their business here at the military base and prepare to leave. However, Mega turns to face General Hothelman. He has something he needs to tell him, something that has been bothering him since Gamma. "General, can I speak with you for a minute, sir?", Mega asks.

"Certainly, Mega Man," the General replies.

Mega Man says, "I'm truly sorry about what took place last month. If I could have saved all of the pilots during the air opperations against Gamma, I would have."

Hothelman pats Mega Man on the shoulder and offers him some encouragement. "I know you would have. But, you shouldn't blame yourself. Those men and women would have followed you into the mouth of hell itself if they had too... and the same goes for all of us. You may not be military, but you're with us."

Mega Man looks around to all of the officers in the room, who all look back at him like he was one of their own. Based on the looks in their eyes, The General is not lying about their willingness fighing alongside him to defend humanity at all costs from Dr. Wily. They _would_.

Mega nods and modestly replies, "Thank you, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Dr. Light's lab complex.  
><strong>**Just outside of New York City.**

Mega Man and Dr. Light have arrived home and Mega enters the house adjoining the lab, only to hear the sound of a video game coming from the television, which is then suddenly silenced.

"Oh, come _on_!", Roll bemoans from the family room.

Mega Man enters the room and sees his sister clutching the controller in front of the television as she sits on the edge of the family's couch. The game she is playing - of all things - is the official _Mega Man_ video game, and she is facing the tough Yellow Devil as a boss enemy.

"What's the matter, sis?", asks Mega Man from behind her, "My game's a little too tough for the average video game player?"

Roll glances back to her brother, taking offense to his remark. "I am _not_ just an _average_ gamer. This game is too hard!" Roll replies as she turns her attention back to the screen as her Mega Man avatar stands accross the computer-controlled Yellow Devil, "I can't make it past this this big yellow squishy thing!"

"Use the Thunder Beam," Mega replies, sounding like an old pro... he would know, since he defeated the real Yellow Devil last year at Wily's fortress.

"I _am_ using the Thunder Beam," Roll says, not taking her eyes off of the screen, "but, he's too fast!"

Nearly a minute later, Roll loses to the Yellow Devil again, losing her last life, and getting the **Game Over** screen, as a brief little happy tune plays. Roll lets out a sigh, slumping back into the couch.

"Maybe you should turn it off for a little while," Mega suggests.

"Yeah... my thumbs are sore, anyway," Roll muses, sounding defeated as she powers down the game console, "You really need to talk to these video game people and get them to put in a 2-player mode. Then, I can be your partner in the game too."

Mega smiles, "I think I need to tell them to make the game easier first."

"Oh, stop," Roll sighs, giving her brother a playful slap on his arm, "I'm sure you had a much easier time with the real deal at Skull Fortress than I'm having in the game."

"I doubt that, Roll," Mega replies.

As the two siblings make their way to the lab, Roll adds, "Well, if he's this tough in the game, I hope they don't put Gamma in there."

Mega can almost feel his metal heart skip a beat when Roll brings up _that_ monterousity. "I hope they don't either."

"So, were you and Dr. Light okay today?", Roll asks, "There weren't any odd _'no talking'_ moments between you two again, were there?"

"No, everything's still good," Mega answers, "The simulation was a success. It looked like one of your video games."

"... but," Roll interjects.

Mega looks confused, "But, what?"

"You're worried about something," Roll assesses, "I can tell. You've got that look about you. You're worried about Wily sabotaging the supercompter too, aren't you?", she asks, careful not to sound like she's teasing him, because she's not.

"After Gamma, I have good reason to worry," Mega replies, "I've always got to be ready for the worst case senario. It could happen at any moment, as long as Wily's still around."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Inside of his fortress in the badlands, Dr. Wily watches a national news report touting that Dr. Light has developed a new supercomputer.

_"With this new supercomputer at the military's disposal, the chances of an invading force __like that of Dr. Wily's robot army crippling the military bases of this country are extremely unlikely."_

"_Extremely unlikely_, eh?," Albert chuckles," Well, wait until you see what I have in store for you bottom-feeding leaches this time!", he says to himself.

Albert grabs a wrinkled paper map of the United States with a tabloid news article from this morning stapled to it. The article was touting that Mega Man was seen heading towards Pennsylvania with Dr. Light.

"So, Thomas' magnificant new supercomputer must be somewhere in this wretched state," Albert assumes, drawing a large circle around Pennsylvania, "And I have just the weapon to use the supercomputer against you, Thomas... lest you forget, you're not the _only_ genius in town."

Ever since Wily's army hijacked Gamma last month, Dr. Wily has dreamed of creating his own massive war machine, so Albert has created several blueprints for new massive weapons of mass destruction. But, out of all of them, the one that interests Albert the most right now is one he came up with when he saw a Spider creeping around in Skull Fortress. Since that day, he has directed his Robot Masters and user-controlled construction bots to build his towering creation and make it a reality. And after nearly a month of work, it's almost ready.

Wily sits down in his swivel chair in his Command Center and contacts GutsMan in the hangar bay. "GutsMan, what is the status on my Robo-Spider?", he asks.

A live shot of the hangar bay appears on one of the many monitors in the command center, showing GutsMan standing in front of the guargantuan titanium spider tank. Seeing the Robo-Spider pleases Wily's inner psychotic desires, and he can hardy wait to unleash this terror onto the world.

_"It's almost ready, Dr. Wily," _GutsMan responds, _"It ain't as big as Gamma, but I think this __Spider thing is gunna be even better!"_

"Of course it will, GutsMan! Because unlike Gamma, this is one of _my own_ creations!", Albert replies, "When your shift is done, meet with me in Battle Room 1. It's time to get accuainted with your newest friends."

_"Uh... what's that word mean?"_

Albert glazes his eyes. "Just be there when I tell you to be there," he snaps.

* * *

><p><strong>Battle Room 1<strong>

Dr. Wily has gathered all of the Robot Masters in one of Skull Fortress' many large battle rooms to get familiar with the newest of the Robot Masters, and this is quite a motley bunch.  
>Standing near Dr. Wily is his right hand robot, ProtoMan, who actually looks bored by this process.<p>

"Come on, Doc, I already know who these boltheads are. I don't need to be here," ProtoMan groans, "I want action."

"And we are mere hours from said action beginning, my boy," Wily replies, "Just be patient."

"... look who's talkin'," ProtoMan mutters silently.

Wily steps forward, standing between his current crop of Robot Masters and his new Robot Masters, and says, "My new Robot Masters, introduce yourselves!"

The first of the new Robot Masters steps up. He has green armor and is the largest of the lot, and is idenifiable by his body... his Centaur body, which is half humanoid and half horse.  
>"I'm Centaur Man," as he steps up with all of his hoofs.<p>

"_Ugh_, this is what we've come to?", Proto moans.

"ProtoMan, be quiet!", Albert silently hisses, before turning his attention to Centaur Man, asking him, "What is you special ability, Centaur Man?"

"My special power is the Centaur Flash, to blind my enemies with," replies Centaur Man.

"Oh, boy! A flash weapon. Haven't seen_ that _before," ProtoMan sighs, "I thought you said you didn't want your Robot Masters to be redundant."

"Stop!", Wily hisses again, growing angrier. "Next!", he barks.

Then, a stout blue robot steps up. He has no face, just a pair of eyes and silver spikes sticking out of the top of his head. In a dopey voice, he says, "Hi, I'm Needle Man! I can use my needles on my enemies!"

Needle Man then fires his needle spikes out of his head and embedding them into the nearby wall. A new set of spikes stick out of his head to replace the previous ones.

"Okay, that's a _little_ better," ProtoMan says, "But, I think we've finally found a bot more stupid than GutsMan."

Wily groans, "Are you _trying_ to cause trouble?"

"I would never do such a thing," Proto answers with a miscihievous grin, "Hey, look on the bright side. He might be more stupid than Gutsman, but he might not lose as much as Drill Man."

ProtoMan is making reference to the Robot Master Drill Man, a robot with a drill atop of his head and two more drillers for hands, who has performed the worst out of all of the Robot Masters thus far. He is usualy defeated by Mega Man in embarrassing fashion when he is in battle.

"Are you talking about me?", Drill Man asks.

"No!" Wily barks before he calls, "Next."

Then, a tall robot with mostly red armor and large shoulders steps forward. "I'm Gravity Man," he says, "And I can manipulate gravity!"

Gravity Man holds his hands out and manages to pick a Sniper Joe robot up without even touching him. The Sniper Joe wraggles his arms when he realize he is levitating off the ground.

Albert turns to ProtoMan and asks, "_Now_ are you impressed?"

Proto smirks, "_Hmph_... okay, this guy's a little bit better."

After Gravity Man safely puts the Sniper Joe to the ground again, a large hulking robot with dark blue armor steps up, towering over all of the new Robot Masters. He has a torso shaped like a barrel and a similarly shaped head with a synthetic face.

"I'm Hard Man!", says the Robot Master, "And my weapon is the Hard Fist!"

Hard Man clinches his right hand into a fist and fires it from his arm, punching a hole clean through the wall. The fist returns to it's owner by making another hole in the wall and re-attaching itself to him.

"And that ain't all," he continues, "My armor's double reinforced. So, I'm tough stuff! No blaster's gonna take me out!""

"Okay, big man, I'm impressed, but I've got one question," ProtoMan asks.

"Well, what is it?"

"Your armor is reinforced... so, why wouldn't your enemies just shoot you in the face instead?"

ProtoMan's continued difficult attitude drives Albert to facepalm himself.

Hard Man answers, "Why would anybody want to shoot me in the face?"

"It's the only part of your body that isn't armored. So, it's an easy target," Proto assesses. Proto turns back to face Wily and asks, "Are we done meeting these bozos yet?"

"There is one more... and he's not a bozo," Wily sneers, "Meet... Skull Man."

The door to the battle room opens and the Robot Masters part to make way for the next new Robot Master, and he is quite intimidating. His name is Skull Man, and not surprisingly, his armor has a semi-skeletal design. Two evil eyes shrouded in pools of dark shadows can be seen in the eye holes of his skull-shaped head, which appear to be perminantly etched into an angry scowl.

"As you may have guessed, I took great pride in creating this Robot Master," Albert says, "I think he fits in quite well here, what with my fondness for human skulls."

"I like him already," Metal Man rasps, "He will be an excellent addition to your army."

"Oh, I see," ProtoMan grins, "Skull Man's our new mascot, right?"

The angry eyes inside of Skull Man's eye holes appear to become even angrier, as it appears he has taken offense to ProtoMan's remark. And if he could talk, he would be yelling at ProtoMan right now.

"Hey! Calm down, Skull Man... every team needs a good mascot," Proto smirks.

"ProtoMan... return to your quarters," Wily orders, sick of Proto's frequent disruptions.

"Fine, I'm bored out of my mind, anyway. Let me know when it's time for me to _do_ something," Proto blows off, "See you later, Mascot Man."

Skull Man only grows angrier at ProtoMan's continued insults as the Red Raider walks away snickering.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Night.<br>****Somewhere in New York.**

_"The following message has been approved by __**Deacon for Governor: 'X2**__."_

We see a caucasian human male standing in New York City, looking into the camera. This man has a full head of rather flat, dull-looking black hair which looks like a very uncool comb-over, as well as a goatee. Despite this gentleman's appearance, he is a very popular man right now, as he is the favorite to win the election to win the Governor's seat in November when currect Governor George Cochran finishes his term.

_"Hi,"_ the man says, _"I'm Mitchell Deacon. This year, my friend Governor Cochran will be stepping down as Governor of New York after eight years of outstanding service to this state. And __if you elect me this November, I will continue to fight for the issues most important to you, like __improving our public school system and making sure the beautiful buildings of our city are __reinforced in the event of another attack, keeping more people safe. I know times have been __challenging in this world lately, but I promise you that New York will continue to be the beacon of __hope it always has been if you come out and vote this Novemb-"_

The television is shut off by it's owner, who is now standing in his living area alone and in almost complete darkness. This man - who is clad entirely in the color black - begins suiting up for his special plans tonight. first grabbing a flak vest made out of reinforced titanium and slipping it on over his chest, making him look bulkier than he actually is. Then, the man grabs his arsonal. First, he grabs his powerful Desert Hellbird hundgun and slaps the magazine into the bottom of the gun and holsters it. The man then grabs a small electronic device and attaches it to his belt. It appears to be some sort of scrambling device.

Then, the man grabs a thin laptop computer and places it inside of a suitcase with a false bottom... underneath that false bottom is a deconstructed sniper rifle. The man closes the case shut, and locks the two latches on the top of it. Then, this man turns to another case, this one full of very strange-looking tools and instruments that look like they belong in a spy movie. He closes it and sets it beside the sniper rifle case.

The man then grabs a dark grey trenchcoat and a black mask with dark goggle-like eyepieces attached to them and puts them both on, covering his entire head. The man then grabs both of his cases and leaves his living area.

* * *

><p>The masked trenchcoat-wearing human walks out to an dark alleyway, approaching a black sedan with windows that are so tinted, they are also black... this fellow <em>does<em> love the color black.

The car is parked on the side of the street, which is a bad idea in this rough part of town, however when anybody has tried to steal this car, they have been quickly _discouraged_ via the car's anti-theft system... if anybody besides the owner touches it, they get an electric shock.

"Door open," the man says.

The Car unlocks itself and opens the driver's side door when it's owner approaches, just like he told it to do.  
>The masked man places both of his cases inside, sitting them in the passenger seat. The man then gets inside the car and starts it, driving away to his destination.<p>

"Now, the real mission begins," he says to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>'The Skyscraper' restaurant.<br>****Manhattan, New York.**

Inside of this fancy resuraunt, located on the rooftop of one of New York's tall buildings, Dr. Light (wearing a suit tonight instead of his usual labcaot), Mega Man, Roll (wearing a black and white sweater and a red skirt,) and Rush are here to have dinner with Thomas's old friend Professor Eugene Henson, an english man just two years younger than Thomas, who still has a head full of black cropped hair. Henson went to college with both Thomas and Albert Wily and knew both of them. Not surprisingly, he never got along as well with Wily.

Several patrons sitting at the tables around them are staring and gawking at the very famous Light family, including one man sitting alone at his table, who arrived shortly after they did. He repeatedly glances over at the Light's while trying to make it appear that he is not looking.

A Robo-Waiter arrives, balancing a tray loaded with everybody's orders. "And here is your steak, medium-rare, sir," he says, handing Dr. Light his order, before turning to Professor Henson to give him his dinner. "And here is your chicken A'la King, Sir."

As the Robo-Waiter serves Mega Man, Roll and Rush their own form of food for robots (Rush got a full bowl of Battery Biscuits, ) Professor Henson compliments his old friend. "I still don't know how you managed to pull it off, Thomas, but you did. I remember when you first desgined the prototype for a household robot... now, here they are as fully functioning members of our society."

"It is a dream come true, Eugene," Thomas says, "But, as great of an accomplishment as that may be, my children mean more than any of this. I don't know what I would do without them."

Roll smiles and Mega half-smiles, always shy when it comes to showing his emotions in public.

Unfortunately, the moment is broken when Dr. Light can feel his mobile phone vibrating, and at the same time Mega Man gets an emergency call on his communicator.

"Uh-oh. We've got trouble," Mega says, keeping quiet to not create a panic inside the restaurant.

Thomas nods to Mega Man, signaling him to take that call and find out what's wrong. Mega Man leaves the table and heads towards the back of the restaurant and Roll follows him.

Mega presses his communication button and replies, "Mega Man here, is anything wrong?"

_"Mega Man, this is Lieutenant Walker, N.Y.P.D.,"_ reples the Lieutenant, temporarilly filling in for Chief Montgomery Toombs as he is still off-duty, recovering from his near-fatal encounter onboard Gamma, _"We've just recieved calls about a massive spider robot being airlifted into __New York by Dr. Wily's aircraft."_

"Where are they now?", Mega Man urgently asks.

_"It looks like they are about to drop the spider off in the middle of Manhattan."_

"We're _in_ Manhattan!", Roll gasps, "They're right here!"

Roll is correct, but she and Mega have no idea just how close Wily really is...

"Everybody take cover!", yells a patron nearby. One second later, two large titanium spider legs crash into the restaurant, sending glass and building materials flying everywhere.

The patrons inside begin running for their lives as Dr. Light and Professor Henson run towards Mega Man and Roll with Rush.

"What's Wily doing here?", Roll frets.

"My guess is he's not here to complain about the service," Mega replies, "He must have known we were here, but I don't know how."

"What is that abomination?", Henson pants.

"Albert Wily's latest instrument of destruction," Thomas answers.

Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider climbs up to the top of this building and the remnants of the restaurant, firing a large white web from it's face. Then, the sound of surging electricity can be heard and the power goes outside, shrouding the place in near darkness.

"Well, this instrument is about to be destroyed," Mega says, retracting his left hand into his arm and forming his blaster, firing a series of shots at the Robo-Spider. But, the shots riccochet off it's hull.

_"Hello, Mega Man! It's been a while!"_, says the voice of Dr. Wily from a loudspeaker, _"From the looks of things, you don't stand a chance at defeating my Robo-Spider, but I invite you to try! __Come and get me!"_

Albert's laugh can be heard as the Robo-Spider jumps off of the building and crashes down to the surface below, leaving it's webs dangling inside the restaurant.

"Let's take him out, Rush!", Mega commands.

"I'll be with you shortly," Roll adds, as Rush transforms into Jet mode and takes off with Mega Man on his back. Little did they know, they would be in for a very long and treacherous night.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<strong>

Mega Man and Roll have taken the fight to Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider as much as they can, but it has not turned out the way they hoped so far. The Robo-Spider has caused havoc, draining the electricity from all over the state of New York and everybody has failed to stop it.

Meanwhile, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters have kept Mega Man, Roll and Rush on the run ever since the Robo-Spider first appeared. While both of them have managed to avoid getting injured or captured, they too have been powerless to stop the Robo-Spider and had some near-death experiences getting the intel that would reverse the web's electric effects, but fortunately, they have obtained and passed it along to Dr. Light.

Now, as the sun has risen on a new day, Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider arrives to the same military base in Carlisle, Pennsylvania that Mega Man and Dr. Light visited mere days ago. The spider has withstood attacks from all comers all night and barely sports any damage. Now it will face the full force of an entire military base... and it will win.

As the Robo-Spider arrives, it fires more of it's power-sucking webs at the full brunt of the base's defense measures, and drains the whole base of power and feeding it to the Robo-Spirder's main battery.

"Look, Proto!" Wily says with joy, "My Robo-Spider has reached full power! Now it's time to find Thomas Light's wonderful military supercomputer!"

The Robo-Spider crawls towards the base and takes a swipe at the glass domed roof of one of the main buildings, rippping the roof clean off, exposing the supercomputer. The Robo-Spider fires it's web onto the computer, preparing to cripple it with all of the power it has amassed since last night.

"Yes! YES!", Wily victoriously bellows, "After I overload the supercomputer, I can use it for my own purposes. There will be no way Mega Man will be able to stop me now!"

"Maybe not, but he's gonna give it his best shot," ProtoMan adds, pointing ahead.

Albert looks out the Spider's front viewscreen and sees Mega Man and Rush heading their way. "All of you had better get out there and do something about it!", Wily barks.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush run into the base, towards the supercomputer and Wily's Robo-Spider, ready to send this menace to the great junk heap in the sky, right next to Gamma.<br>"It's not too late yet, Rush," Mega says, "All I have to do is connect Dr. Light's Electro Magnetic Battery to the right wires in the Spider's web, and it's curtains for Wily."

"The only one who's getting the curtains is you, Mega Man!", Bright Man says, jumping down from above and landing behind Mega Man.

But, Mega Man was prepared, slipping on a pair of super ultra protective sunglasses over his eyes and firing a blast at Bright Man.

As Mega grabs Bright Man's left arm to copy his flash power, he hears a familiar rapid voice around him. "Hey, Mega Man! I hope you're not too slow to defeat the fastest robot in the world," says Quick Man, very, _very_ quickly.

"Don't forget us!" GutsMan says as he arrives with Cut Man.

"You might be the fastest, the strongest and the sharpest robots around... you're not the smartest," Mega responds, aiming his blaster arm high in the air and using the flash stopper to blind GutsMan and Cut Man and to freeze Quick Man's circuits.

Cut Man staggers blindly as he pullshis cutters off his head. "I'm still going to _cut_ you down to size!" he says as he flings the cutters away... but, they don't come close to Mega Man, but rather clean through GutsMan's neck, chopping his head off!

"Ouch! I think I lost my head!", GutsMan's head says as the cutters slice the legs off of GutsMan's headless body.

Mega Man blasts both Cut Man and Quick Man.

"That takes care of them," Mega sighs, "But, there's one left, isn't there... brother?"

"Yep!", replies the voice of ProtoMan, hiding down below in a mesh grating in the floor, aiming his blaster at his brother.

By the time he fires, Mega Man had already treaded the location of where Proto's voice had come from and dodged out of the way of the shot.

ProtoMan leaps out of the floor and fires again, but Mega ducks out of the way and fires a series of shots at ProtoMan. But, Proto had hefted GutsMan's upper body in front of him to block the shots.

"OUCH! Who's shootin' me?", GutsMan's head whines.

Proto fires another shot at Mega, who barely misses as the blast grazes his left arm. Mega knew that the hit had managed to do some damage to disable his plasma cannon.

"That last shot fried my blaster's energizer circuit," Mega grimly says to Rush.

Rush barks, telling him to take the energizer chip in the robodog's own head, even though it would momentarily shut him down.

"Okay. I owe you another one, boy," Mega says, removing Rush's helmet and taking the energizer chip from his head.

"Aw! A boy and his dog, how touching. I could cry... if I only cared, that is," Proto mocks.

"So, you're just gonna let Wily get away this?", Mega Man says to ProtoMan, "Just like you would've if we hadn't destroyed Gamma."

"Well, pretty much, yeah," Proto replies matter-of-factly, "I mean, I _am_ Wily's right hand bot."

Mega stands up and argues, "Deep down inside, you have to know that what Wily's doing is wrong. And I know you don't like the idea of killing people, Proto, but that's exactly what Wily's going to do if he takes over. How many dead bodies does it take for you to wake up, Proto? A thousand? A million?"

"Are you going on about that again?", Proto groans, "That was Gamma that was doing all of the killing. You want to know what the Robo-Spider's casualty count is? Zero! Much more efficient than that big junk heap Thomas Light made."

"I'm still not going to let Wily get away with this," Mega argues back, knowing that he has to evade his brother just long enough to place the energizer chip into his arm.

"I figured as much," Proto retorts, now aiming his cannon at his brother, "I'm also not going to let _you_ get away from me. You're joining me whether you like it or not."

"We'll see," Mega says, flinching his left foot, about to make a quick dodge of ProtoMan's next shot. Mega then leaps away and Proto fires to Mega Man's left, but Mega had tricked him into thinking he would leap to the left, when he leapt upwards.

"Dammit!", Proto spits.

By now, Mega Man had replaced the energizer circuit and took aim at ProtoMan, blasting him and sending him staggering backwards until he hits the supercompuer, which was overflowing with electricity. Proto is shocked when he makes contact and he falls to the floor, his armor steaming.

* * *

><p>Albert watches from the controls of his Robo-Spider, seething with fury. "You might have beaten my robots, but you will never defeat my Robo-Spider, damn you!," he growls... then, he thinks to himself.<p>

"He did destroy Gamma... I'm not taking any chances," he decides boosting the power to the webs stuck to the defense supercomputer to their maximum level.

"_Now_, he won't destroy my Robo-Spider."

* * *

><p>Mega Man can hear the electric surging through the Robo-Spider's webs as he approaches them, holding the Electro Magnetic Battery in his hands.<br>Dr. Light informed him that if he connects the device to the wrong wires, it would destroy the battery and take Mega with it.

"I better get this right, or it's goodbye Mega Man," he says to himself as he holds the battery's electrodes up to the wires.

Mega jabs the positive electrode into one of the wires that make up the web, slightly darker than the other two white wires connected to it.

Just before Mega jabs the other electrod into another wire, his life flashes before his eyes. He thinks about all of the good times he's had with his family and the tough times as well. He thinks about his times defending the human race, and what could happen if he fails.

He then hears a chuckle nearby. It was ProtoMan, sounding ragged from being fried by the overwhelming power from the Supercomputer.  
>"Good luck, bro... I guess I'll see you later," he says before stumbling away as the Robo-Spider uses a tractor beam to retrive the Robot Masters.<p>

Mega Man focuses on the web wires and ponders his next move, which could be his last. If he were a human, he would be sweating and his heart would be pounding like crazy.

"It's now or never," he says, connecting the neagitive electrode to another wire... and he picked the right one.

* * *

><p>"What? NO!" Dr. Wily wails as all of the equipment in the cockpit of the Robo-Spider begins to surge with electricity, "Not my spider! I'll get you for this, Mega Man!"<p>

Wily enters a command into the sizzling console, nearly burning his fingers in the process, and successfully lauches the escape capsule, carrying himself, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters to safety.

* * *

><p>Mega Man had two choices: try to apprehend Dr. Wily or escape before the Robo-Spider blows up. Seeing that Rush was still knocked out and couldn't escape by himself, the choice was obvious. Mega chose saving Rush and escaping this place, because there will be another time to bring Wily in.<p>

Mega grabs Rush and dashes out of the top floor of the building as the Robo-Spider begins to implode in on itself, engulfing the entire upper floor in flames. The spider then loses it's grip on the top of the supercomputer building and falls to the surface below.

Mega Man lands on his feet close to the smoking remenants of Wily's Robo-Spider, still holding Rush. Wasting no time, Mega removes Rush's chip from his arm and installs it into Rush's head again. After he does, Rush powers-up again and happily barks.

"We did it, boy!", Mega says, "I couldn't have done it without you."

* * *

><p><strong>The next night.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

The electricity has been restored to the New York and Pensylvania metropolitan areas that were attacked by Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider, thanks to Dr. Light's battery.  
>Much like Gamma, Dr. Wily's latest Apocalyptic weapon has been destroyed and his plans foiled once again. Unlike Gamma, Wily is not taking this particular loss very well. And he is pointing the finger at ProtoMan once again.<p>

"All you had to do was _blast him_!", Albert seethes, "Instead, you allowed Mega Man to trick you... all because he's your brother."

"I'm not going to kill my brother-"

"You didn't have to kill him!", Wily yells, "You just had to SHOOT HIM!"

Proto rubs his helmet's right audio sensor with his hand, "I'll take it under advisement, right after your shouting stops ringing in my head. Are we done here?"

Wily stares at Proto with wide eyes, "Your attitude, as well is your continued insistance on turning your brother, is going to cost me dearly if you're not careful."

"Right, I'm going to cost you. Not the incompatance of all of these Robot Masters who keep messing things up on all of these missions. Just me."

"You blew it yesterday!", Wily argues, "Just like you did a year ago on Wall Street! You could have taken Mega Man out that day as well, and I would be ruling the world, but YOU RUINED IT!"

"_Yeah, I've hear that before too. __Now_, are we done?"

The mad scientist finally has enough of Proto's attitude and shouts, "GO TO YOUR QUARTERS!"

ProtoMan walks away, glad to be through with being yelled at by Wily for one night.

Grumbling under his breath, Albert then turns his attention to more important things, like what his next plan will be.

* * *

><p><strong>Two nights later.<br>****Professor Henson's Manor.  
><strong>**Greenwich, Connecticut.**

It is nighttime here in Connecticut, and Dr. Light's old friend Professor Henson is back home and seated in an antique wooden chair... with his limbs and body tied to it.  
>Henson is stricken with fear as he looks up at his captor... and it's not Dr. Wily, or ProtoMan or any of the Robot Masters... it's the masked man in the trenchcoat, brandishing his Desert Hellbird handgun in the Professor's face.<br>Fortunately, his wife and son are still on a trip together and are not due back until later this week, or else they would be in danger as well.

"So, Professor Henson... you and Dr. Light are old friends, dating back to college, right?", the masked man asks, his voice slightly muffled from wearing the mask.

"I don't know what you want, but whatever it is, I'll give it to you," Henson pleads.

"That's good. Because what I want, Professor, is information," the man answers, "Specifically, information about your old friend."

"You work for Albert Wily don't you?" Henson asks, "You're one of his robots, aren't you?"

The masked man just laughs at the Professor's insinuation that he is one of Dr. Wily's robots. "For a Professor, you are very uneducated... I am _not _a robot, and I don't _want_ to be one. I'm a man," the man replies, "And I'm a man that this city - and for that matter, this whole country - has never dealt with before... I'm something different than a robot... you could say I'm even _worse_ than a robot... but, for the time being, you can call me... **Mister Black**."

"Mr. Black, I have a vault on the upper floor," Henson pleads, "I'll give you the combination-"

"I don't want your money, Professor," Mr. Black interupts, "In fact, I don't want anything of yours, other than what's stored in that brain... and you are going to tell me what I want to know, whether you like it or not."

"If you're trying to get me to tell you something that would harm Dr. Light or his family... I will not tell you anything!", Henson shouts.

"... that's a shame, Professor... I had hoped you would cooperate... oh, well."

Mr. Black then puts the gun down and walks around Professor Henson to grab something.

"What are you doing?", Henson freaks.

"I'm_ making _you cooperate!", Mr. Black growls, putting his right hand over Henson's mouth and jamming a small device into his right ear. A small red light on the device flashes and the device sends a radio signal into his ear, only audible to the person wearing it.  
>This is a mind-hacking device that allows the user to break into another human's mind. The device is only used in interrogations by federal counter-terrorist agencies as an alternative to truth serum.<p>

Seconds later, Henson's muffled yells for help go silent and his body goes limp as he stops struggling with Mr. Black, looking like he is in a vegitable-like state.

"That's much better," Mr. Black says as he grabs another antique chair and sits down in it, accross from Henson.

"Connection status?", asks Mr. Black.

"I have accepted the connection," a zombified Professor Henson replies.

Mr. Black now leans himself foreward, closer to Professor Henson and speaks, "Now, tell me everything you know about Dr. Thomas Light... _and_ Mega Man."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Despite the title of this interlude, I am not going to chronicle each of the episodes of season 2 (most especially a few certain episodes.) Only a few episodes will get a decent ammound of time devoted to it. The purpose here is to build up to episode 5 and other things._

_The line about Roll's hairstyle becoming popular and being dubbed "The Roll" is a reference to the craze over Jennifer Aniston's hairdo on _Friends_ in the 1990's ("The Rachel")  
>Speaking of Roll, the scene where she can't beat the Yellow Devil is a tribute to all of us players who couldn't defeat him either.<br>Also, the outfit she wore in the restaurant is based on the Mega Man 8/& Bass outfit that video game Roll wore._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment now. Happy New Year everybody._

_... who is Mr. Black? ..._


	50. Interlude: Year Two, part 2

_**Interlude: Year Two, part 2.**_

* * *

><p><strong>One Day later.<br>The Pacific Ocean.**

On the bridge of a large Battleship, our heroes are monitoring the ships' onboard radar, investigating the sudden disappearance of two other vessels in the area.  
>Roll is seated in front of one of the radar stations on the bridge of the ship, scoping the area and keeping a sharp eye on a nearby battleship, making sure no hostiles enter the area and attack it.<p>

"Have you found anything yet, Roll," Mega Man asks.

"I've been tracking this ship all day, and I haven't found anything... kinda boring if you ask me," Roll replies.

"Well, let's keep looking," Mega says, "I have a feeling whoever's behind this will show their face sometime... especially if it's Wily."

"As long as one of you guys can take over for me," Roll suggests, "I feel like I'm watching paint dry."

One of the officers makes his way to the bridge and speaks. "Dr. Light, we have a call for you. It's about a friend of yours, Professor Eugene Henson."

"I'll take it," Thomas replies as Mega and Roll look on with some concern.

"Professor Henson? That's who we had dinner back in New York," Roll worries.

"I hope everything's okay," Mega says, "But, we still have work to do."

While Roll doesn't spot anything suspicious, she does find something else. "Hey! I found a whale, and it looks like a really big one!", she peeps, "Dr. Light, look! I found a... are you okay?"

Dr. Light returns to meet with his children, but Roll has already noticed something is wrong with her father's demeanor, and now so has Mega Man. Thomas strokes his grey beard as he replies, "Professor Henson's home was invaded last night and he was held-up by the intruder."

Roll gasps and Mega Man also looks concerned. "Is he okay?", Mega asks.

"Thankfully, yes," Thomas answers, "He wasn't hurt. But, it appears he suffered some sort of neural shock, most likely induced by the perpatrator. The doctors say he can't remember what happened last night, but the rest of Eugene's memories are still intact."

When he hears the details, several senarios run through Mega Man's thoughts, thinking of what might have happened and who was responsible. But, he has a bad feeling that Dr. Wily was involved in the Professor's attack too, and maybe this mission out at sea was just a distraction so that Wily could get to Henson.

"It had to be Wily," Mega says, "It _had_ to be."

"I have a feeling you're right," Thomas says, "We will investigate it when we return home. In the meantime, we have to continue our mission here as we promised. What have you found, Roll?"

"I found a whale, that's all," Roll replies, typing in a command on the console to bring up a live exterior shot of the whale approaching. It was massive, probably a Humpback, but was barely visable.

Thomas asks the Captain of the vessel, "Captain, may we have an audio sample of the approaching whale?"

"Of course, Dr. Light," The Captain replies, nodding to a fellow officer, who tunes up the audio from the sea. However, instead of hearing a whale song, a strange garbling sound is heard. All large mammals are now tagged with tracking devices that broadcast a signal to ensure their protection, but this sounds nothing like a tracking transmitter at all.

"That does not sound like any whale song I've ever heard," Thomas says.

"I'll check it out," Mega says, "and I'll use the underwater suit."

Mega steps closer to his father and gently grabs his shoulder, asking him silently, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you, son," Thomas replies, "The police in New York are already handling the situation. Just be careful."

"Sure thing," Mega nods as he walks away, completely unaware that Dr. Wily had no involvement in Professor Henson's home invasion... but, Dr. Wily_ is _involved with the disappearing battleships.

_The events of the cartoon episode "Terror of the Seven Seas" take place._

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****'The Gun Rack' weapons store.  
><strong>**New York City.**

The owner of _The Gun Rack_ - the only weapons store in the city that doesn't have a robot assistant - is having slow business today as he stands behind the counter, awaiting for somebody to come through the front door... but, he's about to get one customer he's been expecting for some time.

As the owner - a wirey thin, bug-eyed man named Val Gardocki - watches the news recap of Mega Man's encounter with Dr. Wily's large multi-battleship - an encounter which Dr. Wily lost - the security monitor next to the T.V. quickly goes fuzzy, thanks to an external jamming device nearby. Gardocki knew that this was because of _him_.

The owner quickly rushes to the front door and locks it, closing the blinds over the windows as he hears a knock on the rear door. He rushes to the back of the store and opens the rear door... and finds the masked terror known only as 'Mr. Black' stands in front of him, still clad head to toe in mostly black, wearing his mask.

"Where is it?, Mr. Black asks.

"Follow me," replies the owner, showing his prominent upper teeth.

Gardocki leads Mr. Black inside and grabs a flat case. He opens it to reveal a police-issue handgun and several magazines. But, this isn't just any handgun...

"This is the new plasma bolt gun," the owner says as Mr. Black grabs the advanced weapon and gets a feel for it by gripping it, "They'll rip right through a robot's metallic skull. Even if they wear armor like that Mega Geek, it will hurt them. These aren't availible to the public, only the police and the millitary are authorized to use 'em. If I got caught with this thing, I'd be in jail."

"Lucky for you, I'll take it off of your hands," Mr. Black says, placing the gun back in it's case and taking it with him.

But, the owner of the place grabs Mr. Black by his arm and argues. "Whoa! What about my end of the deal? I nearly lost my ass gettin' 'dis thing for you. What are you going to give me in return?"

Mr. Black turns around and pulls his Desert Hellbird gun out of it's holster and presses it against the slimey owner's head and replies, "I'll let you keep your life... how's that sound? if that's not good enough, maybe the police _won't_ get an annonymous tip about their missing plasma bolt gun."

The owner trembles in fear, unable to respond.

"That's what I thought," Mr. Black says, before holstering his gun and chuckling, "Nice doing business with you."

Mr. Black makes his way out of the gun store with his new weapon, leaving the owner trembling in fear. "You f-frickin' psycho!", he stutters.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick Tek Corporate Headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

Following the latest disasterous attempt at building a fighting robot, the Vick-Tek corporation has quietly put their top secret _"Robot Warrior"_ project on indefinate hold, and the company has continued to produce it's various technological gagedts and programs... and they don't disco dance, unlike the VickBot 9000.

Today, the C.E.O. Marcus Vickers is in a meeting, about to give final approval for the company's latest home software release, _Vick-Tek Home Office 'X3.  
><em>The head of the company's computer software department explains, "Home Office 'X3 runs much faster, the loading times for files is nearly non-existant, and the best part is, none of the bugs that plagued the 'X1 were found."

"_Ugh!_ 'X1!", Vickers groans, rubbing his forehead as he remembers how disasterous a previous edition of the program was.

"Home Office 'X1 is still a sore subject with Mr. Vickers," says Vice President Scott Erikson, "Many refund checks were written."

Vickers looks back up to the software team and informs them, "As long as it's nothing like 'X1, it's a go. Take the master program to have it mass produced."

As the meeting ends and everybody prepares to leave, Vickers calls out, "Scott, there's one more piece of business to discuss."

Erikson returns and takes his seat at the conference table once everybody else is out. "Yes, sir?"

"I'd hate to sound obsessive," Vickers says, "but has-"

"No, sir," Erikson replies, knowing that his boss was about to ask _'Has Cossack called back?' ... _He asks it every week.

"Damn," Vickers silently curses.

"We have made only one call to Dr. Cossack since Dr. Wagner and his team were relieved of their duties, sir. Do you want me to place a call right now?"

"No, Scott. We'll wait and see. Hopefully, he'll come to us instead of vice-versa," Vickers says, "but, as far as I'm concerned, the Robot Warrior project does not continue until we have him onboard. Cossack is the _only_ man for the job."

"Well, except for Dr. Thomas Light, sir," Scott points out.

Vickers scoffs, "Light's not going to work with us."

"Well, sir, the only men who we know could pull this off is Mikhail Cossack, Thomas Light and... Albert Wily, unfortunately."

Vickers black eyebrows furrow sharply and he stares at Erikson with a skeptical gaze. "Wily?", he questions, then looks accusatory, "You are _not_ seriously suggesting that Dr. Wily-"

"What? No, sir!", Erikson freaks, "I w-would never insinuate such a thing."

Not pleased that Wily's name was brought up, Vickers quickly presses the shiny red button on his table, and Erikson is ejected from his seat and down the dreaded trap door, where he plummets all the way down into the parking garage.  
>Erikson's wails of terror can still be heard reverberating in the trap door tunnel, until he lands in the sand pit in the parking garage. Much like all of the trap door victims, he lands safely, but will have sand coming out of his ears for a day.<p>

"_Don't_ bring that name up again," Vickers says.

* * *

><p><strong>June 20X2.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

It is morning and Roll makes her way down to the lab with Rush to greet Dr. Light. When she enters the lab, she is surprised to see a robot who is the exact same height and build as her brother Mega Man, but with green armor, and wearing a labcoat.

"... Mega?", she calls.

The robot turns around to face Roll, revealing a kind face which bares a very strong resemblence to that of Mega Man's, along with eyeglasses built into his helmet.

"Greetings, Ma'am," he says in a geeky lisp, "We have not yet been accquainted. My name is Brain Bot, registry number DLN-101, humanoid robot specialized for intellectual purposes. And who might you be?"

"Um... I'm Roll. Hi," Roll replies, sounding unsure about this Brain Bot fellow.

Rush barks and Brain Bot kneels down to study him. "Why, it is a fully functional canine robot unit, made with synthetic skin and fur. Facinating."

Brain Bot then picks Rush up and studies him some more, but Rush is not thrilled with this and struggles with him. "I detect a high level of rocket fuel in his inner compartments. I also detect that he has five thousand pound per square inch jaw pressure."

"I don't think you need to examine Rush, Brainy," says Mega Man who re-enters the lab with Dr. Light

"Dr. Light, why do we have a robot in a labcoat living with us now?", Roll asks as she watches Brain Bot taking the wheels off of the bottom of a swivel chair and attaching them to the bottom of Rush's paws.

"Brain Bot won't be staying here, Roll," Thomas replies, "In fact he is going to be escorted to the science institute in Northern California. This is a top secret project, so it is important that nobody finds out about him."

Brain Bot approaches Dr. Light's computer station and studies it, trying to gather as much information as possible. He then begins to take it apart as Thomas continues, "Rock, I want you to accompany Brain Bot to the science team personally. Sending him out without any protection could be dangerous, especially if Dr. Wily were to learn about him."

"Dr. Light," Brain Bot says, "I suggest that you replace the circuitboard with the more sophisticated JRS-9 board for your security systems. If you don't mind, I will perform the process for you."

"No, Brain Bot, that won't be-" Thomas begins, until Brain Bot begins replacing the board anyway, triggering the lab's security alarms.

"I don't know who's more dangerous," Mega sighs, shaking his head, "Dr. Wily or Brain Bot."

_The Events of the cartoon episode "Brain Bot" take place._

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

It has been two days since Dr. Wily learned of Brain Bot's existance and had been set on kidnapping the robot to hack into his brain and steal his knowledge... and it has been one day since they failed miserably.

Albert sits in his workshop, staring at the television in the room. The news is talking about Brain Bot's improbable adventure - or misadventure - getting to the science institute.  
>Just seeing Brain Bot makes Wily's blood boil. Wily and his robot army have failed to take over the world many times - and thanks to Mega Man, they have not succeeded at much of anything since their initial attack on Times Square - , but this failure was particularly embarrassing to Dr. Wily.<p>

Not only did they fail to destroy Mega Man and crack Brain Bot's mind, but they were soundly humiliated by Roll and Brain Bot himself, two robots who were not bult to fight.

Albert grows even more angry when he thinks about how the world must view him now. Just mere months ago, everybody feared him after he hijacked Gamma and nearly destroyed Mega Man. Now, Albert feels like those same people view him to be an idiot, and he can hear them all laughing at him now.

_"You are not going to allow yourself to be laughed at, are you?"_, asks the whisper in his head.

"No! I'm not," Albert replies.

_"It is time to use the ultimate weapon... the weapon you should have used when this war began."_

"Yes!", Wily answers, his lips curling into a twisted grin.

* * *

><p>Albert makes his way to the fortress' storage room and searches for this 'ultimate weapon.'<p>

Finally, he finds a round container with the words "Last Resort", crudely scribbled on it. Albert knew that what lied inside this cylander was perhaps the key part to the doomsday weapon to beat all doomsday weapons... even Gamma could not do what this item can do when it's weaponized.

Wily opens the container and reaches inside of it, and pulls out one of his oldest creations, one that he stole from Thomas Light well before they made their first robots... the device that may very well bring the whole world to it's knees... the tachyon pulse capacitor.

"This war is about to end," Wily says to himself with an insideous smile.

_"Yes, it is,"_ says the whisper.

* * *

><p><strong>July 20X2.<strong>  
><strong>New York City.<strong>

Today, the entire world is witnessing a calamity of biblical proportions... if not apocalyptic proportions.  
>All accross the world, violent weather is breaking out, including massive thunderstorms with flooding rain and tornadoes, along with earthquakes. The earthquakes are also triggering tsunamis and causing valcanos to become unstable and erupt.<p>

Here in New York, the daytime skies have blackened and this catacalismic event has the citizens here in a panic, fleeing for their lives (if there _are_ any safe places.) One man stands on the sidewalk holding a crudely scribbled sign that says _"Repent! The End is Here!"_, and is spouting that the end of the world has arrived... that is, until a massive wave rom the river floods the streets, threatening to wash him away.

"Screw it!", he freaks, dropping the sign and running away.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Mega Man and Rush are working with the authorites to assist anybody in danger.

"I don't know what's causing all of this, boy. This isn't normal," Mega says to Rush.

Rush barks back, indicating that he sees more trouble up ahead on the manhattan bridge, which appears to have been badly damaged from a waterspout that formed here minutes ago. A bus full of children has crashed into the side of the bridge, and it looks like it will fall into the river any second.

"Get us down there, fast!", Mega orders.

Rush swoops down with Mega and they can both hear the screams of the children trapped inside the bus. Nobody can escape, because the conditions outside are way too dangerous for children to be in, especially on a bridge that might give way any second.

Without hesitation, Mega Man switches to a new device that Dr. Light installed into his weapon arm in case of an emergency - the Magnet Beam - and fires it below the right front tire which is leaning off the side of the bridge, thus creating a holographic platform under it.

"Don't worry, everybody, I'll have you out of danger shorty," Mega says, before turning to Rush, "Rush, get around back and tow this bus while I push it away from the edge.

Rush barks and jets around to the back of the bus, and retracts his paws to produce a pair of grappling hooks and attaches them to the bus. Mega Man gets around to the front and uses all of his strength to push the bus towards the middle of the bridge while Rush pulls it.  
>The plan works, and the bus is saved along with all of the children inside.<p>

A fire engine and several police cruisers arrive to the scene to take part in the rescue operation, but fortunately, Mega Man had already saved everybody.

"Take everybody to the nearest hospital," Mega tells the officers as he yanks the emergency exit door off of the rear of the bus.

The children and the bus driver all pile into the police cars and fire engine, and are whisked away to safety.

"That was too close," Mega sighs.

_"Rock, this is Dr. Light. Please respond."_

Mega presses his communication button and replies, "I'm here Dr. Light. Have you figured where all of this stuff is coming from?"

_"Indeed, I have... it may sound strange, but it's true," _Thomas responds, _"It's coming from the moon itself."_

Mega Man's eyes widen in shock, "The _moon_? How?"

_"The moon is being pulled closer to Earth by a tachyon field. I recognize the signature made by __a tachyon pulse... I was developing a capacitor with Dr. Wily when we used to work together, then __we were burglerized... at least that's what Wily claimed... but, I now know the truth. I have traced the Tachyon signature directly to Skull Fortress."_

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Mega groans.

_"I would hate to ask you to do this, but you have to go to Albert's fortress again and take the __Tachyon capacitor and bring it back to the lab. Roll and I are preparing my own tachyon beam projector__ in the storage basement, and I'll use it to place the moon back in it's proper place. It will not work unless we get the tachyon capacitor. __I would recommend coming back here first to use the stealth suit."_

"Right. I'm on my way."

_"Be careful out there, Mega," _Roll says.

"Always am, sis," Mega replies as both he jets off with Rush.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

The dry badlands of Arizona are getting their first real rain storm in many years, due to Dr. Wily's use of the tachyon capacitor which is causing severe disruption of the weather all through the world.

As the moon is brought closer and closer to the Earth's orbit, the conditions are becoming much more violent, forcing Dr. Wily and his robots to move deep underground inside of the fortress. The Tachyon Pulse beam is so powerful, however, it can still hold it's grip on the moon through the reinforced titanium walls of the fortress.

While all of Dr. Wily's robots are somewhere around here minding their own business, Dr. Wily is staying beside the tachyon pulse projector, making sure that nothing - and nobody - interferes with his most deadly mission yet without going through him first.

ProtoMan enters the room and sees Wily standing near the tachyon projector, looking more demented than ever as he rubs his hands together with his eyes wide. The mad doctor's eyes catch ProtoMan and he looks over to him.

"It's mine!", he hisses with glee, "I can feel it! The world is about to fall into my hands."

"Yeah, if there's anything left of it," Proto scoffs, "Are you _really _sure you know what you're doing?"

Albert's wide eyes look upon ProtoMan with skeptisim. "Are you questioning my genius, ProtoMan?"

Before ProtoMan gets the chance to answer, Wily cuts him off, "In less than one hour, the moon will be close enough to the planet to damage it beyond repair. The leaders of the free world will have to deal with it one way or another. And I will be the only man who can repair the damage that is done, so they will be dealing with me. And they will come crawling on their hands and knees."

"That also means my little brother will try to destroy this thing," Proto adds, "Which is why we _should have_ left some robots on the ground level in case he shows up."

"I wouldn't worry about him," Wily confidently says, "It will be nearly impossible to fly in the conditions outside."

"You're underestimating him again," Proto complains.

Wily scolds, "Do you have anything better to do other than chastise my decisions?"

"Yeah, I do. I've got better things to do than get yelled at... _again_," Proto huffs, walking away.  
>This isn't the first time Dr. Wily has snapped at ProtoMan recently. In fact, ever since the Robo-Spider's failure, Albert has lashed out at all of his robots - including ProtoMan - after every failed operation, much like he used to when he first began his quest to take over the world.<p>

Dr. Wily turns and continues to pace around his tachyon pulse projector, ingoring ProtoMan. He doesn't care what anybody says or thinks anymore, whether it be ProtoMan or anybody else. Albert is going to see the mission through to the very end, even if the moon_ crashes _into the planet, he will never stop.

"Nobody is going to stop me... not this time!", Wily rambles to himself, "The world is mine... ALL MINE!"

Wily hears two metallic footsteps nearby, and he grows agitated. "What do you want this time?", Wily snaps, spinning around and expecting to see ProtoMan... but he sees nothing.

Albert looks around and sees no sign of ProtoMan - or anybody - in the room... and then it hits him... he knows who it is...  
>"It's <em>you<em>, isn't it?", Wily says, carefully pressing a button on the communicator in his labcoat pocket to summon the Robot Masters, then turning around to face the tachyon projector.

"Yes, I forgot that you had that new cloaking device," Albert continues, talking like he would if Mega Man was in the room... because he knows he is.

"You think this is going to turn out like every other mission, don't you?", Wily continues, his voice starting to sound like a demented snicker, "You think that you'll get the better of me and make me look like an idiot. Not this time! The human race and the world are _mine!_ If you want to destroy that device, you're going to have to go through me this time."

Then, Albert feels a tap on his shoulder and he spins around, startled so suddenly he can feel his heart pounding, only to see ProtoMan and almost all of the Robot Masters standing there.

"Okay, really, who are you talking to this time?", Proto groans.

"Mega Man is here! He's using the stealth suit. Shoot him!", Wily hisses, turning around and pointing at the tachyon pulse projector.

Just then, a weak stun blast comes of out of nowhere and strikes Dr. Wily in the chest and into ProtoMan's arms, knocking him cold.

"Sorry, everybody, but I've got a moon to put back in it's place," says the voice of Mega Man.

Then, a crackle of energy sparks around the tachyon capacitor, which causes Mega's stealth suit to decloak, exposing his location.

"Don't just stand there, you idiots! Blast him!", Proto snaps as Mega Man snatches the capacitor and flies out of the undergroud level.

By the time the Robot Masters' shots can even come close to Mega Man, he was already on his way out.

"Go get him, and get the capacitor!", Proto yells as he handles Albert carefully.

GutsMan, Cut Man, Shadow Man and Quick Man pursue Mega Man. Quick Man is clearly out in front, but his pursuit is cut short as he collides with a freshly produced vertical Magnet Beam placed by Mega Man. All of the Robot Masters cannot break through the beam, trapping them inside the fortress until they can find an alternate way through it.

* * *

><p>Mega Man soars out of Skull Fortress with the tachyon capacitor and Rush jets off beside him.<p>

"Full throttle, Rush," Mega says, "We've got a moon to repair."

Later that night, ProtoMan and several Robot Masters attempted to get back the tachyon capacitor by striking Dr. Light's lab, but Mega Man stopped them all, with both Roll's help as well as Thomas' newly installed security systems.

The moon was put back in it's proper orbit shortly thereafter and the threat was over. However, the damage was already done and would be costly to repair... but, it was nothing compared to the cost of lives lost and devestated tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>One week later.<br>McIntyre residence.  
>Sarasota, Florida.<strong>

Tina McIntyre, a teenaged girl who is the daughter of Astronaut Tom McIntyre, is walking home from High School back to her father's house. The McIntyres both had become caught in one of Dr. Wily's plots to take over the world nearly one year ago, when Wily kidnapped her father and the rest of his shuttle crew headed for the International Space Station. Tina had snuck herself onboard the shuttle and later played a part in helping Mega Man prevent Wily and his army from taking control of the Solar Focusing Lens on the moon. Her involvment in the mission made the news and she had her fifteen minutes of fame.  
>If only she knew that getting involved in saving the world would get her into much deeper trouble.<p>

"Daddy, I'm home," Tina calls as she enters her father's house, putting her backpack down.  
>After not hearing her father respond to her, she enters the house and tries calling him again, "Hello?"... still nothing.<p>

"He's probably in his office again," Tina says as she walks upstairs... completely oblivious to the fact that the family's domestic robot has been destroyed, lying in the kitchen, shot at close range by a plasma bolt gun.

When she arrives, she sees that the door to her father's office is ajar, like it usually is when he's in there, either studying his next flight or speaking with NASA... but, there's no sound coming out of the room this time.

Tina steps in and sees that her father is slumped over in his chair, looking like he's asleep.

"Dad, are you alright?", he worries and she spins his chair around... and sees that he is in a zombiefied state, with a device jammed into his ear, just like the Professor she heard about on the news a few months ago.  
>Tina's father barely moans when he sees his daughter, still able to recognize her, despite having his mind broken into. If only he could, he would have told her to run.<p>

Tina feels her whole body go numb and nearly lets out a blood curdling scream, but is stopped when she feels a gloved hand covering her mouth. The last thing she feels before losing control is a device being jabbed into her ear and a high pitched tone.

"Connection status?"

"I have accepeted the connection," Tina mutters.

"Good, Sweetie," replies Mr. Black, who sits Tina in another chair nearby in the room, "I couldn't get enough information from your old man, so I figured I'd ask you... what do you know about Mega Man?"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>

Mega Man arrives to the hospital where Tina and her father are being examined. Once he heard that the McIntyers were attacked the same way Professor Henson was, Mega and Rush jetted here as soon as they could. He was already briefed by the staff that both Tina and her father were suffering from a neural shock- just like Professor Henson - but fortunately did not show any signs of physical injury of any kind.

When Mega arrives to the room with the McIntyres inside, he sees that it is under guard by the police, who recognize him right away and let him through. A Detective follows Mega Man into the room, hoping that the hero can help get some vital information from either of the McIntyres about their terrifying event.

Tina's eyes squint as she sees the blue shilloette approaching her. Even without her glasses, she knew it was Mega Man.

"Mega Man!", she weakly calls.

"I heard about what happened, so I had to check-up on you guys," Mega says, "Are you feeling okay?"

"No. I have a bad headache," Tina replies, "I feel like I have the flu."

"You're gonna be okay, kiddo. The doctors are going to take good care of your dad and you," Mega assures her.

"Do you know what happened to us, Mega?", Tina asks.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Mega replies, then asks, "You don't remember anything about what happened to you today?"

Tina closes her eyes, trying to think despite her headache. "... I remember going to school... but, that's it," she answers, looking up again, "Before I woke up here, I think I was having a nightmare."

That catches Mega Man's attention. "What was the nightmare about?"

"Something bad happened to my Dad... then, somebody was trying to grab me," Tina answers, looking shaken by her memories of this nightmare she had.

Mega Man holds Tina's hand, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry, Tina. Everything's gonna be okay. You just helped us out a lot."

Mega Man's bad feeling about these ongoing attacks on his old friends from the past is only getting worse. There was no way that this was a coincidence. The McIntyres and Professor Henson must must been targeted because of their involvment in various missions that have taken place over the past year. And Mega Man is sure that this is all Dr. Wily's doing...

and he is sadly mistaken.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I know Brain Bot's scene is brief and really out of place here, but I kept it in for two reasons.  
>1: I am a Brain Bot fan, and I had to aknowledge his debut.<br>2: We will be seeing more of him in the future, so he needed to be introduced._

_I almost wrote scenes for that episode and Terror of the Seven Seas, but the events of those shows are not tied into episode 5 of this series in any way and would have only taken up space. My appologies to those who may have been annoyed at that._

_There was going to be another Mitchell Deacon scene where he talks with Governor Cochran, but it was boring._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment._


	51. Interlude: Year Two, part 3

_**Interlude: Year Two, part 3.**_

* * *

><p><strong>August 20X2.<strong>

On journalist Dick Ferguson's editorial news magazine show, we see a video of Dr. Light shaking hands with candidate Mitchell Deacon at a press conference earlier today. Normally, the efforts of just one of these men would make headlines, but today they both have made a big splash.

_"Straight from the conspiracy file, Mitchell Deacon has gained a major supporter today as Dr. Thomas Light __announced that he is endorsing him as his choice in the upcoming gubernatorial elections in November," _says Furguson. A graphic on the bottom of the screen reads **"Buying The Office!"**

_"I have chosen to support Mitchell Deacon because not only is he putting the safety of the __citizens of New York first, but he also believes that all beings - both human and robot - should __have rights,"_ says Thomas Light is the video.  
>Again, taking to opportunity to take a cheap shot, a graphic on the bottom of the screen reads <strong>"Dr. Thomas Light: Inventor of Gamma."<strong>

_"Thomas Light is unquestionably the world's greatest scientific mind. I'm truly honored to have his support in November," _Mitchell said in the video the that follows.  
>The graphic now reads <strong>"Mitchell Deacon: Cheating his way to victory."<strong>

_"This is unquestionably the most unfair move I've ever seen a politician pull off!",_ Furguson complains, as a graphic reads **"BOGUS!"****  
><strong>_**"**How is Mitchell Deacon going to lose the election now that his his the world's, quote-unquote, 'Greatest Scientific Mind' endorsing him? Is Mega Man in on it too?"  
><em>As Dick brings Mega Man's name up, a graphic reads **"Mega Man destroyed a high rise in New York last year. Dick Furguson was on the scene. Read about it in his new book _'The Day Mega Man dropped the ball (and the bombs too)'_"  
><strong>_"If I were Cliff Barnes, Mitchell Deacon's opponent, I would launch a crucade to get even with Deacon! Perhaps try and find a way to boot him from the Gubernatorial race in November! So, congratulations Mr. Deacon! You've just won the election," Furguson grabs a bullhorn and concludes, "And the guy who build the machine that nearly destroyed New York helped you win! Think about it!"  
><em>The graphic now reads, **"Gamma body count: 169. Gamma damage cost: over $1,000,000,000. Winning the election: Priceless, yet cheap.****"**_**  
><strong>__"Until next week, I'm Dick Furguson, and that's life."_

It should be noted that Dick Furguson's program is amongst the lowest rated television shows in America, and his uneducated opinions have made him one of the most unpopular people in the country (besides Dr. Wily.)

* * *

><p><strong>Rozhenko Mansion.<br>****New York.**

Inside this mansion lives the well-known criminal Andre Rozhenko, the overweight buyer of stolen valuables who was affiliated with Dr. Wily last year during the mission known as the "shrinking incident", where Dr. Wily used a shrink ray to shrink Washington D.C., New York City and Chicago, Illinois and sold them to well-known criminals (including Rozhenko). The cities were later put back to normal size with help from Mega Man (who was also temporarilly shrunken at the time.)

Rozhenko managed to avoid jail time when one of his personal security robots had picked him up and returned him to safety, where Rozhenko managed to destroy any possible evidence linking him to Wily. Ever since that night, Rozhenko has lived here under a fake name, enjoying his life with all of his stolen property... until tonight.

Rozhenko was expecting his usual Friday night pizza delivery to arrive, where the delivery boy would usually be told by his robot guards to personally take the food to Rozhenko. However, instead of the pizza kid showing up, Mr. Rozheno got to meet somebody else... Mr. Black.

The masked man had snuck into the mansion in civillian clothes, claiming to be the pizza delivery man (complete with several boxes of pizzas) and Rozhenko's security robots let him in.

Now, Mr. Black was dressed in his full outfit and mask, and Rozhenko's arms and legs have been tied to each corner of his bad and his overweight body is soaked with sweat. Rozhenko usually sweats a lot and is never seen without his handkerchief, but now he is a mess, terrified of the masked intruder standing in front of him.

"Well, Mr. Rozhenko, it appears you won't be eating pizza tonight," says Mr. Black, "but, I know something you _will_ be eating if you don't play along. It's called lead."

Mr. Black pulls his handgun out and aims it at Rozhenko's head as he sits accross from the thief. Rozhenko makes uninteligable mumbling sounds as he trembles in fear.

"What's the matter, fatass?", Mr. Black taunts, "Afraid you're finally going to have to _pay_ for what you've done? Or did you have a stroke from eating too much lasagna?"

Rozhenko mumbles, "I am a powerful m-man! I have c-connections."

Mr. Black only cackles at Rozhenko's threat. "But, your _connections_ aren't here right now... all you have are your good-for-nothing robot guards. Come to think of it," Mr. Black says, making a snap sound with his fingers, "You could end this all right now by summoning them! I mean, I don't stand a chance. I'm a human; you've got robots... us humans are going to be extinct soon anyway, so get them in here. Cry for help."

Rozhenko trembles, not playing along at first. Mr. Black then clicks back the hammer in his handgun and snaps, "Do it!"

Rozhenko then hollars, "Help me, my robots! I've been taken hostage!"

"Thank you, Mr. Rozhenko," Mr. Black says, putting the handgun down, and pulling his new illegally purchased plasma bolt gun out of his trenchcoat and aiming it at the door to the bedroom, "I won't have to be too concerned about _them_ interfering anymore."

"N-no! No!", Rozhenko wails.

Two of Rozhenko's securitybots kick down the door to his bedroom and barge in. Mr. Black fires the plasma bolt gun at them, two rounds per robot, and takes them out quickly. The shots pierce into the securitybots heads and into their memory cores.

Mr. Black looks back to Rozhenko."That's it? _Two_ guards?"

Rozhenko shakes even more as Mr. Black laughs, "You only have two lousy security robots? Weren't you _expecting_ somebody to come after you one day?"

Mr. Black steps up and holsters the plasma bolt gun, picking his Deset Hellbird back up. "It's only a matter of time before somebody calls the police now, so you don't have much time left to save your life. Let me ask you... does the name Mega Man sound familiar?"

Rozhenko nervously nods.

"But, you don't know much about him, do you?", Mr. Black grins behind his mask, "How about the names Dr. Albert Wily and ProtoMan?"

A sweaty Rozhenko shivers as he replies, "I'm n-not allowed to talk ab-bout them."

"Oh, you'll talk about them, fat bastard," Mr. Black says, pulling his mind hacking device out of his trenchcoat, "You'll talk... and I'm the last person you'll _ever_ talk to."

* * *

><p><strong>Several minutes later.<strong>

Five New York Police cruisers arrive with an ambulance to Rozhenko's mansion as a news helicopter hovers up above.  
>Several human officers and Policebots - including Lynn Wersching and QN-60 - enter the premises with weapons drawn. Half of the group searches the ground floor and find nothing, while Lynn and 60 check the second floor along with the other half.<p>

When they reach Rozhenko's bedroom, they find the bodies of the two security robots lying in the middle of the doorframe and Rozhenko lying in his bed, still tied up.

"We've found Andre Rozhenko. We're still searching for another suspect," Lynn says into her radio, "I see a window open, so search the outside."

QN-60 examines the two destroyed security robots, specifically the 'wounds' in their heads. "These are plasma bolt wounds," 60 says, "It is possible that the shooter has the handgun that was stolen from the Police armory. The suspect knew what he was doing too. The plasma bolts destroyed their memory cores."

Lynn looks over to Rozhenko, who appears to be frozen in shock, staring with wide eyes at the ceiling. Wersching steps up to the well known criminal and waves her left hand by his face and snaps her fingers, but Rozhenko's eyes don't move. It's like he is dead, but he is still breathing.

Rozhenko's sweaty tank top appears to have something scribbled on it. It reads, _"Hi! I'm braindead. __Compliments, Mr. Black."_

"Sixty, take a look at this," Lynn says.

QN-60 steps up to the bed and looks into Rozhenko's eyes. "I am not detecting any sign of cerebral activity."

"Just like the Eugene Henson and McIntire family cases," Lynn assumes.

"No, Lynn. Professor Henson's mind was still intact when he was found, as were those of Tina and Tom McIntyre," 60 replies, "Andre Rozhenko's mind appears to have been damaged severely, as his shirt indicates."

"It looks like it's time to find out who this _Mr. Black_ before he does this again," Lynn adds.

Lynn turns around and spots something very peculiar near the open window. Lynn shines her flashlight on this item and picks it up... it is an old _"H.A.R.: Humans Agains Robots" _pamphlet, spouting the venom of it's former leader, William Cochran, someone who Officer Wersching has dealt with in the past.

"What the hell?", she mutters as her green eyes stare at the H.A.R. pamphlet, recognizing it. This had no business being here, since Rozhenko clearly did not hate robots. But even if he did, he would not publicly come out and support a group that was as well publicized as William's was... then, Lynn starts putting things together.

Professor Henson is a friend of Dr. Light, The McIntyres were involved in the outer space mission with Mega Man, and Rozhenko was believed to have briefly worked with Dr. Wily, and there are two lifeless robots here... William hates robots, as well as those who befriend robots and robotics scientists.

"Sixty... I think we have a suspect," Lynn says.

* * *

><p><strong>September 20X2.<br>****Light University of Higher Learning for Robots.  
><strong>**Seattle, Washington.**

The ribbon-cutting cerimony for Dr. Light's new abitious side-project was nearly derailed by Dr. Wily's use of the Tachyon Capacitor to pull the moon closer to earth, but thanks to the hard work of the human and robot members of the on-site construction team, the college was able to open up right on schedule.  
>And to prevent any attacks from Dr. Wily's robots, a large holographic shield dome that is invisible to the human eye surrounds the entire campus. The only way to enter the campus is by using a personal I.D. card to unlock the shield.<p>

The concept of an all robot college is certainly a peculiar one, especially since robots can be pre-programmed with as much knowledge as possible, much like Brain Bot was. But, this is a project that Dr. Light felt strongly about so that robots could better integrate themselves into society.

On their way to the campus is Roll, who signed on to be one of the students here, so she is the most famous student here. It sounded like a good idea at first, and Dr. Light was thrilled about her joining the university, but Roll has become somewhat intimidated by the rather unenviable task of college work.

But on the bright side, she has already made a few friends here, including a bright-eyed ladybot with pink hair named Plum. Plum is a fellow student here who will also be taking part in television broadcasts of the campus' robo-football team exhibitions along with two other robots named Ripot and Chest.

Roll and Plum make their way to the campus with their computer tablets and books in their arms and chat on the way there.

"I've faced Wily's robots more times than I care to count, but I think all of this schoolwork is more challenging than they are," Roll sighs.

"Don't worry about it, Roll. It can't be _that_ hard," Plum encourages.

"That's not the only thing that's bothering me," Roll admits, "Since I'm going to be here for a while, I won't be able to help out my brother Mega when he's battling that creep Wily. I've still got unfinished business with him."

"What is it?", Plum asks.

"... It's Personal," Roll replies, unable to hide the seriousness in her voice. She refers to when Wily killed Doc the Met.

As Roll finds her I.D. card, she bumps into a male robot, causing her books and her card fall to the ground.

"Oh! I'm sorry," says the orange-armored humanoid robot with a helmet that reselmbles a spinning top, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Roll replies as she looks up to meet the gaze of the robot in front of her, "... hey, I haven't met you before. Are you a student here?"

"No, not yet. But, I will be," answers the robot, who smiles, "I was just checking the place out for I can tell my inventor, Dr. Shultz, all about it. My name is Top Man. But, you can call me Toppy. And, if I might add, you're the prettiest ladybot I've ever seen."

Roll smiles back, giggly, "Um, hi, Toppy! My name is Roll."

The two robots shake hands as Plum stays back and watches them interact.

"So, when are you going to become a student?", Roll she and Top Man pick up her fallen items off of the ground.

"Hopefully, I should be signed-up by tomorrow," Top Man replies as he picks up Roll's I.D. card, "Then, I can get one of these and we can talk some more."

"Yes, I'd really like to see you again," Roll replies with excitment in her voice.

Top Man hands Roll her I.D. card back (after very briefly holding it behind his back) and says, "I have to go. Dr. Shultz wouldn't like it if I was late. I'll catch you later."

"Yeah... catch you later," Roll repeats, sounding like she's on cloud nine. If she were a human, she would be blushing right now.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Plum beams as she returns to Roll.

"Plum... I think I like him! Wow!", Roll swoons.

Top Man watches as Roll and Plum enter the campus and the shield goes up again.

"It worked like a charm, 'Dr. Shultz'. Hook, line and sinker," Top Man says to his true creator, Dr. Wily via a communicator.

_"Good work, Top Man. You've already proven yourself to be a worthy member of my robot army. Now, return to me so I can duplicate the card's override code so we can crash the campus! Then, I can take the gravitron beam Dr. Light has stored there and use it for my next mission."_

"That's not all, Dr. Wily," Top Man adds, "The card I copied belongs to Mega Man's sister."

_"HA! That's even better! This is going to be such a wonderful takeover!"_

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day.<strong>

Almost all of the robotic students here at Light University are gathered in the caffeteria eating lunch together. Conspicuous by their absence is the Kung-Fu robot (who is aptly named Kung-Fu Bot) and Mega Man.

Roll is sitting at a table with Plum, a Painter Robot (who looks like a Frenchman), a football robot (the QuarterBot for short) and a cheerleading robot (or Cheerbot for short.)

Then, out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Top Man approaching, flashing that charming smile of his.

"Hey, Toppy!", Roll exclaims, getting up to meet him.

"I told you I'd get my own I.D. card, good lookin'," Top Man says, arriving to her table, "May I sit down with you?"

"Sure. Please!", Roll excidedly replies, pulling up a seat for 'Toppy,' unaware of his true colors.

"Now that I'm enrolled here, hopefully we can spend more time together... if you want to, of course," Top Man offers.

"I think I would like that very much, Toppy," Roll gushes.

Suddenly, a loud crash is heard and GutsMan plows his way through the front door.

"Everybody get down!", Roll commands to everyone at her table. Roll, Plum, the painter robot, the Quarterbot and the Cheerbot tip their table over with Top Man's help and hide behind it.

All of the robotic students are in shock as they watch a large selection of Wily's robot army enter the lunchroom, including GutsMan, Cut Man, Hard Man, Snake Man, Drill Man, ElecMan,

Bright Man, Fire Man, Oil Man, Skull Man and Metal Man. And leading the way, of course, is ProtoMan.

"Lunchtime's over for all 'a ya'!", GutsMan growls.

"But, it's never too late to brighten-up your day! Hee-hee-hee-hee!", Bright Man giggles as he powers-up the flash bulb on top of his head and blinds all of the robots whose eyes were exposed to the flash. Roll's group was not affected, because they were still in hiding.

Roll whispers, "Everybody get out through the back door and warn Mega Man. I'll follow you when I get the chance,"

As every robot at the table sneaks out, Top Man remains.

"Toppy, go," Roll quietly pleas.

"I'm not going anywhere," Top Man says.

ProtoMan assesses the carnage and reports to Dr. Wily. "ProtoMan to Wily. The shield is down and all of the robots here have been subdued."

"Not all of them!", Mega Man shouts after bursting through a door, firing a fully-charged plasma blast at the feet of Dr. Wily's robots, knocking several of them down.

ProtoMan avoids the shot and begins fighting with his brother again. "I was wondering when you'd show your face, little brother!"

Cut Man throws his rolling cutters at Mega Man, and they slice into his blaster arm, crippling his plasma cannon.

"I'll teach you to do that to my brother, you titanium creep!", Roll yells, coming out from behind her table.

"You won't be teaching anybody, Mega Babe!" Top Man retorts, spinning himself around (like a top) and speeding towards Roll, who heard Top Man's remark and turns around in shock to see him ready to attack her.  
>Roll tries to defend herself, but Top Man crashes himself into her, knocking her to the ground.<p>

Meanwhile, Hard Man fires his Hard Fist at Mega Man, hitting him in the chest and bashing his armor.

Then, a wicked snicker echos in the lunch room... "I would say that the siege of Light University went much smoother than I thought." That voice belongs to Dr. Wily.

"There's four more who escaped," Top Man says.

"How dare you!", Roll shouts, "I trusted you!"

"Life's not not fair, baby," Top Man grins.

"You ugly top-head jerk!", Roll yells, trying to kick Top Man's face.

"Get them all out of here," Wily barks, "Proto, my boy, come with me. We've got work to do."

As Bright Man and Snake Man lead the way to search the escaped robots, Dr. Wily and ProtoMan leave to search for the gravatron beam... but, Wily turns to GutsMan and Cut Man, making a throat slashing gesture, careful the Proto cannot see it.

This meant they had to fatally take care of Mega Man, Roll, Kung-Fu Bot and Rush.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

Dr. Wily enters the storage room containing Dr. Light's prototype gravitron beam and sees all of the Robot Masters "supervising" several Light University robot students to prepare the beam for use.

One robot is not working quick enough, because he is affraid of the evil Robot Masters nearby, and that was just enough to make GutsMan angry.

"No slowpokes alowed in this operation!", GutsMan snaps, "Join your buddies!"

GutsMan grabs the robot by his head and throws him towards the twisted pile of metal in the corner... which was really several other robotic students who were 'dispatched' by the Robot Masters for not working fast enough, or who tried to defy them. The robot crashes into the his fellow students head-first, landing in a puddle of oil at the bottom of the pile... it was oil from some students were were not so fortunate.

"That's kind of harsh," ProtoMan comments as he witnesses the brutallity of these students.

Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters look over to ProtoMan, shocked that they would hear this coming from him.

"Why shouldn't they have smashed 'em, ProtoMan?", GutsMan asks, as Wily looks skeptical.

"Look at 'em! They aren't going to work for you, that's what the Robot Masters are for," Proto says.

Metal Man steps up, fuming with his murderous rage. "I don't think he can't handle watching it, because he is too soft to spill the blood of another," he says in his raspy voice, pointing his finger in ProtoMan's chest, "To this day, you haven't killed anybody yet!"

"Yeah, I'm too soft," ProtoMan smirks, "But, I get the job done... which is more than what I can say for you, chump!"

Metal Man tries to lunge for ProtoMan with his Metal Blade, but is held back by ElecMan and Quick Man (who, of course, raced to the scene.)

"You'll regret saying that when I cut your tongue out!", Metal Man yells.

"And it'll be the first thing that blade's ever cut," Proto scoffs, which sets Metal Man off even more.

ProtoMan slyly walks away, but Albert follows him.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately?", Wily hisses, careful not to talk too loud.

"Nothin'", Proto answers, "I'm just sick of mopping up the blood these idiots spill."

Dr. Wily grabs ProtoMan by the arms and says, "I know you don't like the idea of killing, it's a very noble trait... but, one day, you may have to choose whether or not you have to take a life for the sake of my quest... and should that day come, you had better make the right one."

Dr. Wily leaves to oversee the progress of the Gravitron beam, but ProtoMan just stares at him as he walks away, unnerved by his comments about choosing to take a life

"We'll see about that, Doc," Proto replies, silently enough that Albert cannot hear him.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere on the campus, inside the clock tower control room, Mega Man, Roll, Rush and Kung-Fu Bot are chained up to the large gears of the clock.<p>

"I'm going to get back at that no-good jerk Top Man for playing games with my emotions!", Roll agrilly says.

"Just a helpful hint in life, Roll," Mega explains, "If their last name is _Man_, he's probably a Robot Master."

"Yeah, thanks for the advice," Roll groans, "So, how're we getting out of this. I really don't feel like getting my head crushed in giant gears tonight."

"Do not worry," Says the Kung-Fu bot, "If I focus, I can escape the chains that have bound us to these machines."

"I've got a better idea. We'll rely on Wily's bots' stupidity," Mega answers, "My blaster might be done for, but I can still break out of these."

Mega Man manages to break free from the chains that held him to the gears and runs over to break Roll and Rush's before things they could get caught in the gears.

"Thanks, Mega," Roll says, still sounding peeved, "The first thing I'm gonna do is kick Top Man's titanium-"

The sound of the door being plowed through interrupts Roll. This was the work of QuarterBot who sat with her earlier. Plum, the Painter Bot, the Kung-Fu bot and the Cheerbot follow him inside.

"Hey, Mega Man," says QuarterBot, "We came to break you out... but, it looks like you already beat us too it!"

"That's okay, we could still use your help," Mega replies.

"Sounds good to me... so long as I don't sully my artist's hands on those horrible Wily robots," says Pierre.

"Looks like our team just got a little bit bigger," Roll adds.

"But, we're still missing our coach," Mega replies, "We've got to find Dr. Light."

* * *

><p><strong>Later That Night.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll and the others have successfully rescued Dr. Light from the clutches of the Robot Masters and devised a plan to stop Wily from stealing the gravitron beam.

Eddie was summoned from the lab to deliver the stealth suit add-on to be used later, and the secondary silenced blast nozzle has been fitted over Mega Man's left arm to get his cannon working again.

Mega Man, Rush, Kung-Fu and QuarterBot managed to take out some Robot Masters outside and break into the campus' science building, where the gravitron beam is being held.

Outside, several more Robot Masters - including Top Man - arrive to the scene. "Hey! What's going on here?", Oil Man shouts, only to see Plum and the CheerBot step into view.

"It's those two bimbots that Mega Man's sister was hanging around with," Top Man says.

"How dare you call me a bimbot!", Cheerbot yells, before tossing her pom-poms into Top Man's face, which causes all of the other Robot Masters to laugh uproariously.

"We'll see how funny this is when I knock these two out of commission. You'll make great prisoners," Top Man says as he spins around and heads towards them. Then, he feels something stick to his head and pull him up off the ground.

It was Roll, who was wearing the stealth suit backpack and using a plunger in her utility arm to pull him up.

"Roll?", Top Man warbles.

An angry Roll replies, "You messed with the wrong girl,_ Toppy_!", before she drops the spinning Top Man back down onto the ground, where he spins out of control and crashes into all of his fellow Robot Masters.

"Great job, Roll! You taught him a thing or two," Plum cheers as Roll lands on the ground and takes the stealth suit off.

"I'm not done with him yet," Roll sneers, keeping her sights set on Top Man, who is still spinning out of control. When Roll gets close enough to Top Man, she delivered a swift left haymaker kick to his head, knocking him into a nearby water fountain.

"Now I'm done with him," Roll finishes.

* * *

><p>Inside the science building, Mega Man and his crew arrive, hoping that they are not too late.<p>

"There it is," Mega says, "All we have to do is take out all of these Robot Masters."

"What about ProtoMan, Mega San?", asks the Kung-Fu bot.

"Leave him to me," Mega replies.

_"Mega, it's Roll. Come in!"_, says the voice of Roll, embedded in Mega's helmet to not give out his position to the other robots in the room.

"What's wrong, Roll?", Mega silently replies.

_"There's a Skullker heading right for you!", _she replies, just as the roof of the science building is blasted by Wily's Skullker, operated by Dr. Wily himself.

"We just ran out of time, guys," Mega commands, "Let's stop them from taking that gravitron beam."

Mega Man and the others rush ahead and enter combat with the Robot Masters. Things appear to be going their way... until...

* * *

><p>"Let's see just how much damage this weapon can do!", Wily says from his Skullker, grabbing the control pad to the beam projector and enters a command.<p>

The Gravitron Beam aims itself at Mega Man and powers-up, pulling him up into the air.

"What the?", Mega gasps.

"Have a nice flight, Mega Man! HA-HA-HA-HA!", Wily laughs as the gravitron beam and aims Mega Man towards the front entrance of the science building and reverses it's power to send him crashing through the wall at nearly 200 miles per hour.

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, as Dr. Wily escapes with the gravitron beam in tow, Roll and the other robots run up to where Mega Man's signal is coming from, which is just outside of the campus in a wooded area.<p>

They arrive to see Mega lying in a large hole in the ground created by the force of his landing, not moving.

"Mega!", Roll calls, running over to his side with Rush. They turn him over to see that his eyes are closed and showing no signs of life. "No! Please, no!", Roll warbles as she shakes him, "I've seen you get hurt much worse than this. You can't die too."

Dr. Light arrives to check Mega's left arm to get a reading on his energy levels. "He's still online," Thomas breathes a sigh of relief, "But, he's very weak, and he most likely has internal damage. He needs repairs."

"Eddie can help!", says Eddie as he runs up to Mega Man and pours an energy can into his mouth.

Shortly after, Mega's eyes open and he slowly sits up, still suffering the after effects of his injuries.

"Where is he?", Mega asks, not wasting any time in getting back to work before Wily can do any more damage to the Earth.

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago, Illinois.<strong>

The Skullker arrives to Chicago carrying the gravitron beam. Wily had considered using it in New York, but decided that it was too far away from Light University.

Wily positions the Skullker and the Gravitron beam overtop of City Hall, preparing to steal the entire building as well as kidnap everybody inside it all at once, and hold them all for ransom.  
>Truly one of the most bizarre plans ever concieved by Dr. Albert Wily.<p>

"Now, we will see just how well this gravitron beam works," Wily says, "Keep an eye out for Mega Man, Proto. Do you have the visual enhancment to your visor?"

"Yeah," Proto replies, attaching the secondary piece overtop of his visor, which look like a pair of goggles. Once he wears them, he can see any trace of movement as well as heat signatures. Essentially, they are made to spot Mega Man if he is using his stealth suit.

Dr. Wily uses the gravitron beam on the City Hall building and slowly, the building begins to crackle under the intense gravitational strain being put on it. The workers inside, including the mayor, are all levatating off the ground and hovering in mid-air.

"Hold it. He's here... I can see him," ProtoMan says.

"Good! My invention works... no surprise there," Wily boasts, "You know what you have to do."

* * *

><p>Mega Man arrives to Chicago on his stealth suit fully cloaked, and sees the Skullker using the gravitron beam on city hall down below.<p>

Then, Mega sees something flying out of the rear of the Skullker and head in his direction.

"ProtoMan?", Mega gasps.

"Playing hide and sneak again, Mega?" Proto laughs, "Well, you're it!"

Proto fires several shots at Mega Man. The last one hits him in the chest and sends him falling into a nearby highrise as the cloaking device on the stealth suit flutters for a few seconds.

Proto gloats, "You see I've got some new shades on? They're specially designed to see you!"

"I've still got this stealh suit, Proto," Mega shouts, "and it's specially designed to kick your butt!"

Mega Man jets out and tackles ProtoMan head-on, and the two brothers brawl in the sky. Mega knows he has no time to fight ProtoMan up here, especially when all of the innocent lives inside of City Hall are at stake.

Mega flies backwards and fires a very weak shot in his brother's face, directly into his new goggles. The blast shorts out the goggles and ProtoMan yelps in pain as all he can see now is a blinding light until he rips the goggles off his face.  
>Mega Man blasts him again to take him out of this fight before he flies back to Dr. Wily to prevent him from literally stealing City Hall.<p>

The power of the gravitron beam has ripped the City Hall building off of it's foundations and Dr. Wily is hauling it off to Skull Fortress. Until Mega Man arrives, that is.

"Sorry, Wily, but City Hall isn't getting very far," Mega says, detaching the gravitron beam from the skullker and using the beam's onboard flight controls to send the building back where it belongs.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily flies back to Skull Fortress, completely unaware that he no longer has City Hall or the gravitron beam.

"Boy, is he gonna throw the fit of the century when he finds out I took his building back," Mega laughs.

* * *

><p><strong>Two nights later.<br>****Lynn Wersching's townhouse**.

Lynn returns home from another long day on duty. Today hasn't been a good day, because she was informed that the Humans Against Robots propaganda found at the Rozhenko mansion was inadmissable as evidence. But, she still has a sinking feeling that it's him.  
>It has been nearly a year and a half since her brother Castor disappeared. There have been some slight leads here and there, but he still can't be found.<br>Tonight, however, she is going to be informed that her brother has indeed been found... but, she will be shocked when she finds out just_ who _gives her the news.

Her phone rings and she grabs it to see who it is. The caller readout says _"Warez, Mexico,"_ and doesn't show a phone number. Lynn shrugs, "Wrong number?", and puts the phone down.

A minute later the phone rings again. "Not here, Warez, Mexico," she says, picking the phone up again. This time the readout reads, _"Butte, Montana," _and still no number.

"What the hell?", she furrows, before putting the phone down again... then the phone rings _again_.

Lynn snatches the phone and looks at the readout... then her eyes widen in shock and her spine tingles as she reads the words _"Answer it, Lynn," _on the readout.

Lynn shudders as she answers the phone. "Who the hell is this?"

_"Hello, Officer Wersching,"_ says a distorted voice on the other end, _"This is Mr. Black. That's who __the hell this is."_

"How did you get this number?", Lynn asks.

_"That isn't your concern right now. You have more important things to worry about... personal _family _business. Am I correct?"_

It clicks in Lynn's mind that Mr. Black is referring to Castor. She angrilly snaps, "If you've done anything to my brother, so help me, I'm gonna-"

_"I haven't done anything to your brother," _Mr. Black interrputs, _"In fact, the reason I'm calling __is because I know where your brother is right now."_

"What?"

_"I know everything that _you_ need to know. I know where he's been living, I know what condition __he's in, I know where he eats and most importantly, I know what he's _taking. _I'm also aware of the __brief time he spent in an Addictions Annonymous meeting last year._ _He's still alive... it's a __miricle, but he still is. I assure you, the whereabouts I have on your brother are good and valid."_

"Where is he?", Lynn asks with anger in her voice.

_"That's the catch... if you want to save your brother, you're going to have to do something for me __first,"_ Mr. Black says,_"As you know by now, I am a man who seeks information, by any means necessary. And what I __want from you is the full details of N.Y.P.D. shifts, so I can know who's on the street and who's not. __Secondly, I need the override codes for all of your precious Policebots. Yes, even QN-60. And last __but not least, I need the full security details for Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters on __November 6th... Election Night. It doesn't matter if he wins or loses."_

Lynn is aghast. "What you're asking me to do is illegal! I'll be in jail-"

_"Sitting in a jail cell is a small price to pay if it means saving your brother's life! These terms __are not negotiable, so listen to me very carefully. You have four hours to get me that information __and to meet me at the location I'm about to send you. You will come alone, no other police presence. If you don't give me what I want and if I see even one other officer, the information __on your brother Castor goes up in smoke... and believe me, it doesn't look like he has much time __left."_

The call is terminated.

Lynn is distraught over having to make the decision to give up confidential intel or saving her brother's life. Mr. Black's final words were especially frightening... _"it doesn't look like he has much time left."  
><em>What did he mean by that? Is Castor about to die from the years of drug abuse... or is Mr. Black imply something more wicked?... he claims that he knows exactly where her brother is, and that is bad news.  
>Taking a moment to regain her composure, Lynn thinks about what she is going to do, especially now that she knows that Castor's live could be in Mr. Black's hands.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****Glenns Falls, New York.**

Lynn pulls up in her police car to place where Mr. Black told her to be. It was dark, dank, foggy and unseasonably chilly outside tonight, which only hieghtens the uneasiness in Wersching's mind right now. Her mobile phone beeps, inicating that it's signal has been blocked. She then sees a lone wide-framed figure walking out of the darkness, wearing a grey trenchcoat and a black mask, hiding his whole face.

Lynn finally gets out of the her car, but Mr. Black puts his hand up and speaks without the use of a voice altering device this time, ordering her, "Leave the gun in the car."

Lynn hisses "Dammit," and pulls her gun out and leaves it in the car and cautiously steps forward.

As Mr. Black stares her down, Lynn studies his build. She has a sinking feeling that she knows who's behind that mask, but his body looks too wide and his shoulders too broad to be a match for William Cochran's frame... but, it's been over a year since she or almost anybody had seen him. Plus, from the looks of it, he appears to be wearing very thick body armor that is obviously bulking him up. That voice also doesn't sound the same, but it sounds like he's using a put-on voice, anyway.  
>The fact that this guy is now targeting Mitchell Deacon - who just the other day recieved Dr. Light's personal endorsement in his election run - is another red flag that this <em>is<em> William... there's only one way to find out for sure. If only she could get close enough the rip that mask off.

"Do you have what I came here for, or not?", Mr. Black rasps.

"Do_ you_?", Lynn asks back, trying to get Mr. Black to show his hand first.

Mr. Black calmly reaches into his trenchcoat and removes a manilla folder, opening it and removing one piece of paper from it. He then holds it up in front of her. "I took this photograph of him four days ago," he says.

Lynn feels her whole body go numb when she sees the image... there was no doubt, it was her brother. He looks far worse than he did when she last saw him. He appeared to be extremely thin and his face looked gaunt. His skin appeared to be a sickly shade of gray and his hair looks poorly unkempt as half of it was still bleached blonde, but his natural red roots were now clearly showing.

"Oh, my God, no!", Lynn whimpers with tears forming in her eyes when she sees what her brother has become.

"He looks like he's close to death," Mr. Black says, putting the picture back in the folder, "By this time next year, he _will_ be dead... but, right now, you have the chance to stop it. Inside of this folder is everything that your brother has done in the past two weeks, including where he's living. I give him credit, he does a pretty good job hiding himself... but I still found him... and now, so can you. But, the only way you're ever going to save his life is if you give me what I want!"

Hearing Mr. Black's harsh command snaps her back to reality and she wipes the tears from her face. "I don't have it. _Any_ of it!," she snaps, "I will never sell out my partners, my friends or anybody else, Deacon, Mega Man or whoever!... not even to save my brother... I'll find him without your help... so, you can kiss my Irish ass!"

Mr. Black stands before Lynn, holding the folder loaded with Castor's whereabouts. "Very well, Lynn... I hope you can forgive yourself when he dies," he says, quickly producing a lighter and setting the folder ablaze. The folder goes up in flames so fast, it must have been coated in some sort of fluid to expediate the damage the fire would cause, making the contents impossible to recover.

"You son of a bitch!", Lynn growls as she charges for Mr. Black, swinging a right-handed haymaker at him. But, Mr. Black caught her arm and threw her to the pavement. As Wersching gets up, Mr. Black pulls two smoke bombs from his trenchcoat and egnites them, creating a large could of smoke to engulf both of them.

As Lynn runs inside of the cloud of smoke, her eyes and throat feel like they are on fire and she begins gagging on the smoke. Obviously, there is tear gas mixed into these smoke bombs.

"It's a shame we couldn't do business, Lynn," Mr. Black says, now sounding distant.

When Lynn tries to open her eyes, the burning sensation worsened and tears pour from her eyes as she tried to look around, and all she could see was the smoke. Finally, Lynn bumps into the front of her car and gets inside, trying to get away from the smoke, gasping for air.

When she finally opens her eyes and gasps for air, all she sees in front of her is the remnants of Mr. Black's smoke bomb... and the smouldering ashes of Castor's file.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Dick Furguson's segment is a reference to all of these talking head shows on T.V. Also, there's a little bit of The Colbert Report in there._

_I always believed Mr. Rozhenko's last name was a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation (Worf's last name was "Rozhenko", given to him by his adoptive human parents), so I spelled it the way they spelled it on the show. I also believe the Tachyon capacitor was a reference too._

_I did spend a lot of time on Campus Commandos here, mainly because I wanted to show Roll in college and the debut of Top Man (who we will see again very soon.) I also made some changes for my story (Mind Control ice cream didn't exactly do it for me, so I made it a straight up invasion.)_

_The reference to Plum, Ripot and Chest being broadcasters was included as a reference to the only Mega Man game which they appeared "Battle and Chase," where they were the commentators... even though we never heard a word from them. (At least not in the Mega Man X Collection version.)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment._


	52. Interlude: Year Two, part 4

_**Interlude: Year Two, part 4.**_

* * *

><p><strong>October 20X2.<br>William R. Cochran's residence.  
><strong>**Arlington, Virginia.**

The son of New York Governor George Cochran - and the former leader of the anti-robot group 'Humans Against Robots' - William Cochran sits at his computer and reads a news article about Dr. Thomas Light's college campus for all robots to learn progressively, like a human would, as well as interact with other robots.

As he reads the article and sees how successful the college is, William's face scrunches with disgust at the idea of robots being _allowed_ to have their own college. "Give me a break!", he snits, "First he endorses Deacon, guaranteeing him my father's old job, now _this_!"

Just then, his doorbell rings, followed by a pound at the door.

William glazes his eyes and leaves the computer to answer the door, muttering, "Who the hell is it?"

William opens the door, only to see several Virginia State police officers and PoliceBots standing outside. He is speechless as the Lieutenant stands before him. "Mr. Cochran, we have a warrant to search your house," he says, sounding firm and direct.

William looks stunned at hearing this news. "What?"

"Mr. Cochran, I'm only going to tell you this once," the Lieutenant warns, "Step aside and let my officers search this house, or I will place you under arrest."

William takes a deep breath and sighs, not allowing his well documented anger to get the better of him. "Fine, go ahead, just get it over with."

"Well, good," says the Lieutenant, who waves his officers inside.

William can feel his anger boiling when he watches several Policebots enter his house. "There had better be a good reason why I'm allowing these abominations into my house," William says with am agitated tone in his voice.

"Mr. Cochran, you are a person of interest of an ongoing investigation," responds the Lieutenant.

"What investigation are you talking about?", William asks, sounding annoyed.

"We'll be the ones asking you questions when we get to the station."

William snaps, "So, you _are_ arresting me?"

"We're taking you in for questioning. Come with me while my officers do their jobs."

William tries to supress his rage and finally submits, "Fine, I'll play along. Just tell me, what am I being accused of?"

"Your name has come up as a person of interest in a series of home invasions and physical assaults that have been taking place since April," replies the Lieutenant.

William's face then takes a very interesting look, like a mix of surprise, shock and maybe a little bit of fear. "What? ... you mean the guy who's hacking into people's minds?"

"Just come with us, Mr. Cochran."

"This is ridiculous!", William curses, raging that his name has come up in the 'Mr. Black' crime spree. "I'm innocent!"

"I would reccommend you calm yourself, Mr. Cochran. You would want one of my Policebots to to have to arrest you. Again," says the Lieutenant.

Again, William tries desperately to calm down. "... fine. I said I'll cooperate, and I am... but, if I find one thing missing or damage, I'll sue," William threatens as he leaves his house, reaching for his phone to call his lawyer.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

William sits here in the interrogation room of the Arlington Police station. While he is not completely being treated like a criminal, he feels like one.

"Do the names Eugene Henson, Tom and Tina McIntyre or Andre Rozhenko mean anything to you, Mr. Cochran?", asks a detective.

Like a wiseass, William grins, "I didn't watch Jeopardy last night, so I wouldn't know that answer."

"You may not watch Jeopardy, but you certainly do keep up with the news, don't you?", replies the detective, "At least according to your computer, you do. The officers who searched your house say that according to your browser history, you've followed these people's home invasions since they began... as well as the ongoing events between Mega Man and Dr. Albert Wily."

"Yeah, it's _kind of_ hard to ignore the ongoing warfare, what with so many people dying and all," William snits.

"I don't like your attitude, son, and I sugest you stiffle it!", sneers the detective, "And you need to answer my question... do you know who this Mr. Black character is?"

"No, are you kidding?", William answers, then asks, "Where's my lawyer?"

"We know that you were arrested last year by an officer in New York named Lynn Wersching," says the Detective.

William remembers his encounters with Lynn last year quite well and his mood begins to change. "Is she trying to _accuse_ me of being this guy?"

The Detective steamrolls ahead, "And at the site of the Rozhenko Mansion, she found a piece of propaganda for _your_ old anti-robots group. Mere days ago, she was threatened by this Mr. Black to give up classified information about the security detail for the campaign headquarters of Mitchell Deacon, and man who supports robot's rights. And if she didn't give up the information, her brother's life would be in jeopardy."

William snaps, "That woman has hated my guts since she first saw me! She must have planted that pamhplet. I wasn't hiding anything in my house and your officers know it!"

"And don't you think it's a little bit of a coincidence that all of the people that were targeted were people who have been affiliated with Dr. Thomas Light or Dr. Albert Wily, two _robotics_ scientists?"

"This is outrageous!", William freaks, "I want my lawyer in here now!"

The Detective has a feeling he's got William right where he wants him now, judging on his behavior. If he's guilty in any way, now is the time to catch him. "Maybe I should just ask you directly, then-"

_"Dectective Maurer, Mr. Cochran's atterney is here. A man by the name of Larry Russo," _says a tech in the other room behind the mirror window.

The Detective silently curses "Dammit!", knowing that it's too late to make any real progress in this interrogation. "Let him in."

The door opens and a man with slicked black hair wearing a fine italian three-piece suit enters the room. William looks relieved the instant he sees him.

"I came here as soon as I heard," Russo says, "Are these people treating you like a criminal?"

"I've been accused of committing the _Mr. Black_ crimes," William says quietly.

With that, William's lawyer turns to face the Detective. "Listen very carefully, pal," Russo says, puffing his chest up and sticking his finger in the Detective's face, "If my client doesn't want to answer any of your questions anymore, he doesn't have to. Did you or your officers find any _evidence_ linking him to the Mr. Black crimes?"

Detective Maurer bites back his growing anger. "Nothing you would consider rock hard."

"Then, you have no business badgering him the way you are. Now that I'm here, I suggest that we do things the right way - the legal way -, or else, I'll be placing your badge and all of your buddie's badges on my wall... and trust me, yours wouldn't be the first."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

Without any concrete evidence that could link William to Mr. Black, and with his lawyer getting in the way of the invesigation, the police has let William go. But, they will definately continue to follow this case.

"Well, it looks like the innocent man walks free again," Russo says, smugly as he walks William to his car.

"Yeah," William deadpans as follows.

"These guys don't have a case against you," Russo assures, "To think you had anything to do with these Mr. Black crimes is preposterous. You don't like robots, big deal. They can't link you to him because of that. I think it's a conspiracy, just like you said."

William remains unusually silent as he gets in his lawyer's car. He feels that perhaps some drastic measures may need to be taken. And he knows exactly what those drastic measures would require.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<br>****Light University.**

On this brisk autumn night, Roll is on the Light University campus taking a walk around the place along with Plum and the Cheerbot who helped her and Mega Man on the night Dr. Wily attacked the university and stole the gravitron beam.

Roll has been here at Dr. Light's university for nearly a month now. She has made some friends here and it feels very different to be able to take a walk outside without being mobbed by fans, but she has slowly become discouraged over the course of the past few days.

Plum has taken notice of Roll's demeanor lately and asks, "Roll? Are you feeling okay?"

"I don't know," Roll answers.

"You're not thinking about that jerk Top Man, are you?", Plum asks.

"No, he was a tool anyway," Roll mopes, "I'm just feeling homesick."

The other ladybots listen on as Roll continues, "I like this place, and I like being with you guys too, but I miss being with my family. There wasn't a day where I wasn't with them, and now, we're on opposite ends of the country. I miss them so much. I miss being able to go on missions with my brother too."

Plum puts her arm around Roll in a sisterly embrace. "Maybe you should talk with the dean. I'm sure he could make an arrangement for you. Dr. Light _does_ own this place. I'm sure he misses you too."

Roll barely smiles. "Believe me, the fact that I'm stuck under this shield and not in danger has probably got both him_ and _Mega sleeping easier at night... but, I know they miss me being home too. We talk every night."

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to Roll and her friends, far outside of the campus, they are being watched... not by Dr. Wily, or Top Man or any of the Robot Masters... not by a crazed fan either... but, by Mr. Black.<br>Using a pair of cybernoculars, Mr. Black maintains his sights on Roll specifically.

"I must admit, you're very pretty for a robot," Mr. Black says, "If there is anybody who can give me _good_ information on Mega Man and Dr. Light, it's you... but, that wouldn't be very easy, would it?"

Mr. Black looks at all of the PoliceBots that are patrolling the place, both inside and out of the shield. There is no way anybody could get close to the campus. IThe only way he could get close to her is if she and her friends step outside of the shield.  
>Then, he sees several PoliceBots approaching the trio, while two others walk ahead of them.<p>

"No. Don't you tell me they've spotted me, dammit," he hisses, as one of the PoliceBots points outside, in his direction.

Realizing that he's been spotted, Mr. Black wastes no time sticking around and runs away.

* * *

><p>On the campus, several PoliceBot untit are rounding up the students and are on high alert after sighting Mr. Black outside.<p>

"Attention students," says PoliceBot MT-81, "Please allow us to take you to a campus safezone."

"Why?", Roll asks.

"There is a possible security threat, Miss Light. Follow us," orders MT-81.

Roll, Plum and the Cheerbot are ushered away. But, Roll looks outside and sees more PoliceBots deactivating the shield and running outside with weapons drawn.

"Safest place in the world for a robot to be, huh?", Roll groans, noting that thisis the second security threat in one month. The first being the Wily attack, and now this.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black shouts into his wrist, "Engine on! Open Door!"<p>

His black sedan automatically ignites the engine and opens the driver's side door.  
>Before he dives in, the masked terror pulls a pulse concussion grenade from his trenchcoat and hurls it in the direction of the approaching PoliceBots.<br>The grenade lands near their feet and goes off, knocking the PoliceBots to the ground, but not damaging them. Instead, their circuits are momentarilly scrambled.

And like that, Mr. Black speeds off into the night, escaping trouble once again. A scene as noticable as this one will draw even more unwanted attention. Perhaps it is time to lay low and wait until the best possible time to complete his mission... Election Day.  
>While he doesn't have as much information as he would have liked, it is the best possible course of action.<p>

Mr. Black knows he could get caught and pay for the crimes he has committed, but tonight is not that night.

* * *

><p><strong>The next week.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Following the difficult process of being apart from eachother (and the security threat last week,) Roll has returned home to the lab to finish her semester here.

Mega Man enters the lab and sees that his sister is seated at the main computer console doing her schoolwork asignment.

Roll heard her brother's footsteps as he entered the lab and gives him a smile. "Hey, Mega."

"Working on Dr. Light's computer is one major advantage to taking your courses at home," Mega jokes.

"Sure is," Roll replies, "If only Brain Bot was still here, things would be easier... even though he'd be tearing apart the computer to make it run one second faster."  
>Roll sighs as she turns away from her work. "But, I can't help but think I let Dr. Light down when I left his university. I know he wanted to see how we all would interact with eachother, but I missed it here so much, I couldn't think straight... has he said anything?"<p>

"You haven't let Dr. Light down at all, sis," Mega says, "We wanted you home just as bad as you did... in fact, you didn't drop out. Dr. Light made the call to get you back here."

"He did?", Roll asks, surprised at this news.

"Yeah... and that security scare a few weeks ago helped him make that decision a lot easier," Mega continues.

"That makes me feel better. But, I still feel bad about it, though," Roll sighs.

"I'll tell you what. After you're done with your assignment for the night, I'll take you to see that Kung-Fu movie that opened last week," Mega says, offering to take Roll to a showing of _The Last Dragon_ starring Kung-Tai Ted.

"Really?", Roll peeps.

"Sure thing," Mega confirms.

"Cool! I'll be done at 6:00, then we can go," Roll smiles, "Thanks, Mega."

"Anytime, sis," Mega replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Later That Night.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll and Rush exit the movie theater after the late showing of the movie is over.

"What a great movie!", Roll says.

"I know you love action movies, so I knew you'd like this one," Mega says.

"Did you see how fast Kung Tai Ted was punching those guys?", Roll says.

Mega glazes his eyes, "Yeah... through the power of editing, anything's possible."

"No way. That was really him, it had to be," Roll counters, before changing the subject, "Hey... are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know. You look a little _distant,"_ Roll explains.

Mega Replies, "I've got a lot on my mind. Not just Wily, but now there's this Mr. Black person running around."

"I wouldn't worry about him too much. I heard he was running scared when the campus security spotted him," Roll jabs.

"But, he got away... and he's been targeting people who we know since he's shown up. Professor Henson, Tina and her dad, Officer Wersching... I have a bad feeling he was going to come after you that night if he hadn't been caught."

"And would have been a big mistake," Roll grins, erecting her hands and fingers like she was preparing to chop him like the guys in movie.

Mega presses on, "Officer Wersching said he wanted to know the security detail for Mr. Deacon's headquarters... I've got a bad feeling about Election Day."

Just then, a car speeds past them and the other moviegoers, surprisingly driven by the Mayor.

"Did you just see who I thought we saw?", Roll asks.

"That was the Mayor! And it looked like his eyes were closed," Mega answers, seeing that he did see what Roll saw, "Come on, let's make sure he doesn't get himself hurt."

Rush transforms into jet mode and Mega and Roll take off after the Mayor... but, little do they know, they were about to enter battle with Wily's army again.

"Can't we just have_ one_ night a enjoyment without having something really wierd happen?", Roll groans.

_The events of the cartoon episode "Mega Dreams" take place._

* * *

><p><strong>The next week. Two weeks before Election Day.<br>****Cossack Family Citadel**

Dr. Mikhail Cossack is busy programming the A.I. on his latest robot in the basement level of his large citadel. Mikhail has a vinyl record of classical music playing on a vintage phonograph player while he works, a trait similar to that of Dr. Thomas Light, however Light uses modern technology to listen to his music.

Once Mikhail is finished programming, he checks his phone system and sees that he has recieved _another_ call from the Vick-Tek corporation about working on a project with the company.

Their calls have become less frequent than they were last year, but they still desperately want to work with him... and he has considered working with them. Ever since the Gamma hijacking, Cossack has had second thoughts about colaborating with them.

After rubbing his sandy blonde beard, Cossack decides that maybe it's time to entertain their offer. "Perhaps it is meant to be," Mikhail says in Russian as he calls the Vick-Tek number back.

After a few rings, there is an answer..._ "Scott Erickson, Vice President, Vick-Tek. With who __am I speaking?"_

"Greetings, Mr. Erikson," Dr. Cossack says, now speaking in English, "This is Dr. Mikhail Cossack, the scientist you've been wishing to work with since last year."

_"Dr. Cossack?... oh, wow!", _Erikson exclaims, _"It is such a pleasure to not speak with your people. __Er- I mean, to speak with _you_, sir."_

"I am well aware that the Vick-Tek organization wants to secure my services to develop a robot for you," Mikhail continues, "The repeated calls you have made to my headquarters illustrate that. I wish to inform you that I am interested in hearing your offer."

After a period of stunned silence on the phone, Erikson peeps, _"Really?... Er-, I mean, absoulutely, Dr. Cossack. We would be most interested in discussing our project with you."_

"I must inform you that I will not be availible to speak with you until November, and it will have to be via teleconference. But, I will make sure that a date is set-up where we can talk. My people will contact you later with a date and time."

_"Well, okay, then! Thank you, Dr. Cossack. Mr. Vickers will be very happy to hear this news. __We'll talk to you in November."_

"Very well. Goodbye," Mikhail says, terminating the call... he then says to himself, "What a schmuck."

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<br>****New York City.**

Erickson enters Marcus Vickers' office without even informing him, catching Vickers by surprise.

"Scott?", he asks.

"Mr. Vickers. I have great news!", Erickson giddily says, "Are you sitting down?"

Vickers - who _clearly_ is already sitting down - looks at Scott dumbfounded. "Um... I think so."

"Sir... we've got Cossack!", Erikson elates.

Marcus' eyes widen. "What?"

"Well, we don't really '_have_ _him'_ have him yet, but we've got a meeting arranged with him," Erikson corrects himself, "He says he's interested in speaking with us! Next month!"

Vickers is speachless as his face slowly turns into the most elated and joyful face that can possibly be imagined with his eyes widening and his smile going from ear to ear, showing all of his teeth.  
>Vickers stands up and raises his fists in the air, victoriously cheering, "Yes!"<p>

Vickers runs out from behind his desk and vigorously hugs his Vice President, nearly squeezing the air out of him. "We're gonna get him!" Marcus cheers as he performs cartwheels all around his office as he laughs with joy.

Finally, it appears his Robot Warrior project has one more real chance to become a reality. And if they get Dr. Cossack onboard, it will _not_ be a failure.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that month.<br>****Coopersville, New York.**

On a speeding train carrying the priceless and one of a kind Onyx Sphere (also nicknamed the Black Pearl,) Roll is one of the very few lines of defence standing between the sphere and any potential hostiles. Dr. Wily has already made several attempts to steal the priceless sphere, which would undoubtedly pay for any project he could possible dream of... including making his own version of Gamma, if he wished.  
>The job of our heroes was to ensure that the sphere would be taken to a secure location so that Dr. Wily could never get his hands on it, but obviously, Wily learned about the sphere and has diligently tried to take it before it gets to it's destination.<br>To make this mission even more challenging (and bizzare,) Dr. Wily has found a way to corrupt the programming of CPU-based children's toys to make them all do his bidding.

Joining Roll on the car with the sphere is Dr. Light and Dr. Connery Jones, an expert on rare artifacts. Dr. Jones thinks the Onyx Sphere belongs in a museum, but given the circumstances, he relented.  
>Things are already looking bad, as Mega Man and Rush had left to fend off a Skullker, which turned out to be a trap (ending up in a cave flooded with bombs.)<br>Now, Wily's robots and his living toys have arrived and are onboard the train to steal the sphere.

"Just stay behind me, both of you," Roll says, awaiting Wily's bots to break in the car any minute.

"No, Roll. It's too dangerous," Thomas begs.

"If there was ever a time I _don't_ want to hear those words, it's right now," Roll argues.

Then, a buzzing sound is heard cutting through the door and one of Cut Man's scissor blades can be seen carving through. Seconds later, the door is kicked away revealing ProtoMan, Cut Man and GutsMan and a group of little dolls coming through.

Roll switches her utility arm to vacuum mode and hits 'reverse', pelting the hostiles with debris and causing most of them to lose their balance.

GutsMan uses his strength to stay on his feet and walks forward, crushing a soldier doll along the way. Roll tries to amplify the power to the utility arm, but by then, GutsMan grabs her with his big hands, pinning her arm to her side.

"Let her go!", Dr. Light yells.

"Okay, if you say so," GutsMan says, before picking Roll up off the floor and preparing to throw her out of a window, "Time to get rid 'a you, ya' little rodent!"

"Don't do it, GutsMan," ProtoMan says as he steps over to the Onyx Sphere, picking it up while it is still sealed in the plexiglass case, "I wouldn't want my sister to get hurt."

"I'm _not_ your sister!", Roll spits.

"Why shouldn't I squash her?", GutsMan argues.

"'Cause I'm ordering you not to do it, you idiot!", ProtoMan snaps.

"I think you're starting to overstep your authority, ProtoMan," Cut Man says, his wheezing voice becoming angry.

"Oh, really? Well, don't see Wily anywhere around here, do you?", ProtoMan scoffs, "Besides, the reason why we're about to succeed is because _I'm_ in charge and not him."

Cut Man's and GutsMan's eyes grow wide, shocked to hear this coming from ProtoMan, Dr. Wily's right hand robot, "Dr. Wily's not going to be happy with you."

"I'm tellin'," GutsMan warns.

"Whoopie. See if I care," Proto waves off, until Mega Man crashes through the windshield with Rush.

"Drop it!", Mega barks, "You're not taking that sphere, and you're not hurting anybody on this train, especially my sister. So put 'em both down. Now!"

"Okay, you asked for her," GutsMan answers, tossing Roll towards Mega Man. Mega catches her, but they both hit the floor.

ProtoMan climbs out a windsheild on the car's other side, ready to take the sphere back to Dr. Wily. "I expect my brother and sister to still be alive when I get back," he says as he climbs out.

"Don't worry, we will be!", Mega Man says, blasting GutsMan and Cut Man and running after his brother.

"What about these blasted toys?", Dr. Jones asks.

"I'll take care of 'em," Roll answers.

"No, wait," Dr. Light interrupts, "I think have discovered how to reprogram them again."

Dr. Light aims a remote at the approaching dolls and presses the center button, emitting a signal that instantly causes the toys to freeze and slump onto the floor. One dolly says, _"Ma-Ma"_ as she returns to her normal self.

Everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>On top of the train, ProtoMan awaits the Skullker to fly itself towards him so he can instruct the autoflight control to send the sphere back to Skull Fortress.<p>

Then, Proto hears the sound of metallic footsteps coming behind him, so he looks behind to see Mega Man just as he tackles him. The train makes a turn as Mega Man slams into his brother, throwing both of them off the roof and plunging down into a raging waterfall down below.

Mega Man and ProtoMan keep their grip on the case with the Onyx Sphere and struggle to rip it out of eachother's hands as they are carried away by the water.  
>Both brothers hear the loud roar of the edge of the waterfall as they fast approach it. Thinking fast, Mega Man uses both of his feet to kick ProtoMan in the chest, ripping him away from the sphere and letting the water carry him away.<p>

"Mega! Grab on!", Roll shouts, arriving to the scene with Rush, who has produced a handlebar underneath his stomach.

Mega Man grabs Rush with one hand, carrying the sphere in the other and is whisked away, saving the sphere from falling into Wily's hands.

Mega Man, Roll and Rush head back to the train to return the sphere. But, they are not riding off into the sunset... in fact, the toughest challenges lie ahead in the coming months.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that Night.<br>****Skull Fotress.**

Dr. Wily waits impatiently outside the hangar bay for the Skullker to return. Everything had gone so well in the past two days, it looked like the Onyx Sphere would finally be his and he could fund whatever project he wanted... and then, the mission was a failure in a matter of seconds.  
>To say Albert is angry right now would be the biggest understatement of all-time.<p>

Finally the Skullker arrives and Wily storms inside the hangar bay, as all of the Robot Masters gather around to witness the big explosion about to take place.

As soon as Wily sees ProtoMan stepping out of the back door of the shuttle, Albert lets loose. "How the hell did you lose it?", he shouts, referring to the sphere.

"Gee, where do I start?", ProtoMan replies, "First you put your faith in kids toys more than us! Second, those bombs of yours were supposed to incapacitate Mega Man. And instead of using a ton of weak bombs, you used a few that would have killed him."

"This is my quest for world domination, and I'll do things the way I see fit!", Wily snaps, "And it was your job to get me that sphere!"

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before. It's all the robots' fault and not yours because you're the genius. You have any more pearls of wisdom, oh wicked one?"

With his rage soaring through the roof, Wily yells, "GET OUT OF MY FACE!"

As ProtoMan blows Wily off and walks away, Cut Man and GutsMan step out of the Skullker, but are not spared the wrath of Wily.

"And the same goes for you! Get to work on something!" Albert yells.

Cut Man pleads, "But, Dr. Wily, ProtoMan was-"

"I SAID GET OUT!", Wily shrieks

As the bumbling duo runs away, Dr. Wily remains and stews in his anger.

Things are only getting more difficult for the mad doctor. In the past six months, he has thrown everything he has at Mega Man and his family, but they continue to survive and defeat him.  
>To make things even more difficult, Mitchell Deacon is the heavy favorite to win the election in New York, which could make missions taking place in that area even more tricky.<p>

With nearly one week left until Election Day, Dr. Wily knows that he needs to come up with the perfect plan, one that will rid him of Mega Man, Thomas Light, their whole family, Mitchell Deacon and anybody who can challenge him in his quest to overtake the world...

but, _how_?...

* * *

><p><strong>November 20X2. One week before Election Day.<br>****WNYC-7 Studios.  
><strong>**Manhattan, New York.**

Mega Man and Roll are being interviewed by Bree Recotta for a piece that will air tonight on the evening news. Bree has asked them quite a few questions already and the interview has gone very well, allowing both Mega and Roll to speak their minds about how things are going in the world. They even discussed Bree's frightening experience onboard Gamma, which Recotta is glad is well behind her now.  
>And then, Bree poses this interesting question to them...<p>

"As we conclude our time together, I have to ask you, if there was one thing you could make possible, aside from stopping Dr. Wily and bringing him to justice, what would it be?", Bree asks.

After taking a few seconds to gather the emotional strength, Roll answers, "I would bring my little buddy Doc back. I miss him every day."

Mega Man then gives his answer, "Aside from bringing Doc back. I would find a way to bring my brother back to the good side."

Roll listens intently as Mega continues, "I never got to know him when he was good, Dr. Wily stole him and programmed all of his garbage into his sytems. To be honest, I wish he would come to his senses and turn his back on Dr. Wily... "

"Do you think there's a chance he could be saved?", Bree asks.

Mega takes a moment to think about that question, then replies, "... everybody tells me I'm the most optimistic robot in the world, but, after all of this time... I don't think it's ever going to happen, not without stopping Wily first."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

After the interview is over, Mega Man and Roll leave the studio and prepare to go back home. But, Roll can't help but ask her brother a question of her own.

"Mega, why do you even _want_ ProtoMan back home anyway? After everything he's done to us, especially to _you_."

"Because I know there's still some good left in him. There_ has _to be," Mega answers, "And he's still our brother."

"He's no brother of mine," Roll huffs, as she gets on her SkyCycle, "If you want to claim him, fine by me. But, I want nothing to do with him."

Mega Man only shakes his head at Roll's stubborness when it comes to ProtoMan. He can't believe how she can so easily shut him out when she knows that he was not always like this.  
>Maybe she feels this way because of Doc being taken from them, but that was Wily who did that, not ProtoMan.<p>

Even though she doesn't feel the same way about their brother as he does, Mega does know that there is somebody at home who does understand.

"Let's go home, Rush," Mega says as Roll takes off.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

The interview with Mega Man and Roll aired on channel 7 earlier tonight, However, As everybody was watching it, Mega Man quietly snuck off to his usual haunt, the roof of the lab compound.  
>Soon after, Dr. Light followed him there to speak with him.<p>

"Are you alright, Rock?", Thomas asks

"I just got nervous when that last part came on," Mega admits, referring his wish for ProtoMan to be good again.

"I understand," Thomas replies, putting his hand on Mega's shoulder, "That must have been very hard for you."

"... you have no idea," Mega sighs, taking his eyes off of the city skyline and looking down at his feet.

"Well, at least you let it out. Don't you feel better?", Thomas asks.

"I don't know, Dr. Light," Mega answers.

"Everything will sort itself out one day, Rock, one way or another," Thomas says, offering his son some support.  
>Like Mega Man, Thomas also wants ProtoMan to return home so that he can be away from Wily's influence. And one day, hopefully, that dream will become a reality and ProtoMan will come home...<br>but, they have no idea how close that day is.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily has intercepted the broadcast of Mega Man and Roll's interview with Bree Recotta, and as he watches it, the smile on his face goes from ear to ear.

_"I would find a way to bring my brother back to the good side. I never got to know him when he was good, Dr. Wily stole him and programmed all of his garbage into his sytems. To be honest, I wish he would come to his senses and turn his back on Dr. Wily.",_ Mega Man says in the video.

_"Do you think there's a chance he could be saved?"_

_"... everybody tells me I'm the most optimistic robot in the world, but, after all of this time... I don't think it's ever going to happen, not without stopping Wily first."_

"Is that so, Mega Man?", he says to the image of the Blue Bomber on the screen, "You want your big brother back? Well, maybe it's time for a homecoming!"

Albert laughs as he grabs his communicator to summon ProtoMan. "Proto, meet me in the Command Center... we have some business to discuss, my boy! I have just devised the plan for our next mission... and you are going to want to learn all about it. You are the focal point!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I almost wrote the entire interview with Mega and Roll and it would have been it's own chapter, but I decided to only show the last piece for the pace of the narration. Maybe one day I will get around to writing all of it and posting it somehow._

_And fans of internet reviewers will know that "Kung Tai Ted" is a reference to The Cinema Snob._

_The line in the narration about Mega riding off into the sunset was a reference to the very last shot of the very last episode of the Ruby-Spears cartoons, "Crime of the Century", where Mega and Rush ride off into the sunset.  
>I also removed the Mayor from that scenes from that episode because I felt a mayor was ill-suited to be there (I mean, he was elected by a democray to be a mayor, not a added layer of security for a damn sphere.) Besides, in my timeline the current Mayor's term hasn't completed yet.<br>Instead, I added a character who was a reference to Indiana Jones (He has a PHD and he thinks the sphere belongs in a museum.)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. Coming up next is Episode 5, which will be based on the events of the classic episode "Bro Bots"..._

_speaking of Episode 5, I have some great news for you. When I took a break from posting after Episode 4, I never took that much of a break. Instead, I have been working on both the interlude and Episode 5. As you read this, I am already preparing the first chapter for publishing.  
>Therefore, the wait for Episode 5 will be a little bit shorter than usual... in fact, <strong>Episode 5 will debut this weekend!<strong>_


	53. Episode 5: Brothers

_**EPISODE 5: Brothers.**_  
><em>Based on the episode "<strong>Bro Bots<strong>", written by **Evelyn Gabai**._

**The following takes place at the end of the second season of the Mega Man cartoon show.**

* * *

><p><strong>November 20X2.<strong>

**The War for Everlasting Peace has raged on for nineteen months, and it has been eight months since the peacekeeping robot known as Gamma was hijacked by Dr. Albert Wily, and later destroyed by Mega Man in what was one of the most frightening days in recent history.  
>In the months that have past since Gamma's destruction, Wily has been persistant in his quest for world domination, coming up with some of the most bizarre and dangerous plans and inventions his diseased mind could devise, but he has continued to fail thanks to the efforts of Mega Man, his sister Roll and Dr. Thomas Light, with some help from others along the way.<br>Not only has all of Dr. Wily's plans been foiled, but he is once again having complications with his trusted right hand robot ProtoMan, and the two have had several arguments following missions lately.  
>It appears that Dr. Wily's robot army could be on the verge of falling apart at the seams.<strong>

**Meanwhile, the mid-term elections are about to take place in a matter of days, and a gubernatorial candidate named Mitchell Deacon is at the center of attention. Not only does he have the support of Dr. Light, but security is**** on high alert, because not only is Dr. Wily still a threat, but**** there is now a rogue element that nobody anticipated: the mysterious masked terror who calls himself "Mr. Black."  
>Mr. Black has been on his own quest to seek out as much information on his alleged 'targets' by any means necessary, using advanced and deadly equipment and weapons.<br>Nobody knows who he is, where he is, or when he will strike next. But, many believe he will show himself again this week in New York, possibly to target Mitchell Deacon, or perhaps Mega Man and Dr. Light.**

**Regardless of what happens, this next chapter in the story of the lives of all of the players involved will **prove to be their hardest yet, physically as well as emotionally... especially for Mega Man himself.****

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The Impossible Dream.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>One week before Election Day.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

It appears to be an ordinary night here in the badlands... about as ordinary as it can be in this dark, scary hell hole. No mortal human being has the guts to come close to the perimiter of the frightening Skull Fortress, only the local wildlife like the coyotes and snakes do, because they have no clue who lives inside the skull-shaped tower of terror.  
>However, in a few mere seconds, something is about to take place that could very well change the balance of power in the ongoing war for everlasting peace for good.<p>

Skull Fortress' alarms begin to blare and echo through the hollow badland skies and seconds later, the hangar bay doors located in the eye sockets of the large skull decoration on the front of the fortress open up and a lone Air Raider flies out, speeding away from this horrible place.

_"Attention all robots!"_, shouts the voice of Dr. Wily on the loudspeakers, _"Go after him! Make sure he doesn't get away! MOVE!"_

The Air Raider flies past the Fortress' front gate and the outer defences begin to take aim on it, opening fire from the large array of blaster turrets mounted outside. The Air Raider flies low to avoid their fire. Obviously, this pilot knows the shortcomings of these defences very well.

Soon after, several Skullkers and flying craft follow this runaway Air Raider as it speeds away, but they were already too late to catch up. The Air Raider had successfully escaped the reach of Dr. Wily, for now at least.  
>The only question is, who is operating the Air Raider? Who would dare turn away from Dr. Albert Wily and escape by stealing one of his own vehicles?...<p>

... ProtoMan, that's who.

_"ProtoMan! I order you to return to Skull Fortress!"_, yells the voice of Dr. Wily on Proto's forearm communicator, _"If you do not, I will hunt you down and bring you back myself!"_

ProtoMan decides to press the button on his arm to terminate the call, blocking contact with his master... or _former_ master, as it seems. Remaining silent, ProtoMan soars off into the darkness and into his new future.

* * *

><p><strong>Two days before Election Day.<br>New York City.**

_**"Live, from the first station in New York to broadcast in Super-Definition, it's 7 Eyewitness News! With your anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Faulkenburg, Chief Meteorologist Topper Bernstein, and Exaire Lancaster with sports."**_

We see Kirk and Trish seated at the anchor desk as they begin the newscast.

_"This Tuesday is Election Day, and candidate Mitchell Deacon is rallying citzens to get out and vote for him today,"_ says Trujillo.

_"Following the galla event held by candidate Cliff Barnes last night to rally voters, Mitchell Deacon has arranged for an all-out parade,"_ Faulkenburg adds,_ "We now go to our own Bree Recotta, who is live on the parade route in Manhattan with a live update."_

We now see Bree Recotta standing on a sidewalk as the parade goes on behind her, with confetti falling and hundreds upon hundreds of citzens standing on the sidewalks, clamoring to get a view of candidate Mitchell Deacon.

_"Thank you, Kirk and Trish. In just two days, the first major elections will be held since the rise of Dr. Albert Wily, but despite the lingering threat of another attack, the citizens of the state of New York are not affraid to come out and show support for their candidates, especially the supporters of Mitchell Deacon that have shown up here today. Deacon appears to be the more popular of the two gubernatorial candidates, and some political experts have said that it's not a matter of if he will win, but rather_ when_ he will win. We shall see on Tuesday."_

_"Now, Bree, if I'm not mistaken, this parade was co-organized by Dr. Thomas Light, one of Mitchell Deacon's supporters, is that right?"_, asks Faulkenburg back at the studio.

_"That's right, Dr. Light has provided quite a few robotic attractions to this parade rally, including something very special when Mitchell Deacon himself arrives, which should be any minute. Reportedly, we will see a massive robot-sized version of Deacon following him down the street. Of course, Dr. Light endorsed Deacon months ago, which drew the ire of some of the more _unfortunate_ members of the media,"_ Bree says, making a veiled reference to unpopular commentator Dick Furguson's constant slamming of Dr. Light and Mega Man.

Bree hears a sudden cheer from the supports behind her and looks over her shoulder. _"In fact, here is Mitchell Deacon now," _she says as her cameraman zooms in and we see a clear view of Mitchell Deacon himself in a convertable, waving to his supporters.  
>A breeze that passes through and it doesn't even move his flat black hair or his thick moustache. One thing is for sure, he's not about to win the election based on his looks.<p>

The "other star" of the parade is behind Deacon's car... and it happens to be a giant robot replica of Mitchell Deacon, which stands roughly 50 feet tall.  
>He looks just like the real Mitchell Deacon, complete with the same tragically un-hip hair style... except for one thing. The robot version only has three big fingers on each of it's hands instead of four.<br>The reason for this is to comply with the law that states that all robots must have at least one physical trait that clearly shows that they are a robot and not human.  
>But, still... it does look kind of silly with three cartoon fingers.<p>

_"And there is the Deacon robot right behind him. I've got to admit, aside from the three fingers, it looks just like him,"_ quips Kirk Trujillo.

_"He's like the Amazing Collosal Deacon," _Faulkenburg adds.

_"To be honest, I've had enough of giant robots for one lifetime, thank you,"_ Bree says, making a reference to her terrifying night onboard the peacekeeping robot Gamma earlier this year.

* * *

><p>High above the scene of the parade, a special group of people and robots are watching the proceedings from their hotel room.<br>Mega Man's sister Roll is standing by the window, looking down at the parade with Rush nearby while Mega Man himself is sitting further back with Dr. Thomas Light.  
>With them is the current Governor of New York, George Cochran, who has been an ally of Mega Man's since the war began and will be leaving office when his term ends in January.<p>

"The people sure do love your robot parade, Dr. Light!", Roll says, then giggles, "even if your Deacon robot only has three fingers."

"Judging by the turnout, it looks like Mr. Deacon is gonna slam dunk the election this week," says Mega Man, "Even the city's top brass turned out to support him."

"You made the right choice endorsing Mitch, Dr. Light. He's is probably the best candidate this city has seen in a while," says the current Governor, supporting his friend.

"Come now, George, you've done a great job here", adds Dr. Light.

"Well, that's what they tell me, at least," the current Governor replies with a joke.

"Are you ever going to run for President, Mr. Cochran?", asks Mega Man.

"Ah... so you've heard the rumors too, eh?", The Governor replies, "Well, I might as well tell you the truth. I've been considering my options," Cochran answers.

"George, if you don't mind me asking... whatever happened to your son?", Thomas asks.

That is a difficult question. "Things did not end very well between us. He doesn't want to change his ways. We haven't spoken in over a year," he answers, not divulging further into the subject of his son William, noted robot racist. In fact, the Governor has heard a very bothersome rumor about him recently that is unsettling. The rumor being that his name was somehow tied to the ongoing series of crimes involving this 'Mr. Black' character... or that perhaps, William might_ be_ him. William's recent questioning by the Virginia Police has only added more fuel to that rumor.

"I know what it's like to be on bad terms with a son... not Mega Man, certainly, but ProtoMan," Thomas says, "I certainly hope that one day he can see the error of-"

"Look!", Roll gasps, pointing outside.

Mega Man gets up and looks out of the window and down at the streets below to see some of the floats in the parade fall apart to reveal Skull Tanks and Dr. Wily's robots emerging from them, including GutsMan, Cut Man, Snake Man, Shadow Man, Drill Man and Ring Man.

* * *

><p>The innocent bystanders on the sidewalks start fleeing as Wily's robots launch another terror attack. The Secret Service agents who had been assigned to give extra protection to the candidates this year start rushing to the scene.<p>

Cut Man pulls the rolling cutters off of his head and flings them towards the giant robotic replica of Mitchell Deacon. The sheers slice through the neck of the tall drone, causing it's it's head falls off and sending sparks shooting out of it.

The hulking GutsMan catches Robo Deacon's decapitated head in his massive hands and then effortlessly throws it up ahead towards the real Deacon's motorcade.  
>Robo Deacon's head crashes a few short feet short of the real Deacon's convertable, blocking their path to escape. Deacon freaks when he sees the severed head of his robotic doppleganger blocking his car.<p>

* * *

><p>"Not enough time to take the stairs," Mega Man says, activating his blaster, "everyone, stand back."<p>

Roll and Rush step away from the window and Mega Man aims his plasma canon at it... but, before he can blast it out, he looks over at Dr. Light for approval.

"Don't worry, Mega," Thomas says, "Windows can be replaced."

"The bill's on me", the Governor adds.

Mega Man doesn't hesitate any further, shooting the window, burning a hole clean through it. It _was_ the quickest way possible.  
>Rush dashes aheads and leaps through the hole, transforming into jet-mode. Mega runs towards the hole and jumps through, landing on Rush's back.<p>

Roll tries following him, but they are already too far. "Hey!", she calls, "Wait for... me?" Roll grunts, running out of the hotel swuite to get to her SkyCycle. "He never waits for me!", she complains on her way out.

* * *

><p>Amidst the carnage and panic, Mega Man and Rush zoom down towards Mitchell Deacon's car to get the candidate out of danger.<p>

"Mr. Deacon!", Mega calls, "Climb on Rush and he'll get you out of here."

Mega Man steps off of Rush and picks the candidate up and places him on Rush, who has now transformed into a slightly different flying craft with handle bars, similar to Roll's SkyCycle.

"Just remember two things, sir", Mega advises, "Hang on tight and don't look down."

"I owe you one, Mega Maaaaaaaaaan!", Deacon says, as Rush jets away with him, causing he voice to trail off.

"Nice try, ya', little blue punk!", says GutsMan, accompanied by CutMan, Snake Man, Ring Man, Drill Man and Shadow Man behind him, "But now it's the five of us against just one 'a you!"

"Uh, GutsMan," Cut Man tries to whisper, "There's _six_ of us here."

GutsMan looks behind himself to see his other five cohorts. "One... two... t'ree..., " he counts to himself. "What're you trying to pull on me ya' little runt?", he bellows to Mega Man, "There's five of us here!"

"There's six of us!," Cut man argues.

"Five!", GutsMan booms, now turning to Cut Man.

"Six!", yells Cut Man, along with the other Robot Masters.

"FIVE!", GutsMan yells.

"Gutsy's right," Mega Man says, "There's only five of you."

"No there's not!", Cut Man yells back.

"There is _now_!", Mega replies with a grin, blasting Shadow Man square in the chest, knocking him flat out.

"Get him!", snaps GutsMan. Cut Man, Snake Man, Ring Man and Drill Man began fireing their weapons and Mega leaps out of the way. Mega Man fires a blast at Ring Man, taking him out of this fight too, evening up the odds to 4-on-1.

GutsMan grabs the now abandoned convertable Deacon was riding in earlier and throws it at Mega Man. The car explodes when it crashes on the ground, sending Mega Man flying backwards from the force of the blast.

Drill Man steps up and prepares to fire a drill bomb at the hero. "I'm going to get you now, Mega Man!" he says, "Dr. Wily is going to be so proud of me! I won't have to be made fun of by all of these other Robot Masters anymore."

"Don't count on it, Rustbucket!", says a very familiar voice... the voice of... _ProtoMan?_

Drill Man gets blasted in the back by the Red Raider himself, who has literally leaped onto the scene and all of the Robot Masters are in shock.

"ProtoMan!," Cut Man whines in shock, "What are you doing- AAAAHHH!"

ProtoMan grabs him and hurls him towards one of the parade floats. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing, bolthead?", he grins.

Snake Man runs towards Proto, who falls flat on his back and kicks him with both of his feet. Cut Man then rushes towards Proto, but gets blasted in the chest by the Red Raider, who throws Snake Man towards Cut Man's body, sending them crashing into eachother.

"Why you slimey, double-crossin', scarf-wearin', turncoat!", GutsMan shouts, swinging - and _missing_ - huge haymakers at ProtoMan. A _WHOOSH_ sound can be heard with every swing the large robot takes, "I'm gunna smack you around like you're a punchin' bag, ProtoGeek!"

Mega Man watches on in stunned silence. Ever since he's known his older brother, ProtoMan has been one of the bad guys, nearly destroying Mega himself on several occasions. Now, here he is actually fighting _against_ Wily's robots instead of with them. And Proto isn't hitting them with weak stun blasts, he's fighting them with full force.  
>"What's wrong with this picture?", Mega says to himself.<p>

ProtoMan continues evading GutsMan's fists. "Come on, lugnut! That all you've got?", Proto goads, "You can't even hit the broad side of a mountain!"

"That's it, you traitor! I'm not gunna miss this time!", Gutsy roars, as he rears back his right fist, ready to deck ProtoMan.

But, ProtoMan fires downward at a fire hydrant right below GutsMan. The strong flow of water nails him in his square jaw, but doesn't knock him off his large feet. Mega Man takes atvanage of this and fires a few shots at GutsMan. ProtoMan joins in, firing shot after shot, until the large robot runs away.  
>Mega Man stomps on a sewer lid, kicking it up in the air. He catches it and flings it at GutsMan's legs like a frisbie. The sewer lid clips the back of GutsMan's legs and knocks him down.<p>

ProtoMan runs towards one of the helium animal balloons in the street and jumps up, grabbing onto the rope holding it down. "Hey, Little Brother," he calls, "Follow my lead."

Mega Man just stares back. "This can't really be happening," he says to himself again.

"Come on! What are you standing around for?", Proto hollars.

Mega finally snaps to it and grabs onto another nearby balloon. The robotic brothers tie the balloons to the remains of the damaged float where Cut Man and Snake Man are now.  
>Shadow Man - still dazed from being blasted earlier - tries to blindside Mega Man, but Mega spots him and tosses him into the pile.<p>

ProtoMan rips the plasma cell out of the skull tank and drags Drill Man to the float, which by now is actually starting to _float_. ProtoMan tosses the plasma cell from the tank with the other Wily bots.

GutsMan runs towards the float, shouting, "Hey! Wait for me!", jumping on the floating float and escaping the battle, thinking that he's safe. But, GutsMan couldn't be further from the truth.

As the float _floats_ higher and floats away, ProtoMan wraps his right arm around his brother and says, "I don't know about you, bro, but I'd like to see some fireworks... courtesy of that little plasma cell I ripped out of the tank."

Proto aims his blaster at the floating float and fires. The shot hits the cell, creating a bright green explosion, sending Wily's robots falling down to the pavement below, landing elsewhere in Manhattan.

"Well, that takes care of them," Proto smirks, "Those must've been some _really_ strong balloons to carry all of that metal up there."

Mega shoves his older brother's arm off of him and faces him. "_You've_ got some big time explaining to do," Mega says, "I've been fighting you for two years, now, all of a sudden... this?"

Proto shrugs, "Yeah... I know it must pretty shocking."

"_That's_ an unerstatement," Mega mutters.

Proto continues, "It's been pretty shocking for me too. Let's just say I've had enough of my_ former_ leader, Dr. Albert Denthead Wily."

Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and Mitchell Deacon approach the brothers. While Secret Service Agents check on Deacon's condition, Thomas, Roll and Rush look at the sight of ProtoMan and Mega Man standing together for the first time, and they're _not_ fighting.

"ProtoMan," Thomas says, "... you've returned!"

"... yeah, it sure looks that way," Proto answers with a sideways smile.

"You said you had enough of Wily. What happened?", asks Mega Man.

"The less said about_ him_ the better. He's ancient history, that's all I've gotta say," Proto scoffs.

"ProtoMan is built from the same plans as you and your sister," Light says, "Maybe it took some time for his moral code to kick in."

"Yeah... maybe," Mega replies, unable to hid ethe skepticisim in his voice..

"So, can we end this fighting now put all of this behind us?", ProtoMan asks his creator and brother.

"It's about time we did," Thomas says, "In fact, we'll let you stay at the lab... on a _trail_ basis," he clarifies, "You do have a lot to make up for."

"I know I do," Proto says, "And to be quite honest, I'm just as nervous about this as you guys are, but I'll do it."

"I guess you're on the team now, ProtoMan," Roll says, half smiling but still weary.

"Thanks, sis!" Proto smiles, giving her a thumbs up.

Usually, Roll would snap that she's not Proto's 'sis', but given this extraordinary circumstance, she can't bring herself to say that anymore. "You're welcome, I guess... big brother," she replies.

Everybody is all smiles about this incredible development, even Roll, who doesn't quite know what to make of this either, can't help but react. But, Mega doesn't know how to react to this. Deep down, he wants this, and has wanted it for a long time, and he knows ProtoMan has too, but he doesn't know if it's too good to be true.  
>Mega Man could hear the odd, unsure tone in Roll's voice as she replied to their older brother. The same feeling is going through Mega's mind right now.<br>Ever since he's been alive, ProtoMan has been the enemy, fighting him at every chance... now, he's finally allowing himself to be their brother.  
>For Mega, this is surreal... maybe even <em>unreal<em>. The timing of this sudden change of events does seem to be a very big convenient coincidence, just one week after Mega's interview with Bree Recotta aired, and two days before Election Day.  
>But, Mega Man and Dr. Light had been informed that there was some suspicious activity at Skull Fortress last week involving a flying craft fleeing the fortress and never returning. Maybe it was ProtoMan... maybe this impossible dream is a reality.<p>

Mitchell Deacon approaches the heroes. "Excuse me," he says, "I want to thank you both for saving my life here today... even you, ProtoMan."

Deacon extends his hand to ProtoMan, who shakes it. "My pleasure, Mr. Deacon. By the way, uh... sorry about your giant robot."

Mega Man watches ProtoMan shake Mitchell Deacon's hand, still having difficulty wrapping his mind around this. Nearby, he can hear the sound of all of the citizens returning to the scene and cheering at the sight before them.

"Hey, Mega Man!" shouts a nearby photographer, "Can we take a picture for the late edition?"

"Huh?", Mega replies, lost in his thoughts.

"Come on, bro," ProtoMan says, "Let's do it!"

"Oh... okay, sure", Mega says.

ProtoMan and Mega Man stand next to each other. Mega just barely forces out a sheepish smile.

"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it," Bree Recotta reports, "ProtoMan has turned on Dr. Wily and has reunited with his brother Mega Man... just like he always wanted."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dr. Wily has just heard the news that ProtoMan has shown his face after escaping Skull Fortress, and he has turned on him and returned to his bitter enemy Dr. Thomas Light... Albert is not taking it very well.

"HE DID WHAAAAAAT?", yells Dr. Wily, going thermonuclear upon hearing that ProtoMan turned against him.

"That's what Cut Man said... or mumbled when we rescued them, Dr. Wily, "says a panic stricken ElecMan, "And, it's all over the television newscasts now."

Wily walks away from ElecMan and folds his arms, seething in rage. "ElecMan... if you don't want a piece of equipment to accidentally hit you when I react, I suggest you leave this room, _now_!" Wily says, sounding like something inside in twisted mind is starting to boil over.

"Y-yes, sir!", ElecMan stammers as he quickly leaves the room.

Albert just stands there in his command center with his arms folded, staring at the images all over the monitors in the room, showing a sight that makes him sick to his stomach... the sight of ProtoMan standing alongside Mega Man.

* * *

><p>Outside the command center room, ElecMan walk into a group of especially angered Robot Masters: Metal Man, Skull Man, Hard Man. All of which have never gotten along with ProtoMan.<p>

"Is it true?", asks the raspy Metal Man, "Has that coward ProtoMan betrayed us and joined his hero brother?"

"Yes, it is true," ElecMan confirms, "And Dr. Wily... he's, uh... I'd stay away from him for a little while."

"We're not gonna let him get away with this!", Hard Man declares, balling his massive fists, "The first chance we get, we'll rip his turncoat read-end apart!"

Skull Man nods in agreement as Metal Man adds, "I've been waiting for the chance to spill ProtoMan's blood... and ElecMan, I know you have too, especially after how he treated you when you first arrived here."

"Yeah, I do want to fry him... I've _always_ wanted to fry him!" ElecMan muses, "That cocky little smrik of his and the stupid yellow scarf, walking around like he owns this place, and his insistance on not destroying Mega Man! I've always hated his circuits! But, I could never do anything about it, because Wily would throw a fit."

"Now, you have your chance... we _all_ have our chance. ProtoMan has enjoyed mocking us, but he will mock no more!", Metal Man says as his red eyes flash with evil intentions.

"Right. The next time Dr. Wily sends Robot Masters out on a mission, it's going to be the four of us who goes after ProtoMan," ElecMan proclaims.

"Sounds like a good plan to me!", Hard Man agrees.

"We will tear his body limb from limb and present his head to Dr. Wily as a trophy!", Metal Man rasps, clinching his fists.

Even though ProtoMan has apparently turned to the side of good, he is still a wanted robot. Not by the authorities, but this time by Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_You're probably wondering why I changed the title from "Bro Bots" to "Brothers." I think "Brothers" just sounds better. Also, this isn't quite the same as Bro Bots... I mean, for the most part it is, but there are differences, like the new spin put on things with the episode's new opening with Proto leaving Skull Fortress._

_I decided to change up some pieces of dialogue too, because the original dialogue on the episode just wasn't working for me. I almost removed the scene with the Robot Masters being carried away by the parade balloons, but having them all just run away seemed lame. So, I added Proto's quip about how strong those balloons must have been (which is something I thought to myself.)_

_I'm convinced the Evelyn Raye character from _"Night of the Living Monster Bots"_ was named after the writer of _"Bro Bots."

_Be remember to leave a review or a comment (and if at all possible, if you spot any typos, please let me know.)  
>Also, more big news! This series is now on<strong> Twitter!<strong> Now, any readers who are also on Twitter can follow and get up to the nanosecond updates and supplemental material I otherwise would not be able to post here. Even if you aren't on Twitter, come on and look at it anyway.  
>Check my profile page and the link should be on the homepage section. I can't provide the link here in the story, so look for <strong>MMDefender<strong>_


	54. Homecoming

_**Brothers, Chapter 2: Homecoming**_

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<br>New York City.**

Marcus Vickers paces his office high atop of his company's massive skyscraper, staring at a computer tablet that is showing the massive breaking news story about ProtoMan's sudden turn on Dr. Wily and joining Mega Man.  
>Late tomorrow night, Vickers will have his long awaited negotiatons with the famed robotics scientist Dr. Mikhail Cossack via videoconference, hoping to acquire his services to work on the company's top secret (and failure-ridden) Robot Warrior Project. Despite the magnitude of the ProtoMan story and the importance of the meeting with Dr. Cossack, all Vickers can think about is one thing...<p>

"I've been upstaged again," he bemoans, convinced that this was all planned by Dr. Light ahead of time to overshadow his company's big announcement. "When I am mere hours away from obtaining the services of Dr. Cossack, Dr Light goes and pulls this on me! They _had_ to have known about the meeting with Cossack. They just had too."

"Our private investigators have looked into this matter as you asked, sir," Scott Erikson informs his employer, "They concluded that there are no moles operating in this company."

"Well, have 'em double check it," Vickers orders, "And then hire a team of private investigators to investigate _our_ private investigators. Maybe they're involved."

"Um... I will get right on it, sir," Erikson replies to his boss's unusual request.

"Not right now, Scott. I'm busy preparing for the videoconference with Cossack and I want to make sure we don't encounter the same problems we did with the other candidates for this job. I'd like to practice this with a live subject... and that live subject is you."

"Well, as long as this doesn't involve the use of the trap door again, I suppose I could help," Erikson replies nervously as he remembers his trip down the office trap door not long ago.

"Okay, good," Vickers says, putting the computer tablet down and standing accross from his Vice President, "Now, I'll be Marcus Vickers, billionaire C.E.O. of Vick-Tek Incorporated; You will be Dr. Cossack, the man who is going to build me my robot warrior. A robot warrior who will not only save humanity, but also make me a trillionaire... if not... a _quadrillionaire_! And it will be glorious!"

Erikson asks, "Is there such a figure as a quadrillion, sir?"

"... If _I_ say there is such a thing as a quadrillion, then there is," Vickers impatiently replies, "And besides, you're supposed to be Cossack right now, anyway. Get into character."

"Oh, sorry sir," Erikson says, putting a pair of glasses on and sticking his index finger under his nose to make a mustache (even though the real Dr. Cossack has a beard.)

Vickers then proceeds to rehearse his meeting with Dr. Cossack. "Ah, Dr. Mikhail Cossack, it is a pleasure to finally speak with you."

In a fake sterotypical Russian accent, Erikson replies in character, "Ho-ho! It is great pleasure to meet with you. In Russia, robots build _you_!"

Vickers puts his hands on his hips, growing annoyed as his exasperated sigh clearly demonstrates. "If you're not gonna take this seriously, I'm getting sombody else to be Cossack for this senario."

"Sorry, sir... Ah! It is great pleasure to do busines with American tycoon such as yourself," Erikson says as 'Dr. Cossack.' "Where is contract, I wish to sign now."

"... does he _really_ talk like that?", Vickers asks.

"Well, not exactly, sir. He does speak perfect english, albeit with a Russian accent," Erikson replies.

"Then, do his voice right," Vickers orders, "This man is the future of the company. Now, let's continue... so, Dr. Cossack, before we begin our disscussion, how is your daughter... uh, what's her name again?... Catacalysm? Calligraphy?"

"It's Kalinka, sir," Erikson replies

"Kalinka, that's right. I know it was one of those funky names," Vickers mumbles, before continuing his 'interview'. "So, how is your charming daughter Kalinka doing?"

Erikson replies in his fake voice, "Why, Kalinka is doing well, Commrade. Old enough to drive in America."

"And how is your lovely wife, Dr. Cossack?", Vickers asks, "What's her name again?"

"... um... Dr. Cossack's wife died two years ago, sir," Erikson says, breaking character.

"Why didn't anybody _tell me_ this?", Vicker complains loudly.

"I actually told you personally, sir. Back when Dr. Cossack's name first came up in the Robot Warrior project," Erikson explains, "His wife's passing is one of the reasons he didn't enter negotiations until recently."

Vikers rubs his eyes, already growing dispondant over how this meeting will most likely go. "Oh, God. I can see where this is going. This is going to be another disaster, just like all the others," he groans.

"Sir, if I might suggest... perhaps you should take the time you have to familiarize yourself with Dr. Cossack's body of work. Not by using, you know... training sessions like this," Erikson says, with a hint of worry, affraid he might go down a trap door again.

"... you're right," Vickers says, straighening himself out and snapping his fingers, "I've been so focused on _hiring_ Cossack that I never got the time to learn much about him. Scott, I will need all of the information I can get on Dr. Cossack, A.S.A.P. I refuse to let another _Dr. Wagner_ take money from me."

"That's the spirit, sir," Erikson cheers.

"By the by, Scott... do you think I should learn some Russian?", Marcus asks.

"I don't think it's necessary, sir," Erikson replies.

"Well, we should make him feel like we are the good guys. Have somebody get some of those Russian dolls, that have another doll inside of them and we'll have them in the background."

"Right on it, sir," Erikson replies.

As Erikson leaves the office, Vickers looks outside his window overlooking Manhattan, certain that this time he's going to get the right man for the job, and the Robot Warrior will become a reality.

"We're gonna get him," he confidently proclaims to himself, "We are _going_ to get him."

* * *

><p><strong>Cossack Family Citadel.<br>Moscow, Russia.**

It is nighttime here in Russia, and in his office inside of his massive fortified citadel, Dr. Cossack is doing his own research on the Vick-Tek corporation before he speaks with them later this week (because unlike Vickers, Mikhail prefers to learn as much about the people he's dealing with well in advance.)  
>With the International Science Conference coming in a few months, he would certainly be the talk of the science community and he could finally get the chance to be on an equal playing field with Dr. Thomas Light. It would certainly feel more comforting if Vick-Tek told him exactly what it is they want him to design.<p>

"They seem to have a lot of money to throw away on this," he says to himself in Russian after seeing that several millions of dollars have gone into a top secret project in the the past two years, including the acquisition of a large ammount of unsolidified raw titanium.  
>As he sifts through the information about the company, he learns that since this spending on the project began, the company's enter Research and Development team was relieved of their duites en masse. Cossack also remembers hearing that one of his fellow scientists Dr. Arnold Wagner - the inventor of Toby, the ill-fated robot who skyockets through roofs - was hired by Vick-Tek, and then was uncerimoniously released in April.<br>"No wonder they fired Wagner... I'm amazed they even hired the Swiss Simpleton to begin with," Cossack says to himself, mocking Wagner's lack of expertise, "They must not do their research."

Cossack hears a knock at his door. "Come," he says.

The door to the office opens and Mikhail's daughter Kalinka enters, and is beside herself with excitement. "Father! Have you heard the news?"

"What is it, Angel?", he asks.

"Mega Man's brother ProtoMan has left that monster Dr. Wily. He's reunited with Mega Man and his family!", Kalinka squees.

Dr. Cossack's sandy brown eyebrows tilt with interest. "And when did this take place?"

"It just happened!" Kalinka explains, "Wily sent his robots to attack a parade for some guy who's running in the election to become the news Governor, but ProtoMan turned against them."

"That's good news, indeed. Hopefully we are one step closer to peace."

"I'm just happy Mega Man can have his family complete again. He did an interview in America last week, he said in that's what he always wanted," Kalinka smiles.

Dr. Cossack remains silent for a moment. The wish of having a complete family again weighs heavily on his mind since the loss of his wife.

"So... what are you working on?", Kalinka asks, trying to make sure her father doesn't slip into a depressed mood again.

"The meeting with the Vick-Tek corporation tomorrow evening," Mikhail replies.

"The guys who made the big dancing robot?", Kalinka asks, referring to the VickBot 9000, star of last year's _VickBot 9000 Groove on the Move_ tour.

"Yes, that one," Cossack replies, "They have a project that they have been pestering me to consider ever since last year. But, they will not disclose it until the meeting takes place."

Kalinka's eyes search her father's desk and sees the notes about the upcoming International Science Conference next year. Once she sees these notes, Kalinka begins asking a few questions about it. "So, where is the Science Conference being held?" she asks, folding her arms behind her back and crossing her fingers.

"Most likely New York City in America," Dr. Cossack answers

Kalinka smiles as she asks, "I assume Dr. Light will be there too."

"... most likely. He would be the star of the show," Mikhail answers with a hint of bitterness and jealousy, thanks to his continued desire to be better than Thomas Light.

"If Dr. Light will be there... do you think Mega Man will be too?", Kalinka asks.

"You're asking because you want to come along in the hopes that you can finally meet him, is that correct?", Mikhail asks.

Shrugging her shoulders, Kalinka sweetly asks, "... please?"

Cossack can't help but smile at his daughter's question, hearing how sweet she sounded when she asked it. Hearing her sometimes she was all it could take to soften him up, even though she's becoming an adult, she's still the little angel he always knew.  
>"Only if you promise to pay attention, my dear. The knowledge shared at the event could help make you the smartest girl on campus when you attend university next year."<p>

"Oh, I promise, I'll listen, Father," Kalinka insists, clasping her hands togheter and interlocking her fingers with her smile growing wider.

Mikhail answers, "Then, the answer is yes."

Once she hears that she might finally have the chance to meet her hero, Kalinka bursts with happiness and hugs her father. "Thank you, father! Thank you!", she peeps.

It will be a very special experience for Kalinka when she finally gets to meet Mega Man, but it could prove to be even more interesting when Dr. Cossack and Dr. Light finally meet.

* * *

><p><strong>T<strong>**hat Evening.  
><strong>**Dr. Light's lab.  
>Just outside New York City.<strong>

Nearly two years after his creation, ProtoMan has come home, and he certainly seems happy to be back. The only problem is when our heroes arrive to the lab, the media is swarming the place looking to get some comments from Proto, and the Red Raider seems all too happy to give an interview as he mugs for all of the cameras that are in front of him.  
>"That's right, everybody. Let it be known to the world... the tag team of Mega Man and ProtoMan will unstoppable!", he boasts.<p>

Roll walks past him and reminds him, "I'm a part of this team too, you know."

"Oh, yeah, forgot. Her too!", Proto clarifies, "So, as I was saying, the team of Mega Man, myself and Roll will be unstoppable!"

Bree Recotta shouts over the voices of all of the other reporters, "What happened between you and Dr. Wily to make you abandon him?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know that answer myself," Mega Man adds.

"Wily?", Proto snorts, "Let's just say it's personal. I'm through with the old coot!"

"Do you plan on sharing Dr. Wily's secrets with Dr. Light?", asks another reporter.

"Are you going to raid Wily's fortress?", asks yet another reporter.

"I think safe to say Wily's days are numbered. He lost the only advantage he ever had when he lost me," Proto gloats, "Any more questions?"

Mega Man tries in vain to pull Proto away from the reporters. "Come on, Proto, let's go inside.", Mega says.

"Aw, come on, bro!" Proto protests, turning to his brother, "The public wants to have a word with me! I'm not used to being showered with affection from the media."

"Proto, _please_, not now," Mega begs, "We shouldn't hog the spotlight when it's Election Week."

"Okay, fine", Proto groans, then turn back to the reporters.  
>"I've gotta go now," Proto says, "I'm <em>his<em> big brother, but _he's_ the hero, so I've gotta listen to him! But, don't worry," he adds with his arms outstretched, "I'll give each of you an interview later this week!... especially you, good lookin'!"

Proto smiles and points to Anastasia Love, the buxsome blonde female reporter who stars on the entertainment magazine show _Entertainment Excess_, who smiles back at him. "Like, Oh My God!", she squees.

"I think I'll let you interview me first. And I must admit I find human women like you to be really hot," Proto says coyly.

Mega Man glazes his eyes and tries to drag his casanova of a brother inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

Soon after the Light family escaped the horde of media, Dr. Light wanted to run a diagnostic on ProtoMan's internal systems. "I notice your tracking device is missing," Thomas says as he looks up at the computer station, showing a full diagram of ProtoMan's body.

"Yeah, I didn't want Wily following me around," ProtoMan replies, "It would've been a lot of trouble, so I removed it."

Thomas finishes the diagnostic, "Aside from that, everything checks out alright."

"Good," ProtoMan anxiously says as he gets off of the flat table, "I don't like tests."

"Didn't Albert ever give you a proper check-up, aside from just damage repair?", Dr. Light asks.

Proto seems perplexed by the question. "Was he... _supposed_ to?", Proto asks.

"Yes, he was," Light answers, then grumbles under his breath, "damn that Albert."

"What's the big deal, it's just a test," Proto shrugs.

"It's recommended that robots like you get a check-up at least five times a year," Dr. Light says.

"Yeah, well all humans are supposed to get injected full of medicine too, but not all of them get sick if they don't," Proto counterpoints.

As Thomas shuts the computer diagnostic down, ProtoMan spots an open doorway leading a dark room. This triggers a memory inside ProtoMan's mind and he starts walking towards the room, his mouth slightly ajar as he approaches.  
>Dr. Light notices Proto wandering towards this room and follows him.<p>

ProtoMan enters the room, which is almost totally dark with the only light peering in coming from the main lab area. ProtoMan looks around and sees that this is mainly just a storage room, filled with random items, but he notices something over in the corner... it is a large hulk of equipment that appears to have been bashed to death.  
>Then, he remembers what it is, and that it was <em>he<em> who caused it.

He hears Dr. Light's footsteps stop somewhere behind him. "Are you alright, Blues?"

"I remember this room," Proto says, sounding distant, "... and I remember that thing over there."

"Do you remember how it got that damaged?", Thomas asks.

ProtoMan stares at the damaged equipment. "I remember... I felt pain in my head," he answers as bits and pieces of his first day alive begins to come back to him. "I remember you and Wily... then, all I wanted to do is break something, and that made me feel better... then... everything went to black."

Proto begins slowly backpeddling away. He doesn't know why he is feeling this way, but he is very freaked out by it all.

"Blues," Thomas says, using ProtoMan's original name that he wanted to give him, "It's alright... you're home now."

ProtoMan turns around and walks away, overwhelmed by the memories. "I've gotta go.", he says, sounding very rattled.

"What?", Thomas says, "But, you just got back here."

"I'm not leaving again... I just need some time to myself... for a little while."

"But, Blues-", Thomas says.

"Don't call me that, please," ProtoMan protests, spinning around and pointing at Thomas.

Thomas doesn't say anything at first. Surprised that ProtoMan remembers his original name, but also let down that he has rejected it. "ProtoMan," Dr. Light corrects himself, "Whatever's wrong-"

"I can just talk about it here, _right_?", Proto interrupts, "... I'm not exactly the _talking_ type."

"If you leave, there's a good chance Dr. Wily could find you," Thomas warns.

"I can defend myself, don't worry," ProtoMan assures.

"But, your brother and sister will come looking for you," Thomas adds, "And if Wily has sent anybody after you, that will put both Rock and Roll in danger. You _do_ realize that, don't you?"

ProtoMan remains silent for a about a moment. "... yeah... maybe I'm just freaking out. This isn't exactly easy for me," Proto admits, "I've been told to hate you for so long, I don't how how to react to you just yet. I've had pretty tough week... in fact, I'm tired."

"There's a spare bedroom at the end of the hall in the house... I prepared it in case you ever came back."

"Wow, free room and board, huh?", Proto grins, "Thanks, Doc. You're not so bad afterall!"

"This is your home now too, ProtoMan," Thomas says, patting Proto on his left shoulder, "You're now a part of this family, just like we always wanted... like it was alway meant to be."

ProtoMan smiles, still managing to look like he's flashing that Proto smirk of his, "Yeah... thanks."  
>As Proto turns to leave, he stops and adds, "I know I just said I wasn't the <em>talking<em> type, but maybe you're right. Tell my favorite brother that I want to speak with him tommorrow morning in Central Park. Just him and Me. There's a lot of stuff I want to get off of my chest."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

All of the news crews and journalists have left by now and Mega Man is standing on the roof of the lab. For November, it's surprisingly mild out tonight and not too cold.  
>Mega had been keeping a weary eye on his brother all day until Dr. Light began running the tests on him.<br>He doesn't seem to be going over-the-top with his attitude... well except his cosanova antics with that female reporter from earlier.  
>But, Mega Man is having a lot of trouble accepting his brother's turn. Mega took both Wily and Proto on their word once before on the island in the pacific ocean where Dr. Wily had found a way to make robots out of stone statues earlier this year and it backfired. <em>But<em>, ProtoMan was acting under Wily's orders at that time... but then again, what's to say he's not _now_?  
>Mega Man is so uneasy about this development that he has barely smiled since that picture of him and ProtoMan was taken for the news earlier today.<p>

Mega hears the door leading to the roof open. He looks over to see Roll approaching him. "I had a feeling you'd be up here," she says, "You're always up here when something's bothering you."

"It helps me clear my head... sometimes," Mega replies.

Roll notices her brother's noticably somber demeanor - despite ProtoMan finally coming home - and tries to talk to him about it. "You don't look happy about all of this. This is what you've always wanted."

Mega replies, "I don't know how to feel about him right now... what do you think about him?", he asks.

"I've gotta be honest, it feels kinda weird... I don't know to make of him either," Roll responds, "I've had to go from hating him to welcoming him. But, Dr. Light is happy though."

"That's what I'm affraid of," Mega replies, "I haven't forgotten when he and Wily stabbed us in the back on that island with the Stonebots a few months ago... I'm affraid of that happening again. I don't feel very comfortable with him here. I don't to see our father's heart broken again, or yours."

"And you also don't want _your_ heart broken again either," Roll perceptively adds.

A beat passes as Mega nods his head down, because he knows Roll is right. His life has never been easy having to deal with ProtoMan.

"Mega, I know you're having trouble trusting him after everything he's done... honestly, I am too. But, he looks like he's happy to be here... what if he's really telling the truth." Roll asks.

"... I've thought about that... maybe he is. I _hope_ he is," Mega replies, sounding distraught over this situation, "After all the things he's helped Wily do, do you think I should trust him."

"Would _you_?", Roll asks back.

Mega Man doesn't reply.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan walks down a hallway inside of Dr. Light's house adjoining the lab. He can hear loud rock music coming from Roll's room. Proto can't help but smirk at how his little sister has the music up loud enough to be heard through the door. It wasn't too loud, but it was still noticable. It must drive Dr. Light up the wall.<p>

Proto looks accross to see his brother's room right accross the way. Proto would have that talk with his brother right now, but he knows now is not the right time. Besides, both Mega and Roll are on the roof talking with eachother right now.

ProtoMan then arrives to the room Dr. Light said he could use. Proto wasn't expecting much of anything special, especially since he's just a robot and not a human.

But, when he enters the room, Proto is pleasently surprised. The room was fully outfitted like a human's bedroom would look, much like the kind they show in newspaper ads. There was a bed, dressers, nightstands, everything you could want to have in a bedroom, a far cry from what Proto was used to back at Skull Fortress: a small dimly lit room with an old stolen matress and that's about it.  
>Even the walls were decorated with red and gray wallpaper.<p>

"_Hmph_... how nice," Proto says to himself.

It would seem to the casual observer that things are finally back to normal in the Light family and that ProtoMan has turned a new leaf. But, Dr. Wily is still out there and his latest plan is mere hours away from beginning.  
>and to make matters even worse, Dr. Wily is not the only threat...<p>

_**He**_ has arrived to New York once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Outside Dr. Light's lab.**

Outside Dr. Light's lab complex, as all of the Light family is preparing to retire for the night, a familiar black sedan pulls up and stops directly in front. And the infamous Mr. Black stares at Dr. Light's lab from behind his mask. In the car with him is his full asrenal of weapons and gadgets that he has used to "gather information" from his subjects.

"So, it looks like we're one big happy family again... all for the better," he says, "This is all too easy."

Mr. Black slowly drives away from the lab and into the cover of night, where he will be ready and waiting for the right time to strike.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****Somewhere away from the lab.**

ProtoMan had snuck out of the lab compound after he knew everybody was asleep/recharging. It was the perfect opportunity for him to have that time alone he needed.

ProtoMan hides in an alley and looks all over to see if anybody is around. He scopes out every possible inch of his surroundings to make sure there's nothing, not even a mouse, that can hear him.

Then, he presses his communition panel on his blaster arm... "Are you there?", he says.

_"It took long enough, Proto," _replies Dr. Wily.

"You can thank my little brother for that," ProtoMan says, "And your old friend Light."

_"Are they suspicious?"_

"Except for my brother, they're buying it. Hook, line and sinker. Even my sister is, even though I don't think she's accepting it as well as Light. It might take a little more to get through to Mega Man, though."

_"I expected as much,"_ Wily says, _"But, your brother will except it soon __enough. Thomas programmed too much human emotion into him, my boy. It's his weakness."_

"I've known that all along," ProtoMan smirks, "How about those rust buckets at the fortress? I'm guessing they're not handling this very well."

_"I haven't told them yet," _Wily replies,_ "I didn't want them to spoil the surprise __in battle, it would ruin everything. As far as they know, you are the enemy. Until the time is right, only you and I know about this. But, Metal Man and some of the others particularly have it in for you."_

"Oh, please. I'm not worried about _them,_" Proto scoffs_, "_So, what's the second phase of this grand plan of yours, Doc?"

_"Look up, my boy, and you will see," Albert answers._

ProtoMan looks up to see a Battonton approaching him. The Bat-shapped robot flies past Proto and drops a small microchip towards him. Proto catches it in his right hand as the Battonton flies away. "A microchip?", Proto asks.

_"That is a very sophisticated scrambler chip you are now holding,"_ Wily says, _"All you need to do is place it on the side of your stupid kid brother's __helmet, preferably inside his enhanced hearing sensor. It will make your __job even easier."_

"I've already made an arrangement for the two of us to have a little heart-to-heart tomorrow morning," Proto grins, "That might be the perfect time to plant it."

_"Well, then, you say __he doesn't quite believe you yet, so perhaps this would be an _excellent _chance for you to... convince him otherwise."_

Wily snickers with a wicked glee and ProtoMan grins. There's no way this plan can go wrong, not this time. He is _sure_ of it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Sorry for the minor delay, everybody. I wanted to take the time to make this chapter right. I wasn't confident in it until now._

_I always wanted to see more of ProtoMan staying at Dr. Light's lab during this time and trying to fit in. So, I added some scenes here showing that process._

_The scene with Dr. Cossack and Kalinka Cossack had a subtle little hint to the direction episode 6 might take. ;)_

_The next chapter is the classic conversation scene with ProtoMan and Mega Man in Central Park. And this is going to be much more than just a brief little bonding scene with Rush licking everybody's face. This version of the scene will mean a lot more._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment (and please let me know if you catch any typos, preferably in a PM.)  
>Also, I'm still on Twitter. Just look for <strong>MMDefender<strong>_


	55. The Conversation

_**Brothers, Chapter 3: The Conversation.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day. One Day before Election Day.<br>****Central Park, New York City.**

ProtoMan is sitting alone on a bench here in Central Park, lightly whistling to himself as he waits for Mega Man to show up. A few passersby have congratulated him or welcomed him to the good side, grateful that he has turned his back on Wily. Proto would reply with that sly grin of his and wave... then he'd call the person a sucker or another degrading name quietly enough so they couldn't hear him.  
>Of course, these people - just like everybody else - do not know the Red Raider's true intentions.<br>ProtoMan has heard quite a few of Dr. Wily's oddball plans over the course of this "war", and some of them were the most silly things that the human mind could possibly imagine. From nightmare machines to a virus that makes robots think like neanderthals to shrinking cities to creating a rock band full of Robot Masters to play hypnotic music, Dr. Wily has thought of pretty much every ridiculous plan he could possibly think of. _This plan_ however is unquestionably the best one that the old man has ever divised, even better than hijacking Gamma. And the best part is, all of these suckers are buying into it and so is ProtoMan's family... save for Mega Man. ProtoMan knows his little brother is one tough nut to crack, but he's sure he can dupe that blue wonder.

Personally, Proto can't wait for the next phase of this mission to begin, because he's felt odd about staying at Light's lab ever since the beginning... and that spooky memory he had last night didn't help... in fact, Proto even feels he was a little harsh calling some of these human bad names earlier as they walked past him. They can't all be stupid... If only Mega Man would show up already.

"Where the hell is he?", Proto complains as he anxiously looks around for any trace of his brother.

Through his black visor, ProtoMan can see somebody approaching him. It wasn't Mega Man, but just another human citizen taking a stroll here in the park. He must have just come from the polls to vote on tomorrow's elections, because he was wearing a suit and his black hair looked neatly styled. He looked pretty big too, like he was an athlete, but aside from that ther was nothing special about this ordinary average white guy.  
>The stranger looks over to ProtoMan and nods.<p>

Proto waves and nods back, but then once he knows the guy is far enough away from him, he mutters under his breath. "Schmuck."

Proto begins to get impatient as he waits for Mega Man to arrive. He wonders if that idiot Light even gave him the message. He wants to get this mission over with now.  
>But, finally ProtoMan can see his younger brother and Rush approaching. The sound of Rush's jets gave them away.<p>

"I was wonderin' when you'd get here, little brother," he says, hiding the scrambler chip in his right hand, "Have a seat," he offers.

Mega Man and Rush land, but the Blue Bomber is still weary of his brother and doesn't sit down.

"Rock, come on," Proto coorses, "the old days are over."

"What do you want?", Mega Man asks, still looking suspicious of his brother.

ProtoMan shrugs his shoulders, "I just want to have some time with my little brother, that's all. We've got a lot of damage to repair."

Mega Man reluctantly sits down next to his older crooked brother as Rush sits down beside the park bench and sniffs the grass. ProtoMan puts his right arm over his shoulder and a few moments pass as neither robot says anything. For the first time in their lives, both robot brothers can be having a moment of time to themselves and not try and blast eachother into obliteration.

Mega Man muses, "I guess we don't have to fight anymore, do we?"

ProtoMan barely smiles, "No, we don't. Those days are done."

"This all feels like a dream to me," Mega continues, sounding somber, "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up any second and we'll be back on opposite sides again... but, it hasn't happened yet."

"I've gotta admit, it _does_ feel strange not doing battle around you," Proto says, "But, I'm glad too."

After another moment of silence passes, Mega asks, "Why was it so easy for you to fight me? You almost killed me several times."

Proto replies, "You were always in the way... and I always wanted to prove that I was the better fighter, but I never could beat you. You always seemed to have ace in your pocket. As far killing you, I never wanted to kill you, Rock. You have no idea how many times I had to convince Wily to _not_ kill you... say, why was it so easy for _you_ to fight _me_?"

"It _never_ was easy, Proto," Mega replies, sounding agitated as he looks over to his older brother, "I had a duty to fufill, to protect the human race from Wily, and you've been on the wrong side of this war all the way. Even when Gamma attacked and killed all of those fighter pilots, you didn't do anything about it."

"You're right about what went down during the Gamma operation," Proto confesses, "I don't like the idea of killing, and I should have stopped Wily from doing it... in fact, there's a lot of things I should have stopped him from doing... but, there's no getting through that thick dented head of his when that little voice takes over."

Mega pauses for a moment, feeling uncomfortable asking his next question, "Proto, did you ever... _enjoy_ doing what you did?"

"... there was a time when I did. Back when I believed that _we_ were the good guys," Proto admits, "Being a combat robot was all that I knew... it's _still_ all I know."

Mega asks Proto another question, because he can't get over the convenient timing of Proto's turn, what with the election coming tomorrow night and the recent airing of the interview with him and Roll. "So, you saw the interview?"

"I didn't really see it, but I know about it. You said something about wishing I would turn on the old man. It's the reason why I'm here," Proto admits.

"I had a feeling it was," Mega counters.

Mega listens intently as ProtoMan continues, "Wily must have seen it, because he had devised one of his half-baked plots, and it involved me reuniting with you. He wanted me to come back here to Dr. Light's lab and tell you that the great Dr. Wily was dead and that the Robot Masters were ready to be reprogrammed... then he wanted me to turn on you when you least expected it so he could finish you off himself. Not just you, but Roll, Dr. Light, everybody."

"And what did you say?", Mega asks.

Proto grins, "I told him to kiss my titanium ass, that's what." Proto's grin slowly fades as he continues, "He didn't take too kindly to that. We yelled at eachother, he said I'm the reason he's not the ruler of the world, then he told me to leave... forever. So, I did what he said and left. I can make up my own mind, unlike the Robot Masters, so I didn't need to kiss up to him anymore. Then, when he realized I was already out the door, _that's_ when he realized the error of his ways and tried to send the Robot Masters to get me back. That's when I removed my tracker. In fact, it was this stupid plan that made me realize that night how much I cared about my little brother," Proto says, "That's why I couldn't destroy you like he always wanted."

"When did all of this happen?", Mega Man asks.

"Last Tuesday, middle of the night... well, technically, it was Wednesday, but who's counting?", Proto replies. On the inside, Proto is amazed at how convincing he sounds at lying through his teeth. He almost believes his own story.

"Why did it take you so long to come back home?", Mega asks.

"I didn't want to," Proto says, "I had just walked away from the only family I really had in Wily... and I didn't feel comfortable coming back here, because I didn't trust Dr. Light. Plus, I'm still convinced our sister hates my guts. She hasn't really spoken to me since I came back... the only reason I_ did_ come back was to try and make things better between you and me. If it wasn't for you, Rock, I would've done things on my own... maybe I would help you take out Wily, or maybe I'd just stand back and let you deal with him. Without me, he's got nothin'."

Mega Man takes all of this in. He wants to believe what Proto is saying, and he sounds so sincere when he says he wants to make things right... but, he still can't accept it yet, because of how deceitful both his brother and Dr. Wily are.

"I know you've gotta be having a tough time getting used to this, and I am too. I know I'm supposed to feel like a part of the family, but I just don't yet," ProtoMan says.

"You're right, I _am_ having a tough time. I just hope we never have to fight again. I don't know how much more of it I could take," Mega sighs.

ProtoMan jokes, "Well... I'm not too sure about that... Ya' little dope!", he says, playfully shoving his little brother.

During this innocent shove, ProtoMan carefully placed the chip inside the ear sensor on the right side of Mega's helmet and pulls back his arm. Proto place the chip so quickly and discretely, Mega doesn't even notice that it has been placed on him.

"What?" Mega says, almost smileing.

"Come on, you're supposed to be the _big bad warrior_, Little brother!", ProtoMan says, egging him on like a big brother would.

"I am a warrior... unlike you, you goof!", Mega says, shoving him back with a smile.

"Oh, I'm a goof? At least I don't look like I exploded in a blueberry factory," ProtoMan quips.

"This coming from somebody who always wears a scarf when it's warm and sunglasses at night!", Mega responds.

The two robot brothers begin laughing with eachother. It's the only time in their lives that the two brothers have ever bonded as siblings, the only time that they could be 'normal.' Both of their dreams had come true and they were finally together as a family.

Then, suddenly, Mega Man's smile disappears and he bolts to his feet, steping away from ProtoMan. "What I'm I thinking?", he says to himself.

"What's the matter, Rock?", ProtoMan asks.

Mega turns around, not smileing anymore and says, "For a moment, I forgot that you're more twisted than a car wreck, that's what."

"It's about Wily again, right?"

"It's not just about Wily... I don't trust you very much," Mega Man replies and begins to walk away.

ProtoMan walks after Mega Man, trying to reason with his little brother. "Hey, hold on! I'm doing my best to walk the straight and narrow! I just told you how hard all of this is for me, I even let you in on how I'm feeling and you _still_ mistrust me? Oh, I know what it is... you've let all of this _'Defender of the Human Race'_ crap get to your head! You think you're _too good _for your own brother!"

"You've got it all wrong, Proto", Mega Man says with a heavy heart.  
>He sighs, hanging his head down and then reveals something he's kept bottled up inside of him for years... "I've <em>always <em>wanted to have a real brother relationship with you... I've always cared about you."

Mega Man closes his eyes hard and tries hard to contain his emotions as he says it. Revealing the pain he's kept inside for this long was the toughest thing he's ever had to do in his life.

A stunned ProtoMan replies, "You... you _do_?"

Desperately trying to contain his emotions, Mega Man replies, "All I've ever wanted was for us to be a complete family... so we don't have to fight eachother anymore... you have no idea how hard it's been on me to have you as my enemy instead of my big brother."

ProtoMan stands there, stunned at this revelation. A long period of silence follows.

Mega Man finally breaks the silence, his voice sounding strained, "I've got to go home. Rush, Jet."

As Rush transforms into jet mode, ProtoMan approaches his brother and tries to plead his case. With a sincerity never heard before in his voice, Proto calls, "Wait. We _can_ be brothers! Just give me a chance. It'll take time, but, everything will be back to normal."

Mega Man looks back to his brother and with sadness in his eyes he's never allowed his older brother to see before. "It will never be normal, Proto," Mega Man says, sounding morose.

Without another word, Mega Man jets off leaving ProtoMan standing alone in Central Park.

ProtoMan stares at Mega Man as he soars into the sky and is especially shocked by his brother's painful revalation. He never knew that his brother cared for him. ProtoMan thinks back to all the times Mega Man tried to convince him to ditch Wily... just like all of the times ProtoMan his tried to turn him. Proto always thought that Mega was just trying to get him out of the way so he could arrest Wily. But, now he knows it was because Mega wanted him to be a part of his life.

ProtoMan slowly walks away with his head down, trying to process all of this. This changes everything.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

"Mega, Rush and ProtoMan have been gone for a long time," Roll says, nervously walking around the lab, "Too long."

"Now, Roll, let's not jump to conclusions," Dr. Light says.

"I've just got a bad feeling about this, Dr. Light," Roll frets, fearing that maybe her brother had good reason to mistrust ProtoMan, which of course, he _does_. "If Mega's not back in ten minutes, I'm going to look for him."

Seconds later however, Mega Man arrives back home to the lab after taking some time to collect himself after his painful conversation with ProtoMan. He also feels kind of strange physically ever since the talk with his brother in the park. He's sure it's because of the emotional stress from even revealing his pain to Proto in the first place and ignores it.

Dr. Light is the first to see Mega return. "Rock, be sure to leave Rush here with me for the moment," he says, "He's due for a fuel refill."

Mega Man just nods, saying nothing in response.

"... Rock?", Dr. Light asks, looking concerned, "Are you alright."

"Huh?", Mega replies, still mentally stuck in the park, "... oh, yeah, I'm okay. It's just... Proto."

Roll asks, "You guys didn't argue, did you? If you did, I'm on your side."

ProtoMan walks in seconds later and stops as he sees Mega for the first time since earlier this morning.  
>Mega Man focuses his attention to him and so do Roll and Dr. Light. The room falls into an awkward silence as the two robot brothers just stare at eachother and as Roll and Thomas look back at forth at them.<p>

"I'll, uh... be out for a while," ProtoMan mutters, before turning around and abruptly leaving Dr. Light's lab.

Thomas and Roll look back to Mega Man, who lets out a woeful sigh.

"What _happened_ between you two?", Roll asks.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>

In the same alleyway where ProtoMan contacted Wily last night, he returns to contact him again. After making sure that nobody - and nothing - is watching him, he presses his communication button on his forearm.

"Are you there?", he asks.

_"Did you plant the scrambler chip?"_, Wily asks.

"It's done. It was, uh... a little bit harder than I thought it would be," Proto replies, sounding dejected as he makes a veiled reference to his conversation with Mega Man.

_"Good, my boy! From this point onward, Mega Man will soon be no more of a __threat than a gnat! Oh, yes... I've been waiting for this moment. Soon, I will have control over the world and Mega Man __will be destroyed!"_

"Or turned!", Protoman says, faster than he usually would.

Wily sighs and says,_ "Of course, you can attempt to turn him before I destroy him. I haven't forgotten the deal."_

"Good. Dont," Proto responds, shounding very short with his master.

_"You don't sound like yourself, my boy. You're not falling for Thomas' family act, are you?"_

ProtoMan remains silent for a short moment... "No!" he says, quick to give Albert the answer he wants to hear, "I can't stand being here, it's driving me crazy. I've just got... something on my mind."

_"Now is the time to be thinking with a clear mind, Proto. We only have one chance __at this._ Don't _blow it again."_

"Quit worrying. I won't!", Proto snaps.

As Proto cuts off the contact with Dr. Wily, he can't shake this odd feeling he's been having about this whole operation. Mega Man's words have stuck with him ever since the talk in Central Park, because he now knows that his brother felt the same about ProtoMan as Proto has felt about him, but he never knew it until now.

ProtoMan stands alone, thinking back to today's talk with his brother, when he notices that the sun is starting to go down. He quickly leaves the area before it gets dark, but soon he catches himself wandering around aimlessly, lost in his thoughts. He can't shake his brother's words out of his head...

_"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that evening.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

ProtoMan returns to the lab complex and looks around for his brother. If this mission is to be a success, he needs to make sure he's got Mega Man strung along. If he doesn't buy this, none of them will... but, Proto also feels the need to assure his brother that he's not one of the bad guys anymore and that they really _can_ be a family now.  
>ProtoMan looks out to the back yard and while he doesn't see Mega Man back there, he does find Roll, kneeling in front of a tree... a very special tree.<br>She's not saying anything, but she has her hands clasped together, like she's praying.

ProtoMan steps outside and walks up to his sister. "Hey, sis, have you seen Rock anywhere around here?", he asks.

Roll looks up and replies in a distracted voice, "Um... no, but he's around here somewhere."

Proto looks down and sees a metal plate in the ground right in front of the tree that reads **"Doc."**  
>Proto remembers that Doc is the name of the Met robot that Dr. Wily savagely killed last year. He knew that Roll was deeply hurt by what happened to him, but he didn't know that the little robot was <em>buried<em> here.

ProtoMan feels the need to ask Roll more about Doc. "So... he must've meant a lot to you," he surmises, careful to not say anything that would get her upset.

"Doc was my best friend," Roll muses, "And then Wily took him from me."

ProtoMan knows that Roll holds a deep grudge against Wily for destroyed Doc, and judging by how short she's being with him, she probably still blames Proto himself as well. Proto feels that he should just leave her be, but as he walks away, he gets an urge to go back to Roll and let something off of his chest that has bothered him ever since that horrible week. He doesn't know where this feeling is coming from, but he feels that he _must_ do this.

Stepping back to Roll's side and keeling down beside her, Proto speaks with the same sincerity he had in the final moments at the park today. "There's something I've got to tell you... what happened to this little guy... it was wrong. It's been bothering me ever since it happened, and if I could go back and fix things... I'd have made sure Wily wouldn't have killed him."

Roll doesn't take her eyes off of Doc's marker, but she listens intently to ProtoMan venting his feelings.  
>Proto then the gets the urge to say two words that he has very rarely used, but in this case, he feels that he must. "... I'm sorry, Roll. I wish he was still alive too."<p>

When she hears her brother apologize for Doc's death, Roll's bottom lip begins trembling and eye lubricaton begins to leak out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She never thought she would ever hear ProtoMan of all people say the things he did, and the fact that he did really touched her and she feels that she has some closure. Roll knows that now she has to do something that she thought _she_ would never do. But, despite all of the hard feelings she's had for ProtoMan in the past, she knows that she must.  
>"I forgive you," Roll weeps.<p>

"... thanks," ProtoMan says with a nod and stands back up. When he turns to go back inside, he finds his brother Mega Man standing nearby. He had to have heard everything that was said.

As Proto walks past Mega Man, he tells him, "I had to get that off my chest... it haunted me. I actually feel a little better now."

As Proto walks back inside the lab complex, Mega's gaze follows him. He hopes the maybe his older brother _is_ telling the truth, that he truly _does_ want to make things right and that he really isn't one of the bad guys anymore. He wouldn't have expressed the guilt he felt about Doc's death and apologize to Roll if he wasn't trying to make good... could he?

* * *

><p>In his new bedroom in Dr. Light's house, ProtoMan is lieing on his bed, because he knows that by tomorrow night, he probably won't have it anymore and he will be back in his usual digs at Skull Fortress.<br>He stares at the ceiling and thinks about everything that's happened today: The conversation in the park, planting the chip on Mega and admitting to Roll that he wished Doc the Met had never been killed and all of these strange sympathetic feelings he's had over the course of the day.  
>He was expecting this to be an easy operation: trick the Lights into thinking he's not working for Dr. Wily anymore, get Mega Man out of the way without doing any serious harm to him, and then let Wily spring the trap at just the right time.<br>But, none of it is easy anymore. In fact, the mission is only getting more difficult with every second that ticks by.

"It'll all be over by tomorrow night," Proto says to himself with his hands on his visored helmet, "Just hang in there a little longer, Proto."

Then, there is a knock at the door. "What?", Proto asks.

"It's Rock," Mega Man says on the other side of the door, "I want to talk to you for a minute."

Proto gets up and opens the door to see his brother standing accross from him with his helmet off, letting his full head of scruffy brown hair show. Since he had his helmet off, that meant wasn't being affected by the scrambler chip right now, which is a good thing because Proto wanted this time to speak with him and didn't want that damn chip messing things up.  
>"Hey, Rock. I wanted to talk you again," Proto begins.<p>

"Yeah, I wanted to say something to you too... and I'm gonna be honest with you right now, I still don't trust you," Mega admits, "And if you want me to trust you, you're going to have to prove you _are _trustworthy. But, when you talked to Roll earlier, that was very kind... I don't think she hates you anymore. For the first time in my life, I'm proud to call you my brother... and I'm really glad you came home."

ProtoMan stands in the doorframe, keeping himself together, but feeling his little brother's comment hit him like a ton of bricks. Much like the conversation they had earlier today, Proto wasn't expecting his brother to hit him with such deeply personal remarks.  
>Proto tries to search for the right words to respond with, but can't think of anything. So, instead he replies with the first thing he can think of... "I'm proud to say you're <em>my<em> brother, Rock. I've kinda always been proud."

Mega nods and barely smiles, walking away, still uncomfortable with continueing this conversation they started. ProtoMan also doesn't know what else to say, still taken aback by Mega's comments. But, he feels like he should say _something_.

"Rock," Proto calls and Mega turns back around in the hallway. "... thanks for giving me the chance to be your big brother."

"After today, I think you've earned it," Mega replies, again barely smileing.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Proto adds before closing the door.

Once Proto closes his door, Mega Man leans himself up agains a wall rests his head on his forearm, letting out a sharp sigh. As difficult as the past few days hav been difficult on ProtoMan, it's been just as difficult - if not even moreso - on Mega. But, the more time that passes, the more Mega's bad feeling about Proto's trustworthiness begins to fade, because it appears that ProtoMan really has changed for the better.

Tragically, it only _appears_ to be that way... or does it?

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_Firstly, and most importantly, it appears the my main computer has a nasty little bug on it that makes the screen fuzzy, making it dfficult for me to read and write. So, the next chapter will take a little longer to post until this situation is resolved._

_I knew that this was arguably the most important chapter thusfar, because Mega's and Proto's conversation scene is the scene that almost every fan of this show remembers the most and the favorite of many of them. (With GutsMan's Ass being a close second.)  
><em>___I wanted to make sure that this chapter was poignant and that every scene matters and each has a lot of emotional weight.___

_This is basically Proto's chapter, because he's in every single scene. I added the last scenes after the conversation to go deeper inside the inner conflict Proto is feeling right now.  
>The only question is, when is Proto lying and when is he telling the truth?<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. (and if you see any typos, please let me know, preferably in a PM.)_


	56. Election Day

_**Chapter 4: Election Day.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****Vick-Tek Corporate headquarters.**

Even though it is nearly midnight, Marcus Vickers, Scott Erikson and Vickers' team of atterneys are preparing for the meeting with Dr. Mikhail Cossack which is set to begin any minute. The reason this meeting is so late is so that it can be held at a convenient time for Dr. Cossack, where it is early in the morning in Russia.  
>Vickers straightens his tie and makes sure that not a hair of his caesar cut is out of place. On the desk in his office are several documents, with all of the vital statistics and info on Dr. Cossack that there is to know.<br>And of course, as promised, there are a few Russian nesting dolls in the background.

Vickers cannot help but feel both excited and just a little bit fearful about what is about to take place in mere minutes.

"This is it, Scott," he says as he awaits Dr. Cossack's 'arrival ' to the meeting.

"Yes, it is, sir," Erikson nods.

"I haven't felt butterflies in my stomach like this since when I first launched this company nearly twenty years and two marriges ago. Thank God for prenups and palimony," Vickers adds.

Shortly thereafter, a message appears on the large viewscreen installed on the office wall. It reads, **"Incoming transmission from M. Cossack. Location: Moscow, Ruissia."**

"Oh, my God. Here he is!", Vickers barely says, feeling the aformentioned butterflies in his stomach stronger than ever.  
>"Accept the call," he says to a technician in the room.<p>

"Accepting he call now, sir," the techie replies.

Seconds later, a live shot of Dr. Mikhail Cossack appears on the screen. And the long-awaited meeting is about to take place.

Vickers is all smiles as he sits behind his desk and says, "Dr. Cossack, it is a pleasure to finally with you! I know that a man of your intellectual stature is very busy, but I'm glad you finally have time to hear our proposal."

_"Mr. Vickers, let us dispense with the over the top pleasantries and get down the business. I don't think you contacted me for sixteen months just to say _hello _and show me your Babushka collection,"_says Dr. Cossack, speaking in English and referring to the Russian dolls in the background.

Vickers momentarilly feels all of the hairs on his neck stand on end when he sees just how much of a _no nonsense_ kind of person Dr. Cossack is.  
>"Of course not, Dr. Cossack," Vickers responds, "We are here to discuss business... <em>robot business<em>, to be specific. So, let's get down to brass tacks... I want you to build me a robot."

_"Yes, I figured as much, Mr. Vickers,"_ Cossack says.

"But, not just _any_ robot, Dr. Cossack," Vickers explains with a confident grin, "I want you to build me a robot that will have the world talking."

Dr. Cossack leans into the camera slightly and strokes his sandy blonde beard, looking interested.  
><em>"Go on,"<em> he says.

"Dr. Cossack, as you know, the world is not exactly _safe_ anymore," Vickers begins, making finger quotes to emphasize the word _safe_, "I'd be so bold to say that thw world has a disease... and that's disease's name is Dr. Albert Wily, am I right?"

_"Yes, it is. Do go on,"_ Cossack responds.

"Like all diseases, we have to find the cure... and I think _we_ are the only two men that can do it," Vickers continues, "I'm not going to beat around the bush here, Dr. Cossack... I want you to create the world's next great Robot Warrior. A Robot Warrior that will stop Dr. Wily once and for all."

Dr. Cossack's eyebrows furrow, then he briefly glances to something to his side before looking into the camera again.  
><em>"Well... that is an interesting proposal if I ever heard one. But, Mr. Vickers, I believe that is Mega Man's job, not mine."<em>

"Yes, and he's doing a fine job," Vickers replies, "... but I think we can do a better job, together."  
>With his undeniable charisma, Vickers continues, "I am sure that together, with your genius and my nearly unlimited financial resources, we can make the world's most powerful robot. A robot that Dr. Wily wouldn't ever stand a chance to defeat... a robot that can, and will, put an <em>end<em> to this war.

Vickers has a feeling that he has Cossack's interest, because the Russian scientist is leaning closer to the camera again and is still stroking his beard. Vickers can see the wheels turning in his mind, and he is sure he also has the man who will make him his Robot Warrior.

"Now that you know what my staff has been hounding you over for sixteen months, let us discuss the terms of your deal, should you accept it," Vickers elaborates, "Dr. Cossack, this project will be my company's top priority, so therefore, you will have whatever you desire. To prove how serious I am about this, I am going to offer you a One-Hundred-Million dollar per-year sallary to work on this project."

At the moment Vickers declared how much he was willing to pay Dr. Cossack, Erikson nearly choked on the glass of water he was drinking at the time, and a noticable series of gasps were audible in the room, all coming from the sound of the Vick-Tek atterneys.  
>Even Cossack looks surprised to hear the astronomical figure Vickers is offering, but tries not to outwardly show it too much.<p>

Vickers continues, "And that's just your salary. I'll give $25 Million just for signing the contract. Just think, Dr. Cossack, you would have more than enough money to finance any project you want. I heard you have a daughter, Kalinka is it? Just think of what you'll be doing for her by signing with us. Not only will you help ensure that she will live in a peaceful world, but she'll be financially set for life, and so will her children... hell, so will her grandchildren. She'll not only have enough money to go to a college university.. she will have enough money to _buy_ a university. "

On the screen, Cossack leans back in the chair that he is sitting in as he thinks about this mindblowing offer he has on the table.  
>Vickers can sense that he has gotten through to him, especially after buttering him up with the promise that Cossack's daughter Kalinka would be more than financially secure.<br>"I know that this is a very important decision to make, so I'll give you a few minutes to think about it as we send over the contract."

_"Thank you... I do need time."_

"Take as much time as you need and message us when you're ready," Vickers says as the microphones are cut off.

* * *

><p><strong>Cossack Family Citadel.<strong>

As Marcus Vickers mutes the videoconference on his end, Dr. Cossack steps away from the computer station to consider this guargantuan offer he has just recieved.  
>Not only would he have enough money to both finance whatever project he wanted and have more than enough for Kalinka to live on for a double lifetime, but he also knows that this could be <em>the<em> project that cements his legacy for all time.  
>Fueling this desire to be the best in the world his his continued desire to outshine Dr. Thomas Light's sucess. And this robot would give him the opportunity to finally be on a level playing field with him.<br>But, there is somebody else here who is not in favor of this idea...

Kalinka had been in the office the entire time, sitting just out of camera range and listening to the videoconference. The moment she heard that Vickers was looking to create his own Super Fighting Robot - a robot that would surely become competition to Mega Man, Kalinka's personal idol - Kalinka didn't like it.

"Father, do you realize what you're doing?", she asks in Russian, stepping up to her tall father.

"Kalinka... this is what I've always been waiting for," Mikhail replies, trying to explain to Kalinka, "I have the chance to create the ultimate robot, one that our government would never give me the money to make. We can take Dr. Albert Wily down and end the war."

"But, what about Mega Man?", Kalinka asks, "He's the Defender of the Human Race. That's not for some American corporate tycoon to decide."

"But, Kalinka, this robot would only make his job easier... he could help Mega Mam," Dr. Cossack counters, "And if I take this deal, I would be doing it for your future."

Kalinka looks over to the screen which is still showing Vickers on it. She knows from taking just one look at this guy that he's not really in it for the good of humanity, just for his own bottom line.  
>"This is wrong, father," Kalinka asserts, crossing her arms.<p>

"You're only feeling this way because of Mega Man, aren't you?" Mikhail asks.

"No, I'm not... I don't like this man. He's a snake in the grass," Kalinka answers, sneering at the image of Vickers on the screen as he stares into the camera.

Just then, the contract arrives, quickly being printed out of the printer.  
>Dr. Cossack grabs the contract, which is still warm from being freshly printed and begins reading it.<p>

In a last ditch attempt to talk her father out of what could be a mistake, Kalinka says, "He's only in it for the money, father... he will backstab you in the end."

Hearing that makes something click in Mikhail's mind. "... Just like Wagner," he says, remembering hearing about how quickly Dr. Wagner was uncerimoniously dumped from the company and how he will not talk about it to this day.

Maybe Kalinka is right. Maybe this foolish American Suit is everything she says he could be.  
>Mikhail looks up the monitor and sees Vickers having a rather animated conversation with his portly assistant...<p>

* * *

><p>Back at Vick-Tek corporate headquarters, Scott Erikson is trying to talk some sense into his employer after his insanely large offer he made to Dr. Cossack.<p>

"Sir... 125-_Million_ Dollars?" he asks, clearly worried.

"It's worth it, Scott. Every penny of it," Vickers replies, rubbing his hands togethers and stareing ahead at the monitor waiting for Dr. Cossack to return.

"But, sir, do you realize the impact that contract would have on this company?"

"That contract is the _future_ of this entire company," Vickers drones.

"It could be self-destructive," Erikson explains, "Hundreds of employees could lose their jobs. The investors might panic."

"It'll all be worth it in the end, "Vickers says, stareing ahead. Just by the look in his eyes, this is no longer just a desire to have a company robot... this has become an obsession.

"Mr. Erikson is right, sir," says one of Vickers' atterneys, "Dr. Cossack's salary would be too much for this company to handle."

"Then, I'll pay him out of my own pocket, "Vickers counters, now sounding agitated.

Another lawyer replies, "That would be in violation of the Employer Law. You can only use personal wealth that is not in the company's budget to pay employes that are already under contract-"

Vickers then slams his fist on the desk and snaps, "Then, dammit, we'll _find_ a way to get around it!"

A hush falls in the room and everybody stares at Vickers, who is still staring at the screen. None of them - even Erikson - have ever seen him act like this.

"I'll be damned if I'm going to let this project go down in flames!", Vickers now hisses, "I _will_ have a robot warrior, if it's the last thing I ever do... and nothing is going to stop me."

After an awkward moment of silence, Dr. Cossack finally steps back in fron tof the camera and Vickers gets a cheshire cat grin on his face.

"Dr. Cossack, have you made a decision?", he asks.

_"Not eaxactly, Mr. Vickers,"_ Cossack responds, _"I see there is an exclusivity clause in the ontract. I want it removed."_

"Absolutely, Doctor," Vickers obliges.

_"Also, if I were to sign this contract, I want a guarantee that you will not give me the same treatment as you give Dr. Arnold Wagner if you do not find my first effort satisfactory," _Cossack demands.

"Yes, anything you say, Doctor," Vickers obeys, "We'll prepare the new contract right away."

Dr. Cossack presses,_ "Actually, Mr. Vickers, we should discuss this project furthor before I sign anything... what do you have to gain from this project?"_

"I want what everybody wants: for this war to be over," Vickers replies.

"And, I assume, to make a profit as well. Just like American corporations do," Cossack astutely suggests.

Knowing that Cossack is a tough nut to crack, Vickers fires back, 'Well, let's discuss what _you_ have to gain from this project. If our Robot Warrior is a success, and with a man of your intelligence teaming with a pwerful man such as myself, it will be , you will become the most famous scientist in the world, and everybody will come to appreciate your talents. And let's not forget what we've already discussed and how your daughter will benifit from this. Hell, if you make more than one Robot Warrior for me, you'll be richer than any man in Russia. You would need your own country."

Realizing that this man does focus on the financial side too much (and how self-centered he sounds,) Dr. Cossack realizes that Kalinka's suspicions are rright on.  
>He says, <em>"I would like more time to consider your offer. I don't feel comfortable making a decision tonight."<em>

Vickers mutters, "... Why? After making me wait sixteen moths, I think I deserve an explanation for why I've got to wait even longer."

_"Honestly, I have some misgivings about this project," _Cossack answers.

Vickers' eyes narrow. "... _Misgivings_, you say?"

"Uh-oh," Erikson shudders, knowing what it's like to witness one of his boss' fits of anger.

"Dr. Cossack, "Vickers says, "It doesn't matter what _misgivings_ you have about this project. I am handing you the golden opportunity. If you don't take advantage of it, you will be in Thomas Light's shadow for the rest of your life! And don't flatter yourself, because you know you are in his shadow. And the sad thing is, you're doing that same work he does, but your work fades into obscurity, because nobody cares... because you're not Thomas Light. And you know it!"  
>Sounding more aggressive, Vickers continues, "I am giving you the chance to be bigger and better than he is! To beat him at his own game! With all due respect, Doctor... without me, you will <em>always<em> be number 2... never number 1. So I suggest you sign the contract."

Dr. Cossack's eyes narrow behind his eyeglasses, not happy with what he just heard, and remains silent for a few seconds.  
>Finally, he replies, <em>"I'm affraid you've misjudged me, Mr. Vickers... I did not enter these negotiations to have my work and my legacy scrutinized by somebody the likes of you!"<em>

Vickers can feel his whole body go numb when Dr. Cossack chews him out, and starts to beg. "I didn't mean it like that, Doctor! I have nothing but the utmost respect-"

"Don't patronize me," Cossack calmly interrupts, "Mr. Vickers, you wouldn't know what to do with a Super Fighting Robot if you had one.. and after your display of disrespect, I'm not about to help you find out."

"NO!", Vickers pleas, "You can have $150-Million! Name the price and I'll make it happen!"

_"The answer is_ no," Cossack responds, _"Good day to you, sir."_

The videoconference connection is severed and Vickers stares at the blank screen, watching his last best hope of the Robot Warrior project becoming a success go up in smoke.

Not breaking his stare at the screen, and rarely even blinking his eyes, Vickers mumbles, 'Everybody leave. Now."

With that instruction, Erikson and the lawyers hastily leave the office, leaving their employer alone. Erikson takes one more look behind to his boss, only to see that he still isn't moving, almost looking catatonic.

For nearly a minute, Vickers stares at the screen, still shocked that the chance to sign Dr. Cossack is gone... and he's the one who runined it al.  
>Finally, he reaches for the shiny red button on his desk and presses it, jettisoning himself down the trap door and into the parking garage sand pit down below.<p>

Happy Election Day.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning. Election Day.<br>In the skies above New York City.**

Well above the streets of New York, Mega Man and Rush are patrolling the area. As the pair flies above Manhattan, attracting the attention of citizens down below, Mega thinks about yesterday's events.  
>As much as he still can't bring himself to fully trust his brother ProtoMan just yet, Mega feels that some progress is finally being made at healing the old wounds between them. And after seeing how much he appears to have changed, especially seeing how he apolgized for what happened to Doc the Met, Mega is willing to give him the chance to prove himself.<br>But, Mega is still keeping his guard up, not just because of ProtoMan, but this is also Election Day. And since Mitchel Deacon's parade this past Sunday was attacked by the Robot Masters, that means Dr. Wily will most likely try to attack Deacon again... and possibly ProtoMan too.  
>Mega Man knows that if anything is going to happen, it's going to happen today.<p>

"Hey, Bro!", calls the voice of ProtoMan from behind him.

Mega looks over to see his older brother flying beside him with his yellow scarf flapping in the wind, operating the seldom used Transport Item #2.

"You mind if I join you?", Proto asks.

"Go ahead," Mega replies as Rush barks.

As Proto catches up with Mega and Rush on Item #2, he says, "I think today was the first day that our sister has ever been nice to me."

"That's because you did what was right. You need to keep it up," Mega states.

"That's all well and good, but does that mean I have to go get cats out of tress?", Proto asks.

Mega shakes his head and sighs, "You still don't get it, do you? If you're going to do this job with, then you're going to have to learn to do what's right for everybody, not just your family."

"Well, since you put that way, alright," Proto agrees, before adding, "But, _you're_ the one who's doing all of the lame tasks like rescuing cats from trees."

As the brothers fly ahead, Proto glances over to Mega Man, wondering if he's feeling the effects of this scrambler chip he planted on his brother. He feels a feeling he's never felt before when he remembers planting the chip on him... he _regrets_ it, especially after hearing how Mega truly feels about him yesterday.  
>Proto doesn't even know how it works or how bad it will hurt his brother, but he wishes he could have found some other way to get him out of the way without planting this chip on him, but Wily's orders are orders.<br>But, maybe... just maybe... he could still find a way around this...

"Hey, Rock," Proto asks, "Are you feeling okay?"

Mega looks over and asks back, "Why do you ask?"

"You look like somethin's bothering you... but, according to Roll, you've looked like this a lot lately," Proto replies.

"I just have a bad feeling today is going to be a busy day," Mega answers, not letting on that he feels physically odd. He still doesn't trust Proto enough.. as far as he knows, he could have done something to him.  
>If he only knew.<p>

Proto looks ahead, careful not to let out his frustration that he may have just missed his opportunity to get his brother out of danger, because he knows what's about to take place any second... at least _he thinks_ he knows.

_"Boys, this is Dr. Light. Come in,"_ says the voice of Dr. Light from Mega's and Proto's forearm commiunicators.

"We're here. What's wrong?", Mega replies.

_"Four of Wily's robots have been spotted at the Governor's Mansion in Albany. They don't appear to be cause real harm right now, but I think they are trying to lure you both out."_

"We're on our way," Mega says.

"Don't worry, Dr. Light. I won't let you down. Dr. Wily's about to learn his lesson the hard way," Proto adds, not sounding cocky and cool, but with a seriousness in his voice he has rarely used.

Mega Man glances over to ProtoMan and still can't believe what he's seeing. It's so good to know that he is working alongside his brother instead of against him.  
>But, it still semms too good to be true.<p>

As the brothers head towards Albany to repel the Robot Masters that have asembled there, they both recieve another call from Dr. Light.  
><em>"Mega Man, ProtoMan, it's Dr. Light again. There's another emergency. Bright Man has been spotted at Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters."<em>

"It was a trap. Wily's trying to get us away from Deacon so he can attack him," Mega exclaims.

"You go back and deal with Bright Man. I'll take out these bucketheads in Albany," Proto says.

"You'll be outnumbered, Proto!", Mega protests.

"If I've learned anything over the past two years, it's that one of us is stronger than four of them. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Proto says.

".. fine. Rush, turn back towards Mr. Deacon's headquarters," Mega reluctantly orders.

Rush barks and turns around, taking Mega Man back to Manhattan as ProtoMan uses Item #2 to head towards Albany.

"What the hell are you trying to pull, Wily?", Proto snears, "Is this one of your tests to prove who's side I'm on?"

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>Albany, New York.**

Outside the Governor's Manion, the Robot Masters ElecMan, Metal Man, Skull Man and Hard Man stand outside and await the arrival of their enemy.  
>Aside from taking out the Governor's Securitybots and causing some property damage, they aren't doing much else.<p>

"Where is he?", Metal Man rasps, "I want to decapitate him!"

"Dr. Wily says he's planned a diversion," ElecMan silently replies, "He's sure Mega Man will go back and protect Deacon while ProtoMan comes here to battle us."

"And they'll both fail! Ha Ha!", Hard Man laughs.

"But, why would he send only one Robot Master to attack Deacon's headquarters when he should have sent a whole team?", Metal Man asks, "Bright Man doesn't have the killer instinct. He will not stand a chance."

All of the Robot Masters remain silent, knowing that Metal Man is correct. It does seem very strange that Dr. Wily would send Bright Man to attack Deacon alone. But, then, ElecMan spots their target.

"Look who just showed up!", ElecMan says, pointing up to the sky, as ProtoMan arrives.

"Hey, it's my four favorite failures!", Proto smiles, "How've things been back at the Fortress?"

"So you think you can mock us and stab Dr. Wily in the back, do you, ProtoMan?" ElecMan snaps.

Proto grins and shrugs and scarf-clad shoulders. "It sure looks that way, doesn't it?"

"And now you are going pay for your herecy, and you blood will flow from your body like a oil derrick!", Metal Man rasps as he pulls his metal blade off of his head and preapres to fling it at ProtoMan. "HAVE AT YOU!" he yells.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun!", ProtoMan grins.

As the Robot Masters use their weapons to attack ProtoMan, Proto leaps high into the air and avoids their attacks.  
>Once he powers up his blaster, ProtoMan targets Hard Man first and fires a blast in his direction. The shot hits Hard Man in his weakest area: his face, which is the only part of his barrel shaped body that isn't reinforced with titanium.<p>

Hard Man goes down with a ground rumbling crash, but ProtoMan isn't finished yet and neither are the remaining Robot Masters.

ProtoMan lands and ducks to avoid being sliced by Metal Man's blade and runs towards him at full force. ProtoMan knows that Metal Man is not a tough without his blade.  
>Proto jumps up and kicks him in his face, right between his evil red eyes, knocking him down.<p>

ElecMan fires several shots of lightning from his fingertips at ProtoMan, but the Red Raider dodges them and blasts the Robot Master twice in his chest with two plasma shots, both striking the yellow lightning bolt symbol in the center of his chest armor.  
>Perfect bulls-eye.<p>

ElecMan gets knocked back and crashing into a water fountain on the property, and begins power surging once he is submerged in the water.

ProtoMan faces Skull Man, who has several small skulls rotating around his body, designed to absorb plasma shots.  
>ProtoMan knows that he would be wasting time trying to blast him so he runs towards Hard Man's fallen body and grabs his arm.<br>Skull Man begins to run towards Proto and the Red Raider knows that he doesn't have enough time to copy Hard Man's fist weapon, so he grabs the big robot's arm and enters an override command. Once he's done, he aims Hard Man's fist at Skull Man and the fist fires from the fallen Root Master's arm, tearing through the Skull Shield and knocking Skull Man down, cracking his own skull.

Now that that is taken cae of, ProtoMan stands up and brushes his hands. "It sure feels good to actualy_ hit_ my targets for a change," he grins.

Metal Man barely tries to crawl away, still dazed after being beaten by ProtoMan. But, Proto walks over to him.

"Do you really think that you are going to get away with this, you heretic?", Metal Man rasps, "Dr. Wily will kill you for your betrayal. And he will kill your new family too."

ProtoMan kneels down and pulls Metal Man's chest armor off and tosses it aside. "Wily didn't tell you, did he?," he says, "I guess weren't important enough to know."

"Know _what_, heretic?", Metal Man rasps.

ProtoMan leans close to Metal Man's shielded face and whispers, "I haven't really turned on anybody. We're still on the same side, you idiot."

"What? That's impossible!", Metal Man growls., "Why didn't Dr. Wily tell us?

"'Cause we've gotta make it look good," Proto smirks, grabbing Metal Man's vital circuits and ripping them out of his body, causing sparks to shoot out for a second before Metal Man's body falls limp and lifeless.  
>Proto knows that this will not kill him, just incapacitate him... he also knows that these guys and the other Robot Masters probably won't be happy when they learn that Wily had kept them all in the dark, but they're all good little soldiers, so they'll stay in line.<p>

ProtoMan sees somebody approaching nearby and sees the current Governor, George Cochran nearby.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you would be helping us... but, thank you," The Governor says.

"I never thought I'd say the day myself... but, you're welcome," Proto replies as he steps back abord Item #2. "I've gotta go, my little brother needs my help. Sorry about the mess," he says as he flies off back to Manhattan to catch up with Mega Man and his battle with Bright Man.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside of Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush arrive to Mitchell Deacon's headquarters and he sees something flash on the ground down below. A second look confirms his suspicions. "Rush, take us down. Bright Man's already attacking!"

As the duo approaches the area, they hear horrified human screams and see more flashes. Then, Bright Man steps out into view and is seen menacing the humans down below.

"Let's take care of this buffoon, before anybody else gets hurt, boy!", Mega says.

Rush soars down to the surface, but,before Mega Man could leap off of him, he feels a sharp stabbing pain in his head. He clutches the right side of his helmet as he winces and lets out a pained yelp.  
>This strange and painful feeling is so strong, Mega falls off Rush and his body hits the pavement below, cracking it.<br>Rush wails as his master falls down and goes after him.

Bright Man steps up to the fallen hero and laughs, "Hey, Mega Man! You don't look too good. Maybe your day needs to be brightened up! Hee-hee-hee!"

Mega Man tries to stragger to his feet and take aim with his blaster, but his vision is severely distorted. "I can't get... a lock on him," he says to himself.

"Say Cheese, Mega Man!" Bright Man says, as he activates his Bright Flash weapon.

As if Mega Man's vision problems weren't bad enough, falling victim to Bright Man's flash weapon makes it much worse. The Blue Bomber falls back down to his knees. He breathes heavy as he looks up and tries again to blast his opponent.  
>Now all Mega can see is a large orange and yellow smudge in his field of vision. It looked enough like Bright Man, so he tries to fire, but sparks and smoke fizzle out of his blaster arm.<p>

"What's... happening to me?", Mega groans.

Bright Man keeps his bright flash on, temporarily blinding everyone around him, even Rush who tried to attack the Robot Master.  
>"Looks like Mega Man's down for the count for good!", Bright Man laughs.<p>

Then suddenly, the manhole cover Bright Man is standing on explodes, thanks to a very powerful plasma blast from down below. Bright Man flies up in the air, only to come crashing down.

ProtoMan leaps out of the sewers and approaches Bright Man with his blaster at the ready. He growls, "Get outta here, Bright Man! I'm not gonna warn you twice!"

Bright Man whimpers, "I don't want any part of you, ProtoMan! Dr. Wily's gonna disassemble you when he gets a hold of you!"

As the Robot Master runs away, ProtoMan just grins. "Now I know why Wily named you Bright Man... running away from me is the brightest thing you've ever done," he says.

As the citizens cheer, ProtoMan accepts the accolades until he sees his fallen brother and runs over to him. "Mega Man!", he cries out, "Rock... are you okay?"

Mega Man doesn't respond and the crowd quiets down once they see that their hero is hurt.

"Come on, little brother," Proto says, "What's wrong with you?"

Of course, ProtoMan knows _exactly_ what's wrong with his brother and he is just putting on an act for all of the citizens watching... but, it's not _entirely_ an act.

ProtoMan looks up to the security guards who have come pouring out of the building and shouts, "He needs help! Let us in!"

As Proto Man helps his brother up, he looks over to see a familiar person standing nearby... it's that big schmuck he saw in Central Park yesterday, the one with the black hair. He was standing in the crowd of citizens who had gathered since the attack started.  
>The guy certainly <em>looks<em> like he's concered about what's happened here. Once he sees that ProtoMan has begun looking at him, he soon starts clapping his hands and all of the other citzens clap their hands too.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<br>Inside Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters.**

Still feeling woozy and weak, Mega Man's eyes slowly open. The first thing he sees is his older brother looming over him.

"Hey!", Proto says with a grin, "Welcome back!"

"Mega! Are you okay?" That voice belonged to Roll, who raced over here as quickly as she could.

Mega Man barely moans, "I don't know _what_ happened to me. I was fine, and then everything went haywire."

"You overheated. At least that's what your energy meter won't shut up about!", Proto replies.

"No, it's not just that..." Mega says, as he sits up, "I felt a sharp pain in my head. Then I got woozy and my blaster went crazy."

"... a sharp pain in your head?... ", Proto asks with honest concern, the kind of concern you just cannot fake. He starts wondering if the scrambler chip he placed on his brother gives him a similar pain to the kind that Proto himself felt on his first night alive.  
>All of a sudden, Dr. Light's story about Dr. Wily's poor programming of Proto's guidence system sound a little more believeable... it doesn't quite sound like a <em>story<em> anymore.

"We've gotta got to get you back to Dr. Light's lab. Maybe he can help you," Roll says.

"There's not much time," Mega says, "I've gotta be on duty tonight."

Mitchell Deacon walks in and approaches the robotic brothers. "Mega Man, are you alright?", he asks.

"I don't think so, sir," he replies, "But, I don't know if I'd still be alive if it wasn't for ProtoMan."

"Don't go thankin' me now, little brother." ProtoMan interrupts.

Deacon says, "No, he's right. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what could have happened. You're a hero, ProtoMan!"

ProtoMan smiles and replies, "Well... it's an honor, sir."

"In fact, I want you and Mega Man to be on my security team later tonight when the results come in. That is, if Mega Man is able to be there."

"I'll be there, Mr. Deacon," Mega replies.

"I don't think so, Bro," Proto interrupts, "You're in no condition to-"

"Like I said... _I'll be there_, Mr. Deacon," Mega firmly insists.

"That's my little brother," ProtoMan grins, "You can't ever count him out."

ProtoMan helps Mega Man to his feet and his smirk slowly melts. Mega Man isn't going to step aside quite as easily as he had hoped, and the feelings he has been having since he returned to Dr. Light's lab are starting to bother him more than ever.  
>Proto doesn't know much more of this mission he can take.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_First, I must reveal that the entire Cossack/Vickers sequence was written down from pencil to paper, thanks to my ongoing computer problems. I later typed in the entire sequence after it was done and made some adjustments.  
>The same goes for the scene following it with Mega Man and ProtoMan before they begin their fight scenes.<br>I must say it was an interesting experience and I think it helped the scenes._

_Take notice how much more difficult it is for ProtoMan to carry out this mission._

_Please be sure to leave a review or comment. And if you see any typos, please let me know in a PM. (It's hard for me to catch typos when the screen is messed up. I'm sorry.)_


	57. Drowning in a River of Deceit

_**Brothers, chapter 5: Drowning in a River of Deceit**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Some time has passed since the failed attack at Mitchell Deacon's headquarters, and Mega Man has been brought back home to the lab by Roll and ProtoMan.  
>Mega Man is now lying flat on a metallic worktable and his body is being scanned head to toe by Dr. Light's diagnostic scanner. The main computer station screen nearby begins to show an X-Ray of Mega's entire body.<p>

"The test results are showing up now, Dr. Light." Roll says.

Dr. Light turns to the screen and studies it, strokng his thick dark gray beard.

"Tell me you've found something," ProtoMan says, begining to grow anxious.

"This is very peculiar," Dr. Light says, "I don't see any anomalies, no circuits are out of place. He_ looks_ fine, but the readings are off the charts."

"He said he felt a sharp pain in his head... exactly like what I had you you first brought me online. What does that mean?", Proto asks.

Dr. Light felt his heart start to sink. This sounded similar to what ProtoMan went through when he was first brought to life and suffered from the effects of a faulty guidance system. As much as he fears that something could be wrong with Mega Man's guidance system too, the good doctor does his best to not look worried.  
>"It mean, um... that we need to run a full diagnostic," Thomas says.<p>

ProtoMan just _knows_ that this sounds like bad news and he gets an urge to tell Dr. Light to check the audio sensors on Mega's helmet. But, Proto doesn't do it... Wily's orders come first.

He turns back to Mega Man and tells him, "I would recommend staying here at the lab tonight so we can run the diagnostic."

"No way," Mega says, getting up off of the diagnostic table, "The police needs me there tonight to protect Mr. Deacon, and I'm... AH!"

Mega Man feels another shock to his system and falls into the arms of his brother ProtoMan. This is the first time ProtoMan was there to help him rather than hurt him... if he only knew.

"Mega!", Roll yelps as she rushs to her brother's side.

Mega Man looks up into ProtoMan's visor, to see him half-heartedly smileing. "You were saying?", Proto asks jokingly.

"Roll, ProtoMan. Help him back up on the table, please," Thomas instructs.

As the siblings help their brother back on the table, ProtoMan grips his younger brother's hand. As Mega tries to losen his grip, ProtoMan doesn't loosen his.  
>In this moment, Proto completely forgets what his mission is and forgets what he's done and keeps his grip on his brother's hand. Again, the revelation Mega made yesterday still haunts him.<p>

"Mega, Dr. Light is right," Roll says, "You need to stay here. With ProtoMan and me, Mr. Deacon will be safe... he _will_ be safe, _right _ProtoMan?", she asks, looking over to her oldest brother.

ProtoMan doesn't respond. Deep down, he knows what he's about to do tonight. He knows that moron Deacon is about to get _removed_ from this election and that Dr. Light will finally take his rightful place as Dr. Wily's slave. But, he can't take his eyes off his brother. He feels obligated to stay with him right now.

Roll makes a throat-clearing sound and that snaps Proto back to attention.  
>"Uh... yeah, sure," ProtoMan stammers, "Everything's gonna be fine... you can trust me." Proto finally lets go of Mega Man's hand and tells him, "We have to go soon... do what Dr. Light says."<p>

ProtoMan walks outside, not saying another word. If it wasn't for his visor, the his bothered look on his face would be clearly notacable.

"He's right. The polls are about to close and I have a bad feeling Albert will strike again somewhere," Thomas says, "Rock, please stay here while the scanning is taking place. This is important... maybe I should stay here to monitor your progress."

"No, Wily might get some bad ideas if he noticed that both of us are not there. I'll be fine... well, fine enough, at least," Mega responds, not happy with having to stay here.

Thomas nods and gives Mega a pat on his titanium shoulder before leaving the lab.

Mega sighs, "Roll... keep an eye on ProtoMan."

"Why?" Roll asks, "You still don't trust him?"

"Please, Roll, just keep an eye on him," Mega insists, "Besides, if he really is telling the truth, he's going to be a walking target."

"Okay, will do," Roll says.

"Roll, I forgot to activate the scanner," Dr. Light calls.

"Don't worry, I'll do it," she replies, turning to the equipment and swtiching it on.  
>"You just stay here and chill out so we can find out what's wrong with you. Besides, you don't get to take a break that often anyway, so use it."<p>

"I;ll try. I really _could_ use a vacation," Mega replies.

"I love you, big brother," Roll smiles.

"You too," Mega replies.

* * *

><p>Outside, as the Light family prepares to enter the limosine that was sent by Mitchell Deacon, ProtoMan asks his sister, "Why do you say that all the time?"<p>

"Say what?", Roll asks back.

"All that_ 'I love you'_ stuff with Mega Man and Light?"

"They're my family," Roll answers, "I _care_ about them."

"You say it every night, though. I think they get the message," Proto protests.

Roll sighs, "... Some days, I don't know if I'm going to see my brother or my father for the last time... just like when we lost Doc. So, I always remind them how much I love them... _you_ should try it sometime."

ProtoMan stands and ponders for a moment. "Yeah... sure," he says as he steps on Rush's back.

Rush groans. He wants to go in the limo.

"I don't do car rides very well, Fido. Let's go," he says.

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<strong>  
><strong>Albany, New York.<strong>

The police are all over the scene here at the Governor's Mansion following the failed Robot Master attack and are overseeing the damage control. The Robot Masters ProtoMan dispatched earlier are no longer here because a Wily Retrieval Pod flew over the scene and quickly retreived them, and soon picked up Bright Man too before returning to Skull Fortress.

"Really, guys, I'm fine," Governor Cochran says, insisting that he is unharmed.

"We are only following procedure, Mr. Governor," says a PoliceBot.

Something then grabs The Governor's attention. The sound of a very familiar voice yelling, "Let me the hell through, dammit! Don't you know who I am?"

The Governor looks over his shoulder to see his own son William standing outside the destroyed security gate, complaining as two more PoliceBots deny him access.

"Officers... it's alright, let him through," The Governor says.

The two PoliceBots look back to Governor Cochran, then at eachother. They then step aside, allowing William to pass.

"Governor Cochran has allowed you to pass. But, if you try one false move, we will be authorized to use deadly force," one PoliceBot warns.

"Yeah, thanks for heads-up," William groans as he walks ahead, stepping up to his father while under heavy scrutiny by the police.  
>William had a rather nasty falling out with last year, but he's not here to argue with him.<p>

"Are you alright?", he asks.

"I'm fine," The Governor answers, "I'm surprised you're back here, considering you said you were done with New York, and myself."

"Yeah... I very angry at the time," William replies, "I said and did some things I shouldn't have done."

"You've always been angry and doing things you have no business doing... but that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

After what feels like an eternity, William blurts, "... I'm here on business."

"_Business_, huh?", asks the skeptical Governor.

"Yeah... business," William repeats as an awkward moment passes between father and son, and William knows why.

"I guess you've heard the false rumors that have been spread about me?", William asks, referring to his alleged involvment in the ongoing series of _Mr. Black_ crimes.

"Yes, I certainly have... it's very disturbing," The Governor answers.

"It's not true, not one word of it!", William insists, before turning back to the PoliceBots and asking them, "You hear that? None of it!"

The PoliceBots just stare at him, knowing all about the reports filed out of Virginia.

William looks back at his father and continues, "Somebody's trying to set me up, I'm telling you!"

"I hope for your sake that you aren't lying to me," The Givernor replies.

"For God's sake, why doesn't anybody believe me?", William agitates.

"You've given me good reason to _not_ trust you many times in the past. And I find it very questionable that you're here in New York after the threat level on Mitchell Deacon has already been raised."

Instead of losng his temper, William insists, "I'll _prove it_ to you. People can say whatever they want about me, and you can too, but I'm not going to be accused of a crime I didn't commit! ..."  
>William then turns to the PoliceBots and snarls, "Especially by abominations like <em>you<em>!

William leaves the damaged site of the Governor's Mansion and his father watches him leave, still ashamed that he hasn't changed a bit.  
>But, despite their differences, George wanted to believe his son when he denied being involved in the <em>Mr. Black<em> crimes. He even considered offering to help him clear his name, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.  
>He couldn't help but get the feeling that his son was still up to no good, and his continued racisim towards robots only reinforced that.<p>

Besides, if he does run for President, being affiliated with William would only hurt in the long run.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that Night.<br>****Deacon capaign headquarters.**

We see a live shot from outside Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters, where several members of the news media have gathered inside to report on the election results.  
>One member of the media was denied access to the building and is reporting from outside...<p>

_"Welcome to a very special edition of _The Ferguson Determinant, _where I am outside the campaign headquarters of the man who is cheating his way into the Governor's Mansion, Mitchell Deacon.  
>Now, I tried to get our broadcast inside the building, but my request was denied and I was held back at the door!"<em>

The words **"Treated like a common criminal!"** appear on the screen in a little box next to Ferguson.

Ferguson continues, _"And I'll tell you why they wouldn't allow me inside... Mitchell Deacon is afraid that I, a man of honor and dignity, will expose him for the cheater that he is!"_

The words **"Afraid of the truth!"** appear on the screen.

_"Oh, of course, other members of the incredibly biased media , including some of my former co-workers at Channel 7, get inside without a problem. That's because they are buying into Deacon's Lies!"_

Now the words **"Liar + Election +Conspiracy = DEACON!"** appear on the screen.  
>But, behind Ferguson's graphics, a limosine arrives to Mitchell Deacon's headquarters, and we see Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and of course ProtoMan get out of it and quickly become swarmed by the media.<p>

_"Oh! This is grand! It's Mitchell Deacon's personal man servant, Dr. Thomas Light. And ProtoMan, robot terrorist, is with them too. Do you really think we can trust ProtoMan for one second? I don't think so!"_

Ferguson is so horribly wrong on a great many things, but unfortunately, he is right when it comes to ProtoMan.  
>And the world will find out very soon.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>  
><strong>Inside Deacon's headquarters.<strong>

The early numbers in the vote tally is certainly indicating that Deacon may win tonight and the vibe inside the convention hall is jubilant.

The security presence has been heavily increased now following the attack from Bright Man earlier today, as well as the potential threat from the masked terror known only as Mr. Black.  
>There is a chance that either one or both of them might make their presence know here tonight, so ProtoMan and Roll are helping with security.<p>

Roll has been trying to keep an eye on ProtoMan as much as she can, just as Mega Man asked her to.  
>As sincere as ProtoMan has been since he came back home, she can't blame Mega for not trusting him, especially after all of the horrible things he's helped Dr. Wily do in the past two years. Granted, unlike the others on the bad side, ProtoMan is known to have never killed or severly hurt any non-robot lifeform. But, still, he was Wily's right-hand, and that's reason enough to be wary of him.<br>But, Roll is finally coming around on her older brother now, and if Wily would try to attack him, she'll be right there to stop him.

As Roll looks around for Proto, she spots somebody here who she's met before and helped her and Mega Man stop Gamma earlier this year. It was Officer Lynn Wersching, who is also a part of the expended security here tonight.  
>Her PoliceBot partner QN-60 would have been here too, but he was here earlier today and tried to protect this building from Bright Man's attack. Now he is back at the station for repairs.<br>As Roll steps up to Lynn, she notices that Lynn appears to be very distracted tonight, like something is deeply troubling her.

"Officer Wersching?", Roll asks.

Lynn looks up and forces out a smile. "Hey, Long time, no see. Where's Mega Man? I thought he was supposed to be here tonight."

"He would've been here, but he's back at the lab," Roll replies, "He's had something wrong with him since he fought that nit-wit Bright Man here today. So, he's getting check-up back at home."

"Tell him I said I hope he gets well soon," Lynn says, still sounding noticably distracted.

"Did I come at a bad time?", Roll asks.

"No, it's just...," Lynn sighs, no longer hiding her sadness, "I've got a lot on my mind. I shouldn't even be here right now."

"What's the matter?", Roll asks.

"That Mr. Black guy tracked me down last month and told me to give him vital intel on this place, and if I did he would have told me where my brother is... I didn't play along..." tears begin forming in Lynn's green eyes, as she takes a deep breath and continues, "A few weeks ago, somebody found his driver's licence... there hasn't been any sign of my brother at all since then. I'm afraid he's... that something might have happened, because he knew where my brother was."

"I'll tell Mega as soon as I get the chance. We'll find him, Officer," she says.

"I hope you can," Lynn nods as she quickly wipes the tears away, but Roll gives her a hug out of the kindness of her heart (or emotion programming.) She looked like she really needed one.

Lynn returns the hug. "I'm lucky to have some friends in high places."

Roll looks over and sees Mitchell Deacon approaching and shaking hands of supporters.

"I've gotta go. I promise I'll tell Mega about this," Roll says.

"Thank you," Lynn says as she and Roll part ways.

As Mitchell Deacon shakes hands and smiles, Roll walks up to him. "It's looking good right now, Mr. Deacon."

Deacon drones, "Indeed it is. Thanks for voting."

He shakes her hand and walks away... but, Roll stopped and her gaze followed him. Deacon wasn't acting right. He even sounded funny.

_'Thanks for voting?'... _Robots don't even vote! Granted, maybe he's nervous... but, he doesn't look nervous.  
>And when he shook her hand, Roll noticed that his skin didn't feel right, not like a human's skin would feel.<br>The skin on his hand felt very... **synthetic**.  
>Roll's eyes widen as she realizes something is very, <em>very<em> wrong

Roll follows him and watches as Deacon interact the same way with others the entire time. Same handshake, same droning response.  
>There was no doubt, this <em>wasn't<em> Mitchell Deacon.

She quickly tries to find Dr. Light, but he's busy being interviewed by the news. She then turns around to find ProtoMan.

On her way, some dweeby-looking human calls out to her. "Roll! Do you have a few minutes to give an interview for Tiger Bot magazine?"

"What? No, maybe later!", she says she she scurries to ProtoMan's location.

"Proto!", she calls.

"Yo!", he replies.

"Something's wrong with Mr. Deacon!"

"What are you talking about?", ProtoMan replies.

"Have you noticed him?... he's not acting like himself! He's been switched with a robot!"

"... What?"

"It's a twin! Just like Dr. Light's giant one from the parade!"

ProtoMan turns around to face her and remains silent, careful to hide his true colors. "Come on. Let's go!", Proto orders.

"Go where?", Roll asks as she folows ProtoMan.

"We've got to find Dr. Light and get him out of here. This place could become a war zone any minute," Proto replies

Elsewhere in the building, Dr. Light is doing an interview, but the interview is interrupted as Proto and Roll arrive to warn him.

"Yo, Pops. Time to go! Interview's over.", Proto says as he pulls the good doctor away.

"What is going on?", Thomas asks.

"It's Deacon. He's... not human. He's been switched with a robot!", Roll says.

Light freezes and realizes what... and _who_... has done this. "It's Albert... he might be here right now."

"Let's go get the security force", ProtoMan says as he walks away.

Roll, Dr. Light and Rush follow him... but, thanks to Rush's enhanced nose sensors, Rush can smell something nearby. Something familiar.

* * *

><p>"We need to alert everyone that Albert could be on his way here", Dr. Light advises as Rush follows them, continuing to sniff all around.<p>

"I'm not too sure about that," ProtoMan says matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?", Roll asks, "A minute ago, you said this place could become a war zone."

"Well, I can explain," Proto says, as he steps up to a door, "Earlier I made a deal with our intrepid security team that'll keep Dr. Wily out of this situation for sure."

ProtoMan opens the door to reveal... Dr. Albert Wily swiveling around in his chair to face them! And standing beside him on either side are GutsMan and Cut Man and security uniforms. Alongside GutsMan is Mitchell Deacon, tied up.

Roll's and Dr. Light's eyes go wide with shock when they see Wily before them.

"Hello, Thomas!", Wily snears with a smile.

Roll turns around to get ProtoMan to take the fight to his former master. "Come on, Proto! Don't stand there, let's fi-"...

Roll freezes when she turns around to see ProtoMan aiming his blaster directly at herself and Dr. Light.  
>Roll barely gasps, "Proto!... I thought you were-"<p>

"You thought wrong... _sis_!" ProtoMan says, not wearing his smirk like he usually would, "Believe me, this is just as hard for me as it is for you."

"Mega was right! You _were_ lying!", Roll snaps as her face is becomies angered.

"Well, at least he's still a good judge of character!", Proto says.

"How could you, Blues?", Thomas asks, "How!"

Dr. Wily interjects as he stands beside ProtoMan and places an arm around him, "Well, it's very simple Thomas... because I told him to. Now, if you would please, take a seat next to Deacon and watch as my _duplicate_ of Mitchell Deacon becomes the new Governor of New York!"

ProtoMan tries to sheppherd the Lights over, when Roll snaps, "Mega's gonna get you both for this!"

"I don't think he's strong enough anymore to pull that off, sis!", Proto retorts.

"Don't call me that!", Roll yells back as she pushed away for the rest of her family and Deacon.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man remains still on the diagnostic table and keeps an eye on the election coverage on television.  
>He really doesn't like being stuck here while Dr. Wily is still out there, waiting to strike.<p>

"I may be out of commision, but at least I can keep a look out from here," he says to himself.

Mega closes his eyes for a moment, still feeling very malaised with the scrambler chip stuck to his head. But, he thought he saw something on the screen that looked very strange.

His eyeslids open wide as he looks back to the monitor to see two interesting looking guards at the campaign headquarters. One of them was medium size, but appeared to have two things poking out of the top of his hat. The other one was very large with a sqaure jaw. When the large one turned his back to the camera, Mega Man knew something was up with him... because he saw a familiar large red titanium butt sticking out of a tear in the back of his trousers.

"GutsMan and Cut Man!", he gasps, sitting up and balling his fist.

Mega looks away from the monitor and presses the communication button on his left forearm and tries to contact Roll. "Roll, come in!... Roll!"

There is no response.

"Come on, don't tell me," he says as he tries to contact ProtoMan, someone he never thought he'd ever have to contact him. "Proto... are you there?"

Still nothing. But, Proto's connection has a lot of static.

"This is not good," Mega says as he drags himself off of the diagnostic table.  
>He then hears the computer voice say <em>"Warning: Diagnostic incomplete."<em>

Mega pays the warning no mind and shuffles off to the storage area where he finds the alternate flight suit (complete with heat-seaking missle launcher), which he last used during his misadventure with Brain Bot.

Even though he's in weak condition, Mega Man can't let this go down. He knows that his family is in danger and he's the only one who can save them.

Mega Man dons the suit and flies out of the lab through the exit canopy near the roof.  
>But, little does he know, he's about to walk into his brother's trap again...<br>and he wasn't the only one watching the news tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Deacon's campaign headquarters.<strong>

Inside his illegally modified black sedan, Mr. Black watches the ongoing news coverage from inside Deacon's headquarters. Like Mega Man, he also spotted those two rather interesting looking Police officers inside and was tipped off by GutsMan's rather noticable rear-end.

"GutsMan's ass... that's about the last thing I needed to see tonight," he says to himself, shutting off the television inside the car and picking up his suitcase. Inside the suitcase is just an ordinary looking computer, but underneath said computer is a false bottom, with both of Mr. Black's handguns stored inside.  
>Security will never find them, especially if all of the PoliceBots have been replaced by Robot Masters.<p>

"Time to go to work," he says, taking off his trenchcoat to reveal a nice three-piece suit and tie. He then takes off his mask, but it is so dark inside his car, he still cannot be seen by the naked human eye...  
>until he opens the door and steps out into the world...<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_**GUTSMAN'S ASS STRIKES AGAIN!  
><strong>Yes, I couldn't help it. I even put in Mega balling his fist._

_Yes, the scene where ProtoMan leads the Light family to Dr. Wily was based on a similar scene in "The Empire Strikes Back."  
>I almost had Dr. Wily say, "We would be honored if you would join us." But, that was too much.<em>

_This chapter marks the first time Wily has made a physical appearance aside from being the voice on the other end of a communication since the first chapter of this episode.  
>That goes to show just how big of a shadow Dr. Wily casts over everything. Even when you don't see him, you still hear about him, and almost everything that is happening is because of him.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment. (And if you spot any typos, please let me know in a PM)_


	58. Duplicates

_**Brothers, chapter 6: Duplicates.**_

* * *

><p><strong>In the skies above Manhattan.<strong>

High above the skies of New York, on his way to Deacon's campaign headquarters, Mega Man still feels weakened thanks to the effects of the scrambler chip, but he thankfully hasn't had any major shocks since leaving the Lab.  
>Depite his weakened state, Mega is carrying on and is determined to save his family and Mitchell Deacon. Right now nothing can stop him... except for maybe another shock to his systems.<p>

"YAAH! My head!", he yells, as he feels that shock to his system caused by the scrambler chip. Much like the other scambler chip attacks, he feels a sharp stabbing pain in his head and his vision blurs.  
>This shock was so strong, Mega Man begins to soar out of control, veering up, down, left and right as he deperately tries to regain control of himself.<p>

Then, Mega looks up and can barely see that he is about to crash into a billboard... for auto insurance, of all things. Knowing that there's no way to avoid this, Mega puts his arms up to brace himself for the crash.  
>And Mega finaly plows through the billboard, putting a hole clean through it.<p>

As he tries to regain control of himself, he realizes he is now flying head-on towards a highrise restaurant.

"Oh, no!", he wails.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the Restaurant.<strong>

A string quartet slowly and harmoniously plays classical music inside of this high class restaurant, and all the while, everybody inside is oblivious to the fact that there is an out of control Mega Man that is about to crash into them any moment.

A man and his wife are seated directly at the window seat where Mega Man could make a direct impact with.

They share a toast and lean back their glasses to drink their wine... the man looks over and sees this human-sized blue thing flying towards him and he falls out of his seat and onto the floor, spilling his glass all over him as Mega Man quickly swerves back upward, avoiding crashing with the building.

* * *

><p><strong>Back outside.<strong>

Mega Man appears to have regained control of the flight suit and breathes a sigh of relief as he flies up the side of the highrise.

"_Whew!..._ I hope I can make it to Mr. Deacon's headquarters without becoming Mega Meatloaf", he says to himself.

Despite his weakened state, Mega Man pushes onward to Deacon. But, he still can't shake the feeling that ProtoMan is the focal point of all of this. He tries to block out any thoughts of Proto being _involved_ in this, but after being manipulated by Wily in the past, he can't ignore the possibility.

He tries contacting his family again. "Roll, Dr. light, Proto, Rush... _anybody._ This is Mega Man. If you can hear me, please respond."

Again, nothing but silence on the other end.

"This night's gonna be longer than I thought," Mega says to himself as he regains control and heads to Mitchell Deacon's headquarters.

* * *

><p><strong>Deacon's capaign headquarters.<strong>

The crowd is starting to buzz as they see the vote tallys coming in from each county withing the five burroughs of New York. It appears Mitchell Deacon almost has this election in the bag.  
>And taking a peek from underneath a large red curtain on the main stage is Dr. Wily.<p>

"Look at them all!", he says to himself while laying flat on the floor to make sure nobody spoots him, "Each of pathetic people are about to slip into my control, and the best part is, there will be no Mega Man to save them!"

Wily snickers as he picks himself up off the ground and brushes himself off. The mad doctor takes off his white lab coat to reveal a tweed blazer, complete with leather patches on the elbows.

ProtoMan tilts his head as Wily straightens his red tie. "_You _in a _suit_?", he asks.

"This is a special occasion, Proto, my boy! I want to maintain my decorum," Albert answers, "What's the status report?"

"All of the security bots have been dealt with," ProtoMan says, "The human cops and the feds are still out there on the floor, but they have no clue we're here."

"Good, good, my boy. In a matter of hours my plan will spring into effect, and in the middle of the night, phase two will begin."

As Dr. Wily begins to walk way, ProtoMan stops him. 'Hold on a second, Wily," he says, "There's something we have to discuss."

"Can't we re-schedule this _discussion_ for a later date," Albert asks, "I'm quite busy taking over the-"

"Now!", Proto interrupts, folding his arms across his grey titanium chest.

Wily grumbles, "Fine, but make it quick. We have a busy night ahead."

ProtoMan interrogates, "So... when were you gonna tell me about how this scrambler chip really works? And more importantly, why the hell didn't you tell me it was connected to the pain _I felt_ when I was born?"

Albert groans, "I think I know exactly why I _didn't_ tell you... it would raise too many questions."

As Wily tries to ignore the subject and leave, ProtoMan puts his arm up and blocks his path.  
>"Are you gonna give me an answer or not?", Proto asks, now sounding annoyed, "After all the hoops I've jumped through to complete this mission, I think you owe me that much."<p>

Knowing that ProtoMan is not going to drop this subject, Wily decides to just answer give him his answer.  
>"There was no other way about this, Proto," Dr. Wily answers, "Since you refuse to destroy him, I decided that we needed to come up with a method that would just keep Mega Man out of the way. I figured this was a pretty fair compromise. Don't you think?<br>This way, you can attempt to turn him afterwards, just like you've requested."

Wily tries to leave again, but ProtoMan still won't let him leave.

"So, now my little brother is suffering from the same thing I had? A faulty guidance system?", Proto asks.

Albert grows angry that the mere insinuation that it was his guidance system that was faulty.  
>"My work is<strong><em> not<em>** faulty!," Wily snaps, before calming down and explaining, "And no, your brother isn't _exactly_ suffering from the same difficulties that you did. I simply took _Thomas Light's_ faulty programming that I removed from your systems and alterded it, programming it into that little scrambler chip.  
>Is that explanation good enough for you?"<p>

Proto doesn't answer, but lowers is arm to allow Dr. Wily to pass again.

"That's what I thought, Proto," Wily says, straightening his twead blazer, "Now, come with me. We have a lot of work to do."

GutsMan and Cut Man walk up to Dr. Wily and ProtoMan, still wearing their poorly fitted security outfits.

"Hey, ProtoMan," GutsMan asks, "I'm confused. Am I supposed to like you again, or hate you."

"If you know what's good for you, you better like me," Proto replies.

"I trust our _other_ surprise has arrived?" Dr. Wily asks.

"It has, Dr. Wily," Cut Man wheezes, "It's in a storage room in the back."

"Let's go, then. But, I would keep an eye out for Mega Man. I wouldn't put it past him to show up when we least expect it."

"I wouldn't either," Proto says, "He's been contacting me all night. I think he knows something's up."

"Even if he does show up, I don't think we need to worry much about him anymore," Dr. Wily says with a slight smile, "After hearing how poorly had fared against Bright Man, I believe Mega Man is about as much of a threat as a wet noodle."

But, little does Wily know, Mega Man _has_ arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly Thereafter.<br>Elsewhere inside Deacon's headquarters.**

Mega Man has arrived to Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters, despite his poor condition nearly getting him in big trouble, (and he knows will probably be billed for crashing through that billboard back there.) Instead of walking through the front entrance and risking getting caught by any of Wily's Robot Masters in disguise, Mega has entered through an alternate route.

As he walks down the hallways of the convention center, Mega can't help but notice something is strange about this backstage area.

"This place looks totally empty." he whispers to himself.

He then hears two sets of metallic footsteps klanking their way towards him. Mega readies his blaster, but he hears something else.

"How dare you do this! Let me go!", a male voice says. It belongs to Mitchell Deacon.

_"They've got Deacon,"_ Mega thinks to himself.

"Shut-up, Mister, or I'll give you a hair cut from the neck up!", Cut Man wheezes, "You're a politician, so you would know about... _cutbacks_!", he laughs.

Mega Man can't help but shake his head at Cut Man's hidiously bad cut/scissor related puns. They never get any better.

"In here!", GutsMan grunts.

The robots and Deacon enter a room nearby and Mega Man sneaks his way towards it, eavesdropping on what's happening inside.

"Mitchell Deacon, we meet at last... do you like the suit?", Wily asks.

_"Wily! He's here in person!"_, Mega thinks to himself, careful not to gasp.

The candidate doesn't reply to Wily's question and remains silent.

Wily continues, "I'm guessing you're just upset that I - the world's most brilliant scientist - am about to upstage you on your big night. And for that... I _sincerely_ apologize," Wily says with an ear-to-ear grin, "And to make it up to you, Mitchell. I will show you the jewel that crowns my greatest plan to date!"

Wily presses a button on a metal case that is taller than the height of an average human.

Wily says, "You've already met your doppleganger, Mitchell... but I don't think _you_ have met _yours_."

Dr. Wily was clearly talking to somebody else other than Deacon. But who?

Mega Man hears several gasps coming from inside the room quickly takes a peek around the corner to look inside... and sees a perfect carbon copy of Dr. Light in the case.

Mega's own eyes widen and he quickly takes cover again to avoid being caught. He couldn't see who else was in the room with Deacon. But he knows there are others. Mega fears that some of the gasps he heard inside were familiar and that his family might be in more danger than he thought.

"Not only will your robot double make the perfect political puppet, but my replica of Dr. Light will get me close enough to Mega Man to crush him at long last!"

"You're insane!", Deacon snaps.

Wily's face turns sour and he steps up and slaps Deacon accross the face.

"How _dare_ you not appriciate a genius when you see one!" He snaps, before turning to GutsMan.  
>GutsMan, take our esteamed guests to the robot assembley and repair factory!"<p>

"You'll never get away with this, Albert!", says the real Dr. Light.

"I think I will, old friend!" Wily laughs.

Mega Man jumps out from under cover and aims his blaster at Wily. He sees that Wily also has Roll and Rush as hostages too. But, ProtoMan is very conspicuous by his absense.

"You haven't gotten away with anything! And you're not going to!", Mega yells.

But, suddenly, the pain in Mega Man's head returns and he falls to his knees.

"Mega!", Roll yelps, "It's a trap! It's P-"

Roll is silenced when GutsMan puts his big hand over her mouth and holds her, making it extremely difficult for her to fight.

Dr. Wily chuckles as he watches Mega Man suffer. Taking the time to mockingly nudge him with his foot while he is down.

"I'm sure that you're surprised that my genius has finally beaten you, blue boy!," Wily taunts, lightly shoving him down with his foot, "But, I'm sure you'll be _even more_ surprised when you find out just who it was who did this to you!"

Mega Man looks up to see ProtoMan approaching him, wearing his smirk. "Hello, little brother," he scoffs.

Despite the pain surgeing throgh Mega Man's body, he feels an anger surging inside of him he's never felt before.  
>In an instant, Mega Man rushes his evil brother and tackles him. The two brothers begin wrestling on the floor.<p>

"Rock!", Dr. Light cries out, "You must flee this place. Save yoursel-"

Dr. Wily backslaps Light before he can finish warning Mega.

Mega Man tries to escape as his father told him. He wanted to stay and fight, but he knows he has no chance of defeating Wily, ProtoMan and anybody in this condition.  
>ProtoMan gets up and fires several shots at Mega Man as he flies in the air with his slight suit.<p>

As Mega Man evades ProtoMan's blast, hecatches the sight of his family and Deacon being taken out of here. He also sees sees his brother fire even more shots at him.  
>Mega Man avoids all of the shots and escapes by crashing through a window.<p>

ProtoMan tries to follow him, but Dr. Wily holds him back. "He's getting away!", Proto snaps.

"Let him go, Proto. With that scrambler chip still implanted, I think his crimefighting days are over," Wily says.

Proto keeps his stare fixed on the shattered window where Mega Man fled.

"ProtoMan!", Wily barks, "We have business to attend to! Let's get out of here."

Proto finally turns around and joins Wily, even though he knows he should go after his brother.  
>Orders are orders.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere inside Deacon's headquarters.<strong>

The Duplicate Mitchell Deacon walks the floor of the main room, shaking hands with his supporters. Nobody even notices that he's not the real Mitchell Deacon.

Meanwhile, Lynn Wersching looks around for any sign of trouble, but she knows she is not doing her job to the best of her ability tonight. She can't get her mind off of Castor's whereabouts, and she has a bad feeling that this Mr. Black character has something to do with it.  
>Then, she hears a voice coming from her radio.<br>_"Attention Officer Wersching, we have an incident at the front entrance and your assistance is requested."_

Snapping herself back to full attention, Lynn replies, "I'm on it, I'll be right there."

She makes her way past several of Mitchell Deacon's supporters with some ot he human officers (because unbeknownst to them, all of the PoliceBots on the site have been quietly dealt with by Wily's Robot Masters.)

When she arrives to the front entrance, Lynn can feel her heart skip a beat when she sees her fellow officers questioning William Cochran, the man who has been aleged to be involved in the Mr. Black crimes... the man who Lynn believes _is_ Mr. Black.

After the initial shock of seeing William in front of her, she then feels an inner rage building up inside and she storms ahead towards William, shoving some of her own fellow officers aside to get to him.

When she is close enough, Lynn grabs William by the necktie of his three-piece suit and tries to yank him towards her. William - who is noticably bigger then Lynn is - gasps with wide eyes when Lynn nearly manhandles him.

Lynn's green eyes blaze with fury as she growls, "Where's my brother?"

William freaks, "I don't even know what you're talking ab-"

"Don't you dare lie to me, you son of a bitch! I know it's you!", Lynn yells as her fellow officers try in vain to seperate her from Cochran. Their effort is unsuccessful, because Lynn keeps a death grip on William's tie.  
>"What did you do to him?", Lynn shouts.<p>

"I haven't done anything, damn you!" William insists, "I'm not Mr. Black! I don't have anything to do with any of it!"

Finally, Lynn is pulled off of William, seperating them, but Lynn still fights to try and get her hands on him again.

"That's why I'm here, you idiot!" William snaps as he rubs his sore neck, "I'm here to prove I'm innocent."

"You lying bastard!", Lynn shrieks as her Police friends pull her away, preventing her from doing something she might regret.

A secret Service agent steps up and orders, "Get him the hell out of here."

"You don't know what you're doing, you morons!" William protests as several agents and Police officers grab him and quite literally _carry him_ out of Deacon's campaign headquarters.  
>"I'm not Mr. Black! I'm innocent! Let go of me! DAMN YOU ALL!", he shouts.<p>

The duplicate Mitchell Deacon (who is still smiling) steps up to the agent and asks, "How are things going here, Agent?"

"The situation is being resolved, Mr. Deacon," answers the Agent.

"Good," replies the Duplicate Deacon (who is still smiling,) "... and thanks for voting!"

The Duplicate Deacon turns and walks away, leaving the Secret Service Agents scratching their heads.

"I never knew the guy was such a stiff," an agent grumbles to himself.

_"Attention, all agents, all Police officers,"_ says a voice an the ear pieces and radios of all of the authorities, _"All contact with all N.Y.P.D. PoliceBot units withing the convention center has been lost. We may have a security breach. Go to yellow alert and scramble all forces to inspect the building."_

By the time the warning was issued, Dr. Wily was already making his escape.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside.<strong>

Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and Deacon are all bound and gagged and are shoved by Wily's robots into the back of a large pain-looking titanium reinforced van. This is especially unfortunate for Mitchell Deacon, who in a matter of minutes will be announced as the governor elect of New York. And instead of celebrating back at his headquarters, he is sitting in the back of a cold van, being held hostage while his supporters are back celebrating with a fake robot duplicate.  
>Life isn't fair sometimes.<p>

Dr. Wily takes the wheel as ProtoMan rides shotgun and they make a clean getaway, avoiding being caught by the security. As the van drives away, Mega Man barely manages to use his flight suit and keep up speed with the van.  
>Mega feels woozy as he pursues the van, but soon he catches up with it and carefully lands on top.<br>He knows he can't take the chance of relying on his physical abilities with his system shocks still bothering him. So he had to hitch a ride.

Using his enhanced hearing, Mega Man listens in on the conversation taking place inside.

ProtoMan asks, "Hey, Wily. Haven't you tried this robot whole replica thing once before with that Dr. Petto bot and the copy of you we that we had to tollerate onboard Gamma? Those didn't exactly work out?"

"Those experiments were not a faiure, my boy," Albert replies, "Everybody believed that the Dr. Petto robot as well as my own personal duplicate were realy human. Nobody will be able to tell the difference... and if they do, it will already be too late!"

ProtoMan stiffles a sarcastic laugh, because Roll was able to quickly discover just how fake the duplicate Deacon was, but he can't argue that this plan is going along according to plan so far. However, Mega Man is still out there and Proto regrets not taking him out earlier. Then, he would have been locked up with the rest of his family.  
>(And he has no idea how close Mega Man really is.)<p>

When Proto looks back to his family, all bound and gagged like prisoners in the back, he begins to feel strange about going through with this the way he has.  
>He tries to block out such stupid mushy thoughts, because soon Roll and Rush will be reprogrammed, and so will Mega Man if he's follish enough to follow them, and Dr. Light will be Wily's slave... but still, he thinks about what could have happened if he went about it another way.<p>

Proto looks in his rear view mirror and sees a vehicle behind them, gaining on them fast. "Uh-oh. We might have trouble, this guy's ridin' on us."

"Whatta we do, Dr. Wily?", GutsMan asks from the back.

"Do not attack him," Dr. Wily orders, "We can't take the chance of being caught."

Proto stares at the vehicle as it gets closer... it appears to be a Black sedan, but with windows so tinted they might as well be black too.  
>The sedan veers into the next lane to the right of the van and keeps up speed with it, not missing a beat.<br>Then, the traffic light turns red, forcing both vehicles to slow down.

Despite the fact that her arms are tied behind her back, Roll activates her utility arm and switches over to her automatic cake mixer, and holds it up agaist the titanium wall of the van to somehow try and alert this mystery driver that something is wrong.

"GutsMan!", Wily barks as he slides down in his driver's seat to avoid being detected.

GutsMan grabs Roll and pulls her off of the wall. "That'll be enough outta you!" he growls as Roll angrilly grunts, her voice muffled by the gag.

When both the titanium van and the black car pull up to the red light, ProtoMan looks out the window to make sure he gets a good look at this sucker and make sure this isn't some cop from Deacon's headquarters, like that redhead woman Roll was talking to earlier.

Then the driver's side windshield of the balck sedan lowers revealing the driver...  
>ProtoMan becomes slackjawed when he sees that the driver is <span>that same guy he saw in Central Park yesterday<span>, the big guy with the short black hair, the one ProtoMan called a schmuck under his breath.  
>The mysterious stranger looks over and sees ProtoMan. He then grins, giving him a slow wave.<p>

ProtoMan opens his window, wanting an answer. "Who the hell are you?", he asks.

"You don't want to know... _schmuck_," replies the stranger, who then starts snickering.

ProtoMan stares back at this weird stranger, who is still snickering. He must have overheard him calling him a schmuck in the park yesterday. He could blast him right now, but Wily said not to.

When the light turns green, Wily's van drives away, but now has a small object attached to it, which was thrown by the Mysterious Stranger... otherwise known as **Mr. Black.**

Mr. Black's put-on smile suddenly disappears and he looks up to see Mega Man atop the van, just barely.

"So... the gang's all here... now _this_ is poetic justice," he says to himself as he drives away.

Meanwhile, Mega Man is completely unaware that this awful day has just gotten that much worse. Not only does he have to deal with Dr. Wily and his back stabbing brother ProtoMan, but now he is about to have to deal with Mr. Black as well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_It appears we finally know who Mr. Black is, or at least what he looks like under the mask. But, we don't know his whole story yet, but we soon will.  
>In fact, if you go back to "Interlude: Year Two, Part 1" and look at the restaurant scene, you might take notice of one particular patron in the scene.<em>

_We were going to see more of this "Mysterious Stranger/Schmuck" making scattered appearances during the interlude, but I had a bad feling that the readers would know right away that he was Mr. Black and not suspect that it was William._

_So, we now know it's not William... but, it's kind of strange that he showed up at the Deacon Headquarters, isn't it?_

_The billboard that was featured in the "Bro Bots" episode was for "Bread Bread" (Much like the Cola-Cola billboard in "Robo-Spider"). I can only assume that it there is a brand known as _Bread_ in the Ruby-Spears Mega Man universe._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. Again, if you spot any typos, please let me know via PM.  
>Until next time, I'm gonna go to the store and get a loaf of<em> Bread_ brand bread and some _Cola-Cola_ brand cola._


	59. One Last Offer

_**Brothers, chapter 7: One Last Offer.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Robot Construction and Repair factory.<br>****Near the harbor.**

It is now late in New York and the titanium reinforced van carrying the Lights and Mitchell Deacon as well as Wily and his robots arrives to it's destination. The Robot construction factory is nearly empty as quitting time for the night has long since past.

Several of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters are seen outside, boarding the trailer of a semi truck. Dr. Wily stops the van to get a status update from Snake Man.

"Is it done?" Wily asks, leaning himself out the driver's side window.

"They're all here, right on ssssssschedule, Dr. Wily," Snake Man hisses, "Thankssssss to Quick Man, we were able to get thissssss assssssignment done a lot eassssssier. Top Man, Heat Man, Needle Man and ElecMan are waiting insssssside, to take the prissssssonerssssss."

"Good work, all of you. Now get out of here and await further instructions," Wily says as the majority of Robot Masters here at the factory pile into the semi and head up the road.

Wily takes the van into the factory's parking garage and Mega Man leaps off and grabs onto one of the garage's support beams, seeking refuge in the shadows. "I've got to find out what Wily is really up to," Mega says to himself.

The titanium van stops and Wily gets out with ProtoMan. Proto slides the side door open and jokes, "Get your shoes on, kids. We're at Grandma's!"

"Really?", GutsMan peeps.

"No, you idiot! You don't even _have_ a grandmother!", ProtoMan groans. "Everybody out!"

Top Man, Needle Man, Heat Man and ElecMan walk up to the van together and grab the hostages.

"You could have told us sooner that ProtoMan was always on our side, Dr. Wily," ElecMan says, "We would have been saved the embarrassment."

"Realism, ElecMan," Wily states, waving his finger in the air, "We had to make it look as real as possible. And furthermore, don't question my decisions."

"I don't see what you're worried about ElecMan. You should be used to being embarrassed in combat by now," Proto snipes as he walks away.

Sparks of electricity crackle from ElecMan's fingers as he tries to surpress his growing anger towards ProtoMan. If it wasn't for Wily being here, he would zap Proto right now.

As the Robot Masters pull the hostages out of the van, Roll is particularly disgusted at the idea of seeing Top Man again, following _Toppy's_ betrayal at Light University earlier this year.

"Hey, Mega Babe. It's been a while," he says with a wink, "By the way, you're a lot easier to tollerate now that you've got a gag over your mouth."

The Robot Masters laugh, but Roll gets angry. Roll manages to kick Top Man in the left shin area. Her kick was so stiff, she managed to leave a dent in his leg armor.  
>Top Man jumps around in pain after Roll's hard kick.<p>

"Quit diddling around over there and get them inside!", Wily yells.

As everybody walks inside the factory, (and as Top Man limps his way inside,) ProtoMan stops and looks behind him at the patches of darkness inside the garage, because he was sure he heard something. He knows something's up.  
>Either his brother is here, or it's that weirdo schmuck in the black sedan, but he knows that one of them are here... if not both of them.<p>

"ProtoMan!", Wily blurts, "Inside, now!".

Proto turns back and leaves. "We should've blasted him when we had the chance," he mutters as he rejoins Albert.

Once Wily, ProtoMan and the others are all out of sight, Mega Man takes off his flight suit which is nearly out of fuel, leaving it settled on the support beam he was perched on, and follows them inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the factory.<strong>

A lone, slightly overweight security guard is asleep at his station inside of the cavernous robot construction factory, letting out long roaring snores. All the while, Wily and the others can be seen on the security cameras.  
>The sleeping guard's trip into dreamland is interrupted as Dr. Wily himself shakes him to wake him up.<p>

"Uhm... what?," the guard mumbles, until he sees the madman standing right before him. The guard gasps and grabs his radio, but ProtoMan sticks his blaster arm in the guard's face.

"You _really_ don't want to make that call, pal," Proto says, "Why don'tcha put it down."

The guard drops the radio in fear. "I th-thought you weren't one of them anymore!"

"Yeah, I've gotten that a lot today," Proto shrugs.

Wily orders, "GutsMan. Take care of this blubbering idiot."

GutsMan wraps his large hands around the man and throws him away. The guar wailsas his body flies in the air, until he crashes a nearby wall, body making a horrifying cracking sound when he makes contact with the wall.

The Lights and Deacon cringe or look away when the guard so violently hits the wall, and even ProtoMan doesn't react well.

"That was a little over the top, don't you think?" he asks.

"He'll live. And if he doesn't, who cares?", Wily dismisses, "Either way. he won't be joining us for the rest of the evening. Now, the Robot Masters said that our packages will be stored in a room down this hallway. Follow me."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere inside the factory, Mega Man sneaks around inside, looking for any sign of his family and Deacon.<p>

Mega still feels in poor shape thanks to the effects of the Scrambler Chip (which he doesn't even know is implanted on him yet,) but he is not going to let that stop him. Another thing keeping Mega on his feet is the anger he feels after learning that ProtoMan had lied to him and his family the entire time.  
>Mega Man has always tried to not let his emotions get the better of him, but tonight, he's going to teach his rotten brother the lesson of a lifetime.<br>And oddly enough, when Mega caves in to his anger, the pain and malaise he feels ebbs down, much like it did with ProtoMan when he suffered from the complications of his faulty guidance system.

Mega Man continues walking down the corridors of this massive factory, when suddenly, Dr. Light walks by, looking like he is also sneaking around.

Mega Man's eyes widen at the sight of his father unharmed. He must have gotten away from Wily.  
>Mega whispers, "Dr. Light, it's me. Wait up!"<p>

The good doctor ignores his son and continues walking. Mega Man realizes that this is the robot copy he saw earlier (because his real father would have responded to him) and follows him to a large room. Mega can't believe what he sees when he turns the corner, seeing two long rows of capsules standing across from eachother.

Mega Man can hear a bubbling sound within the room and his visual scanner can detect large ammounts of white hot molten metal inside of two massive vats on either side of the room. That would explain why this room is much warmer.  
>If Dr. Wily were to take over this factory, he would have enough raw materials here to double the size of his robot army.<p>

The Dr. Light duplicate steps inside of one of the two opened capsules and the door slides shut, encasing him inside. The other open capsure is meant for the Mitchell Deacon duplicate, who is still at Deacon's Headquarters.

After the capsule beeps, indicating that the duplicate robot is in stasis, Mega Man steps up to the capsule and opens it to see the Dr. Light duplicate standing in place with it's eyes closed.

Mega can see what great detail went into creating this duplicate of Dr. Light. Only when you get up close to it would you be able to notice that it is _too_ perfect.  
>Dr. Light's real skin is warm and slightly wrinkled with age; the clone has an slight waxy look to it's skin, just like a robot's would.<p>

Now Mega Man knows why the law exists that requires all robots to have at least one physical train that clearly illustrates that they are not human. It is not too difficult to create a perfect human-like robot. Of course, since Dr. Wily is a terrorist, he doesn't have to uphold any such law.

Mega Man then goes from capsule to capsule, seeing that every elected official in the New York region has a robot duplicate, even Governor Cochran and Police Chief Montgomery Toombs, complete with a kilt. Even President Kieth Henry has a perfect robot duplicate of himself.

This is unquestionably one of Dr. Wily's most harmful plans yet, surprisingly just as harmful as Gamma was, but in a different way.

"This is what Wily's up to!", Mega Man says, "He's going to replace everybody inside the government with his own fakes!"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm doing! Good for you, Mega Man!", snears the voice of Dr. Wily, "And I'm going to pull it off without _you_ in my way!"

Mega Man turns around to find Wily approaching, along with ProtoMan. He also sees Roll being hold captive by GutsMan and Dr. Light being held by Cut Man and Top Man. Mitchell Deacon is being held by Bright Man as well and Rush is being contained in a small cage himself.

"You won't be pulling off anything tonight- Ugghh!", Mega groans as more pain surges in his head.

ProtoMan steps forward and stops right in front of Mega and offers an explanation. "You're probably wondering what I did to you, Rock."

"Besides stab me and my family in our backs?", Mega snaps

ProtoMan sighs, "... when we had our conversation at the park yesterday, I planted a scrambler chip on you. It's designed to mess with your systems. I only did it to get you out of our way, that way you and I didn't have to fight... but, you had other plans and got yourself involved anyway."

Mega Man gets another shock from the scrambler chip as ProtoMan talks to him, and falls down on the floor.

"I know what you're feeling right now, Rock," ProtoMan says with a pang of regret in his voice, "I've felt this pain myself. I know it hurts, and I hated having to do this to you... but I can make it stop. All you have to do is join me and be my brother in battle, let's let bygones be bygones, and I'll remove it. You said you always wanted to have a real brother relationship with me... now is our chance to have one!"

Mega Man looks up with pure fire and rage in his eyes and has finally had enough of his brother's lies and deceit.

"You think after everything you've done to my family and to all of those innocent victims, that I'm gonna _let you_ be my brother?," Mega replies, before angrilly snapping, "You're not my brother!... you're just Wily's puppet... and you always will be... I don't want you for a brother."

ProtoMan remains silent for a moment, stareing at his brother. The silence that befalls the room is deafening.

ProtoMan stands there... and for the first time in his life, he truly feels heartbroken. All he wanted was to have his little brother, and now that same little brother has harshly rejected him, possibly forever...  
>that's when Proto can very rapidly feel his own rage boiling to the surface.<p>

Gritting his teeth and curling his lips into a wicked snarl, ProtoMan activates his blaster arm, firing a powerful shot at Mega Man, hitting him directly in the chest and sending his body flying backwards until he hits the wall.

ProtoMan doesn't even give Mega Man a chance to recooperate as he storms over to him and begins to brutalize him with repeated hard stomps to his head and chest.

"Am I not GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?", Proto shouts.

ProtoMan then grabs ElecMan's arm, copying his Thunder Beam weapon.

"Hey! What are you _doing_?", ElecMan freaks.

"SHUT-UP!", Proto barks as he shoves ElecMan away and approaches his injured brother again.

"Blues! Don't do this!", Dr. Light begs.

ProtoMan ignores his co-creator and seethes at Mega Man, ready to make him pay dearly for rejecting him.

"I remember when you told me you'd rather die as the hero... I CAN ARRANGE THAT, _LITTLE BROTHER_!"

ProtoMan begins to zap Mega Man with a prolonged blast from the Thunder Beam. Mega Man's body convulses from the shock and Mega wails in agony.

Roll desperately screams "STOP IT! STOP!", but ProtoMan doesn't listen as he continues to electrocute Mega Man as if he was a convict.

Even Dr. Wily appears to be taken aback by ProtoMan's outburst. He's_ never_ seen him like this. But, as he looks at the sight of Mega Man being tortured, a large cheshire cat grin appears on his face.  
>It felt good to see Mega Man dying and to see ProtoMan finally step up and show the murderous rage come to the surface... like father, like son.<p>

Finally, ProtoMan stops the horrific attack and stares down at his battered, simmering brother. Mega Man coughs up oil and smoke out of his mouth onto the cold concrete floor.

Dr. Light watches on horror as Roll sobs watching her brother suffering.

"_Please_, leave him alone!" Roll weeps.

Overventilating, ProtoMan keeps his stare fixated on his brother. Behind his visor, his eyes are ablaze with fury and sadness...

Proto switches back to standard blaster mode and aims it at Mega Man's head...

He could kill him right now if he wants to...

"Please, Blues, don't kill him... he's your only brother!" Dr. light begs.

But, finally... mercifully... ProtoMan powers down his blaster and storms out. As he walks past Wily, his voice chokes, "He's all yours."

Dr. Wily's gaze follows ProtoMan as he leaves, knowing that Proto sounded deeply disturbed. Then Wily's sights return to the prone Mega Man.

"How _dare you_! You hurt ProtoMan's feelings!", Dr. Wily seethes, "What kind of a hero are you?"

"I am... a real hero", Mega Man says.

"And, like my boy said, you will _die_ a hero!", Wily growls, "Finish him off! GutsMan, Cut Man, Bright Man: take our guests of honor to meet _their own_ doom!"

As the Lights and Mitchell Deacon are taken away, Roll tries to wriggle herself free and meakly calls her brother's name. "Mega... no," she shudders.

Now, Mega Man is left to deal with ElecMan, Heat Man and Needle Man with very little energy left.

and they aren't the only thing he has to worry about...

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the factory.<strong>

Mr. Black arrives to the Robot Construction and Repair factory, which he was able to locate, thanks to the tracking bug he placed on the titanium van. If it wasn't for having to deal with the Godforsaken New York traffic, he could have followed them here sooner.

He wastes no time as he gets out of his black car unmasked, taking off the nice suit he was wearing at the Deacon Headquarters and pulling out his body armor, putting it on over his long-sleeved black shirt. It didn't matter that he had put it on over his clothing rather than under them, because time was of the essence now thanks to his late arrival. But, how late he was doesn't matter how... nothing else matters but taking out his targets.  
>And his targets were close... he could feel it.<p>

Mr. Black grabs his dark gray trenchcoat and puts it on, Then, he grabs his black mask and puts it on over his head. The moment he puts the mask on, he can feel himself become the ultimate figure of doom, stripped of all humanity... a quality that he used to have, before it was _taken_ from him.  
>He opens his suitcase with the false bottom and grabs the police-issue Plasma Bolt gun, just in case he meets heavy resistance.<p>

Last but not least, Mr. Black walks around to the trunk, revealing his high-powered sniper rifle. He grabs it and straps it to his back and holsters the plasma bolt gun.

"Lock all doors, security on. Await further instructions," he orders as he slams the trunk lid shut.  
>The car closes its doors <em>by itself<em> and enters lockdown mode.

Fully armed and extremely dangerous, Mr. Black walks into the factory and prepares for what he plans on being the final step to completing his mission.

"It's time to end this," he says.

* * *

><p>Once inside the factory, Mr. Black searches his surroundings, carefully searching for any sign of his targets. While he doesn't find who he's looking for, he does find a human security guard lying on the ground in an awkward position.<p>

Mr. Black kneels down next to the fallen guard and pulls a smelling salt capsule out of his trenchcoat with a gloved hand and snaps it, holding it under the guard's nose.

Once he awakens, the guard gasps and moans in pain caused from GutsMan throwing him into the wall.

"What did you see?", Mr. Black asks, ignoring the man's injuries and immediately pressing on with his mission.

"Oh, my God!", the guard weeps, "Help me!"

"I said, what did you see?", Mr. Black presses.

The guard barely chokes, "It's D-Dr. Wily! He's here! ProtoMan is still one of them. They've got Dr. Light and Mitchell Deacon."

"Where did everybody go?" Mr. Black asks.

"I don't know... please help me!" the guard pleas.

"I don't have time to help anybody," Mr. Black growls, "Can you walk?"

"My back is broken! I can't move!", the security guard whines.

"Then you're no good to anybody," Mr. Black says as he stands back up and walks away, coldly leaving the unfortunate guard behind.

"No! Please help me!" the guard whimpers, "I can't make it out of here on my own!"

Mr. Black then stops in his tracks, not moving. He then turns back around and reaches into his trenchcoat again, pulling out a small case. He opens it up to reveal a syringe full of orange liquid.

"W-what are you doing?", the guard weeps.

"I'm un-breakeing your back, so shut-up," Mr. Black replies as he jabs the needle into the guard's back.

The guard cries in pain for a moment, but a few seonds later, the pain goes away, and he can feel something modling his broken back together again.

The cured guard stands up and looks accross at his unlikely savior... a masked criminal, of all people.

"You've just been injected with a compound that temporarily heals fractures," Mr. Black says, "It won't last very long, so you better get your ass to a hospital."

The guard says, "Wow... th-thank you, I really-"

Mr. Black interrupts him by jamming his mind hacking device in the guard's ear. It appears he didn't help the guard out of the goodness of his heart... he helped him because he needs him to do something.

"Connection status?", he asks.

"... I have accepted the connection," the guard drones.

"Once I disconnect this device, you will get in your car and drive yourself to the hospital. On the way, you will call the police and tell them that Mega Man, the Light family, Dr. Wily, Mitchell Deacon _and_ Mr. Black are all here," Mr. Black instructs, "And furthermore, you have no memory of what's happened in the past two hours, aside from Dr. Wily showing up."

Mr. Black removes the mind hacking device and puts it back in his pocket. The guard looks dazed for a moment until he turns around and begins walksing to his car in the garage, following Mr. Black's instructions to the letter.

Once he sees that the guard is doing what he programmed him to do, Mr. Black continues searching the factory for any trace of his targets.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in the Duplicate Room.<strong>

ElecMan, Heat Man and Needle Man approach Mega Man's fallen body, which is still in shock from ProtoMan's horrifying electrocution.

"Well, I can't fry him!", ElecMan argues, "That jackass ProtoMan took my weapon! I'm starting to hate him more than ever."

"I'll take care of him!" Heat Man says, charging up his atomic fire, "In fact, I'll flame broil him!"

Mega Man can hear the Robot Masters above him. He knows he is almost done for, but he can't allow himself to quit... he will _never_ allow himself to quit.  
>If he's destroyed, Wily wins and takes over the world. And now that his family's lives are in immediate danger, it only gives him more resolve to pick himself up one more time.<p>

It takes every bit of energy he has, but he rolls himself out of the way of Heat Man's atomic fire blast and kicks him with both of his feet, knocking the Robot Master back. Heat Man then lands on his flip top head, trapping himself inside his lighter-like body.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights!", Heat Man shrieks, stuck upside down, "Let me out!"

"Duh, don't worry, guys", Needle Man says in his dopey voice, "I'll needle him."

Needle Man fires a few sharp projectiles in Mega Man's direction. Mega takes cover behind one of the duplicates' capsules. The needle projectiles imbed themselves deep into the capsule when they hit it.

Mega Man knows he has to conserve his energy for Wily, his brother and the other Robot Masters, so he has to improvise. He looks over and sees a large curved metallic pipe that is connected to an inactive molten metal vat nearby. Mega wastes no time and races over to the empty vat and pulls the pipe off.

Needle Man fires another needle projectile at Mega, but Mega pulls the curved pipe up in front of him, causeing the needle to enter the bottom half of it, and exit out of the top.  
>The needle projectile returns to it's owner, wedging itself right in his head. Needle Man falls over, not moving.<p>

ElecMan, who is now stuck without his power, tries to reason with Mega Man, who has his sights set on him and is approaching him with anger in his eyes.

"Hey, uh, Mega Man!" he stammers, "Um, I just to let you know I've always kind of liked you! It was the other Robot Masters who always wanted to destroy you."

Mega Man says nothing, dropping the metal pipe and clinching his right fist as he approaches ElecMan, who continues backpeddling and begging off.

"And by the way, I never meant any of those disgusting things I said about your sister. She's a perfect little flower, and I would never treat her with disrespect," ElecMan continues, "and, uh, have I ever told you that your blue armor is the coolest armor I've ever-"

Mega Man punches ElecMan square in his face, cracking his dumb ass yellow face mask and taking him down.

"Shut-up!", Mega snarls.

Mega Man realizes that he doesn't have much time left to save his family and Mitchell Deacon and heads for the exit to search for them.

On his way out, he hears the muffled voice of Heat Man yelling, "Somebody out there! Help me up!"

Mega switches to blaster mode again, aims behind himself at Heat Man without even looking and fires, nailing the robot perfectly, causing him to topple over as Mega leaves the Duplicate Room.

"Same goes for you, Heat Man," he says.

Right now, Dr. Wily has some very horrifying plans in store for Mega Man's family and Mitchell Deacon. And ProtoMan has reached an all new low.

Despite having this damn scrabler chip planted on him and damage he's taken so far, Mega Man is on a mission... and obviously, he's very pissed off.

And, to make things even more unpredicable, Mr. Black is in the building, looking to take his targets out.

Get ready...** all hell is about to brake loose.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I decided to make the Duplicate room scene much darker, with ProtoMan being the one who electrocutes his own brother in a rage.  
>This idea came from Wily's line in the "Bro Bots" episode, "You hurt ProtoMan's feelings!" I decided to see just how hurt Proto really was and tap into his anger.<em>

_I also wanted to give Mega a badass moment when he blasted Heat Man. This shows that he's not out of this fight just yet._

_And yes, the trick Mega pulled off with returning Needle Man's projectile right back to him was based on a similar scene in Spaceballs.  
>I know it looked silly, but bear in mind, in the "Bro Bots" episode, Mega Man tipped the vat over onto the Robot Masters, trapping them in what looked like instant tree sap. (I guess that's what it was)<br>In this story, it's molten lava in those vats, and if he had done that, he would have killed them all, and I didn't want Mega to look like a homicidal maniac._

_The thrilling and climactic confrontation is about to take place in the next chapter: The Battle Between Brothers!_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment._


	60. The Battle Between Brothers

_**Brothers, chapter 8: The Battle Between Brothers**_

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in the factory.<strong>

Following the pounding he took at the hands of his brother ProtoMan, combined with the effects of the scrambler chip, this is the worst Mega Man has felt in a very long time, even worse than his near fatal mission to destroy Gamma. But, Mega still had just enough energy to carry on.

Mega Man staggers to a large area of the factory. He once again hears the sound of another bubbling cauldron of molten metal and also notices the tempurature is much hotter than in the Duplicate Room. This must be a much bigger vat up ahead.

Mega turns the corner to see his family and Mitchell Deacon suspended in a cage high above a large vat of molten. They all appear to be sweaty, thanks to the high temperature created by the molten below them.  
>Roll is busy trying to slice her way through the bars with a saw-like can opener blade from her utility arm, but to no avail.<p>

Rush barks loudly when he sees Mega, and everybody else inside the cage turns their attention towards the hero.

"Mega!" Roll peeps, "You're okay!"

"I'll be right up. Just hang tight!", Mega replies.

Roll barely cracks a smile. "Yeah... hanging tight is about all we're gonna- WHOA!"

Just then, the machinery inside the room begins to make a _whirr_ sound and the cage countaining Dr. Light, Roll, Rush and Mitchell Deacon slowly begins to lower towards the molten.

"Mega Man! Hurry!", Dr. Light shouts.

Mega Man quickly climbs up a ladder leading to the controls that operate the crane that is lowering the cage. But, when Mega tries to use the console, the controls don't respond.

"Come on! Work!", Mega curses.

Mega looks around and sees a long line of un-used cable nearby. He grabs it and hastily leaps to the top of the crane

"Mega, hurry up!", Roll pleas as the cage lowers further down.

Mega Man feels his systems fading as the scrambler chip and the effects of the encounter with Wily's robots have taken it's toll, but the screams of his family make him shut it out.

Mega Man ties one end of the cable tightly around the top of the crane and ties the other end around his waist and repells down to the cage.

Mega Man stops near the cage and urgently says, "You guys might want to brace for a crash!"

Mega places his feet on the cage wall and shoves himself off, swinging backwards.  
>When Mega Man rebounds, he holds up his legs and kicks the cage away with his feet, then fires a shot from his blaster as the cage swings away from the molten vat. The shot strikes the chains holding the cage and instantly melts them, causing the cage to fall down to the floor, just clear of the vat.<p>

Everybody inside the cage screams and wails as they fall to the ground. The cage itself lands almost perfectly on the ground, slamming into the ungiving floor and briefly skidding accross it, creating sparks on the ground until it comes to a stop.

Mega Man unties himself from the cable and lands on the floor to uncage his family and Mitchell Deacon, but, he falls to his knees once he gets there because of another jolt from the scrambler chip.

Dr. Light reaches out to Mega Man through the cage bars and feels around his hearing sensors on his helmet until he finds the scrambler chip.

"Typically, scrambler chips would be placed on the side of the head to easier tamper with the central processing unit... there it is.", he says as he feels the the chip, reaching into his pocket to remove a tool to detach it.

"This should just take a moment... there!", he says as the chip comes off.

Within seconds, Mega Man feels somewhat normal, but he still is in bad shape from the battle earlier.

"I still don't have enough power to stop Wily, or bust you guys out," Mega Man groans.

Rush barks and a hatch in his back opens up and Eddie pops out. Good thing they planned ahead.

"There's no need to fear! Eddie's here!", he says in his elfen voice.

Eddie fires a cold Energy can out of his head, sending it between the bars.

"Eddie, you're a life saver", Mega says, catching the can and drinking it.

"Sure thing, Mega Man! Just don't have Eddie travel in Rush's storage compartment. It's too cramped in there!" Eddie advises.

Mega Man can feel his energy levels replenishing within seconds and breaks open the cage door and frees everybody.

As soon as she is free, Roll can't help but hug her brother tightly.  
>"I thought I was gonna lose you back there when he electrocuted you," she gently whimpers.<p>

"I think you should know by now, it takes a lot more than that to stop your big brother, sis," Mega replies, offering her a reassureing smile.

"What are we going to do about Albert?", Dr. Light asks.

"We're taking him out of politics for good," Mega replies, "but, we'll need your help taking out all of the duplicates he has here."

"Is there anything I can do?", Deacon asks, his flat hair still in place, despite the sweat.

"No, sir. In fact, we're gonna get you out of here right now," Mega says, "It's not going to be safe here in a matter of minutes."

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in the factory.<strong>

Mr. Black continues his search of the factory, keeping his police issue plasma bolt gun held tightly in his gloved right hand.

He was sure he heard some commotion shortly after mind hacking the security guard, but it had since gone silent. However, mere seconds ago, he heard even more commotion, along with the sounds of panicked wails, followed by a loud crash.

"Close," he whispers, "So very close."

Mr. Black knows that since he has his sniper rifle, it would be best to reach a high vantage point and pick off his targets fom there.

He looks up to see that there are catwalks everywhere in this factory and searches for a way to get up there.  
>He finds a ladder and climbs his way up to reach the catwalk.<p>

Then, off in the distance, he hears the echo of the wretched cackle of Dr. Wily...

* * *

><p><strong>Factory conference room.<strong>

Dr. Wily rubs his hands together and wears a big ear-to-ear smile accross his wretched old face as he laughs. His Robot Masters GutsMan, Cut Man, Bright Man and Top Man surround him.  
>He thinks he has finally beaten Mega Man, disposed of Thomas Light and is on the fast track to taking over the world.<p>

"A genius I am!", Albert laughs, "If only I had thought of this plan earlier, I would have been the ruler of the world long ago!"

ProtoMan stands with his back turned to all of them, keeping silent with his arms crossed.  
>He hasn't spoken a word to anybody since his near-fatal encounter he had with Mega Man in the duplicate room.<br>Proto feels several emotions churning inside him after he nearly killed his brother. A part of him feels bad for flipping out like he did, after all it's obviously not the first time Mega Man has rejected him.  
>A another part of him <em>doesn't<em> feel bad about doing it, though. In fact, a dark kernel in Proto's thoughts urges him to go back and finish the job and drag him back here fore Wily to do whatever he wants with him.  
>But, Proto tries to deny this urge... he doesn't want to end up like Wily.<p>

Dr. Wily gloats, "Now with Mega Man and the others out of the way, I think it's time we replace all of our friends in the city with our robot duplicates. We had better place a call to our new 'Governor Elect!' Have the duplicate Deacon summon all of the elected officials he can here, and then we'll..."

Wily stops in mid-sentance, then asks, "Do you hear something?"

Albert, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters look out towards the hallway and hear some strange noise out there.  
>And it sounds like... a bunch of monkeys?<p>

"Do I hear monkeys?", ProtoMan says.

"Go! Find out what the hell is going on!", Wily shouts, "And find out where the other Robot Masters are!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Duplicate Room.<strong>

Before Dr. Wily, Proto and the others arrive to the Duplicate Room, they see ElecMan, Needle Man and Heat Man - still dazed from fighting with Mega Man - stumble towards them.  
>ElecMan's face mask was broken Needle Man had a needle stuck in his head, and Heat Man was so weakened, he looked like he was drunk.<p>

"Didn't end too well, Dr. Wily", ElecMan mumbles about the battle, "We'll see you later, okay?"

Wily watches as the trio waddles away back down the hall.

"No, this _can't be_!", Wily grumbles, sounding like he's about to snap, "Don't tell me that blue bastard survived!"

Wily and company enter the room full of the robot duplicates and sees all of them flailing around and acting like Monkeys!  
>All of the robot duplicates are scratching their armpits and lumbering around like primates, making <em>"Ooh-ooh!"<em> and "_Aaah-aah!"_ sounds.

The sight of every elected official jumping up and down and acting like idiots while making monkey sounds would be quite humorous. But, Dr. Wily's face clearly indicates that this is no laughing matter.

"My robots!", He yells, "Why the blue hell are they doing this?"

"It's funny you should ask, Albert!", says the real Dr. Light.

Dr. Wily's widened eyes turn to spot the good doctor standing next to one of his duplicates, the duplicate of Mitchell Deacon's chief of staff, specifically.

"All I had to do is this, really.", he says, opening a compartment on the arm of the duplicate of the chief of staff and removing a microchip.

The duplicate then begins to act like all of his primate brethren, making a gorilla face and stumbling around.

Dr. Wily seethes, "Thomas! What are you still doing alive?"

Mega Man, Roll and Rush step into view, standing beside the good doctor. "I though you'd never ask!", Mega scoffs.

Dr. Wily's face twists into an angry scowl. "GET THEM!", Wily shouts to his robots, "GET THEM ALL!"

GutsMan, Cut Man, Bright Man and Top Man charge towards the heroes and Mega Man Roll and Rush also head directly for them.  
>Meanwhile, Dr. Wily runs away and ProtoMan stays and watches.<p>

Rush activates his jets and rams his head right into GutsMan's, knocking the massive Robot Master silly. Rush then bites Gutsy on his large red forearm, causing the large hulking robot and whine like a baby!

"Get him off'a me!", he freaks

Rush finally lets go, but jets around the Robot Master, hitting him in his back. GutsMan was so freaked about being biten by Rush, he loses his balance and stumbles into one of the robot duplicate's chambers.  
>The impact causes the door to shut, locking GutsMan inside.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Roll and facing off with Bright Man.<br>Roll tries punching him out, but he catches her arm and hoists her above his head.

"Drop her off here, Bright Man!", Top Man says as he begins rotating in a circle very fast to use his Top Attack, "I'll give her a spin she'll never forget!"

Thinking on her feet... or _in the air_ in this case, Roll switches her utility arm over to spatchula mode and rams it into Bright Man's head, shattering his large bulb on top.

Bright Man panics once he knows his precious bulb has been shattered and puts Roll down to begin trying to gather the pieces.  
>"Oh, no! My bulb!" Bright Man whines and he bends over and retrives all of the bits of his bulb.<p>

Roll switches her utility arm over to frying pan mode and whacks it accross Bright Man's hunched over rear end, causing him to stumble away.  
>Roll turns to face Top Man who is quickly spinning towards her.<p>

Roll switches her utility arm from spatchula mode to plumber's snake mode, and fires the snake tool towards Top Man.

Roll's snake wraps itself around Top Man's rotating body and ties him up in it, but he keeps spiining with his arms ties to his sides.

"Hey, what are you doing?", Top Man yells.

When the snake reaches it's limit, Roll is quickly pulled towards Top Man. Once she reaches him, Roll lifts her right leg up and kicks him full force in his head.

As Top Man looks dizzy, Roll retracts the plumbers snake, making Top Man spin counter-clockwise.  
>And as the Robot Master wobbles aroud like a drunk,<br>Roll then delivers a roundhouse kick to Top Man's head, letting out a "YAH!" and knocking him clean out.

"You messed with the worng ladybot, _Toppy_," Roll snears with his hands on her hips, scorring yet another win over Top Man.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the Duplicate Room, Mega Man is battleing Cut Man.<p>

"I'm going to cut you down to size, Mega Jerk!", Cut Man puns, firing his cutters directly from his head.

"And you really need to learn some new puns, Cut Man!", Mega retorts as he kicks the blades away with a roundhouse, sending them towards a nearby vat, slicing it free from it's restrictive chains.  
>However, this vat is full of molten metal.<p>

GutsMan breaks free from the capsule and charges towards Mega Man.  
>Mega leaps over Gutsy's head and the massive robot tackles Cut Man and crashes into the side of the molten vat.<br>The force of GutsMan's power colliding with it causes the vat to slowly tip over.

"Uh-Oh! Time to move!" GutsMan panics, picking up Cut Man with one arm and running over to Top Man and picking him up with the other and runs out.

"But, What about my bulb?" Bright Man whimpers.

"Get the hell outta here, you numbskull!" GutsMan bellows and Bright Man reluctantly hightails it out.

The vat of molten then colapses and creates a river of lava flowing into the room.

"GET OUT!", Mega desperately yells to his family.

"But, what about you?", Roll yelps.

"There's no time! Go! NOW!", Mega barks.

Roll, Dr. Light and Rush run for their lives as the lava flows towards them. Rush transforms into Jet Mode and flies paralell to Roll and Dr. Light allowing them to get on his back.

Roll panics and immediately shouts the word "Go!" repeatedly. (She shouts it so fast, she almost sounds like Quick Man for a moment.)  
>Rush activates his afterburners and jets them both off to safety.<p>

Mega Man runs away fom the molten, then leaps up and grabs a swinging chain, dangling in the air as he watches the white lot liquid melting everything in sight, including all of the malfuntioning duplicates.

Even though the duplicate robots were just mindless drones and not advanced units like many robots are today, Mega Man cannot bear to watch as they are all killed.

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to everybody, high atop the duplicate room on a catwalk, Mr. Black had been watching through the scope of his high-powered sniper rifle, waiting for the chance to take the perfect shot.<br>But, when the molten began to spread inside of the factory, he knew it was no longer safe to be here.

Except for the factory's reinforced walls, the molten lava would eat through almost everything inside the structure within seconds, including the support beams of the catwalk he's standing on.

"Dammit!", he snaps, quickly strapping the rifle to his back and chooing to leave this place before it falls apart.

Mr. Black runs away towards the exit, but the catwalk buckles and begins to give way as it's support beams are eaten by the molten.  
>Mr. Black then leaps in the air (as much as his bulky frame will allow) and can see the entire catwalk which he was running on seconds ago fall into the lava.<p>

However, Mr. Black just barely lands inside the corridor that leads to the duplicate room. He quickly gets to his feet and continues ruuning.

"Track my location and meet me at the closest exit," Mr. Black says into his wrist communicator.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside.<strong>

Roll, Dr. Light and Rush make it outside the factory safely, avoiding the hellish molten lava death trap.

"Maybe Rush and I should go back and get Mega," Roll worries.

"No, you can't go back in there!" Thomas pleas.

"But, we've gotta get him... out...", Roll trails off as she sees a black car speeding accross the parking lot and racing to the western exit.

"Oh, my God... I've seen that car before. At the university!" she whispers, recognizing the black car as the same one that was seen at Dr. Light's Robot University campus last month during the security breach.

Dr. Light looks accross too and sees the large masked figure in the trenchcaot who was caught snooping outside of Light University quickly racing out of the factory, using an emergency fire escape just above the exit. The man lands atop of the car's hod, then down to the ground.

"HEY! YOU!", Roll shouts, pointing in his direction.

Mr. Black freezes and turns to face Roll, staring accross from her and Dr. Light for a moment as the car door opens _by itself_ with no sign of any other occupant.  
>The masked terror slowly gets inside and drives away as a flood of lava pours out of the exit.<p>

Roll and Dr. Light watch as Mr. Black's car zooms off of the factory lot and up the highway, into the darkness up ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the factory.<strong>

Back in the the remains of the Duplicate room, Mega Man watches as the inside of this factory slowly transforms into a Hellish pit.

The force of the molten wave knocks over another nearby lava vat and knocks it over, now flooding the most of the factory in it.

The factory's sprinkler systems now begin spraying water everywhere. As the water sprays on Mega Man, it doesn't do much to alleviate the high tempurature in this room.

Then, emergency alarms blare inside the factory and the blast doors quickly slam themselves shut.  
>As if escaping this place wasn't hard enough, it looks like it just got even harder for Mega Man. Mega then eyes a set of skylight windows in the ceilng. He he could only make it up there and go after Wily...<p>

"Hey, Rock!" calls the voice of ProtoMan from up above.

Mega Man looks over to see ProtoMan standing atop the remnants of a catwalk, then leaping down and grabbing another dangling chain. Proto swings himself from chain to chain until he grabs the closest one near Mega himself.

"Let's ditch the plasma cannons, Rock!", he says with his smirk, "Let's settle this once and for all. No weapons, no tricks, no help! Just you and me!"

"You're insane!", Mega yells, "We don't even have a battlefield to fight on. Look at this place!"

"Perfect! Just the environment I want for our final battle!", Proto replies.

As Mega and Proto dangle from the chains being drenched by the factory's sprinkler systems, the molten appears to settle a little bit, allowing a few scant slabs of what used to be the floor to float to the top. There is one large slab platform that surfaces, and a few smaller ones, and it looks like just enough to have a good fight on.

"No excuses now, little brother!", ProtoMan says.

ProtoMan drops down and lands on one of the broken chunks of floor that has risen to the top of the lava. The remanants of the molten lava hasn't cooled off sufficiently yet and the liquid burns his feet. ProtoMan grinds his teeth, but bares it.

"Come on, Mega Man!", Proto snipes, "I know you want to fight me. Doesn't it hurt you knowing that I stabbed you and our sister and Dr. Light in the back?"

Mega Man looks down, trying to surpress his anger.

"Yeah, sure it does!" Proto grins, "I saw that look in your eyes earlier. If only you could've, you would have kicked my titanium ass!... now's your chance, little brother!"

Mega Man stares back at his crooked brother, saying nothing.  
>He remembers everything that has happened in the past few days... The lies, the betrayal, and just now almost killing his family.<p>

And he's _had it_.

Mega Man leaps down, landing on another platform directly accross from ProtoMan. He too feels the burning of lava remnants under his feet, and hurts him... but that isn't enough to quell the fury boiling over right now.

Mega Man leaps accross to the large slab and so does ProtoMan, then both brothers lunge towards eachothr, each letting out a primal yell.

Mega Man and ProtoMan collide into each other in mid-air and begin to wrestle on the slightly larger platform their bodies land on. Little splotches of molten burn into their armor as they roll around on the platform, but they both ignore the pain. All that either brother can think about right now is settling this score for good.

Mega Man pins ProtoMan down and gets a strong vertical position. Mega then begins to punch his brother repeatedly in the face, ready to knock that smirk right off.

"How does it feel, brother?", Mega Man shouts before throwing a punch that lands right on ProtoMan's jaw.  
>"Why did you have to do this to us? HUH?", he shouts, throwing another punch.<p>

ProtoMan then headbutts Mega Man with his helmet, knocking Mega off of him.

Proto then runs towards Mega Man at full force looking to dominate his brother, but Mega jumps into the air and slams both of his feet into ProtoMan's face, cracking his black visor right down the middle.

Once he regains his composure, Mega Man charges towards his crooked brother with two balled fists, ready to knock some sense into him once and for all...

and then Proto powers up his plasma cannon and blasts Mega Man in his chest, causing Mega to fall to the surface of the large platform.

Sounding out of breath, ProtoMan taunts, "I know I said _no blasters_, Rock... but, you should know by now... I'm very good liar."

Mega Man tries to weakly crawl away, but ProtoMan stalks him. He could just finish this fight right now, but he wants to take advantage of his brother now and rub it in his face that he is the best warrior.

"It never had to be like this, Rock!", ProtoMan yells, kicking his brother hard in the chest, "All you had to do is ditch that fool Dr. Light and join me! But, you _had_ to become the hero, didn't you?"

Mega Man tries to get up, but ProtoMan kicks Mega in his face, knocking his blue helmet off, sending it falling into the lava, where it melts away.

"You, our sister and I could have conquered the world," Proto says, "We wouldn't need the Robot Masters!... hell, we wound't even need Wily! The three of us _alone_ could have taken everything for ourselves if we wanted it... but, you didn't didn't want that, did you? You didn't care about your brother's feelings, all that mattered was making these idiot humans happy."

"Listen to yourself, Proto... you're turning into Wily more every day!" Mega groans, until ProtoMan punches Mega hard accross his jaw.

ProtoMan continues, "But, you know what, _brother_... You're not worth my time anymore! In fact, I wish you'd never been made!"

As ProtoMan charges towards his brother again, Mega Man wraps his legs aound his torso.

"The feeling's mutual!", Mega yells and he rolls himself backwards, taking his brother with him into downward towards in molten.

ProtoMan can't regain his composure and wails as he sees the lava coming closer to him...

Suddenly, all of the bad things ProtoMan has ever done at the behest of Dr. Wily and of his own doing flash before his eyes...

He knows he's about to pay for his crimes...

This is it, and he knows it...

Then ProtoMan suddently feels his momentum stop and feels his brother's legs tighten around his body, saving him from falling in.

Mega Man is now hanging updside down with his brother held tightly in his legs, and the only thing keeping them both from being submerged in the lava is Mega Man's grip on the edge of the platform they are on.

ProtoMan however had more leverage than Mega Man does. All he has to do is pull himself off of Mega Man, and his brother would be no more.

Likewise, Mega Man is holding his brother's life in his hands. All he has to do is let go of ProtoMan and he's dead.

But, both of them realize this and both come to the realization that neither of them can allow themselves to let the other die.

Mega begins to try and pull himself and Proto back up and at the same time,  
>ProtoMan tries to swing his legs away from the lava and pull them both to the surface.<p>

The combined effort of both brothers pulls them both back up the to platform surface, saving them both from certain death.

Once both brothers are safely settled on the large slab platform, both Mega Man and ProtoMan just stare at eachother, still in eachother's graps, breathing heavily from nearly overheating over this molten lava, their armor battered, scorched and soaked from being rained on by the sprinkler systems.

Mega Man finaly lets his brother go and ProtoMan scootches himself away. Still, neither one can say anything for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, ProtoMan speaks. "You... you saved me!", he gasps, "After everything I did to you... you still saved me!"

"I didn't save you," Mega Man replies, "... you saved me!"

Again, niether one can say a word, both in a state of shock.

ProtoMan finally gets to his feet, but Mega Man, who is still sitting down of the ground, breaks the silence again.

"Why, Proto?', he asks, "Why did you have to do this to us? We took you in... we _trusted_ you. Why did you do this?"

An egine sound is heard and both Mega and Proto look up to see Dr. Wily's Skullker hovering above the scene of battle, waiting for ProtoMan to get onboard.

ProtoMan looks back to his brother and gives him his answer...  
>"Because Wily told me to", ProtoMan replies in a serious, almost remorseful tone, without any of his usual cocky inflection or atttude.<p>

ProtoMan turns to leave, but Mega asks, "You could have killed me here and won the war for Wily... if you're so loyal, why didn't you?"

"I couldn't, Rock... because I..." ProtoMan pauses, catching himself almost saying something mushy and sentimental, and he looks bothered by the fact that he couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted.

"... I'll see you soon, Bro," Proto concludes.

With that, ProtoMan leaps high in the air, grabbing onto random pipes and remnants of catwalks.

Proto stands atop of a support beam and looks back down upon his little brother, who is still looking up at him.

Proto turns again, jumping through the factory's skylight windows and landing in the Skullker, letting the shards of glass fall down.

As the Skullker flies off, all of the shards of glass fall into the lava and slowly melt away.  
>All the while, Mega Man can't take his eyes off of the window his brother just crashed through as he watches the Sullker fly away and as he hears the sound of approaching police and fire engine sirens.<p>

Knowing that this battle is finally over, Mega slumps down on his back and elbows and lets out several heavy sighs as the sprinkers shower upon him, but he continues staring out the shattered window...

and he wonders... _why?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_The episode is not over yet, the epilogue will be up very soon.  
>Do not expect a jovial ending with Rush acting goofy, putting a little happy face on things.<em>

_You may remember there was a scene in the "Bro Bots" episode where Roll was carrying both Dr. Light and Deacon high in the air in each of her arms. I took that out, because it looked so goofy. Granted, being a robot, Roll could easily pull it off._

_And yes, you may have noticed that I lifted a line from "The Day the Moon Fell" where Eddie says it is too cramped in Rush's storage compartment.  
>Since Eddie wasn't featured in my version of the scene (which was in Interlude: Year Two, part 2), I put that moment here instead.<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, please send me a PM (or just use Twitter (MMDefender), or as I often like to refer to it, **The Tweet Box**.)_


	61. Episode 5 epilogue: Pain

_**Brothers, Epilogue: Pain.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Saying that Dr. Wily is angry right now question would the biggest understatement of the millennium... again.

Wily seethes at the propect of his greatest plan yet becoming a total failure, just like all of the other ones. Most of the robots stand in fear of the mad scientist as he shrieks.

"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" he yells, "I had it all within my grasp! Mega Man and Thomas Light were about to be _removed_ from the Earth! I had my duplicates... I was going to take over the world before anybody knew I had done it... AND YOU BUCKETS OF SCRAP SCREWED IT ALL UP!"

GutsMan attempts to appologize, "We're sorry, Dr. Wily, but-"

"THERE IS NO _BUTS_!" Will yells, "Do you have ANY IDEA how much of our resources were lost on those robot duplicates back there? Enough that if you idiots get damaged next time, YOU MIGHT JUST BE LEFT IN THE SLACK HEAP!"

What Dr. Wily referred to is the ammount of both money and materials that went into this mission. This failure - along with all of the failed missions that have taken place this year since the Robo-Spider - has been _literally_ costly to Dr. Wily's asperations for world domination.  
>In 20X2, Dr. Wily went all out, from hijacking Gamma to the aforementioned Robo-Spider, to the Tachyon Pulse projector... this was <em>supposed<em> to be the year that he took over the world and finally rid himsef of Mega Man and Thomas Light.  
>But, none of it happened.<br>And now, with money-making schemes like Cold Steel and Fun World now put out of business by Mega Man, and with resources running out, Dr. Wily might have no choice but to rethink his strategy.

Meanwhile as Albert continues chastising his robots, ProtoMan is standing with his back turned, not paying much attention to him.  
>His expression hasn't changed since he fled the factory. He can't get his mind off of the events of the past few days. From lieing to Mega Man about turning good, to Mega's revealing that he always wanted a brother relationship to blasting his own brother within an inch of his life to their final clash at the factory.<p>

Proto now realizes that the peaceful moments that he had with his brother this week were what he had always wanted: to stand alongside his brother in battle and in life.

At the same time, when Mega Man has harsly rejected him back at the factory, ProtoMan had never felt so low. When Mega rejected him for the last time, he could have destroyed him right there... but he couldn't.

He _wouldn't_.

ProtoMan then thinks back to what Roll said about always telling somebody you care about how much you love them. In those final moments after the climactic battle, ProtoMan almost let slip how much he cared for his brother.

But, he's a warrior robot. What kind of a warrior tells his own brother that he cares about him?

"And PROTOMAN!..." Wily yells.

ProtoMan was sure it was now his turn to get yelled at, like usual.

Wily continues, "... _HE_ was the only one of you who did his job right! If you rustbuckets were _half as good_ as he is, we would have crushed Mega Man tonight!"

_"Wow... what a difference,"_ ProtoMan thinks to himself. Usually, Wily would accuse _him_ of screwing it up, but tonight he praised him, in front of the other Robot Masters too.  
>But, even that can't snap Proto out of his mood and he walks away.<p>

"Proto, my boy, Where are you going?" Wily asks.

"Goin' to get some air," he answers, pressing onward.

Dr. Wily looks back at his creation as he walked away. He's never seen ProtoMan act quite like this before.

* * *

><p>Outside Skull Fortress, ProtoMan stands alone as a warm breeze rustles his yellow scarf and he stares at the empty black sky through his cracked visor, thinking of Mega Man.<p>

Mega didn't have to save him back there. He could have let him drown in the molten. And judging by the fury in Mega's eyes earlier, Proto was sure he would have.  
>But, he didn't let him die... and ProtoMan wonders why he didn't.<p>

Was it the same feeling he has for Mega himself that made him not kill him? Was it just because Mega Man is the good guy?

ProtoMan takes his scarf off and removes a piece of paper that he had hidden inside it.  
>It is the front page ripped off of the newspaper with Mega Man and ProtoMan standing together as a team and as brothers and not as emenies, with the headline <em>"PROTOMAN TURNS ON WILY!"<em> in large bold letters above the image.

There it was. ProtoMan's dream come true - or what it could have been - captured in that photograph for all enternity.

He stands there, staring at that image, wondering what could have been.

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York.<strong>

Under cover of night, Mr. Black drives away from the Robot Construction and Repair factory.

Noting that not a single police until is in pursuit, he finally removes his mask, revealing his face once again, and drops it in the passenger seat as he keeps his eyes on the road.

As he drives, he has the police communication feed dialed in and it can be heard through the car's radio speakers.

_"Control, this is Policebot MB-85. Units have arrived to the Robot Construction and Repair factory. A severe molten metal spill has ocurred here, fire units are needed. Governor-Elect Deacon and Dr. Thomas Light are on the site and have minor injuries."_

_"Roger that, MB-85. Fire units will be dispatched to your location immediately,"_ replies a human officer on the radio.

_"Hang on a second there, 85, this is Toombs,"_ says the voice of Chief Montgomery Toombs on the radio,_"How the heck is Deacon over there when he's at his campaign headquarters in Manhattan?"_

_"Governor Elect Deacon claims he was switched with a robot duplicate of himself, Chief. Dr. Light claims the same,"_ replies MB-85,_ "Visual scans would confirm this."_

_"A'right. all units at Deacon's headquarters, take care of that piece of business,"_ Toombs instructs.

_"Copy that. We're on it now, Chief,"_ replies an officer back at Deacon's headquarters, ready to deal with Dr. Wily's fake Deacon.

Toombs continues, _"85, any sign of Wily or this Mr. Black fella there at the factory?"_

_"Checking now, Cheif,"_ replies MB-85.

Mr. Black listens intently to the radio as nearly a minute passes.

_"Negative, Chief. No sign of either suspect," _MB-85 answers.

_"And what about our boy Mega Man? Tell me he's okay," _Toombs asks.

_"Mega Man is alive. He appears to have minor damage, but is alright," _Replies MB-85.

Mr. Black tightens his grip on the steering wheel.  
>His target is still out there, and he's not very pleased.<p>

Maybe if it hadn't been for that security guard back there, maybe he could have pulled this off and been done with this mission.

Mr. Black's illegally modified black car arrives to his living space: an abandoned warehouse in a sparcely occupied part of town.  
>He has chosen to live here until his mission is complete, because the probability of completeing his mission is much higher here, because the majority of "incidents" take place here.<p>

Mr. Black pulls his car into the warehouse's parking garage and is submerged in darkness.  
>And it is here where he will stay until the time comes to strike again.<p>

We know what he looks like... but, we still don't truly know who Mr. Black is... and that's how he prefers it.

"Luck runs out... and so will yours," Mr. Black says to himself, like he were talking to his targets, as the garage door slams shut.

* * *

><p><strong>Robot Construction and Repair factory.<strong>

Fire and emergency managment crews have arrived are still hard at work trying to cool off the molten metal spill as much as they can.  
>Thankfully, there were no other casualties here, aside from the duplicates.<p>

The real Mitchell Deacon is on his phone speaking with his chief of staff. "They did?... and they found all of the PoliceBots too? Good work. I'll be there shortly. We can have a proper victory celebration."

Deacon ends the call and approaches Dr. Light and Roll. "Well, Doctor, I just got word that my duplicate has been taken care of."

"That's very good news, Mitchell," Thomas says, "I don't think you'll have to worry about Dr. Wily pulling a stunt like that again. He tends not to repeat the same tactic twice."

"I hope not. I should go, I've got a victory speach to give back at Headquarters..." Deacon stops as he looks over to Mega Man, who is standing off in the distance.  
>"Tell Mega Man I owe all of you one," Deacon concludes, as he shakes Dr. Light's hand, "After tonight, if there's anything any of you need, I'm jst a phone call away."<p>

As Deacon leaves, Thomas looks over to his son Mega Man and worries about him...

* * *

><p>Mega Man is hunched over the guard rail above the water below, his back turned to everybody, staring down at the rippleing water down below him, looking somber.<br>His armor is still scorched and damaged from all of the abuse it took today, and his unruly brown hair is still damp.  
>Aside from asking his family if they were alright, Mega Man hasn't spoken to anybody since leaving the factory. He hasn't even moved from this spot for almost a half an hour.<p>

His mind has been stuck on ProtoMan's betrayal, but his thoughts keep going back to the fight in the factory.

Mega Man was sure there was no way he could hold onto that slab any longer and that it was ProtoMan who saved him from dying... but that doesn't make the pain of what Proto did this week any better.

When Proto talked about his feelings, he sounded so convincing and so sincere. But, he wasn't... it was just another lie. Another Dr. Wily style manipulation.

Mega wonders how ProtoMan could lie to him, his own brother? He wonders how he could stab him in the back like this when previously he had wanted Mega to be his his brother and ally.

And it's not just Mega Man himself that ProtoMan betrayed. He lied to Roll, Dr. Light, Rush and everybody else in the entire world too.

What hurts the most is that Mega put his heart and soul out there and let ProtoMan know how he truly felt... and yet, Proto still spit on only that, but he planted the scrambler chip on him, tortured him with ElecMan's electricity and left him to die.  
>He was also preapred to watch Roll, Dr. Light and Rush die too... he was going to let his own family get <em>murdered!...<br>_all because Dr. Wily told him to.

ProtoMan may be rotten to the core...but, he's still Mega's brother... and maybe ProtoMan feels the same way about him... maybe Proto is just another one of Wily's victims...  
>but, when push came to shove, ProtoMan chose Wily over having Mega and his real family in his life.<p>

Mega closes his eyes and thinks of his brother, allowing himself to reflect on the events of the past two days, replaying several moments in his memory...

_... Mega Man muses, "I guess we don't have to fight anymore, do we?"_

_ProtoMan barely smiles, "No, we don't. Those days are done"..._

_... ProtoMan admits,"the only reason I did come back was to try and make things better between you and me."..._

_... "We_ can _be brothers! Just give me a chance. It'll take time, but, everything will be back to normal."..._

_... Mega Man says, "For the first time in my life, I'm proud to call you my brother... and I'm really glad you came home."_

_ProtoMan replies, "I'm proud to say you're _my_ brother, Rock. I've kinda always been proud."..._

_...Mega asks, "You could have killed me here and won the war for Wily... if you're so loyal, why didn't you?"_

_"I couldn't, Rock... because I... I'll see you soon, bro"..._

Mega Man feels the lubrication underneath his eyelids overflowing. He then opens his eyes and feels the liquid begin to run down his face.  
>Mega was so lost in his memories, he didn't even know he was crying until now.<p>

Over the course of the past eighteen months, Mega has been shot, beat-up and had many other bad things happen to him... but this betrayl hurt Mega worse than any physical injury he has ever sustined.  
>And it hurts deep.<p>

"How could you do this, Proto?", Mega whispers, his voice barely keeping together as more tears escape from behind his blue eyes.

Mega hears his family walking up behind him and he suqeezes his eyelids shut and wipes the eye lubrication from his face to hide his pain.  
>He didn't want them to see him like this. Roll would probably chastise him for crying over ProtoMan, and Dr. Light would probably be worried sick about him.<br>Not to mention the press and citizens that have gathered.  
>So, like always, he has to keep his feelings bottled up and put on the bravest face he can... but tonight, it's so just too hard to do that.<p>

"We need to change all of the security passcodes to the lab when we return home, and all of the locks just in case," Dr. Light says.

"Will do," Roll replies, then adding, "I still can't believe I fell for ProtoCreep's good guy line."

"He tricked us all, Roll", Dr. Light says, looking over to Mega Man, "And he hurt us all... some more than others."

Mega Man stands still. Not moving, sure to not let his family see how wet his face is from the tears that just won't stop flowing.

Then, he feels Dr. Light's hand on his right shoulder, and he feels Roll put her hand on his left and Rush nudging himself up against his leg.

Mega Man may not have his brother... he may never have his brother, but he still has the family he has always known.  
>And he's going to need them more than he ever has before.<p>

"I want to go home," Mega Man says behind his closed, tear-filled eyes, hoping to get away from the public eye and attempt to put this horrible week behind him.

The war for everlasting peace still goes on, however...  
>and the scars obtained from this battle may last for a very long time.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Despite the ongoing fuzzy monitor issue, I have finished "Brothers" (or Bro Bots) at last, but the "Defender of the Human Race" saga is far from over!  
>N<em>ow... <strong>Year Three begins.<strong>__

_Thank you to all of my reviewers: Lalalei, DestinyZX, BlackRussian, Gancena, Dragolord09, DrakedarkBlade, WindGoddess Rune and Dragon Raptyr.  
>(And Kuraselache, I hope you're still doing okay.)<br>And thank you everybody for continueing to read this series. I hope that you will continue the voyage as we carry into Year Three, at long last._

_Now, if you will excuse me, I need to begin planning **Episode 6**..._ _and the interlude for it too... _this_ could take a while.  
>Not way too long though. :)<em>

_If you want to keep up on status reports, keep an eye on the Update Blog on the profile page or look at the Twitter page (**MMDefender**)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment._


	62. Interlude: Struggling

_**Interlude: Struggling**_

* * *

><p><strong>November 20X2. The Day after the events of<strong> _**"Brothers."**_

It has been nearly a full day since the gubernatorial elections, but the people of the United States aren't talking about the election results. Instead, they are focused on ProtoMan's betrayal of his brother Mega Man and the world.  
>And some members of the media will not shut-up about it...<p>

_"I told you so!"_ clamors Dick Ferguson on the set of his 'news program' known as The Ferguson Determinant, waving his finger in our faces, _"I told you, I told you, I told you!"_

The graphic next to Dick reads, **"He told you so!"**

_"Just last night, I correctly predicted that ProtoMan, who by the way is Dr. Albert Wily's right hand robot, was not to be trusted! And everybody - aside from you, my loyal followers - didn't believe me. But, I was right once again!"_

**"Dick Ferguson is greater than Nostradamus,"** the graphic reads.

_"The sooner you people believe in my sage words, the better off you will be!_" Ferguson continues, _"And you can read all about my bold prediction in my new book which will be out in time for the Holiday season, entitled **'Called it!: How I knew ProtoMan was always evil'**  
>And if you order now, you'll get a 'Ferguson Determinant coffee mug and t-shirt for-"<em>

The channel is changed, mercifully saving us from Dick Ferguson running his mouth.  
>Instead, we now see channel 7's continuing coverage of ProtoMan's betrayal.<br>We see Bree Recotta standing in front of the site of the Robot Construction and Repair factory, where crews are still working to repair the factory now that the molten spill is finally under control.

_"Hours ago, Dr. Albert Wily managed to take over the factory behind me, where he reportedly stored several robot duplicates of several elected officials, including Governor-Elect Mitchell Deacon,"_ Bree reports.  
>"The<em> real Mitchell Deacon was kidnapped along with Dr. Thomas Light and brought here to be executed until Mega Man arrived and saved them. In an interesting development, there was one security guard on duty at the time who was seriously injured, but he claims to not remember much of what took place here last night.<br>But, the most shocking news involves ProtoMan, who was secretly still working for Dr. Wily the whole time.  
>He lied to us all... worse yet, we all believed him."<em>

The television in the family room of Dr. Light's house is shut off by Mega Man, whose damage has since been repaired but is still without his helmet, which was lost in the battle with ProtoMan last night.

While Mega Man saved his family and Governor-Elect Mitchell Deacon from certain death, Mega has been deeply affected by his brother's betrayal and the past 24 hours have been like being caught in an emotional tornado.

But, right now, Mega is feeling an emotion that he hasn't felt as strongly in the past: Depression.  
>He has been feeling like this ever since last night, and hearing constant reminders of the betrayal isn't helping him either.<p>

"I can't take all of this talk about ProtoMan anymore," he sighs as he leaves the house to go to Dr. Light's lab right next door.  
>"Maybe some time with my <em>real<em> family will help."

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, when Mega arrives to the lab, the first thing he hears is yet another reminder of ProtoMan, coming from his sister Roll, who is angry about the whole situation, unable to concentrate on her college studies.<p>

"He lied to us!" Roll snears as she sits in front of the lab's computer station, boiling with anger, "I can't believe ProtoMan lied to us... then again, yes I can. It's the only thing he knows how to do... I _hate_ him!"

"Now Roll, _hate_ is a very harsh word," Thomas says, trying to calm his daughter down.

"Well, that's how much it's burning inside of me!" Roll replies, still fired up, "How do you think poor Mega feels? After everything that red creep has done, I could bash his circuits in with my bare hands right now... he even used my little Doc to try and win me over... I really, _really_ hate ProtoMan!"

Roll lets out a frustrated "ARGH!" sound as she slams her palms on the table and bolts out of her chair.  
>She storms off, only to nearly bump into her good brother Mega Man as soon as she walks away.<p>

"Oh! Sorry, Mega... I didn't hear you come in," Roll says, trying to calm down.

"Rock, are you feeling better today?" Thomas asks as he steps up to his son.

"... I don't know, Dr. Light," Mega answers, looking down.

"Hey, don't feel bad, Mega," Roll says, "You've still got us You don't need that ProtoScum anyway. And the next time that backstabber shows his face, we'll both take him apart!"

Roll balls her fists as she talks, looking like she's ready to fight ProtoMan right now.  
>Mega Man on the other hand begins to look noticably uncomfortable as listens to Roll present the idea of having to face ProtoMan again.<p>

Seeing his son's body language change, Thomas steps up and tries to settle this situation down.  
>"Roll, why don't you try to calm yourself and return to your studies. I'll have a word with your brother in private."<p>

Roll nods, giving Mega a pat on his shoulder.  
>"Remember," she says, "I get at least two shots at that ProtoBastard next time."<p>

Thomas' grey eyeebrows skyrocket when he hears his daughter use strong language in his presence.  
>"Watch your mouth young lady, or you're back on housekeeping duty indefinately!" Thomas sternly advises, pointing his finger at her.<p>

"I'm sorry, Dr. Light," Roll apologizes, looking shamed.

"I understand that you're both having difficulty whith what happened yesterday... I am too," Thomas says, "But, we can't let him get to us. That's what Wily wants, and I don't want that madman getting the better of my children... you're both better than that."

Mega and Roll listen to their father's advise and Roll calms herself down.

"Rock, come with me outside while Roll continues her studies," Thomas says.

* * *

><p>Just outside the lab in the corridor that adjoins the lab to the house, Mega Man and Thomas stand here and have their alone.<p>

"Please tell me how you are feeling," Thomas implores.

"Terrible," Mega confesses, leaning himself against a titanium wall and staring down at his large feet.

"What happened between you and him last night?" Thomas asks, as he never learned about what took place at the factory after the molten spill began.

"... we almost killed eachother," Mega replies.

Thomas listens with great concern as Mega continues, "We battled in the middle of that lava spill. I had so much anger in me, it didn't take very much to to get me to start fighting him... it was horrible. My life was in his hands and his was in mine... but, we both saved eachother's lives in the end... and afterwards, I asked him why he did this to us... he said he did it because Wily told him to... like that was the only reason."

"Your brother is under Albert's control," Thomas reminds his son, "He probably didn't want to do any of this, but his programming ordered him to."

"Is that why he fried me?" Mega asks, looking sad, "Is that why he left us all to die back there? At some point, he could've said 'no'... he didn't have to do any of this."

Mega's voice trails off as he closes his eyes, trying to hide the sadness and pain inside those eyes.

Thomas steps closer to his son and puts his hand on his shoulder, letting him know he has his support so that he could keep hopefully his spirit up.

"Your brother doesn't have the freedom to make all of his own choices like your sister and you have," Thomas says, "Somewhre inside, he _had_ to have known that what he was doing was wrong. I refuse to believe that Blues is doing this all of his own free will. But, I do believe that there is still a piece of that innocent boy I created inside of him."

"I want to believe you, Dr. Light," Mega sighs, "but I don't think he'll ever leave Wily now... that monster's got him right in the palm of his hands."

Mega begins to walk away, but Dr. Light tries one more time to help his son.

"Don't give up hope, Rock... you never have before," Thomas calls.

Mega looks back to Dr. Light. "It's getting harder to do that, father."

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>  
><strong>New York City Police Precinct.<strong>

Officer Lynn Wersching arrives to the station in full uniform, but she is not here to begin her duty for the day. She is here to face her punishment for her behavior at Mitchell Deacon's campaign headquarters two days ago, when she physically attacked William Cochran when he arrived to the building.

She went after William because she was sure that he was the behind the mask of Mr. Black, the infamous masked terror... but, she is sorely mistaken.

Lynn is sure that she will get a stiff punishment for how she handled herself. Footage of this blow-up has already hit the news and is probably embarrassing to the department.

Wersching enters the a hearing room and sees her superiors sitting on a panel behind a wooden desk, including Police Chief Mongomery Toombs, Captain Talia Tallarico, Sgt. Reese, Commander Rolfe and Lieutenant Walker.

"Do you have anything to say before our decision is made, Officer Wersching?" asks Chief Toombs.

Lynn replies, "I make no excuses for my actions Tuesday night. I let personal matters get in the way of my duty, and I apologize for my unprofessional behavior."

"In your statement, you claim you attacked the subject, William Cochran, because you believe he was the individual you encountered in October who calls himself Mr. Black," says Captain Tallarico as she looks over her notes from behind her glasses.

"Yes, the guy who's going around and hacking into people's minds," Lynn confirms.

"Ever since you and Officer QN-60 found the 'Humans Against Robots' propaganda at Andre Rozhenko's mansion, Mr. Cochran has been under investigation by the F.B.I., Virginia State Police and this Police Department," explains the Captain, "Nobody has been able to find any evidence that would link him to the Mr. Black crimes. Tuesday's events may now confirm that he is not man behind the mask."

"What? How?", Lynn asks, perplexed.

"Are you aware that Mr. Cochran was in the custody of Federal Agents at the time when Dr. Thomas Light reported a person matching this Mr. Black's description was seen outside the Robot Construction and Repair factory?" asks Tallarico.

This was the first Lynn had heard of this. "No, I haven't heard that. But, that doesn't mean anything, Captain," Lynn argues "What if he's the one in charge of all this? Why else would a noted robot racist show up at the campaign headquarters of a well-known robot supporter?"

"Officer Wersching, I suggest you refrain from letting your emotions get the better of you again," says the Captain, "We are straying from the purpose of this hearing. Officer Wersching, it is clear that you have let your personal problems distract you from performing your duty in an efficiant manner, and not just at Governor-Elect Deacon's campaign headquarters, but also at various times in the past month."

"You bet it has," Lynn replies with anguish, "I admit, I haven't been thinking clearly lately, because I'm worried something's happened to my brother. I have tried to focus on my job, and I can't... because I'm scared."  
>Lynn continues as one lone tear escapes her eyes, "So, whatever you feel you have to do, just do it and get it over with."<p>

The panel members glance at eachother, then back to Lynn. It is judgment time.

"Chief Toombs, would you read the results?" asks Captain Tallarico.

"I refuse to read 'em under protest," the Scottish Chief replies, "You do it."

Lynn feels nervous. This can't be good if the Chief refuses to read it.

"Very well," says the Captain, turning to Lynn, "Officer Wersching, you have proven to be an excellent officer. And if you so choose, we would be pleased to continue having you as our colleague. But, your recent actions have been unacceptable. This decision is not unanimous, but this board has voted 3 votes to 2 in favor of your immediate suspension from active duty. Your return date has not yet been determinated. After you leave this room, you are to leave your badge and I.D. card with the equipment manager. We are sorry, Officer. But, this is a decision that had to be made for the integrity of this department."

Lynn appears to be calm after hearing this decision, but it's still a shock. This is the first time she's ever been suspended for anything.

"... I understand," she nods, accepting her punishment.

Various members of the board leave, but Chief Toombs remains and approaches her and hugs her.

"It'll be okay, kid," Toombs says.

"You voted for me to stay didn't you?", Lynn asks.

"Aye, lass," The Chief confirms, "I'd've done the same thing you did."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

Lynn is now in her civilian clothing and leaves her badge and I.D. card with Cecil, the equipment manager.

Her partner QN-60 approaches her and she smiles when she sees him.

"You happen to know how long this suspension lasts?" she asks.

"One month, twenty nine days, twenty three hours, and 47 minutes," QN-60 replies, "I must stress, that is not an exact calculation. If I may speak 'off the record' as you put it, I think the length of the suspension was a bit much."

"I need time away from here... I've got a brother to go find while I'm gone," Lynn says, "If you find him first, let me know, okay?"

"I will, partner," 60 replies.

Wersching gives 60 a big hug and leaves the station, off to find her younger brother Castor.  
>Hopefully she is not too late.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In his workshop, Dr. Albert Wily is currently working on an upgrade for the unique Robot Master known as Dark Man.

This upgrade was meant to have been Dark Man's key ability, but it did not work properly when it was first installed. As a result, Dark Man was forced to partake in his first mission without it.  
>Dark Man's first mission was Dr. Wily's catacalismic use of the tachyon pulse projector to pull the moon closer to Earth, dubbed by the media as <strong>'The Day The Moon Fell'.<strong>

"I'll be damned if a money shortage is going to stop me from taking over the world!" Wily grumbles to himself, "I will use all of the weapons that I have... and I _will_ win."

In the middle of Wily's work, Metal Man carves his way into the room with his metal blade and kicks the door down.

Dr. Wily snaps, "Metal Man, what the hell are you doing? You ruined the door! ... And can't you see I'm working?"

"You never told us that ProtoMan hadn't turned!" Metal Man rasps, "Our team was led into a trap for the sake of so-called _realism._ You lied to us, and I want to know why! Now!"

Wily stands up to Metal Man and barks, "Yes! I admit, I hid the truth from you and the others, for the good of my plans to take over the world. I couldn't take the chance of any of you blowing this mission!"

"And yet, we failed anyway," Metal Man replies, "And it was ProtoMan, the robot you trust the most, who failed this mission... and it will be ProtoMan who will ultimately cost you the most. He is too dangerous to keep in your army."

Albert's beady eyes narrow. "Are you questioning my authority?" he seethes, "I don't like it when my minions try to make my decisions for me! I am going to tell you what I've told ProtoMan... _I_ am your leader!" Wily barks, pointing his finger in Metal Man's face, "And you _will_ follow my commands without question, whether you like it or not! ... I know you Metal Man, you don't want to be a _heretic_, do you?"

Metal Man's evil glowing red eyes dim slightly and he kneels before Dr. Wily, on bended knee and bowing his head.

"No, Master Wily," Metal Man obeys.

"I didn't think you were," Wily says, "Now_,_ you will never bring up this susject again. And you will_ never_ question my authority."

"Yes, Master," Metal Man surrenders.

A wicked smile forms on Albert's face, knowing that he has Metal Man in the palm of his hands, just like all of his other robots... just like he seemingly has ProtoMan too.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the fortress, in his personal quarters (which are a far cry from what his bedroom was like at Dr. Light's house,) ProtoMan lies on his back atop of his stolen matress, staring at the dimly lit ceiling without his yellow scarf or his visored helmet on.<p>

Proto's grey and red armor still sports the damage he sustained during the battle he had with Mega Man back at the factory the other night. He hasn't even allowed himself to be repaired despite Wily's sugestion that he should.

Proto has been acting very distant since the conclusion of the near-fatal encounter with his brother. He has hardly spoken to Wily since then and hasn't bothered with any of the Robot Masters.

Proto picks up his damaged helmet, still sporting the large crack down the middle of his visor that was put there by Mega Man.

Just looking at the damaged visor makes Proto think about the events of the past few days. He dwells on Mega's revelation that he always wanted to have a real brother-to-brother relationship with him.  
>But, like a gong ringing in his head, he can still hear Mega harshly rejecting his latest proposal to join his side, calling him a liar and saying that Proto would never be his brother.<p>

Proto knows for sure that Mega Man will never truly be turned willingly. The only way Mega Man and ProtoMan would ever be on the same side was if Mega would be captured and reprogrammed... but, it wouldn't be the same if Wily just turned him into another Robot Master.

The only other way they would ever be on the same side would involve Proto going back to Dr. Light for real, which in Proto's mind _isn't_ an option. (Even if it was, it certainly wouldn't be an option anymore after what he pulled.)

"Why the hell do you have to be so damn stubborn, Rock?" Proto sighs, "... 'cause you're my brother, that's why."

Proto puts his damaged helmet down and continues staring up at the ceiling.

He is not anticipating having to face his little brother again... but, he knows the time will come when he will have to.  
>Because Wily will tell him to.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex<strong>.

Earlier today, Mega Man met with Governor-Elect Mitchell Deacon and went over plans to help with security on the day of his inauguration in January.

Roll was with Mega when they met Deacon today and watched him closely. Mega seemed like his usual self again when he was out in public, but when he's at home he was back to being his brooding silent self again.

She's been worried a lot about Mega since Election Tuesday, because he has usually been spending long ammounts of hours on the roof of the lab or locked away in his room. And when she did see Mega around the house, he always looked like something was bothering him, probably ProtoMan.

Mega's mood has even begun to affect those around him. Poor Rush has wanted to play with Mega all week, but Mega said he wasn't feeling good or that they would do it tomorrow.

Tonight, Rush was slumped next to Roll as she played one of her video games on the televsion in the family room.

Mega had come inside from the lab, immediately taking off his new helmet, an exact replacement for the one that was lost.

Rush immediately perked up when he saw Mega and picked up a blue frisbie with his mouth and running over to him.  
>Rush stopped in front of Mega and dropped the frisbie on the floor and barked up to him, wagging his tail.<br>He still wanted to play.

"Not right now, boy," Mega moped, "I'm sorry... maybe I'll feel up to it tomorrow."

Mega gave Rush a pet on his head, but Rush looked so disappointed and sad as Mega walked away. Rush whined as his ears and tails drooped and he sulked his way back to Roll, looking sad because his master didn't want to play with him.

Roll lets out a sharp sigh, angry that Mega's jerk of a brother has gotten the beter of him, and now it's getting the better of everybody.

Roll shuts the game off and tries to comfort poor Rush.  
>"Hey, it's okay, boy. Mega's not mad at you," she coos, tickling behind Rush's ears on his helmet, "he's just not... himself. I'll go see what's the matter with him."<p>

* * *

><p>Roll makes her way to her brother's bedroom elsewhere in the house, carefully sneaking her way over to not make too much noise.<p>

She stops right in front of Mega's door, which was locked. Roll had a feeling that he probably would put on the same 'everything's alright' act he used with Deacon this week if she tried to talk to him, so she boosted her advanced audio sensors in her ears to listen in on him.

She was certain that her brother would be stark raving mad, fuming with anger like she was, ready to blast Proto into next week and take out Wily while he was at it... but, what she heard on the other side of the door was just the opposite.

Instead, it sounded like Mega was painfully weeping his heart out inside his room. And over time, the weeping sounding even more painful, like his soul was wounded... wounded by his own brother ProtoMan.

Overwhelmed by hearing just how bad her brother has really been hurting all along, Roll could feel her own tears flowing from her eyes as she desperately kept her own sobs suppressed.

Roll presses her hand up against her brother's door, wishing that she could just barge in and hug him until his pain goes away. But, she already felt bad for eavesdropping on him like this, so she didn't.

Roll soon step away from her brother's locked bedroom, wiping away her won tears, wishing that all of the pain and heartache would just go away forever.

"Damn you, ProtoMan," she weeps.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next day.<strong>  
><strong>Cossack Family Citadel.<br>Moscow, Russia.**

All the way on the other side of the world, as her father is making preperations for the International Science Conference to be held in New York in January, Kalinka Cossack is making her own preperations for the big day.

Kalinka stands inside of her bedroom walk-in closet (which happens to have a walk-in closet inside of the walk-in closet,) trying on different articles of clothing, because she wants to look her best when she finally meets her hero Mega Man in a few short weeks.

She has been anticipating this day for a while now, daydreaming about the big moment. In fact, she is even learning how to improve her English before arriving to America and one of the Citadel's robot assistants is standing outside of her closet, reciting basic English phrases for Kalinka to recite.

"Хорошего дня," The Robo-Tutor speaks in Russian, before translating the words into English, "Have a Nice Day."

From inside the closet, Kalinka attempts to repeat the phrase in broken English, "Have nice day?"

"That is incorrect, Miss Kalinka," the tutor says, "You dropped the 'A.' Please try it again."

Kalinka sighs, "... have... _a_... nice day."

"That is correct, Miss Kalinka," says the robo-tutor.

Kalinka steps out of the walk-in closet wearing a black skirt, beige boots, a red coat an an Ushanka - the furry Russian hat- atop of her head. In her native Russian, she asks the Robo-Tutor, "How do I look in this outfit?"

"Why, you look resplendant, Miss Kalinka," replies the robot.

"Yeah, and Father built you, so you would say I looked great even if I had a big zit on my nose," Kalinka groans, "I just want to look good for when I meet Mega. The first thing I am going to do is give him a big hug, after what that nasty ProtoMan did. If I ever came accross that traitor, I would... nevermind. Continue lessons."

As Kalinka checks her outfit out in the morror, the tutor continues, "подводных морских судов," then translates, "Underwater sea vessels."

Kalinka guesses the phrase in her broken English, "... underwater sea... _wessels_?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Thomas is busy working on a new invention while Roll continues her studies at the computer console. Meanwhile, Rush is seated next to Roll, still keeping the frisbie right next to him.  
>The only sound heard in the lab is the sound of Dr. Light's classical Beethoven music playing on the lab's digital music player.<p>

While it may _look_ like a normal day around the lab, it clearly isn't because everybody has been affected by Mega's depression issues.

"Have you seen Mega today, Dr. Light?", Roll asks, sounding concerned.

"Not today, I haven't... I wish he would come down here," Thomas replies.

"Dr. Light... I don't mean to bother you... but, do you know how bad Mega is taking this?"

"I do, yes," Thomas replies, "I talk to him whever I can, but he usually want to be to himself."

"... he doesn't talk to _me_ about how he's doing," Roll sighs, feeling like Mega is keeping her in the dark about his problems.  
>The reason why is because Mega has never felt comfortable talking about ProtoMan with his sister because of her hatred for him, especially following the events of Election Day.<br>Mega always feels more comfortable talking with his father Dr. Light when that subject comes up.

Finally, Mega Man enters the lab and all eyes turn to him.

"Good morning, everybody," Mega says, trying to sound normal.

Roll gets right up and wraps her arms tightly around Mega, giving him the hug she wished she could have given him last night.

Mega looks taken aback by his sister's sudden hug.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Mega," Roll chokes, "You don't need to be sad. You've still got the three of us."

"She's right," Thomas agrees, stepping up to Mega and Roll.

Mega hugs Roll back and replies, "I know I haven't been doing well lately... I'm sorry. I'm gonna need you guys helping me pull through this."

"Well, you do have me, son," Thomas smiles.

"You've got me too," Roll adds.

Rush makes a soft bark, nudging himself up against Mega's right. He's here too.

"Thanks, guys," Mega says, barely letting out a half smile.

The Light family embrace eachother, once again right there to support eachother in a difficult time, just like they always have.

Just like they always will.

* * *

><p><strong>December 20X2.<br>Abandoned Warehouse.**  
><strong>Somewhere near Brooklyn.<strong>

Almost totally submerged in darkness, except for the shine of the moon peering in through the windows, sits an unmasked Mr. Black.

The mysterious man is seated in a chair and reading an old hardcover book of _Paradise Lost,_ using the moonlight as he only lumination. _Paradise Lost_ is a book that Mr. Black has been reading a lot of in recent months, even though he's already read it several times.

The place is totally silent, with the only sound coming from Mr. Black's own breathing.

Mr. Black is seated near a radio, which is illegally modified to intercept the feed of the N.Y.P.D.'s top secret connection, which is meant to keep sensitive information from leaking to the public (and Dr. Wily.)  
>While the police is becoming proactive in trying to prevent Wily attacks, it is still not covert enough to prevent Mr. Black from finding out what their next move will be.<p>

The radio had been silent all night, without a single bulletin being sent out, until a voice chirps, _"Science conference is confirmed to be held at Sedgewick Hotel, January 10, 20X3."_

Mr. Black's head snaps away from the book to face the radio and he listens sharply. This is the information he's been waiting to obtain for weeks.

_"Attentees will include Doctors Light, Cossack, Wagner, Waltz, Umlaut. These people are of extreme importance and must be protected when they arrive to this area. This information is not to be released to the public until furthor notice,"_ the voice on the radio concludes.

Mr. Black closes his book and sets it down on a table, right on top of another book he has been reading lately, _Moby Dick_. and grabs his untraceable phone, dailing the number of the fancy five-star Sedgewick Hotel in Manhattan. He is sure that this was the _Sedgewick_ that was referenced on the police feed.

_"Sedgewick Hotel,"_ answers the robo-receptionist.

In a perfectly civilian tone, Mr. Black replies, "Good Evening, would I be able to reserve a suite for the week of January 10th?"

_"Checking, sir,"_ replies the Robo-receptionist, _"... I am sorry, sir. All suites have been reserved on the week of January 10th, 20X3."_

"That's what I thought," Mr. Black says, then hangs up once his suspicions are confirmed. The International Science Conference _will_ be his next best chance to take out his targets.

"There is no escape... not this time," Mr. Black says as he stands in front of his window, staring off at the city outside of it.

* * *

><p><strong>New Year's Eve 20X2.<br>Minutes before midnight.  
>Times Square, New York.<strong>

Despite the freezing cold, a massive crowd of people has gathered here to celebrate the new year, and re hooting and cheering as they clog up the streets.

Ever since the initial Dr. Wily attack took place here nearly two years ago, the New Years celebration has had a somber wrinkle to it. Over by where the attack started - directly over the spot where Bomb Man placed a bomb that killed several innocent people on a subway train down below - twenty two lit candles remain, representing all of the humans that died in the attack that day.

The ever constant threat of another Dr. Wily attack is not enough to keep people from here however, especially since their chosen defender Mega Man is here.

For the second year in a row, Mega Man will do the honors of overseeing the ball-dropping to ring in the new year. With him are Dr. Light Roll and Rush, as well as the new Mayor-Elect of New York City, a balding heavy-set african-American man with eyeglasses named Ray Greene and Governor-Elect Mitchell Deacon.

The new Mayor - whose balding head is covered by a winter hat - steps up to Mega Man and shakes his blue hand.  
>"It'll be an honor to work alongside you for the next few years, Mega Man!" Greene says as he shakes Mega's hand.<p>

"Thank you, sir," Mega replies, looking like his old self again.

Even though Mega is looking good tonight, he still has some rough days emotionally, (Thanksgiving being one of the hardest,) but he still has the support of his family to rally around him. Also, it helps seeing all of the people he's assigned to protect out in full force once again.

Clad in a winter coat and ear muffs (both red, of course,) Roll steps up to Mega and asks, "You feeling okay tonight, big brother?"

"Yeah," Mega replies, "Thank you for sticking with me."

"I still wish you would talk to me when something's bothering you," Roll implores, "I'm your sister, you can trust me."

Before they can talk further, the crowd grows even louder as the clock reaches 11:58 PM, two minutes until 20X3.

"Sorry, sis, but I've got New Years duty to take care of," Mega says.

Roll smiles back, happy to see that smile back on her brother's face again.

With his family at his side, and with the newly elected officials to his other side, Mega Man steps up and prepares to power-up the ball for it's big drop.

The crowd goes bananas even more when they see Mega stepping up. And after giving a breif wave to the citizens, Mega presses the button to lower the ball at exactly thirty seconds after 11:59 PM.

As the ball lowers, the crowd roars even loader, until the ball reaches it's final inches. Everybody begins counting down, "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

Once the sparkling ball finishes it run, the crowd cheers, **"Happy New Year!"** as flashing neon signs echo the same sentiment.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Inside his workshop, Dr. Wily is watching the cerimonies on his crummy monitor. Just the mere sight of Mega Man and Thomas Light celebrating with the people of New Year makes his sick.

He huffs and returns to making final adjustments to the upgrade for Dark Man.  
>After extensive tests over the course of of the past two months, this upgrade may finally be ready.<p>

"This had better work," Albert says to himself, "My next plan is riding on it."

Dr. Wily connects the device, which is no bigger than half the size of a computer motherboard, to several pieces of computer equipment in the workshop, including something that looks to be a holographic projector.  
>Afterwards, he grabs a scrapped green robot hand which once belonged to a Sniper Joe unit, and hotwires it to the device.<p>

Once the hand is hotwired to the device, Wily takes his work gloves off and moves to his computer station, still seated in his swivel chair, typing in the command, _'Begin replication process.'_

Albert then grabs the robot hand for several seconds, holding the hand like he was shaking it.  
>Albert then lets go of the hand and watches as the holographic projector shines over the Sniper Joe hand.<br>Seconds later, the hand begins to morph into an exact replication of Dr. Wily's own hand.

"It works!", Wily smiles, barely able to contain his maniacal laughter, "'Happy New Year' indeed!"

He turns to grab his communicator and speaks into it. "Attention, Dark Man. Come to the workshop at once. Your new upgrade is ready to be integrated into your circuits!"

The new year of 20X3 has begun... and it will prove to be the most interesting year of them all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Episode 6 will be coming in the next couple of weeks. It already looks like it's going to be a big one.  
><em>

_Episode 6 will feature Dark Man as a mjaor player in the story and we will see him use his copy ability from Mega Man 5._

_I incorporated a scene from the Roll short story I wrote (entitled "I Pray") into this story, because it was very powerful when I wrote that story.  
>I chose not to adapt <em>all_ of the events depicted in that story into this series because I have other ideas in mind that wouldn't mesh well with it._

_Since we are entering year three, I have included the second Mayor character who was featured in the cartoon episde "Crime of the Century"._

_There are tons off little refeences in the names of the four new Police superiors.  
><em>_The name Tallarico comes from noted video game music composer Tommy Tallarico.  
>Sgt. Reese is a reference to Kyle Reese from The Terminator.<em>_  
>And I think some of you can figure out where the names Rolfe and Walker come from.<br>Also, the Sedgewick Hotel is the name of the hotel Slimer terrorizes in Ghostbusters._

_And yes, when Kalinka said the word "Wessels" that was a reference to Chekov from Star Trek, who could never say the word _"Vessel"_ correctly._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. Also please let me know if there is any typos._


	63. Episode 6: Framed!

_**EPISODE 6: Framed!**_

**The following takes place after the second season of ****the Mega Man cartoon show.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Year is 20X3.<strong>

**It has been two months since the events of Election Day 20X2, and everybody who was at the center of attention has been affected by it in one way or another.**

**After being thwarted many times in his quest to conquer the world, Dr. Albert Wily is now starting to run out of finances to fund his deadly plans and creations, but he is just as determined as ever to succeed, now scraping together what he can for his next master plan to take form.**

**Meanwhile Mega Man, the Defender of the Human Race, is still recovering from the shocking betrayal by his brother ProtoMan, who had claimed he had turned on Dr. Wily, only to reveal that this was all a part of another Wily plan from the start.  
>Dr. Thomas Light and Roll have been supportive of their family member ever since then, helping him deal with bouts of depression he has experienced since the aftermath of his near-fatal encounter with ProtoMan.<strong>

**But nothing can prepare any of them for the events that are about to take place. Events that will prove to be very impactful in the months to come.**

**Year Three of the War for Everlasting Peace could be the most important one of them all... for the wheels of change have begun to turn.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The Storm Before The Storm.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>New Year's Day 20X3.<br>Skull Fortress.**

It is mere hours after the beginning of the new year, 20X3.  
>In his workshop, Dr. Albert Wily is hunched over the prone and inactive body of the Robot Master known as Dark Man. Dark Man hasn't reached his full potential yet because his key ability to mimic anybody he comes in contact with was never implemented into his systems... until now.<p>

Dark Man's 'head' is basically similar to what one would typically find inside a robot's skull, but it is all encased in a transparant bulletproof glass dome. Dark Man has no face, just two glowing yellow eyes below his dome.  
>Right now, the dome piece has been removed by Wily as he is fusing a crucial piece of circuitry to Dark Man's head: the physical replicator.<br>This device will be hardwired to the holographic projector built in Dark Man's dome head and the Robot Master will finally be able to use his special power the way he was always meant to use it.  
>Dark Man's key upgrade is a major part of the mad doctor's latest plot to take over the world. Once the physical copy system is installed, this new plan will go into effect soon thereafter.<br>Wily is certain that this plan will work... it _has_ to work. He literally cannot afford many more failures.

Over the course of the past two and a half years Wily has come up with a great many plots to take over the world, and each of them has failed, miserably. And they have failed because of one single reason: Mega Man.

Wily feels himself getting angry at the thought of that meddling blue pest. He doesn't know what it will take to destroy him... he's damn near unstoppable!

The thought that Mega Man has survived his many plans and weapons of destruction - including the peacekeeping robot known as Gamma, may it rest in peace - makes the mad doctor's blood boil. The fact that Dr. Wily's own personal wealth (almost all of it stolen or made from unsuspecting citizens over the past year via entertainment scams like the Robot Master rock band 'Cold Steel' and the Fun World amusment park,) is nearly depleted, and that isn't helping matters.  
>And if that well runs dry, his quest for world domination could become impossible.<p>

Dr. Wily quickly tries to stiffle that anger as he nears the completion of Dark Man's upgrade. Then, Albert hears the door open behind him and the sound of metallic footsteps follow.

"Will you ever learn to knock?" Wily groans, knowing exactly who the robot is that just walked in.

"I'll get around to it... when I feel like it," replies ProtoMan, whose damage he sustained in the frightening conclusion to Wily's latest plan had long since been repaired, including his helmet's black visor.

"You're supposed to be recharging, my boy," Wily states.

"... I can't sleep," ProtoMan muses, now leaning against the doorframe of the Wily's workshop and folding his arms.

"You've been having trouble sleeping for the past two months!" Wily says, now turning away from his work on Dark Man's cicuits and looking at ProtoMan, "In fact... you haven't been the same ever since the Deacon Opperation. And I have a feeling it's because of your brother! Am I correct?"

ProtoMan turns his head to face Wily's stare, then looks back down to his red feet.

"He almost had me," ProtoMan says, "When that factory was overflowing with lava, we started fighting again... you should've seen it, it was a hell of a fight... but I made a mistake, and he capitalized on it. He almost killed me back there... and it's pissing me off!"

That last part was a lie. There was something else entirely about the Deacon Opperation that has been eating away at ProtoMan.  
>Proto is still having emotional difficulties after he spent those few days living at Dr. Light's lab and almost bonding with his brother Mega Man. He did not get to treasure the time he had with him, because it was just another Wily manipulation.<br>But, Proto wouldn't dare reveal this to Dr. Wily's face.

Wily huffs and turns his attention back to Dark Man's upgrade. "Next time... don't make mistakes," he says.

ProtoMan barely whispers under his breath, "Look who's talkin'"

Wily couldn't even hear ProtoMan's jab over the sound of the fusion welder... if he had, there probably would have been hell to pay.

"So, how's Dome Head doing?" Proto asks about Dark Man.

"He's almost finished," Wily says, "And once he is, my next plan will begin!"

"Okay, let me guess," ProtoMan says with a hint of that wise-ass attitude of his, "It involves that Russian guy who's coming to the U.S. this week, right?"

"Dr. Mikhail Cossack is his name," Wily clarifies, "The _supposed_ genius of Russia... the man who will be humbled by yours truly and grovel at my feet."

"And we're probably gonna be kidnapping his daughter, I take it?" Proto continues.

"Kalinka Cossack," Wily replies, "Mikhail's daughter... she would be a perfect target."

"And finally, you will attempt to destroy my little brother, just like always," Proto concludes.

Wily stops and turns to face ProtoMan again, his face twisting into a crooked grin. "Not quite, Proto... I have something planned for your brother that is much better than simply destroying him!"  
>Wily snickers as he grabs Dark Man's dome and places it back on the robot's head.<p>

ProtoMan looks puzzled by Wily's vague comments. Usually Wily wants to destroy Mega Man or at least grant Proto the chance to try and turn him to Wily's side. He must have something wicked in that warped brain of his.

Dr. Wily grabs a remote and enters a command into it. Afterwards, Dark Man's gold eyes flash, indicating he is awake and online. He stands up and faces Wily.

"Dr. Wily?" Dark Man asks, awaiting a command.

Grinning, Wily replies, "Dark Man, I'd like you to test your new ability."

Dr. Wily extends his hand to Dark Man, like he's about to offer him a handshake. Dark Man looks down at Wily's hand, then reaches and grabs it.  
>Dark Man's domed head begins to glow and within seconds, his body begins to morph into a perfect mimic of Dr. Wily himself! The real Dr. Wily begins to laugh maniacally as he sees the replication of himself standing in front of him.<p>

ProtoMan scoffs, "So, let me get this straight. You're going to copy Cossack and have him attack my little brother so you can frame him, right?"

Dark Wily approaches ProtoMan and smiles with the same wretched grin the real Wily uses. In a perfect copy of Wily's voice, he says, "Dr. Wily never said anything about using me to copy Dr. Cossack!"

Dark Man places his hand on ProtoMan's shoulder and slowly morphs into a perfect copy of ProtoMan, scarf and all. ProtoMan is stunned by this and takes a step back, slackjawed as he stares at his clone.

Dark Proto says, "I'm gonna copy _somebody's_ little bro and frame _him_ instead! Heh, heh!"

As Dr. Wily laughs maniacally, ProtoMan realizes what Dr. Wily and Dark Man are up to. They're going to set-up Mega Man for something he didn't do. It wouldn't be the first time Wily has tried to tarnish Mega's reputation, but he's never done it quite like this.  
>Usually, Proto would be flashing that cocky smirk of his, happy that his brother was about to have yet another headache coming his way. But, not this time.<p>

Proto knows that this is going to be bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<br>JFK International Airport.  
>New York City.<strong>

Much of the eastern United States is currently facing near-blizzard conditions as it is being blanketted in snow. This weather event is being nicknamed by the news media as _**"SNOWPOCALYPSE 20X3."**_  
>When the storm system finally pulls out of the area tomorrow night, New York City may have acquired up to 17 inches of snow in some of the more heavy hit areas.<br>In the 20th century, this would have been a doomsday senario, but with today's technology, the snow will be more of an inconvenience than a major threat.  
>Regardless of the weather, one man was planning to arrive to New York no matter the cost. He did not like to no-show major events.<p>

A small personal jetplane arrives to JFK Airport. The runway has a light coating of fresh snow, but the landing lights are still clearly visable thanks to the built-in thermal heaters built in. Again, the miracles of modern technology are at work. The plane touches down without any problems and comes to a stop.

Members of security for the Russian consulate make their way to the plane, dressed as warm as they can be. With them is the Russian ambassador, a man named Alexi Koenig.

The door of the plane opens and a set of stairs emerges from below the door and extends itself down to the ground. Shortly thereafter, the most brilliant scientist to hail from Russia, Dr. Mikhail Cossack emerges from the plane, wearing a black winter coat over a suit and tie. Cossack adjusts his glasses and inhales the cold air, taking in the unique scent that only freezing cold can smell like.

"American cold air doesn't smell as good as it does in Russia," he says to himself.

Dr. Cossack looks over his shoulder and calls, "Kalinka, it is getting late."

The late teenaged daughter of Dr. Cossack makes her way to the doorway. "Coming, Father," she responds, in her native Russian.

Kalinka places a furry black Ushanka hat atop her head, standing in stark contrast to her shoulder length wavy blonde hair. She is wearing a red winter coat, white gloves, black pants and beige boots, one of the outfits she decided she would wear here when she was preparing for her trip to America. But, she was expecting America to feel a little different than her home country when it came to the climate.

"Here I was expecting warm weather when I got to America," Kalinka sighs.

The Cossacks make their way down the steps leading to the landing strip while his assigned bodygaurds are awaiting them. Kalinka says, now in broken English "I wonder what party scene is like here in America."

Even though she has learned much Enligsh in preperation for her stay here, Kalinka hasn't quite mastered the use of the language like her father has and has a tendency occasionally drop a _'the'_ or an _'a'_ every so often.

Dr. Cossack stops and turns to his daughter, waving his finger at her. "There will be no such foolish behavior while we are here, Kalinka. I do not care if you're old enough to go to university," he says in Russian.

Kalinka groans in Russian, "You are too overprotective, Father."

"I've heard the stories of the twisted youth in this country," Mikhail says, "They make the young people back home seem like tourists! You'll be staying with me or members of the security team throughout our entire stay here."

Kalinka whines, "But, Father-"

"There will be no arguing this, Kalinka," Mikhail interrupts, "It is for your own good."

"You are such a downer," Kalinka mutters, shaking her head.

The Cossacks reach the tarmac and are greeted by the Russian Ambassador. "Mikhail, my old friend!"

"Alexi, a pleasure to see you again," Dr. Cossack, says, shaking his hand.

Mikhail and Alexi are friends dating back thirty years, but their lives took very different paths. Dr. Cossack went into science; Alexi went into politics.

"And little Kalinka, you have grown so much!" Koenig says when he sees Kalinka, "You are more beautiful then I remember."

Kalinka smiles at the compliment and soon, the Ambassador and the Cossacks approach their awaiting limosine, flanked be serval members of Russian security.

"I hear you are in town to attend the Science Conference," Alexi says.

"I am," Cossack replies, "I was going to work on a new project, but... let's just say the deal fell through."

Cossack is referring to the Vick-Tek corporation's failed attempt to sign him to a deal to develop a Robot Warrior for them back in November. But, C.E.O. Marcus Vickers' temper cost got the better of him and Dr. Cossack wanted no part of the foolish American corporation.

"It is not a big loss, Mikhail," Alexi assures his friend, "Their products are junk anyway. I must say however, it will be interesting to finally see Thomas Light and Mikhail Cossack in the same room together," Alexi says.

"Yes, it will indeed," Cossack replies, keeping his professional jealousy for Dr. Light contained as much as possible.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

Dr. Light is prepareing to leave the lab to attend the National Science Conference later tonight. He gathers his notes and takes off his white lab coat, only to put on a black suit jacket which he can barely fit in nowadays.

"I seem to remember this jacket fitting me better two years ago," he says as he looking into a mirror inside the lab.

"I think it's because you've been having too many second helpings at dinner time, Dr. Light!" Mega Man retorts with a smile.

"It is true,son," Thomas says as he turns to the side to se his somewhat ample stomach, "Ever since I reprogrammed Dorris, she's made sure I haven't missed a dinner."

"I'm glad she's programmed for housekeeping again and not assassination," Mega says, recalling the time when Doris the Robo-Maid was reprogrammed by Dr. Wily a year and a half ago, "But, you could say that she's still trying to kill you. She's just doing it with her cooking now."

Dr. Light smiles at Mega Man's joke. It feels good seeing him in a good mood again. After ProtoMan's deception, Mega Man would slip into depressive moods and become distant. Dr. Light had never felt any anger towards his original prototype before, because he always knew that Dr. Wily was manipulating him, and he still believes that to be true. But, after seeing how deeply Mega was hurt, Thomas would catch himself cursing Dr. Wily, who is the man responsible for all of the heartache in both their lives as well as the world.

"Remind me to make some adjustments to Dorris' programming when we return, Rock," Thomas says as he straightens his necktie.

Roll comes over to hand Dr. Light his briefcase and Thomas asks her, "Are you sure you don't want to join us tonight, Roll?"

"Oh, I'm sure," Roll reiterates, "I've got some other plans. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine."

"I hope one day, Roll, that you will attend a meeting like this," Thomas says now turning to leave, "It would have helped you in your studies if you had joined us tonight."

Mega Man, Roll and Rush follow him to the garage.

Dr. Light gets in the driver's seat of the family's red convertable SkyCar, given to them as a gift by the SkyCar corporation as a gift for saving the world.

Mega Man asks, "Are you sure you don't want to hitch a ride on Rush, Dr. Light?"

"I think I'll pass, Rock," Thomas replies, "The last time the boy gave me a ride, I almost lost my footing. If it hadn't been for your sister being there... I shudder to think what would have happened."

As the good doctor closes the driver's side door to the car, Mega Man looks back at Roll. He knows she's up to something because he can see it in her eyes and how anxious she his is for them to leave.

"Take care... try to have _some_ fun!" Roll says.

"Okay... and you be careful too, sis," Mega responds, stepping onto Rush's back, who is already in jet mode.

"Why do you say that?" Roll asks quizically, folding her arms and tilting her head.

Remembering what happened the last time Roll was left home alone, Mega replies, "I think you know why, Roll."

As Mega Man, Rush and Dr. Light soar off, Roll watches them leave, and as soon as they are out of eyeshot, Roll is practially giddy with excitement. She has rarely been home alone since she was first activated.  
>So, what's a ladybot to do?<p>

Roll pulls out her new Captain Fallout and The Atom-Smashers CD she got at the mall earlier today - appropriately titled _"Captain Fallout and The Atom-Smashers"_ (self titled), the sequel to their previous album _"The Chronicles of Brad",_ which featured the hit track _"Who the hell is Brad anyway? (And why should we care about his chronicles?)"_ - and quickly makes her way to the complex's house.

She knows Dr. Light probably mounted security cameras in the lab and she didn't want to be recording doing what she's about to do.

* * *

><p>Roll enters the main family room in Dr. Light's house next to the lab, now clad in blue jeans and a black Captain Fallout shirt, and turns on the sound system and loading the CD into the player.<br>Before the music even starts, Roll pulls her green ponytail holder off, letting her long blonde hair drop down to her waist.

Then, the loud strains of electric guitars start blaring out of the speakers and Roll starts headbanging, whipping her hair in every which direction. Roll has the music so loud, the pulsating subwoofers could be heard well away from the lab complex. To her, it didn't matter, because it felt so good to have fun right now instead of worrying about this awful war.

The name of this particular ditty that is shaking the foundations of the house right now is _"Working Title (working title)"_ ... _surely_ much thought must have gone into that title.

During Roll's thrashing session, her internal sensors inform her that Mega Man is trying to contact her. Roll slows down her headbang and stops the music, taking the time to pull a few strands of her own hair out of her mouth that had happened to land in there.

She presses her communication button on her utility arm and answers, "Hello?"

_"Hey, Sis! I just want to remind you... please don't short out the speakers this time,"_ Mega says.

* * *

><p><strong>Sedgewick Hotel.<strong>  
><strong>New York City.<strong>

Despite the cold and the mounting snow which is still falling down upon the city, the news media and the most brilliant minds in the world have managed to attend the National Science Conference today. As usual, the arrival of Mega Man and Dr. Light sends the press as well as everybody else into a frenzy for a photo or a quick interview.

Mega Man turns around to greet those at the scene and gets the usual wild cheers, but ever since the dilemma with ProtoMan in November, something seems so different about it all now. It was _supposed_ to be both Mega and Proto standing side by side. But, that dream will never be.

As Mega and Light walk inside the hotel to the ballroom where the conference will be taking place, they get their fair share of greetings and thanks from the dignitaries.

The organizer of the conference approaches them. "It is good to see you again, Thomas. And you too Mega Man. I'm sure you have enjoyed the two months of peace."

"I'm trying to, sir," Mega replies.

"I was beginning to forget what peace was like for a brief period of time," Thomas says, "I hope Albert Wily will not show his face again."

The organizer then leads Mega and Thomas to the hotel's ballroom, where the conference will be taking place very soon.

But, after he arrives, Mega Man found himself slowing down a step as he saw Kalinka Cossack standing next to her father, wearing white pants and a light blue blouse, playing with a few strands of her wavy blonde hair. The moment Mega saw Kalinka, he found her to be actually quite beautiful and radiant.

Mega Man has met a lot of famous human women since he started battling Wily, and they were very beautiful... but there is something about_ this girl_ that has captivated him. It's like he can feel himself getting all mushy and tingly inside at the sight of this pretty girl.

The Russian scientist looks up and spots them, while Kalinka still has her attention elsewhere.

"Ah!" the organizer says, "Dr. Mikhail Cossack, meet Dr. Thomas Light and Mega Man!"

Before Dr. Cossack could extend his hand, Kalinka looks up once she heard the name_ Mega Man_ and her green eyes open wide like saucers.

"Mega Man!" she peeps, running toward the hero with her arms outstretched.

Mega is taken aback. Not only is he captivated by thie radiant girl, but she's coming right to him!

Kalinka wraps her arms around Mega's blue titanium body, giving him as tight of a hug as she can. The young lady is in heaven right now as she has finally met her hero.

"You are cutest hero ever! I love you!" she squees in broken english.

Mega Man smiles and replies, "Wow... uh, thanks!"

Dr. Cossack says half-smiling, "I think you are smothering him, Kalinka!"

"That's okay, Doctor. I'm kinda used to this reaction by now", Mega says, as Kallinka keeps her arms wrapped tightly around her hero.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Cossack," Thomas greets.

Dr. Cossack shakes Dr. Light's hand, despite his tinge of professional jealousy he's had for him over the years. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Dr. Light. I've heard all about your work."

Dr. Cossack then shakes Mega Man's hand while Kalinka keeps her hug on the hero.

"And it is an honor to meet with you, Mega Man," Mikhail says, "I must say, however, as strong as an American hero you are, you would be even more powerful if you were Russian!" Mikhail laughs, "The color red would suit you much better."

Mega Man smiles, but the comment about being in the color red takes him back to his issues with ProtoMan. He tries to shake off these thoughts. Now is not the time to slip back into a bad mood. Besides, Kalinka _still_ hasn't let go of him yet, he wouldn't want the young lady to see him act so moody... and for some reason, Mega especially doesn't want to let her down.

Just then, Mega feels somebody's hand touch his right shoulder and then let go.  
>Mega looks over to see who wanted his attention, but everybody else here in the ballroom wasn't looking directly at him... but he does see what looks like a human dressed in a beige trenchcoat and a fedora hat walking away from him.<p>

Mega has a feeling there's something fishy about this guy.

"Excuse me, Kalinka, I've got to go check something out," he says, still keeping his eyes on the guy in the hat.

Kalinka lets go and as Mega Man leaves she turns to her father. "Father, I want to go with Mega!" she says in English.

Dr. Cossack looks "Kalinka-"

"Please, father, just for a few minutes!" she pleas, "It will be more fun than waiting for this conference to start!"

Dr. Cossack thinks it over, and figures that if his daughter is with the Defender of the Human Race, she's probably safer with him than she would be with anybody else.

Mikhail nods, "Just be careful."

Kalinka smiles and quickly leaves to follow her hero.

"When girls reach this age, they can be quite rebellious," Mikhail says to Dr. Light.

"They are indeed. I know from experience," Thomas says, recalling all of the times Roll has either left the house to go on a mission or played her music too loud.

"So, Dr. Light, now that we are in eachother's presence, there is one question I must ask you," Mikhail says, "How did you do it?"

"Do what, exactly?" Thomas asks back.

"How did you create him?" Cossack asks, "Nobody else has been able to develop an A.I. program that learns like a human's quite like the one you developed for Mega Man, and you daughter robot as well."

"I wasn't just another pair of robots, Dr. Cossack," Thomas answers, "I was making my children. And I wanted to give them real life."

Dr. Cossack nods. "I see... no wonder you the best in the world at what you do. I wish that I could accomplish as much."

"If you want, I could share some of my knowledge with you," Thomas offers.

Mikhail's pride, as well as that hint of jealousy, will not allow him to accept such an offer from Light. "No thank you, Doctor. I would much rather achieve that feat on my own."

* * *

><p>Mega Man follows the guy in the coat and sees him leaving the ballroom area and he tries to ignore the various cheers and cries from the attendees and focus on this one guy in the trechcoat.<br>Why would he just come up, tap his shoulder and leave?

Mega Man finally passes the throng of humans he exits the ballroom and tries to spot the trenchcoat guy, but he can't find any trace of him. He has a bad feeling that there's something up... maybe it's the infamous masked terror known as Mr. Black. But how he would have gotten past security, he'd never know.

"Looking for somebody, Mega?" asks the voice of Kalinka Cossack in English.

Mega looks behind him to see Cossack's daughter standing there, still with a big smile on her face. "Shouldn't you be with your father, young lady?" he asks.

"I would rather be with you!" Kalinka says, "More fun than this boring conference."

Mega shrugs, "Okay, but stick close... and keep an eye out for a guy in a trenchcoat."

As Mega continues searching the floor, he can't help but smile thinking about her. He's only known Kalinka for two minutes, yet he really enjoys being around her.

Mega Man and Kalinka look around for Trenchcoat, but can't find any trace of him. it's like he disappeared. But, Kalinka takes the times to continue talking to her hero.

"Father never lets me have as much fun as I would like," Kalinka says, "He says everything is 'too dangerous'"

Mega Man turns to Kalinka and replies with a smile, "You know... you reminded me of my sister Roll a little bit."

As Mega and Kalinka look around for Mr. Trenchcoat, Kalinka says, "I hope I'm not bothering you, Mega. It's just... I have been waiting so long to meet you. You mean so much to me."

"No, you're not bothering me at all, Kalinka. In fact, I..." Mega replies as he turns to face her, stamming before he finally summons the courage to continue.  
>"I, um... I think you're really pretty," Mega admits, unable to hide his sudden bashfulness.<p>

"You do?" Kalinka gasps at the compliment, her green eyes growing wide, then squees again.

Before Mega could speak again, Kalinka hugs him again! He's met some excited fans of his, but no one quite this excitable... but again, Mega doesn't mind Kalinka hugging him. He actually enjoys it.

Just then, a human woman approaches them from the opposite direction from where the Trenchcoat guy may have been going. She must work for the hotel.  
>"Is there anything I can get you?" she asks.<p>

"No, I'm, uh... just fine," Mega says, shrugging his shoudlers.

"We're fine, thank you!" Kalinka sighs with her eyes closed and a smile on her face, still hugging Mega Man, still in her dreamworld.

The woman walks away from the 'happy couple,' but as she walks away, she looks back towards them, specifically at Kalinka.

As she turns the corner of the lobby, she quickly moves out of earshot of anybody who could be watching. The woman raises her left arm up to her face and starts speaking into it.  
>This was no woman... this was Dark Man in disguise as somebody he had copied. He was also the suspicous guy in the trenchcoat in the ballroom.<p>

"Mega Man's appearance has been sucsessfully copied, Dr. Wily", Dark Man says, "Dr. Cossack and his daughter are here also. I'm awaiting commands"

_"Good work, Dark Man!"_ responds Dr. Wily from back at Skull Fortress, _"Stay at the hotel and remain in disguise. __Don't do anything until I give the signal. Then, we will deal Mega Man blow to his public image that he will never be able to repair... and if we have enough time... we can destroy him!"_

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, far away from the Sedgewick Hotel, somebody has been monitoring all communications that have been going into and coming out of the building via a tracking bug, including Dark Man's communication with Dr. Wily.<p>

That somebody is Mr. Black, who is sitting unmasked inside his warehouse loft hideout somewhere near Brooklyn, performing a modification to a sniper rifle bullet which has been cut in half.

_"Understood, Dr. Wily,"_ says Dark Man on the intercepted communication, _"The operation will begin shortly before midnight."_

_"Good. I'll have a transport there to retrive you on schedule,"_ Albert replies, _"You will be able to make a clean getaway."_

Mr. Black smiles as he turns from his work on the sniper rifle shell casing and writes down the following on a piece of paper. _"12 A.M, Sedgewick, transport, Cossacks."_

If Dr. Wily is planning a major attack on the hotel, there is a good chance Mega Man will be there too and a massive battle will erupt. Mr. Black sees that as the perfect opportunity to make his way inside, take out his targets, and leave.  
>If he gets caught afterwards, it doesn't matter. The mission will have been accomplished.<p>

"The game is afoot. So, I must adapt," he says to himself as he turns back to his project, Mr. Black removes the round inside the bullet's shell casing and casts it aside. After grabbing a pair of large tweezers, he carefully removes the live plasma round from one of the plasma bolt shells he acquired last year.  
>He then places the plasma round perfectly inside of the sniper rifle shell casing and begins to put it back together.<p>

Once the bullet casing is completed, Mr. Black will have personally crafted a very deadly type of plasma bolt ammunition that even the best titanium armor in the world would not be able to stop. It would certainly kill whatever it hits... human or robot.

"Somebody's got a date with death tonight," Mr. Black whispers to himself.

Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Well, it took a little bit longer than I expected (thanks to a computer nightmare that slowed the production down a bit,) but Episode 6 has finally begun at long last._

_This has been quite an experience writing this episode, but I was not going to let these computer problems stop me from getting work done on it. There was a lot of writing scenes in shorthand, but I hope that it helped the project. (It certainly helped with "Brothers.")_

_The first few updates might take a little while longer than they usually would, because there is still some work to be done on them (the rest of the chapters aren't quite ready to be posted, obviously.)  
>But stay tuned, they <strong>are<strong> coming. I hope that you will enjoy this episode as we progress further, but as you can guess, there is a lot a drama yet to come, including the framing mentioned in the title.  
>I will say this, the content in upcoming chapters is some of the most powerful stuff I have written since Doc... I say this because I admit, I lost it at times while writing some of the later chapters.<br>It wouldn't be Defender without those tearful moments, would it?_

_btw, did you catch the reference to Mega Pinocchio when Mega first saw Kalinka?  
>There are quite a few references to various episodes of the Mega Man cartoon show scattered about, not just in this chapter, but in later chapters too. Keep a lookout for them.<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. Also, contact me via PM if you catch any typos here. (I no longer have to deal with the fuzzy screen issue I had recently, but still, let me know anyway.)_


	64. The Framing Begins

_**Chapter 2: The Framing Begins**_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man, Rush and Light return home from the National Science Conference and Roll is there to meet them, wearing her usual cream yeallow and red suit once again.

"Welcome back! I hope you guys had fun... if that's what you want to call it," Roll says.

"It was a facinating conference, Roll," Thomas replies, "and I believe your brother has a new number one fan in Dr. Cossack's daughter."

"Wow! You've got _another _secret admirer, Mega?" Roll teases, bringing up the fact that Mega gets a lot of fan mail from female fans.

"She's... quite a girl," Mega says of Kalinka, momentarlly pausing as he thinks about her, "I think she's going to be there tomorrow too." He hopes she'll be there, because he would very much like to see her again.

As Mega looks over to Roll, he notices something is a little different about her. Her ponytailed hairdo looks a little bit unkempt, unlike it usually does. "Did you have any fun while we were gone, sis?" he asks.

"Me? Oh... yeah!" Roll stammers, "I even did a little cleaning around the house... everything's nice and neat."

Mega give his sister a skeptical nod, just knowing something's up, because Roll hasn't been on housekeeping duties since two Summers ago because she grew tired of doing it and rejected it.  
>"Okay, I'll take your word for it. I think I'm going to call it a night."<p>

"So soon?" Thomas asks.

"My body is sore from Dr. Cossack's daughter's hugs. I didn't think that was possible with titanium armor, until tonight," Mega responds... even though he rather enjoyed those hugs.

* * *

><p>As Mega Man walks through the house next to Dr. Light's lab, he takes his blue helmet off revealing his bushy brown hair and he still can't get his mind off of Kalinka Cossack. She has certainly left an indelible impression on him. He almost considered talking Dr. Light into staying a little longer at the conference so they could have more time together.<br>Mega is sure she feels the same way.

As Mega walks deeper into the house, he can hear a loud electrical humming sound coming out of the main family room. It's the sound system. Roll must have listened to her new CD and left it up too loud again.  
>He approaches the sound system, turns the volume down and presses the <em>eject<em> button on the front of it. Sure enough, he finds Roll's _Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers_ (self titled) CD left inside. Mega knew that when Roll got this album, she would have another one of her party sessions home alone again. But, he can't blame her for wanting to unwind and have fun. She's had to deal with so much since this war began, including losing poor Doc, so she deserves to have some time to enjoy herself... Mega wishes he he could too, but the outcome of the Deacon Operation makes it difficult at times.

* * *

><p>As Mega Man returns to the main lab area, he sees a very concerned Roll looking all over the place for something.<p>

"I know I left it somewhere," she says to herself, looking very stressed.

Mega Man calls out to her and holds up his sister's new CD in his hand. "You left this in the disc player, sis. And you left the speakers up too loud again. Don't worry, I took care of it."

Roll takes back her new CD and looks relieved, glad that Dr. Light won't have to get upset at the thought of having to replace the sound system... again.  
>She lets out a sigh of relief, "Thanks, Mega. You really saved my titanium... you-know-what!"<p>

"That's what brothers are supposed to do..." Mega pauses, again thinking back to how his own brother stabbed him in the back.

Roll can see her brother's mood sliding again and tries to cheer him up. "Well, I'm glad I've got you, Mega," she says, "Because you're the best brother in the world!"

Mega barely musters up the strength to respond, "Thanks... I'll see you tommorrow."

Roll watches her brother walk away back to the house and she lets out another sigh, a distressed one this time.  
>While he doesn't look as depressed as he had been in the days following ProtoMan's betrayal - when Mega was at his lowest point - he still seems pretty down about it, as well as still having to fight this war with Wily after nearly two years.<p>

She feels so powerless when it comes to the issue of Mega's depression, because he won't open up to her. But, instead of just standing here and watching him leave, she decides to try and do something about it right now.

"Mega, wait up!" she calls, following him.

Mega turns around only to find himself wrapped in one of his sister's tight hugs. He is surprised at his sister's sudden reaction.

"What's this for?" he asks.

"I know you're still hurting, Mega," she says, pulling herself away, but still holding her brother by his arms, "I wish you would talk to me about your emotions. I worry about you."

Mega looks down at his feet as his sister continues speaking. "I know it's about ProtoMan," she says, "I know he hurt you when he turned on us... but, he hurt me and Dr. Light too."

Mega Man looks back up to his sister, his soulful blue eyes full of pain, sadness and a little bit of surprise at how much Roll is reaching out to him.

"Please, Mega... Rock," Roll pleas as she finally calls him by his original name, "I don't want to see you sad anymore, I want you to feel better and I want to help you. We're not just brother and sister, we're a team, remember? We're best friends."

Mega slowly flashes a half-smile and replies, "Okay... you're right, maybe I've been shutting you out for too long. I'll talk to you about how I'm feeling. Not tonight, though, I'm too tired. How about tommorrow?"

"That's great!" Roll smiles, "I'm so glad you've come around."

Roll pulls her brother back into that tight hug, but the hero quickly jokes, "Easy, Roll, I'm still sore from the hugs earlier tonight."

Roll laughs and eases up her grip slightly. "Maybe tomorrow, you can tell me all about your new secret admirer you just met at the conference," Roll teases.

"Oh, stop it," Mega snickers.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>****Sedgewick Hotel.**

It is one minute after midnight in New York.  
>Because of all the important guests that are here for the Science Conference, security has been heavily increased at the hotel. But, unfortunately, it was all for naught, as Dark Man is already infiltrating the premesis and nobody has a clue about what is about to take place here.<br>And they are about to get another unwelcome guest.

At the rear entrance of the hotel, robot guards are stationed outside to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Everything is quiet until a familiar illegaly modified black car turns the corner and speeds towards them, dropping a canister nearby as it passes. This was Mr. Black's car.

Before the robo guards can alert the rest of the security detail, the canister bursts and lets out a charge that scrambles the robots' circuits. The security robots then fall down beside eachother like they were dead.

Mr. Black's car screeches to a halt and Mr. Black himself steps out, now fully dresssed in his black mask, dark gray trenchcoat and body armor with all of his weapons at the ready, fully prepared to carry out his deady mission.

"Enter lockdown mode, await my return," Mr. Black says, and the car follows his instructions, closing the driver's side door by itself and powering up it's security systems.

"You had better be here," he exasperates, pulling his plasma bolt out out of his trenchcoat.

* * *

><p>As Dr. Cossack is sleeping in the bedroom of his suite, Kalinka Cossack is lounging in a big comfortable chair wearing red sweatpants and a heather grey tanktop, partaking in some of her favorite bad habbits - staying up late, watching television and eating junk food - all at once.<p>

The tips of her fingers on her right hand are all stained orange from handling so many Cheese Puffs from what's left of the small bag in her lap. Fortunately, Kalinka keeps herself in good shape as evidenced by her slim figure, so the occasional comsumption of junk food won't be too bad.

She's not paying much attention to the televison because her thoughts continuously dwell on Mega Man. Today was the greatest day of her life, finally being able to meet her hero, to talk to him... to hug him. He looked even cuter in person than he does in video footage and still frames.  
>Tomorrow morning, Kalinka is going to try and convince her father to let her visit Dr. Light's lab after the second day of the conference is completed. Her only regret she had today was that she didn't get to tell Mega how much he meant to her and how his presence helped save her from depression. But, she'll be sure to tell him tomorrow, wether it's here on at the lab.<p>

But, in the middle of her Mega Man filled dreams, Kalinka thinks she hears a rumbling _boom_ sound coming from somewhere outside. Kalinka turns down the TV (with her clean un-cheesy hand) and gets up, hastily trying to slip her sock-clad feet into her white and pink sneakers.

She goes over the the door and cracks it open, looking out into the hallway and spots members of her father's security detail starting to scurry. Clearly, they heard the noise too. Kalinka closes the door and runs to her father's bedroom.

Dr. Cossack is fast asleep in the master bedroom of the suite. He didn't even bother changing out of his slacks or his dress shirt before lieing on top of the bed, because he was so fatigued. But, he is awakened from his deep sleep by his daughter urgently shaking him awake.

"Father, wake up!" Kalinka panics.

"Not now, Kalinka. Trying to sleep," a tired Mikhail moans.

"Something is happening outside! I think I heard an explosion," she says as another boom is heard. This one was much closer and louder. It was close enough the shake the room

After hearing and feeling the impact, Dr. Cossack bolts up and feels his heart pounding. He has a bad feeling he knows what - and who - this is.

"Kalinka," says says, grabbing his daughter by her shoulders, "Go with my security. I'll be right behind you!"

"But, father, I don't want you to leave me too!" she protests with her green eyes full of concern as another explosion sound is heard, this one even closer than the others.

"Kalinka, just go!" Cossack barks.

Kalinka hesitates, but follows her father's orders and leaves, quickly running towards the suite's front door leading to the hallway.

* * *

><p>Outside the suite, several of the scared attendees have either fled for their lives or are hiding in their rooms and the Russian security officers can be seen spralled on their backs all over the floor. Kalinka freezes in horror once she sees the entire team all knocked out, not wanting to go forward any more. Whoever is responsible for this is on<em> this<em> floor right now and Kalinka has a bad feeling they are probably looking for her father.  
>She can feel her legs go numb as an overwhelming sense of dread comes over her right now. She never thought she would be in the middle of an attack like this. She would feel much safer if Mega Man was here. He would protect her... but, then, Kalinka sees a familiar figure approaching her through the smoke-filled hallway. He's wearing two shades of blue armor and a matching helmet. It was him!<p>

Kalinka's eyes widen and see cries out, "Mega Man!" and waves.

Mega Man slowly approaches the young girl and appears to have a cheshire cat like grin on his face.

"Mega! You have to help us!" Kalinka says.

"I'm affraid you got the wrong _Mega Man_, sweetheart!" he says.

Kalinka's jaw drops and she becomes paralized with fear. This can't be happening! Not her hero! He wouldn't do this. Never... and she's right, Mega Man wouldn't do this, but Dark Man would.

Using Mega Man's form that he copied earlier today, Dark Man aims his blaster at Kalinka who puts her hands up, looking frightened. At that moment, Dr. Cossack exits the room and sees the imposter threatening his daughter, unaware that this is not really Mega Man.

"You!" he yells with shock in his eyes, "What are you doing?"

Dark Man Mega fires a stun blast at Dr. Cossack, knocking him down to the floor. Kalinka screams in horror and kneels down over her father's fallen body, fearing that she just lost her father forever.

"He's still alive, so quit your whining!" Dark Mega says.

Kalinka then looks up at the imposter with rage-filled eyes. "How dare you!" she yells.

Kalinka charges Dark Mega and begins attacking him, pounding his chest with her right fist held sideways, but her attacks her useless and she hurts herself more than shen hurts him. Human bone was not meant to colide with solid titanium.  
>Dark Man grabs Kalinka's arms and hoists her over his shoulder, running off with her.<br>Kalinka's screams and cries for help echo all throughout the hotel floor, but ultimately get lost amidst the sea of other people's screams and cries for help.

Dark Man begins running down the hallway with a screaming Kalinka over his shoulder, but after he turns a corner he freezes when he sees Mr. Black standing in his way with his plasma bolt gun drawn. The masked man was the only obsticle in his path blocking him from the stairwell.

"The Defender of the Human Race kidnapping an innocent girl," Mr. Black says, looking like an imposing figure of darkness, "I wasn't expecting to see _this_ tonight. But, I will be the last thing _you'll_ ever see."

"I don't think so, human!" Dark Mega says as he aims up at the ceiling and shoots it with a blast that was so powerful it tore the ceiling down and knocked Mr. Black to the floor. Dark Man runs in the opposite direction to find an alternate route.

The masked terror quickly gets up and grabs the guns he dropped and tries to continue his pursuit, but the rubble from the next floor up is blocking his path.

"Dammit!" he curses, knowing that it is too late now to complete the mission. There's no way he can catch up with a robot because even the slowest ones still have speed advantage over humans.  
>The only thing he can do now is escape this place before the authorities arrive. And since he knows this conference was a top priority, that means they will be arriving in full force.<p>

* * *

><p>Dark Mega barges through the door leading to the roof of the hotel and carries the wailing Kalinka to a very plain looking helicopter which has just landed on the helipad. As Kalinka immediately feels the freezing cold air hitting her and she continues to scream and yell at Dark Man.<p>

"Let go of me!" Kalinka yells in Russian, "Father is going to get you for this!"

Dark Man puts Kalinka down and she tries to wriggle herself free from the Robot Master's grip until she looks up to the helipad and sees ProtoMan stepping out of the chopper. Once she realizes that she has been targetted and kidnapped by Dr. Wily's robots, Kalinka's screaming becomes more terrified and even louder

Proto puts his hands over the audio sensors on his helmet to block the girl's shrieking screams. "Hurry up and get her onboard... _brother,_" Proto says over Kalinka's screams, "and find a way to shut her up!"

Dark Man covers Kalinka's mouth with his hand to muffle her screaming and drags her onbaord. Soon after, Proto gets back inside and takes off, flying away from the Sedgewick Hotel with Kalinka Cossack in their custody.

* * *

><p>Outside the hotel, Mr. Black makes his exit and returns to his car, walking right past the disabled robo guards he knocked out earlier.<p>

Before he can enter the car, he hears the sound of a helicopter up above and looks up to see the vehicle flying away. This must have been the transport he heard about on the intercepted communication between Wily and Dark Man.

"You can't escape me forever, you son of a bitch," Mr. Black says with some noticable anger in his voice as he gets into his car and casually drives away to not attract too much attention.

Once the police arrives, it will have already been too late. Kalinka has already been kidnapped and Wily's robots had escaped with her.  
>Worse yet, Dark Man had made it look like Mega Man was the one responsible for it all.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Early the next morning.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

The real Mega Man is in his bedroom recharging, the robot equivilant to sleeping. He is unaware of the terrifying events of last night, and more importantly, he was here asleep when it all took place.  
>But, his day is about to start off in a very bad way.<p>

"Mega! Wake up!" Roll shrieks, sounding panicked.

Mega Man's eyelids spring open and focus on his sister. "What's wrong?" he asks Roll, sounding very alert.

"The news!" Roll babbles, "They're saying that you... well, it's not... I don't... come on!"

Roll can't even bring herself to say it, instead she pulls on her brother's arm to try and get him down to the lab. Mega Man grabs his helmet and follows Roll downstairs. Whatever is going on, Mega knows it's not good.

* * *

><p>Now with his helmet on, Mega Man arrives to the lab to see Dr. Light staring at the monitor in front of him with Rush nervously pacing the lab floor.<br>Channel 7 news is on and investigative reporter Bree Recotta is on the scene of the Sedgewick, where Mega Man was just last night.

_"I'm here at the Sedgewick Hotel in downtown New York City, where a __shocking event has allegedy taken place. Late last night, the hotel was attacked, leaving several humans and robots injured, and the __daughter of famed Russian scientist Dr. Mikhail Cossack - who was taking part in the National Science Conference - was kidnapped. __Now, I must inform you that what you are about to see and hear will shock __you... but _aledgedy,_ the one responsible for this kidnapping is... Mega Man!"_

"What?" Mega gasps.

_"We have obtained footage from the hotel's security cameras showing the kindnapping as it took place,"_ Bree continues as clips from last night's kidnapping are shown on the screen.  
>"<em>It appears Mega Man... or <em>whoever _this robot is is, invaded the hotel alone, attacking __Dr. Cossack with a weak shot from his plasma cannon and then taking his daughter __against her will... I know that I am just supposed to report on the news, but if I may editorialize __for a moment, I find this all hard to believe. Mega Man has been our protector for two __years... he and his family helped countless lives, including my own last year. I don't believe he would ever do this."_

"It wasn't me!" Mega says in shock, "I wasn't even _awake_!"

"We know it wasn't you, Rock," says Thomas, now turning his attention towards his robotic son, "This has to be a trick by Wily... it must be. But, right now, the only people who know the truth is the four of us."

_"It appears Dr. Cossack himself is exiting the hotel now with his entourage. I'm going to try and get a word with him,"_ Recotta says on the TV. Everybody turns to watch the monitor, but Roll and Dr. Light are looking on with worry.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the Sedgewick Hotel.<strong>

Bree sprints ahead of the media stampede advancing towards Dr. Cossack as he is about to make a statement. She nearly yanks her microphone cable out of her cameraman's camera as she she races foward before finally coming to a stop in front of Cossack.

"Dr. Cossack! What happened last night?" she calls, as the voices of all of the other journalists gather around sticking their microphones in Cossack's face.

"My daughter...my little angel... she has been taken from me," Dr. Cossack says, "And she was taken by our so-called American Hero, Mega Man. He invaded this hotel and he shot me with his plasma weapon... and then he took her."

"Dr. Cossack, how do you know this even_ was _Mega Man and not a fake?" Bree asks.

"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!" Mikhail loudly responds, "I saw the way he acted around my daughter last night! He wanted to take her the moment he saw her. I demand justice be brought upon this false hero or else I will take matters into my own hands! And if my daughter is harmed in any way, Mega Man, I will do to you what Dr. Wily could never do! I will find you and make you pay for it, and I will display your broken body as a trophy in Mother Russia!"

Dr. Cossack storms off and his security team keeps the reporters at bay, even resorting to shoving away a few of the more unsavory tabloid reporters who try to get past them.

* * *

><p>Back at the lab, there is a knock at the door. Dr. Light punches in a command in the computer station to show an external security camera. The good doctor is taken aback to see a large chunk of the New York Police Department standing outside, led by Chief Montgomery Toombs.<p>

"Oh, my God! They really think he did it!" Roll barely whimpers.

The phone rings and Dr. Light answers it. "This is Dr. Thomas Light speaking."

_"Dr. Light, this is Chief Toombs,"_ replies the Scottish Police Chief, _"I'd hate to have to do __this, lad, but we have a search warrant. Also, we want to speak with Mega Man."_

Dr. Light ponders this. He's not about to reject the police, as he knows what unnecesary trouble that would bring. But, he noticed the Chief didn't make any mention of an arrest warrant, just a search warrant.

"Dr. Light," Mega says, "Let them in. Let's just it over with now."

Dr. Light unlocks the doors to the lab and Chief Toombs steps inside with several officers behind him. He instructs his offcers, "Search the premesis for any trace o' the Cossack girl, try not to disturb anything. I'll handle this part myself."

As the human officers and PoliceBots scurry inside of the entire Light complex in search of Kalinka, several of the human cops glance over to Mega Man, not knowing what to make of this. He has been their ally for so long, but now this happens.  
>Chief Toombs looks over to the Light family and he doesn't like what he's about to do. The look on his aged face clearly is remorseful.<p>

He steps up to Mega Man and says in his scottish drawl, "Look, I don't wanna do this, lad. I know what Dr. Wily is capable of using his smoke 'n mirrors an' I don't believe what I saw on that camera for a second. And after all you've done for us, I think I know more than that Rooskie at the Sedgewick... but, you gotta come with us for questioning. It'll make our jobs a lot easier an' then we can find out who _really_ did this."

"I understand. I guess you'd better arrest me," Mega says, then holds his hands out in front of himself, ready to be arrested.

Toombs shakes his head, "I ain't arrestin' _you_, laddy. No way. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a wrongfully accused man. I tell ya' what, you can take your time an' you can come when you're ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

The news media has already gathered outside the lab, so the police van has pulled into the garage so that no video of Mega Man surrendering to police can be captured and that he can keep as much of his dignity as he can.  
>Out in the garage area, one of the PoliceBots approaches Chief Toombs with an update following the search.<p>

"Dr. Cossack's daughter is nowhere inside the complex, Chief," he says, "Dr. Light has given us permission to search his storage facilities in Glendale."

Toombs just nods and looks up ahead at the door where Mega Man has just emerged with Dr. Light, Roll and Rush beside him. Before he can go, Roll taps him on the shoulder and gives him one more hug before he leaves.

"Don't worry, sis. We'll make it through this just like we always do," he says.

"I know we will," Roll's voice cracks.

"Besides, you and I still need to have our family meeting when I get back," Mega says.

"I'll hold you to it," Roll whimpers.

After Roll lets go of her brother, Mega Man gives a nod to Dr. Light, pets the whimpering Rush on the head and walks towards the Police caravan. These are the longest steps Mega Man has ever taken. Mega Man finally gets into the police van and Chief Toombs goes in with him.

Roll becomes overwhelmed with sadness having to watch her brother, who is also her_ hero,_ being taken away by the same people he's promised to protect, and runs away to her bedroom, sobbing all the way there.

Dr. Light continues to watch his son taken away, but unlike Roll, Thomas feels his anger beginning to bubble. He knows this is the work of that sick monster Albert Wily. He has had enough of that madman tormenting his children and ruining their lives, and if he could, Thomas would knock the dent-headed madman out.  
>His fists clinch tightly as he whispers, "Damn you, Albert! Damn you to hell!"<p>

As the police begin to leave the lab, Rush howls sadly, already missing his master.

* * *

><p>The police is now on it's way to the station with Mega Man in the back section of it's reinforced titanium chassis. The media attempting to follow the van are cut off by the multi-cruiser escort nearby<br>On their way to the station, Mega Man looks out the window to his side and sees the newspaper kiosks. One newspaper headline screams,** "MEGA BETRAYAL"** while another less accusatory headline reads,** "HAS MEGA MAN TURNED ON US?"**

This reaction is not surprising, because this is New York, home of the most venomous press corps in the world, so the headlines are not going to be pleasant. But, those headlines hurt Mega Man and they cut like a knife. He knows they are all not true, but there are many out there who will probably believe that the footage on the news was real and that he's turned evil.

Mega hangs his head down, hoping that he gets the chance to prove to the world and to Dr. Cossack that he is innocent... but, Mega is especially worried about Kalinka. He's never felt this protective of a non-family member since... ever.  
>Mega knows what it's like to be kidnapped and held captive at Skull Fortress and it is not something he would wish upon anybody.<br>Mega hopes that Dr. Wily doesn't do anything to such a nice girl like her... and if he does so much as harm a hair on hair head, Mega will make him pay.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_If you think this chapter was intense, wait until the next chapter. Things are going to get even more crazy very soon. Get ready! _

_Dr. Cossack's line about displaying Mega Man's broken body back in Russia was a reference to the story blurb in the instruction booklet of the Mega Man 4 game where Dr. Cossack made a similar threat._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. Also, please let me know via PM if you catch any typos._


	65. Clone Encounters of the Third Kind

**Chapter**_** 3: Clone Encounters of the Third Kind**_

* * *

><p><strong>Hawaii.<strong>

All the way on the other side of the United States of America, President Keith Henry is on vacation (something that he hasn't had any time for ever since the war with Dr. Wily began.)  
>Right now he is getting in a short early morning golf game and Secret Service agents surround the course. This is unquestionably the safest golf game ever played.<p>

After President Henry takes a shot, one of his aides approaches him with a telephone clutched in his hand. He had obviously just heard about the developments involving Mega Man and was on his way to tell The President.

"Mr. President, I'd hate to interrupt, but an urgent matter is at hand," says the aide.

"Dr. Wily?" asks the President.

"No, sir. It's an issue involving Mega Man," replies the aide, "The daughter of Dr. Mikhail Cossack was abducted at the Sedgewick hotel in New York city, and according to the security archive footage, a robot matching Mega Man's description was responsible."

"Where is Mega Man now?" asks Henry.

"He is with New York police and will be questioned shortly, sir. He surrendered willingly," the aide replies.

That catches The President's attention. "Willingly? ... Something's not right about this. It looks like I'll be postponing today's round of golf. I'll be on my way back to Camp Iaukea shortly and I want to be kept fully informed of this situation as it develops. Also, have a pardon at the ready."

"Why a pardon, sir?" asks the aide.

The President (who pardoned Mega once before when he had a mind control chip implanted into his systems back in 20X1) replies, "Because something's up, if you ask me. After everything he's done for us, Mega Man wouldn't just blow it all to commit a crime like this."

"Very well, Mr. President," says the aide.

Despite the outrageous situation he's in, Mega Man still has quite a few supporters. Even those in very high places. However, some others are just more concerned about their own interests...

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<strong>

"Oh, dear... this is not good," mutters Marcus Vickers inside his office atop his corporation's skyscraper as he reads the news reports about the abduction of Kalinka Cossack and Mega Man's alledged involvement in it.

A few things have changed since Dr. Cossack's rejection of Vickers' offer back in November. Firstly, the disasterous Robot Warrior project has been quietly placed on the corporation's back burner for the time being.  
>Secondly, Marcus Vickers' attitude has become more sour than it ever had been at any other point since founding the company. All as a result of that night Dr. Cossack turned down the offer. He has jettisoned 20 employees down his office's trap door to the garage sand pit since that night, and for no reason.<p>

"Incidents like this are one of the reasons I wanted a Robot Warrior," he says of the accusations made against Mega Man, "And I would have had one if I wasn't surrounded by idiots from the get-go. Instead, all I got were robots that spit-up mustard, crashed through ceilings and disco danced!"

Vickers' loyal Vice President Scott Erikson points out, "I must remind you, sir, that while the VickBot 9000 was not what you desired, the VickBot 9000 Groove on the Move Tour of 20X1 raised over One-Hundred-"

"I know how much money it made, Scott," Vickers interrupts, "But, it's not what I wanted! And because I didn't get what I wanted, humanity's only real defense against Dr. Wily is going off and kidnapping girls."

"Alledgedly kidnapping, sir," Erikson corrects, "And it was only one girl."

"Okay, _Alledgedly_ kidnapping_ one_ girl," Vickers relents, "But, still... the world as we know it may be screwed. I should have continued the Robot Warrior project after Cossack rejected me. Keep on hiring people until somebody gets it right,_ that's_ what I should have done."

"Speaking of Dr. Cossack, sir, should we issue a press release offering your view on this situation?" Erikson asks, "Perhaps offering your well-wishes for the Cossack family. It would generate good publicity for Vick-Tek, as well as re-open the door for possible future negotiations with Dr. Cossack."

Putting down the computer pad he was reading from, Vickers replies, "That will not be necessary, Scott. To be quite honest, I have no sympathy for Dr. Cossack."

"... Excuse me, sir?" Erikson asks, looking a little bit concered by his boss' calloused stance on the situation.

"I gave him the opportunity of a lifetime, and he rejected me," Vickers says, "Hell, after hearing about how much his daughter fawned all over Mega Man yesterday, it was probably _her_ who got in his ear and scuddled the deal. He was ready to take it, it was all over his face, and then I saw him talking to somebody out of camera range, and then came the questions."

Erikson almost points out that it was his boss' agressivness that scuddled the deal, but he thinks better of it... he doesn't want to go down the trap door again. Instead, he tries to reach Marcus' humanity.  
>"Regardless of what your opinion of the Cossack family is, sir, we're still talking about an innocent girl whose life is now in danger."<p>

Vickers turns to Scott and replies, "Well, then maybe she should have stayed home in Russia. It's not my problem to worry about the Cossacks, Scott. All we can do is hope that Mega Man is exonerated before Dr. Wily returns."

A beat of silence passes until Vickers waves Erikson away. "You should go tend to other matters, Scott. I have to consider my options for the future of this company."

"Yes, sir," Erikson obeys, getting up and leaving the office.

"I'll have a Robot Warrior, one way or another. And I'll be the richest man in the world," Vickers says as he stares at the computer pad with the Mega Man news on it, "And I'll make sure that incidents like this don't happen. He will be obedient... hell, he'll be _better_ than Mega Man."

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in the badlands between Arizona and Nevada.<strong>

An ordinary looking transport makes it's way to it's destination, not arrousing any attentionespecially in this part of the country. The occupants are ProtoMan, Dark Man - still in disguise as Mega Man - and Kalinka Cossack. Somewhere in Ohio, Proto ditched the helicopter and took control of this transport which was left just where Dr. Wily said it would be.  
>This was a move to help keep the authorities off their backs, and it worked, but the transport had to travel a little slower to avoid being detected, which would explain why they only now just arrived to their destination.<p>

Kalinka is huddled up in the back of the transport sitting with her arms wrapped around her arms and a fetal position while ProtoMan and Dark Man are up front. During most of the trip here, she tried pounding on the walls screaming for help in the hope that somebody outside would hear her, but nobody did. In addition to having to endure this peril, Kalinka may have hit Dark Man a little too hard back at the hotel, because a deep purple bruise is now visable on the side of her sore right hand and wrist. She just hopes she didn't break something when she pounded on Dark Man, but she's not going to give him or ProtoMan the pleasure of hearing her complain about it. She just bites her lip and tollerates it.

She feels the transport land and the engine in the back power down Afterwards ProtoMan gets up, grabbing the Russian girl by the left arm. "This way, sweetheart!" he grins.

Kalinka tries to shake herself free from the Red Raider, but Proto's grip is too strong for any human to break free from and she soon finds herself being taken outside.

As Proto, Dark Man and Kalinka step out of the transport, the Russian girl looks up to see the frightening sight in front of her in all of it's terrifying glory. Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes when she realizes that she has arrived at Dr. Wily's Skull Fortress. It is every bit as scary looking as she heard it was and the most intimidating part is the giant skull decoration in front.  
>ProtoMan and Dark Man drag her toward the front entrance and Kalinka trembles as she feels like she is about to enter the front door to hell itself.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Inside.<strong>

ProtoMan drags Kalinka to the Command Center of Skull Fortress, a large room filled with computers, monitors, machinery and - what else? - robots. And there in the center of the room, spinning around in his swivel chair to greet the guest of honor is Dr. Albert Wily himself, sporting a big evil smile on his face.

"Welcome to my fortress, Miss Cossack!" Wily snears, getting out of his chair and approaching the young Russian girl, "I hope the trip over wasn't too boring!"

Kalinka says nothing, staring back at the mad doctor with a dirty look. She is handling herself well despite the fact the she is in the presence of the most dangerous man in the world.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Wily asks.

"She screams a lot, though," Proto adds.

Still in his Mega Man disguise, Dark Man steps out in front of her and stands next to Dr. Wily as the madman continues, "Well, you must have some reaction to the fact that Mega Man is now on _my side_!"

Kalinka shakes her head. "That is not Mega Man! That is Illusion!" she says in broken English.

Wily's right eyebrow raises. "_Hmph_... it appears your father has taught you well. But, he is too stupid to see it for himself. How ironic," Wily says.

"Let me introduce myself, Kalinka," Dark Man says, still appearing as Mega Man, "I am Dark Man. I can mimmick anybody I want to just by making contact with them."

Dark Man then morphs into a perfect copy of Kalinka, wearing the same red sweatpants and grey tanktop she is wearing right now. The real Kalinka becomes startled at the sight of... herself.

"Yes, even you, Commrade," Darkalinka says with a sinister grin, using her voice.

"Why are you doing this?" the real Kalinka asks.

"Simple!" Wily answers, "I am going to frame your hero Mega Man for Dark Man's crimes, starting with your abduction. And if I know your father like I think I do, he will take care of Mega Man himself and I won't even have to lift a finger And with Mega Man destroyed and your father in jail, nobody will be left to stop me!" Wily belts, getting in Kalinka's face, "And you will be my prisoner forever!"

"You are not getting away with this!" Kalinka says.

"Oh? And what are _you_ going to do about it?" Wily asks, "Your hero and your father are the only ones who can save you, and they will be dealt with. What could _you_ possibly do to me?"

Kalinka just stares into Wily's beady eyes... and defiantly spits in his face. Wily's face scrunches as he wipes away the girl's saliva off of himself. He can feel a fire raging inside of his soul that he hasn't felt since his father struck him for the last time. The old man used to spit on him too, so Albert doesn't like it very much.  
>Wily's evil eyes look up to Kalinka and all of the courage she had just moments ago instantly saps away.<p>

"Nobody disrespects me!" Wily yells, then slaps Kalinka accross the right side of her face as hard as he can, making a loud _THWACK_ sound on impact. Kalinka falls to the cold floor and covers her face and begins crying.

"Proto! Get that little bitch out of my sight before I hurt her again!" he orders.

ProtoMan follows his master's orders and picks the weeping Kalinka up off of the floor and takes her away as Wily grumbles to himself, continuing to wipe the spit off his face. Proto is taken aback by Wily's harsh explosion. He's never seen Wily snap like this. Even when they held his sister Roll hostage, Wily never hauled off and hit her (although he_ was_ prepared to use painful methods to reprogram her when they kidnapped her and Rock, back before Rock became Mega Man.)

"Dark Man!" Wily barks, "Meet with GutsMan and Cut Man and prepare to move out."

"Move out to where, Dr. Wily?" Dark Man asks, now taking his standard dome-head appearance.

"The New York Police Precinct. Where else?" Wily angrilly answers, "It's time to frame Mega Man for more crimes, Dark Man. I want his name to be so sullied, he won't be able to show his synthetic face in public."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>****Outside Dr. Light's Lab.**

By now, the news media is swarming outside Dr. Light's lab complex, and some news helicopters fly around overhead. And unfortunately, one very annoying member of the media has also made his way here.

_"This is Dick Ferguson reporting live from outside the lair of unquestionably the most i__nept scientist in the world, Dr. Thomas Light," _says Ferguson, _"Not only did Dr. Light __co-create ProtoMan and not only did he develop the monster known as Gamma, but __we now know that his crown jewel Mega Man has turned his back on us again!"_

The graphic next to Dick reads,** "Mega Man destroyed a New York City skyscraper in July 20X1. The ****biased news media claimed that he had been captured by Dr. Wily and reprogrammed. Dick Ferguson was on the scene."**

Dick continues, _"Early this morning, Mega Man invaded the Sedgewick Hotel and __took that poor little girl from her father. What kind of a hero is Mega Man? That's !my __question!"_

The graphic next to Dick now reads,** "An awful one!"**

_"Mega Man himself has been taken in by the police and there is yet no sign of the __innocent victim Kalinka Cossack," _Ferguson says, _"Perhaps he followed his turncoat __brother ProtoMan and left the poor girl with Dr. Albert Wily. I can only hope not. Right now, I __am waiting for Dr. Light to show his face to us and offer his latest pathetic excuse for __why has so-called Defender of the Human Race has turned on us this time. He certainly __had one for when he bombed one of buildings in 20X1, and when he struck terror into __the attendees of another Science Conference that took place in Geneva Switzerland. __But, what's his excuse going to be now?"_

* * *

><p>The phone in the lab is ringing off the hook. Every time it rings, Roll looks to see if it's a call from the police to let them know that Mega is innocent. But, it's always media outlet after media outlet trying to get a comment from Dr. Light.<p>

Roll nervously paces the floor of the lab, her metallic feet making a _klank_ sound with every step. She looks at the feed from the camera outside the lab and sees that the media is still gathered outside too.

"This is driving me crazy! Mega's been through too much heartache lately, he doesn't need_ this_ to happen to him too! There has to be something we can do," she says.

"I'm affraid not, Roll," Dr. Light answers, "At least not yet."

"What about the hotel you guys were at last night?" Roll asks, "There must be something there to prove Mega is innocent!"

"There should be. But, even if there is, the area has been sealed off by police," Thomas answers.

Roll lets out an exasperated sigh. She would go over there herself and find some evidence, but her father is right, she would only get in trouble. "What about the Chief? He's still on our side, isn't he?"

"He certainly appears to be. I would try to reach him," Thomas says, "But, the phone won't stop ringing long enough for me to establish a connection."

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

Mega Man is seated inside a small room with a small table in font of him and a single light hanging down. Of all the places he expected to be today, this room was not one of them. He knows the Chief said that this was to speed up the process of proving his innocence, but he still feels like a common criminal and this is taking longer than he thought.  
>All Mega wants to do his get this over with, prove his innocence and rescue Kalinka Cossack.<p>

Chief Toombs enters the room, followed by a smarmy-looking man in a suit whose grey hair has been obviously bleached black. Based on the looks of this suit guy, Mega can tell he's a real jerk.

Chief Toombs says, "Mega Man, this is an assistant district atterney by the name of-"

"Eric Karrel, District Atterney," the D.A. interrupts, setting up his audio recorder to document this interview.

There is an odd silence in the room until the D.A. speaks again. "Where were you this morning at approximately 12:05 A.M.?"

"I was at the lab complex of Dr. Thomas Light, my creator. I was asleep," Mega truthfully replies.

Karrel couldn't help but smile at the last comment. "I thought robots didn't need sleep. Please explain," he says.

"Stick with the questioning," Toombs says.

"This_ is_ a part of the questioning," the D.A. continues.

"Most of the more advanced robots, like myself, require our internal batteries to be recharged. It's not all that different from a human going to sleep," Mega answers.

Toombs jabs to the D.A. "You'd know that if you had a robot."

Karrel shighs as he keeps questioning Mega Man, "If you were asleep, then you should explain why you were at the Sedgewick hotel."

"It wasn't me," Mega answers, "It has to be a trick by Dr. Wily."

"Well, it sure looks like you," Karrel says, looking at a screengrab of the kidnapping, "This makes the third time you've been involved in an incident where your allegiance has come into question."

Quickly growing fed-up with this line of questions, Mega Man looks up at Toombs. "Chief Toombs, shouldn't a detective be doing this right now?" Mega asks.

Toombs turns to Karrel and echos, "I think my lad here bring up a good point. Why aren't one of my boys doing this?"

"I don't know, Chief, maybe it's because your officers are all fans of his," Karrel replies smugly, "or maybe it's because my office want's this done right... for a change."

The Chief stared down at this smarmy little jackass. That comment was the last straw. Toombs grabs Karrel by the back of his suit, making the little worm panic in the Chief's grasp. Toombs knows that there will probably be some punishment for this, but he doesn't care. (It wouldn't be the first time he's done this.)

"You get outta here, ya' bottom-feedin' bearucrat!" Toombs says, literally throwing him out of the room and into the hallway, "An' if I see your scrawny neck around here again, I'm'a gonna shove this stupid thing where the sun don't shine!" Toombs then throws Karrel's audio recorder back at him and slams the door behind him.

"I'm sorry about that moron out there," Toombs says to Mega Man, "I've got one o' my best detectives here. He'll-"

Suddenly, a massive explosion occurs, causing the foundation of the police station shake and the officers inside begin to scatter to fight whatever the hell this is. But, Mega Man is sure it's Wily.

Toombs opens the door to the hallway and enthusiastically shouts back to Mega Man, "Come on kid! It's time to prove you're one of us!"

On the way out, they nearly run over Karrel the D.A. in the hallway.

"I told ya' to get outta here, ya' used car salesman!" Toombs yells.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere inside the station, DarkMan (as Mega Man), GutsMan, Cut Man, Drill Man, Bomb Man and Magnet Man crash into the bulding and begin their attack.<br>Several officers draw their plasma bolt handguns and fire at the Wily robots. Magnet Man was prepared however, as he draws a specially made magnetic sheild. When Magnet Man uses his Magnet powers, all of the bullets and plasma bolts are drawn to the shield and avoid hitting any of Wily's robots.

Dark Mega fires several blasts at the human officers and policebots as Cut Man flings his cutters at some other Policebots, decapitating them. Fortunately, this does not kill the Policebots, because their memory cores are inside of their heads, not their necks.

"I got more _slices_ than a pizza pie!" Cut Man wheezes.

GutsMan storms through and shoves the stunned officers out of his way. "I can't wait to get my hands on that Mega Twerp!" he growls, pounding his large hands together.

"Let's split up," Dark Man says, "We'll find him, and we can do more damage that way."

* * *

><p>Mega Man, Chief Toombs and more officers make their way down a corridor and soon find themselves in the way of the two of the original Robot Masters, Bomb Man and Cut Man.<p>

"There he is. I'll finish him off!" Bomb Man says, igniting a bomb and preparing to hurl it towards the heroes.

"Don't move!" Mega calls to the cops, "I'll handle this."

As the bomb lands near them, Mega Man immediately soccer kicks the bomb back towards the Robot Masters. Cut Man freaks, "Oh, No!" and runs away, Bomb Man tries to flee, but is too late and gets blown to pieces by his own bomb.

"If anybody says you're a bad guy, I'll knock 'em out!" Toombs says slapping Mega on his titanium back.

"I'm sure they've injured other officers, go help them and I'll deal with the bots!" Mega says, running towards what's left of Bomb Man. The rotund robot is still active, but is babbleing gibberish.

"I'll be taking this!" Mega says, reaching down and touching Bomb Man's arm, copying his ability to produce hyper bombs.

"Dark Man, what are you doing attacking Bomb Man?" asks Drill Man who just arrived to the scene.

_Dark Man? He must be the one who framed me,_ Mega thanks to advantage of Drill Man's ignorance, Mega turns to face him and replies, "Because the rustbucket thought I was Mega Man and not me."

"But, Dr. Wily told you to let us know when your using your holographic projector to be Mega Man. That way, we wouldn't blast you. Don't forget to use it next time," Drill Man responds, pointing one of his driller arms at Mega.

"Okay, fine. But, I just thought I'd let you know, I'm _not_ Dark Man, Drillhead!" Mega says before blasting the Robot Master.

"I never knew Dark Man had the ability to clone somebody," Mega now says to himself, "But, he's not gonna have it for much longer."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

The emergency signal blares as news of the police station attack breaks. The Lights just know that this is real trouble.

"That's the same station where Rock is!" Thomas exclaims.

"I've got to help him!" Roll says, "Rush, it's time to use that new adaptor of yours. We'll get there faster."

Rush transforms in his newest adaption: A motorcycle vehicle, otherwise known as the Rush Cycle.

"Roll, don't!" Light says, "It's too danger-"

"I don't want to hear it right now, Dr. Light!" Roll snaps.

Roll grabs her new red and yellow leather jacket and zips it on over her blouse, dressing appropriately for riding in this cold weather, and takes her seat on Rush.

"At least wear a helmet!" Dr. Light requests.

Roll glazes her eyes and out an exasperated breath. She presses a button on her left forearm, and a red helmet - with her ponytail sticking out in the back - materializes on her head.

"Rush, let's go!" Roll says.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the lab.<strong>

The remaining journalists and news crews gathered outside the lab suddenly come to attention when they see the lab's garage door open. Dick Ferguson also takes note.

"Well, it appears that Dr. Light has finally come up with a weak excuse for why Mega Man kidnapped Dr. Cossack's daughter," he says into his microphone, "Let's find out what it is this time. Oh, let me guess. Mega Man was captured and reprogrammed by Wily again, right?"

A few moments pass as Ferguson and the rest of the media wait for somebody to come out... but they weren't prepared for Roll and Rush peeling out of there like a bat out of hell!

The media members scatter as Roll zooms towards them on the Rush Cycle, and Dick Ferguson is directly in her path. Ferguson freaks and wails "Oh, My God!" as he dives head-first into a mound of snow.

Roll and Rush speed past all of them and head towards the police station downdown. "I've got control up here, Rush. Just put yourself in full throttle!" Roll says.

Rush groans with a little bit of worry. It almost sounds like he said "Uh-oh!"

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the police station.<strong>

Mega Man searches the station for the remaining Robot Masters. Suddenly, a human officer talkes Mega and knocks him down to the floor and the two start wrestling in the tattered halls of the station. Mega knew that this wasn't a human, because he was powerful enough to knock him off his feet. This had to be Dark Man taking on the guise of a human officer.

Dark Man briefly morphs his face to mimic Mega Man's. He grins, "Your hero days are done, Mega Man!"

"Don't bet on it, copycat!" Mega retorts, "If anything, your framing days are done, Dark Man!"

Mega Man shoves Dark Man off of him and blasts him, knocking him down.

A group of officers and PoliceBots rush to the scene and see Mega blasting what _looked_ like a fellow officer and the officers who were skeptical of Mega now think he really has turned, and those who do believe Mega is innocent think that this isn't Mega in front of them at all, but rather the imposter.  
>Either way, they all take aim and fire their plasma bolt guns at him. Mega Man puts his arms up over his face as several plasma bolts pound his titanium armor and he shouts painfully.<p>

Cheif Toombs is nearby and shrieks "HOLD YER' FIRE, DAMMIT!"

The officers cease fire, but it's too late. The damage has been done and Mega Man slumps against the wall.

"There you are!" bellows the monsterous GutsMan from the other side of the hall.

GutsMan runs toward Mega Man, shoving the officers and Chief Toombs out of his way, sending them flying out of the way.

Mega looks up to with a face full of pain to see GutsMan charging towards him. Mega barely staggers to his feet only to get GutsMan's big fist pounded into his chest, sending the hero crashing through the wall.

Mega Man's damaged body lands on the pavement outside, his armor now dented and scorched from being shot, and bashed by GutsMan's fist. These attacks have taken a staggering effect on his energy, which is now sapped.  
>GutsMan tears away what's left of the exterior wall and approaching Mega with some wicked intentions.<p>

"Ha-ha! Now, yer' all mine!" Gutsy growls.

"No!... he's _mine_, remember!" shouts ProtoMan, leaping down between him and his brother.

Of all the people Mega Man doesn't want to see right now, it's his rotten brother. Mega knows he's running dangerously low on power and he can't handle a fight right now. There's a nearby monhole cover leading to the sewers underground. If he can just make it there, he can avoid another confrontation.  
>Mega barely crawls away from ProtoMan and towards the manhole, but Proto stalks him, still wearing that cocky smirk of his.<p>

"Oh, Rock," Proto taunts, "You're not having a very good day, are you? In fact, you look even worse than when I planted that scrambler chip on you."

Mega struggles to get up again, but the first thing he says in response to his brother is, "Where's Kalinka?"

"She's back at the fortress. Where else do you think she'd be?" Proto replies, "She's a pretty little thing, I'll tell you that much."

Mega clinches his fists as visions of Kalinka in peril flash in his mind and it makes him angry. If he wasn't in such bad shape, he would be fighting all of these Wily robots right now.

Proto asks, "Should I even bother trying to convince you to join me anymore, or should I just skip to the part where you and I fight?"

Mega Man staggers back to his feet and barely backpeddles away from Proto. "... skip it!" Mega hisses.

"Have it your way, Bro!" Proto says, activating his blaster, aiming it at Mega Man, "This'll be the easiest fight we've ever had."

Mega colapses to his knees and sounds out of breath. "You're really gonna destroy me?" he pants, looking up at his brother, "...after you saved my life at the factory a few months ago?"

ProtoMan's smirk disapears and he stiffens his blaster arm. "Don't underestimate me, little brother." he warns.

Before ProtoMan could fire on Mega, his brother's haunting words from their conversation in November pops into his head... _"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

For the first time since he and Mega Man first battled eachother nearly two years ago, ProtoMan hesitates.

Mega barely returning to his feet and back away as the remaining Robot Masters now step out of the hole in the police station wall. Dark Man steps out last, now mimicking Bomb Man.

"What are you waiting for, Proto? Do it!" Cut Man wheezes.

ProtoMan grits his teeth and his blaster arm shakes. He knows he has to blast Mega Man, because that's what Wily told him to do... but, he can't do it. He can't bring himself to attack his own brother this time.

Siezing this opportunity, Mega Man musters what little energy he has left and makes a mad dash for the manhole.  
>ProtoMan finally fires his blaster, but the shot misses Mega Man by a huge margin... almost like he <em>meant<em> to miss him. Mega dives down through the manhole lid and goes underground.

Wily's other robots try to follow him, but a hyper bomb plugs up the hole in the ground. The Robot Masters start turning tail and run away as the sewer hole explodes, sending them flying in the air.

ProtoMan just stares at the crator in the street where his brother was, unable to move until he hears the sound of approaching sirens. He snaps back to attention and yells, "Let's get out of here! The cavelry's coming. Get Drill Man and what's left of Bomb Man... _the real one_, anyway."

Wily's robots quickly get to their feet and start their escape. Dark BombMan gives ProtoMan a sideways glance as he passes him.

"What are you lookin' at?" Proto angrilly sneers.

* * *

><p>In the sewers underneath the police station, Mega Man hears the police sirens approaching and as far as he knows, the police are after him too.<br>He barely tries to escape this place, but he is very weak shape following the attack and whenever he gets to his feet, he falls down soon after. It's a good thing the sewer system of today is more sanitary, or else this day would stink even more than it alrady does.  
>Mega knows he's in really bad shape. One more fight and he's done for.<p>

"I've got to get home," Mega pants.

He can't call home, because his communicator on his arm was damaged when he was shot by the police who has mistaken him for Dark Man. And he's sure that blow from GutsMan probably fried his signal locator.  
>But, Mega Man knows where he is in the city and maps out a path back home via the sewers inside of his positronic mind and begins making his way back.<p>

As he begins dragging himself along, he thinks back to how ProtoMan acted while they were up there. Of all the times he's faced his brother, he's only seen Proto hesitate once during their first battle. First he saves his life at the end of their last fight at the robot factory in November, and now he doesn't take a clear chance to blast him.  
>Mega hopes that maybe, just<em> maybe<em>, Proto's behavior is related to their their time together last November, both the good times and the bad.

The hope that maybe his brother isn't as bad as he thought he was has been rekindled and that hope, combined with Mega's duty to stop Dr. Wily is just enough to help him get back to his feet and carry on. And right now, he needs all the help he can get.

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>Albany, New York.**

Governor Mitchell Deacon is having a bad first week in his new job thanks to the shocking news that Mega Man has alledgedly kidnapped Kalinka Cossack. Now that the police station has been attacked and Mega Man is now missing, this day just got a lot worse.  
>Since the news broke, Deacon's office has been flooded with calls all morning from either the media or concerned citizens. At the same time, Deacon's staff has been trying to get a hold of Dr. Light as well, but it appears the good doctor's lines are flooded too.<p>

"Has there been any response from Dr. Light?" Deacon asks his assistant.

"No, Mr. Governor," replies the assistant.

Mitchell sighs as he looks out his main office's window to the snow-covered lawn. "First ProtoMan and now this... I can't help but wonder if perhaps we've put our trust in the wrong people."

The assistant looks shocked when he overhears Governor Deacon's comments. It sounded like he was now doubtful of Dr. Light and Mega Man. "... Excuse me, Sir?"

Deacon shakes his head, trying to repress such neagative thoughts. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't expecting something like this to fall in my lap on my first week in office," Mitchell says, "This war is taking it's toll on all of us... keep trying to get a hold of Dr. Light. There has to be some sort of explanation for this. Also, get in contact with police precincts from outside the city and have them send in as many extra units as they can to help patrol the streets... and tell them to be on the lookout for Mega Man, as well as Dr. Cossack. We could have a dangerous situation on our hands."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I apologize if you were bothered by the scene where Wily strikes Kalinka. But, like the unsettling scene in Gamma involving Chief Toombs and Bree being harmed, it was there to once again how just how much of a bastard Wily is and to get you to hate him even more._

_I could not think of good enough way for Roll to put on and take off her motorcycle helmet without dealing with her ponytail, so I conveniently just made it another add-on that is somehow connected to her utility arm.  
>And yes, Rush's cycle mode is based on the Rush Cycle in Mega Man 8 (but, it operates much better.)<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. If you catch any typos, let me know via PM.  
>Feel free to reply to the poll on my profile page, asking what character in this series you think is the most hatable.<em>


	66. The Search is On

_**Chapter 4: The Search is On**_

* * *

><p><strong>Sedgewick Hotel.<strong>

Dr. Cossack stares at the television monitor in his hotel suite and sees on the national news that the police station has just been attacked by Dr. Wily's robots. Mikhail knows that this is all somehow tied to his missing daughter Kalinka and Mega Man.

The reporter on the screen says, _"Details are still coming in at this time, but we can confirm that Mega Man, who was being held here for questioning involving the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack - __daughter of Dr. Mikhail Cossack -, has escaped police custody. There are conflicting eyewitness reports coming from the scene__, however. Some say that Mega Man was trying to defend __the station, while others claim that he was fighting alongside the robots of Dr. Wily."_

Dr. Cossack turns away from the screen, his blood running cold. The possibility that Mega Man could be working with Dr. Wily and that his Kalinka could be trapped in that abominable fortress sends chills down his spine. He never thought that the War for Everlasting Peace would eventually hit so close to home, but now it has.  
>Dr. Cossack is so desperate to save his daughter, he briefly considers turning to Dr. Light, but he feels he can't trust him. He had read that the good doctor considered his robots to be his own children, so he might try to protect Mega Man. In Mikhail's currently distressed frame of mind, he is starting to believe this was all Light's fault anyway, not just Kalinka's kidnapping, but the entire war with Wily. (But, maybe that's his professional jealousy talking.)<br>In fact, Mikhail believes that he can trust nobody right now, even his own security detail might try to stop him from saving Kalinka for the sake of his own safety. The only person Dr. Cossack _can_ trust is himself... and _his_ robots.

Cossack turns towards the head of his security team supplied by the Russian consolate and asks in his native language, "When will the shuttle be here?"

"Within the hour, Doctor," the Russian security officer replies.

"All four of them are onboard?" Cossack asks.

"All four," the officer confirms.

"And what about The Obliterator?" Mikhail asks.

"It is onboard as well as you requested, Dr. Cossack," the officer replies, then says, "I suggest that you stay here where it is safe and not become directly involved in the rescue mission. If Mega Man is on the side of Dr. Wily-"

"My daughter's life is at risk. I have a right to be involved!" Cossack interrupts.

"You would be risking getting yourself in serious trouble with the local authorites, Doctor. You would be at risk of grave injury," the Russian security head says.

Cossack turns and grabs the man by the lapels of his black blazer and erupts, "All that matters right now is getting my daughter back! She is all I have left! As long as we get her back, nothing else matters. _Nothing! _Do you understand?"

"... yes, Doctor," replies the security officer as calm as he can be, despite the tense situation he is in at the moment.

Cossack lets go of his security officer and storms off to another room of his suite. But before he leaves, he turns and points to the security officers in the room. "I will stop at nothing to get her back," he states, "and if you want to stop me... you will have to kill me."

Mikhail enters the master bedroom of the suite and slams the doors shut.

* * *

><p>Once Mikhail arrives to the master bedroom of the suite, he slumps down into a nearby chair and puts his head in his hands, almost on the verge of braking down into tears. Outbursts like the one he just had could cost dearly right now, and sitting here weeping will not do him any good. He knows that he must stay strong right now, but all he can think about is his angel Kalinka and the danger she must be in right now.<p>

"Why take her and not me? She hasn't done anything to deserve this, damn you! ... I should have taken the offer to make a robot for the American corporation," Cossack stresses to himself, referring to the failed deal to develop a robot warrior for Vick-Tek. At least he would have an extra ally to help him find Kalinka, and a formidable one at that.

Cossack pulls a computer tablet device out of his labcoat pocket and enters a command. A second later, a picture of Kalinka appears on the screen. She was only ten years old in this shot, so happy and safe from the heartache that awaited her later in life.

Mikhail enters another command anto the table and sees an image of his late beloved wife Helena. Cossack covers his mouth trying to contain his overwhelming sadness as he stares at the image of her. This image is from eighteen years ago, when she was pregnant with Kalinka. She had long and wavy blonde hair and it is clear that Kalinka got her beauty from her.  
>She died roughly two years ago from terminal cancer.<br>Cossack cursed everyday that he and other scientists could build robots and make technological advancements of all kinds, as well as finding the cures for other diseases, yet nobody can find the cure for cancer.

Cossack uncovers his mouth and whimpers, "I will bring her back home, my love."

* * *

><p><strong>Police Station.<strong>

The daylight is already almost gone as Roll and Rush arrive to the police station just after the remainder of the force arrived to help their follow officers. It was too late for both them and her. The battle had already been fought, Wily's robots had escaped and there was no sign of Mega Man.

Roll sees that the station itself has taken heavy damage. Some areas of the police station are on fire, others are totally in shambles. Several human officers are being carried out by their fellow cops and the remains of their mechanical partners are also being taken away. Roll and Rush can hear the wails of approaching fire engines and ambulances to help assist the situation.

"This is bad. Very bad," Roll says, "We have to find Mega before anybody else does."

Roll and Rush go around to the back side of the damaged police station and turn the corner to see a large hole in the middle of the street that clearly looks like it was created by an explosive. Roll also spots officers cordining the area off with yellow **"POLICE LINE. DO NOT CROSS" **tape.  
>This might be where Mega has gone. Dr. Light informed her before she arrived here that there was a destructive fight in the middle of the street and hat Mega's tracking signal had suddenly gone dark at some point during the battle.<p>

Roll gets off of Rush and tells him, "Stay here, boy."

With her red cycle helmet still on, Roll approaches the scene and tries to get a better look for herself, but a Policebot with the registry number CF-97 gets in her way and holds his hands up to her. "No tresspassing, ma'am," he says, "This is a police investigation area. Nothing to see here. Move along."

"But, officer, please, I have to get through. My brother might be down there!" Roll pleads.

"Ma'am, as far as we know, a lot of people's brothers are down there. Move along, and do not attempt to cross this line, or I will have to use physical force," CF-97 says.

Roll huffs and walks away. As she mounts the Rush Cycle again, she spits, "Jerk!" and leaves the wreckage of the police station behind her.

"I couldn't get in, Dr. Light," Roll says, contacting back home on her utility arm communicator.

_"That is alright, Roll. But, you need come home before it gets too late." Thomas says._

"What? But, Mega's still out here! He's all alone and probably hurt. You can't even pick up his signal anymore," Roll protests,

"I am prepareing to send out my Robo Search Squad to find him," Thomas explains.

Roll knows that she can't just sit at home while Mega Man needs help. "... I'm staying out here until I find him!"

_"No!"_ Light orders, letting his need to protect his daughter get to him again, _"You need to come back to the lab! I don't want anything happening to you too."_

"I can't find my brother if I'm holed up at the lab!" Roll argues.

_"You don't even have any searching equipment with you, Roll! What makes you think you can __find him on your own?"_ Thomas asks.

"I can find him!... he's _my_ brother, I _know_ I can!" Roll replies emphatically, "He needs help and I'm not about to leave him out here alone and injured!... please, Dr. Light, just give me a couple of hours. If I can't find him, then... I'll come home."

She hears Dr. Light sigh on the other end of the line. Finally, Thomas relents, _"... Just be careful out there. And be back by 10, young lady."_

"Thank you, Dr. Light," Roll says, "I'll find Mega and bring him back home."

Roll and Rush speed of into the cold dark night, hoping to find Mega Man before anybody else does.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

The Skullker returns to the massive fortress with Wily's robots (and what's left of Bomb Man) onboard. ProtoMan hasn't said a word the whole way back here, and he is holding the Skulker's controls so tightly, they could break at any second.  
>He has repeatedly gone over tonight's encounter with his weakened brother Mega Man via his memory archive. He knows he could have taken Mega out back there at the police station. He was is such bad shape, a blind man could have hit Mega Man. He was so close!<p>

_Why the hell didn't I take the shot?_ he thinks to himself.

Again, Mega Man's words echo in Proto's mind, almost answering him... _"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

ProtoMan finally lets go his death grip on the Skullker's controls and storms out as the vehicle lands in the hangar bay.

Dr. Wily waits nearby, impatiently tapping his foot. "Well?" he asks, wanting to know what happened with Mega Man.

"He got away... barely," a moody ProtoMan replies curtly.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Wily yells, seeing that his plan of framing Mega Man could now be in jeopardy, "We have to get_ rid_ of Mega Man, it didn't matter whether you destroyed him or captured him. As long as he's out there, he will create trouble for us. How are we supposed to carry out the plan when he's still out there and able to clear his name?"

"You're supposed to be the genius, Wily. Think of something," ProtoMan says, walking past the insane doctor.

Wily turns back to Proto as he passes and shouts, "I _will_, Proto... _somebody_ has to use their mind around here!"

Proto continues to walk away from his master, not saying a word and just waving him off with his hand.

"Make yourself useful and check on the Cossack girl!" Wily yells.

"I'll do it when I'm good and ready," Proto groans back.

Wily grumbles as he watches ProtoMan walk out of his sight, until he hears Dark Man behind him. "Dr. Wily, there's something we have to discuss," Dark Man says.

"What is it?" Wily asks, still sounding angry.

"It's about ProtoMan and how he handled himself during the mission," Dark Man answers.

"He couldn't destroy Mega Man because he wants him to join our side... I know," Wily replies, "His emotions got the better of him and he failed. Again."  
>He knows ProtoMan like the back of his hand now. He knew Proto wouldn't destroy his brother, now matter how much he claimed he wanted to.<p>

"But, he wouldn't even blast him," Dark Man explains, "He had a perfect shot at Mega Man and he wouldn't take it. Not even a stun blast."

Albert stands there with his back turned to his robots and processes this fact in his warped mind. "He _let_ Mega Man get away?" he asks, his beady eyes starting to widen.

"In my opinion, he did," Dark Man says.

Wily feels the rage boiling inside of him. He could slap Proto accross his face right now just like he did Kalinka earlier.

"That insolent scarf-wearing brat! I'm going to..." Wily pauses before he goes any further, "No. There _must be_ some reason for why he did this."

Again, Wily knows that Proto wouldn't have let Mega Man get away unless he was trying to inspire him to join their side. Albert knows ProtoMan can be a pain and that his undying devotion to win over his brother to their side can be costly at times, but he's not a traitor. But, it's times like these that desperate measures need to be taken... and some punishment must be administered.

After he simmers down, Dr. Wily turns to face Dark Man and says, "I think it's time you got a promotion for this mission, Dark Man. I never thought I would say this... but, I trust you more than ProtoMan to carry out this operation."

"It would be an honor, sir," Dark Man says as he briefly takes the form of ProtoMan and begins smirking just like he would.

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York.<strong>

_"Attention all units, be on the lookout for Mega Man. He has escaped Police custody and i__s to be brought back in immediately. Exersize extreme caution," _says the police radio inside of Mr. Black's illegaly modified black car, as he too searches for Mega Man. And he's determined to find him... he _has_ to find him.

"If I were alone and needed help in the most dire of circumstances, where would I go?" an unmasked Mr. Black asks, "... home... that's where he's headed."

As Mr. Black's car reaches a red light, he enters in the coordinates into his dashboard computer system, calculating how much distance there is between the police station and Dr. Light's lab complex outside of the city. Mega Man must be somewhere in that zone, but Mr. Black does not know where. So, he'll search every square inch if he has to.

But, while Mr. Black is looking up the data, some bum with scraggly dreadlocked black hair comes up to his car and begins washing his windows with a squeegee.

"Oh, this will be fun," Mr. Black smiles with cruel intentions in his eyes as he watches the shady-looking character doing a half-assed job of washing his tinted window. Squeegee bandits can be trouble... but not for Mr. Black, who reaches for his mask.

* * *

><p>The squeegee guy knocks on Mr. Black's driver's side window. "Hey, buddy. I washed your window. You got a tip?"<p>

There is no response.

"Come on! You get good service and you don't even tip?" the guy yells, kicking Mr. Black's car door, "Oh, see how it is! I'll _make you_ give me a tip!"

Then, the tinted window lowers and the squeegee guy tries to reach inside, but the gloved left hand of Mr. Black grabs the hoodlum by his shirt. Where Squeegee guy was so big and bad a few seconds ago, he is now terrified once he realizes that he has just messed with the wrong person.

"Here's your tip," Mr. Black says as the traffic light turns green.

Mr. Black speeds off, dragging the squeegee man along with him. He then pulls a sharp right turn and lets him go, sending his body flying to the sidewalk until he crashes into a fire hydrant, breaking several bones in the process.

Mr. Black is a dangerous man... but, he's even more leathal when you abuse his car. He doesn't like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the Police Station.<strong>

Several police units are beginning to arrive from outside the city to help bulk up the depleted N.Y.P.D. following the attack on the station. Captain Tallarico arrives to take charge of the situation since Chief Toombs may have been injured in the attack. She stops in front of a group of human and robot officers and holds a meeting.

"Attention," she says, "I know some of you from out of town weren't expecting to be re-assigned here on such short notice, and those of you from this district are probably concerned about your fellow officers, as am I. But, right now we have an important job to do. I don't want to do this, and I'm sure you don't want to either, but we've been given an order by Governor Deacon to find Mega Man and bring him back in custody. According to what I've been told, he might be working for Wily, so-"

"Woah, woah!" the voice of Chief Toombs interrupts, making his way to the meeting being held by Tallarico with his ribs taped underneath his uniform shirt after GutsMan shoved him away. "Mega Man ain't workin' for Wily," Toombs says.

"Chief, I know you admire everything Mega Man has done for us, and so do I, but why did he shoot one of our officers with a plasma weapon?" Tallarico asks.

"Funny you should ask," Toombs says, "After havin' a word with some o' the Policebots, they say he looked just like Detective Henriksen... who was injured when the attack started all the way on the other side o' the station."

"What are you getting at?" Tallarico asks.

"Mega Man said there's another robot posin' as him. And I think he's copyin' other folks and posing as them too, including Henreksen," the Chief replies.

"Okay, let's say this is correct, and I hope it is, we still have orders from Governor Deacon to find Mega Man and bring him back in," Tallarico reiterates.

"Fine, then, go try and find him. But, I'm not allowing you to use you weapons on him," Toombs orders, "The real Mega Man won't start any problems with us. An' if any of you do, there's gonna be some problems between us. Same goes for you, Captain."

"... Aye-aye, sir," the Captain says, with a hint of irritation in her voice not pleased with the chief pulling rank on her. She turns to the other officers and orders, "Let's roll out."

As Captain Tallarico leaves the site, her right hand officer - another officer named Ash Rose, who is a very stong-looking fellow who clearly hits the gym a lot - leaves with her. Rose is the Captain's personal back-up, and will protect her with his life if needed. Most high ranking officers in the Police department use Policebots, but Tallarico prefers to trust a human.

"I know what Chief Toombs said, but if we find Mega Man and he tries to attack us, I'm not going to stand around and use foul language on him," Tallarico says, "We use physical force... just make sure you don't kill him. I'll personally eat your badge for breakfast if you do."

"Yes, ma'am," Rose complies.

"I just hope it doesn't come to that," Tallarico muses, "I don't want to be known as the cop who had to take down Mega Man."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>JFK Airport.**

Dr. Cossack and his entourage return to JFK airport in time to see his shuttle approaching the tarmac. Dr. Cossack's people made an arrangment with the airport to land it here for emergency reasons. They didn't tell the airport authorities about what was inside, however.  
>A large painted-on <strong>"Dr. C"<strong> logo can clearly be seen on either side of the shuttle as it lands

A moment later, a large door on the side slowly opens and Cossack says, "Come, my robots," in Russian.

Within moments, four robots emerge from out of the darkness of the shuttle, each of them very different from names are **Slash Man, Freeze Man, Turbo Man** and** Spring Man**.

Slash Man looks like a wolverine and has long sharp claws embedded into his hands and with a wild spikey titanium scalp on his head. The claws are his primary weapon, and he has incredibly fast speed. He is a very deadly robot.

Freeze Man is a taller lankier robot with blue, purple and red armor. His primary ability is similar to that of Ice Man: a freezing weapon that will encase it's victim in ice. Freeze Man has an internal freezing motor hat supports his systems.

Turbo Man has no mouth and no eyes, but his head is shaped like a racing helmet and sees out of a black visor. Not only does he look like a racer, but he can transform into Indy racing style car at any time. His chassis is also complete with black and white checkerboard patterns on his armor and two large exhaust pipes in his back.

Spring Man is the strangest looking of Cossack's robots. His tall and thin orange body can extend via large springs inside his arms, legs and torso. The springs can help him leap huge heights in a single bound. He can also fire mini explosive springs from his arms as well.

Slash Man and Freeze Man step to the right of the Shuttle, and Spring Man and Turbo Man step to the left, making way for Cossack's other creation.

Then, a large power suit of armor emerges from out of the darkness inside. This is nicknamed _'The Obliterator'_ but it's actual name is the** Ride Armor Mach 1, **a mech suit created by Dr. Cossack that was meant for riot control, civil emergencies and to repel any terrorists, like Dr. Wily.  
>The suit has tank-like treads and two large arms with weapons and clamp-like hands on the ends. The opperator of the suit would sit inside the torso area of the suit and opperate the arms using their own arms and the treads with pedals.<br>The suit was meant for use by the Russian Police, but the government turned down Cossack's design. Cossack kept the prototype just in case he'd ever need it. He never thought he might need to use it to rescue his only daughter.  
>But, as the saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.<p>

"Robots," Cossack says in Russian, "You have been given a mission. We must find and rescue my daughter Kalinka. Early this morning, Mega Man appeared and took her from me! He must know where my daughter Kalinka is. We must first find him and interrogate him. He will most likely put up resistance, so be ready to fight. Then, we bring Kalinka back and stop anybody who dare gets in our way!"

All four of Dr. Cossack's robots nod in obediance to thier creator.

Not only does Mega Man have Dr. Wily and Dark Man out to destroy his reputation, but he now has several people out looking for him, including Roll and Rush, the Police, Mr. Black and now Dr. Cossack.  
>The only question is, who is going to find him first?<br>The answer: none of them will find him first... but, somebody else will... somebody who needs to be found themself...

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in New York.<strong>

Mega Man continues to stagger through the sewers of New York. He's lost count of how many times he has fallen to his knees, so weak from being blasted by the cops and pummeled by GutsMan. To make matters worse, he knows he still has a long way to go until he makes it back to Dr. Light's lab. And the cold atmosphere isn't exactly helping matters.

"My circuits are freezing!" Mega stammers as he feels the chilling cold everywhere.

As he continues to drag himself through the underground maze, his thoughts drift back to his family. He's worried about Roll and Rush.

"Knowing Roll, she's probably out looking for me," he says to himself, his thoughts escaping himself vocally, "And Rush is with her... Dr. Light is probably trying to pick up my tracking signal... what is that?"  
>Mega Man thinks he hears something up ahead. It almost sounds like the faint strains of music. He shakes his head weakly.<br>"I must be hearing things," he says.

Mega Man continues to walk ahead, but after a few steps, he falls down again. Every time he colapses, it gets harder and harder for him to get back up.  
>He's usualy tries to get back up right away, but he just can't right now. He's injured, weak, tired and hungry. This day just keeps getting worse and he wishes it would just end already.<br>Mega rests for a moment and nearly allows himself to try and enter recharge mode.

_"No, I can't,"_ he thinks to himself _"I have to get back home... I can't give up. Wily will win if I'm not there to stop him."_

Mega Man's thoughts race to all of the people who need him right now... especially Kalinka Cossack. She has to be saved... he has to prove that he's innocent and the world needs it's protector.

Mega then focuses on that music he heard echoing through the sewer walls earlier. It's even louder now that he's closer to the source. It sounds like the strings of an acoustic guitar being strumed. It sounds too real to be a radio and Mega Man hasn't heard this song before... at least he thinks he hasn't. For a moment, he allows himself to study the music.

The song itself sounds so sad and almost depressing. It's like it was written by somebody who had a lot of heartache and knew they were about to die. Then, he hears a man's voice singing along with the song. His voice sounds like a gentle snarl, full of pain and regret.

Mega pulls himself back up and follows the sound of the song, compelled by whoever is singing this.

After taking a few more steps, Mega Man finally comes into contact with who was singing. He looks to his left to see a section of the sewers that has been modified into a living space, with a few personal belongings lying around and a fire blazing in a barrel for warmth.

There, holding a damaged wooden guitar, sits a thin, sickly looking man who appears to be in his mid/late-20's, wearing black sunglasses (at night), a faded red and orange striped t-shirt, shredded blue jeans and a brown cargo jacket with couple of gaping holes in it.  
>His grimey hair is slicked back, clearly showing his red roots, while the back of his scalp hair appears to be blonde, like he stopped dying it and let it grow out long ago.<p>

The man stops playing and begins staring at Mega Man as he walks past. Mega can now clearly see how gaunt the man's greyish face is. Neither one says anything as they stare accross from eachother. After this awkward moment of silence, Mega Man keeps moving.

"Woah, woah," the man says in a worn-out boyish voice that doesn't quite match the signing voice, getting up from his chair, putting his guitar down. As the 5'8" dweller stands up and saunters over to Mega, his upper clothing practicly hangs off of his shoulders.  
>"... you're <em>him<em>, aren't you?" he asks, pointing his boney hand at the blue hero, now stepping closer, "... it's you!... you're Mega Man!" he says, his words lisped thanks to missing some of his top teeth. His slanted smile reveals this.

"... yeah, in the metal" Mega Man replies, barely getting a smile out.

"Holy _shiiiiit_!" the man lisps, "I don't believe it! It's really you! ... wait, you okay, man?" The man has noticed how badly Mega's armor has been damaged.

"I've been better," Mega replies.

"Well... shit," the man lisps, "you wanna, like, rest here for a little bit?"

"... I've got to get back to Dr. Light..." Mega replies, before falling to his knees again.

The dweller steps over and huddles near Mega. "Come on, man," he says, "Just sit over here for a while. Gets kinda lonely down here anyway."

Mega Man is suprised by this dweller's hopitality. Mega knows that he really should be heading back to the lab, but he needs the rest. He pulls himself back up one more time and lets the skinny homeless dweller lead him to another wooden chair nearby.  
>The dweller picks up a few steps and makes for a small black case that was left wide open, making sure to close it and place it underneath the shabby wooden chair he was sitting in when he was playing earlier. He turns back to Mega Man and helps him sit down.<p>

"That song you were singing, did you write it?" Mega asks once he is seated.

"Nah," the dweller replies, "That song's, like, a hundred years old, I think."

The Dweller down next to Mega and reaches down into a box and grabs a tall brown bottle out of it and offers it to Mega. "Beer?"

"... no, thank you," Mega answers.

The dweller opens the bottle and shrugs, "I can't blame you... it's kinda lukewarm anyway. Old too."

After taking a swig of the luke warm beer anyway, the dweller asks "So, what happened up there? You look pretty banged up."

"There's a robot out there who's pretending to be me. He works for Dr. Wily," Mega replies, "He kidnapped an innocent girl last night and a lot of people think I did it. He and Wily's bots got the better of me... but, I think even the police are after me now. I need to find proof that I'm not the kidnapper... the only place to find it would be at the Sedgewick Hotel. That's where Kalinka got kidnapped."

The dweller takes another swing of his old beer and gets an idea. "I know somebody who can help you, man," the dweller says, "She can get into that hotel 'n find some evidence. She can give you a lift back to your place."

"Who is she?" Mega asks.

The dweller smiles, "She's my big sister. She's a cop. She's probly still worries about me."

That response caught Mega's attention. He looks up to the dweller and asks, "What's your name?"

"... name's Castor," he answers.

Mega is surprised to find out that of all of the people he would encounter down here, it happens to be Officer Lynn Wersching's long lost brother. She said he was in rough shape from years of drug abuse... Mega had no idea he was_ this _rough.

Castor takes one last swig of his lukewarm old beer and says, "I'll be back. I've gotta call her. If you get thirsty or anything, take a beer, I guess."

Castor puts a black skull cap over his dirty red/blonde hair and begins to leave, but quickly turns around and grabs his black case and puts in inside his jacket. He doesn't want to leave that behind.

"You don't have to do this, Castor," Mega says.

"I kinda _do_," Castor says, looking back to Mega, "We owe you one."

As Castor leaves, Mega Man sits alone and allows himself to take a short rest. After all of the punishment he took earlier, he could use a nap.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Just in case you were wondering, I know that the Robot Masters in Mega Man 7 were not created by Dr. Cossack. All of the Cossack Robot Masters from Mega Man 4 were already used as Wily Robot Masters on the cartoon and in this series, so I felt the need to gave Dr. Cossack some new robots that were different from Wily's, specifically those who were never seen on the cartoon show to make it special.  
>Also, Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor is basically a prototype version of the Ride Armor seen in the Mega Man X games.<br>And yes, the "Dr. C" logo is the same one Dr. Cossack used in Mega Man 4. I had to put it in here._

_S__o, after all of this time, Castor has finally made his first real appearance in the series.  
>As I've said before, the Castor character is partially based on the late Layne Staley, and he has a few of Layne's traits.<br>In fact, the song Castor was going to sing was "Nutshell," by Layne's group Alice in Chains, and I was going to post a piece of the lyrics as Castor sang them, but I didn't want to get in trouble with FFnet's "No Copyrighted Song Lyrics Allowed" policy.  
>(There are others fics on here that do it, in fact one of my favorite "24" fics has song lyrics in every chapter, but I didn't want to risk it myself. I'm sure I would be the one sucker who would get caught. I didn't work this hard only to have my series and my account terminated.)<em>

_By the way, sorry for the repeated use of the 'S' word during his scene, but it didn't sound right having him use a tame word like 'crap' or even 'damn.' There was even more cussing in earlier chapters that was editied._

_Don't forget to leave a review or a comment. Also if you catch any typos, please let me know via a PM.  
>The "Most Hatable Character" poll is still on the profile page.<em>

_btw, this series had scored a grand total of 10,000 hits all time, and that total is still counting. I want to thank everybody who has ever read this series, and especially those who have thought to leave reviews. Your support along with knowing that this series has touched so many of you means a lot to me. Writing Ruby-Spears Mega Man stories is one of the things I've always wanted to do and I never thought I would get the chance to do it on a platform like this. But now, it's now a dream come true thanks to all of you. I thank you all again, because this wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for you. This series has always been made for fellow Ruby-Spears Mega Man fans, especially those who cared about this show as much as I do, and all of the time I've spent on this project trying to make you happy was worth every minute of it._

_And you ain't seen nothing yet! :)_


	67. The Wheels of Change

_**Chapter 5: The Wheels of Change**_

* * *

><p>After he enters recharge mode, Mega Man begins to dream, his CPU cycling through mostly old memories when he does so. The good memories have started to become few and far between, especially recently.<br>But, Mega allows his thoughts to drift back to a good memory, just yesterday at the science conference... when he met Kalinka for the first time...

... In Mega's dream, he was back at the hotel and the conference had already started. The world's most brilliant scientists - including Dr. Light and Dr. Cossack - were speaking on a panel, disscussing the advancements in robots and technology in general. Mega Man had continued searching for the mysterious man in the trenchcoat (which we now know was Dark Man) while a section of the security forces here were doing the same, but nobody found any trace of him. And they weren't going to find him either, because he had already changed appearances at least twice since then.

Mega had returned to the main ballroom and saw Kalinka sitting there, her eyes imediately catching him when he arrives and a big smile re-appearing on her face. She waved him to come over to her, where there was an empty seat waiting for him, so Mega stepped over and sat down next to her.

"I never thought I would see Father on same stage as Dr. Light," Kalinka whispers in broken English to Mega, "Imagine all of the good they could do if they worked together."

"I know. It would kind of be like Roby Kingston and Lars McCallum playing on the same team," Mega adds, referencing the two most famous soccer players in the world.

"... Who?" a puzzled Kalinka asks, tilting her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. They're famous athletes in this country," Mega replies sheepishly.

"I see what you mean now," Kalinka smiles, "Like Mozart and Beethoven composing one song together to make a masterpiece."

"Are you sure you're not Dr. _Light's_ long lost daughter?" Mega asks jokingly.

Kalinka supresses a giggle, "Father raised me on classical music since before I could remember. He said it was good for brain waves. So, I am well versed in the classics."

As Kalinka and Mega watched the panel discussion on the stage, Kalinka leaned ever so slightly on Mega's left side and rested her head on his shoulder. Mega knew she was doing this, but he didn't seem to mind at all. it felt natural for some reason. He could sit with this young lady all night if she wanted to...

... Mega's dream had now drifted to sometime later, after the first day of the conference had wrapped up. Most of the attendees were about to head up to their suites, while Dr. Light and Mega Man were preparing to head home to the lab. Rush had stayed outside, because the hotel doesn't take too kindly to allowing animals inside without legitimate reasons, like a visually impaired person requiring a dog to lead them.  
>Before the Cossacks went upstairs, Kalinka spoke a little more with Mega.<p>

"Can we talk a little more tomorrow?" Kalinka beams.

"I would like that a lot, Kalinka," Mega replies smiling.

Rush is heard barking as he happily runs up to Mega Man. "I don't think you've met Rush yet, have you, Kalinka?"

"No, I haven't. Hi, Rush!" Kalinka squees as she kneels down and rubs behind Rush's ears.

Mega says, "Be careful, though. If he likes you, he'll probably-"

Rush gives Kalinka a big lick on the face, all the way up her left cheek, just like Mega was about to warn her he would do. But, Kalinka doesn't seem to mind, in fact she only giggled more after Rush licked her.

"I wish I could take him home for a week!" Kalinka laughs.

"Kalinka, we must return to the suite now," Dr. Cossack says, still flanked by memebers of the Russian security team.

Kalinka sighs as she stands up to face Mega Man again. "He never lets me have enough fun."

"You should go. we'll talk tomorrow," Mega says.

"Okay. Consider it an appointment, then," Kalinka replies, giving Mega another hug. This had to be the fifth time she's hugged him today, but Mega really liked it. In fact, being around Kalinka gives Mega that tingly feeling inside. He wouldn't mind if this dream lasted forever...

... Then, Mega thinks he hears something loud nearby and everything goes black for a moment and his eyes open again, only to find himself sitting in Castor Wersching's underground digs. The dream was over and it was back to reality again.  
>Mega looks around to see what made the noise that woke him up, and sees that an icesicle at the top of the sewer tunnel had fallen on the ground. Mega looks elsewhere, making sure that nobody else had found this place or if Castor had returned, but he detected no other movement in the area.<p>

"I shouldn't sleep. I need to be ready to move at a moment's notice," Mega sighs to himself, "I wouldn't get very far though."

Mega remains awake, still weak from being attacked at the police station earlier tonight. He doesn't know why he tried to recharge anyway, because his damage is bad enough that it wouldn't do much for him.  
>But, it felt good to rest.<p>

* * *

><p>While Mega Man is now in hiding at Castor's underground sewer digs, his framing has become the most talked about news item in the world right now.<br>And controversial 'News Journalist' Dick Ferguson is back on the air following the his close encounter back at Dr. Light's lab earlier. He is now in the comfort of his studio and is wearing a neck brace and an arm sling for some reason, even though he wasn't injured at all back at the lab.

_"Despite my traumatizing encounter with one of Dr. Light's faulty robots outside his lab, I am still on the air, and I'm staying on the air all night if that's what it takes. Lesser news journalists would run off to the hospital after catching a little static electricity," Dick says, making a veiled reference to rival Bree Recotta's legitimate life-threatening ordeal she endured onboard Gamma last year, "But, I'm not going to let mere physical injures stop me. We're going to get to the bottom of this."_

The graphic next to Dick now reads, **"Be like Dick, kids. Always drink your milk."**

_"Let's go to some calls. Yonkers, New York, hello,"_ Dick says.

_"Yeah, Dick, why are you condemning Mega Man when-"_

Dick rudely interrupts, _"I think the proof is obvious. Look at the footage! He turned on us, just like I said he did. If he was so innocent, why doesn't he turn himself in? But, no, he's not doing that, and that's because he's got something to hide. Next call."_

_"Hi, Dick! I'm a big fan of your_ show" says the 'fan'... who just so happens to be one of Ferguson's producers just outside of camera range posing as a fan.

_"Now, this is a smart caller,"_ Dick says with a grin, leaning on his 'injured arm' in the sling. Of course, once he realizes that he is leaning on this arm, he winces and moans out an _"Oh, the pain,"_ for good measure.

_"If Mega Man is guilty, then who is goign to defend us against-"_

_Again_, Ferguson interrupts,_ "Well, first off, Mega Man has to be guilty. Secondly, I wouldn't worry about who will be the next Defender of the Universe, or whatever that title is. I heard rumors that Vick-Tek has been looking to make something big for nearly two years. I mean, come on, it can't be that difficult to build a fighter robot can it? Anybody can do it nowadays."_

If Ferguson knew what he was talking about, (which we know he doesn't,) he would know he is sorely mistaken.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile on channel 7, we see anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Faulkenburg reporting on the ongoing Mega Man situation as well (and in a much more unbiased fashion than Mr. Ferguson.)<p>

_"As the shocking reports of Mega Man's alledged kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack continue to keep the world in suspense, pockets of civil unrest are beginning to erupt in various parts of America, including right here in New York,"_ says Trujillo.

Faulkenburg continues, _"And now, supporters of Mega Man are beginning to clash with those who believe he was responsible for the kidnapping of Cossack. The situation has become so heated that Channel 7 will not risk sending out our field reporters at the various scenes of unrest out of the interest of their personal saftey. But, we did manage to to obtain some footage of one such occurance before things became too violent."_

We then see footage of humans yelling at eachother about the framing of Mega Man in the middle of the streets.

_"This is the third time this has happened!"_ yells a man.

Another human argues by yelling,_ "It's not true, it's a lie! Just another Wily trick!"_

_"This is just like Dick Ferguson said, all of Thomas Light's robots are junk!"_ declares a another human man on the opposition.

_"What? Open your eyes, you idiot!"_ snaps a human female Mega supporter.

The girlfriend of the Ferguson fan steps up._ "Don't you talk to my boyfriend like that, you stupid-"_

Then, the two women begin to fight eachother, throwing violent slaps as others try to pull them apart. But, the tension is so thick it doesn't take long before a full scale brawl erputs in the middle of the streets bewteen Mega supporters and the others.

As the footage continues to run, the voice of Trujillo adds, _"Following the attack on the New York City Police Precinct, officers from precincts outside the city are being sent out to patrol the region and to continue the search for Mega Man."_

We now see Trish standing in from of a graphic that reads **"Mega Man: Guilty or Innocent?"**

She says, _"Today, we asked you if you think Mega Man was really responsible for the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack, or if you think he is innocent. The results are in..."_

Two graphs appear next to the anchor. one blue and the other red with the blue one taller than the red.

_"62 percent of those of you responding think Mega Man is innocent, while 38 percent of you think he is guilty,"_ Trish says,_ "Hopefully, we will all learn the truth before it is too late."_

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York City.<strong>

It is getting later now and Roll has been searching the streets for any trace of her brother for the better part of two hours, braving the cold conditions. She and Rush tried calling his name during their search in the hopes that maybe he would hear them, but all they got were weird looks from people.  
>With only two hours left before 10:00 PM, which is when Roll promised she would return home to the lab, Roll pulls the Rush cycle over to allow him to take a brief rest.<p>

Roll presses a button on her left forearm and her yellow helmet disappears, allowing her full head of blonde hair to show. She gets off of Rush and presses another button on her arm and a Battery Biscuit comes out of her arm and lands in her left hand.

Roll crouches down by Rush's face, located in front of his motorcycle form and offers the treat to him. "Here you go, boy. You've earned it."

Rush eats the treat and replenishes his energy, but he doesn't sound as happy as he usually would when eating one of these. Clearly he is worried about Mega Man.

Roll pets Rush's head. "Don't worry, Rush. We'll find Mega."

Roll hears the sound of a catcall whistle behind her. She looks behind herself to see two shady looking men eyeing her and approaching her.

"Look at what we found tonight!" says one of the shady characters.

"She looks too sweet," says the other.

Rush growls ready to attack, but Roll turns back to him and says, 'No, Rush... I'll handle this myself."

Roll stands up and leans against Rush, _looking_ apprehensive.

"That's a nice bike, good lookin'... mind if I take a ride?" says one punk.

"I hope you've got room for two!" the other laughs.

The two creeps are now very close to Roll and she puts her hands up and stammers... _sounding_ scared. "I'm just looking for my brother. I'm really worried about him and I had an arguement with our dad. It's so cold out here... and... you picked the wrong girl!"

Roll drops the scared girl facade her expression immediately changes as she grabs both creeps by their shirts and lifts them both high up off the ground!  
>The hydrolics in her arms allow Roll to pick up these two humans as if they were just two suitcases. It's times like this when Roll is glad to be a robot.<p>

The two punks whine in fear as they are lifted up by this innocent looking girl. All of a sudden, they have an entirely different tone to their voices.

"No, no, no, no, no! We don't want any trouble, lady!" mumbles the first guy.

"Yeah! We were j-just complimenting you on your beauty and stuff, uh, and your bike too. It's r-really nice," babbles the other.

"I'm only going to tell you this once," she says, almost calmly, but now sounding quite stern, "I'm going to let you down, but only if you promise to run away."

"Oh, yes, Ma'am! Anything you say!" complies the first punk.

"Just please let us go!" his buddy says.

"Okay... I'm putting you down now," Roll says in a normal, slowly lowering them.

Finally their feet make contact with the ground and Roll lets them go... then, she yells in their faces. "Now GET OUTTA HERE!"

Both creeps proceed to run for the lives, scared to death. Roll lets out a sharp exhale as she watches them run, and a little smirk comes accross her face. After all of the things she has had to endure since her life began, it felt good to let that out of her system...  
><em>Damn good!<em>

Meanwhile, Rush just laughs at what just transpired as Roll sits atop of him again. And after she enters the command on her arm to have her helmet materialize on her head again, she and Rush speed off into the night.

Roll really never had to worry about those two punks anyway...  
>what she <em>should<em> be worrying about is the illegally modifed black sedan that happens to be owned by Mr. Black which has been following her for the past half hour.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in New York.<strong>

Lynn Wersching enters her small townhouse, returning from what's left of the police station. Even though her suspension isn't up until later this week, she had to check on her friends there, and it was tough seeing her friends injured. Even Chief Toombs was banged up, but she knows he's already back on his feet, probably chomping at the bit to kick Dr. Wily's read end again.  
>She didn't see her partner QN-60 there. Hopefully he was unharmed and was sent out on active duty before the attack.<p>

One thing Lynn is having a hard time with is the rumor about Mega Man's supposed involvment in the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack. Having fought alongside Mega on two occasions - the saving of the Empire State Building and the Destruction of Gamma, - it didn't sound right to hear about him kidnapping some random girl. But, she also remembers the incident that took place in Washington D.C.

Lynn pulls her low hanging ponytail holder off, letting her straight dark red hair fall down and grabs a bottle of water and slumps down on her couch, hoping that this tense day is over. But, before she could even take a hit of the water, she hears her phone ringing. She puts the bottle down and reaches for her phone quickly, because every time it rings, she hopes it's her brother and that he's alive... and she's about to get her wish.

She answers, "Hello?"

_"Hey, Lynn,"_ says the familiar snarly voice on the other end.

Lynn's eyes widen and she gasps. "Castor! Thank God, you're alive! Are you okay?"

_"Yeah, I guess... same as always," _Castor lisps, _"Look Lynn, I need your help. Right now."_

"What is it? What's wrong?", Lynn asks, worried for his saftey, "Is there somebody after you?"

_"It's not me... it's bigger than that... bigger than both of us,"_ Castor replies.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

_"I got... somebody... at my place. He's hurt, 'n he needs help. But, if I tell you who it is, you gotta promise not to tell nobody. Especially the cops."_

Lynn looks a little bit worried now as her brother mentions this mystery person, but she's willing to playing along. "If you promise to tell me where you are, I won't tell anybody. Who is this person who needs help?"

_"... it's Mega Man."_

Lynn's green eyes widen again when she hears this. "What?"

_"He's hurt. He says you guys are after him too. But, he's been framed, he told me so. __He's gotta get in touch with that Light guy so he can fix him up."_

Lynn stands back up and paces the floor, "Castor, are you_ sure _this is Mega Man?"

_"Look, I'm not lying. He took cover ungerground and ended up finding me."_

Lynn lets out a sigh, getting over the gravity of this situation. "Okay, I'll be right there. Just tell me where to find you."

_"Sure. It's somewhere north of where you work,"_ Castor replies before giving her an exact address.

"Okay, I'll see you there," Lynn replies, then remembers her encounter she had a few months ago with Mr. Black, "Also, if you see a big guy wearing a trenchcoat and a mask, you make a run for it. You understand?"

_"Uh... yeah, sure," _Castor replies, not knowing what she's talking about.

"Okay, I'll be right there," Lynn says as she turns off the phone and puts it down.

This long day just got even longer... but, on the plus side, she has finally found her brother. Or to be more accurate, _Mega Man_ found him.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

A tired Kalinka Cossack sits in a chair inside of a small room in the fortress. The lights above her were bright enough to eluminate the purple barren titanium walls in this room. She has remained seated in a chair for most of the night, only leaving if she needed to go the bathroom, where she was escorted by a Sniper Joe to make sure she didn't try to escape.

Sitting up straight has inhibited her ability to fall asleep. She thought about lying on the floor, but it was too cold because it was made from solid titanium. Whenever she would come close to falling asleep her head would lull over and wake her up. If that didn't wake her up, the continued pain in her hand and wrist would. Aside from being tired and in pain, her stomach was growling, her whole body felt unclean and there were times she felt sick from worry. This day has become the nightmare that just won't end.

Kalinka knows that her father is out there probably prepareing to rescue her with the help of his own robots, regardless of who tells him to stay out of it. But, deep down, Kalinka wishes that Mega Man would come and rescue her instead. The_ real _Mega Man, not this imposter Dr. Wily created.

Mega Man's mere existence helped pull her out of her depression after her mother passed away, so it would be fitting that he should come and rescue her for real. She never thought that one day she would be the damsel in distress that would have to be rescued, but if she could have any hero to come to her rescue, it would be Mega Man. On days when she was sad, Kalinka always daydreamed that Mega would come visit her and take her up with him to ride in the clouds. Kalinka puts her head back and allows herself to escape to this heavenly dream again and can feel her mind slowly slipping into unconciousness. Then, she gets a rude awakening.

The sound of the door in front of Kalinka startles her awake and she looks up to see ProtoMan enter the room. Proto leans up against the wall and looks accross at the young woman.

"What do you want?" Kalinka snaps in english.

"Wily told me to come check on you," Proto says, "So, here I am."

A beat passes before either says anything.

Proto folds his arms and asks "How are you holding up?" not able to hide his disinterest.

"My hand hurts. I think it is broken," Kalinka says in English, "I need treatment."

"Maybe you shouldn't have punched a robot, darlin'" ProtoMan sighs.

"I am hungry... tired... cold," Kalinka says.

Proto scoffs. "Does this look like a 5-star hotel to you?"

Kalinka looks up at ProtoMan with an angry snear.

Proto tilts his head and grins. "You are _so_ sexy when you do that. Has anybody ever told you that?" he says.

Kalinka turns her head away from Proto, not giving the red raider the satisfaction. She silently curses him in Russian as well.

"I've about had enough of this," ProtoMan says, turning to leave.

"... How could you turn on Mega Man?" Kalinka asks.

Proto stops and looks back to face her.

"In November," Kalinka continues in broken English, "You joined good side, then you turn again. Why?"

ProtoMan answers truthfully, "It was a job. I was told to do it, so... I did. And I did it better than any of those other nitwits here could."

"Why did you do that to him?" Kalinka asks about Mega Man, "Why do you hate him?"

ProtoMan now fully turns back to Kalinka and takes a few steps towards her. I couldn't help but answer her question and explain himself. "I... I don't..." Proto stammers, then sighs, "I don't_ hate _my brother. In fact, I want him on my side. I've always wanted to fight alongside him as brothers in battle."

"Mega Man will never join you," Kalinka says.

"Yeah, I know he won't. I don't need _you_ to remind me," Proto snits.

"I watch interview last year," Kalinka says, "Mega Man says same thing about you."

Proto's brows furrow behind his visor. "... what?"

"He says what he wants is for war to end, and you to turn on Wily... so you can be a family again. He would rather fight with you, not against you... but, you'll never turn. He was right."

ProtoMan thinks to himself about what Kalinka said. This interview must have been where Wily got the idea for the Deacon Operation two months ago. But, Proto never knew what Mega said in this interview until right now.

"What was it like living with him?" Kalinka asks.

"... uh... it was different," Proto mutters, "Different from this place, at least. Sometimes, it was a ittle bit too mushy for me."

"Mushy?" Kalinka asks, looking confused by the term.

"Yeah, too sappy. They kept saying all this 'I love you' stuff over and over again. It got kinda sickening after a while... but, it was... peaceful, I guess. There wasn't any yelling or screaming, and no punishments... unlike here. That happens all the time here. If you make even the _slightest_ mistake and you get chewed out. At least I do... some of the others get worse than chewed out."

ProtoMan remains silent for a fleeting moment, comparing his life here at Skull Fortress to how he saw Mega Man's and Roll's lives with Dr. Light when he was living with them during the Deacon operation. It certainly was a lot _nicer_ there than it is here.

"It was like my brother and sister could do no wrong in Light's eyes... hell, they both had their own bedrooms, big ones... 'big' compared to my living quarters here, anyway. Light always complemented them when they did something he liked. Wily never does that." ProtoMan lets his head hang down, musing, "I'm kinda jealous of my brother."

"Why don't you just leave Wily?" Kalinka asks.

ProtoMan remains silent. He can't think of any good answer. He doesn't know if he wants to leave, or if he can't. He's always chosen to remain loyal to Wily... at least, he_ thinks_ he has. Come to think of it, he also doesn't he know If he loves being the bad guy or if he's only fighting for a worthless cause. He never used to have these feelings before last November, before he saw what the other side was like. Experiencing those few days with Mega Man, being brothers and not enemies... it was what he always wanted.

ProtoMan suddenly realizes that he shouldn't be having this conversation. For all he knows, Wily might be watching. Proto storms off, not saying another word to Kalinka.

"But, aren't you going to help me?" Kalinka calls, but Proto locks her in the room again before she can finish. "... мудак," she whispers in Russian.

Kalinka sighs and looks down at her white sneaker clad feet, favoring her hand again. She wishes Mega Man or her father would hurry up and get here. She can't stand being held in this horrible place anymore.

A few minutes later, ProtoMan returns to the holding room. He appears to be holding a balled up grey cloth under his arm. Kalinka nearly bolts out of her chair, not knowing what Proto's true intentions are.

"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you," Proto calmly says, as he sets the big cloth down on the floor and kneels beside her, "Let me see your hand."

Reluctantly, Kalinka holds out her injured hand and Proto delicately hold her by the arm and scans it just by looking at it with his eyes. After a few seconds, Proto assesses, "Your hand's not broken. But, you did hurt yourself pretty good. Like I said, don't go punching robots."

Proto opens the big grey cloth and pulls out a pressure bandage and he begins wrapping it around Kalinka's wrist and hand. Kalinka almost can't believe that ProtoMan, Dr. Wily's right hand robot, is actually _helping_ her.

"We don't have many human medical supplies here," he says, "But, this should help your hand a little bit. Also... take this. You're gonna have to keep warm."

Proto picks up the grey cloth, revealing it to be a worn out blanket, and hands it to Kalinka, who looks up at him with a suprised and puzzled reaction. She wasn't expecting this kind of treatment from ProtoMan of all people. And little does she know that the blanket she is now holding is ProtoMan's own. He didn't need it tonight anyway.

"Get some sleep," he says, before pausing. He forgot something.

Proto tosses her a taped up bag of Cheese Puffs, which was oddly enough was the last thing Kalinka ate before being kidnapped early this morning. "They're not the freshest. But, you're hungry, so... there you go. "

As Proto begins walking away, Kalinka calls out to him. "Thank you."

"I needed to get all that stuff off my chest... I'm just returning the favor," he replies.

As ProtoMan walks away and down a dark corridor of Skull Fortress, he thinks aloud to himself. "What the hell am I thinking? First I don't blast Mega Man, then I'm all generous to this girl! That was _my_ blanket!"

ProtoMan doesn't know what made him assist Kalinka. There was just something inside that drove him want to help her. Whatever it is also made him feel sorry for her. Maybe spending so much time with Mega and his family last year is starting to rub off on him... Proto shudders at the thought of becoming all mushy like his siblings.

"What kind of a bad guy have I become?" ProtoMan asks himself.

* * *

><p>In the Command Center, Dr. Wily has set up his camera and is about to issue one of his infamous rambling communications to the world.<p>

After watching several newscast feeds, he is unsure about the effectivness of this plan to frame Mega Man, as not everybody appears to believe that Mega has turned on them. Some of the various media poll results (including New York's channel 7) show that there are still many people who _don't_ think Mega Man kidnapped Kalinka.  
>It didn't help that his robots took the fight at the police station to the outside. People clearly saw Mega Man facing off with Wily's robots and know that something is up.<br>Therefore, it's time to do some damage control.

Dr. Wily straightens his white lab coat and tries to comb what's left of his frizzled grey hair with his hands. "Okay, begin!" he says.

GutsMan prepares to press the record button, but Dr. Wily snaps at him. "No, not you GutsMan! Last time, you broke the camera! And you've already ruined things enough today! Magnet Man, you!"

Magnet Man steps up and presses the record button as GutsMan walks away looking depressed.

Dr. Wily gets a big smile on for the camera, jutting his cleft chin out. He begins, "Good evening people of earth. It is I, your future-"

"CUT!" blurts Cut Man.

Dr. Wily pauses and stares at Cut Man with wide eyes.

"Eh-heh! Sorry," Cut Man sheepishly wheezes, "I can't help it! Eh-heh! _Cut_. Eh-heh."

Dr. Wily angrily straightens his labcoat and growls, "Start again!"

Magnet Man presses the record button and Wily gets his big grin back on his face. ProtoMan sneaks into the command center and leans against the wall to listen in. Nobody notices him standing there.

"Good evening people of Earth! This is your future master, Dr. Wily! And I'm sure you've all heard the news about Mega Man's shocking attitude change. I'm also sure a lot of you have your doubts. Perhaps you're still clinging on to the hope that your hero hasn't abandoned you afterall. Well, look at this!"

Albert pulls out a still photo of Dark Man (using his copied Mega Man appearance) holding Kalinka Cossack as she was being brought into the fortress this morning.

"Now, I know you must be saying to yourself that these images are fakes. So, since you don't believe me, perhaps I should ask Mega Man himself, live from New York," Wily says and he enters a command into his console.

Then, all of the monitors in the command center begin to show video of a grinning Mega Man (or Dark Man using Mega's face.)

"Mega Man... do you or do you not work for me now?" Albert asks.

_"I work for you now, Dr. Wily,"_ Dark Mega answers,_ "It was the only way I knew I would get Kalinka all for myself."_

"Thank you, Mega Man," Dr. Wily says as he shuts off the video monitors and turns back to the camera. "They say all good things must come to an end, and as you can see, Mega Man's days as your savior have ended, and he now works for me! Now, I'm not going to deny that there was a _brief_ moment when Mega Man's new progamming went heywire allowing his morality programming to kick in while we attacked the Police Station in New York. But, that has since been taken care of. So, Be on the lookout, because the _new_ Mega Man is currently on the loose in New York City. So, if I were you, I'd be on your best behavior.  
>In the meantime, Mega Man and I plan on making a personal visit to the greater New York area at roughy..." Albert checks his watch, "Midnight your time. And I encourage everybody to come out to the place where it all began and see what we have in store for you!"<p>

Wily belts out one of his famous maniacal laughs and Magnet Man cuts the feed.

"Yeah, they're really gonna buy this one. Just like the last two times we tried to frame my brother," Proto scoffs from the other side of the room.

"If you had just taken care of Mega Man like I told you to, ProtoMan, they _all _would have bought it!" Wily shouts back. He then simmers down and continues, "But, now that the word is out that Mega Man may be working for me, it will create a panic, and that will make the final phase of my plan so much the better. Now, go get the Coassack girl."

"I just checked on her," ProtoMan complains.

"I didn't say check on her, I said go get her and bring her to the hangar bay!" Wily snaps.

"Fine, it's better than looking at your ass-shaped chin all night," Proto snorts, making reference to Dr. Wily's rather noticable cleft chin.

Proto walks away and all of Wily's robots start chortleing and giggling. This raises the ire of the mad doctor even more and he shoots an evil eye towards the lot of them. The Robot Masters immediately stop laughing and straighten up, looking a little scared of their master now.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_Yes, that Russian word Kalinka muttered at Skull Fortress was another cuss word. I said I wasn't going to use those words too frequently in this series, but trying to put in mild words in their place just looked bad.  
>Take note that only human characters have used heavy cuss words in this series so far and not Robots.<em>

_When I wrote this chapter in the first draft, there were no scenes featuring Mega Man, and it would have been the first ever chapter where he doesn't appear. I decided to add the flashback/dream scene with Kalinka to keep Mega involved. (If there's going to be a chapter where Mega doesn't appear, it had better be for a good reason.)_

_Roll's badass scene is one I've always wanted to see. Roll intimidating punks like that really makes me happy. We haven't seen the last of her tough side yet either._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment, and if you catch typos, let me know via PM._

_... that was an interesting scene with ProtoMan and Kalinka, don't you think?_


	68. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

**A note from the author:** Before we begin, I should inform you that there is a lot of OC (Original Character) content in this chapter, more than I had intended actually. I tried to cut down on it as much as I could and I apologize in advance if there's too much of it in this chapter.  
>Don't worry though, Mega, Roll, Wily, Proto, Dr. Light and other other main characters are still the stars of the show here, not the OCs.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 6: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere on the streets of New York.<strong>

Dr. Mikhail Cossack is operating the Ride Armor Mach 1 in search of Mega Man, completely unaware that Dr. Wily will soon be on his way back to New York. There are no leads on Kalinka's exact whereabouts, or else Dr. Cossack would be out searching for her instead. But, Mikhail believes beyond the shadow of a doubt that Mega Man has all of the answers he's looking for.  
>Clearly he is letting his dread over losing Kalinka cloud his judgment, and in the process, he is falling right into Dr. Wily's trap. Hook, Line and Sinker.<p>

"All robots, report," Dr. Cossack says, "Any sign of Mega Man?"

_"Negative,"_ replies Freeze Man.

_"Nope! Haven't seen him,"_ Spring Man answers.

_"No sign of him,"_ Turbo Man says.

_"Nothing,"_ Slash Man grunts.

"Keep looking for him. My little girl's life is depending on us," Cossack orders, "And if any of you find Mega Man before I do, make sure you keep him alive. I want to interrogate him personally."

_"Permission to do some major damage, Dr. Cossack?"_ asks the gruff voice of Slash Man.

"Permission granted. Just keep him alive," Cossack replies.

Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor reaches a traffic stop with a red light and several motor vehicles block his path. However, word has started to spread about another Wily attack in the city and motorists begin to show disregard for traffic lights and cross busy intersections anyway. Clearly a panic is beginning to set in, causing the civil unrest that has already errupted in this city to become even worse.

Unaware why the people here are starting to panic, Dr. Cossack disregards their behavior as simple erratic driving. "Idiotic American motorists!"

Letting his own anger get the better of him, Cossack takes the Ride Armor and begins to ride on the sidewalk, freaking even more citizens and sending them fleeing into the streets and nearly getting hit by oncoming traffic.

* * *

><p><strong>On the streets of New York City.<strong>

While Roll and Rush have been searching for Mega Man all night, Mr. Black has been carefully trailing them with his headlights off for nearly an hour. He knows that they will lead him right to Mega. It doesn't even appear that they know he is following them either. That makes it even better.

But, soon after Dr. Wily's threat to 'return to where it all began' hits the airwaves, the illegally intercepted police radio feed in his car begins to make all kinds of noise. It never acts like this unless something big was about to happen.

"What the hell did I miss?" he asks himself.

_"Attention, emergency transmission. Terror attack imminent,"_ says the voice on the radio, _"Dr. Albert Wily has made a threat to attack the New York City area. Potential target zones are the lab complex of Dr. Thomas Light, The Governor's Mansion, the Times Square area-"_

Mr. Black slams on the brakes and brings his modified black car to a screaching halt, leaving skid marks on the cold pavement. He pulls his black mask off and listens carefully to the radio.

_"Wily's threat is being picked up by the news media. Expect an increased ammount of civil unrest and panic,"_ the radio continues, but no longer discussing the potential target zones.  
>Mr. Black then switches over to the broadcast radio and dails in the news station, which is already replaying Wily's threatening message.<p>

_"- be on your best behavior. In the meantime, Mega Man and I plan on making a personal visit to the greater New York area at roughly... Midnight your time. And I encourage everybody to come out to the place where it all began and see what we have in store for you!"_

"... Times Square... yes... where it all began," Mr. Black whispers to himself.

Mr. Black decides that seeking out Mega Man is no longer a top priority... he will be found sooner or later, and he will probably show up wherever Wily shows up. Right now, Mr. Black's top priority is to be in Times Square when everything goes down at midnight.  
>With a grip on the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white underneath his gloves, Mr. Black pulls a U-Turn and speeds back towards Times Square.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Captain Tallarico and Officer Rose are not too far behind in their police cruiser. They had heard that Roll and Rush had been spotted riding the streets in search of Mega Man and were in this area. But they too had just heard the warning about another Wily attack on their radio mere seconds ago.<p>

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Captain?" Ash asks Tallarico, "We should be heading back to prepare for Wily."

"I'm sure I'm making the right call. If we find Mega Man's sister, she will lead us right to him," Tallarico says.

"And if Mega Man is innocent?" Rose asks.

"If he's innocent, we help him. But, we still have to take him in this is all over," Tallarico replies, "Until then, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

In the next lane over, a black sedan zooms past the police cruiser like a bullet heading in the opposite direction.

"What the blue hell was that?" Rose blurts.

"... that was the car spotted at the Robot Factory in November," Tallarico says, "That's the Mr. Black car... dammit! This night just keeps getting worse! Turn around and go after him."

* * *

><p>As an unmasked Mr. Black races towards Times Square, he hears a beeping noise from his dashboard, alerting him to another vehicle quickly advancing on him. The masked man looks at his rear view mirror (which is actually a viewscreen and not a mirror) to see Captain Tallarico's car gaining on him.<p>

"Not tonight," he says, pressing a button of the console beside him.

As Mr. Black's sedan races down the street, a compartment in the rear of the car- just below where the licence plate would be - opens up and several sharp tack-like spikes fall out and litter the road. When Captain Tallarico's police cruiser reaches the tacks, all four of the cruiser's tires are ripped to shreds, causing the car to violently veer out of control.

"Hang on!" shouts Officer Rose as he desperately tries to gain control of the car before it crashes.

But, the car soon begins to flip over and land on it's topside, shattering the cars flashers and disableing the siren. The cruiser screeches along until it comes to a halt in the center of the road. A few moments later, Officer Rose grabs the radio and calls for help.

"Mayday! Mayday! This is unit 101, requesting assistance! The Captain is with me, but unharmed. We have encountered the Mr. Black suspect north of Manhattan."

_"Copy that. Officers are on route to your location,"_ replies the dispatcher.

While both officers were not severely injured, their pride had been wounded tonight. They both had just been outsmarted by Mr. Black and he got away _again_.

* * *

><p><strong>Near the East River Ferry dock.<br>Elsewhere in New York.**

Lynn pulls her car up to the edge of the street. Wily's threat to 'pay a visit' to New York tonight aired on the news and the radio, and she heard it on the way here. She knows she doesn't have much time left to find her brother and Mega Man.

Feeling how bitterly cold it is outside, Lynn zips up her dark tan jacket as she reaches a sidewalk and proceeds to the left where the new storm drains cut off. After nearly a minute of running, there she sees a lone figure wearing tattered clothes standing outside of one of the large storm drains, just like he looked in the image she was shown during the encounter with Mr. Black months ago.  
>She knew it was her brother when he waves her over. Castor smiles that slanted grin of his, still wearing his sunglasses even at night.<p>

Lynn runs over to the brother that she's been looking for for nearly two year and wraps her arms around him as soon as she reaches him, and he hugs her back. She never thought she'd get the chance to hug her only remaining family member again, but here he is in her arms at long last.

Lynn begins softly begins weeping, but it's not only because she has finally found her brother, but she has now seen with her own eyes just how unhealthy he has become. His appearance is ghastly and he feels about as skinny as a broomstick. He looks as if he hadn't ever stopped using drugs at all since the last she saw him.  
>She knows she doesn't have much time left with him on this Earth and has to do something about it before it's too late. But, right now, she's still trying to savor this moment while she has it.<p>

"It's been a long time," Castor says.

"Yeah, it has," Lynn snivels.

After a holding her brother tightly in her grasp for a moment, Lynn remembers that time is of the essence. Wily is going to be on his way here soon and Mega Man has to be found before it's too late.

Quickly wiping away her tears, Lynn says, "We don't have much time. We've got to find Mega Man."

"Follow me," Castor says as he walks into the storm drain which leads to the sewer system.

"You live down here?" Lynn asks.

"Yea... I don't exactly keep a tidy home, so you're gonna have to excuse the mess," Castor replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Back Underground.<strong>

Castor leads his sister to his dwellings in the sewers, and after a bit of walking that it took to get there, the Werschings arive to see a damaged Mega Man sitting before them. Mega is awake and feels a little better now than he did earlier, but still not in good shape.

Lynn finds the sight very surreal. Here is the Defender of the Human Race, who is being sought after by her bosses right now, badly damaged and here in the sewers of all places, with her brother of all people.

"There he is. I told you he was here," Caster says to Lynn.

Mega looks up to Lynn and barely smiles, "Good news, Officer Wersching. I found your brother."

"I know... thank you," Lynn says.

"It's the least I could for a friend," Mega replies.

"I know you're not feeling that good, but there's something I've got to tell you. That bastard Wily just made an announcement. He said he's coming back to the city around Midnight tonight. He said to come to the place where it all began."

"... he's attacking Times Square again," Mega surmises, closing his eyes painfully. He hates when danger is imminent and he can't do anything about it.

"He claims he reprogrammed you... that's a load of crap, right?" Lynn asks.

Mega Man replies with a question, "Do _you_ think I would kidnap an innocent girl, Officer?"

"No. I know you well enough," Lynn replies, which causes Castor to grin over how cool his sister is.

"There has to be something at the hotel that can prove that wasn't me," Mega says.

Lynn replies, "I can get in there. The video on the news this morning was pulled from the security system. Unless this imposter of yours had a room and changed his identities in there, I should find something at that place But, what about you? You don't look too good."

"I know a few people at home who can help me. My communicator is busted... do you have a phone?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Dr. Light has tried tirelessly to pick up any trace of Mega Man's signal since the attack at the police station, butno signal could be picked up. The good doctor has kept in contact with Roll as well as the Robo Search Squad, but none of them have found him either.  
>Meanwhile, he fears his son's name will become besmirched by Albert Wily and his imposter. Thomas knew that has son deserved better than this.<p>

Every few minutes the phone will ring. It's always a member of the media. But, with every call, Dr. Light checks it, just in case it's Mega Man. Ever since the 'Shrinking Incident' when Dr. Wily shrunk New York City, Washington D.C. and Chicago, Illinois as well as Mega Man himself, Dr. Light has always made sure he keeps the line open in case he would get another collect call from him.

Finally, Dr. Light gets frustrated and puts his hand up to his forehead, squeezing his eyelids shut. Thomas has always been an optimist and even now he is sure that things will always work out for the better in the end. His trust in that theory gets stretched very thin at times, and this is no exception.

Then, the phone rings for what seems like the six hundredth time. Again, Light checks the number readout and doesn't recognize the number, but he recognizes the name 'Wersching, Lynn,' as one one of the police officers Mega has referenced before.

He decides to answer it. "This is Dr. Thomas Light speaking," he says.

"_Dr. Light!"_ says the voice on the other end, which unmistakably belonged to his son.

"Rock! It's you!" Thomas says, elated, "You're alive!"

_"Just barely,"_ Mega Man answers.

Thomas asks, "Where are you? Your sister and Rush have been out all night looking for you."

_"That doesn't surprise me. I'd be shocked if they didn't,"_ Mega comments, _"I'm underground, in the sewers __of all places, near the East River Ferry dock. I feel like a Ninja Turtle._ _I'm with a human __who's helped me out. His sister helped us out during the Gamma attack, she can help us __uncover the truth about Wily's imposter. It's Dark Man, one of Wily's bots. __He's using holographic technology to morph himself into anybody he wants."_

"I knew it was a trick, I just never knew Wily had found a way to develop holographic replication. How badly are you damaged?" asks Thomas as he uses his computer to triangulate on the mobile phone's signal to pick up on Mega's exact location.

_"I'm not feeling too 'Mega' right now. But, I'd feel a lot better if I had an energy can."_

"Alright. Stay where you are. I'll have Roll and Rush come to you and help you out. Bringing you back to the lab in plain sight is... inadvisable right now."

_"Let me guess. Home is crawling with reporters right now, isn't it."_

"Indeed."

_"Officer Wersching says she'll go search the hotel for any clues that will help,"_ Mega says.

"That sounds like a good idea, Rock," Thomas pauses, "But, I have an even better one. Can I speak with her?"

_"Sure... I hope so anyway..."_ Mega says. Mega sounds unsure as he replies, because at the exact same time he's been speaking with Dr. Light, Castor and Lynn have been having their own issue...

* * *

><p><em>(Just a few moments earlier)<em>

While Mega Man speaks to Dr. Light, Lynn looks around Castor's sewer digs. Castor himself appears to be more focused on Mega Man and is oblivious of his sister's searching. This is the perfect time for her investigate something that's bothering her.

Lynn's eyes look around the dimly lit living space and sees all of her brother's personal items lying around, and there are very few of them. His shabby-looking guitar, his sunglasses and a small selection of clothes rolled up in a bag... this is pretty much all he has left.

But, on a nearby table lies Castor's little black case in plain sight. Lynn looks over her shoulder to make sure her brother is not looking.  
>When she confirms that his attention is elsewhere, Lynn carefully steps over to the case and opens it up slowly. She feels her stomach turn when she sees what's inside... she was expecting it, but it's still shocking.<p>

Inside the case are several syringes, a yellow band, rubbing alchohol... and a half-full bottle of Hydro-X, one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the world. Long term users tend to lose almost all of their body mass as well as their teeth. And severe abusers tend to suffer occasional stabbing pain - mainly in their stomach - and can often lose control of their bodily functions and their ability to consume solid food.  
>The symptoms matched her brother perfectly.<p>

Lynn knew her brother had been doing this drug, and this is the proof that he was_ still_ using them. She knows what she has to do now. It's a last resort, but it has to be done.

As Mega Man talks with Dr. Light, Lynn approaches her brother. "Castor, come're for a minute. Let him have his privacy," she says.

"... a'right," Castor responds, getting up.

Castor walks away to the far end of his living space and Lynn is right behind him.  
>Suddenly, he feels something cold latch onto his right wrist. Within a second, his left arm gets jerked behind his back feels his other wrist get latched. Before he knew it, he had been handcuffed by his own sister.<p>

"What the-" Castor blurts.

"You're under arrest," Lynn interrupts, "for possesion of an illegal drug."

Castor bemoans, "What the hell are you doing, Lynn? Are you even thinkin' straight."

"I'm the only one of the two of us who _is_ thinking, now sit down!" Lynn snaps, forcing her brother into a nearby chair.

"I'm not some punk on the street," Castor argues, "I'm your brother!"

"You're right," Lynn says, "You're _not_ some punk on the street... you're an addict and you're my brother, and you need help! And that's why I'm doing this!"

"You're sending me to _jail_?" Castor lisps, still freaking out.

"Something's gotta get you clean," Lynn says as she grabs her brother's sunglasses off his face, revealing his dilated, bloodshot eyes and eyelids that look like they have become mired in pools of purple shadow.

Castor can't believe what his sister is doing to him. "If you do this, you're not my sister anymore!" Castor erupts, his ghoulish face becoming twisted and angry.

"That's too bad! But, that's the way it is. All because you threw your life away... for _this_!" Lynn barks, holding the bottle of Hydro-X and holds it up in front of her brother's face between her thumb and forefinger.

"You lost your apartment, your job, your friends... _look at yourself_!" she says loudly, referring to her brother's disturbing physical appearance.

Lynn stands back up, putting the abomination of a drug back in it's case. Meanwhile, Castor is becoming agitated with his sister's actions. "You're humiliating me!" Castor growls.

"Oh, _this_ is humilliating?" Lynn argues, "What's more humiliating, this or puking your guts out every other day because your stomach doesn't work anymore?"

Lynn turns away and begins to quietly sob as the horrid truth about her brother's health hits her like a ton of bricks. Castor's once angry face now melts into a neutral gaze. He didn't like seeing his sister cry because it makes him sad. Right now is no different.

Lynn turns around to approach her brother. Her face is glistening from the tears that stream down her face. "You can make me out to be the bad guy all you want," she trembles, "You can never talk to me again... but, I'll be damned if I'm gonna let my little brother kill himself anymore."

"Officer Wersching?" calls Mega Man, "Dr. Light wants to talk to you."

A moment passes as Castor and Lynn look accross from eachother. "Go," Castor says, tilting his head towards Mega Man.

Lynn wipes the tears from her face and tries to regain her composure and returns to Mega Man while Castor's gaze falls down to his feet. Now that his agression is simmering down, he allows himself to think more clearly. He knows Lynn is right deep down inside, but is addiction is telling him otherwise, that it was a mistake to ever call her in the first place.

Lynn retrives her phone from Mega Man and begins speaking with Dr. Light. "This is officer Lynn Wersching," she says, her voice still a little shakey from being upset.

_"Officer, I am Dr. Thomas Light. I hear you can help clear Mega Man's __name."_

"Yes, doctor. Mega Man told me all about it. The security camera footage from the hotel must have caught this new robot changing his appearance before the kidnapping."

_"Good. But, I think it would be a good idea of somebody went with you."_

"Who?"

_"There is a news reporter who said this moring that she doubted that Mega Man __would kidnap anybody. She has helped Mega Man once before. Her name is Bree __Recotta. __We need to get this news out to the world as soon as possible. And she can __get it out there faster than anybody."  
><em>Dr. Light gives her the number, then continues, _"Also, once you get the evidence, please inform Dr. Mikhail Cossack. He is staying in __the same hotel."_

"I'm on my way," Lynn says.

_"Thank you for doing this, officer. I owe you tremensly."_

"Sure, anytime," Lynn says, hanging up. She then sighs, "... I forgot the damn number he gave me."

Thankfully, Mega Man recites the exact number back to her.

"... thanks," Lynn says, "... you must have really good hearing."

"I _am_ a robot," Mega replies, barely smiling.

Before Lynn leaves, she curses when she remembers something. "Dammit! ... I'm still suspended. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get in."

"There has to be something you can do, Officer," Mega says.

"... it's alright. I know somebody who can help me," Lynn assures, "Don't worry. We're gonna get you out of this."

As she prepares to leave, she stops and looks over to Castor, who's looking back at her with his sickly eyes looking up to her. She steps up to him and a moment of awkward silence passes.  
>Lynn kneels down and speaks silently, trying to keep this moment as private as she can, even though she's sure now that Mega Man would hear it all anyway.<p>

"I'm going to make this simple," she says, "... if you don't go to rehab, you're going to jail. And yes, I'll take you there myself if I have to."

Castor says nothing.

"It's your decision," Lynn adds, "but, you better make it quick, there's no time. I'm only doing this for your own good. I'm not going to lose you too,"

Castor breaks his stare and lets out a sigh. "... You win," Castor lisps, "... Get me outta these."

Lynn asks, "You promise you're going... _and staying_ this time?"

"It's not as easy as you think... but, I Guess I don't have a choice," Castor lisps back.

Lynn produces the key and uncuffs her brother. Castor rubs his wrists now that they are free and begins eyeing his black case. His addiction is begging him to lunge for it and get one last fix.

"Hey! Don't look at that that case, look at me," Lynn says.

Castor looks up into his sister's eyes.

"Stay with Mega Man," Lynn orders, handing him his sunglasses back.

Castor nods, meakly taking back his sunglasses and putting them back on, covering his purple eyes. Afterwards, Lynn stands up, not saying another word to her brother and leaves, taking the black case with her and getting it's toxic contents as far away from him as she can get. After Lynn leaves, Castor gets up and shambles over to Mega Man and sits on the ground next to him.

"Guess you heard everything, didn't you? ... between her and me" Castor asks.

"... I _am_ a robot." Mega replies, echoing what he said to Lynn earlier. "Why can't you just quit?"

"I tried... it didn't work," Castor replies, sounding a little nerve wracked, "I don't even like the stuff anymore."

"Then, why do you still do it? Don't you know you might die?" Mega asks.

Castor hangs his head down. "... it's the only way I can stop feeling," he replies.

"Your sister's only trying to help you live," Mega says.

"... I know," is all Castor can answer.

* * *

><p><strong>Back on the streets of New York.<strong>

Roll and Rush continue to ride the streets in search of Mega Man. It is already past 10 O'Clock and Rush barks up to Roll to tell her how late it is.

Roll replies, "I know it's past 10, Rush, and I don't care. I'm not giving up on Mega and neither are you. If Dr. Light doesn't like it, that's too bad."

Roll observes how erratic the other drivers have become in the past few minutes and how the pedestrians are now running around looking freaked.

"Something's happened that's got these citzens spooked. I've got a bad feeling about this," Roll sighs.

Then, Roll gets a contact on her utility arm communicator. She knew it was from Dr. Light and she knew he must have wanted her home, but she wasn't going to stand for it. After she pulls Rush over to the side of the road, Roll answers her father's call and doesn't even let him get a word in edgewise.

"Dr. Light, I know it's late and I know you want me to come home to the lab... but, I'm not going to. Not until I find Mega. If you don't like it, you can ground me for a month, you can even deactivate me for a month, but I'm not giving up on my brother!"

_"... actually, sweetheart, I was calling to tell you we _found_ Rock,"_ Thomas calmly replies.

"What? Really? Where is he?" Roll gasps, as Rush barks.

_"He's on the eastern side of the city. I'll send you his exact location now,"_ Thomas replies, _"He's been hurt and he needs an energy supplement, but he's not in any danger right now. But, you should hurry. Dr. Wily has threatened the New York area again. I'm also starting to pick up signs of other robots appearing in the city. Ones I've never seen before."_

"If Wily's coming, that explains why everybody's acting crazy out here. We're on our way, Dr. Light - WHOA!" Roll tries to answer before Rush begins to peel off under his own power and races towards Mega's location, causing Roll to grab onto the Rush Cycle's handlebars to not fall off.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

ProtoMan is taking Kalinka Cossack by her arm to the fortress' hangar bay where both of them are suprised to see what Dr. Wily has dug up this time. Kalinka gasps as her widening eyes gaze at this instrument of mass destruction before them.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," Proto says to himself, "I wasn't expecting him to use The Last Resort."

This_ Last Resort_ that is standing in front of them is a gargantuan ion bomb, standing nearly 40 feet tall and 30 feet around. This is one of the projects that Dr. Wily had developed last year, but never got around to using it, until now.  
>Inside the large weapon of mass destruction is a blue glow from the ions contained inside. Once this bomb goes off, it could wipe out all life within a mile of it's detonation. The damage to structures around the area would be minor, but the loss of life - both human and robot - would more than make up for it.<p>

To transport this monterousity, a special carrier version of the Skullker is needed, and said vehicle is currently floating above Proto and Kalinka now.

_"ProtoMan!"_ booms the voice of Wily on the loudspeaker, _"Get yourself and __the Cossack girl onboard."_

"I have a name, you know!" Kalinka snits as Proto drags her a few steps foreward.

A luminating green beam from the carrier appears all around Kalinka's body and then Kalinka begins to feel her body start to levitvate off the ground and float up towards Wily's transport against her will. Her whole body felt strange as she is lifted towards Wily's carrier, like the beam itself is pulling on her skin.

"What is happening to me?" she freaks, speaking in Russian.

Kalinka looks up and sees that she is being pulled towards a small hatch in the bottom of the carrier where the beam is emanating from.

Finally, Kalinka is pulled up through the hatch and GutsMan and CutMan are there to make sure she does not try anything. She sees that Dark Man (back in his natural form) and Magnet Man are also onboard.

"Sit down, KettleCake!" GutsMan bellows, shoving her small body into a nearby seat.

"My name is Kalinka!" she angrily clarifies in English.

"Whatever! Just sit there!" Gutsy replies as he lightly shoves her with only his finger. Of course, GutsMan is so strong, even a light tap is enough to knock Kalinka off of her feet, causing her to land in a nearby seat.

ProtoMan is the last one to arrive and immediately walks towards his usual seat - right beside Dr. Wily - only to see that Dark Man is already sitting there.

"Get the hell outta my seat, Dome Head!" Proto barks.

"He's_ supposed_ to be sitting there, ProtoMan!" Dr. Wily says.

"That seat is for the second-in-command. That's me!" Proto snaps, referring to his longtime position as Dr. Wily's right hand man... or bot, in his case.

Dr. Wily gets out of his seat and steps up to address ProtoMan. "I've decided that for the remainder of this mission, Dark Man will be my right hand."

"... really? _Him_?" Proto asks, bewildered.

"Yes. Him!" Wily nods, "And if you want your spot back, I suggest you stop hesitating. You know what you have to do... and _who_ to do it to! Get the job done! No more excuses!"

As Wily returns to his seat, ProtoMan stands there and stares at him, his visor covering his angry eyes. Finally, ProtoMan turns away and storms off to the back of the carrier and takes his seat, sitting alone and allowing himself to stew in his anger.

_"Okay, you old son of a bitch! I'll show you what I can do!"_ Proto thinks to himself, _"You __want me to take down my little brother... I'll take him down, alright. I'll keep him down. Everything's his fault __anyway. He lives the good life and gets all the attention. What do I get?... repairing __Wily's stupid Robot Masters in the middle of the night! It's like I'm not good enough for any of you idiots! I'll show him... I'll show both of you!"_

Proto allows himself to build up his anger towards Mega Man for the first time since last November, and it actually felt good to think like a bad guy again.  
>And that's the scary part.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First off, I apologize if there was a little too much OC content here in this chapter, but I can explain why. The Lynn storyline has been building up towards this reunion with her brother and the Mr. Black storyline is still in progress. Again, I did cut some stuff out to reduce the OC presense because it was larger before.  
>But, there is some good news: Mega Man will be back on his feet in the next chapter.<em>

_With that being said, the intervention scene with Lynn and Castor was another scene that was very tough for me to get through without getting at least a little bit choked up, whether it be while writing it or reading it._

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment. Please let me know if I have entered OC Overkill._


	69. Race Against Time

_**Chapter 7: Race Against Time.**_

* * *

><p><strong>New York City Streets.<strong>

Roll and Rush pull up to a manhole cover in the street. Roll dismounts Rush, who transforms back into his normal canine form afterwards.

"This is the street Dr. Light said Mega was closest to," Roll says, pressing the button on her utility arm to remove her red helmet again, "Let's go."

Roll steps over to the manhole cover and pulls it off, setting it to the side. Rush jumps in instantly, but Roll is a little more hesitant. She don't like the idea of going down into a sewer tunnel... again. The last time she entered the sewers was last year when she, Dr. Light and Professor Henson fled from Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider.

"_Ugh!_... this is gross," she groans, "Rush, go into jet mode."

Rush barks up to her, quizically.

"I_ just_ got this jacket!" Roll answers, "I don't want to get... _sewer_ all over it! Do you know how many times I washed my jumpsuit after the last time we ran down here?"

Rush transforms into jet mode like Roll asked him to, but she is sure that she heard that horse-laugh of his again as he did so.

"This_ isn't_ funny, Rush," Roll snits.

Roll steps down into the hole and onto Rush's back. She grabs the manhole cover and is about to place it back over the hole when she hears something loud approaching. She looks over her right shoulder and sees what looks like a indy racing car speeding down the street. As the racer gets closer to her, however, he slows down and Roll sees that it's clearly a robot because his head is positioned where the driver's seat would be... but there's no cockpit, but chassis. She doesn't recognize this robot at all. Dr. Light did tell her that there were robots running around that he had never seen before either.  
>The robot's head, which looks like a racer car driver's helmet, turns to look at her. Roll's gazes follows him as well. The Formula-1 robot's head turns back to the road and he peels off again.<p>

Roll continues staring at the robot as he drives away, shaking her head over the robot's strange behavior. "Rush, let's hurry up and get to Mega. I don't like the looks of this."

As Roll pulls the cover back over the manhole, that Indy car robot begins to transform into his standard form. This is Turbo Man, Cossack's robot. Turbo Man raises his right arm to his mouthpiece and says, "Sister unit of primary target found, Dr. Cossack."

_"Good work, Turbo __Man," _Dr. Cossack replies, _"The other robots and I will converge on your location. Be ready for combat."_

* * *

><p><strong>Sedgewick Hotel.<strong>

Lynn pulls up to the street accross from the Sedgewick Hotel with Bree Recotta in the passenger seat next to her, warmly dressed in a navy winter coat and a white knit hat.  
>This is an experience that is totally new for the roving reporter. It feels so strange to not have her microphone or her cameraman around. But, the moment Lynn approached her to do this, she jumped on the opportunity. Not only would this prove that Mega Man was innocent, but this story could be her ticket to the anchor desk job she's always strived for (and investigating the hotel sounded much safer than having to board Gamma last year.)<br>But, it still sounds like this could be difficult, especially given Lynn's current status.

"If you're suspended, how are we going to get inside?" Bree asks, "They aren't going to let a reporter into a crime scene like this without police presence."

"We've got some help on the way," Lynn replies, "He should be here any minute."

"And what if we don't find anything?" Bree asks.

Lynn looks back and nervously smiles, "Then, we're all screwed, aren't we?"

"That isn't very reassuring," Bree groans as a Police cruiser pulls up to the hotel and parks outside accross from Lynn and Bree.

"Come on. Help is here," Lynn says as she steps out with Bree. As soon as he sees them exit, Lynn's PoliceBot partner QN-60 exits his car, but 60 looks like he's had better days as his armor has been smudged black in some areas.

"Sixty, are you okay?" Lynn asks.

"Things got a little... _heated_ at the station today," 60 replies, "But, I am still in fine working order. Thank you for asking, Lynn."

"That's good to know," Lynn smiles, "Let's go inside."

"I'm afraid you cannot enter the hotel, Lynn," 60 states, "Your suspension does not expire until later this week. My programming will not allow me to let a suspended officer partake in an active investigation... unless, of course, you can prove that you work with Mrs. Recotta."

Taking QN-60's subtle hint, Bree reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out her phone which has a video camera included, handing it to Lynn. "I just hired you to be my photo journalist."

"I'll allow it," 60 nods.

* * *

><p>QN-60, Lynn and Bree enter the hotel and approach the front desk.<p>

"I am Officer QN-60, New York Police Department," he states to the robot clerk behind the desk, "I am here on official police business. I need to speak with your manager about this morning's incident involving the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack."

"I'm right here, Officer," the balding human hotel manager says nearby as approaches them, "I hope things are alright at the station, Officer."

"We are doing just fine, sir," 60 replies, "I'm here with Miss Recoda from WNYC, who is here with her photo journalist to help my investigation. We need to check your security logs from this morning, and time is of the essense."

"Sure, officer, you can look... but there's a problem," the manager says.

"What problem?" 60 asks.

"Parts of our logs, namely security cam footage, are missing."

"What?" Lynn blurts.

"They were erased," the hotel manager stresses, "Our tech expert was hurt in the attack and his replacement just got here not long before you did. We're hoping to find something on our backup hard drives from the basement. You can come with me if you want."

* * *

><p><strong>Underground.<strong>

Mega Man and Castor are still seated next to eachother. Mega hasn't moved from this chair since he sat down in it earlier, because he is still too weak. He's very rarely been this weak. Even in November when ProtoMan planted the scrambler chip on him he could at least have moments where the pain would subside and he could still fight.  
>The damage he sustained in the Police Station battle must have been more intense than he thought. Mega wishes Roll would hurry up and get here, because the knowledge that Dr. Wily is on his way back to New York to launch another attack is making him anxious.<p>

Meanwhile, Castor hasn't said much since his sister left. And in the past few minutes, he's started wrapping his arms around his abdomin area and starting to break into a hot sweat. Castor knew what it was, he's felt it before, and for all of the times for it to happen, right now was the worst possible time... the withdrawls are starting, and with the withdrawls will come mind-numbing pain. He's afraid of what he will feel later... and what he might do to to get a quick fix to make it all stop.

Mega Man notices Castor's awkward sitting position and how he's slowly rocking back and forth. "Are you okay?" Mega asks.

"... y-yeah. Just... cold, I guess," Castor lies.

Mega's head turns to the right where he is sure he just heard something. "You hear that?" Mega asks.

"Huh?" Castor mutters.

Mega listens closer and faintly hears the sound of a familiar female voice calling out to him... "Mega? Are you there?"

Mega cries out, "Roll! Rush!" taking every ounce of power he has to shout.

"You stay put, man," Castor says, "I'll flag 'em over."

Castor gets up and puts his sunglasses back on, covering his hazy eyes...

The sound of Rush's barks can be heard echoing in the sewers. Rush jets down the sewer corridors, following the sound of Mega's voice. Roll is seated on his back and points her finger up ahead toward the figure she sees waving his arms.

"Over there!" she says.

Rush heads directly towards Castor's location and stops right in front of him and happily barks when he sees Mega Man to his left.

"Mega!" Roll peeps, "Rush, give me the energy can."

Rush opens a compartment in his back producing a spare Energy Can. Roll leaps off of Rush and runs to her brother's side.

"Roll!" Mega sighs with relief.

"Here. Dr. Light says you needed this," Roll says, opening the can, "Open wide."

Mega Man opens his mouth and allows his sister to pour the energizing liquid in. Within a few seconds, Mega's eyes open wider as the general malaise he has felt for the past few hours vanishes and Mega stands stright up out of the chair and feels more like himself again. Roll hugs her brother and Mega returns the hug while Rush is jubilant.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Mega," Roll says, "We've been looking for you all night."

"I had a feeling you were," Mega replies, with his smile back on.

Rush barks and Mega Man kneels down to pet his robodog on the head. "I know you guys were worried about me," he says.

Roll looks over to Castor, who has been standing by himself ever since they got here. "Who is he?" Roll asks her brother.

"This is Castor, Officer Wersching's brother. He and his sister helped me get back in touch with Dr. Light. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have made it."

"I had to help... after everything you guys've done fer us," Castor lisps.

"Thank you for finding him," Roll says.

"Anytime," Castor replies with a slight smile, barely containing this pain he's feeling inside him right now.

"Wily's on his way here already," Roll informs her brother, "Dr. Light says he's bringing something really huge with him!"

"I've got to stop him and save Dr. Cossack's daughter," Mega says.

"But, you need repairs!" Roll protests.

"I'll be fine," Mega insists as he turns to Rush, "Stay here with Officer Wersching's brother until we get back, boy."

Mega Man steps over to Castor to have a word with him. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave you here alone."

A shakey Castor nods, "I know."

"After this is all over, are you going to do what your sister said?" Mega asks.

"... I'll try," Castor barely replies, unsure of himself.

"You have to," Mega adds, extending his hand to the troubled young man. Castor reaches out to mega with his trembling hand and shakes it. Mega's grip on his hand manages to keep it from shaking.

"We'll let your sister know that you're still here," Mega says, "If anything happens, stick with Rush."

Mega Man and Roll walk away, and Castor watches them leave. He feels kind of sed watching them walk away, because they were some the very, very few who treated him like he was normal in the past several years.

Afterwards, Castor begins to panic and desperately tries to find just a tiny little bit of Hydro. He hopes his sister didn't take everything. All he needs is just one more fix,_ just one_. Just to make the pain stop, that's all.  
>As Castor searches, he promises himself mentally that if he can get just one more hit, it will be the last one. Of course, he's made this<em> just one last time<em> promise many times before, to himself, to Lynn, to his friends, his girlfriend. And each time, he broke it and paid the price for it.

Rush watches on and tilts his head, wondering why the whispy human is acting like this, but then he hears something off in the distance and turns to face the opposite direction the Mega and Roll left. It sounds like the sound of what sounds like ice crackling. Rush turns and growls in that direction.  
>Castor doesn't pay any mind to Rush at first, but he stops when he hears the ice crackling sound behind him, followed by a freezing breeze hitting the back of his neck, much colder than it is outside.<p>

Castor looks over his shoulder and sees that a sheet of ice has formed in the middle of the sewer. "What the hell?" he whispers.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Rush sees something running up to them like a bullet train. It looked like a robot, one that Rush had never seen before. Rush lets out a bark and prepares to lunge at this new threat, but Slash Man speeds ahead and swats Rush away like a fly. He then head right for Castor and tackles him, pinning his skinny body up against the wall and digging his metallic claws into it, preventing him from escaping.  
>Freeze Man appears behind Slash Man and approaches, letting out his ice cold breath in Castor's face.<p>

"There's a robot named Mega Man... where is he?" Slash Man says in a gruff voice.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Roll prepare to leave the sewers. As Roll begins climbing up a ladder, she and Mega Man both hear the sound of Rush's bark.<p>

"Mega?" Roll asks, noticing her brother looking back where he left Rush and Castor.

"... something's wrong," Mega says.

"What?" Roll asks.

"Somebody's here!" Mega replies as he steps off the ladder and runs back into the sewer.

* * *

><p><strong>Hotel Security Center.<strong>

QN-60, Lynn, Bree and the manager enter a room inside the hotel that is full of servers, hard drives and computers.

Sitting in front of one of the computer stations is the hotel's nighttime I.T. expert, who is currently sifting through the hotel's security camera back-up files that are stored on one of the large hard drives in the room. The back-up drive was just lugged up here from the hotel sub-basement where it is kept in case of an event such as this. That way, it would be far away from this room if it were ever attacked.

The manager asks the techie, "Tell me you've found something."

"The drive works," the tech says, "but, finding the files could take a little time... let's just hope that they haven't been tampered with too."

The tech looks over to the manager, who introduces his company. "This is Officer QN-60 from N.Y.P.D. and with him is-"

"Bree Recotta?" the tech interrupts as he tries to comb his messy hair with his hands, "Is this goin' on T.V.?"

"We're here to prove Mega Man is innocent," Bree says, "And we'd like to prove it before the late news starts."

"And we don't have much time. Wily is on his way here right now," Lynn states.

"... I better hurry up, then." says the tech as the manager stands in the background, nervously chewing his nails again.

"When were these files erased?" Bree asks.

"Before the Kalinka girl was kidnapped. The only place he could have deleted them was in in this room, and from the hard drive we had up here. In fact, the only clips left behind were the ones you guys showed this morning," the tech answers, glancing owards Bree when he makes reference to Recoda's early morning newscast.

Another minute of silence passes as the tech searches the folder where the security logs should be stored. If these are gone, clearing Mega Man's name will become a lot harder. But, thankfully...

"There!" the tech guy says, pointing to the file index, "Found them! Now it's only a matter of backtracking the clips."

The Tech guy looks up the file name of the clip that aired on the news programs this morning, showing the kidnapping of Kallinka Cossack. The name of the file is _'20X3-01-6.10'_

"Okay," he says, turning to the manager, "which hallway was he coming out of at the start of this clip?"

"Nine"

Over the course of the next few minutes, the techie meticulously backtracks all of the clips in which "Mega Man" appears in. One of said clips shows him erasing the camera footage off of the main hard drive, which exlains who messed with them. Finally he comes accross the clip of a wall being blasted through.  
>Dark Man can be seen in his natural form before stepping through the hole left in the wall by his blaster. Then, he morphs into Mega Man's form and moves on.<p>

A slight relieved smile comes accross Bree's lips. "I knew it wasn't him!" she says.

"Can we copy these files?" Lynn asks.

"Yes, ma'am," replies the techie.

Lynn nods to Bree, who plugs her mobile phone into the computer and soon the evidence that will clear Mega Man's name is safely copied.

"I need to send this to my boss before the newscast starts," Bree says.

As Recotta leaves the room, QN-60 turns back to the manager. "What room is Dr. Cossack's?" he asks.

"521, 24th floor, officer," the manager replies.

"I must make sure he knows the truth before he does something he might regret," 60 says, "Thank you for your cooperation. Goodnight."

Outside in the hallway, as 60 and Lynn go to Dr. Cossack's suite, Bree is calling her news director at channel 7, the rather loud Herman Hagar.

_"Recotta! Whatever story you went out to go get had better be bigger than the giant monstrosity __being brought over here by Wily right now!"_ barks the director.

"It is, chief. And it couldn't have come at a better time," Bree answers, "I have proof that Mega Man was set up."

_"What? Tell me you have it... and tell me we can use it on TV!"_

"I do. Are you by your computer?"

_"I'm _always_ by my coputer, Recotta! You should know that by now!"_

"I'm sending over the video file now. Be sure to have it ready to air by the time the news starts."

_"That's cuttin' it close, Recotta!"_ Hagar answers. Then he covers the phone's speaker and barks,_ "SORRENSON! Get in here and be ready to download this file Recotta's sendin', ON THE DOUBLE!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Underground<strong>

Slash Man and Freeze Man are menacing Castor. Since Dr. Cossack programmed the prime directive of robots into their CPUs, they can't bring great harm to him or kill him. But, that doesn't mean they can't rough him up.

"I'm only ask you this one more time," Slash Man growls, "Where is Mega Man?"

"You don't have to look very far!" says Mega Man's voice.

Slash Man and Freeze Man look over to find Mega Man and Roll standing there.

Mega fires a blast from his plasma blaster, which thankfully still works. Slash Man quickly dashes out of the way, pulling his claws out of the walls, but Freeze Man is not so lucky, taking the blast right to his head, nearly blowing it clean off. Castor falls to his knees and then to his side.

"Rush, get him outta here!", Mega says.

As Rush grabs Castor and jets him away, Slash Man rubs his claws together. "Two against one are always better odds," he says, "Unless you're against me, pal!"

"Prove it!" Mega replies, taking a fighting stance, Roll takes a similar stance.

"With pleasure," Slash Man grins, leaping towards Mega Man with his claws drawn. Mega manages to grab Slash Man's arms and avoid getting stabbed by them.

Roll tries to assist her brother by jumping Slash Man from behind, but he kicks his legs out, ramming them into her stomach, sending her flying backwards.

"Nobody does that to my sister, scumbot!" Mega yells. headbutting Slash Man, dazing him for a split second. As Mega Man charges at Slash Man, the Cossack robot swings his right claw at Mega Man and scrapes his upper chest, leaving claw marks on Mega's armor, which is bad enough shape as it is.  
>Slash Man delivers a very stiff palm punch to Mega with his right clawed hand, then delivers a high side kick right to Mega's jaw, again knocking him down.<p>

Slash Man turns his attention back to Roll, who has gotten back up, still holding her mid-section. "Let's see how much you know about karate, freak!" Roll grunts.

"I know plenty, sweetheart!" Slash Man snears.

Roll begins unleashing her arsenal of Martial Arts based attacks, but Slash Man is blocking all of them. "I've had enough of this!" he huffs.

Slash Man then rears back and swings his right claw at Roll. Roll ducks and avoids getting hit, but something else of her's didn't survive. Roll knows it right away and gasps and when she stands up she sees hundreds of strands of blonde hair raining down onto the floor. She reaches behind her head to feel that most of her ponytail is gone.

Mega Man gets up and sees this scene, and remembering a similar event that happened when he visited an alternate future timeline, he knows that Slash Man is in deep trouble. "Uh-oh! You _really _shouldn't have done that, pal."

"And why is that, hero?" Slash growls.

Roll slumps to her knees and picks up the remains of her ponytail, looking distraught. "...You cut off my hair!", she gasps, almost sounding a bit weepy.

Roll's depression quickly becomes anger, for the second time tonight! Only this time, she's _really_ angry now. Roll looks up at Slash Man with some bad intentions in her eyes, switching her utility arm into toaster mode and powering it up. Even Slash Man looks weary of Roll's stare.

"How dare you, you son of a-" Roll flares before fireing the hot coils from her toaster at Slash Man, sending him flying backward, crashing into the sewer wall. The impact of the shot was so powerful that it has severly damaged Slash Man's torso. Mega Man takes a second second shot at him, sending the Cossack robot crashing through the wall.

Mega leaps over to the downed robot and grabs his left arm, "Let's see if I can copy his weapon."

A few seconds later, Mega realizes that the copy system works on the these robots too and he copies Slash Man's claws. Mega steps over to Freeze Man's body and does the same, copying his freeze blasts.  
>After he copies the weapons, Mega looks over to Roll, who is still in shock over getting an unexpected haircut, her face a mixture of anger and poutiness.<p>

"Are you okay, sis?" Mega asks, offering to help her up.

Roll gets up on her own, and huffs, "I'm fine... I'm just having a really, _really_ bad day."

Roll walks off, and Mega sighs, "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Roll."

As the robotic siblings leave the digs, Roll looks back at the remains her of her ponytail, and almost weeps. "Let's just go!" Roll pouts, storming off.

* * *

><p><strong>Sedgewick Hotel<strong>

Lynn and QN-60 approach room 521, the suite where Dr. Cossack and Kalinka are booked. The hallways on this floor still look to be in rough shape, scarred from this morning's attack.

"How much time do we have?" Lynn asks.

"Not much. It is 10:49 PM, and my internal scanner is picking up reports of an unidentified flying object in the Ohio Valley area heading to the northeast. If it is Dr. Wily, than we have even less time than we thought," 60 replies as he arrives to rom 521 and knocks on the door. Dr. Cossack's security chief answers it.

"I'm officer QN-60, New York Police Department. I need to speak with Dr. Cossack right away."

The Russian security chief looks worried and looks behind him to his fellow team members, who all look as flaberghasted as he does.

"Hey! Sir!" Lynn says, "It's pretty important. It's about his daughter's kidnapping. It wasn't Mega Man and we have proof of who really did it."

The spooked security chief stammers in broken english, "Officer... there is problem. Dr. Cossack... is not here anymore!" he replies in more broken English, "I try to stop him, but he say he had to get Mega Man. He took his robots and left hotel! I don't where he is!"

"We have to find him. Try to contact Dr. Cossack and tell him Mega Man did not kidnap his daughter. Do it before it's too late," 60 orders before he begins running down the hallway and Lynn follows. She has a bad feeling something bad is about to go down... and it already_ is_.

* * *

><p><strong>New York City streets.<strong>

Mega Man climbs out of a manhole and helps pull Roll and Castor up. Rush leaps out on his own. A few civilians see Mega Man emerge from the sewer and begin runnign away in fear from him.

"They really think I've turned against them?" Mega asks, bewildered.

"Wily's spreading lies about you working for him, and some people are buying into it! We've gotta find out if they've got that evidence yet at the hotel," Roll replies anxiously.

Mega turns his attention to Castor, who still looks in bad shape... or even worse shape, to be accurate. "Thanks for saving me back there," Castor lisps with his voice now sounding strained.

"Did they hurt you?" Mega asks.

"No... it's somethin' else," Castor replies.

Mega knows what it is. It's the withdrawls. "We have to get you to a hospital." Mega says.

"No way!" Castor protests, sound a little scared, "I don't wanna go there."

Suddenly, a pair of bright lights shine upon them. They all look up ahead to see the formula-1 racer speeding towards them.

"I knew he was trouble!" Roll says.

Turbo Man speeds towards them with his tires screeching. Everybody leaps out of the way as Turbo Man peels past them.

Everybody is fine, save for Castor. His skinny frame crashes on the asphalt hard on his right arm and side. On his way down, his glasses fell off as well. Castor knows this is not a good place to be, so he barely gets up and begins running.  
>But, he feels the horrible pain brought upon by the withdrawls begin to intensify. He knows he'll be in worse shape in a few minutes.<p>

Turbo Man comes to a screeching hault and spins around to face them all again.

"Everybody, stay out of the way. I've got this!" Mega says.

Turbo Man burns rubber again and zooms ahead towards Mega Man, but Mega activates Slash Man's claws and slides past Turbo Man, slashing the racing robot's left tires.  
>Turbo Man loses control of himself and begins cartwheeling down the street until he crashes into a nearby parked van. Since Turbo Man's armor is based on that of a car, he's looking rather twisted and mangled right now.<p>

Before the heroes could regroup, they hear a _BOING_ sound apporaching them. Spring Man springs towards them and fires off his spring bombs.

"Will this day ever end?" Mega groans as he blasts the bouncing bombs.

He aims and fires a few blasts at Spring Man himself, but he contorts his body to avoid the shots and leaps over him. Spring Man lands and readies a few more spring bombs when he suddenly feels his body being puled back and hears a loud "wherrr" sound. This is the work of Roll who has activated her vacuum mode and is using it to pull Spring Man towards her. But, it's not working like she had hoped though, as Spring Man is still standing.

"I guess I'm gonna have to turn up the volume!" She says, entering a command on her arm that sends the vacuum into the deadly _Reverse Tornado Strength_ _mode._

Spring Man still manages to keep his feet on the ground but the rest of his body is now being pulled towards Roll, along with all of the other litter that is nearby. Spring Man's springy arms, legs, torso and neck begin stretching longer as Roll's vacuum continues to pull at him.

"Now, Roll!" Mega commands.

Roll disengages her vacuum mode and the rest of Spring Man's lanky body singshots back toward Mega Man, who punches him right in the face when he gets close enough. The impact shatters Spring Man's face and he goes down to the pavement, his springy body falling limp as he goes. Roll and Rush walk up to Mega after the battle is over.

"It's good to see you can still kick some Robo-butt, Mega!" Roll says.

"There's no time to celebrate. We have to get out of here. Wily's going to get here soon!" Mega replies.

"I'm affraid none of you are going anywhere!" bellows a familliar Russian voice.

The robotic heroes look up to see the Ride Armor Mach 1 approaching them. And sitting inside the suit is Dr. Mikhail Cossack himself.

"Dr. Cossack!" Mega yelps.

"First, you take my daughter, then you destroy my robots!" Cossack snaps, "Now I will have to destroy _you_, false hero!"

Mega Man, Roll and Rush backpeddle a few steps, not sure how to handle the powerful threat posed by Dr. Cossack.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end, but I know when and where to put in a good one. (Just imagine the commercial bumper with Rush lunging on his side... "Mega, Mega! Right Back! Messages! WROO-WROOOOOO!")_

_Any Spaceballs fans out there probably noticed that Roll's reaction to getting her hair chopped was a nod to a similar scene in Spaceballs: The Movie (Not to be confused with Spaceballs: The Flamethrower.) It was also a callback to the Mega Man episode Future Shock, where Roll's hair gets chopped.  
>QN-60's line "Thank you for your cooperation. Goodnight," was a nod to RoboCop.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review, and if you catch any typos or errors, send a PM._


	70. The Clash with Cossack

**_Chapter 8: The Clash with Cossack._**

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the Sedgewick Hotel.<strong>

Now that their job is done and they have helped prove Mega Man's innocence, Lynn and QN-60 leave the hotel. They don't have to worry about transporting Bree Recotta, she informed them that a news chopper is already on their way to pick her up.

"It was good to work with you again, Sixty," Lynn says as the partners cross the street.

"Technically, we will not be working together in an official sence for another eighty hours. But, I understand what you mean," 60 replies.

As 60 enters his car, they both can overhear the dispatch operator on the squawk box. _"Attention all units, respond to a disturbance involving Mega Man and a group of unknown robot hostiles taking place on 35th Street and 2nd avenue."_

Lynn's eyes become wide with horror. That location is dangerously close to where her brother is. "Oh, my God! Castor!"

"What?" 60 asks, sounding alarmed.

"Sixty, _please_ respond to that call! I'll be right behind you!" Lynn panics.

"I'm on my way," 60 responds as he starts the car. As QN-60 speeds off, Lynn's races to her civilian car with her mind stuck on her brother, hoping he's not in any danger.

* * *

><p><strong>Eastern New York City.<strong>

Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor begins treading towards Mega Man, Roll and Rush, ready to attack.

"I thought you said this Cossack guy _wasn't_ a bad guy," Roll frets.

"He's not. Get away from him, I'll deal with him," Mega says to Roll and Rush.

Roll protests, "Mega, you can't take this thing on by yourself in your condit-"

"I have to tell him the truth about his daughter. Just go!" Mega orders.

Roll doesn't want to leave her brother alone to deal with this massive machine in front of them, but she steps away with Rush.

Behind his glasses, Cossack keeps his eyes focused directly on the blue bomber, ignoring Roll and Rush. "I will offer you the chance to avoid endureing a lot of pain if you can answer my question... where is my daughter?" Cossack shouts.

"I can explain everything, Dr. Cossack," Mega says, "I didn't take your daughter. It was a trick by Dr. Wily."

"You LIE!" Cossack yells, "It was_ you_ who standing right in front of me when you took her. Enough of your deceit. Have at you!"

Cossack fires several lasers from the Ride Armor's arms, but Mega dives out of the way and so do Roll and Rush when the shots get a little too close.

Mega Man again tries to reason with the Russian doctor, "I don't want to fight you. I want to help you!"

"You can help by telling me where you took my daughter!" Cossack yells, swinging one of the Ride Armor's clamp arms at Mega Man.

The blue hero drops down to avoid being stuck by Cossack, but as he get's back up to his feet, the Ride Armor's other arm nails him accross the chest. Mega painfully grunts as he is knocked down.

Roll readies her utility arm and Rush transforms into his jet mode, ready to attack Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor, but Mega yells, "No! Don't!"

"Mega, he's gonna kill you!" Roll shouts.

"The girl is right," Cossack says, "I _will_ destroy you unless you tell me where Kalinka is!"

Mega knows that he could end this fight right now if he just blasted this mech of Dr. Cossack's with his plasma cannon, but he also knows that it could endanger Cossack. Judging by how the Russian scientist built this thing, the reactor is dangerously close to the operatior's cockpit and if the blast is off by just one inch, it could kill Cossack. So, Mega continues to try and reseaon with him.

"Dr. Cossack, please just listen to me! Wily took her!" Mega shouts, getting back up, "He's trying to make it look like I did it. He's got you fooled and he's using you to do his own dirty work! Can't you see that?"

Cossack grabs Mega Man with an arm clamp and shouts, "You will go to no lengths to protect your new master Dr. Wily will you? How pathetic!"

Cossack then throws Mega Man away, towards a nearby electronics store. Mega Man screams all the way until his body crashes through the front window where several televisions were set up. They are almost all worthless junk and only a few remain standing.

"That's It!" Roll snaps, as she runs towards Cossack's Ride Armor. Rush jets along beside her. But, before they get there, Cossack activates his deflector shield, creating a bright transparent blue orb around the Ride Armor. Roll and Rush run right into the shield and they go flying backwards.

"My grievance is not with either of you. It is with him!" Cossack states.

Mega tries to get back to his feet as the nearby TV's blare Channel 7's news intro in his ears, meanwhile Cossack's Ride Armor is getting closer. "I'm going to ask one last time," Cossack warns, "Where is my Kalinka?"

Mega Man readies his blaster in case this takes a turn for the worst. He knows that it would not be wise to try and blast the mech's torso, but maybe a well-placed shot to one of the arms could to the trick.

The Ride Armor's clamp arm reaches out again, ready to do some much more serious damage to Mega Man. Cossack could easily pop the blue bomber's head off and break into his memory if he wanted to.

_"We can now report that Mega Man was not responsible for the kidnapping of Kalinka __Cossack earlier this morning,"_ says the voice of Kirk Trujillo.

Both Dr. Cossack and Mega Man pause and look at the television screens that are left standing in the store window.

_"Our own Bree Recoda gave us this security archive footage taken from the Sedgewick __Hotel, proving that this robot was copying Mega Man's appearance at the time of __the kiddnapping. The real Mega Man has yet to be found after the attack on the Police Station earlier today."_

The footage of DarkMan entering the hotel as himself, then morphing into Mega Man is shown on the screen during the anchor's description. Both Mega Man and Cossack look back accross from eachother, still not moving. The sight is almost comical, and just a little bit embarrasing for Dr. Cossack.

Finally, Cossack backs the Ride Armor away from Mega and powers down. Mega Man gets up and brushes himself off as Dr. Cossack is at a loss for words.

"... I am sorry," Mikhail finally admits.

"... yeah, thanks!" Mega snits back, looking quite peeved at the Russian scientist as Roll and Rush run back over to Mega's side.

"I'm so worried about my daughter, I wasn't thinking clearly. When you... or that _other_ robot took her, I was sure it was you. Can you forgive me?"

"Let's save Kalinka and stop the evil madman, and _then_ we'll talk," Mega replies, still a little steamed.

Roll points to the multipule television screens and asks, "Hey... haven't we seen him before?"

"Dark Man," Mega Man replies, "I fought him last year when Wily hijacked the moon. But, I never knew he could mimick other people and robots."

"You can stop this robot?" Cossack asks.

"I've done it before and I'll do it again. Just remember who the enemy really is, Doctor," Mega answers.

The sound of a siren wailing approaches and Mega looks over to see the police cruiser driver by QN-60 arrive to the scene and Lynn is right behind him in her car. Lynn wastes no time getting out of the car and races to Mega Man.

"Is everything alright?" she asks.

"It worked," Mega nods, "The proof just aired on the news. I owe you guys and Mrs. Recotta a great deal."

"Yeah, anytime," a very distracted Lynn replies, looking around for something... or someone. "Is my brother with you? Is he okay?"

Mega Man and Roll look around, but can't find Castor. "He was with us a few minutes ago!" Mega says.

"Dr. Cossack's robots attacked us and we lost track of him. He looked like he was in pain," Roll adds.

"... Oh, my god! No!" Lynn freaks, knowing that her brother is likely going through withdrawls and is probably going to try and get more Hyrdo-X. She knows she has to stop him before it's too late.

"Do you know which way he went?" Lynn warbles.

Everybody around her shakes their heads.

Lynn turns and begins running down the street. On her way, she finds his sunglasses lying in the middle of the street and picks them up. He has to have gone in this direction. Lynn runs down even further, shouting "Castor!"

Mega Man kneels down to Rush. "Rush, use your aroma sensors in your nose and try to find the man who helped me."

Rush barks and sprints down the streets and QN-60 follows him as well.

* * *

><p>In a dark and cold alleyway covered in snow and ice, Castor Wersching barely crawls on his stomach, trying to get himself as far away as he can.<br>He didn't make it very far when he started running during the battle between Mega and Roll and the Cossack robots. Once he went down this alley, a sheet of ice slipped him up and sent him crashing on his back on top of it. He has remained here for several minutes, unable to move.

Only in the past minute has he even begun to move, but still unable to stand on his feet. Between the pain from the withdrawls, being involved in Mega Man's battle, falling on the ice and this freezing cold, he was suffering like he hadn't before.  
>With every movement, came a pained moan, but, he had to keep going. His addiction ordered him to proceed. That<em> 'one last fix'<em> beckoned him and the wish for his pain to vanish eluded him.

He hears a familiar dog barking behind him. It was clearly Rush.

"No!" Castor moans as he drags himself away.

After Rush's barks, he can now hear the faint sound of approaching sirens as well as footsteps. It sounds like a woman's boots racing towards him and were getting much closer.

"Dammit, no! Not now!" he moans again. He knows who it is.

"Castor!" Lynn gasps out of breath as she approaches her brother and barely avoids the patch her brother slipped on.

"Come on, we've got to get to a hospital," Lynn gasps.

"No!" Castor snaps back, his voice becoming labored and full of anguish, "I just need one more!"

"Dammit, Castor, this is _over_!" Lynn now fires back, pulling her brother up, but Castor begins struggling with his sister's efforts to pull him up. His addiction is digging it's claws into him even deeper.

"Please! Just one more!" Castor pleads, his voice now become a horrifying shriek.

"No! It's done!" Lynn yanks her brother back and pins him against the wall.

"Let me go, dammit!" Castor growls, as he tries to break free from his sister Lynn's grasp only tightens on her brother and she traps his arm under her's and struggles to keep him down.

Tears begin to pour out of Castor's bloodshot eyes as he continues to fight with his sister. "Please!" Castor weeps, "Just one more! I'll never do it again!"

"Fight it, Dammit!" Lynn shouts

"I can't! It hurts!" Castor sobs, finally giving up and sobbing uncontrollably. Lynn pulls Castor into her arms and hugs him, allowing him somebody to cry to.

"It's the only way I can get it to stop! It hurts so bad!" Castor sobs, his body now shaking.

"I know it does," Lynn weeps, "But, we're gonna get you some help. Just don't give up on me again."

Lynn hears Rush make a worried pouting sound as QN-60 arrives to the scene and looks down at the sight of his partner clutching onto her sickly brother, both of them crying his eachother's arms.

"Go back to the others, tell them we need an ambulance. Hurry, please," Lynn weeps.

"I will," 60 says with a nod.

As Rush leaves with 60, the two siblings remain huddled together in the alley, hugging and sobbing into eachother's shoulders, with her brother's sobs sounding like a mixture of crying and agonizing screaming.

Having to witness her brother deteriorate from the charming handsome kid that he used to be into the whispy, drug addicted ghoul she's holding in her arms now has been horrible to witness. It is even more painful to hear him suffering like he is now. But, Lynn is resolving to ensure that she's not going to let this downward spiral continue anymore. Nothing else matters in the world right now but Castor's health, and she's not letting him go until he gets cleaned at last.

* * *

><p><strong>Times Square.<strong>

Dr. Wily's Skull Carrier continues to make it's way to the prime target, carrying the massive _'last resort'_ ion bomb undearneath of it. The Skull Carrier lands the ion bomb right in the middle of the famous Y-shaped intersection, amidst all of the flashing glowing advertisments, strangly fitting right into the scenery. A panic begins among the citizens as they see the huge instrument of death come down upon them. Several vehicles begin peeling off and scared pedestrians fellow them, all in a desperate attempt to get as far away from the bomb as possible.

Inside the cockpit, Dr. Wily checks his watch, seeing that it just after Eleven O'Clock. "Ah! We have arrived early, it seems. This will break into prime time programming on the west coast! Perfect!"

Dr. Wily really wants people to see his version of Mega Man - played by DarkMan - stand side by side with him and terrorize the world. He is he in for a shock when he finds out _that _part of the plan has already been scuddled. However, Wily's contingency plan with the ion bomb is still in good shape.

Most of Wily's robots are seated, awaiting Dr. Wily to deploy this horrible weapon, Kalinka Cossack is looking nervous in her seat, and ProtoMan remains in the same corner he was in earlier. He hasn't said anything since they left the fortress, which is kind of unusual for Proto. If his brother shows up to this battle, he's going to let loose and blast his blue titanium butt into the middle of the next millennium.

But, out of nowhere, finally interrupting his anger is that flashback to November again... _"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you," _

ProtoMan wonders why the hell he can't shake it. Proto tries to flood out those thoughts with those of him beating his brother up. But, even in these thoughts, Proto visualizes himself holding back and saving Mega Man. Proto has about had enough of this!  
>While still leaning in the corner of the carrier, Proto bangs his helmeted head up against the wall twice, litterally trying to knock these mushy sentimental thoughts out of his mind.<p>

Dr. Wily looks out his windshield and that wretched smale comes accross his face again. "Times Square! Two years ago, I scarred you forever when I began my quest to take over the world. A month ago, you saw the beginning of the new year. And now The Cossacks, Mega Man and everybody else who tries to stop me will victim to my ion bomb! Tonight, Times Square... you will die!"

Wily begins laughing like he usually does, sounding like an idiot... that's another thing that annoys ProtoMan: Wily's manical laughing.

"Get the Cossack girl ready!" Wily says, "In the meantime, I've got to park this bomb."

Magnet Man steps over and tries to grab her arm, but Kalinka snaps it away from him. "Get off of me, you Wily slack heap!" she snaps.

Magnet Man is angered by Kalinka's remark and tries to grab her out of her seat, but ProtoMan steps over to stop him.

"Ah-ah-ah-_AH_!" ProtoMan scolds, slapping Magnet Man's hands away, "Hands off! She likes _me_ better than she likes you, so I'll handle it!"

"I think she said liked _me_ the most, big brother," Dark Man says, back in his Mega Man disguise, wearing a grin and acting very much like a blue-armored and visorless ProtoMan. Dark Man grabs Kalinka and pulls her along with him, giving ProtoMan one of his own smirks as his a copy of Proto's helmet briefly appears on his head.

"Show-off!" Proto snears.

* * *

><p>Several police units have begun to arrive to the scene of the battle that took place earlier with Mega Man and Dr. Cossack, and they have been informed that Mega Man has been proven innocent. Chief Montgomery Toombs is with them and the Scottish verteran immediately makes a point to walk over to Mega Man.<p>

"I tried tellin' 'em you were still one o' the good guys!" he says, with a big smile accross his face, "If only you woulda' told me, I woulda' gotten them clips on the news myself."

"Officer Wersching is the one who got in, sir," Mega Man says, "She deserves a lot of credit. So does Mrs. Recotta."

"Lynn's a good lass. I'm gonna see to it her suspension is lifted, an' after that, she's gettin' a payraise tommorrow morning!" Toombs adds.

Mega Man and the Cheif look over and see Castor loaded into the back of an awaiting ambulancea on a stretcher. Lynn is beside him, still not leaving. From the looks of him, he's obviously been sedated to stave off the mind-numbing pain brough on by the withdrawls.

Lynn looks up and sees Mega Man and her boss standing there next to eachother. Lynn gives a nod towards Mega, as a way to say t_hank you. _Mega Man nods back. He hopes that Castor can find his way out of addiction. He and Lynn deserve better than what they've gone through in life.

"You did good tonight, lass. An' take care of him," Toombs adds, referring to her brother. The Chief turns back to Mega and asks him, "You want us to have a few words with that rooksie Cossack over there?"

Mega looks back to Dr. Cossack, who is still distraught over his daughter's safety and how he has handled this ordeal tonight as he stands outside of his Ride Armor. Mega replies, "No, sir. Everything's... okay between us now. He's just worried about his daughter... I am too."

Roll runs up to Mega Man and looks very worried. "Mega, Dr. Light is contacting me. He says it's urgent!" she says.

Toombs leaves to let the robot heroes speak with Light. "Keep me posted, Lad," he says.

Roll presses her communication button on her utility arm, holding her arm up between herself and Mega Man. "Dr. Light. What's wrong?" Mega asks.

_"I'm glad you both are alright. But, it appears we have even more problems. __Dr. Wily has arrived to the Times Square area. __And he appears to have brought a large device with him."_

"What kind of device are we talking about here?" Mega asks.

_"From the looks of it... an ion bomb. And a very large one. My readings show that it __has enough power to kill every living thing within one mile of it's location if it is detonated."_

Roll's eyes widen and she gasps. Mega Man feels his body go numb for a moment. "This is really bad, father," Mega says.

_"That's not all,"_ Dr. Light adds grimly, _"Dr. Cossack's daughter is with them. She's __been shackled to the bomb itself. It would seem they are trying to lure you or Dr. Cossack out."_

Mega feels fear for Kalinka's saftey washing over him. The thought of Wily being so sick as to strap an innocent victim - especially her- to a bomb is horrifying. "Is she okay?" he asks with great concern.

_"She appears to be fine. Rock, if Dr. Cossack is still there, you have to inform him that his daughter is in danger. __But, all of you should beware. This sounds like a classic Albert Wily trap. __Be careful."_

"We will, Dr. Light. We'll be moving out in a moment," Mega says.

Mega looks over to the chief, to tell him the news, but it appears he's already found learned for himself, as he and the other officers begin to round up and move out.

"Dr. Cossack," Mega Man calls, running over to him, "Your daughter Kalinka is in Time Square."

Cossack lets out a sigh of relief when he hears the news. "That is is wonderful..." his pauses, realizing that there is somethign Mega hasn't told him yet, "What is wrong?"

"Wily's holding her hostage and she's attached to a massive ion bomb!" Mega replies.

"Kalinka..." Cossack mutters as he drifts in thought. Imagining his little girl's life in serious jeopardy at the hands of Dr. Wily terrifys him to no end. Mikhail then turns back to Mega. "Will you help me?"

"Absolutely, I will. I'll rescue Kalinka and get her out of harm's way, then I'll deal Wily and his bots," Mega replies.

"_We'll_ deal with them!" Roll clarifies, reiterating to her brother that she's a part of this team too.

"I have a better idea," Dr. Cossack states, "I will save Kalinka and get her away from the bomb. Then, I will return and lend you a hand. I want payback for what he's put us through."

Mega Man nods. "Sounds good. Does that mech of yours have jets on it?" he asks of the Ride Armor.

Cossack slaps the back part of the mech. "I always come prepared," he replies, implying that the Ride Armor _can_ fly.

"Then there's no time to waste. Let's get out of here!" Mega says as Rush jets over.

As Mega Man and Roll stand on Rush's back, Dr. Cossack climbs back into the cockpit of his Ride Armor. In less than a minute, the street is totally cleared of cops, robotic heroes and Russian Scientists, because almost all of them are heading in the same direction.

As Mega Man soars to Time Square with Roll behind him, he hopes to ensure Kalinka's survival and get her back safely, and he especially hopes that _this_ will be the battle where he will finally aprehend Dr. Wily and bring him to justice and to end this horrible war at the exact place where it began two years ago. But, Mega is still damaged from his encounter at the police station today and is not in top shape after the batter with Dr. Cossack. Then, of course, Wily's Robot Masters will be standing in the way... and so will ProtoMan.

Nobody said this job would be easy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Next chapter, it's time for the climactic confrontation in Times Square, where the war for everlasting peace began back in episode 1. You're not going to want to miss it. Some very interesting developments are going to take place very soon. As you can see, the wheels of change** are** turning._

_Now you see one of the reasons why I chose to give Dr. Cossack the Ride Armor instead of that machine he used in the final battle of MM4. And boy, it sure was convenient of that electronics store to have all of the TVs tuned into Bree's station at the time wasn't it?_

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment. Also, please PM me if you catch any typos or errors._


	71. Dr Wily Takes Manhattan

_**Chapter 9: Dr. Wily Takes Manhattan.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Times Square.<strong>

It is approaching midnight and inside the Skull Carrier, Dr. Wily rubs his hands together wearing that big nasty smile on his face as his latest deadly attack on the world is about to take place. "I can feel it! Tonight is the night that my quest for the world will finally reach it's apex! We will be rid of Mega Man and all of those who defy me, and soon the entire world will grovel at my feet!"

ProtoMan stiffles a yawn behind Wily's back. He's heard this speech so many times, it's painful. However, if the real Mega Man is still in bad shape like he was when Proto faced-off with him earlier, Wily may be right this time. Maybe the world will fall into his hands, and then, maybe he'll finally shut-up for once.

Wily continues, "I will _constantly_ remind the world of their failure to defeat me. I will rub it in their noses and they will learn to like it! In fact... I think I shall put my face on all of the world's currency."

ProtoMan groans and glazes his eyes behind his visor. Wily will_ never_ shut the hell up... and who the hell would want to put their face on money anyway?

* * *

><p>Kalinka Cossack's day has been a complete disaster. She's been kidnapped, injured, slapped, deprived of sleep, she had to watch her father get blasted, ElecMan kept giving her these longing looks back at Skull Fortress and now she is out here in the cold whilst being shackled to this abominable weapon of mass destruction...<p>

this day sucks.

Standing beside Kalinka is DarkMan, still in disguise as Mega Man and sporting 'damage' on his armor that is simiar to the kind Mega had taken during the attack on the police station.

"You are not going to get away with this," Kalinka spits.

"Getting away with it won't matter," Dark Man smirks, "If Dr. Wily sets this bomb off, he will have left a scar on the world that nobody will repair, and your little hero Mega Man will be to blame... thanks to myself, of course."

"You are going to kill all of these innocent people? They have done nothing to you!" Kalinka pleads.

"They all stood in Dr. Wily's way, that's what they did. And besides, _I'm_ not going to hurt them..._ Mega Man_ is going to hurt them," Dark Man replies as he sees several police cars and S.W.A.T. team vans pull up to the scene with their sirens blaring. "Ah! And our brave police friends have arrived in full force."

"Whatever he says, don't believe him!" Kalinka shouts, "He is not Mega Man!"

"Shut-up, you little Russian brat!" Dark Mega yells.

Several police officers pile out and stand with their guns and rifles at the ready, all fully loaded with plasma bolts. Chief Toombs is among them, and he grabs the megaphone and shouts, "Nice try, ya' faker, but we all know the truth now! We know you're not the real Mega Man! So, go tell yer' master to quit while he's ahead!"

"Oh, really?" says Dark Mega, "Does _this_ look real enough for you?"

Dark Mega fires several shots from his blaster at the police cars, perfectly mimicking Mega Man's plasma shots. Many of the cops flee, but not far enough to avoid being knocked off of their feet by the force of the explosions erupting from what used to be their vehicles.

"You should be placed under arrest!" shouts a very familiar voice above him, "The charge is destruction of police property!"

A shocked Dark Man looks up to see the _real_ Mega Man and Roll flying towards him on Rush's back, and even Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor following right behind them. Mega fires a shot from his plasma cannon and nails the imposter in his chest, knocking him flat on his back and causing his holographic disguise to flutter.

Mega Man jumps off of Rush and runs towards Dark Man who staggers to his feet. Mega leaps up and delivers a devestating jump kick to the back of his imposter's head, causing his holographic appearance to momentarilly fizzle as he falls on the asphalt again.

Kalinka's eyes widen with surprise when she sees her hero and her father working together. "Mega! Father!"

"Kalinka! You're alive!" Dr. Cossack cries out.

Roll and Rush land beside them and she begins cycling through her utility arm's inventory. "I'm sure there's a lockpicking device in here somewhere."

"Forget it, the locks are fused," Mega Man interjects, "We'll have to cut you out of here, Kalinka. Don't worry, you'll be out of here in a second."

"Did somebody say CUT?" says Cut Man, landing on the ground beside Magnet Man. GutsMan arrives last, crackling the pavement upon his landing.

"Oh, great! You three again!" Mega says.

"We're gunna finish the job we started today, Mega Germ!" GutsMan bellows.

"You may be strong," says Dr. Cossack, treading his Ride Armor forward, "But, you cannot stand the might of Russian technology."

"Are you challengin' me?" Gutsy says, "Heh-heh! I'll take care a' you first, human!"

"Father, what you doing?" Kalinka worries.

"I'm making sure these monsters don't harm my family again," Mikhail replies, treading the Ride Armor closer to GutsMan while Mega Man runs towards Magnet Man while Roll and Rush run to fight Cut Man.

GutsMan ignores the heroes for now and steps forward, pounding his gigantic fists ready to teach these meek little human a lesson. GutsMan puts his arms up and out forward. "Test yer' strength!"

Cossack's Ride Armor treads forward with it's clamp arms stretched out in the same position until both they and GutsMan's big hansd lock up, GutsMan's hands grabbing the Ride Armor's clamps, and vice versa. The two struggle to win the grapple, until finally, GutsMan lets out a yell and starts pulling the Ride Armor's arms away, then ripping them off of their torso.

"HAHA! GutsMan wins again! Oh, Yeah!" Gutsy celebrates, pounding his chest armor with his yellow fists.

Thinking fast, Cossack enters another command into the Ride Armor's command console, producing a small laser blaster from the mech suit's torso area.

"Huh?" GutsMan says, "What's that?"

The blaster zaps GutsMan right between his eyes, stinging him. As GutsMan covers his face with his left hand, he stumbles backwards as Cossack fires more blasts at him. When he finally steps far back enough, the police forse fires their weapons at the hulking robot, pelting his armor with plasma bolts.

"YAH-HA! Take that, ya' stinkin' rustbucket!" hollars Chief Toombs.

* * *

><p>On a rooftop high above the ongoing battle, Mr. Black watches the proceedings through the scope of his sniper rifle, now loaded with two custom made Plasma Bolt shell casings. As he watches the battle through the black goggle pieces on his mask, Mr. Black begins muttering to himself.<p>

"Take the shot," he says, "Take the damn shot!"

Just like the Robot Construction Factory in november, he is so close to completing his mission he can taste victory. But, despite his murderous intentions, Mr. Black knows that he _can't_ take the shot, because if he misses and it hits the Ion Bomb the results would be fatal. There would be no way he would survive.

"No... I'll wait," he says to himself, "I'll get the shot."

* * *

><p>Inside the Skull Carrier, an angry ProtoMan argues with Dr. Wily, itching for a chance to enter the battle. When the Robot Masters were sent out into the battle, Wily ordered ProtoMan to stay behind, and Proto is not happy about it.<p>

"Why the hell are you holding me back? I'm ready to go!" Proto shouts.

"I am keeping you out of the battle for the same reason I made Dark Man my new second in command! You have proven through your recent actions that you don't exactly have our best interests in mind," Wily replies.

"_Best interests_? What the hell are you talking about?"

Wily bolts out of his chair at the controls and stands up to ProtoMan, sticking his finger in his face. "You know exactly why! You have been too easy on Mega Man because he's your brother!"

Proto balks, "B.S.!"

"You know that I am right!" Wily snaps, "The only reason why we haven't won this war and why we've been losing so many battles is because you haven't been able to get the job done! And you will stay up here until you can prove otherwise."

Proto grits his teeth as he stares accross from his master, feeling his rage boiling over. Finally, he can take no more, letting out a yell and punching the side of the Skull Carrier's inner wall, leaving a large dent in it.

"You want me to take care of my brother? Fine!" Proto hisses in a seething tone, "I'll take care of him alright... I'll take care of all of 'em! I'll show the entire world - and _you -_ that it was ME who won this war, and that I'm the best damn robot alive!"

Dr. Wily's evil smile comes accross his face and he chuckles when he sees ProtoMan's newfound mean streak. "Well? What are you waiting for? Prove it!"

* * *

><p>Back down on the street, Roll and Rush are squaring off with Cut Man, who has noticed Roll's shortened ponytail.<p>

"Hey, Roll! Looks like somebody gave you a hair_cut_! Eh-heh!" he wheezes, "If it had been me, I'd have given you a trim from the neck up!"

"Why don't you try me, Scissor Brain!" Roll replies.

Cut Man pulls his cutters off of his head and flings them towards Roll and Rush. They both avoid the cutters on the first pass, but Roll barely avoids them on their second pass, jumping at an awkward position.  
>Even though she avoided being cut herself, she hears something on her getting sliced... and it sounded like leather.<p>

"Oh, no!" she freaks, "Please don't tell me..."

"Eh-heh! Eh-heh! I hope you got that jacket for half-off! Eh-heh!" Cut Man laughs.

Roll feels for the back of her red riding jacket and notices that it goes all the way up to the middle of her back now... that's when she sees the bottom half of it lying at her feet. Cut Man had just ruined it with his cutters.  
>Roll stares at the remnant of her jacket, then shoots Cut Man the same angry look she gave Slash Man before blasting him earlier. First she loses her ponytail in combat, and now this happens... this was the last straw.<p>

"Uh-oh!" Cut Man wheezes.

Roll yells and dashes at Cut Man, full of anger and fury. Cut Man screams in horror as Roll tackles him and begins punching and slapping his face over and over again... and these aren't 'girl slaps' either, but more like hard and painful blows to the face.

Cut Man shoves Roll off and tries to run away, but Roll grabs him by his cutters and pulls them off his head, which allows Cut Man to run away,

"You want your cutters back? Here! YOU CAN HAVE 'EM!" she yells, throwing the cutters back to their owner. Finally, they find their mark... right in Cut Man's butt!

As the cutters sink into Cut Man's titanium back side, he wails and runs around in a circle! "Ouch! Oooh! Eeee! Ah! Get 'em out!" he yells.

Roll switches over to frying pan mode on her utility arm and slams it into Cut Man's face, knocking the Robot Master down and out and putting him out of his misery.  
>Roll tries to simmer down again, but one glance at her remant of her jacket on the ground rekindles her anger and she gives Cut Man one last stomp on the head before storming off.<p>

While Roll was dealing with Cut Man in a very painful way, Mega Man and Magnet Man were facing off at the same time. Mega Man fires his blaster at Magnet Man, who cartwheels out of the way, and activates his magnet power. Mega Man feels himself being pulled away. He tries running in the opposite direction of the magnetic pull, but all for naught. But, he gets an idea.

Mega activates Slash Man's claws and begins running _towards_ Magnet Man. Before Magnet Man could fire a deadly magnet missile, Mega leaps up and slashes the large magnet on the Wily bot's head right off, ceaseing the magnetic pull.

Then, just as quickly, Mega switches back to plasma buster mode and fires on Magnet Man at point blank range, taking him out too.

Mega looks over to see GutsMan getting shot at by the police and switches over to the hyper bomb, GutsMan's armor's weakness. Mega ignites the bomb and rolls it like a bowling ball over to GutsMan's feet.  
>The bomb explodes and blows the robot master's legs off... again.<p>

Dark Man, still in his Mega Man disguise, blindsides Mega and tackles him. As the real Mega and the imposter grapple with eachother, it quickly becomes confusing which one is which. Not too far off, Chief Toombs and several police officers stand with their weapons at the ready.

"Do we take the shot, sir?" asks one human cop.

"No! Ya' might hit Mega Man! Or worse, you could hit the girl or that bomb!" replies Chief Toombs, "I can't even tell which one of 'em is the real Mega Man. We wait to take a shot."

... Meanwhile, Mr. Black watches from the rooftop with his finger wrapped around the trigger and both Mega Men in his sight. Much like the cops down below, Mr. Black has lost track of which of these two was the real Mega Man. "Which one are you?" he whispers.

When the fight between Mega Man and Dark Man continues, they both drift away from the ion bomb, giving Mr. Black the opportuinty to take that shot, but there's a chance he could hit the wrong Mega Man, and that could be real trouble. But, time is wasting. A decision had to be make now.

"Hell with it!" Mr. Black whispers as his finger squeezes the trigger...

The real Mega Man shoves Dark Man off and prepares to blast him into next week, but before he can do it, a loud _POW_ rings out. In an instant, Dark Man's appearance reverts to it's standard form and his glass dome explodes and several little bits of circuitry, sparks and robot oil come spitting out of his head. The Robot Master's glowing yellow eyes slowly flicker out and he falls on his face, showing no signs of life.

A shocked Mega Man looks up and barely sees a dark figure on a nearby rooftop quickly fleeing the scene. "Chief! Was that one of your officers up there?" he yells to the police, pointing to the rooftop where Mr. Black was just a moment ago.

"... no, we don't have anybody up there," Toombs replies, before turning to his squad, "There be a shooter on that rooftop to the southwest! Go get 'im!"

* * *

><p>"Dammit! DAMMIT!" Mr. Black curses as he begins running down several flights of stairs as he tries to escape this building, barely managing to strap his sniper rifle to the back of his trenchcoat. Thanks to Mega Man (the real one,) the police are now after him and it's only a matter of time before he crosses their path.<br>As he exits the stairwell on the fourth floor, he hears the voice of a Policebot giving commands.

"I hear movement," Policebot ID-39 says, "Squad A you take the left. Squad B and I will take the right."

Mr. Black hides behind several file cabinents and peeks out to get a look at what he is facing. All he sees in his way are Policebots and no humans. Escaping this place will be much more difficult. He only has one scrambling grenade, and it would only be enough to cover half of this floor, and he needs to make it to an awaiting fire escape on the other side of the floor. He needs to come up with a plan that would take care of most of them, if not all of them.

Mr. Black carefully grabs his scrambling grenade and then bumps himself into the file cabinets to make a noise and get the attention of the Policebots.

"... suspect may be acquired. Gather on that location," says ID-39.

The two squads of Policebots approach Mr. Black's location with their arm cannons held out. Two other Policebots stand further back in case this is a trap.

When the Policebots reach the row of file cabinets Mr. Black is hiding behind, most of them jump around to the other side to see the masked terror kneeling on the floor with his hands up.

Keeping his arm cannon held to Mr. Black's masked head, ID-39 begins to right himhis rights. "Keep your hands where I can see them. You are under arrest for... what's that noise?"

The Policebots can barely here the _'EEEEEEEE'_ sound made by the grenade Mr. Black left on the floor. But, befoe they could react, it bursts, scrambing the circuits of all of the Policebot in the room. Mr. Black bolts out of cover and makes a run for the window on the other side, shoving a staggering Policebot out of his way. Once he reaches the window he grabs his handgun and shatters the glass with it and climbs out to the fire escape.

After Mr. Black slides down the ladder and reaches the ground, he runs down the street to escape, but two police cruisers cut him off. Before he could run in the opposite direction, he sees a group of human officers standing with their weapons drawn.

"FREEZE! Put your hands where I can see them!" yells an officer.

Mr. Black doesn't move and staes at the officers as he gasps for breath.

"Put your hands where I can see them and drop to your knees, or we _will_ shoot you!" yells the officer, keeping his handgun trained on Mr. Black along with all of the other cops gathered here.

Mr. Black reluctantly puts his hands up and gets down on his knees in the middle of the street as the human officers cautiously approach him. One of the human officers grabs a pair of handcuffs and approaches Mr. Black while all of the tohers keep their weapons trained on him. It looks like this mission of his has come to a premature end... until they hear a car engine roaring in their direction.

"TAKE COVER!" wails one of the cops as Mr. Black's illegally modified black sedan speeds towards them with a plow-like device attached to the front of it. All of the officers and Mr. Black himself dive out of the way as the car crashes into the two police cruisers with the ramming device. Siezing this chance to escape, Mr. Black races to his car and jumps into the back seat

Mr. Black's sedan then puts itself in reverse and drops off a smoke bomb, blinding all of the cops. Once the car reaches an intersection, it spins itself around and speeds away from Times Square and back to Mr. Black's hideout, making _another_ clean getaway.  
>Despite everybody's best efforts, Mr. Black's 'mission' isn't over yet.<p>

* * *

><p>As several police officers break off from the force gathered here at Times Square to pursue Mr. Black, Mega Man wastes no time and runs over to the ion bomb to save Kalinka. But ProtoMan dives down from the Skull Carrier and dropkicks Mega down. Proto wastes no time and leaps on his brother, grappling with him and showing an an angry side he has only shown once before, and that was during his last major battle with Mega in November at the Robot Construction Factory.<p>

"I'm gonna finish the fight we started two months ago, brother!" Proto seethes.

Proto punches his brother accross his face, and rears back for another, but Mega blocks him and turns him him over regaining the vertical advantage and returns the favor, giving proto a punch of his own. "Fine by me! I was gonna win anyway!"

ProtoMan shoves Mega Man off of him and blasts him in the chest at point blank range. Mega's torso armor now becomes even more blackened from the hit. "No, you weren't! That was_ my fight_ to win, Rock, and so is this one, and I'm not losing to you anymore!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Proto sees Dr. Cossack's Ride Armor approaching the fight and he blasts that too, knocking the large mech suit over on it's side.

ProtoMan stands up, still aiming his blaster at his brother, when he hears footsteps behind him. They are metalic footsteps, so he knows that it's Roll. Proto turns and grabs his sister by her jacket as she charges at him and throws her away. She lands with a thud right next to her good brother.

"Well, look like I'll have to take you _both_ out!" Proto exclaims, holding his blaster at the ready.

"You're really gonna do this after you saved me at that factory, Proto?" Mega yells, "You're going to do this to your own brother and sister?"

"I'm _not_ his sister!" Roll argues.

"Don't even try to get sympathy from me, Rock! It isn't working anymore! Im getting the job _done_ this time," Proto spits. But, Rush jumps up in Proto's face, wanting to bite him. Proto grabs and and struggles with the robodog.

"Get off of me, you mutt!" Proto snaps.

Mega Man gets back to his feet and tackles his brother down, continuing their brawl. Roll also jumps onto her crooked brother's back and all three heroes are trying to wrestle with ProtoMan who is violently striggling to win this battle.

"You're all gonna become waffle irons after I'm done with you!" Proto shouts to his siblings and Rush, clearly losing control of his emotions. Instead of being his usual cocky self, he is obsessed with defeating Mega Man.

"Screw you, you ProtoCreep!" Roll shouts.

"Screw you first!" Proto snears as he powers up his plasma cannon again. Mega Man grabs a hold of his brother's blaster arm and holds it away from Roll and Rush to make sure they don't get hit as Proto begins firing several blasts.

"Nobody threatens my family! Not even you!" Mega yells as he struggles with Proto.

ProtoMans' shots cut through the air aimlessly, but his last shot hits the one thing it should _not_ have hit...  
>ProtoMan's last blast heads directly for the ion bomb that Kalinka is still shackled to, missing her but hitting the bomb. The ion bomb absorbs the plasma shot and begins turning the blue ions inside of it into a sickly shade of green, causeing several little sparks of yellow energy to flash inside of it like lightning. The bomb begins to make an errie humming sound as it becomes unstable.<p>

Mega Man Roll and even Proto forget about their fighting and look at the ion bomb, all of them horrified at what they see.

"Oh, no! Get everybody out of here now!" Mega yells to the police as he speeds to the bomb.

Panic sets in as all of the innocent bystanders that had not yet fled the scene in an attempt to get some good video to post on the internet begin running away from the bomb. The police and the news media that have gathered also begin to flee for their lives.

Dr. Cossack pulls himself out of his crashed Ride Armor and races to his daughter who is still attached to the bomb. "Kalinka!"

"Father, what is happening?" Kalinka warbles.

"The plasma is mixing with the ions. It's making the bomb unstable," Dr. Cossack says, "The blast radious of the ion bomb alone would be large and devestating enough. But, now that it is unstable and mixed with plasma energy... it will be much worse."

"How much worse are we talking about here, Doctor?" Mega urgently asks.

Dr. Cossack answers, "When the bomb combusts, everything and everybody within several miles of here... they will all be gone. There will be nothing left standing."

"How do we stop it?" Mega asks urgently.

"... you can't. Not now, it's too late," Cossack replies, grimly, "Judging by the size of this, I estimate five minutes or less before it goes."

ProtoMan stares at the ion bomb as he realizes what he has just done. All of the fury he built up inside of himself has disappeared, now replaced with shock and horror. He's never killed a human before, and he always avoided killing because he always felt he was above that. Now he could be directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent lives.

ProtoMan steps up and stares at the large bomb slowly change colors. He then looks over to Mega Man, who is shooting an angry stare back at him.

"... what have I done,Rock?" Proto barely speaks.

"You just condemmed everybody in Manhattan to death, including all of us! Good goin', Proto!" Mega answers very angrilly.

"I... didn't mean to!" Proto pleas, now grabbing Mega Man by his shoulders, "You have to believe me, Rock! I didn't _mean_ to do this!"

"You want to make it right, Proto? You can start by helping me save this girl!" Mega yells.

_"Proto! What is going on down there?"_ says the voice of Dr. Wily on ProtoMan's communicator.

For the first time ever, ProtoMan ignores his master entirely and grabs into the shakle that is holding Kalinka to the bomb. Mega Man and Roll also grab on and they all pull on it, shattering it and freeing Kalinka who runs into her father's arms.

_"ProtoMan! Respond!"_ says Wily again.

Mega Man grabs his distraught brother tries to talk some sense into him. "Wily brought it here! Tell him to get it out of here!"

ProtoMan nods and leaps high in the air, reaching the side entrance of the carrier.

* * *

><p>Once ProtoMan is inside the Skull Carrier, Dr. Wily bolts out of his seat, wanting an answer. "What is happening out there?" Wily yells.<p>

"I hit the bomb," Proto replies, sounding scared out of his mind, "It's unstable. It's gonna blow any minute. We've got to get it out of here or everybody's gonna die!"

Dr. Wily's eyes widen and he becomes slackjawed. He quickly gets back in his seat and runs his fingers over the command console. But, unlike ProtoMan and the others, Dr. Wily isn't concerned about the lives of all of the people down below. He is concerned about one life: his own.

"You're detaching the bomb?" Proto freaks, "We've got to get it out of here!"

"No, Proto! _WE_ have got to get out of here!" Wily shouts.

"What about GutsMan, Cut Man and the others? We're just gonna leave them here to die? We have to stop this!" Proto shouts

"They are not important!" Wily replies, "And neither is anybody down there! Don't question my decisions! We are leaving and that's final."

ProtoMan stands there, unable to defy the mad doctor... once again, because Wily _ordered him_ not to. He helplessly slumps into a nearby seat and puts his helmeted head in his hands, overwhelmed with fear and hoping his brother finds a way to stop this.

* * *

><p>Mega Man looks up to see Wily's carrier detach itself from the ion bomb and fly away. "No! Come back here! Damn you!" Mega shots as he fires two plasma blasts at the carrier, leaving minor damage on it.<p>

Roll steps up to her brother, who is seething with pure anger. "Mega, please... Dr. Light's contacting me," she says, holding up her left arm.

_"Rock, Roll. Please put Dr. Cossack on now,"_ says Light.

Cossack steps forward and speaks into Roll's communicator. "Dr. Light?"

_"Dr. Cossack, I'm aware of the situation. Right now we have to come up with a measure_ _to prevent this ion bomb from combusting," _Thomas begins.

Cossack feels his stomach turning, because he knows what he is about to say sounds like it would be a suicide mission. "I have a plan. My Ride Armor has a deflector shield. It can withstand the strain of the explosion. I can expand the modulation of the shield just enough for it to contain it."

_"That would be inadvisable._" Dr. Light says, _"The force of the combined elements __and the explosion together would destroy everything inside the shield, even your __machine. And once that is destroyed, the shield would also go offline. But... __there is another way."_

"Tell us fast," Cossack urges.

_"You will have to vent the materials by compromising the casing of the bomb. That will __relieve the pressure building inside the bomb and your sheild should hold, assuming __your mech armor is built from solid titanium."_

"It is, Doctor. That plan sounds much better, it should work," Cossack replies, still realizing the chances of his survival are very slim. Granted, slim is better than none at all. Perhaps that's why Dr. Light suggested this plan to begin with: to give Dr. Cossack a shot at surviving.

Cossack motions for Mega Man to retrieve the damaged Ride Armor. Mega wastes no time dragging the mech over to the bomb. Cossack immediately gets to work on adjusting the modulation of the shield and Kalinka steps up to him.

"After this is over, we go home, right?" Kalinka innocently asks.

Dr. Cossack looks back to his daughter with remorse. "... I have to stay here to make sure this works, Kalinka."

Kalinka stands numb, affraid she is about to lose her father as well. "W-what...?"

"I can handle this, doctor," Mega adds, "I'm made of titanium. It'll hurt, but I think I'll survive."

"Mega?" Roll warbles, now affraid that she will lose her brother.

"You have a world to protect, Mega Man!" Cossack calmly argues, "I don't. I have to do this. I'm the only one of us who knows how the Ride Armor works."

"No, father! I won't let you leave me! You promise you wouldn't!" Kalinka sobs, grabbing her father by his lab coat.

"Kalinka, you must listen to me!" Cossack says in Russian, grabbing her by her arms as gently as he can, "and understand... I will try to escape the shield before it deploys But, if I don't make it, I will know it was worth it if it means saving everybody else here... especially you. And I don't make it, I want you to grow up to be the kind of woman that would make your mother proud."

Kalinka shakes her head as she suppresses her sobs. "... no, please," she weeps in Russian.

"Kalinka, look at me," Dr. Cossack says in Russian.

Kalinka opens her eyes and fresh tears run down her cheeks until her father wipes them off with his thumbs. "I'll always be with you, angel... remember," Mikhail says.

Kalinka nods as her lip trembles, hugging her father briefly, "I don't have much time left," Dr. Cossack says, "Please, go with Mega Man. He will keep you safe."

As Kalinka approaches Mega Man, Roll - whose eye lubrication is leaking from her eyelids again after watching the tearful goodbye - puts her arms around her like she was her own sister.

Cossack returns to powering up the Ride Armor's systems and looks at Mega to ask one favor of him. "Watch over her, please."

Mega Man nods back, knowing that Dr. Cossack stands no chance to survive this.

The robotic heroes and Kalinka step onto Rush's back and prepare to jet off to a safe distance. Kalinka can't take her eyes off her brave father as she begins to be jetted away by her heroes.

Dr. Cossack produces a pocket knife from his lab coat and sets it aside. He'll need it to puncture the bomb's casing. The bomb is now making a frightening humming noise that is getting more intense as the ions and plasma begins to glow even brighter and the Russian doctor can feel the ground vibrate below him.

Cossack reaches into the Ride Armor and sets the shield to come online ten seconds after he enters the command. He stares into the green abyss inside the bomb. Like most scientists, Mikhail is not a man of faith, but it's situations like these that change everybody's outlook, if only for a few moments. Dr. Cossack is no exception.

Mikhail says in Russian, "Helena... my time has come. Leave the gates of the heavens open. We will be together again."

* * *

><p>Rush jets Mega Man, Roll and Kalinka to a rooftop that is out of the blast zone. Roll and Kalinka step off of Rush, but Mega Man stays on and stares down towards Times Square.<p>

"He's not gonna make it without help," Mega says, "I'm going back to save him."

"But, what about you?" Roll asks, worried.

"I'll be fine, trust me," Mega assures her, "Come on, Rush. Back to Dr Cossack, full throttle!"

Kalinka watches speachless as her hero goes to save her father. Both she and Roll hope that Mega can save _himself_ in the process.

* * *

><p>Cossack enters the command to power up the Ride Armor's deflector shield. He grabs the knife and shoves it into the casing, but the blade can't penetrate the surface.<p>

"Come on you son of a-" he shouts, finally managing to breach the case, allowing a little bit of plasma to escape, but it won't be enough to save the ion bomb from bursting. Even if Cossack manages to make more progress, he won't have enough time to escape being trapped inside the Ride Armor's shields.

Mikhail then hears a loud slashing noise above him and sees Mega Man leaping down, using the Slash Claw to tear open the bomb's casing and vent the ions.

"What are you doing back- WHOAA!" Cossack yells, before Rush knocks him off his feet. Dr. Cossack lands on Rush's back and he flies the brave scientist to safety.

Mega Man runs away and Rush jets beside him as the Ride Armor's sheild comes online, preventing the ions and plasma from escaping into the air and preventing a catastrophic tragedy.

Mega Man and Rush stop to turn around. They and Dr. Cossack watch as the deadly materials of the bomb are now contained inside a perfect sphere created by the Ride Armor's shield. Even though many people has already fled the scene, he can hear the the sound of people cheering nearby as they all witness this miricle.

"You saved my life... even after what I did to you," Cossack says.

"You asked if I could forgive you," Mega replies, "Consider this being forgiven."

Cossack smiles and states, "I was wrong... you _are_ the strongest. You don't have to be Russian to prove that!"

Cossack reaches over to his side, extending his hand to Mega Man. Mega Man accepts the Russian Doctor's handshake. "Your daughter's safe with my sister," Mega says, "I can take you to her now if you want."

"Let's not waste time. I have to see her," Cossack replies.

* * *

><p>Roll stands still with her hands clasped together and her eyes closed, praying as she is often doing when her brother is in danger. She is no longer wearing her sliced riding jacket, as she has given it to Kalinka for her to keep warm. Roll's standard blouse is just enough to keep her warm for now.<p>

Kalinka on the other hand is extremly nervous and can't stop biting her lower lip and twitching her fingers on her left hand. Her face is still wet with her tears which feel very cold from the temperature. She looks over to Roll and watches her praying.

Both of them are very concerned for their loved ones and hope that they both survive. Roll soon hears the sound of Rush's jets approaching and her eyelids open wide as she keeps her hands tightly clasped. "They're here!" she whispers.

Kalinka hears the sound of those jets and looks ahead to see Rush arrive with both Mega Man and Dr. Cossack alive and well.

"Father!" Kalinka cries, running towards her father as he steps off of Rush.

"We did it!" Mikhail laughs victoriously as he scoops his girl in his arms.

Mega Man gets off of Rush and Roll runs up to him, giving him a hug, kicking her leg back as she tightens her grip. With his right arm, Mega returns the hug, with his left he gives Cossack the "thumbs up" sign.  
>Dr. Cossack returns the thumb up while his daughter sheeds tears of joy into his lab coat.<p>

"You've got to stop it with all of these close calls you've been having lately, Mega." Roll sighs.

"Tell me about it," Mega replies.

_"Rock, Roll, are you alright?"_ says the voice of Dr. Light on Roll's communicator.

Roll holds her arm up for Mega to respond. "Everybody's alright, we did it!"

_"Thank goodness. Great job, everybody. That was a million to one shot, but all of you made it," _Thomas adds.

"We made it with your help, Dr. Light. I owe you a bottle of vodka," says Dr. Cossack as he and Kalinka approach Mega and Roll.

_"I appriciate the sentiment, Dr. Cossack, but I don't drink,"_ Thomas replies.

"Can we go home now, Mega?" Roll asks.

"That's a good idea, sis. Besides, we're due back home. It's way past our curfew anyway," Mega smiles.

And finally, it is midnight. Mega Man's name has been cleared, Kalinka has been rescued, another Dr. Wily plot has been foiled and everybody's miserable day has finally come to a merciful end, and a new day can begin.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_The epilogue chapter is coming up soon. It will take a little longer to post because it's the size of a full chapter and it's got more of those Defender Moments. Trust me, you are not going to want to miss it. It's one hell of an end to an episode._

_Did the the Dr. Cossack/Kalinka goodbye scene leave a lump in your throat? (it did mine)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment and let me know via a PM if you catch any typos or errors._


	72. Ep 6 epilogue: Hope for the Hopeless

_**Epilogue: Hope for the Hopeless.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>New York City rooftops.**

It has been nearly fourteen hours since Dr. Wily's ion bomb was neutralized. Time Square has been sealed off so hazmat teams can remove any traces of the elements inside the bomb, that has made the already infamous New York traffic a little more unbearable, except for SkyCar owners.

Mega Man has been exonerated of all charges following the release of the evidence last night, and the general public has once again embraced him as their hero (even those who feared he was guilty.)

Mega now stands atop the roof of a skyscraper with the remains of Dr. Wily's powered down Robot Masters nearby. Mega is currently waiting for someone to arrive to retrive them as he feels the cold air breeze against his light and dark blue armor, which has been repaired.  
>Dr. Light took the time to inform anybody at Skull Fortress who may have been listening that the Robot Masters would be returned. Dr. Light didn't have to give Dr. Wily back the robots, especially since he invented two of them to start with. Dr. Wily had stolen them from him anyway and Dr. Light could have easily kept his rightful property, but he insisted on sending them back to Albert. The reason why is because he has a special surprised programmed in them that is sure to rile Wily up.<p>

However, nothing could be done for Dark Man. His central processing unit was completely destroyed and his memory core was damaged. Dr. Light had removed the bullet from Dark Man's 'head' and had it sent to Chief Toombs for analysis.  
>The police never found any trace of whoever shot Dark Man last night either, but Mega Man has a very unsettling feeling that it's this 'Mr. Black' person he keeps hearing about and that the shot that hit Dark Man was really meant for him and not the Robot Master.<br>As if worrying about Dr. Wily wasn't bad enough, now he he to worry about another rouge human with cutting edge weapons and techology causing terror. But, Mega has a strong feeling that whoever this guy is or why he's doing the horrible things that he does, he's probably not working for Wily. (And if he was, he's probably not anymore after what he did to Dark Man.)

Mega has also not heard anything on Castor Wersching since last night. His sister Lynn hasn't even made contact with anybody. This worries Mega deeply, especially since Castor was at the same hospital as Kalinka was treated at this morning, he thought he'd hear something by now.  
>He had heard about the bad things that drugs can do to a human, but he had never seen such a disturbing example up close. It's sad because Castor seemed like such a good guy who got caught up in a bad habit.<br>Mega hopes that Castor gets better. If it wasn't for him and Lynn, Mega might not be here right now.

The news isn't all troubling, though. Mega heard that Kalinka Cossack had been treated for her minor injuries and is doing well. She really wants to meet Mega Man again later too. And Dr. Cossack will not be brought up on charges following his erratic behavior he exhibited before he leanred Mega was innocent. He has even offered to pay for the damage he caused to property.

Then, Mega sees something off in the distance. It is the same plain grey shuttle that was used to transport Kalinka Cossack to Skull Fortress early yesterday morning.  
>The vehicle lands on the roof and ProtoMan exits. He came here alone. No Wily traps or anything shady. Dr. Wily was hesitant about Proto going alone, telling him it could have been a trap. Proto doubted his brother was capable of such things... unlike Proto himself.<p>

ProtoMan begins loading Dr. Wily's bashed robots onto the shuttle and neither he or Mega say anything to one another. When ProtoMan drags Cut Man inside the shuttle, he notices his cutters sticking in the robot's hind quarters and can't help but break the silence.

"Oh, _man_!" Proto winces.

"Roll had a... _bad_ day yesterday," Mega replies.

"... I never would have known she had it in her," Proto responds on his sister's ferocious streak.

After Proto places Cut Man in the shuttle, he turns back to his brother. "Good work, yesterday. I thought the ion bomb was gonna go."

"It almost _did_. It's a shame you had to abandon us. You could've helped," Mega flatly answers.

"I wouldn't have left if it was up to me," Proto replies, not losing his cool as he loads the remaining Robot Masters on the shuttle.

The two brothers remain silent again until Proto loads the last Robot Master onto the shuttle. It is Proto who starts the conversation. "You know, bro... we should talk."

"You?... _talk?_" Mega replies, stunned.

"Yeah... about yesterday," Proto confesses, "You were right. I put everybody's lives in danger out there. Only because I felt I had to fight you."

"Because Dr. Wily told you to to fight me, right? Like I'm sure he told you to just abandon us last night too," Mega inquiers.

Proto remains silent for a moment before answering, "... yeah."

"Imagine all of the lives you put in danger _every time_ Wily attacks! " Mega stresses, "Imagine how many you'll put in danger when Wily _really_ loses it!"

ProtoMan doesn't answer at first, lettign his brother's words sink in. Finally he continues, "When I blasted that bomb, I felt this feeling I've never felt before... like, if I could go back, I'd make sure it didn't happen."

"That was regret, Proto," Mega Man says.

Another moment of silence passes.

"Why don't you just turn on Wily? And I mean_ for real_," Mega asks, his voice now getting a little bit louder.

This was the same question Kalinka asked ProtoMan last night. He couldn't find an answer then, but he has to find one now. "... I can't," ProtoMan admits.

"Can't or won't?" Mega asks.

"... more like _not allowed,_" Proto answers.

Mega Man takes a few steps toward his brother and continues to try and reach whatever goodness lies in his brother's heart, which he is sure he has. "You want to know why I haven't turned on Wily and joined you? Because I don't _want_ to... I _choose_ not to. And it's not because of you... I wish you were one of the good guys. The three of us... we'd be a team... a family. Don't you want to have a family, Proto?"

Proto hangs his helmeted head down, his yellow scarf flapping in the cold breeze.

"Don't you want people to care about you? To appriciate you?" Mega asks, "Don't you want to be loved?"

ProtoMan remains silent, at a rare loss for words.

Mega continues, "You don't even have to answer me, Proto... I know you do. I'm sure it hurts, doesn't it?"

"... let's say it does. What are you getting at?" Proto asks, his voice now sounding downtrotten, like Mega Man has never heard him.

"You know, I learned something from two people who helped me last night," Mega says, making a reference to Lynn and Castor, "Their problems are not like yours and mine, but in some ways they are. You might have your reasons for what you do, and I don't agree with them at all... but, even though we have our differences, and even though you've done a lot of very bad things... you're still my big brother, and you always will be."

Proto barely turns his head towards Mega, not enough to look in his dirction, but clearly looking like he is listening intently to his brother.

Mega continues, "Last night I think you showed me that you do have good inside of you afterall. You wouldn't have helped Kalinka and you wouldn't have worried about all of those innocent people if you didn't have some goodness in you. If you were all evil, you would've blast me into plasma dust two years ago when you had the chance. I just hope one day you'll come back home."

Proto sighs. "When we spoke in the park two months ago, you said that things would never be normal between us... and you're right. The public will never trust me, our sister hates my guts, and I'm sure she would only try to blast me the first chance she gets... and after what I did to you, you'd never trust me. The damage has already been done, Rock."

Proto begins to walk away, but Mega Man walks up next to his brother and puts his hand on his shoulder to stop him. Proto stops in mid-stride and turns his head slightly, surprised by Mega's kindness.

"Proto... you've always got a brother to confide in. If you ever have any prolems... come talk to me. It doesn't have to be the lab, it can be anywhere. You might be on the wrong side of this war, but I still care about you."

Behind his visor, ProtoMan looks shocked by his brother's kind words, but he also looks saddened by them too. While it feels relieving to know that after all the hardships, he's still got a brother who cares about him, it still seems like the impossible dream. One that will never really come true.

Proto sulks away from his brother and back to the carrier, clearly looking bothered by all of this. His visored helmet perfectly hiding his expression. Mega Man stands and watches helplessly as his brother walks away. A part of him wants to just grab him and take him back to Dr. Light to be reprogrammed so that they both could be happy and be real brothers... but, he felt that it wasn't right to essentially kidnap him. If Proto was going to come home, it should be his own decision.

As he reaches the shuttle, ProtoMan stops and turns around to face Mega and speaks with an innocence in his voice he hasn't had since his first day alive. "Rock... thanks."

Mega Man nods. "That offer's always on the table."

Proto gives Mega a wave before he enters the shuttle. A few seconds later, the shuttle flies away and Mega watches as his brother soars off into the sky, hoping that maybe one day they both can finally take the steps to rehabilitate their sibling relationship, even if they're on different sides.

Mega presses his communication button and says, "Rush, let's go home."

Rush jets around to the roof of the skyscraper and Mega steps on his back, glancing back to Proto's shuttle one more time before flying back home to the lab. Mega still has a heavy heart when it comes to his brother, but that heart now has a renewed feeling of hope that maybe one day they can be a family.

* * *

><p><strong>At a Hospital elsewhere in the city.<strong>

Lynn Wersching nervously sits in the waiting room awaiting any news about Castor's condition. He had to stay here overnight so that the doctors could diagnose him, but his body was in such bad shape the results were inconclusive in the first round of tests.  
>Lynn doesn't know how her brother managed to even survive this long in this condition, but he did and it's a miricle. But, she has a sinking feeling that it might take another miracle to keep him alive.<p>

A human female doctor enters the waiting room. He nametag identifies her as Dr. Robyn Byrnes. "Miss Wersching?" she calls.

Lynn looks up and approaches the doctor. "How is he doing?" she asks, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

The Doctor sighs, "There's really no way to put it delicately... he's in very bad shape. His liver is nearly non-fuctional, one of his kidneys is no longer functioning, his entire intestinal system is in very bad shape, he has abcesses on his skin, possible blood poisoning... the only organs that aren't badly damaged are his heart and his brain... your brother is in such bad shape, he shouldn't even be alive right now."

Lynn's green eyes begin flooding with tears. "Am I going to lose him?"

"If this was fifty years ago, he wouldn't have a chance," Dr. Byrnes begins, "But, with today's medical technology, we might be able to replace all of the damaged organs with artificial ones and hopefully save his life. But, it's no guarentee the procedure will be a total success. The ammount of organ replacement he requires is unprecidented, and in the shape he's in, there's a chance his body might reject artificial organs. Even if he does live, there's no telling for how long. The replacments might be a total success and he might even outlive you... or you might only get one more year together, if that."

Lynn continues weeping as she says in a leading tone, "Please, just do what you have to do to save him. Just please save him."

"Miss Wersching, please understand, this is a mjaor procedure that could be life-altering," the Doctor explains, "And since your brother is still of sound and mind, he must make the decision for himself wether or not he wants to go through with this. And if he does agree to have the procedure, he has to make some serious lifestyle changes. If he were to relapse into drug use... it would be fatal."

Lynn knows that this is the last chance she has to get through to her brother. It's now or never.. it's one more chance at life, or certain death.

"Can I try to talk to him?" Lynn asks, wiping the tears from her face.

"He's should be coming out of his sedation soon, but he might not be awake yet," Dr. Byrnes answers, "But, you can go to his room."

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, Lynn looks down upon her brother as he lies still in his hospital bed. He looks even worse than she thought he was. Castor was in such bad shape, he did look like has was dead already, and if it wasn't for the heart monitor he was connected to, one would think that he was dead.<p>

Lynn tries so hard to not start crying again as she sits down next to him. She gently grabs his boney right hand with both of her hands.

Castor barely opens his hazy eyes and looks all around until he finds his sister next to him. "You're not arrestin' me, are you?" he lisps weakly.

"No," Lynn replies, barely smiling.

Castor looks back up to the ceiling and and grimly asks, "When am I gonna die?"

"The doctors say you need to have a lot of work done," Lynn replies, "There's no guarantee how long you'd live, but you'll won't make it unless you have it done... and if you do, you're gonna have to stop with the drugs. _Forever_."

Castor's eyes close as he suddenly becomes scared of having to quit. Thanks to his addiction and his poor health, he has become dependant on the use of drugs because it was the only thing that staved off the pain from the withdrawls.

"Cast, I know why you ran away,.. I think I even know why you felt you had to take those drugs. I know there's a lot of hurt in that heart of yours... I know how much it hurt you after our father left us and Mom passed on, because it hurt _me_ too."

Castor swallows hard and says, "I didn't do 'em for to get high... I did 'em 'cause I didn't wanna feel no more."

Lynn listens intently as he brother continues, "I always hoped that dad would come back... that's why I started the band with Red...," Caster chokes, "I thought I was gonna make him proud, and he never showed up... and after Mom died and Jillian dumped me... I didn't wanna stop anymore... I don't even care if I die anymore."

Lynn begins tearing-up again, begging her brother, "Don't say that, Castor! Do you have any idea what that would do to me? I've been looking all over for you for two years because I love you! That's why you're still here... now, you've got a shot at a second chance at life when most people don't even get that,"

"I'm no good to nobody," Castor mopes.

"Don't you say that!" Lynn says, now sounding a little more firm, "Everybody has a purpose for being here... you still mean something! I'm not ashamed of you for what you've done... I've always been proud to tell everybody that you were my brother.  
>Lynn continues as the tears fall freely from her eyes, "And after what you did last night, I can't even put into words how proud I am... you helped Mega Man clear his name. <em>You<em> helped _Mega Man! _That Russian girl was saved and the whole city was saved, because you saw something was wrong and you did something about it! If you weren't any good to anybody, you wouldn't have such a big enough heart to help out like you did yesterday."

Castor's eyes open and tears leak out of them and run down his gaunt face. It felt good to have somebody tell him he meant something again.

Lynn continues, "I need you... you've been the missing part of my life, and I'm sure I'm the missing part of yours. And even if we just have one more year together, it'll be worth it. Everything will be fine, I promise,"

"You're gonna be there to catch me? I can't do this alone," Castor asks.

Lynn smiles, "After looking for you for two years, you think I _wouldn't_?"

Castor lets out a silent weep. For the first time in years, he felt like he wasn't alone anymore. And even though it will be hard to get clean and stay clean, he knows he has support.

"Um, okay... I'll get clean," he says, struggling to get the words out through his sobs.

Lynn leans towards Castor and gives him a hug and the two siblings weep happy tears into eachother's arms. She finally has her brother back, even if it's just for a little while longer. And if he pulls through the procedures to get himself repaired, she knows that there is hope that he will will be normal again one day.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

All of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters are buzzing about what's going on in Wily's workshop right now and ProtoMan himself is the most interested. He approaches the workshop and shoves past several of his spectating commrades on the way. He can hear Dr. Wily screaming his head off at somebody. Then, he hears GutsMan's growling.  
>They couldn't be argueing with <em>eachother<em>, could they?

ProtoMan arrives to the entrance of the workshop and sees Dr. Wily yelling at the freshly repaired GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man. Proto leans against the doorframe and folds his arms, watching this rather tense scene unfolding before him. Proto doesn't know it, but Dr. Light reprogrammed the Robot Masters to have self-determinaton and make their own decisions.  
>It was Thomas' own way of getting back at Dr. Wily in his own way. The good doctor knew Albert wouldn't like it if any alterations were made to his robots... especially to their guidance systems.<p>

"I am telling you for the last time! When I tell you do something, YOU DO IT!" Wily yells.

"Nuh-uh, Wily!" Cut Man protests, "We've had enough of you bossing us around!"

"Yeah!" GutsMan says, "We've had enough a' you bossin' us around!"

"I already said that, GutsMan!" Cut Man complains.

"If you don't obey me, I will deactivate all of you... PERMANENTLY!" Albert threatens.

"Really? Well, let's show the doctor what we think, guys!" Magnet Man says through his facial shield.

GutsMan graps a large hunk of scrap lying on the floor and throws it at Dr. Wily, who flops out of the way and onto the floor.

ProtoMan turns from the commtion and walks away. "Well, looks my exit cue!"

As ProtoMan walks away and he hears Wily yell and scream for all robots to come deal with the troublesome Robot Masters and their new self determination, he can't help but laugh. "You sure know how to push the old man's buttons, don't you, Rock?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Roll enters the lab in a much better mood than she was in yesterday, because her ponytailed hair has been fully restored to it's previous length (although, her new jacket is still ruined.) Even while wearing her headphones, the sounds of _Captain Fallout and the Atom Smashers_ (self titled) could still be heard erupting from Roll's ears.

Roll pauses the music for a moment and shifts her headphones down to her neck as she looks around the lab. "Dr. Light?... where did Mega go? We were supposed to have a talk together. He promised."

Dr. Light turns from his work and replies, "He took Dr. Cossack's daughter Kalinka for a ride in the clouds. He should back soon."

"But, Rush is in my room with me. Why wouldn't he take him with him if he was going to... _Oh_!" Roll pauses and her eyebrows go up. She then smiles and stiffleing a laugh, "Nevermind, Dr. Light. Let me know when _they_ get back."

Roll walks back to the house giggling. "Mega's got a girrrrrrlfriend!" she sings to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>The skies above New York.<strong>

Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack are taking a ride on the seldom-used Transport Item #2, a red platform which can be controlled by Mega Man via on an onboard control. Kalinka is standing behind Mega and has her arms clinched around his waist. She is wearing a brown overcoat, a black blouse and slacks and a beige scarf to protect her from the cold. She also has a new bandage on her injured hand.  
>Kalinka is still a little worried about being so far up in the air while standing on a small platform like Item #2, but she knows that her hero Mega Man is here to make sure nothing happens. it also helps the she Item #2 has two security locks holding her feet in place to prevent her from falling.<p>

Mega Man stops movement of Item #2, leaving it floating in the air while Kalinka looks around at the sight of New York City all around her and with the Statue of Liberty barely visible off in the distance. At that moment, Kalinka realizes she is living her dream: She and Mega Man are taking a ride in the clouds together without a care in the world. It almost brings her to tears. But, she holds it in.

"This city... it is so beautiful!" Kalinka says about the scene surrounding her.

"It's a little rough around the edges in some spots, but it is," Mega says, "I just hope it can stay beautiful forever. There are a lot of beautiful places in this world, but there's somethign about this city that's more special than any of them. This is my home... and the longer this war goes on, I worry about it getting destroyed. Not just here, but every other city. That's why I fight... to make sure nothing else has to be ruined, to make sure nobody else has to die. I just wish it would end... don't get me wrong, it's an honor to defend this world... but, sometimes it gets a little too difficult on me and my family. It's like we suffer so that everybody else doesn't have to."

Kalinka can sense the sincerity in Mega's words. These aren't shallow words from a pre-programmed machine, they are from the heart like a human's. And as her hands make contact with his arms, she notices that his body doesn't feel cold like an ordinary robot, but warm like a young man's.

"Please, turn around," she requests.

Mega turns around to face Kalinka and they begin looking into eachother's eyes as Kalinka holds the hero's hands.

"Don't ever give up," she encourages, "You are not just Defender of Human Race, you are an inspiration for everybody... for me too. After Mother died... I give up my dreams. But, now I'm going to university this year, just like she wanted... " Kalinka pauses, feeling a lump in the back of her throat as a tear escapes her eye, "I picked myself up because you were here. You give me reason to live."

"I'm just doing my job, ma'am," Mega says softly.

"And nobody does job better. And after you save him, Father even says so," she says in broken English, wiping the tears from her eyes with her uninjured hand.

Kalinka takes a moment to collect herself before she continues, "Since I will be in university for a while... I have request."

"What is it? Mega asks.

"I want to give you something. Something to remember me by," Kalinka replies, holding her arms out.

Mega is sure it's time for another one of her hugs that he likes so much. And after hearing how much he means to Kalinka, he decides to hug her first...  
>However, as Kalinka's arms begin to wrap around Mega, she stands on her tiptoes, leaning her face into his and firmly planting her lips on Mega's, giving him his first <em>real<em> kiss he's ever had.

Mega Man is shocked and his eyes widen as Kalinka plants the kiss on him. He doesn't know what to and how to react... but, he doesn't want this moment to stop. This is the first time he's ever been kissed by a girl like this... and she's human! He never knew human lips felt this wet and mushy.

Finally, Kalinka brakes the kiss and opens her eyes. As she looks up at Mega Man, she blushes, for she has kissed her guardian angel. Mega Man on the other hand is speachless and the look on his slackjawed and lipstick stained mouth is priceless. This was quite a shocking experience for him... but, a very good one!

Kalinka can't help but giggle as she blushes. "I am sorry. It was my first kiss."

"Uh... yeah... it was my first too," Mega mumbles, also letting out a smile.

Mega and Kalinka slowly draw eachother into one more hug and spend several minutes up here in the skies above New York City, keeping eachother company and not doing anything but embracing eachother... like two young people in love.

It's good to a be a hero, sometimes.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_Finally, Episode 6 is complete! This has been quite an experience working on this episode (and thanks to my previous computer dying, it was much harder at times.) I haven't felt a full range of emotions like this since writing The Week.  
>Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of MegaKalinka yet._

_There's a lot more to come, we're not even at the halfway point yet. The interlude to Episode 7 is next, followed by episode 7 itself.  
>In the meantime, expect a few cosmetic changes to be made to Episode 1 in the next couple of weeks. While I'm preparing the interlude and episode 7, I will be making some adjustments to episode 1 that have bothered me for a while (adding a few new scenes, correcting punctual errors.. ugh!)<em>

_I'm sure you already noticed, but in case you didn't, the Dr. Robyn Byrnes character is a reference to two of the voice actors from the Mega Man cartoon show. Robyn Ross (who voiced Roll and Bree Recotta) and Jim Byrnes (who voiced Dr. Light, Mitchell Deacon and a few Robot Masters.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment and please let me know if you catch any typos or errors via a PM.  
>Again thank you to everybody who enjoyed this episode and who have read this series faithfully and helped it reach 10,000 hits, namely my reviewers BlackRussian (and anon too lol), lalalei, DestinyZX, Gancena, WindGoddess Rune and Devon Ship'em.<em>

* * *

><p>Castor's arc is dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley and Mike Starr.<p> 


	73. Interlude: Interesting Times

_**Interlude: Interesting Times.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Right now in New York City, Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack are sharing a special moment in their lives high above the city itself. Unable to contain how they feel for eachother any longer, they are sharing their first kiss together. It's a moment in time that the two of them will remember for the rest of their lives.  
>But at the exact same time, all the way out here in the badlands, things are not going too well for one Dr. Albert W. Wily.<p>

Not only are Wilys funds drying up at a rapid pace, but now his robots are engaged in battle with three of his own Robot Masters - GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man - who were all reprogrammed by Dr. Light to have full self-determination before they were retrieved by ProtoMan earlier today. Because of this new programming, they are no longer forced to be loyal to Dr. Wily like they always have been... and this has made Albert very, _very_ angry.

_"Don't let them get away! STOP THEM!"_ yells the voice of Wily on the Fortress' loudspeakers as the rest of Wily's robots race to square off against the trio of reprogrammed Robot Masters in the cavernous hangar bay.

GutsMan swats down a group of Sniper Joes with a huge right haymaker, smashing their armor and knocking their parts loose. The Joes' shields didn't even help them from the strength of the large Robot Master's fist, they just became bent over their own heads.

Meanwhile, Metal Man pulls his metal blade off of his head and stares accross from Magnet Man. "How dare you! You will pay for your heracy and Dr. Wily will have your heads!" he rasps before flinging the metal blade in Magnet Man's direction.  
>But, Magnet Man uses his magnetism power to catch the sawblade with his large magnet on his head, causing the blade to stick to it.<p>

"No, Metal San. You do this all wrong," says Shadow Man, who swoops to the scene with his own ninja star weapon, the Shadow Blade. "It is all in wrist," Shadow Man says as he flings the Shadow Blade at Magnet Man. Once again, Magnet Man catches the blade with his magnet.

"You were saying, Shadow Man?" Metal Man rasps.

"How was I to know he was using magnet that powerful!" Shadow Man argues.

And Cut Man is standing accross from the massive Hard Man, looking ready to fight. "You had better watch out, big guy. Get ready to face off with KUNG-FU CUT MAN! HAAA-YAH!"

Cut Man bravely delivers a roundhouse kick to Hard Man's barrel-shaped torso... and Hard Man doesn't even flinch. In fact, Cut Man propbably hurt himself more than he did Hard Man whose eyes narrow as he prepares his powerful hard fist weapon. "Big mistake, little man!"

"Eh-heh! Maybe I should _cut out_!" Cut Man warbles with bug eyes as he tries to escape, but Hard Man grabs him and gets ready to knock his orange, scissor-headed block off. But, GutsMan plows himself into Hard Man and saves his longtime cohort.

"Why don't ya' pick on somebody yer' own size, chump!" GutsMan grunts.

Dr. Wily storms to the scene with ProtoMan at his side. Something had to be done and fast, and Wily was the only one who could do it. He doesn't have the funds to repair the damage caused by these three Robot Masters, and if they keep it up there won't be any more Wily Army.

"So, do I take 'em down or not?" Proto asks, already with his left hand retracted and his blaster drawn.

"Your aim has already proven to be untrustworthy once this week. I will deal with this myself. I want this done right," Wily snipes back, making a thinly veiled reference to ProtoMan's accidental blasting of Wily's L_ast Resort_ ion bomb the other night, much to Proto's chagrin.

Dr. Wily comes to a stop in front of the trio of reprogrammed Robot Masters and yells, "All robots, cease combat!"

GutsMan, Cut Man, Magnet Man and the other robots in Wily's robot army cease their combat and look accross at Wily. "Ha! About time you realized you couldn't beat us!" Gusty boasts.

"Just shut-up and listen!" Abert barks, "I am a fairly reasonable man. I'm sure we can negotiate and we can still work together."

GutsMan folds his arms and stands defiantly in front of his co-creator with his fellow reprogrammed Robot Masters on either side. "We're sick of takin' orders from you! We wanna have say in these missions from now on!"

"And we want some vacation time too!" Cut Man adds as Magnet Man just nods in agreement, "You've been working us to death, Wily!"

Proto mutters to Wily, "We're wasting our time. Just let me blast these idiots and be done with it!"

"That's another thing," GutsMan pipes in, "We wanna have our own rooms like ProtoMan does!"

"Whatever you want, you will have it!" Wily submits, "Let's just put this all behind us and work together again, so that I can take over the world."

"Yeah, about that taking over the world thing. We want our _slice_ of the pie too, you know! You wouldn't have an army if we weren't there from the start," Cut Man interjects.

Albert groans, his patience becoming tested by the new attitudes of these three. "You will be regional governors in the new world order, just like I said you would be during the Gamma Operation. Now, let's work together."

GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man exchance looks and nod. "Fine, it's a deal," Gutsy says, "But, I want dibs on that blue dweeb Mega Man the next time we see 'im! And if ProtoMan don't like, he can come tell me at the front door of my new room. Come on, let's go, boys!"

"Don't under_cut_ us again, Wily. Eh-heh!" Cut Man warns as his shears open and close atop his head.

As the trio of Robot Masters leaves the hangar bay together, ProtoMan and Wily have a few words. "So, you're really gonna cave in to these boltheads?

"No. I am merely letting them _think_ I am. At the first availible oportunity, I will undo Thomas' programming and they will be my minions again, just like they were before."

"You know, maybe you should let 'em keep their new programming. It could help in combat," Proto suggests.

"That is out of the question, "Wily snaps, "Thomas Light's programming is problematic for my plans."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want any more bots like _me_ working for you. You might just win this war if you did," Proto snipes.

Wily's eyes narrow and he retorts, "Your behavior and your constant failure is the perfect example for why I_ must_ reprogram them all."

As Wily storms off, ProtoMan shakes his head at his co-creator's latest put-down. "Somebody should reprogram _you_, you old bat!"

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

It has been been a little while since Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack returned from their trip together in the sky above the city. The kiss they shared with eachother has certainly put quite the exclamation point on the end of a very interesting few days for the Defender of the Human Race.

Kalinka's father Dr. Mikhail Cossack has arrived in a motorcade provided by the Russian embassy to pick up his daughter so they can return to Russia before their home country gets hit with a snow storm of their own. Hopefully it will be less powerful than the storm that hit this area earlier this week, otherwise known as **"SNOWPOCALYPSE 20X3."**  
>The Russian Scientist has just come from a late evening meeting with Governor Mitchell Deacon about compensating those who endured property damage thanks to the actions of Cossack and his robots last night. Cossack has offered to compensate the city for the repairs.<br>Now he and Kalinka stand outside Dr. Light's main lab building to have a word with Mega Man before they depart.

"Mega Man, I will tell you the same thing I told Dr. Light. Thank you for saving my angel Kalinka," Dr. Cossack says as he shakes the hero's hand, "I never should have doubted your innocence."

"It's okay, sir. You were just scared for Kalinka's saftey... and I was too," Mega replies.

"I wasn't too affraid. I knew you would save me," Kalinka says as she gives Mega one more hug.

Dr. Cossack chuckles. "I have lost count over how many times you have hugged Mega Man, Kalinka."

"This hug makes it eleven," Mega replies bshfully, as he hugs her back.

"I figured you would not lose track," Dr. Cossack nods, "I will be in the main car when you're ready, Kalinka."

Dr. Cossack leaves, but Kalinka and Mega maintain their embace together. They both knew this time was coming, but they didn't want this moment to end.

"It's gonna be difficult to see you leave," Mega says.

"It will for me too," Kalinka sighs, "Why couldn't snow storm have hit tonight? We could have stayed here longer."

Kalinka and Mega slowly brake their hug but continue holding one another in eachother's arms, looking into eachother's eyes again, just like earlier when they were alone together above the city. They could've kissed eachother again, but that would make things awkward.

"I will write you from University when I get chance," Kalinka says in her broken english.

"I'll be on the lookout for your mail," Mega smiles back, "And I'll write you back when I get the time."

"Then, I'll be on lookout for yours too," Kalinka smiles.

"I guess you should go. You don't want to keep your dad waiting. I'll see you again soon," Mega says.

"You promise?" Kalinka asks softly, moving her hands down Mega's arms until they reach his hands and and holds them.

"I promise," Mega replies, just as softly.

A moment passes as Mega and Kalinka gaze into eachother's eyes, holding eachother's hands. Afterwards, Mega and Kalinka let go of eachother's hands and go their seperate ways... for now.  
>Kalinka walks towards her father's motorcade, but stops before she reaches it. She turns back to Mega Man who is standing outside the lab and gives him a gentle wave. Mega waves back and watches with a heavy heart as this special girl leaves with her father and returns home. It was hard to watch her go, because the moment they shared together was the best that Mega had felt in... ever.<p>

"So, you two spent some time together, huh?" asks the voice of Roll.

Mega turns around and sees his sister stands behind him with a red sweater on and her arms crossed. He apprehensivly answers, "Yeah. I was just, uh.. showing Kalinka around the city."

Roll smiles coyly. "Is that, _all_ you did up there?"

"Yeah... that's about it," Mega replies, clearly trying to avoid talking about the kiss.

Roll smiles wider. "You like her, don't you, Mega?"

Mega hesitantly replies, "Well, of course I do. She's a really sweet girl, and pretty too... I mean, um, _pretty smart_. She's going to college soon."

"Oh! It's sad to see her have to leave... but, even so, I'm sure she'll still make a great girlfriend."

"What?" Mega gasps.

"I saw those lips of yours, big brother!" Roll giggles as she walks away with an extra spring in her step.

Mega slaps his forehead is disbelief. Roll must have seen the stain of Kalinka's lipstick before he wiped it off. For all he knew, she might have been right behind him right here while he was saying boodbye to Kalinka. Mega groans, "Oh, brother."

* * *

><p><strong>The next night.<br>Skull Fortress.  
>Workshop.<strong>

It is late at night on this side of the country, and several hours after subduing GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man while they were recharging, Dr. Wily's attempts to remove Dr. Light's new programming have been unsuccessful In fact, any attemp to reverse all of their new programming could be damaging to the robots themselves. Dr. Wily may be forced to only remove as much as he can and leave some programming in, much like he had to do with ProtoMan after he stole him from Thomas in 20X1.

Meanwhile, Albert himself is now working over the lifeless body of Dark Man, who was shot in the head with a custom made plasma bolt in the battle in Times Square. But, he is still preoccupied with the reprogramming of the Robot Masters moreso than Dark Man's fate.

"Damn you, Thomas!" Wily seethes, "GutsMan and Cut Man were amongst my most loyal robots, and now you've ruined them! And now I have lost Dark Man, one of my greatest creations ever... you will pay for this, you stocky, overbeary sack of-!"

"You know, brooding over those three scrap heaps isn't _exactly_ gonna help Dome head here," Proto quips.

"There's nothing that can be done for Dark Man!" Wily moans, "His Central Processing Unit is completely destroyed and his memory core is badly damaged. I'm not even getting a signal. Without an operational core, he's as good as dead... DAMN!" Wily throws a wrench accross the room in fury, "I didn't want to lose Dark Man! Especially after all of my work on perfecting holographic replication!"

Proto replies, "Why dont you just do what you did when Flash Man kicked the bucket? Just take the parts that still work and put 'em in a new robot."

Wily looks up at Proto's visor with angry beady eyes. "I don't know if you remember, ProtoMan, but I don't have the money to do that anymore! If only we would stop failing, _ProtoMan_, we wouldn't be having this problem, would we?"

"I knew you'd get around to blaming me sooner or later," Proto sighs as his leans on the workshop wall.

"You were the one who hit the ion bomb! We lost because of _your_ mistake!" Wily barks.

Proto says nothing in response, because this time, Wily was right. He got careless when he was fighting his siblings at Times Square. And if it wasn't for the efforts of Mega Man and everybody else there, a lot of people would have died that night.  
>Proto is glad it didn't have to come to that, but on the other hand, he is sure that Wily wouldn't have cared how many people died, or if his own robots died. In fact, ever since the night of that attack, Proto has been wondering why Wily would haul over a massive bomb that would kill everybody in it's path just to lure everybody out for a big battle... unless he <em>was<em> planning on detonating it. The mere thought makes Proto wonder who's really in charge here, Wily or those voices in his head. The old man has started to become more desperate ever since Gamma was destroyed, creating much bigger and deadlier plans on a more frequent basis.

As Proto watches the obsessed Wily working over Dark Man's body, the Red Raider doesn't feel much remorse for the fallen Robot Master. He was the one who took Proto's job as Wily's right hand bot, and he always let him know it with that fancy holographic power of his. But, despite their differences, Dark Man was still a valuable asset, and his loss could prove to be costly.

Wily snits, 'I don't know how they penatrated his dome! It was made from the best buletproof material in the world! The police weaponry is becoming too powerful... they're not fighting fairly!"

Proto's brow furrows at Wily's comment about the police's involvment in Dark Man's destruction... or, their lack of involvment. "It wasn't the police."

"And what makes tyou so sure about that?" Wily asks, not turning from his work on Dark Man.

"When we were up in the carrier, I watched and listened as everything went down while I waited for the perfevct chance to jump in," ProtoMan says, "I heard that old crazy Scottish Police Chief say that it _wasn't_ one of his cops that took Dark Man out... I saw somebody in a mask and a trenchcoat running away. He had a rifle in his hands."

Wily turns away from Dark Man's body and back to Proto, looking genuinly intrigued by this masked man Proto mentioned. "_Really_...? And, who was this Masked Man?"

Proto replays the moment from the Times Square battle in his mind via his memory archives. There was something very familiar about the shooter... in fact, he was nearly the same height and built as that human schmuck he encountered on several occasions back in November during the Deacon Operation, who unbeknownst to Proto, turned out to be Mr. Black.

"I don't know who he is," Proto answers, "But, I sure would love to find out."

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later.<br>Channel 5 headquarters.** **New York.**

We see a previously recorded episode of _The Ferguson Determinant_ from the night after Mega Man was proven innocent in the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack and helped save Times Square. As always, it was the 'same old song and dance' with Dick. But, what occured - or to be more accurate, what he said- during this episode proved to be the tip of the iceberg for the managment here at channel 5.

_"All it took to clear Mega Man's name was one piece of footage? Are you kidding?"_ Dick complains, _"How do we know it wasn't doctored? Want even more rven more reason for suspicion, the footage was submitted by Bree Recotta, a former co-worker of mine when I worked at channel 7, and a woman who was rescued by Mega Man from Gamma Last year and who has had several wonderful puff piece interviews with Mega Man and Dr. Thomas Light, where she asked nothing but softball questions."_

Dick's graphic reads, _**"Gamma was another one of Dr. Thomas Light's faulty creations of death."**_

_"Let me tell you something about Bree Recotta, ladies and gentlemen... this woman has no journalistic integrity. In fact, she is one of the most ruthless people I have ever met in this business. She even stole one of my stories from me and won an award in journalism... an award that rightfully belongs to ME!"_

Of course, Dick didn't mention that_ he_ was the one who was trying to undercut_ her_ on the story when they worked together and he was ultimately fired from the station. The story exclusively became Bree's afterwards.

_"I wouldn't surprise me that Recotta would be helping out a common criminal! Something's fishy about this. And let me tell you about that husband of hers-"_

The footage of Dick's show is paused by channel 5's program director, a man named Morris Rayburn. He and Dick Ferguson are in the program director's office reviewing the footage of Dick's slanderous remarks. Morris looks accross from Dick and adjusts his eyeglasses, pushing them up to the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sure you're aware that Bree Recotta's atterney has sent us a cease and decist, threatening legal action if you don't retract your comments," he says, picking up a computer pad with Bree's cease and decist in it's entirety, offering the pad to Dick, "You can read it if you want... all fifteen pages of it."

"I really don't think I need to read it, Mr. Rayburn," Dick says with a slight smugness to his voice, despite the massive lawsuit right in front of him, "This isn't the first time I've been threatened with legal action and it won't be the last. I'm sure she'll get over it."

Now Ferguson was testing Morris' patience. "I really think you should take this seriously, Dick. Because ever since I took over the job as program director last year, my office is constantly flooded with requests from viewers to get you the hell off this station! And let's talk about your ratings. They're not in the toilet, contrary to what you may have heard... they're already in the sewers! Now that I'm being threatened with legal action, I have every excuse in the world to make everybody happy and fire you right now!"

Now that he faces the threat of cancellation as well, Ferguson is getting a little nervous. "Uh, like I said, if you want me to apologize to her, I'll do it, okay? I'll even do it on the air if you want!"

Morris interupts, "I definately_ do want_!"

"Okay, then. I'll get right on it," Dick says as he prepares to leave the office, "Now, if you don't mind, I have a show to prepare."

"Sit back down," Morris orders, "There is still some important business to discuss regarding your future at this station."

Dick wipes the sweat off his brow and sits back down across from the program director.

"Even if you do manage to make this lawsuit go away, that doesn't solve the problem your show has right now. The Ferguson Determinant costs this station more money than it makes. I still have every right to cancel you."

Dick begins to plead, "Please, Morris-"

"That's _Mr. Rayburn_ to you!" the program director barks.

"Mr. Rayburn!" Dick panics, "I'll do whatever you want. I'll even wash your car... on the air! Just please don't cancel my show."

"Listen very carefully, _Dick_," Morris says, placing emphasis on Dick's first name, "Even though I should cancel you, I would owe you a lot of money if I did so before your contract is up in April, all thanks to your personal friend who used to have this job. So, I'll tell you what.. you've got until the experation of your contract to turn your show around. And if you don't..." Morris concludes by making a throat-cutting gesture with his finger.

Ferguson gulps hard. "Y-yes, sir, Morris, Mr. Rayburn! I'll get you those ratings! I'll take channel 5 to a whole 'nother level! You'll see!"

As Dick babbles, he crashes into Morris's office door, which was still closed at the time. Finally he composes himself enough to open the door and leave.

Morris puts his head in his hands and groans loudly. "Please fail!"

* * *

><p><strong>A week later.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

It has been a few days since the Cossacks returned home to Russia, but Mega Man still thinks about Kalinka every day. And Roll still playfully teases him about her brother's new _special someone_.

"So, are you gonna invite me?" Roll asks.

"Invite you to what?" Mega replies with a question.

"You _know_! The big wedding you and your _girlfriend_ are gonna be having soon!" Roll grins.

"Roll, Kalinka is... not my girlfriend," Mega insists.

"Okay. So you don't have any feelings for her?" Roll probes.

"She's just... I... Kalinka and I, we're... she's," Mega mumbles, unable to lie about his feelings for Kalinka.

"_A-ha!_ You can't deny that your emotion circuits go into overdrive when you think about her!" Roll laughs, "But, hey that's okay, Mega. You'll admit it one day and I'll be happy for you... and besides, maybe when Shades Braxton becomes my boyfriend, I can invite him to the wedding too."

Mega looks flustered at Roll's comment. "The lead singer for that Captain Fallout guy? You don't even_ know_ him personally!"

"A ladybot can dream, can't she?" Roll counters, then she quips, "I know boybots can. And I know a _certain_ boybot who's got a Russian girl named Kalinka in_ his_ dreams right now!"

_"Rock, __I need to see you in the lab," _says the voice of Dr. Light on the intercom, "_Chief Toombs is on the line. He most likely has the results on the plasma bolt we sent him"_

Mega was relieved to hear that Dr. Light had saved him from this ongoing tease from his sister. "I'll be right there, Dr. Light."

"You're not gettin' away from me that easy, big brother," Roll snickers as she follows him.

"That's what I was affraid of, little sister," Mega sighs.

* * *

><p>When Mega Man and Roll arive, they see Chief Montgomery Toombs himself appearing on the large monitor of the lab's computer station. <em>"Hey, lads. How're you doin'?"<em>

"Splendid, Chief," Thomas answers.

Mega adds, "I can sleep a little easier at night knowing there's not somebody impersonating me anymore."

Toombs grins, _"Yea, I dinna' like that guy too much either... speakin' o' him, that's what I'm calling you about. Our boys and girls in forensics got the results in on that bolt you sent our way," Toombs' smile fades, "But, I gotta be honest... I don't like what I saw. You prob'ly won't either."_

"What's wrong?" Mega asks.

_"The bolt has a serial number on it... and it matches one from about twenty-four of 'em that were stolen from us last year... and that ain't even the bad news. Florida police had found a few of 'em down in Florida at the McIntyre's home invasion crime scene last year, and a few more at the mansion of Andre Rozhenko a few weeks later. And the evidence in both o' those cases point to that _Mr. Black_ fella who's been runnin' around."_

"That's the guy in the mask and the black car. I've seen him twice," Roll adds.

"He's the one who shot Dark Man," Mega says silently as he pieces this all together.

_"He must've been... and that's not even the worst news, lad. We searched the rooftop he was on when he fired the shot and found the shell casing that bolt was in. I've never seen anything like it before, even the strongest plasma ammo in the world don't come like that. He must've made in himself."_

"That was how he compromise Dark Man's protective glass dome," Dr. Light says.

_"Our team tells us that a plasma bolt fired from one o' those shells can shoot clean through titanium armor... even yours, lad. far worse than any bolts we use. In fact... we've got reason to believe that you've been targeted by him."_

"Targeted?" Roll worries, "What do you mean _targeted_?"

_"He's definately not looking to grab some barley with you guys, I know that. And judgin' by who he's encountered- Professor Henson, the McIntyre's, our girl Lynn and her brother, and the others - and that he's been showin' up wherever you've been lately... he's taken an interest in you, and not a good one. In fact, that bullet might have been meant for you and not that Wily slack heap."_

Mega looks concerned. Not for his safety, but the safety of his family and friends. This is serious.

_"If you want, we can provide additional protection for you until we catch this sucker,"_ Toombs offers.

"We will consider the offer, Chief. We appreciate your help," Thomas says.

_"The offer's always open, Doctor,"_ Toombs says.

"The minute you learn anything about this guy, please contact me. I want him off the street as much as you do," Mega adds.

_"Gotcha covered, Laddy,"_ Toombs replies.

"Thanks, Chief," a concerned Mega concludes. As if Wily wasn't bad enough, now he has to worry about the clear and present threat from Mr. Black as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<strong>

Marcus Vickers sits behind the desk of his main office near the top of his massive skyscraper in New York, (the only building in the city with a giant letter** V** on each side.) He is waiting for his loyal Vice President (and Yes Man) Scott Erikson to arrive, because he is about to reveal his latest move in the company's Robot Warrior project, which has been ill-fated from the start.

_"Mr. Erikson is outside, sir,_" says Vickers' secretary.

"Good. send him in," Marcus replies.

Erikson enters the officer through the set of double doors and walks over to his boss and takes his usual seat next to him. "You wanted me, sir?"

"Yes, Scott, I did. I have been weighing my options regarding the future of the Robot Warrior project all week, and now I have made my decision and I wanted to tell you first," Vickers replies.

"Very good, sir. I'll inform our people to prepare to make calls to any potential candidates you have in mind," Erikson says.

"That won't be necessary, Scott," Vickers replies.

"Um... why would that be, sir?" a confused Erikson asks.

"Because I am scrapping the Robot Warrior project, effective immediately," Vickers answers.

Erikson almost lets out a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. This project has been a toal disaster even since the get-go, and in recent months, it has brought out the worst in Vickers. "That's great news- er, I mean, uh, if I may ask, sir, um, what led you to this conclusion?"

"Because I think I had the wrong idea from the start," Vickers replies as he stands out of his seat, "Maybe I shouldn't have been trying to make my own Mega Man... I should have bought him instead!"

Erikson nearly chokes on his glass of water he was drinking from when he hears his boss' outrageous suggestion. "Um, sir, Are you saying..."

Vickers interrupts, "That's _exactly_ what I'm saying! You know how the old saying goes: If you can't beat 'em... buy 'em!"

"I believe it's_ join 'em_, sir," Erikson clarifies.

"What?"

"The saying goes,_ if you can't beat them, join them,_ sir. But, if you insist that it's_ buy them,_ then it's _buy them_," Erikson clarifies again before cowering to his boss' bizare logic.

"Scott, let me explain," Marcus says, "The _buy 'em_ saying is one that I created, and assuming you make it to the big chair one day, it will be words to live by. Now, I know how the_ can't beat 'em, join 'em_ saying goes, Scott. But I don't join... mergers are a sign of weakness, and often lead to financial ruin. More words to live by."

After offering his explanation for his corporate way of living, Vickers continues, "Now, just think about it, Scott... if we acquire Mega Man, it will be the defining moment of this company's great history and the single greatest business move ever made. It will be glorious... the Defender of the Human Race, a trademark of the Vick-Tek corporation! The merchandising rights alone will make me billions... nay! Trillions!"

"And, what would plan B be, sir?" Erikson asks.

"I'm always prepared. I'll just negotiate directly with Dr. Thomas Light himself. Whatever ammount of funding he's recieving from the state of New York or even the U.S. Government, I'll double it. Hell, I'll triple it! If he wants better lab equipment, he'll have it. If he wants to build another Gamma and get it right this time, I'll buy him an island to build it on. And that's just the start, Scott. If we can't get the services of _the_ Mega Man, then we'll have Dr. Light build us several Mega Men!" Vickers enthusiastically continues, "There would be a Mega Man for every county in this country, all with the Vick-Tek logo brandeed right on their titanium asses!"

"That sounds-"

"But, of course, Dr. Light might not respond to the promise of money, so I will appeal to his sense of justice," Vickers interrupts, "I'll make him realize that only way he's ever going to end Wily for good is if he plays ball with me... so... is that the greatest idea I've ever had or is that the greatest idea I've ever had?"

Being the yes man that he is, Erikson replies with an ear to ear smile, "Oh, yes, sir! This is the single greatest idea of our time!"

"I know it. You don't need to remind me," Vickers grins, "I don't think Mega Man or Dr. Light would be open to negotiating with me under the same circumstances I did with Cossack. We need to show them how generous the Vick-Tek corporation really is. Scott, let's organize a charity ball to be helf here in Manhattan next month and invite The Light family. With any luck, they will RSVP in the resoundingly positive and hear my offer. But, we need to make it for a good cause... raising money to repair the city... no! I've got it... Children. We will hold a charity ball to benifit children! You got all that?"

Erikson stands up and responds, "Yes, sir. Charity ball, the Lights, RSVP, chidren, got all that."

"Good. Let's not waste any time. You should get to organizing that ball, and while you're at it, invite some well-known industry people. I don't want to it look like a lure for a negotiation session," Vickers orders.

"Yes, sir. On it, sir," Erikson says.

"And remember the kids, Scott... it's for the kids," Vickers says with a pouty face.

"For the kids. Yes sir," Scott nods.

"You might want to practice how to cry when I bring up the kids. It'll look good," Vickers says.

* * *

><p><strong>February 20X3.<strong>  
><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

An unmasked Mr. Black sits in near-darkness with the gloom from the full moon providing the only lumination in the room as it shines in from a nearby window. Instead of reading from his hardcover copies of _Moby Dick_ or _Paradise Lost_ again, he is comtemplating what his next move will be... not in his mission, but rather in the game of chess that appears to be in progress on the chessboard directly across from him, and he is staring at said board and the pieces on it with narrow eyes and a semi frown while sitting in his tall study chair.

The way the pieces are set, the black pieces are strategically outmatched by the white pieces. There is seeming no way for the black pieces to gain any advantage and one wrong move would spell a quick defeat.  
>Mr. Black is in control of the black pieces... naturally. The white pieces are under the command of somebody else... somebody Mr. Black hasn't seen in a long time. The game has been on hold ever since, but Mr. Black is determinated to see it through to the end... after the mission is over, perhaps.<p>

As Mr. Black stares at the chessboard, he hears his clock strike midnight. He gets out of his chair and leaves the room, taking off his suit jacket and hanging it up on a coat rack. The jacket he was wearing was black... naturally.

Mr. Black arrives to another room in his hideout, this one is somewhat small and dimly-lit, but it is loaded with over fifty monitors, all of them tuned in to news stations from every state in the U.S., every Canadian province and other countries like Mexico, the United Kingdom and others. Not all of the monitors are showing live broadcasts, however. The eastern Unitied States stations are on a one hour delay so that Mr. Black can watch them all simulteniously.  
>How Mr. Black was able to afford all of this and an arsenal of advanced weaponry and devices <em>and<em> an A.I. controlled car is unknown.

Mr. Black scans all of the monitors, looking for anything that could be a potential hot spot (or to me more precise: a zone or event that is likely to gain the attention of Mega Man and Dr. Light, or a possible Dr. Wily attack.)

He sees news on the upcoming Robot World Championship Invitational taking place in California, where several robots will be battling in a tournament to determin who is the best in combat. Of course, Mega Man will not be one of the combatants and none of the robots competing will be designed by Dr. Light or Dr. Cossack.

"No interest to me," Mr. Black says to himself, then continues searching.

He sees a report out of Minnesota about a robot production factory. It appears somebody broke into the factory and stole as many Met robots that they could in the middle of the night.

"Interesting, but none of my concern," Mr. Black says before he catches sight of a news report from channel 7 in New York...

_"And next week, the Vick-Tek company's charity ball benifiting sick children will be held at the Giuliani Ballroom,"_ says Trish Faulkenburg,_ "Mega Man and Dr. Light will be in attendance as will Vick-Tek C.E.O. Marcus Vickers, as well as several luminaries from the business and entertainment world. Unfortunately, the ball will be closed to the public."_

_"I hear it was invatation only. Why didn't we get ours, that's my question,"_ Kirk Trujillo chimes in jokingly.

"That's it!" Mr. Black says, "Important event, they'll be there... closed to the public, so they won't be expecting me... possible target for an attack... perfect... but, invatation only..."

Mr. Black wants to get in that Vick-Tek ball, but big dangerous men in masks who run around with mind-hacking devices aren't on the guest list, obviously. This has left him with only one option. He didn't want to do this, but he wants in that ball... he had to contact the one person that he knew could help get him in... and it is somebody who uses the codename _The Conduit_.

Mr. Black grabs his scrambled signal cellular phone and places a call to The Conduit. And after a few rings, there is an answer...

_"What is it?"_ says voice on the other end, like this person was expecting Mr. Black to call them.

"The Vick-Tek corporation is holding a charity ball next week... I want in, but I don't have an invation. I expect you to rectify that," Mr. Black replies.

There is a sigh on the other end... _"Forging an invatation could be troublesome."_

"That's why I called you," Mr. Black states, getting agitated, "Believe me, if I had my way about it, I wouldn't have to. I don't care what you have to do or who you have to step on. Just get me in that ball... or else, you might just find out how troublesome_ I_ can be!"

Mr. Black terminates the call and continues staring at the news monitors in the room as he awaits the next chance to strike.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_It looks like Vickers and company are about to meet Mega Man and Dr. Light in person at long last... there's no way this can turn out to be a disaster like the 'Robot Warrior' project prototypes were... can it? ;)  
><em>I'm sorry this update took a little longer than usual. But, I'm glad I went with the idea that I'm going to be using for Episode 7, because I already have a big plan in mind for it... just you wait. (Now the hard part: trying to deliver on this big plan.)<em>_

__And, as you could see, Dr. Wily's efforts to return GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man back to their old selves was unsuccessful, so even though they are still bad guys, we will be seeing more of their new attitude in episode 7. I almost had Wily remove the new programming and return them to their usual selves, but the reaction in the reviews led me to change my mind on that.__

_I know some of you were probably expecting an update on Lynn and Castor, but I decided to not bring them up in this chapter. We spent so much time with them in "Framed!" that I really felt they needed to sit out for this one. Don't worry, there will be an update on them soon. Look at it this way: sometimes no news is good news. :)_

_The Giuliani Ballroom referenced in the Mr. Black scene is named after longtime former Mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani. Regardless of what his political views are, it makes sense to make some sort of reference to him._

_I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself but add a reference to** Kung-Fu Cut Man**, even though it has already been done on the Mega Man cartoon show before in the episode "Future Shock."_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment and send me a PM if you catch any typos or errors._

_... who is The Conduit?_


	74. Episode 7: Vendetta

**_EPISODE 7: Vendetta_**

**The following takes place in the months after "Framed!"**

* * *

><p><strong>The year is 20X3.<strong>

**The war for everlasting peace has raged on for nearly two years, however, in the most recent chapter of the war, things have started to change.  
><strong>**Mega Man, the defender of the human race, is beginning to experience changes in his life.  
>Firstly, he is <strong>**starting to grow closer - if just barely - to ****his brother ProtoMan. During a peaceful conversation the two had, Mega Man even offered ProtoMan the chance to have have a real brother-to-brother relationship with him in the future.**

**And secondly, Mega Man is experiencing romantic feelings for the first time in his life after sharing a kiss with Kalinka Cossack - daughter of Dr. Mikhail Cossack - following his mission to rescue her and clear his name from a framing orchestrated by Dr. Albert Wily, who is quickly running out of resources to fund his quest for world domination.**

**While things have begun to show signs of changing for the better in the lives of our heroes, things are also beginning to take a turn into unknown and potentially dangerous territory. After fatally shooting the Robot Master Dark Man in January, the masked terror known as Mr. Black is now a clear and present threat, possibly to all parties involved. And Vick-Tek C.E.O. Marcus Vickers is about to continue his obsessive quest to have his own Robot Warrior by attempting to buy Mega Man or Dr. Thomas Light's services.**

**These are interesting times for everybody involved in the war... and the wheels of change continue to turn...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: The Ball.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<br>J****ust outside New York City.**

It is late February and snow is falling down upon the city that never sleeps once again. Tonight's snow accumulation is resulting in nothing more than a light coating of slush, a far cry from the dreaded **"SNOWPOCALYPSE 20X3!"** last month.

The Light family is getting dressed-up for a special occasion tonight, a charity ball being thrown by the Vick-Tek corporation, the company who introduced the disco dancing monstrousity known as the Vickbot 9000 to the world. The Lights were informed that Mr. Marcus Vickers himself had personally wanted to speak with them, but the main reason they were attending was to help bring attention to a good cause for children's medical research.

Mega Man needs no special wardrobe, and trying to fit a suit over his armor just wouldn't work, but Dr. Light is clad in a tuxedo and Roll is looking quite radiant, sporting a lovely red evening dress and her long ponytailed hair looks more vibrant after putting some extra hairspray in it.

"Do I look okay?" Roll asks.

"You look absolutely wonderful tonight, Roll," Dr. Light compliments his daughter.

Roll almost blushes with an unsure smile on her face, "Do you really mean it, or are you just being nice?"

"You _do_ look great, sis," Mega teases, "You should wear girl's clothes more often!"

Roll huffs back at her brother and shoots him a small frown with her hands on her hips. "Um, I _do_ wear girl's clothes, thank you very much!" she retorts.

"Relax, I'm just kidding, Roll," Mega smiles.

"_You_ sould try wearing _some_ clothing once in a while, big brother!" she jabs, "Besides, I'm sure your _GIRLfriend_ would love to see you in a suit!"

Roll is referring to Kalinka Cossack, who shared a brief romantic moment with Mega Man in the clouds last month after he helped save her from the clutches of Dr. Wily. Mega tries to respond to Roll's comments, but stumbles, not able to find the right words. "Roll... I... you see, she's..."

"What's the matter? Tama's got your tounge?" Roll giggles.

"Alright, alright, you two," Thomas interrupts, "We're going to be late."

"I'll be out in a few seconds," Mega says, relieved that the topic has changed... at least for a fleeting moment.

"Is there something I should know, Rock?" Thomas innocently asks, not knowing what's going on between Mega and Kalinka.

"He's got a _girrrrrrrl-friennnnnnd_!" Roll sings on her way out, to the tune of 'Na-na, na-na, poo-poo.'

Mega Man groans and facepalms. "No, Dr. Light. I'll catch up with you outside."

He can't believe that Roll keeps teasing him over Kalinka. But, he's certainly given his sister plenty of inadvertant clues that there is something between him and the Dr. Cossack's daughter, especially on the night he and Kalinka shared the kiss together in the sky. Roll imediately knew something was up.  
>Mega knows Roll doesn't mean anything by her frequent teasing, because she and Kalinka get along like they've been friends for years. But sometimes, it drives him nuts. He doesn't want to say that Kalinka is his girlfriend, because he doesn't know if she is... but he would certainly <em>like<em> Kalinka to be his girlfriend.

Mega Man approaches Rush and pets him on the head, saying, "Now, you be good while we're gone. And if anything happens, I'll let you know. Okay, boy?"

Rush barks his response.

"I wish I could stay home with you tonight, Rush. That way I wouldn't have to worry about Roll teasing me every chance she gets," Mega griefs.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Giulianni Ballroom.**

Snow flakes continue to fall down as the Light family arrives to the galla event thrown by the Vick-Tek corporation. As Mega Man, Roll and Thomas exit their red SkyCar, camera flashbulbs go off all around them from the photographers as the press are clamoring for interviews over the eruption of cheers of the nearby citizens who have gathered here tonight.

After they enter the building, Dr. Light hands his overcoat to a robotic assistant and looks over at the overwhelming cheers from the onlookers and press outside. "It is relieving to see that they still appreciate you, Rock."

Roll adds, "Yeah! Not even Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers get the kind of reception you get!"

Mega Man has never been one to gloat or revel in his notoriety and he still isn't. He answers with a sheepish smile, "I'm just doing my job. I'm glad they believed my side of the story after what Wily tried to pull last month."

Roll answers, "Tell me about it! I still can't believe some of these people didn't believe you... but, we always knew you were innocent, Mega... and so did _Kalinka_!"

"Roll, please..." Mega moans.

Roll glazes her eyes. "Come on, lighten up, Mega."

The trio enters the main ballroom area and sees the party taking place down below at the bottom of a flight of steps, full of attendees also clad in formal attire and even a small orchestral band. Within a few seconds, virtually every guest in the ballroom notices the presence of the famous Light family - especially Mega Man - and begin cheering and clapping.

As the Lights make their way through the ballroom, a gentleman dressed in a suit and glasses approaches them with an autograph book in his grasp. "Mr. Mega Man? It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Can I get your autograph for my son?"

"Absolutely!" Mega replies.

The man hands Mega Man his book and tries to find a pen. "I... I can't find my pen!"

Roll's utility arm apperatus opens and produces an ink pen. She personally made sure that she included a spare pen as one of her accessories, just in case she would ever run accross any famous movie heroines in her travels.  
>Roll removes the pen from her arm and hands it to Mega Man. "Here's one!"<p>

"Who do I make it out to, Sir?" Mega Man asks.

"Jesse. His nickname is _Jet_," the dad replies, "You should see him, he emulates you all the time. He painted a blue stripe down his bicycle helmet so it looked like yours."

Mega Man smiles as he signs the autograph book, remembering his encounter with a man who also coincidentally had the nickname _Jet_ in the alternate future timeline he jumped into a couple of years ago. Maybe, _just maybe_, it could be the same Jet. "Tell Jet I'll see him in the future."

"Thank you so much!" the man says as Mega hands the book to him, "This'll make his year!"

"Mega Man! Do you have a moment to talk?" calls yet another human, who is racing towards the Light family. He looks under-dressed for the dinner, wearing a black suit jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers and a black t-shirt with a logo on it.

"And, you are...?" Mega asks.

"Rob Williamson, Anarchy Productions. Hollywood, California," the man replies, opening his suit blazer to reveal his production company's logo, which plainly states the words _'Anarchy Productions'_ in a bold red font.  
>As the Hollywood producer shakes Mega Man's hand, he makes a proposal. "We want to make a <em>Mega Man<em> saturday morning cartoon! All three of you are in it!"

"Cool!" Roll peeps, "I always wanted to be in a cartoon!"

"It will be great! We've already got some episodes lined up, here's a couple of the plots," Williamson explains, "In one of them, you're facing a giant purple genie named Lotos! And, you'll also face Lion Men that have been sealed off in a cave for a thousand years in another episode! And, we've also got Evelyn Raye, the horror movie scream queen, and she'll lend her voice to an episode where you fight Monster Robots! It's a Halloween episode, so it's be like Mummybots. So... do ya' like it?"

Mega looks back at his sister and Dr. Light, looking rather unimpressed with the idea of his cartoon doppleganger battleing lion creatures and genies. Even Dr. Light shakes his head at the idea.

Mega faces the producer and pats his shoulder. "I'll tell you what, let's talk about this show after you drop the stuff with the geinie and the monster bots and, um... especially the lion men."

"Um.. okay. We'll just get to work on some other scripts. But, call me when you're ready to talk. Here's my card," Williamson says

As Mega turns away from the producer, a Japanese man with spikey black hair and a half grown-in goatee almost walks into him. The Japanese man doesn't seem angry at all by Mega bumping into him, but Mega apologizes to him anyway.

"I'm sorry, sir," Mega says.

The gentleman - who is wearing an ID badge with the name _'Inafune' _on it - nods and smiles, replying in Japanese, "That's okay, Rock Man." He then looks all up and down Mega's body, looking like he is asscessing his height. "You're much taller than I thought you were!"

After another smile and a pat on the shoulder, this _Inafune_ man walks away and Mega stares back at him, looking confused.

Roll grabs her brother's shoulder and asks, "Who was _that_ guy? And why did he call you _Rock Man_?"

Mega shrugs, "I don't know... He looks kind of familiar though."

Shortly thereafter the encounter with whoever that_ Inafune_ guy was, Marcus Vickers himself approaches Mega Man, Roll and Dr. Light, and he was joined as always by his loyal Vice President Scott Erikson. "I see our guests of honor have already garnered a lot of attention tonight! And might I say, It's a pleasure to finally meet the Defender of the Human Race in person!"  
>As he shakes hands with Mega Man, Vickers continues, "I never thought I'd see this day. Standing in front of... <em>the man<em>!"

A starstruck Erikson babbles, "Hi! I'm really a big fan of you guys and-"

Vickers interrupts, "If you'll follow me, I would like to discuss a few things with you."

Mega, Roll and Dr. Light follow Vickers and Erikson to an area of the ballroom with a table guarded by some of New York's Finest. But as they walk, a large fellow with Black hair walks past them and speaks to them briefly as he passes. "Have fun tonight, pal."  
>Without another word, the man walks away.<p>

Mega Man and Dr. Light pay him no mind, but Roll's gaze follows him as he casually walks away. She's seen this guy before... _twice_ before. Once at the rooftop restaurant the night Wily's Robo-Spider attacked and again at the campaign headquarters of Mitchell Deacon last year.  
>In fact... the man's body type looks very familiar too... almost the same as Mr. Bl-<p>

"Roll, come with us to our table," Thomas calls.

"Yeah... I'll be right there," Roll replies, sounded distracted as she stares at the big schmuck until he gets lost in the sea of people. If her family wasn't hre on business, she would have followed him, and she was tempted to do so anyway. Roll followed her family to the table reserved for them, but reluctantly so. She had a feeling that this guy could be trouble.

The police officers gathered around Vickers' table nod or tip their hats to Mega Man out of respect as he arrives to Vickers' table. One of the officers speaks to Mega and he gets a little nervous when he does so. "Hey, Mega Man, there's something I've gotta tell you. I'm, uh... one of the guys who shot at you last month."

"... Oh?" Mega asks, tilting one eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Mega Man," the officer pleads, "I thought you were that clone guy."

"Hey, it's okay, officer," Mega assures, "You didn't know which was which."

"_Whew!_ Thanks, I lost a lot of sleep over that. The Chief woulda eaten my badge if you hadn't made it out okay," the officer says, relieved.

Before Mega joins his family at the table, he feels the need to learn the whereabouts of the humans who helped him last month. "Officer, do you know Officer Werschng? I was hoping to find out how she and her brother are doing."

"You should be asking _me_ that question," says a voice from behind Mega.

Mega turns around to see Lynn Wersching herself standing behind him, wearing civilian clothes instead of her uniform. She looks like she finally has the weight of the world off of her shoulders at last, as indicated by the smile on her face as she gives Mega a big hug. "It's good to see you again!"

"Hello, officer!" Mega greets with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be on security detail."

"I'm not, really. I'm not even on duty," Lynn reveals, "I just wanted to catch up with you, and then I'm out of here. This shindig's kinda boring if you ask me."

"How are you doing?" Mega asks.

"Great, thanks to you," Lynn replies, "You guys have done more for my brother and me then... our own father ever did."

"How is Castor doing?" Mega asks about Lynn's troubled brother.

"He's hanging in there. He's had a lot of surgery to repair the damage the drugs did to him, and now that he's well enough, he checked in to a rehab clinic. He has his good days and his bad days... but he says he's staying in rehab until he's getting clean this time. He wanted me to tell you, he says _hey_."

Mega replies, "Tell him I said don't give up... and also, _hey_ right back at him."

Lynn smiles again, "I will. Thank you so much for finding him... I would have lost him forever if you hadn't."

"And Wily would've tarnished everything I fight for if you two hadn't helped," Mega admits, "So, thank you... you're like friends to me."

"Mr. Mega!" calls Vickers from behind him, still wearing that corporate put-on smile on his, " We're ready whenever you are."

"I've got to go," Mega says, "This Vickers guy wants to talk with Dr. Light and me."

"Okay, I'll catch up with you later," Lynn says before she leaves the ball.

With all of the greetings and reunions out of the way Mega Man now sits down with Dr. Light and Roll at the table reserved for them, with Vickers sitting directly accross from them on the other end of this round table. Vickers is joined by his Chief Financial Officer - a woman named Terresa, whom we last saw preparing to evacuate herself from the Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters when Gamma arrived to the mainland in 20X2 - and he is also joined by Scott Erikson. (Who else?)

"So, let's get right down to brass tacks, Dr. Light," he says before he takes a swig of the scotch on the rocks he ordered, "The two of us have a lot in common. We know a lot about technology, we build incredible gifts for the world and we _all_ share a dislike for a certain Dr. Wily. Am I right?"

"You are very astute, Mr. Vickers," Dr. Light says.

The C.E.O. replies, "We all want this monster in jail and out of our way so we can live nice, happy lives for the rest of time. Mega Man has done unbelievably well in the past two years, but what if he had the support of-"

Dr. Light interrupts, "Mr. Vickers, if you're looking to accquire Mega Man in some way... I'm affraid I cannot allow that. I view him as my son, and I could never just _sell him_ to anybody."  
>Thomas knew exactly what Vickers' game was, and he wasn't going for it.<p>

Immediately switching to Plan B, Vickers steamrolls ahead and lies through his teeth. "Of course I wasn't. I would never such a request. That's unethical. As I was saying, Mega Man is doing a great job, but we know that Wily is going to attack multiple locations one day. And there's no way Mega Man can be two or more places at once-"

Thomas interrupts again, "Mr. Vickers, if you're asking me to allow you to mass market Mega Man... again, I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

Sensing that this negotiation may not end up going his boss' way, Erikson makes a request to the nearby robo server. "Uh, can we get another round of drinks, please? And make it a double."

Vickers knows that his plan is not going exactly as he though it would. But, he had a back-up plan to the back-up plan at the ready. Marcus was going to try and get Thomas to consider accepting one of his business proposals, even if it killed him right here in this ballroom.

"Why would I want to do that? There's only _one _Mega Man! What I'm asking is this," Vickers presses, "... in no uncertain terms: I would like you to help us develop a national defense system that can repel - or at the very least hold off - Wily's forces while Mega Man himself is dealing with the big fights. And I am not talking about something like Gamma or the military supercomputers that you developed last year, I'm talking about nationwide security blanket coverage, not just protection for the high-value targets."

Dr. Light and Mega Man share a brief glance with eachother, continuing to listen to Vickers' proposal. Mega remembers the last time Dr. Light jumped headstrong into a deal like this... Gamma happened.

Vickers continues, "I'm sure within six months, he would surrender. He would have to surrender, he wouldn't be able to afford it anymore. I can only assume that open warfare to overtake mankind can be quite expensive. But, it can be done... and all we need though, Dr. Light, is your approval."  
>Vickers produces a blank check and a pen from his suit pocket and continues, "Just name the price, Dr. Light, and we'll share a toast to the end of this ugly war. How much? $200-Million?... $250-Million?... $300-Mil?... $350-Mil?"<p>

Roll's eyes grow wide as she hears the astounding dollar amounts that Vickers is offering them beings to shoot into the stratosphere. The good Doctor himself is also taken back by this incredible offer. On the other side of the table, Erikson and the C.F.O. are beginning to sweat.

"I should've ordered a triple," Erikson mumbles.

"Make mine a quadruple," Terresa sighs, dreading the financial reports that may follow this deal.

"Just think. You'll have enough funds to work on _any_ project you desire. You would would have enough money to work on any project you could possibly imagine. You could do a lot of good for humanity with an opportunity like this. All you have to do is name a price," Vickers cooerces.

Mega Man begins to have some skepticism about Vickers' astounding proposal. While this is an incredible opportunity, it seems too good to be true. Why is a computer corporation getting involved in national security matters without the government's consent? What would that make Dr. Light if he affiliated himself with this guy?

Mega Man asks, "Can I discuss this with Dr. Light for a moment?"

Vickers feels a little bit apprehensive. The last time somebody interfered in his negotions things went bad in a hurry. That particular time being when Kalinka Cossack interjected herself into Vickers' negotiations with her father last year. "Well, I'd like to, um... you see, the last time somebody interrupted my... nevermind. You can confer with him."

Mega Man blocks his mouth with his hand so the corporate suits will not notice what he's saying to Light. "I'm not sure about all this, father,"

Light answers, "It _does_ seem a bit too outrageous. But, imagine the things we could do for the good of Mankind with that ammount of funding."

Mega Man remains silent for a moment, weighing his options. He did want this war with Wily to be over, and soon. But, this whole thing with Vick-Tek doesn't seem right. And judging by how Vickers changed his offer twice, Mega gets the impression that while the C.E.O.'s intentions seem noble, he must have some sort of hidden agenda.  
>"I think we need more time to think about it. I would like the government's approval first. They've done a lot for us; meanwhile, we just met this guy, we don't know if his word is any good. And you promised we'd discuss projects like this together before signing on to one. We don't want another Gamma on our hands."<p>

Dr. Light ponders to himself for a moment. The promise of that much funding for whatever project he wanted was tempting, but he knew that right now wasn't the time to make a decision. "I think you're right, Rock."

The two brake off their private conversation and turn back to Vickers. "I appreciate your offer, Mr. Vickers," Thomas answers, "But, I need more time to consider this."

Vickers replies calmly, and raises the offer even higher. "How about $400-Million _and_ $2-Million up-front tonight?"

"This is not just about the money, Mr. Vickers," Light explains, "I would like to work on this project with your company. But..."

"You don't like to work with outsiders," Vickers interrupts, putting his hands up, "I understand completely, especially after the Gamma incident, you want to take it slow. And I realize it _is_ a pretty big decision to make. I'll give you a few weeks to think about it and then-"

A sudden_** KA-BOOM!**_ is heard and felt inside the ballroom and Vickers almost jumps out of his seat when he hears it. The explosion blows pieces of the ceiling off and sends them falling along with shattered glass shards from the sunroof, sending the screaming attendees into a panic as the run for their lives. This only meant one thing...

Mega Man says, "Speak of the devil! He's here!"

Vickers shouts, "Who? No! Don't tell me it's_ him_!"

"It is... it's Wily," answers Roll, who notices a group of small things falling from the Skullker. When she catches a better view of the objects, her blue eyes widen with horror. "Oh, no!... he's got Mets!"

Then, a group of nearly thirty hardhat-wearing Met robots jump down the new hole in the roof, landing on the ballroom floor. These were the Mets that were stolen from a factory recently, and they were stolen by Wily. Now all of these sweet, innocent little companions have all been turned into weapons of destruction, reprogrammed and modified by the madman and sporting blaster nozzles where their mouths should be.

Mega Man leaps away from his table and presses a communication button on his blaster arm. "Rush, we've got a problem down here. Follow my signal and make it quick, boy!"

Mega Man runs and performs a baseball slide across the ballroom floor, knocking away most of the Mets. "Do you guys come off an assembly line, or something?"

Mega fires a stun blast at a group of incapacitated Mets, taking them out of commission, but, Roll stays out of the battle and watches on in fear, unable to bring harm to any of these Mets. By introducing the Mets into battle, Dr. Wily was using Roll's bond with her late companion Doc to play a mind game with her and keep her out of the way.

"Don't hurt them! They're just Mets!" Roll gasps, affraid to attack any of these Mets.

"Roll, none of these Mets are Doc. We have to take them down," Mega protests.

"... I can't attack a Met, Mega. I'm sorry," Roll whimpers.

Another group lift up their hardhats and fire small blasts at Mega Man. Mega dives out of the way of the shots and fires another blast, shorting out the next group of small robots. "Wily, you no good monster!"

* * *

><p>Above the ballroom, one man watches as many of the attendees flee for their lives as fast as they can. And that man is Dr. Albert Wily, peering out of the front windshield of his Skullker and snickering with delight.<p>

"Look at them run, Proto! Just like roaches when they see the lights go on! After they lose their precious Mega Man and their so-called genius Dr. Light, no one will be able to stand against me, and-"

"I know the line..." Protoman interrupts, "And _you_ will be the ruler of the world. Right?"

Dr. Wily grins. "Exactly!"

Proto turns his attention to a readout on the Skullker's front panel, displaying the lifesigns of the Mets Wily dropped in on Mega Man. "They're fading pretty fast, Wily. You're cruel little head game might have worked with my sister, but Mega Man isn't buying it."

"I knew I should have taken more of those stupid little junk piles when I had the chance," Wily complains.

"I think it's time we bring out the_ real_ artillary... and don't hold me back this time."

"You may go," Wily commands, giving Proto the okay to continue the battle.

ProtoMan leaves the Skullker cockpit and begins issuing commands to the Robot Masters. "Come on, time to go! Follow my lead!"

Wily re-maneuvers the Skullker for ProtoMan and the Robot Masters to make a safe jump and he looks down to see Mega Man firing more stun blasts at the Mets. Then Albert hears a loud "Eh-hem!" sound coming from behind him... it came from Cut Man, who was still sitting in the rear of the Skullker with GutsMan and Magnet Man.

"What are you three sitting around for? Get down there!" Wily yells.

"You didn't say the magic word," Cut Man, crossing his massive arms across his chest armor.

"And we ain't movin' 'till you do!" GutsMan adds.

Albert clinches his fists and his body trembles with rage as the one large vain running down his bald head pulsates. Ever since Dr. Light gave them their new programming, they won't respond to direct commands anymore... unless _the magic word_ is given. Wily could scrap all three of them right now, but, for the good of the mission, he caves in and says the magic word.

"Would you... _please_... go down there? _Now?_" Wily growls through gritted teeth.

"All you had to do was ask, Wily. Come on, boys," GutsMan booms from the back as he, Magnet Man and Cut Man begin to exit the Skullker and join the battle.

_"You should dismantle them... they are becoming a problem,"_ says an old friend in Albert's head... the whisper.

"If they keep it up, it might have to come to that," Wily replies, talking to himself.

_"... and ProtoMan is even more of a problem. He will fail us again."_

Albert pauses. "... no. He's my best... but, I'd best not take the chance."

* * *

><p>Back inside the ballroom, Mega Man catches the sight of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man jumping out of the Skullker and landing beside Skull Man, Drill Man, Snake Man, Gemini Man and (last but certainly not least,) ProtoMan. GutsMan's size and mass causes a louder thud than his other two reprogrammed buddies.<p>

"ProtoMan!" Mega Man gasps, keeping his blaster at the ready but not aiming directly at his brother.

"In the metal, little bro! Who else would you expect here?" ProtoMan answers.

"Are you gonna tell me you've forgotten what I told you when you picked up you buddies last month?"

"I haven't forgotten anything. And I'm sure you haven't either," Proto replies.

In the middle of Proto's diatribe, Wily's other Robot Masters begin their assault on Mega Man. ProtoMan is very angered by his cohorts jumping the gun and not even waiting for his command. "Hey! What the hell are you junk heaps doing?"

Drill Man leaps towards Mega first. "I'm gonna get you this time, Mega Man! Then, Dr. Wily will be proud of me!"

Despite Drill Man's fighting spirit, the blue bomber evades him and grabs the Robot Master's left arm as he passes by, copying his Drill Bomb attack. Mega Man then hurls Drill Man into the arms of Snake Man and the two robots crash onto the floor.

Mega Man leaps over to Snake Man, who is trying to pull Drill Man's limp body off of him, and touches his left arm also, copying Snake Man's weapon as well.

"Hey!" Snake Man hisses, "What'sssss going on here? You've taken my powersssss!"

Mega Man jokes, "Thanks, Snake Man. I'll be needing it! You can keep your body this time!"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the ballroom, an unmasked, suit-clad Mr. Black takes cover behind a large chunk of debris that had fallen down, directly accross where the majority of the ensueing battle was taking place. So far, this night has gone quite well. He had planted a listening device close to the table where the Lights and Marcus Vickers were negotiating earlier and nobody noticed anything out of the ordinary, (but Mr. Black himself was unaware of Roll's suspicions.)<br>Now because of the Wily attack that was taking place right in front of him, he had the perfect chance to take out his targets. He was taking a major risk mounting an attack without his 'Mr. Black' outfit and armor. If he was shot or spotted he will be screwed.  
>Mr. Black reaches into his suit pocket to pull out his illegally obtained police-issue plasma bolt gun that he managed to sneak past the ballroom's extra-tight security by using an experimental type of cellophane material to wrap over it.<p>

Mr. Black hisses under his breath as he stares at his target. "I've got you now, you son of a-"

"Sir!" Barks a PoliceBot who spots him hiding behind the refuse, "This area is unsafe and you must evacuate immediately."

"I'm part of Vick-Tek's security team, you idiot!" Mr. Black lies.

"You have left me no choice but to remove you myself," the Policebot says, grabbing Mr. Black and hoisting him over his shoulder like he was a sandbag... and Mr. Black is not a small man

"Let go of me, asshole!" Mr. Black yells.

"It's for your own saftey, sir," the PoliceBot calmly states as he runs out of the ballroom with Mr. Black in his grasp.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere within the chaos, Marcus Vickers tries to make a run for it, but one of the powered down Mets trips him and sends him crashing down to the floor with a loud thud. He turns himself over, only to have another Met jump on him and prepare to fire.<p>

"No! Please don't kill me!" he begs, "I can pay you! Just name the price!"

Then, a sudden strong wind force is felt all around the immediate area and the Met is lifted off of Vickers' chest and gets stuck in Roll's ultility arm vacuum.

"You've been a bad little bot! You need a time out," she scolds as she pulls the Met out of her vacuum, and manually powers the Met down by hand. While she can't bring herself to hurt a Met, she can switch them off so that they wouldn't be hurt and that would spare their lives.

Roll helps Vickers back up to his feet. "Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, thanks to you! Remind me to reimburse you," he replies with a sigh of relief.

Then, another group of Mets approach Roll and Vickers, ready to blast them with their newly installed weapons.

"Wait! You don't have to blast anybody!" Roll emplores, making a passionate plea to the Mets' original programming, "You're supposed to be our friends, remember?"

"Listen to the girl! She's right!" Vickers warbles as he cowers behind Roll.

The reprogrammed Mets don't pay any mind to Roll's plea and prepare to fire upon her and Vickers, but, Rush flies in and tackles all of them away.

"Rush, did you have to crash into them so hard?" Roll pouts.

Rush barks.

"I know you're trying to help, just please be careful with... we don't have time for this. Mega's in trouble," Roll says, spotting an old enemy up ahead. "I'll handle this personally."

Cut Man prepares to attack Mega Man with his rolling cutters, but a certain female voice behind him makes his freeze like a statue... this was one girl's voice he dreaded ever hearing after last month.

"Hi, Cut Man!" Roll says with a mischievous smile.

Cut Man's eyes go wide and his square mouth drops in terror when he hears Roll's voice. Cut Man remembers what happened the last time he faced Roll... she threw his own cutters at him and they cut into his hind-quarters.

Roll was having a **_bad_** day that day.

"Mega's kinda busy right now," Roll says, smileing, "But, you can fight_ me_ if you want."

Cut Man shrieks, putting his hands up. "NO! I don't want any part of you! You're crazy!"

Cut Man runs away to the Skullker and abandons the battle, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if Roll is following him.

Roll laughs, "That was the easiest fight I've ever had!"

* * *

><p>Back in the Skullker, Cut Man jumps inside and slams the door behind him. His ventilation system is working on overdrive so much he sounds like he's out of breath.<p>

Wily stares back at Cut Man and is about to blow a gasket. "What hell are you doing here, you idiot? You're supposed to be fighting them!"

"I'm not fighting Mega Man's sister!" Cut Man whines, "Do you remember what happened last time?"

Wily groans and buries his face in his hands. "I have got to make three new robots."

* * *

><p>Mega Man sees GutsMan charging for him and jumps out of the big robot's way, the larger robot then rams himself into a wall by accident. "You might have some new programming, Gusty, but you're still as dumb as ever."<p>

"Mega Man!" calls Gemini Man, "We meet again! First time since the old Cold Steel days too. You know, you got lucky when you took us out of commision. You don't look so tough!"

"Doesn't look too tough to me either!" says a voice behind Mega... a voice that belongs to another Gemini Man

"What the?..." a shocked Mega Man gasps.

"A bargain at twice the price, huh, Mega Man?" the first Gemini Man says.

The second one adds, "It's a new upgrade by Dr. Wily. Let's play a little game. You can take a free shot at one of us."

The first Gemini Man continues, "But, if you miss, we destroy you and send you back to Dr. Wily."

The other one adds, "So, take your pick!"

Mega Man's eyes dart back and forth, trying to spot any hints that could tip him off as to who the real Gemini Man is. "I've heard of the phrase _double trouble_, but this is ridiculous!"

Nearby, Roll watches as her brother is caught between the two Gemini Men and decides to help him. She picks up a hard hat that was knocked off of one of the Mets and flings it at one of the Gemini Men.  
>The hard hat goes right through the Gemini Man she aimed for, proving that this was a fake. Mega Man turns around and blasts the real Gemini Man, sending him flying backwards.<p>

Mega Man looks back to Roll. "Thanks Sis." he says, "We've almost got 'em- whoa!"

GutsMan plows into Mega Man and crashes him through another wall.

Rubble from the crash covers the two robot's bodies. GutsMan gets back up and picks Mega Man up too. He props him up and rams his gigantic clinched fist right into Mega Man, who then goes crashing through the wall again. Mega Man's helmet and upper torso become dented and damaged. GutsMan's punch was so powerful, wiring appears to be coming out of the neck of Mega's armor.

GutsMan approaches Mega Man, growling "I bet yer sorry you sent us back to Dr. Wily now, aren't ya', Mega Twerp? Now, it's time to finish you off for good, Ha-Ha!"

Rush tries to hit GutsMan, but the big robot swipes him off.

"Mega! Rush!" Roll shouts, "That's it, I don't care if I'm not dressed for battle. You're gonna get it!"

Roll tries to intervine and help her brother and Rush, but Dr. Light stops her. "Roll, no! GutsMan will hurt you too!"

"But, we can't just stand here waiting for Mega to get crushed!" Roll argues back...

ProtoMan watches GutsMan off in the distance and weighs his options... "Do I really want to do this?"

ProtoMan looks up and sees the Skullker hovering around the area, waiting for the mission to end... Proto then looks back at GutsMan advancing on his brother for the death blow... Proto knows that Mega probably doesn't need any help and he'll pull a rabbit out of his helmet just like he always does and zap Gutsy into next week... but...

"I wouldn't be able to team with my brother if he became a titanium pancake," Proto says to himself, "... screw it! If your robots won't play along, Wily... I don't have to play along either."

ProtoMan steps over to the prone body of Gemini Man and copies his weapon energy. He takes aim and fires a long light blue beam at one of the walls. For the first time ever, ProtoMan_ deliberately_ sabotages the mission for the sake of saving his brother. He knows Wily will blow another gasket and accuse him of screwing up, but after seeing how the Robot Masters charged into battle and ignored his commands, he doesn't give a damn.

The bright beam ricochets off the wall and hits another and another. GutsMan's eyes follow the beam and it is too much for his extremely limited I.Q. systems to understand. "Uh... huh?" he grunts.

The blue beam then hits GutsMan's chest area and knocks him backwards. Mega Man barely summons the energy to fire off a plasma blast at GutsMan's belly to take him down.

Roll and Dr. Light hurry to Mega Man's side and try to help him up. Rush shakes out the cobwebs and produces a spare energy can he had in case Mega Man needed it, compliments of Eddie. Roll hands her brother the supplemental energy can. "Here, Mega. You're in pretty rough shape."

Mega Man drinks the liquid and his strength is partially regained. "I'm still pretty banged up, but it'll do."

ProtoMan opens a small access panel on his blaster arm and removes a microchip that contains Gemini Man's copied weapon. ProtoMan crushes it in his fist to make it look like he didn't have anything to do with it. He then contacts Dr. Wily. "Wily, it's gone haywire. Gemini Man's circuits were smashed and he fired at Gutsy."

ProtoMan stomps his foot into Gemini Man's head to _'enhance'_ his version of the supposed truth.

After Wily groans in distress, he says, _"Damn it all! Get yourself out of there."_

"Yeah... we've got a lot to discuss," ProtoMan sneers as he helps Skull Man and Snake Man out and leaves with Gemini Man hoisted over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, GutsMan gets back to his feet, fuming with rage. "I'm sick of losin'!" he growls as he raises his fists up and slams them down to the ground. The impact of the Robot Master's fists starts cracking the ballroom foundation from the inside.  
>Rubble starts to fall down as Mega Man, Roll, Dr. Light, Rush and Marcus Vickers try to leave. Vickers tries to leave via an alternate exit. But, before he can get there, more rubble falls and traps him inside the ballroom. Another chunk of rubble lands on Dr. Light, pinning him to the ground.<p>

"Dr. Light!" Roll shrieks as she desperately tries to pull the rubble off her father.

"Stand back!" Mega stresses as he lifts the rubble off him. Thomas doesn't appear to be seriously injured, just dazed. "Are you alright?" Mega asks.

"I'll be sore in the morning, but yes," Thomas replies.

"Let's go before this place caves in on us," Mega Man shouts over the rumbling

The Lights begin their escape, but Mega hears someone screaming for help. "HELP! SOMEBODY! MEGA MAN! HELP ME!" screams the male voice.

"Roll, Get Dr. Light to safety. There's someone else in here! I can't leave them behind."

"But, what about you?" Roll tries to ask.

"Just go! _Hurry_!" Mega Man yells, heading for the cries for help.

Roll and Rush try to get Dr. Light out of danger as Mega Man goes to help the human inside the building. But, then, more debris falls down and within seconds, Mega Man becomes buried underneath the wreckage.  
>GutsMan laughs and a transport beam comes down from the Skullker, pulling him back up. "I'll see you in the great scrap heap in the sky, Mega Loser! HA-HA!"<p>

* * *

><p>Roll, Dr. Light and Rush watch as the ballroom caves in with their family member still trapped inside<p>

"MEGA! NO!" Roll screams as Rush howls.

Dr. Light remains silent, too stunned to respond. The remaining attendees of the ball who haven't fled the scene already also look ahead at the remains of the ballroom. They and the Lights are all hoping for the same thing: that Mega Man is still alive.

Roll hangs her head down, fearing the worst, hoping beyond hope that her brother has survived all of this as she clasps her hands together and prays aloud. "Please, Mega, make it out okay. You've taken worse than this before!"

Several seconds of cold dark silence pass as no signs of life can be seen in the wreckage... then, rustling noises can be heard in the debris. And a few heartstopping seconds later, Mega Man barely emerges, his armor is sporting several large dents and, but he is somewhat alright. Roll and Dr. Light breath a sigh of relief and the attendees begin cheering.

"Are you alright?" Dr. Light asks.

Roll cuts in, "If Mega's walking, he's doing okay!"

Mega answers, "I'm alright. I've got to get back in there and find the person who needed help - _ack!_"

Mega Man yelps in pain and falls down because one of his legs has short-circuited from the damage he's taken.

"Hmm..." Light says as he strokes his chin, "You need to be taken back to the lab and repaired. Your damage is too severe to begin a rescue operation."

"That's not an option, father!" Mega replies, "I've gotta help that human in there!"

Dr. Light replies, "I'll have my Robo Rescue Squad find him and take him to a hospital. You need repairs."

As the distant sound of police and ambulance sirens are heard wailing in the distance, Mega Man looks back at the large pile of rubble that was the ballroom. He wonders if he should ignore the injuries and still try to help. But, he realizes that if he can't walk, he probably would not serve that great a purpose in the rescue effort. He hates having to leave somebody behind who needs help. It goes against his duty of protecting humanity. But, he has little choice in this case.

Mega hangs his head down. "Okay."

"Rush, take him back hom. Roll and I will follow you."

Dr. Light and Roll both help Mega Man back to his feet to load him onto Rush's back as the other bystanders left remaining begin to applaud. Mega Man barely nods in appriciatin of the reaction he is getting, but if he had his way, he would not be leaving.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

As the wail of approaching Police, Fire and Ambulance sirens can be heard nearby as they race to the ballroom, Mr. Black storms away from the scene of the crime fuming with anger. He should be considering himself fortunate that the PoliceBot who manhandled him out of the building did not question him, or else he would have been in real trouble. But, he doesn't consider himself very fortunate, because once again, he was robbed of achieving that _perfect shot_ that would have most likely ended this mission with an easy victory.  
>He hates when he comes so close to succeeding like this, and then ultimately failing for one reason or another... he thinks it makes him look ineffectual. That would not be a problem if The Conduit wasn't around, but, The Conduit <em>is<em> around, and that only creates the potential to make things more difficult.

Mr. Black makes his way down an alley to find his illegally modified black car which was carefully hidden here to avoid detection. As he gets inside, he doesn't even make it to the driver's seat before he hears a steady beeping sound. The Conduit was calling, and wanted a report of the events that had taken place.  
>As he slumped into the driver's seat, Mr. Black shut the communication signaloff. He wasn't in the mood to answer the call. Hopefully the topic of how the policebot carried Mr. Black out of the building will not come up when he does feel like answering.<p>

"Back to the hideout, drive mode," he grumbles.

Mr. Black's car begins to drive itself and it's owner back to the hideout, dispensing an increased ammount of heat below it's cab to melt the snow on the asphalt, making it difficult to trace Mr. Black's whereabouts.

* * *

><p>... Back at the wreckage of what remained of the ballroom, buried deep under the wreckage and debris remained the one lone human victim that Mega Man couldn't get to before he was taken away for repairs. The victim couldn't feel their right arm or right leg anymore and the dust from the wreckage was beginning to fill the victim's lungs.<p>

"... help... me," the victim barely cried out in a voice so weak it sounded like a strained whisper.

This victim was fading fast and he knew it... how could this have happened, being left for dead? Why didn't Mega Man come?

The victim heard more voices nearby as the sounds or debris was moved aside...

"Life sign found. Five meters in this direction. follow me," one of the voices said. It wasn't Mega Man, but more likely a rescue bot of some kind. The victim could hear a series of robotic footsteps could be heard approaching.

"... here... help," whispers the victim, barely trying to use the hand that still worked to flag the approaching robots, only to learn that he was buried so deep in rubble, nobody could see it anyway.

"Heat signature detected in this refuse pile. Begin removing the debris, have stabilization equipment at the ready," says one of the robot voices.

"Roger," replies another.

The victim could feel the debris being moved off of him slowly and could see traces of what looked like flashlights... if he could just hang on a little bit longer he knew he could survive... and he will make it a point to get back...

* * *

><p>The members of the Robo Rescue Squad work together to move the debris away and find the survivor trapped underneath. They had been informed by Dr. Light himself that there was at least one human who Mega Man was not able to find after the building collapsed. This was probably that very same human.<p>

After moving the last slab of wreckage, the body of Marcus Vickers is uncovered. He is still alive, but he has been gravely injured. His right limbs both appear to have been severely broken, but his clothing manages to disguise just how bad the damage really is.  
>He looks upwards to the Robo Rescue Squad members as they begin to treat him and stablize his damaged limbs and neck as well as attaching a oxygen mask over his face.<p>

"Please remain calm, sir. You will be taken to the nearest medical facility shortly," states the lead member of the Robo Rescue Squad.

As the first breaths of clean oxygen enter his lungs, Vickers' eyes become hazy...

The lead robot quietly gives an order so as to not panic Vickers... "Work faster. We could lose this one."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Episode 7 has finally begun and if the first chapter is any indication, it may prove to be a very interesting one. I hope you enjoy the rest of the episode because things are about to be shaken up (or shaken up even more than they have been already!)  
>You're probably wondering what's coming up next...<br>I would tell you more, but that will spoil everything._

_There were a lot of references in this chapter: I think any true Mega Man fan will know exactly who **Inafune** was. ;)_

_The "Jet" referenced in the autograph scene is heavily implied to be Uncle Jet from the cartoon episode Future Shock. I had planned on working in a reference to him much earlier in the series, but decided against it. (Only a few of you fans who I've discussed this with in PMs and on Twitter know what I'm talking about. I'll get into it for the rest of you one day, maybe.)_

_The line "You should wear girl's clothes more often" was uttered by Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, send me a PM. Your feedback helps a lot._

_btw, the episode title "Vendetta" is not a reference to The ProtoMen song "Due Vendetta" ... but you can pretend it is if you wish. :)_


	75. The Aftermath

_**Chapter 2: The Aftermath.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly after the ballroom attack.<br>Hospital.**

An ambulance races to the hospital's emergency unloading loading area where a team of human doctors and robotic medical technicians are standing by and several members of the press hastilly set up camps to try and catch a good look at any incoming victims from the ballroom attack.  
>Once the ambulance reaches a full stop, the EMTs inside open the rear door and help move the gravely injured Marcus Vickers to the awaiting team of doctors outside.<p>

Vickers' right leg and arm have splints on them and his entire upper torso is in a brace, including his neck. Upon further examination, it appears he may have also taken some head and spinal trauma.  
>He's lucky he's not dead already.<p>

The doctors take Vickers inside and rush him to the Emergency Room as fast as possible.

"Take him to the E.R. Area 4 is open!" barks one of the doctors

As the doctors run him off to the emergency room, Vickers slowly drifts into unconsciousness. He doesn't know if he's about to pass out or pass _away_. He tries to hang on for one more minute, but it's no use.

"Where's the light? Isn't there supposed to be a light?" he mumbles until his eyes close.

"Hurry! We're going to lose him!" another doctor yells.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the hospital waiting room, Scott Erikson paces back and forth as he awaits word of his boss' condition. He managed to escape the ballroom shortly after the attack began, as did the Vick-Tek Cheif Financial Officer. At the time, Erikson was sure that Vickers had made it out too, until he realized that he was nowhere to be found.<br>He knew this quest to have a Robot Warrior would lead to somethign very bad, but he wasn't expecting this.

A medical doctor - Robyn Byrnes M.D. - enters the waiting room and approaches a family that was waiting nearby with news about their loved one who had just had a surgery. Erikson waits for the doctor to stop speaking with the family, because even if thousands of Vick-Tek jobs are in jeopardy, it would still be awfully rude to intervene. (Despite being a figure in corporate America, Scott still has some decency.)

After the doctor is finished speaking with the family, Erikson steps up to Dr. Byrnes. "Doctor, there's a high profile patient here, Marcus Vickers. How is he?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't know all of the details about the patient right now," the Doctor answers.

"Can you tell me any information? At least something," Erikson asks.

Dr. Byrnes answers, "All I know is he's in critical condition and was having an emergency operation and his prognosis... it's not good. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed."

After the Dr. Robyn leaves, Erikson slumps into a chair and puts his head in his hands. It appears things may take a major turn for the worst.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

The Skullker returns from the ballroom attack and lands in the large hangar bay, located behind the 'eye sockets' of the Fortress' massive skull decoration out in front. Some Robot Masters clearly appear to be in worse shape than others as they exit (or in some cases stumble) out of the Skullker... especially Gemini Man, who now has a re-arranged face thanks to ProtoMan's foot.  
>But, the reprogrammed Robot Masters are faring the best of the lot. Magnet Man was not badly damaged and handled himself well; Cut Man's cowardice saved him from seeing battle; and GutsMan is in a particularly jovial mood tonight after colapsing the ballroom on to of Mega Man.<p>

He gloats, "That blue dork is nuthin' but a pile of junk now. Ha-ha!"

ProtoMan chortles at Gutsy's boast. "Don't bet on it."

GutsMan and Dr. Wily notice ProtoMan's snide remark. GutsMan asks, "Whadda 'ya mean, _don't bet on it?_"

"Nevermind him, GutsMan," Wily ushers, "All of you may return to your chambers. I will begin repairing Gemini Man shortly, after I'm done with some... _pressing issues_ here."

As GutsMan and the other Robot Masters walk away carrying Gemini Man's unconscience body to the workshop, Wily stares back at ProtoMan who is leaning up against the hull of the Skullker with his arms crossed. They both knew that things were about to become very heated again at any moment.  
>Once the Robot Masters are out of earshot, ProtoMan turns to face Dr. Wily, and the argument begins.<p>

Wily bursts, "Let's get something straight here! You're on _my_ team; not Thomas Light's! Do you understand? You had the chance to act against your brother. He was outnumbered eight-to-one... EIGHT-TO-ONE! ... and there you stood, just watching as he tore my robots apart!"

"Let's get something else damn straight!" ProtoMan shouts as he loses his cool, "I don't appreciate it when you tell me to lead your worthless Robot Masters into battle when none of them would obey my commands! I'm supposed to be the second in command around here!"

Albert yells back, "For _TWO YEARS_, boy, I have told you we needed to _destroy _Mega Man! Not subdue him, not cripple him, not turn him to our side... _DESTROY HIM_! And I've watched plan after plan fail, all because _you_ can't let go of that little feeling you have for him!"

ProtoMan scoffs, "What _feeling_?"

"Don't you deny it! You don't want your brother to die because you _care_ about him. And That's why I gave the others their commands myself. I couldn't trust you to run things down there I knew you would ruin everything, just like you let him get away when we tried to frame him for the Cossack girl's kidnapping."

ProtoMan was starting to get really angered, pointing his right index finger in Wily's face. "Listen, Wily. I'm sick and tired of being treated like dirt around here! And if you don't like the way I do things-"

"I _don't_! Not anymore!" Wily interrupts. "You_ were_ my most reliable weapon, head and shoulders above the rest! Then, you grew a conscience out of thin air and started screwing-up all of my plans."

ProtoMan has the urge to say, _"You do a good enough job of that yourself,"_ but he doesn't actual utter it aloud. He knew Wily was on the verge of going nuclear any second and he didn't feel like crossing that line tonight.

Wily Continues, "Now, I'm going to tell you this only once. Either you start cooperating with me fully, or I'm appointing someone else to be my head robot. Perminantly!"

"You already tried that with Dark Man... things didn't turn out so well for him, did they?" Proto counters, "So, who the hell are gonna pick to take my spot...? _GutsMan?"_ Proto lets out a laugh, "HA! He couldn't find his own hands if they weren't attached to his arms!"

At least he doesn't let me down like _you_ do!" Wily jabs before he storms off to his workshop.

Proto tried to think of a good comeback, because he didn't like Wily having the last word, but Albert's remarks bothered him. ProtoMan thinks to himself, leaning himself on the Skullker as he lets Wily's remarks sink in... he said he lets him down. Since Dr. Wily was the closest thing resembling a father figure in his live, this was especially bothersome... but instead of feeling like a son, he felt like nothing more than a weapon, which is what Wily just called him.  
>It didn't feel good to be nothing more than a weapon, and a disappointing one at that.<p>

ProtoMan leaves the hangar bay and starts heading for his room in Skull Fortress. He didn't feel like being around anybody right now. Along the way, the Robot Masters Ice Man and ElecMan begin harshly teasing him.

"Ah, there you are, Proto." ElecMan laughs "So, how did you mess it up this time? Not too badly, I hope."

"Watch your mouth, you perv!" Proto growls back.

"What's the matter?" Ice Man asks in his gravely voice, "Got some remorseful feelings for your kid brother? See you later, Proto loser!"

The Robot Masters laugh and ProtoMan pretends to no acknowledge their presence anymore as he walks away, but he knows they're both still there and he dwells on their insults... and they hurt.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan eventually makes it to his quarters and slams the door shut. He doesn't even bother turning his light on. He wants to remain in total darkness for right now. This was something he did often, especially when he was in a brooding mood.<p>

He removes his visored helmet and sets it aside, lying down down on his flat, stiff and stolen bed, and as he stares at the ceiling through the darkness, Proto ponders something that he's never considered before... something that seemed suicidal for anybody here to even _think_ about...

Dr. Wily has always made a habbit of warning his robots that if they ever tried to flee Skull Fortress, away from Wily's control, there would be "severe consequences". All of Wily's other robots are practically blind loyalists, always doing his bidding, so they never even considerd leaving... until GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man returned with their new programming and held him up.

ProtoMan on the other hand, is not is like a puppet like the others are. Despite Wily's programming, he still had a great ammount of free will and can make most of his own decisions. And recently, ProtoMan has grown so displeased with the way he has been treated, constantly being blamed for plans fallign apart, he doesn't care about the supposed "severe consequences" anymore.

Some nights, he has even considered attacking Wily and fleeing Skull Fortress... for real this time. Maybe that way he could finally repair the damage he caused to his relationship with Mega Man.  
>But, there was something else that held Proto back other than Wily's orders.<p>

Even though the old man is a terrible example, Dr. Wily has always been a father figure to ProtoMan and he still feels some bond with him. Wily was there for him when Dr. Light wasn't, (at least that's what Albert has always led him to believe anyway,) and Proto still wants to make him proud like any good son would.

Even if Proto did leave, he would have nowhere to go, because he feels like the whole world hates him. After their conversation on the rooftop last month, he knows Mega is open to the idea of burying the hatchet, but Mega along with rest of them - Roll especially - would probably still mistrust Proto after he betrayed them during the Deacon Operation last year.  
>Proto also still his has own misgivings about Dr. Light after being force-fed Wily's lies for so long. So, going back to Light's lab is out of the question... but Light didn't seem like the bad guy Wily always made him out to be.<p>

"I don't know what to do anymore," he says to himself in the darkness, "I don't know anymore."

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideoout.<strong>

Still dressed in his black suit slacks and white shirt, Mr. Black stares at the scrambled mobile phone, which has been ringing itself to death for nearly a half hour. It was the Conduit and he/she/it wanted answers.

Mr. Black grabs the phone and answers it curtly. "What?"

_"I was beginning to think you were trapped underneath the debris at the ballroom."_

"Neither one of us are that lucky," Mr Black replies.

_"Was it worth forging the invation to this charity ball, or was it a waste of my time?"_ asks The Conduit.

"The recording device was on auto destruct, but since it was probably destroyed in the attack anyway, we have nothing to worry about. It won't be traced back to either of us," Mr. Black explains, "I'll be sending you the data in greater detail after it's decrypted. But, here's the footnotes version: Marcus Vickers wants in to the Robot Superhero buiness very badly. He was negotiating with Thomas Light before the attack began. He offered him a very large ammount of money to develop a nationwide security system... but, he sounded like he was more interested in buying Mega Man himself before Light was on to his game."

_"Well, that would prove to be very interesting... that is, if Vickers wasn't in the ICU right now,"_ The Conduit explains, _"He was trapped in the wreckage when the building was destroyed. Now, he's on death's door, and even if he survives he may end up in a coma, or worse."_

"I had a good shot lined up too, but security began evacuating everybody from the building because of the fighting," Mr. Black answers, sure to_ not_ mention being manhandled out of the building by the Policebot.

There is a pause on the other end. _"... You brought a _gun_ into the ballroom? You _are_ insane!"_

"Nobody noticed. Their scanners couldn't detect it. Trust me, I don't gamble unless I know I'm going to win," Mr. Black says.

_"You had better pray you weren't detected, or else this partnership is over!"_

"I gave up on praying a long time ago," Mr. Black states, "And as for as our 'partnership,' you had better think twice before severing ties with me. I'm the only one who can do this job, and you know know it!"

_"Well, you need to start trying harder and quit failing!"_ The Conduit orders before terminating the call.

Mr. Black gets hot and nearly crunches his phone in his hands. After trying in vain to calm down (and refraining himself from destroying the only scrambled phone he has in his arsenal), Mr. Black storms off to the study area on the upper floor of the abandoned warehouse that serves as his hideout. Once he arrives, he begins taking off the white dress shirt he wore to the ball and sits in his tall study chair, directly accross from the chess board with all of the pieces still in the exact same squares they had been for many months now.

Mr. Black stares accross at the board, momentarilly studying the pieces. "This game will be finished... one day."

As he leans back in the chair, he feels something in the seat. He reaches back and grabs the object, which was one of his mind hacking devices that he uses to break into people's minds and "program" them to do his bidding... and wipe their minds like like he did with Mr. Rozhenko.  
>In fact, this was the prototype of the mind hacking device that Mr. Black designed by himself over two years ago. He was even wearing the same suit at the bal. tonight that he was wearing when he first tested it's capabilities.<p>

Mr. Black stares at the original device and allows himself to drift back to an earlier time in his life, when he created this... before he was _"Mr. Black"_ ... before everything went to hell...

* * *

><p><strong>Over two years ago.<br>Langley, Virginia.**

... Two men walk down a narrow hallway, dressed in black suits, white shirts and black ties... the taller of the two of them would later be known as Mr. Black. He wasn't quite as large back then, but he was still quite a presence.  
>The other man was named Rahm Cotto, a 34-year-old Federal Agent of Cuban-American heritage. He had known the man who would become Mr. Black for years at this point and he was always a little bit weary of his work... today, was outright affraid of what he was about to do.<p>

"This is insane. _You're_ insane!" he says.

"Thanks, pal. 'Preciate it," Mr. Black replies, sounding so different from the dark masked terror he would become later in life. He used to sound so... human.

"I'm serious. This is mad scientist level crazy," Cotto says again.

"Quit worrying, will ya?" Mr. Black groans.

"We could wind up in jail... that's how crazy this is. So yeah, I'm worrying," Cotto says.

Mr. Black's lips curl into a smile asthey arrives to a room at the end of the hall with a robot guard standing beside the door and swipes his I.D. card into the door's card reader. "Look at it this way... if you wind up in jail, you won't have to pay taxes anymore!"

"... That's not very damn funny," Cotto sneers as he swipes his own I.D. card.

"Your identifications have been verified. Good luck in there, agents," the security bot says.

Inside the small holding room, a weird-looking convict with a spikey mohawk sits handcuffed to a table. the future Mr. Black looks down on him and gives him a condescending grin. "Hi, there!"

Mohawk says nothing.

"Come on, speak up, pal!" Mr. Black says with that grin, "You want that sentance of yours shortened, don't 'cha?"

"Yeah," the punk says.

Mr. Black gives Mohawk a hard slap on the left shoulder. "Good for you! You can start by telling us who's the ringleader of the parking meter sabotages in D.C. You know, the one who's reprogramming them to wire the money to himself... or herself."

The punk shakes his head ruefully. "No, it ain't a hppening. He'll find out I snitched on him."

Mr. Black looks over to Cotto and that grin gets wider. "There is an _alternative_ this gentleman can choose to help shorten his sentance... isn't there, Agent Cotto?"

"Oh, God" the agent whispers to himself. He knows where this is about to go.

Mr. Black turns back to the convict and reaches into his suit jacket pocket to retrive a small rectangular device with a tiny speaker on the end of it, codenamed _The MindCracker,_ a device that he would use for very bad reasons two years later. "We're conducting a test on a new piece of equipment. If you wouldn't mind being my first experiment... that would grease the wheels with the judge and you wouldn't have to confess. What do you say?"

"Yeah, okay," the convict says, looking unsure about all of this.

"Okay," Mr. Black says, powering up the device, which now makes a tiny _'eeeeeee'_ sound, "Open your mouth and say 'AH!"

Mohawk follows the order and says "Ah," just like he was told to. Then, Mr. Black's smile disappears as he jams the device into the criminal's left ear, slowly turning him into a zombiefied vegitable, making his pupils grow huge and diilated.

"What's the connection status?" Mr. Black asks.

"I have accepted the connection," Mohawk drones.

Mr. Black snapping his fingers and waving his hand in front of it to see if there is any reaction. But, the convict doesn't react at all and continues staring straight ahead as the signal imitted from the device takes over.

"Now, let's try this again," Mr. Black says, staring into Mohawk's zombified eyes, "Who is in charge of the parking meter reprogramming in Washington D.C.? Give me as much intel as you know."

"Daryl Orbach; goes by the nickname of 'The Hackmaster'; age 40; lives in Baltimore, Maryland," drones the punk, giving them all the information they wanted earlier. He proceeds to give them The Hackmaster's home address afterwards.

"Good boy. Looks like he's not The Hackmaster anymore, is he? I just took his title for myself!" Mr. Black snickers as he removes the device and leaves with Agent Cotto.

"Are we going to give him the parole we promised him?" Cotto asks.

"It's not my problem. If he doesn't get it, who cares?" Mr. Black callously answers, "There's only one thing that matters right now: the device works."

"That's what I was affraid of," Cotto whispers back...

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day.<strong>

The clock strikes midnight and Mr. Black's attention returns to the here and now as he continues staring the original _MindCracker_. He was no longer in the past anymore... he was here in this dump, waiting for the next chance to strike.

"You always _were_ affraid of me, weren't you?" he says to himself before puttign the device down on the table next to his books.

As the clock reaches it's twelveth strike, Mr. Black gets up and makes his way to the media room to catch the news coverage, just in case somebody _isn't_ talking about Marcus Vickers and the Dr. Wily attack.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

Mega Man is lying down on the lab's flat metal worktable with his trademark blue helmet off while Dr. Light repairs the damage to Mega's left leg. Mega hasn't said much since leaving the ballroom because he is concerned about the human he was forced to leave behind, which unbeknownst to him was Marcus Vickers.  
>Thomas works on the exposed circuitry and joints of Mega's leg, which is currently without it's armor so that he could perform repairs easier, but Mega is more concerned about his father's health right now more than his own.<p>

"Are you sure you should be working on me, Dr. Light?" Mega asks, "You've gotta be sore from what happened at the ball."

"I'll be fine. The procecure is almost done as it is. But, we'll have to delay repairing your armor until the morning," Thomas answers, "I wish you would have let me power you down before I started this procedure. I've caught you grimacing a few times."

"I'd rather be awake... just in case I'm needed," Mega says.

While he's here, Dr. Light decides to inquire about a certain subject he's heard a lot about lately. "Since we're here, Rock, there is something we should discuss."

"What is it?" Mega asks curiously.

"I overheard Roll's comments about yourself and Dr. Cossack's daughter," Thomas replies.

Mega groans as he runs his hands through his scruffy brown hair. He knew the moment was going to come when he would have to talk to Dr. Light about the feelings he's been having for Kalinka Cossack, and he was not looking forward to it. Mega felt more comfortable under the rubble tonight than he does right now.

"It's okay, son, it's just you and I talking," Thomas assures.

Mega sighs. "If I tell you, can you promise not to tell Roll about this? She'll never let me hear the end of it."

"Of course," Thomas says.

After letting out another sigh, Mega explains, "Kalinka, she... likes me... a_ lot_. And, I think I like her too... I've never had feelings like this before. It's kind of like the way I feel about you and Roll... but, these are... _totally_ different."

"Hmmmm... I see," Thomas says astutly, as one of his eyebrows tilt.

"Father... do I love her?" Mega asks.

Thomas momentarilly stops, work on Mega's leg and smiles. "I think the proper question, Rock, would be... are you _in love_ with her?"

Mega stares at the ceiling of the lab building and thinks for a moment before continuing. "I think I am. That last night she was here... she kissed me... right on the mouth..." Mega gets apprehensive after he reveals that he and Kalinka kissed and looks back over to Dr. Light. "I hope you're not mad, Dr. Light."

Thomas lets out a hearty laugh.

"What's so funny?" Mega asks.

"I am not mad at all, Rock," Thomas explains, 'There's nothing wrong with the feelings you're having right now. They are all part of your human emtions... albeit, some very advanced emotions."

Relieved, Mega closes his eyes and appears to be at ease now that Dr. Light isn't angry. "I was affraid you'd have a different reaction to this. She's a human and I'm not... it seems unatural."

"There is nothing unatural about feeling love for another, Rock, even if you're not human," Thomas asserts, "Everybody experiences it at one time of another in their lifetime."

"What about Dr. Cossack?" Mega asks, "The last time he thought I wanted to be with his daughter, he tried to kill me."

"I don't know how he will react. Fathers are more protective of their daughters... I know first hand," Dr. Light answers, "But, after getting to know him better, I think that he would be understand too."

Mega barely smiles, "Thanks, Father. At least I've got one thing going good for me tonight."

Another minute passes as Thomas finishes the repairs on Mega's leg and places his damaged light blue armor plating back on over it. "There. You shouldn't experience any more difficulties."

Mega sits up and moves his repaired leg around a bit to test it out. "Thanks, Dr. Light. Do you think there's anyone left at the ballroom? Maybe they could use some help."

"No, Rock. The Robo Rescue Squad reported that all humans in attendance were accounted for, and they are fine... except for one person. I'm awaiting news on who it was," Light answers, also unaware that Vickers was the human who was in grave condition.

Mega Man's looks back to Dr. Light and he asks, "How bad was it?"

"... it doesn't look good," Thomas answers, sounding glum.

Mega Man curses himself for failing even one person. "I left him behind... I wasn't fast enough."

Dr. Light puts his hand on Mega's shoulder and tries to explain, "Nobody's perfect, Rock, not even you, me or even the President. Even though you had to miss one person, you shouldn't feel disappointed. You still managed to save everybody else by stopping Albert Wily's robots, including me."

"It doesn't matter if it's one person or one hundred people. They still got hurt. And if it wasn't for Wily..." Mega hangs his head down and pauses for a moment in frustration, " ... I'm sick of this war, father. I wish I could stop it once and for all... I don't want to see anyone else hurt."

Dr. Light felt a sense of pride in his heart for his son and how he regards even the most seemingly insugnifficant life as much as any other. But, he also feels the same frustration that Mega feels right now. "I know how you feel, son. I don't like this warfare any better than you do, but I am _certain_ it will end one day. One day soon. All we can do is hope that we don't lose each other in the process."

Mega Man thinks back to losing Doc the Met and how much that wound still hurts them, especially Roll. Mega then thinks about ProtoMan and how he hopes he doesn't lose _him_ to this war either, at least not any more than he already has.

"I hope we don't lose more than we already have," Mega says quitey.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<strong>

_"Marcus Vickers, C.E.O. of the Vick-Tek corporation remains in a medically induced coma and is in critical condition following many hours of extensive surgery after he was seruiously injured at his own charity ball earlier this week," _says channel 7 anchor Kirk Trujillo.  
><em>"The Vick-Tek corporation released a statement saying 'We are all shocked and saddened to hear about the condition of our fearless visionary and we hope he can return to lead his company into the guiding light once again very soon,'<br>__Vick-Tek's stock has taken a noticable slide on Wall Street since the morning after the attack. Fortunately, there have been no casualties reported as a result of the attack and everyone else who suffered lesser injures have been released from the hospital.  
>Dr. Albert Wily and his robots remain at large."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 5 studios.<strong>

Hoping to capitalize on the big news in a desperate attempt to boost his poor ratings - and save his job before his contract expires - , controversial 'news journalist' Dick Ferguson is about to go on the air to discuss the ballroom attack and Marcus Vickers' condition.  
>Of course, he plans on pushing his anti-Mega ManAnti-Thomas Light agenda on the viewers once again, but tonight he is going to prove to the world (or at east the small group of people who watch his show in New York) just how desperate he is for ratings...

How desperate is Dick Ferguson? ... his guest tonight is William Cochran, noted human supremisist and founder of the now defunct "Humans Against Robots" group...

God help us all.

Channel 5 Program Director Morris Rayburn is on the studio floor and stands behind the cameras to watch this train wreck take place before his very eyes. As Morris sees the sight of both William - who looks as smug and rotten as always - and Dick Ferguson - who's still Dick - on the same stage together, the mere sight of them makes him wish he had injested a few shots of some mixed drinks beforehand.

Morris speaks into his headset to the director in the booth above. "Keep your finger on the delay. And if I give the command, don't hesitate."

"Tonight on The Ferguson Determinant my guest is Will Cochran, the son former Governor Geroge Cochran. Now, we all know that the Ex-Governor is a huge supporter of Dr. Thomas Light, Mega Man and robots in general, but his son is vigerously against Light and his faulty robots and he's here to give us his opinion on the Vickers incident. Welcome to the Determinant, Will."

"First off, it's_ William_," the racist says, sounding curt, "And yes, my father is one of the many unfortunate people in this world who who enjoy cowtowing to all of the souless mechanical abominations that liter our plant today. And as you may guess, him and I don't talk often. So, if you're looking for some insight into why he does support them, you've come to the wrong person."

"That is unfortunate, Will - er, William," Dick stammers, "Your father is known for his friendship to Dr. Light and his faulty robots, but if you-"

William interrupts, "It's not just Thomas Light's souless abominations, it's all robots that are the problem. Wether they were created by Light, Cossack, Wily, it makes no difference... but, to be honest, I feel sorry for my father as well as everybody else who is foolish enough to call a robot their friend."

"I see, "Dick says, trying to keep this interview on course, "So, what is your opinion of Mega Man blowing it at the Vick-Tek ball?"

William smirks, "It doesn't really matter what my opinion is, does it? Most of the incipid robot lovers out there will just ignore what I have to say, because they don't want to wake up from their little fantasy world that Thomas Light and the others have built for them."  
>William now turns to the camera and begins speaking to the viewers and Ferguson gives his director a glance, as if to say, 'I have no idea what he's doing.'<p>

William says, "But, for those of you who are smart enough to listen to me, I'll indulge you... right now, these robots are acting like your friends, or your 'Defenders,' but, one day they will turn on us, just like Albert Wily's abominations have!" William's voice was now raising, "We can't let these Goddamn clankers stab us in the back! It's not too late to turn around and stab them!... what the hell is that?"

William stops his diatribe in mid-sentence when his eyes catch the sight of a nearby monitor. The station has already cut to commercial. "You cut me off? Do you know who the hell I am?" He snaps, flipping his chair over like a raging bratty child.

"Get this jackass out of here, now," Morris orders on his headset.

At Rayburn's command, two robo security guards begin onto the stage to remove William from the building. Of course, William is not very happy to have two robots anywhere near him.

"Oh, of course! Time to shut-up the stupid human, is that it?" William snits. He then turns his ire to Fergsuon, who is still slackjawed in the seat next to him. "Did you set me up?"

"What?" Ferguson worries, "I- no! Never!"

"If you did, you son of a bitch, I'm gonna kick your- GET OFF OF ME!" Willaim shouts as the robo security grabs him and begins to litterally carry him out of the building.

Morris points his finger directly to Ferguson and barks, "Ferguson! Office! NOW!"

Ferguson throws his cards with his prepared questions down on the ground and storms off to follow Morris to his office.

"Way to go, Dickie-boy," calls a crew member.

"Shut Up!" Ferguson bemoans.

* * *

><p>Once Dick arrives to the program director's office, the 5'6" tall Morris immediately begins a verbal assault that was much bigger than his height. "What the HELL was that?"<p>

Dick yells back, "I think_ I'm_ the one who should ask _you_ that question! Why did you cut my damn show off?"

"Let me explain it nice and simple, _Dick_!" Morris snaps back, placing emphasis on Ferguson's first name as he often does, "I told you to boost your ratings to save your job, and instead you go and get Cochran's racist son who uses hate speach and slurs on the air! If I hadn't cut him off, we'd probably have our F.C.C. license revoked on the spot _AND _that racist prick would have himself a new group of idiots following him! So, I had damn good reason to cut the show off!"

Dick crosses his arms and tries massaging the area between his eyes. "Okay... I might have made a slight error in judgment-"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Morris barks.

"Please, Morri- Mr. Rayburn... Just give me until April to prive myself and errors like this won't happen again," Dick panders.

Morris begins advancing on Ferguson, causing him the backpedle away as the program director growls, "It better not! Because if you pull this crap again, I don't care how much it costs this station, even if I have to pay out of my own damn pocket, I will fire your ass! ... DICK!"

Morris slams the door in Ferguson's face, almost hitting his nose in the process. He stands there for a moment with wounded pride... and to heighten the embarrassment, Dick turns around to see many of his fellow co-workers and on-air personalities were already standing outside and had probably witnessed Morris blowing up in his face the whole time... and one of them was quickly putting his camera phone back into his pocket.  
>The footage will most likely end up on this gentleman's personal blog later today.<p>

Dick double facepalms as he sulks down the hallway and back to the studio, ashamed to show his used car salesman face anymore. "I'm so dead."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

Dr. Light makes his way to the lab building, putting his white labcoat on over his blue sweater vest. His aging body had felt the after-effects of the ballroom attack for a few days, but now it was time to get back to work.  
>The Mets that were repurposed by Dr. Wily and used in the ballroom attack were recovered and sent here to be repaired and have their original programming restored. They were all powered down, so they posed no threat.<p>

When Dr. Light punches in the lab's security passcode into the door and enters the lab area, he is surprised to see Roll sitting at the worktable, already at work on repairing the Mets herself. She was wearing a white button-up shirt and jeans, both with old paint stains on them, just in case she got any robot oil on herself repairing these poor Mets.

The Mets were split up into two groups on the floor on either side of Roll: the ones to her right had yet to be repaired; the Mets to her left were the ones she had already repaired herself. She had done as much repair work as she could, but was unable to remove the Wily-installed blaster nozzles on their faces. She knew that a task this intricate would be best left to her father.  
>She is so focused on her repair work that she most likely doesn't even know he is here.<p>

Thomas approaches his daughter as she dilligently and silently works on repairing the Met on the table in front of her and great focus. And he thinks he knows why she feels the need to do this.

"Roll?" he calls.

Roll briefly looks away from her work and up to her father, eeking out a half of a smile. "Hi, Dr. Light."

"I see you've taken it upon yourself to repair these Mets before I could get started," Thomas says.

Continuing her repair work, Roll answers, "I got to work as soon as they got here. I've already fixed four of 'em. I reset their programming back to normal to get all of Wily's junk out of their systems and patched 'em up... I couldn't change what he did to their faces... I was afraid I'd damage them."

"It looks like you have done a grat job. May I join you?" Thomas asks.

Roll nods. "They'll get done a lot quicker with your help."

Thomas pulls up a stool and sits next to his only daughter. He then picks up one of the many unrepaired Mets and sets him on the repair table. He comments, "I must say, I'm suprised at your knowledge of Met systems."

"I studied the blueprints over and over again... after..." Roll sighs.

"After you lost Doc," Thomas finishes,"... and that's why you felt the desire to do this for these Mets, isn't it?"

Roll continues repairing the repurposed Met and answers, "I promised myself and I promised Doc... if I ever saw another Met who needed help, I would do whatever I could to help them." Roll's lip began trembling and her voice shook, "Because I couldn't save _him_..."

"I know you wish Doc could have been saved, I do too. But, right now, you are helping save every one of these Mets," Thomas says gently, "And by doing so, you're helping make yourself feel better too, because you're making a difference. I think Doc would be proud of you... but not as proud as you've made me today."

Tears of eye lubrication escapes Roll's blue eyes as her father told her about the good she was doing today with these Mets. She wishes Doc was here to see this... she wishes he was still here always. He would be right beside her to help repair his Met brothers. But, Dr. Light is right... Doc is in a better place and he's happy to see her help them.

Roll grabs one of the Mets she reprogramed of the floor and showed him to Dr. Light. There was something important about this particular Met that she had to mention.  
>"This one, he woke up after I reprogrammed him," she explains, "He was really scread because he knew something was wrong with him. I promised him we'd fix him first so he could be normal again. He tried to speak, but he couldn't... because he didn't have a mouth anymore."<br>The mere thought of Wily savagly doing such cruel things to an innocent little Met made Roll weep as she hugged the unconscience Met. "How could Wily do this to them? They would never hurt anybody!"

"... I don't know how Albert can do _any_ of the things he's done and live with himself afterwards. I don't even think he has a heart, "Thomas replies as he puts his arm around his Daughter, "But, don't worry about these Mets. We'll gets them back to normal very soon... and this one will be able to speak again."

Roll wiped the tears from her face with her right sleeve. "Let's get to work, then," she says, barely smiling again as she and Dr. Light get back to work on repairing these Mets.

While Roll may be appalled at what Dr. Wily has done to these Mets, she would be mortified if she knew what he was doing right now to the one Met that he kept... and the test he was performing...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

ProtoMan makes his way down the corridor to Dr. Wily's workshop, whistling a random tune while he walks. Wily summoned him here because he wanted to discuss something with him about a future plot. Proto had a feeling that this was going to be another outrageous doomsday device, because Wily has started to get desperate... Proto quickly stops whistling when he hears something very bothersome up ahead. He was about to find out just how desperate Wily has become.

When Proto approaches the door to Wily's workshop, he stops in mid stride when he hears something loud and horrid coming from behind it. It sounded like the beeping and chirping sounds the Met robots make when they speak, it was unmistakable... but, these sounds didn't quite sound normal... it sounded like the Met was in pain.

As Proto stepped close and listened to the sounds more intently, the Met sounded like... like he was sobbing for the pain to stop. If Proto was human, he would have been sick to his stomach just hearing these horrible sounds... and to make things worse, this was all Wily's doing.

_"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it? Perfect!"_ said the sickening shrill of Wily from behind the door.

Once it dawned on him that Wily was hurting this Met, ProtoMan felt an insatiable fire inside of himself... and a demanding urge to stop this... to stop _him_.

Proto stormed to the door of Wily's workshop with balled red fists and like usual, he didn't bother knocking... instead, he kicks the door off of it's hinges, startling the madman. The Met can be seen flailing around and kicking his feet on the table as he lets out wails of despair. It first, it did not appear that Wily was doing anything to the Met, but Proto quickly noticed that he appears to have an object stuck into an access port on his back, just below his hardhat.

Proto yells, "What the hell are you doing?"

Wily yells back tover the Met's sobbing beeps, "Testing a new a weapon on a live subject! Why should you care?"

"... because you need to stop this. Now!" Proto said, sounding nothing like his cool, calm and collected self, but now sounding very serious.

Wily's eyes become beady as he stared ProtoMan down. He rasps, "Are you joking?"

"I'm not joking," Proto says very firmly, "And I'm not asking you. I'm _telling_ you. Stop... now!"

Wily's eyes become narrow... he wasn't sure what to make of Proto telling _him_ what to do instead of the other way around... and he didn't like it too much. After a very tense several seconds of staring eachother down, Wily mercifully relents and stops his sick experiment.  
>"Fine!" he says, reaching one of four small drives that resemble the old flash drives of the early 21st century, identical to the one in the Met's back now.<p>

Albert turns the wailing Met over on it's side and removes the drive that was already in the poor Met's back already and jabs the new drive into the access port on his back. Unlike the other drive that the Met had plugged into him earlier, this particular drive removed whatever horrible programming Albert had put into his systems to hurt him. The poor Met's beeps now become less urgent and he stopped reacting, but he still beeped like he was crying as he rolled over on his side.  
>The damage had been done.<p>

"What did you do to him?" Proto asks.

"I installed a new pain program," Wily answers, "Uploads directly to the pain senors in a robot's systems. Even the strongest robot can't fight it."

"And you made that Met suffer for this," Proto accuses.

"I had to test it! How else would I have learned wether it worked or not?" Wily barks, "I am trying to win a damn war and _you_ keep getting in my way!"

"There are other ways to win! We don't have to do it like this!" Proto yells.

"There are no other ways anymore! I can't _afford_ to make more robots anymore! I have to find new ways to fight Thomas Light and Mega M-"

"WE'RE NOT CROSSING THIS LINE!" Proto yells back, more ferocious than he's ever yelled back at his co-creator.

Wily was speachless for a moment, finally at a loss for words after two years. He watches as ProtoMan steps into the room and picks up the sobbing Met, who was trembling as he scooped him up into his arms.

Proto adds, "If you want a new Robot Master, make one from the junk you've got lying around here and slap a CPU on it! Better yet, we'll nab the ones at the Robot Championship Tournament this weekend. I'll bring them to you myself."

"Why are you telling _me_ what to do, Proto?" Wily asks in a low gravel.

Proto turns back to his co-creator and instead of sugar coating things, he gives Wily the brutal truth. "You've gotta get a damn grip! And you have ever since Gamma was destroyed. You're desperate!" he says with a sting in his voice, "You're becoming the monster that my siblings say you are. And if we don't start acting like fighters and keep acting like monsters... there won't be much of a world left for you to take."

Proto turns and left the workshop, taking the crying Met with him and leaving Wily behind to think to himself.

"Proto!" Wily barks.

ProtoMan stops, not bothering to turn hopes that Wily doesn't order him to allow these sick torturous experiments to take place anymore... he can't defy the old man's orders.

"Make preperations to infiltrate that tournament immediately," Wily orders, "We will bring these robots you speak of back to the fortress, even those that look weak. I'll take parts, armor, memory cores, anything we can retrieve... and be back in ten minutes to repair the door you happened to brake."

Without another word, ProtoMan nods back and continues walking away with the Met in his arms.

Wily stares at Proto as he leave. ProtoMan has never been as defiant as he was just now... although, if he knew about what he did at the ballroom, he would be livid. While ProtoMan thinks Wily has changed, Wily has also been thinking the same of Proto, and he has been ever since the Deacon Operation.

_"He's becoming a problem... he's too human,"_ speaks the whisper in Wily's head.

Albert lets out a ragged sigh. "He deserves another chance."

_"You should have never let him near Thomas Light or his family... he's becoming just like them," _the Whisper warned.

"He will never be like them! He's _my_ creation!" Wily snaps back.

_"He will betray you... unless you make him respect you... you should have tested the programs on him."_

"No! Shut-up, damn you!" Wily hisses.

_"You are still weak... and your weakness will be your undoing. And you don't have very much time left to prevent it,"_ the whisper says before trailing off.

Wily grumbles in rage as he stares at the workbench. "I'm going to going to win this war and take the world... I'll show you... I'll show everybody!"

* * *

><p><strong>Hospital.<br>New York City.**

After spending several days in a medically induced coma, Marcus Vickers finally wakes up on his own power, without help from anybody else. He feels like he was hit by a bus... in fact, half of his body feels strange.  
>The last thing he remembers is being wheeled out of the ambulance and rushed to the Emergency room... and before that, being buried in the rubble at the ballroom... and Mega Man not reaching him.<p>

As his eyes squinted open, his dull senses began to awaken, he focued on his surroundings. He heard the constant beep of the heart monitor he was hooked up to. He figured he was in the hospital, because this place had that 'hospital smell' to it.

As Vickers slowly becomes more aware of his present situation, he notices even more so that his body doesn't feel right, mainly his right arm and leg. He could feel that they were still there, but they did not feel the same as the limbs on the other side of his body.  
>His back also felt different, like something ridged was running all the way up his spine to the back of his head.<p>

Marcus reaches up to his face with his left hand to make sure everything is intact. He feels around and doesn't detect anything wrong. Everything felt fine, his hair was still in place and it doesn't feel like any adjustments were made to him, at least on the left side.  
>Then, Marcus reaches up with his right hand... and that's when he knew something was wrong.<p>

The nerves in his face could detect that has hand didn't feel normal anymore... in fact, it felt very cold... and it felt _metallic_, most likely titanium... it felt like a robot's hand!

Vickers opens his eyes wide and pulls his hand away from his face only to see that his entire right arm was now a fully functional prosthetic robotic arm made out of shiny platinum. As his brain tried to command the new arm to move it's fingers, it did so.  
>Then, he looked down and he saw a new platinum robotic leg as well, with his new metallic foot looking just like all robot's feet do: semi-oval shaped and with no toes.<p>

The sight of his new limbs nearly paralyzes Vickers with shock and horror and the beeping on the heart monitor was becoming much faster.

For years Vickers has tried to have a robot made for him... now he himself is part-machine! After several seconds of staring at his prosthetic robo limbs, he screams. "OH, MY GOD!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First off I want to apologize if the scene with the poor Met at Skull Fortress was unsettling. It bothered me too. It bothered me even thinking about it so much that I almost cut some of it out, (in fact, I wanted to strangle Wily while writing it.)  
>But, if it had the same effect on you anf if it made you despise Wily even more, then it worked.<br>It's also meant to show just how desperate (and dangerous) Wily is starting to get._

_Marcus Vickers is now half-man/half-machine. What will this mean when we reach chapter 3, I wonder?_

_And we are finally getting real clues to Mr. Black's backstory. Here's what we know right now: He created the mind hacking device, and it appears he was an agent of some kind in the past. And he seemed like a normal guy, with a very important job..._

_Sorry for the excessive cursing during Dick Ferguson's scenes. If you had to work with him all the time, you would be cussing too._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment and if you catch a typo, please send a PM my way..._

_And Wily's gonna get it one day... that son of a-_


	76. Tournament Fighters

_**Chapter 3: Tournament Fighters.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Late February 20X3.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

Mega Man enters the main lab structure with Rush to see it overrun with busy Mets. These are the Mets from the Ballroom attack that have all been repaired and reprogrammed with the help of Dr. Light and Roll. The little guys were running around the lab and helping out as Dr. Light stood by and observed them, holding a computer tablet in his hands to grade their progress.  
>Roll also stood by and watched the Mets scurrying around. She looked happy that they were back to normal, but she also looked like she had a heavy heart. She had to have been thinking about Doc right now.<p>

"How are the patients, Dr. Light?" Mega asks.

"They're as good as new," Thomas says, "There are no traces of Wily's immoral programming left in their systems, and within a few days they will be ready to be redistributed."

Mega Man steps up to his sister, "Are you sure you don't want to keep one of these Mets for yourself?"

Roll looked conflicted. She loves Mets, but the only Met she wanted was Doc, and he was gone. "I thought about it, but... I can't, Mega... not yet, anyway."

Thomas noticed his daughter's emotional shift just now, so he wanted to help make her feel better. So, he set his computer pad aside and called the Mets. "Alright, everybody. Gather around us."

The Mets stopped what they were doing around the lab and run up to the Lights, the sound of their feet making _pitter-patter_ sounds as they ran. They all stood around the Light family and looked up, all with smiles on their new rubber-skinned faces. Smiles that they could not make just a few days ago thanks to Dr. Wily's horrific reconstruction.

"I think there is one very special girl you need to thank for helping all of you get back to good health," Thomas says.

All of the Mets look up to Roll and they all beep the same sentiment almost in unison. _Thank you, Miss Roll._

"Aw, you guys. I love all of you! Come here!" Roll blushes as she kneels down with her arms open. All of the Mets run up to Roll for their big hug as she scooped up as many of them as she could, and they wrapped their extension arms around her in return.

Mega Man smiles at the sight. It had to be the most adorable thing he's ever seen. "You guys did a great job with the Mets. Hey, maybe you can take a break and watch the Robo Tournament in the family room."

"Cool! I'll get Eddie to get some plasma punch cans ready," Roll says, still wrapped in her bevy of Met hugs.

"I think I'll remain in the lab," Thomas waves off, "I abhore the idea of violence being used for rentertainment purposes, wether it involves humans or robots."

Little did our heroes know that this was going to be a Robot Championship Tournament that they were no going to want to miss. Not because of the action, but because who showed up...

* * *

><p><strong>The 20X3 Robot Championship Tournament.<br>Los Angeles, California.**

_"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fight Night Sunday!"_ states an enthusiastic play-by-play announcer with short cropped black hair and eyeglasses, _"I'm Howard. H. Capetta and with me as always-"_

_"And I'm_ THE HOST_ of this evening's telecast, The Supreme Intellect,"_ interrupts another announcer with a large bald head beside Howard, wearing a loud multi-color tuxedo. The "Supreme Intellect" is a former T.V. wrestler whose head crown and craniums appear to be un-naturally large and shaped like a light bulb for some reason. (He claims it's because his brain power and I.Q. are much greater than any other human's... but it's most likely a severe calcium problem.)

_"Every week, we give you fans the finest in combat sports, but we have a very special attraction to present to you this evening, live at the Robot Championship Tournament!"_ Howard the play-by-play announcer says.

_"I haven't seen this many rustbuckets in one place since your garage sale, Howard,"_ jabs the Supreme Intellect.

_"... I didn't have a garage sale at my house! How do you know what my garage looks like? You've never even been to my neighborhood!"_

_"Oh! The wife must have kicked you out of the house again,"_ Intellect retorts.

_"For your information, I have _not_ been kicked out of my house,"_ Howard insists.

_"Well, you shouldn't leave your garage door open from now on. People will see your crap and start to think. And you don't want these humanoids thinking. Bad things happen."_

Howard exasperates,_ "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for getting into an argument with Big Head over here. __Let's just introduce tonight's combatants," _Howard says.

We then see a row of fighting robots from all over the world standing beside eachother in the center of the stadium battlefield as they are introduced to a cheering crowd during the opening cerimonies.

The master of cermionies steps up and begins introducing today's fighters. "Introducing first: from Apsen, Colorado...The Blizzard!"  
><em>The Blizzard<em> is a rotund robot who has the power to frost his opponents and create snow storms. However, he looks like a giant snowball and his feet are a pair of titanium skis. Not the most intimidating robot ever built.

"Next, from Scotland... Knight-Bot!"  
>Knight-Bot's look is patterned after the suits of armor that knights of the round table would wear centuries ago, complete with a spartan-like helmet, shield and a mace, which was built into his arm.<p>

"Introducing from Hiroshima, Japan... Yamato!"  
>Yamato is a robot whose physical appearance is modeled after the great samuri warriors of ancient Japan. His main weapon a spear.<p>

"Introducing now, from Tehran, Iran... Flame Warrior!"  
>This robot features a very unique flame weapon and is very quick, but appears to be the most sterotypical of the competitors. He wears a white turban-like helmet over his mostly red armor. (There is serious doubt that this robot actually hails from the middle east.)<p>

"Introducing now, hailing from Geneeva Switzerland, created by Dr. Arnold Wagner... Toby, the Robot Warrior!"  
>Toby, the rejected Vick-Tek robot warrior, has been repaired since we last saw him crashing through the roof of the Vick-Tek corporate headquarters when Gamma arrived to New York. Dr. Wagner claims to have taken measures to ensure that his programming is fully functional for competition.<p>

"From Nebraska, please welcome... Windy!"  
>Windy the wind robot is a stout and robust robot with large industrial strength fans in his shoulders and inside both of his arms. He can use those fans to create powerful bursts of wind.<p>

_"This robot's name worries me, Howard,"_ says the Supreme Intellect.

_"Why is that? He's called _Windy_ because he uses wind as a weapon,"_ Howard the play-by-play announcer says.

_"As long as his attacks don't involve _breaking_ wind, there won't be a problem,"_ Intellect says.

_"... You're really disrespectful,"_ Howard groans.

_"Thank you,"_ Intellect grins.

"Now, from Martha's Vineyard... Envirobot, also known as Plant Man!"  
>Plant Man was unquestionably the weakest looking of all of the combatants tonight, with an armor set that resembles a plant and with a head shaped like flower buds. But, he can make a floral shield which surprisingly works... sometimes.<p>

"And, finally, a last minute entry hailing from Arizona... introducing first, created by the mysterious Mister X... Junk Man!"  
>Junk Man is a tall robot that was crudely made from scrap metal and junk that was slapped together... so his name is very fitting. As intriguing as Junk Man is, his owner is even more intriguing.<p>

_"This Mr. X gives me the creeps, ladies and gentlemen,"_ Howard says.

_"Why would you say that? He's just another scientist who's here to enter his robot in the tournament,"_ Intellect asks

_"I know, but he kind of reminds of Dr. Wily with that moustasche of his,"_

Of course, Mister X_ is_ Dr. Wily, only dressed in a black cloak and a grey wig with black eye goggles. With him is his 'personal robot assistant', Pro T. Mann, who of course is wearing a red baseball hat with a long brown wig underneath it... and sunglasses, of course... and he has large red feet and red hands.  
>And he smirks a lot.<p>

"You know, when I suggested to make a Robot Master out of the junk lyin' around at the Fortress, I didn't know you'd take my advice that seriously," says Pro(to).

"Quiet, Proto," Wily/Mister X says, "After the opening cerimonies are over, you and I will reprogram these robots and take them back to the fortress. We will have to use the automatic reprogrammer. We don't have much time, and we must be incognito."  
>Wily then holds a communicator up to his mouth. "Cut Man, is the carrier safe?"<p>

_"Nobody's spotted us yet, Wily."_

"Is there any sign of that Blue pest Mega Man?" Wily asks.

_"We've been looking, but there's no trace of him. Not even a _sliver! _Eh-heh!"_

"I would've made a comment about knocking his orange ass out if he keeps using those damn puns... but I think my sister beat me to it last month," Proto says.

The stadium announcer says, "And introducing last year's tournament champion who will face the winner of the tournament later tonight... THE CENTAUR!"  
>The Centaur make his way out to the middle of the stadium, clearly outweighing and outsizing almost all of the rest of the robots here. Centaur is a robot with green armor and a unique body: his upper half was human like, except for a helmet that has white horns; his bottom half was similar to that of a horse, complete with hooves.<br>Of course, we have already seen this robot before... his real name is Centaur Man and he is also a creation of Dr. Wily.

Centaur Man was enrolled into the tournament last year as a means to try and get some extra money for Wily by winning the Champion's purse. Therefore, he was never used in combat against Mega Man and nobody realizes that Centaur Man is a threat to humanity.

ProtoMan scoffs behind his sunglasses. "You've still got him enrolled in this tournament? What if it comes down to Junk Man and him?"

"You forget, Proto... that won't matter so long as everything goes according to plan," Wily smiles.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab complex.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll, Rush and all of the Mets were gathered in front of the television in the family room and have been watching the broadcast of the Robot Championship Tournament. They were enjoying themselves, until the cameras cut to this strange 'Mister X' fellow and his assistant 'Pro T. Mann.'

The Mets all gasp when they see Mister X and jump behind the couch Mega and Roll and sitting on. Roll looks behind the couch to see them all huddled together, looked scared. "What's wrong? It's just a guy in a costume."

"Uh-oh," Mega mutters as he stares at 'Pro T. Mann' on the screen, and the stunning resemblance he has to ProtoMan... then he studies the features of 'Mister X'...  
>"It's him!"<p>

"Wily?" Roll asks, whipping herself around to face the screen. The mere uttering of Wily's name makes the Mets behind the couch shudder.

"Yeah, it's him alright," Mega confirms, getting agitated, "How could they not tell it was him?"

Mega turns to Rush, "We've gotta get over there fast boy. I hope your tanks are loaded."

Rush barks, confirming he's ready.

"Let's go," Mega says, leaping over the couch and the Mets and heading for the front door with Rush.

"I'll be right behind you!" Roll calls before turning to the Mets huddled behind the couch, who all look up to her with their big white eyes.

"I want all of you guys to calmly go back to Dr. Light and tell him about what's happening. He'll know what to do," Roll gently instructs.

The Mets beep and nod as Eddie runs up too. "Don't forget these!" he says in his elfen voice, flipping his top open and offering two energy cans. "One's for you, Roll!"

"It's about time you offered me one of these drinks, Eddie. Thanks," Roll smiles as she grabs the energy cans and runs off to grab her SkyCycle.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the tournament.<br>Shortly after the opening cerimonies.**

All of the tournament robots and their inventors are gathered in a pre-tournament holding area before the battles begin, and this has resulted in nothing bu endless shouting matches between the owners and builders of the robots. This was a move by the tournament organizers to make the match-ups even more intense... but in a matter of minutes, this will prove to be a terrible mistake.  
>In the meantime, Dr. Wily - still in disguise as Mister X - has to endure the back and forth bickering of all of these creators and fighter robots until ProtoMan gets back here.<p>

"Let me tell you zomething!" Dr. Wagner boasts, "I have ze greatezt robot varrior in the vorld in Toby!"

The owner of Plant Man makes a snooty response. "My Envirobot will be the champion, not only because he is the best fighter, but he is also environmentally friendly."

Meanwhile, all of the other tournament robots just look at eachother, not really angry with one another and wondering why their owners are such hotheads. But, The Centaur is always in the mood to get under the skin of his opponents and steps up, his hooves making a _clip-clop_ sound he walks.

"I'm not impressed by _any_ of you pretenders!" he says, "I will show the world that I, The Centaur, am the greatest robot who walked the Earth!"

Centaur then begins to mock his fellow robots. "Your name is the Blizzard?" he says, pointing to the ski-clad snowball shapped robot, "What could _you_ possibly do to me? Ski me to death?"

Blizzard scrapes his skis on the ground angrilly as Centaur turns his focus to Plant Man. "You as for you, I'm going to beat you so bad, you're going to be pushing up daisies! And as for you, Windy, I'm going to send you back to the Gizmo City clearance section where you belong!"

By now, almost all of the tournament robots are riled up over The Centaur's insults and cant't wait to blast him into spac. He then turns his attention to his fellow Robot Master Junk Man, and Mister X./Wily. Wily told him to have some fun with this while they were here, so Centaur Man decided to tee off on his new rookie cohort...  
>"I was going to call you a slack heap, Junk Man, but after taking one look at you, I can confirm that you're nothing but a pile of trash!"<p>

Junk Man became angry and stomped right up to Centaur Man, almost going nose to nose... he looks like he's taking this all too seriously. "Hey! Youse betteh watch your mout'! When I'm done wipin' 'da floor wit' all'a youse, Dr... I mean, Misteh X is gunna monopolize 'dis ternamint!"

The voice of an older woman interrupts Junk Man and Centaur Man's war of words... "Oh, boys, I wish you all would stop your senseless bickering. It's giving me and my Fluffy a headache."

This was the supposed owner of Knight Man, but Dr. Wily recognized her right away... the accent, the obvious wig, the pretensious attitude, that stupid poodle of hers.. this was Ms. Lapierre, suspected buyer of stolen goods and former client of Dr. Wily during the 'Shrinking Incident' of 20X1. Wily was planning on selling one of the shrunken cities to her during the incident... but, if Wily had conquered the world, he would have just betrayed her and his other clients that day and retake the cities for himself.  
>Wily didn't know that Ms. Lapierre was in the business of owning deadly fighting robots... but he will be <em>more<em> _than glad_ to remove her from it.

"Knight-Bot will prove that he is the most valuable piece of my collection," Lapierre boasts, her wrinkled face taking on a smirk.

"I did not know that ze Tournament allowed common thives to valk around and parade thier ztolen robots in ze public!" Dr. Wagner accused.

"I will not stand for such accusations, you stupid man! You have no proof that my knight is stolen!" Lapierre snits as her poodle Fluffy begins barking at Mister X/Wily.

It takes Wily all of the willpower in the world to try and refrain himself from snapping at this dog and blowing his cover. But, he soon catches something out of the corner of his goggle-covered eye. Proto (or Pro T. Mann) had just arrived, giving his boss a nod.  
>The time to strike was now.<p>

Wily faces Ms. Lapierre and talks to her, disguising his voice just enough so nobody can recognize him. "Ms. Lapierre... it's a pleasure to meet you and your dog again."

As Fluffy continued barking, Lapierre huffed back, "I've never even met you, you vile snail!"

"Oh, but you have...," Wily grins using his disguised voice, then switching to his real voice, "In fact, all of you know _exactly_ who I am!"

Wily pulls his fake hair and goggles off and reveals his face, causing a collective gasp to erupt in the holding area, from both the humans and even some of the robots.

Dr. Wagner loudly proclaims, "Ah-HA! I knew zere was zomething zuspicious about zhis character!"

"What do you want with me this time, you lying swindler?" Lapierre demands to know as her dog continues barking at Wily (proving that dogs really can sense evil.)

"Simple, Ms. Lapierre... I am looking to expand the ranks of my robot army, and I think all of these robots would be great additions," Wily answers.

"I vill not let you get avay vith this, you svine!" Wagner yells, "Toby! Defend!"

"Yes, sir, Dr. Wagner," Toby says in his deep intimidating voice, as he powers up his foot jets and arms his twin arm cannon as he takes off! ... right through the roof of the holding area, leaving a pile of debris in his wake... and he keeps on flying as high as he can go, far away from the danger...

"That idiot may have failed to stop you, Wily. But, I won't!"" The Centaur says, as he steps up,

"Go on, Centaur! Show me how you're ging to stop me!" Wily grins with a wide smile on his face.

Centaur Man also surpressed a hint of a grin. He knew this was alla part of the plan, but he put on a good show anyway. "Centaur Flash!" he shouts as he aims his blaster arm high into the air to use his special power... but nothing happens.

"Missing something, big guy?" Proto says as he uses the flash weapon he copied from The Centaur to stun all of the robots and blind all of the humans in the area (save for Wily, who shielded himself from the flash, as well as Centaur Man himself and Junk Man, who were expecting the attack.)

Wily draws the automatic reprogrammer from under his black cloak and uses it on the fighting robots here. Within seconds, all of the robots are reprogrammed to obey Dr. Wily's commands.

"Now hear this, my new robots!" Wily commands, "Your new names are Flame Man, Blizzard Man, Wind Man, Knight Man, Yamato Man and Plant Man!"

"Plant Man's name already _is_ 'Plant Man', Wily," Proto adds.

"Whatever!" Wily waves off, "All of you will follow me to the carrier and join me at Skull Fortress where you will recive your new orders."

The six fighting robots - still hindered from the effects of the Centaur flash - barely stagger behind Dr. Wily as he begins to leave the stable area, putting his Mister X disguise. The owners of the robots continues to scream for help and fall over eachother because of the blindness inflicted on them from the flash... and Toby remains on the ground, fumbling around.

Everybody is startled at the sound of something crassing though the roof and Wily was sure it was Mega Man at first... but it was Toby the robot warrior again, who has shorted out before he could reach the Earth's atmosphere and came crashing down into the holding area with a weather balloon caught around his neck.

Wily groans. "Junk Man, grab that useless robot and get him onboard. Even if he is faulty, I could use the spare parts."

Junk Man picks up Toby's body and runs out of the stable area.

"Cut Man, are you in place?" Proto asks.

_"We're here, but you better hurry. The Fuzz looks like they're getting antsy,"_ Cut Man replies.

* * *

><p>Out in back of the holding area, Dr. Wily, Proto, Junk Man and Centaur Man make their way to the Skull Carrier (which now has a new paint job to disguise it from being spotted,) and the reprogrammed tournament robots followed them to the carrier. The effects of the Centaur flash now starting to wear off, so the tournament robots weren't as sluggish as they followed their new master.<p>

The rear door of the carrier opened, revealing Cut Man, GutsMan and Tomahawk Man, who await to load the tournament robots aboard. But, Tomahawk Man hieghtened senses alerted him to incoming danger and he speaks. "... Quiet... incoming forces, getting closer."

"I think Tomahawk Man's a couple energy cans short of a 6-pack," GutsMan mumbles to Cut Man.

Wily hustles, "Quiet! Lets get out of here before-"

The majority of the tournament's security, including human police officers and Policebots from the L.A.P.D. jump out of cover all with their weapons trained at Wily and the Robot Masters, interrupting Wily's commands.

"Surrender and return the robots to us, or we'll be forced to open fire!" barks the commander of the team.

Dr. Wily very quickly commands, "Proto!"

ProtoMan uses the copied Centaur flash again to blind the officers and freeze the Policebots. The Tournament robots shield their eyes and begin launching an attack on the officers... except for Centaur Man, who turns to Proto. "I want my powers back, ProtoMan!"

"Don't get your saddle in a wad, Secretariat!" Proto quips as he removes a weapon data chip from his forearm and hands it to Centaur Man.

Centaur Man inserts the weapon data into his arm and charges into battle. "Now see what a true champion robot can do!"

Proto looks flustered as he goes into the carrier to take his disguise off and grab his helmet. "Is this _Dump on Proto_ Week or something?"

Meanwhile, the new Robot Masters begin attacking the police with their special powers. Wind Man and Blizzard Man combine their powers to create a realisic blizzard attack, almost burying the cops is snow; Flame Man douces the cop cruisers in flames; Yamato Man and Knight Man use their ancient weapons on the Policebots; Centaur Man uses his plasma cluster cannon and Plant Man... uses his plant shield, which consists of flowers floating around his body to disapate incoming shots.

Meanwhile, Wily's newest creation Junk Man uses his own shield, the aptly named Junk Shield. "Out of the way, rosebud!" he says to Plant Man as he shoves him out of the way, "Here's how you use a shield!"

Pieces of small scrap from Junk Man's body break off and begin spinning around himself very quickly. He charges the police force and the chunks of Junk Mans shield pelt the cops and knock them down.

Dr. Wily watches on in his Mister X get-up and rubs his hands, salivating at what these new robots can do. "Yes! Yes! This was a brilliant idea, Proto!"

Proto emerges from the carrier looking like himself again as he flaps his yellow scarf over his shoulders. "It's about time you give me credit!"

"With these robots, we can overwhelm Mega Man and all of his allies when we launch our next attack!" Wily says.

"You're about to find out how overwhelming they can be, Wily!" Mega Man yells as he arrives to the scene of the crime.

"Mega Man? What is he doing here? How did he know?" Wily fits.

"Maybe it's because your lousy disguise," Proto says, "Did you _really_ think people wouldn't recognize you?"

"BAH! Robots, focus all of your firepower on Mega Man!" Wily yells, pointing to Mega and Rush in the sky.

The Tournament robots all turn to face Mega, but they themselves are the ones who have already been targetted by him. With two quick blasts, Mega takes down Wind Man and Blizzard Man and leaps off of Rush to grab their arms and copy their powers. "I'll be needing these. Thanks!"

Plant Man tries to get the upper hand on Mega by jumping him, but the Blue Bomber saw him coming. He combined the powers of snow and wind on Plant Man and the blizzard attack rips Plant Man's shield apart and coats him in snow.

"Oh no! Frost!" Plant Man screams, running inside the Carrier.

Flame Man tries to shoot balls of flame at Mega, but the hero flips out of the way and uses the wind/blizzard attack on him to try and put him out. Yamato Man throws his spear at Mega Man while he was focused on the others, but Rush flies by and fetches it in his mouth like it was a tree branch.

"No! This plan is already falling apart!" Wily whines.

Knight Man twirls his Mace as he stalks Mega Man, but he's got other competition to worry about... "Hey!" shouts the femanine voice coming from behind him.  
>He turns to see Roll standing there with her frying pan drawn. "You've got your own problems now, buckethead!"<p>

Roll races towards Knight Man who stands his ground. The Tournament robot whips his mace around and swings it down at Roll, but she blocks it with her frying pan, leaving a dent in the bottom of it. He continues trying to hit her with the mace and Roll keeps blocking, putting more sharp dents into the pan.

"You're ruining my best pan, jerk!" Roll spits, as she rears back and tries to strike Kinght Man with the pan, but he blocks the strikes with his shield.

After a minute of being on defense, Knight Man shoves Roll away with his shield, sending her falling to the ground and her yellow and red suit becomes stained green from falling on the grass.

"Okay! You want to play rough? Two can play at that game!" she says as she switches from frying pan mode to one of her own adjustments. She produces a small grappling hook launcher and fires it at Knight Man. The tournament robot raises his shield and the hook penatrates the shield, but does not harm to him.  
>He whips his maces around one more time and he charges to finish her off.<p>

"I hope you like your circuits scrambled!" Roll says as she presses a button on her arm, sending a tazing charge up the cable that shocks Knight Man, making his whole body shake violently. She had previously used this attack on Gyro Man during the Gamma Operation. It worked just as well then as it does now.

To finish Knight Man off, Rush flew back around and hurls Yamato Man's spear at the tournament robot. The spear does not penetrate Knight Man's armor helmet, but it does knock him silly.

Meanwhile, Mega Man was making short work of the remaining tournament bots and he had already taken down Tomahawk Man and was now facing off with the newest Robot Master, Junk Man, who had his Junk shield powered on. "I'm gunna smash youse up, ya' piece'a junk!"

"Look who's talking!" Mega retorts, firing a series of plasma blasts. The first obliterates Junk Man's shield; the second strikes the Robot Master in the arm, causing it to fall out of it's socket; the last two strike Junk Man in his chest and causes most of his junky body to fall apart.

By this point, the only new robot remaining was Centaur Man, the reigning Robot Tournament Champion, now under the control of Dr. Wily. "You're going to fall at the hands of a Champion today, Mena Man, and you will be nothing but plasma dust beneath my hoof."

"You talk too much!" Mega says as he lines up a shot with his blaster and fires. But, before the blast could find it's target, Centaur Man disappears into thin air.

Mega shakes his head. "Where'd he go?"

Centaur Man reappears behind Mega Man and kicks him forcefully with his rear hooves, sending the hero falling on his face. "I've faced sparring bots better than you!"

Mega tries to get up, but Centaur Man fires a shot from his cluster cannon at the ground. When the shot hits the ground, it explodes into ten smaller projectiles, that strike Mega's chest armor.

"Just like all the others that challenged me before, you will fall and I shall be the only Champion!" Centaur Man proclaims, standing tall on only his hind legs and letting out a horse whinnie sound.

Mega Man quick aims and fires off a shot Centaur Man, striking him in his underbelly and toppling the horse/human robot over and onto his back.

GutsMan and Cut Man make their way to the center of the battle. "You think this horse guy needs some help?" Cut Man asks with an evil wink.

GutsMan pounds his fists. "I think we gotta hold that blue pipsqueek down. Come on!"

"Oh no you don't, you goons!" Roll yells, producing her saw-like can opener from her utilit arm as she runs towards the Robot Masters.

Cut Man shrieks and leaps into GutsMan's arms. "She's got a blade! Get me out of here, GutsMan!"

"Grow Up, Cut Man! We can take care of her!" GutsMan says... until he sees Rush running right behind Roll, showing his teeth... and GutsMan is as much affraid of being bitten by Rush as Cut Man is of Roll attacking him. And even though their new programming helps the Robot Masters in combat... they're also more likely to flee when things take a turn for the worse.

"Y-you're right, Cut Man. L-let's get outta here!" Guts Man wails, and with Cut Man still in his arms, he runs faster than he ever has back to the Skull Carrier, right past Dr. Wily.

While Wily seethes in rage, Proto smirks. "You say Gutsy doesn't let you down, huh?"

With the vain running down his dented forehead pulsating again, Wily rips his Mister X wig and goggles off, slamming them to the ground. "Mega Man ruined it! He's ruined everything! Back to the fortress! NOW!"

All of the defeated Robot Mastrs make a run for the Skull Carrier and Wily follows them inside as ProtoMan covers them. Mega Man tries to catch up with them but Proto stood in his way, aiming his plasma cannon at him. Mega trained his blaster at Proto as well and the two brothers were once again at a stand off, staring accross from one another, waiting for the first shot to be fired... yet neither one is willing to fire first.

ProtoMan backpedles up the loading ramp of the Skull Carrier as it begins to take off, keeping his aim on Mega Man... Mega takes a few more steps forward, keeping his aim on Proto.

Mega can see that Proto is in a very vulnerable position standing on the edge of the carrier's ramp. All it takes is one well-placed blast and he could knock his brother off the carier and semd him crashing down to the surface. Then maybe he can be (for the lack of a better word) captured and sent back to Dr. Light to have Wily's programmed removed once and for all.  
>But, Mega cannot bring himself to fire on his brother.<p>

Meanwhile, ProtoMan is having a similar inner conflict. The fighter inside of himself (as well as Wily' programming) urges him to take the shot on Mega Man to ensure a clean getaway; yet the brother inside of him is making him hold back, just like he did during a recent confrontation when Wily tried to frame Mega in January, which caused the hero to narrowly escape imminent danger.  
>The past few months and his experiences with Mega Man are beginning to wheigh heavily on Proto... and his brother's words still echo in his head...<br>_"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

The two brothers keep their aim on eachother as the Skull Carrier beings to fly away, not saying a word and not firing a shot. The look on Mega's face was clear that he was having trouble with the idea of fighting his brother anymore; Proto's face was much harder to read because of his visor, but he looked unusually stoic, not smirking or grinning like he often does.

As the Skull Carrier begins to escape, Roll and Rush race past the stunned police force and up to either side of Mega Man. "Aren't we gonna go get 'em?" Roll asks.

Rush barks and transforms to Jet Mode, ready to fly.

Mega doesn't answer and keeps his blaster aimed at ProtoMan... until he lowers it. A few seconds later, Proto lowers his own blaster and steps into the carrier as the ramp raises up to seal the occuplants inside as it begins to flee.

Ruch tilts his head, letting out an _"Arooo?"_ sound and Roll looks flustered. "We're just gonna let them get away?

Mega switches cannon mode off and his left hand re-emerges from his arm as he walks away to check on the victims here. "There will be another time, Roll. Right now I've got to worry about the people that need help here."

Roll puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. "It's because of ProtoMan, isn't it?"

"He would've shot us down if we tried to follow him," Mega replies.

"No, that's not the only reason," Roll says as she and Rush follow him.

Mega turns around and answers, "I don't want to fight my own brother unless I have to. Not anymore."

"He's not our brother!" Roll asserts, "Do you remember what he did to us? Do you remember how he hurt you? Whatever he said to you when he picked up the Robot Masters last month, don't believe it. He's manipulating you and he _will_ hurt you again if you let him... Forget him!"

Mega bows his head down. He remembers all too well how deep his brother wounded him emotionally back in November when he was petending to be good. But after seeing him try to stop the ion bomb from detonating in Times Square and hearing him vent some of his feelings in their conversation the next night, he believes that there has to be at least a little bit of goodness inside of ProtoMan somewhere.

Roll sighs, "Look.. if you don't want to fight ProtoMan the next time we're fighting Wily's bots, I'll take him... just say the word."

"No," Mega insists, "... I'm the only one who can deal with him."

* * *

><p>Back in the Skull Carrier, an enraged Dr. Wily looked at all of his robots in stunned silence, but his gaze hung on ProtoMan the longest.<p>

"You didn't even take a shot at him?" Wily snaps.

"He was ready for it!" Proto barks back, "All it would've taken was one good shot. And if he had hit me, your last best line of defense would have been done for. So, lay off!"

Albert then stares down GutsMan and Cut Man, who were still standing near eachother. "And YOU TWO... you ran away from a female and a dog!"

"She had a blade on her! I'm not getting _cut_ again!" Cut Man whines.

"Yeah, and that mutt of theirs was gunna bite me!" GutsMan adds.

"YOU ABANDONED THE MISSION!" Wily yells with his eyes almost buldging out of their sockets. Then he began staring down each of the tournament robots, as well as Junk Man and Tomahawn Man, "and there's all of _you_! We had them outnumbered twelve to three... and you _still_ can't get the job done!"

All of the Robots in the carrier remains silent as Wily berates them. He shrieks, "EACH OF YOU MAKE ME SICK!"

Wily storms off to the cockpit of the Skull Carrier and yells again, "I hope you're competant enough to let me know if the cops follow us... I'll be sure to make anti-missle rounds out of some of your bodies!"

As Dr. Wily slumped down itno the pilot's chair and headed back to Skull Fortress, he knew that his options were seriously stretched thin now. So thin, things were about to break.

After nearly two years, Albert has finally realized that the way he has been doing things to try and conquer the world just isn't working anymore.

It was time to change tactics and change them now, but how could he? He had developed the pain program, but ProtoMan put a stop to it. He had run out of doomsday devices, at least those that Mega Man and Thomas Light would have a difficult time dealing with. And the greatest tool of destruction that he ever had in Gamma was long since destroyed.

There was only one thing Wily knew he had to do... he didn't know how he was going to do it with the scant resources he had left... but, even the whisper in his head agreed with him...

_"It's time."_

* * *

><p><strong>The next week (March 20X2).<br>****Vick-Tek Corporate headquarters.**

After spending weeks away from his company following his injuries and the installation of his new metallic features, Marcus Vickers has returned to work for the first time since the ballroom attack.

Not only have his right limbs been replaced with fully functional robotic ones, but he also has a new titanium spinal reinforcer attached to his damaged spine, which singlehandedly prevented him from becoming crippled. This device is also connected directly to Vickers' brain and helps him maintain control of his new limbs.  
>It is kind of fitting that the C.E.O. of a computer and technology company has now become a <em>living<em> piece of technology.

Marcus' demeanor has become a far cry from what it used to be before the accident. The man used to have a lot of energy, even when he was in a dreadful mood. He always exuded confidence and passion for his work when he was around. But, now there was chilliness to him that he had rarely had before... but it had briefly come out during the heated moments of his negotiations with Dr. Mikhail Cossack last year.

Part of the reason for Vickers' new dark attitude was because he knew that attracting the wrong kind of attention now. People have stared at him, some have gasped in shock when they see him... maybe some even chuckled at his appearance.  
>But, there was another reason why his mood has changed for the worst... it it revolved around the night he lost his limbs.<p>

Vickers has remained seated here in his office all day, not talking to anybody and staring out his large window at the orange sunset behind the New York skyline, until his secretary contacts him. _"Mr. Erikson is here to meet with you, Mr. Vickers."_

"Send him in," Vickers replies flatly and coldly, not sounding like his old self at all.

Erikson enters the office to see his boss Vickers seated in his chair with his back turned to him, staring out the office window. Only the back of his head and his new artificial arm is visible, so he looked like something out of a Saturday Morning cartoon.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Vickers!" he nervously says with a smile on his face.

Vickers replies silently, "... yep. It sure is, isn't it, Scott?"

"The Vick-Tek stocks have not quite returned to to third quarter levels yet, but since news of your return, they have-"

Vickers interrupts, "Scott, have you ever had your limbs crushed beyond repair? Or, have you ever been buried alive?"

"Uh... no, sir. I can't say that I have," Erikson responds with more trepidation in his voice.

Vickers turns his chair around to face his Vice President. "Well, _I can_. Because _both_ happened to me... at my own damn charity ball! So, if you think I'm worried about something like stocks... you are sadly mistaken."

Vickers now stood up from his chair and begin walking around the office, proceeding with his diatribe. "I'm sure you remember that Dr. Thomas Light didn't accept our proposal."

Erikson says, "I am aware of this, sir. If you want we can make them another offer-"

"No, don't bother," Vickers interrupts, "I will not be doing business with any member of the Light family any time soon."  
>Vickers now paces the floor of his office, stroking his goateed chin with his new robo hand. "When I was lying there, pinned to the ground with the ballroom caving in, I screamed for help... I begged for help... I cried... Mega Man was the only one who could have helped me... and he didn't!"<p>

Erikson tries to explain, "Well, sir, from what I understand, Mega Man was-"

Vickers loudly interrupts, "I should have known! He was in Light's ear the whole time... we weren't good enough for him! That old fool Thomas Light was _so close_ to signing that check! You want to talk about our stock prices, Scott? They would have soared! _Soared_, I tell you... Then, Mega Man interfered. He_ knew_ that if Light accepted the offer, this war with Wily would have practically ended right there. But, Mega Man was smart! He knew that his popularity would fizzle without Wily around. So, then... He left me there to suffer and die, didn't he?"

Before Erikson could even answer, Vickers continues, now chuckling... "But, that doesn't matter. Look at me! I'm a freak! Do you think I _enjoy_ being like _this_?"

Erikson timidly replies, "... No, Mr. Vickers."

Vickers remains silent for a moment, staring down at his new hand. "When I built this company, I knew I'd have to fight my competitors with everything I've got and beat them at their own game."

Erikson had a unsettling feeling in his gut. "What are you implying, Sir?"

"Simply put... if Mega Man and Dr. Light won't support us and end this war, we are going to do their jobs for them, just like we were going to do before. I want the Robot Warrior project reinstated, and this time, we're not keeping it a secret. Scott, take out a full page ad in the all of newspapers, both print and net editions. I want everybody to know that the Vick-Tek corporation is loking for a good scientist who can make the greatest robot alive."

Vickers turns back to the window and continues, "And then... I'll be the one who gets the last laugh... laughing all the way to the bank!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_All of the scenes that take place before Vickers' scene were originally meant to be a brief sequence showing Wily taking the robots, but I realized that something was missing in this chapter and the sequence needed to be expanded to show just how shabby Wily ends up entering chapter 4, so I expended the sequences... and kept expanding.  
>A lot of scenes that were originally meant for chapter 3 have been moved over to chapter 4.<em>

_It was obvious that most of the robots featured in the Robot Tournament were the Robot Masters from Mega Man 6 under different names. But, they will be using their proper Robot Master names very soon.  
>You might be wondering why Tomahawk Man wasn't one of the tournament bots like he was in the game. That's because he was already introduced in Gamma. I kind of wish I'd held off on introducing him now, because he would have fit in well here.<br>Of course, Junk Man was featured in Mega Man 7._

_"The Supreme Intellect" is based on a real life T.V. wrestler: Jesse "The Body (or Governor)" Ventura. Howard the play-by-play man is named after a real commentator too, Howard Cosell._

_Also, the title of this chapter **"Tournament Fighters"** is a reference to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game... but, I never liked that game. For those of you who did, I apologize._

_For those of you who didn't get the joke when ProtoMan called Centaur Man "Secretariat," the real Secretariat was a famous horse. It's a semi-obscure reference._

_Please remember to leave a review/comment and if you catch any typos or continuity-breaking errors, send me a PM._


	77. The Robot Warrior

_**Chapter 4: The Robot Warrior**_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

It has been nearly two weeks since the fiasco at the Robot Chapionship Tournament. Dr. Wily has not launched an attack since that day and has hardly even spoken a word to his robots. There have been a few prime opportunities to launch an attack in the past few weeks, but Albert has not jumped on any of them.  
>He has been very busy on his... latest project.<p>

ProtoMan is taking part in some target practice inside of one of the cavernous, blast-scarred battle rooms deep withing the fortress, blasting various targets cobbled together out of scrap metal. He often does this when he wants to let off steam, so he has been doing it a lot lately.

Ever since Wily's meltdown following the Robot Championship tournament siege, the mad scientist hasn't gone over what the next plan will be with Proto. Even when Wily has been at his lowest points over the past two years, he would always confer with Proto about what the strategy would be for the next operation well in advance. Now, Wily's not even speaking to _him_ about what he has in store next, instead he's just keeping himself locked up in that little workshop of his.  
>And he's sure that Wily is keeping him out of the loop because of the difficulties he has had when battling his brother Mega Man recently.<p>

"Why didn't you just blast him, Proto?" he asks himself as he hits another one of the targets, "Because you know what Wily would do him, that's why. After everything my brother's done to him, Wily would tourture, gut his systems out... probably kill him. And how the hell can I ever team with my brother if he's already dead?"

Proto leaps away from the smouldering targets he already blasted and lands on the other side of the room to take down the final group of scrap targets. "But, it won't matter soon, though, right Proto? If I didn't know any better, he's probably working on my _replacement_ right now. But, he'll end up just like Dark Man, just another slack heap. And Wily will come crawling back to me, whether he likes it or not!"

After blasting the last target, ProtoMan deactivates his arm cannon and his left hand re-appears. As ProtoMan walked towards the steel doors leading back out into the corridors of the fortress, he decided that he was going to see what this next big idea of Dr. Wily's is for himself... and if it is his _'replacement'  
><em>"Let's see if the old man will come out of his cave today."

* * *

><p>Ever since the operation to "liberate" the tournament robots at the Robot Championship Tournament went sour, Dr. Wily hasn't done much of anything except lock himself in his workshop. He has been spening almost enter days locked inside that room, devoting all of his time to this one project. Usually, when he was building another robot, he would be locked in there for long periods of time until it was completed, but he has never been this devoted - or this <em>obsessed<em> - over one project in his life.

ProtoMan stands outside Wily's workshop, leaning against the corridor wall and waiting for Wily to come out of that damn room. He can hear the sound of Wily grumbling in German coming from behind the door. Unlike last time, Wily is not bringing harm to an innocent robot, but he did sound frustrated over his current project. Over time, Albert's groaning became more agitated... then, it became angry... soon, he was shouting at thin air again, probably having an argument with that stupid little voice in his head.

Proto then heard the sound of what had to be a tool slamming onto metal, making a loud _clang_ sound... then there was nothing but wonders if he should check on whether or not Dr. Wily was okay, but he decides to stay put. If he is alright, he would be probably chew Proto out for invading his privacy and especially interrupting his work. Proto doesn't know how he managed to get away with it last time when he put a stop to Wily's testing of the pain program on that Met robot.

A few minutes later, Dr. Wily comes through the door, his pink dress shirt is stained with his own sweat and his bizarre hair damp and sticking up. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple of days either, with heavy grey stubble covering his cheeks. Breathing a little heavy, Wily looked up to ProtoMan's visor.

"Having fun yet?" Proto asks.

Albert runs his right hands through his remaining sweaty grey hair and sighs. "I give up on this one."

Behind his visor, ProtoMan's eyelids shot up in surprise. "_You_ give up? I never thought I'd hear you say that!"

Wily replies, "This project is a damn disaster. I can't pull it off... I am so close on programming the A.I., but I don't have the parts I need, and to get the parts, I need money... too much money!" Wily begins to ruefully shake his head from side to side. "It can't be done... how Light did it, I will never know."

ProtoMan looks back at Wily and asks, "What do you mean?"

"With Mega Man," Wily replies, "How did Thomas make him so... perfect?"

ProtoMan snorts and crosses his arms. "You know, I'm standing_ right here_, Wily."  
>He didn't like being reminded that his brother is better than him... and he especially took great offence to Wily calling Mega <em>'Perfect'<em> right to his face. But, even though Proto would never admit it, Mega Man always _has_ had some advantage over him and all other robots.

Wily continues as he paces the floor, "If I only had the money, I could get the parts... and I would _crush_ that blue boy like a tick! If only there was way to get easy, quick money..." Wily ponders

ProtoMan remains uncharacteristically silent. He's still angry about the disrespect from Wily and he has a good idea now about what the old man is trying to create in that workshop. After getting a decent peek inside the workshop over Wily's shoulder, Proto could see the incomplete chassis (or skeleton) of a robot lying flating on the worktable.

"What's so special about this project? It looks like another Robot Master to me," Proto says.

"This is not just another Robot Master... this is the project that would have won me the world," Wily answers, "If we don't find a way to get money and get it soon, I won't be able to wage war anymore... I'll have to surr-"  
>Wily stopped himself before he could utter the word <em>surrender.<em> He didn't want to give in to Dr. Light or Mega Man and the mere thought of it nearly makes him sick. But, he knows his options are quickly dwindling... he may not have a choice now...

and then, Wily's savior arrives in the form of Quick Man, darting up to the mad scientist and ProtoMan like a bullet. "Dr. Wily, look at this!" he blurts.

QuickMan hands Dr. Wily a page that was torn out of the newspaper. ProtoMan looks on and sees Wily's face change slowly into amazement and glee as he reads it. "Yes... YES! This is the answer!"

Wily laughs and leaves with the Robot Master, dropping the torn paper on the floor. ProtoMan steps over and picks up the piece of paper and reads it.

This was an open ad which calls for any robotics scientist to work for the Vick-Tek corporation to develop a top secret project. It also states that the company is willing to pay millions of dollars to fund the project.

ProtoMan looks back over his shoulder at the lifeless unfinished robot endoskeleton on Wily's worktable, then back to the ad... it looks like he's going to have to fight to keep as number-1 spot again.

Proto crumples the ad in his hands and drops it on the floor, grumbling to himself again. "Well... shit!"

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek headquarters.<strong>

Scott Erikson enters the office of his boss Marcus Vickers, who is holding a phone up to his ear with his new robotic hand, talking to a client. Vickers holds up his left human hand to stop Erikson from interrupting this call... it was a _very_ important client.  
>There was a spark of the old Vickers showing through as he speaks to whoever he's on the phone with.<p>

"So, you say this robot of yours can be superior to Mega Man?" he asks and waits for an answer, "Good. If you are as serious as your credentials say you are, this war will be over in no time. Now let's talk payment,"

Erikson sat down beside Vickers and saw a datapad on the boss' table with what looked like a dossier on it. It said something about a 'Dr. Shultz'.

Vickers asks, "How does $200-Million sound to you? ... I thought it would. So, when will my Robot Warrior be ready?"

After a moment, Vickers' eyebrows raise when he hears how quickly this client can get this robot built. "Two weeks? Okay, then... I'll be writing the check momentarilly. It can be mailed to you if you wish... very well. If you insist. I look forward to meeting him when he arrives... It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Schultz."

Vickers hangs up his phone with a satisfied smile on his face as he looks over to Erikson. "We've got a Robot Warrior!"

Before Erikson could say anything in respnse, Vickers slides the computer pad over to him. "I just got off the phone with a man by the name of Dr. Issaac Schultz, the most prominent scientist the world has never heard of. Worked designing robots for the Feds long before Light, Wily and Cossack were household names, so all of his work was kept under lock and key."

"That's... interesting, sir. But, are you sure this information is accurate?" Scott asks.

"Look at the file. It's all there, declassified from the Government," Vickers insists as he stands up and straightens his suit, preparing to leave for the evening.

Erikson follows his boss, "But, sir, how do we know this isn't somebody scamming you... how do we know this isn't Dr.-"

"I don't have time for your skepticisim, Erikson!" Vickers says as he turns around, pointing his metallic hand in his face, "I just made a deal that will send Vick-Tek into new horizons, and in two weeks, we will see the war come to an end! And this man is legit! And by the way, this subject is not to be discussed with anybody outside this office. And after I depart, you are to wipe this datapad clean. I don't want anybody sabotaging this... do you understand?"

Erikson gulps. "Yes, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>One week later.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

Rush enters the lab structure to bring today's mail delivery to Dr. Light, barely holding the stack of letters in his mouth.

"That's a lot of mail, Rush. I hope you didn't attack the Mailbot!" Roll laughs.

"Thank you, boy!" Thomas says, patting the robo canine on the head. "Let's see now..." Light says as he begins flipping through the envelopes. He smiles when he sees one envelope that is postmarked from Russia. He knows Mega Man will be happy to read it.  
>But, Dr. Light's smile disappears when he sees another envelope with the hand-written message on the front... <em>"To: Mega Man. Important."<em>

Dr. Light hands this strange letter, the Russian letter and a bunch of other fan mail to Roll. "Could you take these to Rock?"

"Sure thing," She takes the letters out of Dr. Light's grip and starts to walk away. She giggles when she sees the letter from Russia, but when she sees the other envelope, she stops. "Dr. Light, do you know who this is from?"

"No, I do not." he answers, "But, I might have a clue."

* * *

><p>On the roof of the lab, Mega Man sits and stares accross at the skyline of the city off in the distance. Almost as if he was watching over the city at that moment.<p>

Mega has a lot of things on his mind. Firstly, he has tried to make contact with Marcus Vickers to find out how he's doign and to aplogize for not being able to recoving him from the ball in February, but he has been turned away every time.

But, Mega's thoughts consistantly drift back to Dr. Wily and the fact that his recent attacks have been on a much smaller scale, nothing like many of the elaborate threats that he has unleashed since this war began. It has been two months since the last elaborate Wily plan failed, that being the attempt to frame Mega Man for Kalinka' Cossack's kidnapping and later attempting to destroy all of downtown New York with the ion bomb.

Mega Man hopes that maybe Wily's willingness to fight this war is starting to ebb out and that maybe the war will end soon. But, in the back of his mind, he knows something is not right and he would be willing to bet all his memory chips that Wily is really hatching something very big in that frayed mind of his.

He says, "Where are you, Wily? I know you're up to something."

He hears the sound of the door behind him opening. Judging by the metallic sound of footsteps he hears, he knows his sister Roll is there.

"Hey, big brother!" she says as she sits down with him. "You okay?"

Mega replies, "Yeah. Just thinking."

"Don't you _ever_ think about anything _other_ than Wily when you're up here?" she asks.

"Yeah. Sometimes," Mega replies, barely cracking a smile, "I like to think about how great it would be if he finally quit one day."

Roll smiles, "That makes two of us."

"I've just got a bad feeling about something," Mega admits, "Whatever there's a lull in Wily's attack patterns, he usually has something big up his sleeve the next time he shows up. It happened with Gamma, then the Robo-Spider, and even later when he tried t frame me."

Mega Man's eyes catch the sight of the white envelopes in Roll's hands. "What's that?"

"Oh, nothing!" Roll says, playfully, "Just fan mail, including one from Russia... with _looooove_!"

"Kalinka?" Mega asks, his eyebrows raising.

"Don't you mean your _girlfriend_?" she asks, handing Mega the letter from Kalinka as well as the other pieces of fan mail.

"She's not my-" Mega timidly stammers before collecting his thoughts, "Kalinka and I are pen pals now."

"Yeah, sure! Pen pals," Roll smiles.

Before Mega could open Kalinka's letter, he sees the other envelope that Roll is still holding. The one that reads_ "To: Mega Man. Important."  
><em>Mega asks, "Who is that from?"

"I don't know, but it's for you," Roll responds, "There's no return address. Dr. Light said he doesn't know who it could be from. Do you know?"

Mega Man takes the letter from her and examines it. Then he grows silent for a moment and gets that serious look in his eyes again. "Yeah, I think I might... I don't want to sound rude, Sis, but I'd like to be alone when I read this."

Feeling left out, Roll sighs. "Okay."

Roll stands up and begins to go back inside. But, before she could re-enter the staricase leading back inside, she stops. "Maybe it _is _Wily's letter of surrender."

Mega Man replies, "Maybe."

Roll hangs around for a little while longer, hoping that maybe Mega will open the mysterious letter in front of her, but he knows she's still there. Finally she choses to leave, and immediately thereafter, Mega Man opens the letter and pulls out a piece of paper with plainly written text on it.

It reads,_ "After our talk a few months ago, I figured I owed you a favor. So, here it is. Things are about to change and we've got to be ready, you and me. It's about to get a lot hotter around here... probably for both of us. -Proto."_

Mega Man stands back up and keeps his hold on to the letter from his brother. He wonders why Proto would send him a letter warning him of things to come... what if Roll is right and it's just another manipulation... what if he isn't. And what if something bad _is_ on the horizon.

"It's not over yet," he says to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.**

An unmasked Mr. Black is in the media survailance room deep inside the abandoned warehouse he now resides in. Instead of having all of the monitors in the room tuned to the different news stations, he has them all set to display footage of anything to do with Marcus Vickers. Old news archive footage of Vickers, his company and the ballroom attack are displayed on the screens as Mr. Black speaks to The Conduit again.

"First, Vickers holds negotiations with Dr. Light and ends up gravely injured later in the evening... then, he gets himself some new prosthetic limbs and he posts an open advertisment looking for somebody to make a robot for him," Mr. Black says as he stares at a confidential diagram that he 'just-so-happened' to get a hold of, showing the technical details of Vickers' new cybernetic upgrades.  
>"Now, all of those ads have been pulled and all has gone silent on the Vick-Tek front... this is damn peculiar."<p>

_"Yes, it is,"_ The Conduit replies on the other end of the phone conversation, _"And this is the part where you want something from me, isn't it? You usually don't contact me otherwise."_

"Is there a way you can bug the Vick-Tek building?" Mr. Black asks.

_"... you've been asking an awful lot fom me lately,"_ The conduit replies.

Mr. Black asks again, much more firmly, "Can you _do it_ or _not_?"

There is a brief pause. _"... Yes, I can. It will take time to ensure we don't trip off their security measures, but it can be done. Fortunately for you, I want to know what Vickers and his company are up to just as much as you do, if not more. His potential involvement is a wild card."_

"Good. I want every bit of information coming into and going out of that building, even things that seem to be worthless could be invaluable," Mr. Black says.

_"You are really investing yourself to this, aren't you? Why are you so concerned about what Vickers does?"_

"He just endured a traumatizing event, and his recent actions have proven that he may be unstable. He may have made a full physical recovery, but his mind hasn't. He's becoming unpredictable... and that could become a problem."

_"You're talking about Vickers... but, I get the feeling that you're really talking about yourself,"_ The Conduit assesses.

Mr. Black's brown eyes narrow when he hears The Conduit's comment. "My personal matters are none of your business..."

* * *

><p><strong>Over two years ago.<br>F.B.I. Headquarters.  
>Langley, Virginia.<strong>

It was nearly one month after the man who would later be known as Mr. Black conducted his first test on_ the Mindcracker_ and his career was now in jeopardy. He was the subject of an investigation lead by his superiors and on this day, he was being questioned in a hearing, being forced to defend his work to the brass of the F.B.I.

The Future Mr. Black was sitting at a small table alongside agent Cotto, who was with him on the day he tested the mind hacking device, in the middle of a dimly-lit room with a light shinging down upon them with an audience of other agents and F.B.I. brass observing this hearing.  
>The sight was like something out of a movie.<p>

The agent at the head of this investigation was his boss, regional director Paul Allen, a caucasian man who was as tall as Mr. Black is, but with a thin built with a receeding line of thinning brown hair. He and other high ranking agents were seated on a panel directly accross from Mr. Black, but their seats were elevated to give the defendant a since of their superiority.

At the center of a small stand right next to a security robot was Mr. Black's _Mindcracker_ device itself. If the final decision made does not favor Mr. Black's argument, the device will be taken away to be destroyed (but, little do they know that this is _not_ the actual device, but a nonfunctional duplicate that Mr. Black had forged to ensure he never lost the original model. He always had a back-up plan.)

"Agent, you have the opprtunity to try and justify the purpose of your '_Mindcracker'_ device, as you call it... and I want you do convince us that this device is justifiable. Remember everything that you say is being logged and archived," he says.

The future Mr. Black leans into the microphone before him and stares directly into the eyes of Agent Allen sitting at the center of the panel before him. "The purpose of this device is very simple," Mr. Black stated, "To extract vital information from the mind of a suspect without having to resort to use of torture or cutting an immunity deal in exchange for said vital information, and to get the process done as quickly and as easily as possible. Thus, saving more lives."

"Agent Cotto explained how the device worked... but would you mind confirming what happens after the device is turned on?" Allen asks.

Mr. Black knew what was going on here. They are trying to get him to admit - with his own testimony - any bit of information on this device that they can use against him. He chose his words carefully... "When the human brain recives the signal immited from the device, it submits to it, alowing the user to extract information from the suspect's mind, even closely gaurded secrets."

"It turns the suspect into an obediant puppet as well. Is that correct?" Allen asks.

"In subsequent tests, suspects followed orders that I myself gave them," Mr. Black confirms, "I told one to stand on his heads, and he did... Are we done now and can I go home?"

"Agent, what you're saying is that your device robs the subject of his or her free will when it is used. Is that correct?" Agent Allen asks.

Mr. Black paused. This was a very tricky question, and ultimately could be the one piece of testimony that could brake him. He tried to avoid this question. "That really shouldn't matter if the information extrected from a subject leads to saving lives!"

"Answer the question that was posed to you, Agent... Yes or no?" Allen presses calmly, "Unless you would like Agent Cotto to answer the question based on what he witnessed."

Mr. Black lets out an exasperated sigh. There was no way he could avoid this answer. "... Yes. The answer is yes."

"And according to Agent Cotto's testimony, if the power of your device is raised to full strength, it can can wipe out a human mind, essentially erasing who they are and leaving the body behind as an empty shell. Do you confirm or deny this?"

A noticable murmur is heard inside the hearing room coming from all of attendees surrounding Mr. Black's table. The future masked terror takes a drink from his glass of water and pads out the response. "... his testimony is accurate."

The murmur in the hearing room becomes louder and a few gasps can be heard as well. Hearing this startling news confirmed by one of their own agents was shocking. This was not looking good for Mr. Black.

Allen stats, "To put it frankly, Agent, your device is something that should not exist. To take away a human being's free will is amongst the most unethical acts that we could commit upon a person, regardless of what they've done."

Mr. Black argues, "Our ethics are a small price to pay if it means catching a potential terrorist! It has been over fifty years - before many of us were even born - since 'traditional terrorisim' has even _existed,_ and we've forgotten what it's like to live in a war time... but all it takes is just _one person_ to take the peace that we have lived in for the past fifty years and shatter it! And as far as we know, that one person could throw the enter world into chaos, and before you know it, we've got blood flowing through the streets again. But, if that person is apprehended and my device stops any of this from happening, I think can live with being unethical."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that your device is an revulsion, one that in our estimation would bring more harm to this world than it would good," Agent Allen says, "It is this board's decision to suspend you from active service indefinately."

Mr. Black was mortified at the board's decision. "You're kicking me out of the Bureau because of this?"

"Agent, you are very lucky that you aren't being sentanced to jail right now! Crimes against humanity can warrant a life sentance!" Allen responds, his voice raising, "Your status will be reviewed in three months time wherewe will decide if you are eligable for reinstatment."

Mr. Black can feel the anger burning inside of him. How could they do this? He bolts out of his chair and almost storms off, but he comes back to give the board a piece of his mind.

"You've got no balls!" he snaps, "This whole bureau has no balls! If my device existed a century ago when terrorist attacks where happening in our own backyard, our grandfathers would've used it, and you know it! If waterboarding wasn't beneath them, this wouldn't have been either. So, if you're trying to atone for the sins of their generation, it's going to bite you in the ass. I'll save you the time of holding a hearing in three months..." Mr. Black points his finger directly at Allen and hisses, "Kiss my ass! I quit!"

The murmuring agmongst the attendees of the hearing was now louder than ever as Mr. Black stormed off. Agent Cotto followed Mr. Black out and tried to catch up to him.

"You shouldn't've just quit like that. Given your record, they would have reinstated you eventually."

"Eventually?" Mr. Black barks, "I don't need them! When terror attacks eventually begin taking place on our soil, and they will one day, they're going to regret they ever screwed me over," Mr. Black spits as he storms off, leaving this place and his career behind.

Cotto watches his friend walking away and barely mutters under his breath... "I tried to warn you... John."

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day.<strong>

Mr. Black stares off into space as he thinks back to his final day at the F.B.I., remembering what it was like to have a first name, back before he became... _"Mr. Black?"_

The voice of The Conduit snapped him back to the here and now. "What?" he answers.

_"Let me repeat myself... I said if you are going to be having any issues, I_ do_ need to know about them... so it _is_ my business,"_ Conduit says.

"My 'issues' are not going to get in the way, and they haven't yet. I'll get the job done. Until then, you and I are going to find out what Vickers is up to," Mr. Black answers before terminating the call.

As much as he tries to keep his focus on the mission and now survailance on Vickers and Vick-Tek's Robot Warrior project, his mind is still stuck on the day he left the F.B.I... the day he acurately prediced that the day was coming when one man alone would shatter peace and send the world into chaos.  
>that was the day his downfall began.<p>

"...John," he sighs to himself, sounding sullen, "My name... was John... it _was_..."

* * *

><p><strong>One week later (April 20X3)<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Roll is playing with Rush in the yard behind the lab, enjoying the peaceful time they have while they can. She claps her hands and calls, "Come on, boy!"

Rush barks and leaps on her and begins licking her face. She laughs, "Rush! You shouldn't lick a girlbot on the face!"

Rush jumps off of Roll, but his mood slumps as he looks up to the roof, where Mega Man usually sits when he needs to be alone or when something is troubling him. And he's been up there a lot ever since he got that mysterious letter.

Roll looks up to the roof with him. "Yeah, I'm worried about Mega too. He still likes to play with you. It's just... he's a little worried about something right now... it seems like he's always worried about something now."  
>Roll pets Rush on his head and behind his ears. "Come on, Let's go inside and get you some battery biscuits. Okay?"<p>

Rush barks with approval and walks alongside Roll inside the lab.

* * *

><p>When Roll and Rush arrive to the lab, they are surprised to see Mega Man and Dr. Light watching a special news report on the large monitor above the main computer station.<p>

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Roll asks.

"The human we met a few months ago, Marcus Vickers is holding a press conference about a new robotics project... now I know why he wouldn't talk to me when I tried to get in touch with him," Mega Man replies, pointing out Vickers' artificial arm and leg, "I had no idea his injuries were that severe."

"Please, be quiet," Dr. Light quietly requests.

Vickers is seen standing at a podium out front of the Vick-Tek Skyscraper in Manhattan, (the only building in the city with a giant letter** V** on each side,) and a large group of reporters and photojournalists are gathered in front of him. To Vickers' left is Scott Erikson (who else?) ; to his right, there is a section of the stage that covered with a white curtain.

_"This is a great day,"_ says Vickers,_ "Not only for Vick-Tek... But, yes, for the world. For too long now, we have had to witness this horrible fiend Dr. Albert Wily attack our cities, destroy our homes, wound us and ruin our lives in the process._  
><em>Granted, he has yet to succeed in his quest for world domination, and you<em> could_ say it is thanks to Mega Man. Granted, Mega Man has done an acceptable job, but you've got ask yourself this question: It's been two years... why isn't Dr. Wily gone?"_

Mega Man continues to watch, feeling betrayed by this corporate jerk.

"What's his problem?" Roll says.

"He must blame me for what happened to him," Mega mutters, "I knew I shouldn't have left that night."

Vickers continues, _"Mega Man and Dr. Thomas Light have come close to ending this war, but from what I hear, close only counts in horseshoes. _Close_ doesn't count with me, it never has. And when you're talking about the future of humankind, you need to nail it."_

Vickers holds up his new robotic arm and the flashbulbs from the cameras begin flashing. As he holds his titanium arm up for all to see, Vickers now sounds morose. _"Because this war contiues, I am no longer a full human. I have had parts of my own humanity taken from me and replaced with technology. And I am sure there are many of you out there who may have suffered the same fate because the war contiues, or even worse."_

Vickers motions behind him to the area of the stage with the white curtain behind him, his voice now perking up again. _"But, we need not worry about the war for much longer. I have come to you today to unveil a new hero. Someone who I'm sure will have Dr. Wily in jail or in Hell soon enough! The most sophisticated artificial life form ever created awaits behind me... and here he is."_

The curtain is slowly opened, unveiling a robot clad a sleek black, white and gold armor, wearing a matching helmet with gold arch-like designs on the sides and purple markings on his face, which has a slightly tanned hue to the sythetic skin. His helmet and the center of his chest armor have two large pruple gem-like decorations on them.  
>He not only looks intimidating, he <em>is<em> intimidating... and even though he is not online yet, he is still a sight to behold...

_"Ladies and gentlemen of the world... I give you The _Savior_ of the Human Race... I give you... __**BASS!**"_

Roll and Dr. Light become in awe of this new robot on the monitor, but Mega Man stares at the sight of this new robot with seriousness and skepticisim. He wonders to himself if this new robot is what Proto meant in his letter.

On the screen, Vickers holds a remote control and presses a button. And seconds later, Bass becomes active and his eyelids open, revealing a pair of angry looking eyes with dark red irises.

The media begins taking several pictures of the new robot. So many flashbulbs go off, it looks like a lightning storm is taking place in front of the stage. Bass looks around at the sea of photographers and reporters with a cold, unflinching expression on his face.  
>This robot looks nothing like a hero... but, more like an<em> anti<em>-hero.

_"The future i__s here!"_ Vickers says as he hypes up Bass, _"Developed by Dr. Isaac Schultz, a leading European scientist, Bass here is the personification of perfection in robotics engineering. His armor is made if reinforced titanium and his plasma cannon is the most advanced in the entire world. He even has other battle features I canot talk about... because we want Dr. Wily to see them for himself before Bass defeats him for good. In fact, Bass even has his own companion."_

A small wolf-like robot darts onto the stage and stands next to Bass. His armor is primarily black and dark gray with touches of purple and gold. He has a pair of frightening bright red eyes and a set of pointy sharp teeth. He growls for a second at the media, looking like he wants to eat them all. For a moment, some members of the press appear to be scared of this wolf.

_"Treble!"_ Bass commands, _"Down."_

The robo-wolf, named Treble, obeys his master's order and sits down.

_"This is Treble!"_ Vickers adds, _"He will serve as Bass' personal sidekick as well as his transportation device... much deadlier than having a retreiver as your sidekick, don't you think?"_

Rush growls at Bass' sidekick Treble and Vaickers' sideways remark.

"I guess if you can't beat 'em, copy 'em," Roll says, commenting on how much this duo looks like a rip-off. But, after looking at Bass, she does make an interesting comment... "He _is_ kinda hot, though."

Mega, Dr. Light, Rush and even Eddie look back at Roll with bewildered looks on their faces.

Roll blushes and shrugs. "Well... he _is_!"

on the news report, Vickers continues,_ "Bass and Treble will continue to serve this city and her citizens."_

Vickers turns to Bass and asks him, _"Is there anything you have to say to the world?"_

Vickers steps aside and Bass approaches the microphones to speak his first words. He gravels,_ "Wily... __you're a dead man."_

Bass looks to Treble - who is awaiting an order - and nods his head. Treble then transforms into a flat rocketboard transportation device, similar to Rush's jet-mode. Bass stands on the robo-wolf's back and the two take off into the afternoon sky, leaving a trail of black smoke behind them.

_"I will not be taking questions in regards to Bass himself today. For all information, please refer to the Vick-Tek press release. But, Ladies and Gentlemen... I think you can rest easy now. The war is almost over!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In the middle of the main command center, Dr. Wily and all of his robots are watching the press conference on television. After Wily hears Vickers' closing comment, Wily and the other Robot Masters begin laughing.. almost sound celebratory. "Oh, yes!... they can all sleep _much_ easier, especially since they are being guarded by... _MY_ NEWEST CREATIONS, BASS AND TREBLE! HA-HA-HA!"

Dr. Wily spins around in his creaking swivel chair amongst his robots... and what's remaining of his Two-Hundred-Million Dollars he just recived two weeks ago. Not only did Wily have more than enough to make his new ultimate robot, but he now has more than enough to fund whatever nightareish projects he desires for at least another year, depending on how gigantic and deadly it may be.

However, one robot remains silent: ProtoMan. He leaves the room, away from the hoards of bellowing laughter behind him.

"This is a bad idea, Wily," he says, "Very, very bad."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

**_BASS HAS__ ARRIVED!  
><em>**_His origin story may be different from the one in Mega Man 7 (did he have an origin story?), but he is here. Bass' arrival and his involvment with Vick-Tek was something I always had in mind when starting this series. So, I have been building him up ever since before episode 2 began!  
>I figured I might as well reveal that he was really Wily's creation right now, because I wouldn't be fooling anybody if I made it a mystery.<br>Hopefully you will like what I have planned for Bass. (and if you think you know what is in store... don't be so sure.)_

_There are two subtle references to the cartoon show.  
>First, any fan of the show will be very familiar with the line in the narration about Mega being will to bet his last memory chip.<br>Secondly, the phrase "Close only counts in horseshoes" has been used twice on the show before (and both times, the other half of the phrase - "And hand grenades" - was not used. So, it wasn't used here either._

_New clues about Mr. Black's past: we know for sure that he was an F.B.I. agent; his first name is/was John... and isn't it kind of scary that he knew that one man (Wily) would wreck the peace? _

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment... and if you catch any typos, errors or massive continuity breaches (like I had in the last chapter) **please** let me know via a PM on this site or on Twitter._

_I know almost all of you reading this already know this, but I always feel the need to point this out. Bass is pronounced "Base" like a Bass Guitar... not Bass like the fish._


	78. Keeping up the Illusion

_**Chapter 5: Keeping up the Illusion.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.<strong>

It has been only a few minutes since the unveiling of the super robot warrior named Bass, but the world is already buzzing over the arrival of the new "Savior" of the Human Race. Bass and Treble have become the most talked about subject on the internet social networking sites since Mega Man first hit the scene and media outlets all around the entire world are buzzing all over the new duo. Last but not least, the debut of Bass has caused Vick-Tek stocks to soar in a matter of minutes, sending them to their highest level since the company first offered their shares on Wall Street.

Meanwhile, Marcus Vickers is wearing a smile on his face for the first time since February. After two years of trying to have a robot warrior all his own, he has finally achieved his goal and his company is thriving like never before... but, he has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

"He works, Scott... he really _works_!" Vickers says, grabbing Erikson by his shoulders, his robotic hand placing a tighter grip on the Vice President than the human hand does. After Vickers lets go, Erikson favors that left shoulder as he winces.

"I want to establish contact with licensees tomorrow morning," Vickers says, "I want Bass and Treble merchandise and I want it availible everywhere we can get it... and I want a Bass video game... and make it violent. Kids like violent video games."

The aching Erikson catches up with Vickers. "I'll make the calls immediately, sir. But, in the meantime, shouldn't we conduct a background check on this Dr. Schultz?"

"How many times to I have to tell you, Scott? Dr. Schultz is trustworthy," Vickers insists, "Now, _do not_ bring this subject up again or else I'l send you down the trap door."

"Y-yes, sir... whatever you say," Erikson mumbles.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have some phone calls to make. Bass-related phone calls," Vickers declares as he heads back to his office atop to revel in his big victory of bringing Bass into the world, not even knowing how much of a massive mistake he made by doing so.

* * *

><p>After leaving the press event outside the Vick-Tek skyscraper, Bass and Treble have been traveling the skies and attracting the attention from onlookers down below and quite a few SkyCar drivers. After several minutes of travel, Bass and Treble on the roof of another highrise building in Buffalo, just far enough away from the eyes of New York City to make a communication to his true master, Dr. Albert W. Wily.<p>

"Dr. Wily, this is Bass. Come in," he says into his left arm.

A holographic image of Dr. Wily's grinning head appears out of Bass's forearm, a much more advanced means of communicating than what Mega Man and ProtoMan have with their communicators (clearly showing that Dr. Wily decided to gave Bass some vanity features with his new boon of money.)  
><em>"I am here. You have done very well, my boy! The general public already believes that you are acting in their best interests."<em>

"The pathetic humans appeared to be in awe of us, Doctor, including the one named Vickers, the one who is part machine," Bass says, "Do you have any instructions?"

Wily answers, _"Nothing right now. All you have to do is keep up the illusion that you are a hero robot... until the time comes for you to reveal our true intentions, that is."_

"Very well. But, I must know more about this other robot you mentioned before sending myself and Treble away... Mega Man. The enemy." Bass states.

_"Indeed you will, Bass,"_ Wily replies, _"I could not give you all of the necessary information on that blue bastard right away. I did not want to tip off those fools at the Vick-Tek corporation. I will upload all of the necessary information on Mega Man and his known allies into your memory banks right away."_

"Good. I will look forward to fighting this Mega Man... but, I will look forward even more to_ ending_ him," Bass says, his voice taking on that intimidating gravel again.

Wily snickers wickedly, _"So will I, Bass! So will I!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<br>Command Center.**

Dr. Wily terminates the communication with Bass and remains seated in the Command center. By now, all of the other robots had left to fufill their duties elsewhere in the fortress, but Wily's newfound stash of money rests in the corner of the room. There is so much of it left, he has enough to construct almost whatever horror he wants to now, and he immediately gets to work on what he plans on making next, jotting down his ideas on paper.

ProtoMan enters the room again, once again without knocking first and breaking Albert's concentration.

"... Yes, Proto, what is it?" Wily asks, sounding perturbed over Proto's latest interruption.

"Just wanted to congratulate you on your new favorite robot. What's his name again? Bass?" Proto says disingenuously, intentionally mispronouncing Bass' name like he were talking about a bass fish.

"His name is _Bass_," Wily says, pronouncing Bass' name correctly, "And you're welcome."

Proto picks up a blueprint of Bass and makes an interesting assessment of the new robot's helmet. "What's the purpose of these yellow things on the sides of Fish Boy's helmet here? Is it a banana?"

"It's _not_ a banana!" Wily asserts himself, "His helmet is designed to help him gain greater control of himself whilst in mid-air."

"I've gotta ask you something... I don't have _another_ little brother in Banana-head here, do I?" Proto asks.

"Bass was built from a completely different set of plans than you were," Albert replies, "So, no. You're not related. It was better this way."

ProtoMan could sense a hint of an insult in that answer somewhere. Then, as he looks accross at Wily's stacks of money, he adds, "Well, I guess you don't have to worry about obtaining money anymore, now that we're playing that corporate suit like a fiddle. You know,_ I_ could've been the one who cashed that big check out."

"No, you couldn't," Wily answers, "You would have been easilly recognizable. The authorites would have noticed you because of your robotic features. I needed somebody who could sneak in and get the money without attracting attention."

Proto scoffs, "Well, who the hell _did_ you send to go get the money?"

The door opens behind Proto and Dr. Wily smiles. "Funny you should ask, Proto. I had to enlist the services of... a dear old friend."

Albert points to somebody behind Proto and the Red Raider turns around to see who it was... and once he sees just who it was, his eyes become wide behind his visor and his jaw drops as he gasps... "What the _fuck?_"

Proto could not believe what he was seeing... but it's really him... his armor was different now, painted all red, his shoulders pointed upward and almost looked like a pair of horns, as did his feet... but, that domed head and the glowing yellow eyes right below it were exactly the same... and he was back from the dead...

"Dark Man?" Proto blurts.

The new Red-armored Dark Man turns his domes head just slightly and his glowing yellow eyes flash. "Do I know you?" he asks.

"... What?" Proto stammers, "Don't you remember? It's Me! ProtoMan. The bot whose job you were about to take in January."

"Perhaps I should explain, Proto," Wily says as he gets up from his seat, "Since Dark Man's old memory core was destroyed, I replaced it with a new one."

Proto looks back at Albert sideways. "You replaced his core? Are you _serious_?"

Wily grins, "I'm _deadly_ serious, Proto! In a sense, he's not even Dark Man anymore. Not the original, anyway. But, he has the same body and features, most importantly his holographic physical copy power. You can call him... Dark Man 2."

A shocked Proto looks back to Dark Man (or Dark Man 2,) appalled that Dr. Wily could just resurrect Dark Man's body with a new memory core like this. To some extent, this may be even worse then his testing on the poor Met robot. Proto doesn't scare easily, but seeing Dark Man like this has him spooked.  
>Proto looks back to Wily. "How could you do this to him?"<p>

"I didn't want to lose that holographic copy ability, Proto," Wily answers, "Does your newfound conscience have a problem with Dark Man's ressurrection like it did with my experiments with the pain programs?"

"You're startin' to scare me, Wily," Proto sneers and storms off.

Wily grins, because in his warped mind he believes that fear and respect are one in the same. "If I can scare _you_... that's an accomplishment!"

Dark Man 2 steps up to his creator. "I still don't know who that robot is, Dr. Wily. He seemed to have recognized me, but I've never met him before."

"I will explain everythign to you soon, Dark Man," Wily says as he pats Dark Man 2 on his horned shoulder, "Until then, return to your work until you are needed."

"Yes, master," nods Dark Man 2, who is quite literally a dead robot walking.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Thomas sits at his computer station in the lab, looking up any information he can find about this '_Dr. Schultz'_ that Vickers mentioned. "In all of my years, I have never heard of any prominent scientists with the last name of 'Schultz.' At least those who are still alive."

Mega Man looms over Dr. Light's shoulder, watching on as his father searches the databases. Mega thinks back to the letter from ProtoMan, where he warned him that things were 'about to get heated'... and one week later, the landscape of this ongoing war has just clearly changed dramatically with the arrival of Bass.

"Have you heard of any major thefts of titanium materials lately?" Mega asks.

Thomas answers, "No. We could always check with Cheif Toombs at the Police Department and find out if any such incidents took place."

"... that letter a got last week... it was from my brother," Mega reveals.

"I had a feeling it was," Thomas says.

"... he said that things were about to get heated soon, for both me and him," Mega continues.

"It's possible that Albert had learned about this... maybe Blues wanted to inform you as well," Thomas assess.

"Yeah... _or_..." Mega responds.

Thomas picks up on Mega's subtle implication and glances up to his son. They both know exactly what eachother is thinking. It disturbs Dr. Light right down to the marrow of his bones even contemplating the slightest possibility that this Bass robot could be a creation of Dr. Wily. "What makes you think this, Rock?"

"Something just erks me about this new bot," Mega says as he stares at news footage of Bass and Treble, "Everything about him just looks... wrong."

"I understand. I'll get in contact with our friends, just in case," Thomas nods.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Much like Dr. Light and Mega Man, Mr. Black is also running a search for the ficticious "Dr. Schultz" on his own computer network, which has been entirely modified to prevent anybody from tracing him.

"I'm not finding anything on_ Isaac Schultz _in any databases, including any of the data you took from Vick-Tek," he says.

_"I'm not finding anything either,"_ says the Conduit on a nearby audio speaker, _"You would think a prominent scientist would be a little bit more well known, regardless how secretive his background was."_

"They are most likely destroying any confidential information they may have on him so that it never even makes it to the hard drives or the data caches," Mr. Black assesses.

_"What makes you so sure about that?"_ The Conduit asks.

Mr. Black answers, "Because I would have done the same thing. In fact, I'm not finding any top secret files on this Schultz character or these two new robots anywhere in the Vick-Tek data. They are hiding something... and I intend to find out what it is they're hiding."

_"And how are you going to do this?"_

"The way I always do," Mr. Black replies as he picks up a _Mindcracker_ device.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<br>Vick-Tek Corporate Headquarters.**

The past few days have been very busy for Marcus Vickers. Various media outlets have been clamoring for interviews about Bass and Treble, Marcus himself has been making merchandising deals for his new robot warrior and he has been keeping himself busy because he feels that his company is about to become the biggest corporation in the world, all thanks to Bass.  
>But, while Vickers work ethic has been tireless (maybe thanks in part to his new robotic upgrades,) he has also been making his employees step up their game in recent months, especially since he returned from his injuries. And for some people, it has become too much for them to handle, especially for the one who is seated directly accross from Vickers right at the moment...<p>

"Mr. Vickers, sir, I've been working non-stop ever since this year started," says an employee named Joe Bohm, whose sounds like he has a trepidation in his voice, "I've missed one of my daughter's birthdays and I missed their residels... I'm living at the office nowdays. I need some time off."

Vickers stares accross at this employee with Erikson at his side, tapping the metallic fingers on his right hand on the desk. "I have a question for you, Jim,"

"Joseph, sir," Bohm clarifies.

"Joe, yeah," Vickers corrects himself before asking, "Can't you just hire a nanny to watch your kids?"

Erikson's eyes become big when he hears this. He cuold not believe that his boss could ask such a calloused question. And meanwhile, Joe the dad begins to break a sweat. "I would like to see my children more often, sir."

Vickers' eyes narrow as he stares down Joe as he stands from his chair. "Let me explain something to you about how this corporation works, Mr. Bohm... vacation is the enemy. I stay aboard the ship as long as I possibly can, and I expect everybody to approach their job with Vick-Tek incorporated with the same willpower and dedication as I do, all hands on deck! The bottom line is all that matters!"

Vickers now walks around his desk and begins leaning down towards the nervous Joe, showing that new cold attitude he's had ever since his injures. "So, if you want to abandon this company when it is about to enter it's most prominent period ever, feel free, Mr. Bohm... but, your job will not be here when you return. and if you value your employment, you will not bring this up again."

Joe the dad whimpers, "Yes, sir... I won't bring it up again."

"You just saved your job. Now get the hell out of my office!" Vickers barks as he returns to his desk and as Joe the dad sulks his way out of the office, looking like he's on the verge of tears.

Erikson watches on and becomes disturbed by his boss' threatening a lowly employee for wanting time off. Witnessing this exchange only adds more proof to the fact that ever since the ball, Vickers has changed. And ever since he aqquired Bass, he has become megalomaniacal (or moreso than he ever was.)

As Vickers returns to his seat, Erikson stares accross at his boss, who notices it. "What it is, Scott?"

"That was a bit harsh, sir," Erikson states.

"What was that again?" Vickers asks, his metallic hand hovering over the trap door. He knew about Scott's fear of heights and was using the threat of jettisoning him down the trap door to shut him up.

Erikson gulps. "Nothing."

"Nothing,_ what_?" Vickers blurts, darting an eye in Erikson's direction..

"... nothing, _sir_," Scott replies.

"That's what I thought," Vickers almost whispers, pulling his hand away from the trap door button.

_"Mr. Vickers... your guest has arrived,"_ says the voice of Marcus' secretary on the intercom.

"Send him in," Vickers replies as he straightens his suit and puts his best presentation face back on.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Vickers," states a voice that Erikson has heard before on television. He looks towards the set of double doors at the end of Vickers' office and sees none other than Dick Ferguson sauntering into the ofice, wearing that gap-toothed used car salesman smile of his.  
>Erikson is not too pleased to see Ferguson showing his face in the office. To put it delicately, he's not a fan of Dick's show.<p>

"And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Ferguson, I'm a fan of your journalistic work," Vickers lies as he shakes Ferguson's hand with his new robotic hand... and, putting a tight sqeeze on it.

"Please, have a seat," Vickers offers as he releases the 'journalist' from the uncomfortable handshake.

Dick shakes his hand, trying to get the blood circulating in it again as he sits down in the seat to Vickers' right side (his robotic side), directly accross from Erikson (who is sitting on Vickers' human side.)  
>"Mr. Vickers, how would you like to have a media outlet to showcase your new robot warrior without the biased snobishnes that all of the other stations show? And I'm not just talking throughout New York, I'm talking wordwide coverage... and all for free."<p>

The idea of free promotion piqued Vickers' interests. He strokes his black goatee with his robotic hand. "Your offer interests me very much, Mr. Ferguson. Please continue."

"My boss wants me to find the biggest news story I can find," Fergsuon explains, (deliberately hiding the details about his job being in serious jeopardy if he doesn't turn his ratings around,) "There is no bigger story than the _New_ Defender of the Human Race. The robot who will sweep Wily up for good... a robot who won't leave innocent victims behind like I hear you were at the charity ball in February."

Vickers says, "You've really done your research, Mr. Ferguson."

Erikson watched on and a small frown appeared on his round face. Something stunk about this whole thing.

Dick continues, "All I'm asking for is a series of exclusives on The Ferguson Determinant. You've got the killer product of this century with Bass and the mother of all grievances with Dr. Light and his faulty robots... and I can give you my platform to showcase them both. So, what do ya' say?"

"I think you've got yourself a deal, Mr. Ferguson," Vickers smiles, "In fact, you are going to be the official journalist for Bass and Vick-Tek going forward."

Dick's used car salesman smile grows wide. "Why, thank you, Mr. Vickers!"

Erikson tries to object. "Sir, don't you think-"

"Scott, please make the proper booking arrangements with Mr. Ferguson's people," Vickers interrupts, cutting his Vice President off at the knees, "I want our friend to be the epicenter for Bass-related news."

A perurbed Erikson huffs as he leaves the office. "Yes, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>At a bank in Rochester, New York.**

A bank robbery is taking place at this very minute. Two masked humans armed with shotguns and carrying bags menace the hostages, who are all layed out on the floor, but unharmed. Two security robots were taken down with some plastic explosives they managed to have. The getaway car is outside, the driver anxiously awaiting to speed off.  
>With bank robberies being so difficult in this day in age to pull of, these 'gentlemen' have certainly done quite a job... but it's all about to come crashing down at any moment...<p>

"Nobody moves and nobody dies!" the robber yells, branshing his shotgun at the hostages as the other robbers emerges from the bank vault, carrying two bags full of cash money, all unmarked.

"There's gotta be a few million bucks in here! Let's split," says the robber holding the sacks full of money.

As the two gunmen begin to leave the bank with several bags full of money, they see a bright pruple ball of energy collide with their getaway car, nearly causing it to explode!

The masked robbers watch in shock as a robot approaches the car and rips the door off. The robot then yanks the driver out, who is still shaken from nearly going up in the blast.

"Is that Mega Man?" One robber chatters.

"That's not Mega Man!" the other freaks, "That's that new robot!"

The robbers watch in terror as Bass punches their buddy the getaway driver in the face, shattering his jaw. As the human drops to the pavement, Bass looks inside, his dark eyes focusing directly on the other them now.

"Run!" a gunman wails, turning tail back to the bank vault with his fellow hoodlum.

But before they could get too far, Treble bursts through the bank's front glass door and jets in front of the tworobbers, blocking their path to safety. The robot wolf growls and glares at them with his bright red eyes.

Bass bursts through the remnants of the door and stalks the robbers like a horror movie villain would.

Before the first human could even aim his weapon, Bass rams his open palm right into the robber's chest, shattering his rib cage. Bass then throws him aside and begins stalking the last human.

The robber aims his shotgun at Bass and threatens him, but sounding meek after watching his two cohorts being brutalized. "Get away from me, Man! I can hurt you!"

"Not as badly as I can hurt you!" Bass hisses.

The robber fires his shotgun at Bass and the round hits his black and purple chest armor, doing no damage and illiciting no reaction from Bass aside from a flinch.  
>He fires again at Bass' chest... again, worthless. No damage was left aside from a small black smudge on Bass' armor that can easily be washed off.<p>

Before the robber could fire a third time, Bass grabs the shotgun and with his left hand and the robber's throat with the other, squeezing hard and choking him.. Bass then picks the robber up by his neck, completely cutting off his air supply.

"Don't let me catch you robbing any more banks... clear?" Bass rasps.

The robber nods and gasps, now turning purple and trying to beg for mercy, but Bass' grip on his throat is so tight, he cannot speak.

"If you do... you die!" Bass says, throwing him all the way accross the bank until he hits the wall over in the opposite side of the building.

The innocent humans get up off the floor and stare at Bass and has stares back at them. Their reaction is different from one they would usually give Mega Man. There was no cheering, no awe in their eyes... these people are_ intimidated_ by Bass.

Bass studies them all, stareing down each one of them... they all looked so pathetic to him... so weak. In Bass' mind, these humans deserve to be dominated by Dr. Wily when the inevitable takeover of the world begins.

Bass continues starring at the hostages until he hears a beep coming from his left forearm... it was time.

"Treble," he says, "Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

The emergency signal blares inside the lab, alerting the Lights of an attack by Wily. One of Dr. Light's monitors shows a bird's-eye view of Pittsburgh with a flashing dotto the western side of the city.

"There they are," Light says, pointing to the flashing red dot on the map, "I'm getting word of multiple robots on the ground. You better get going."

"Right!" Mega replies, "Rush! Get in gear!"

Rush barks back to Mega and activates his jet mode and Mega Man jumps on his back The two soar out of the exit canopy in the roof of the titanium lab and take off into the sky. Roll runs off and hops on her green and blue SkyCycle and follows her brother within seconds.

As the Siblings Light fly towards the scene of the battle, Mega tries to give his sister some heads up. "You heard what Dr. Light said, Roll, there's about five of them on the ground. Watch your back."

"Don't worry, Mega," replies Roll, "I know what I'm doing."

Mega Man shakes his head at how gung-ho Roll continues to be even after the occasional close encounter with injury. "One of these days, Roll, you're gonna get yourself in _big_ trouble. I just hope I'm there to stop it."

"If I remember correctly, I saved your blue rear end twice in one year," Roll argues.

* * *

><p><strong>Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.<strong>

Dr. Wily's Skullker is spotted hovering over the "Steel City" and ProtoMan, GutsMan, Cut Man, Crash Man, Needle Man and Magnet Man jump out of the Skullker and begin causing a ruckus. Not hurting anyone or destroying as much as usual. They are just creating terror, frightening people away. Obviously, luring out Mega Man.

While the Robot Masters create a scene, Proto contacts Dr. Wily. "What are we doing here anyway?"

Wily replies, _"We are simply luring our your brother, Mega Man. You'll see _exactly_ why we're here after he arrives."_

Proto has a bad feeling about where this is about to go. "Oh, that's right... Bass."

Elsewhere on the streets which are now damaged from the ensueing attack, Cut Man looks up to the sky and points. "Look!" he shouts, "Here they come and... and SHE'S HERE TOO? WAAAAAAAH!"

While Cut Man panics, GutsMan tries to help his cohort summon his own Guts. "C'mon, Cut Man! You can take her. She's just a girlbot... " Gutsy stops as he and the others robots sees somethign bright and yellow heading in their direction, "Hey, what's that?"

"It's a damn charged shot, you idiots!" ProtoMan shouts, "Take cover!"

No sooner does ProtoMan finish the word "Cover", a super-charged plasma blast from Mega Man comes crashing down upon the concrete the robots were standing on as they flee. All of Wily's robots are sent flying through the air until they crash into nearby buildings and vehicles.

Before Needle Man can get back to his feet, he hears a voice... "Here, let me help you up, Needle Man!"

As he was staggering to his feet with the help of whoever it was who was helping him up, his slow memory processors had finally realizes that the voice belonged to Mega Man who had just touched Needle Man's left arm, copying his needle shooter.

"You're welcome!" says Mega, before he throws Needle Man back to the ground...

In his Skullker high above the ensueing battle, Dr. Wily grows frustrated. "_Ugh!_... Now that I have the money, I really need to build some new robots... speaking of new robots..."

He presses a button on his front console. "Attention Bass. Prepare for battle!"

* * *

><p>On a rooftop above the fight, Bass watches the battle taking place below him and answers his true creator. "I'll be there momentarily, Master. Bass out."<p>

Bass looks at Treble and says, "Ready jet-mode, Treble."

Bass's robo-wolf Treble transforms into his jet transportation mode as Bass continues to watch the battle on the ground unfold. "When I give the word, we strike."

Treble growls in agreement.

* * *

><p>While the remaining Robot Masters are stunned from the blast, ProtoMan and Mega Man face off with eachother again.<p>

"The last time I saw you, Mega, you were getting blasted by My Little RoboPony at the tournament!" ProtoMan scoffs.

"I think your memory is getting a little corrupted, Proto," Mega replies, "Because the last time I saw you, you were reluctant to fight me!"

Proto doesn't answer, a small frown appearing on his lips. "I don't _need_ to fight you to prove I'm better."

"Come on, Proto! Don't you remember our-" Mega Man freezes when he hears a clicking sound right below him, followed by a persistent beeping. He looks down to see one of Crash Man's time bombs at his feet.

Mega Man tries to make a run for it, but the bomb goes off before he can get far enough from it and he gets flung into mid air crashing through a fire hydrant. A rushing fountain of water errupts from what used to be the hydrant, pouring on Mega Man.

Crash Man jokes, "When it rains, it pours! Doesn't it, Mega Man!"

"Ugh," ProtoMan groans, "I can see Cut Man has been teaching you how to deliver bad puns in his spear time! Now, shut up and I'll handle this!"

As Crash Man walks away, he jabs to Proto, "Don't mess it up again."

ProtoMan approaches his brother, who is still trying to regain his composure as he crawls away from the gyser of water coming from what was the fir hydrant. "I told you, Bro. We could have done it the easy way a long time ago."

Mega replies, "You sound different since our talk a few months ago."

ProtoMan changes his tone and replies, "You're not supposed to mention that when the old man's around!"

"Is Wily giving you an _order_ to fight me again?" Mega replies, ignoring his brother's complaint, "Are you going to just cave in to his orders for the rest of your life?"

Proto draws his blaster. "Stop it, Rock!"

Mega Man stands back up, but he doesn't draw his plasma cannon. Instead he tries to reason with his brother one more time. "I'm not stopping until I get you away from Wily! You don't have to obey him, Proto. He's only going to keep disrespecting you until you aren't of any use to him anymore. And you know I'm right!"

Proto shakes his head, again feeling a conflict between his programming and his emotions...

Close by, Roll is battling Cut Man... well, she's _trying_ to battle him, but he is trying to avoid all contact with her.

"You stay away from me!" Cut Man begs.

"Come on, Cut Man!" Roll replies, taunting him, "It'll be fun! You've got your big goofy scissors, and I've a got cutter of my own! And, don't worry it's not the can opener this time."

Roll's utility arm produces a round pizza cutter. The pizza cutter is not as sharp as her saw-like can opener, but the visual of Roll with a blade of _any kind_ frightens Cut Man and he goes running towards GutsMan, hiding behind the massive Robot Master.

"Hey, blondie!" GutsMan yells, pounding his fists together, "You're gonna get it for what you did to my little buddy!"

Roll knows that GutsMan is too much to handle and she starts backpeddling. But, she's still headstrong as always, so she still is ready to fight. "Come on, big boy! I'll bust your- Whoa!"

Roll gets tripped by Crash Man as she was backpeddling, and she falls to the pavement.

Both Crash Man and GutsMan begin to advance on Roll along with Magnet Man and she tries to get away. Cut Man steps over and the cutters atop his head begin opening and closing. "You're not so tough now, are you, Roll? Eh-heh!"

Roll knows that she is outnumbered and she knows what they will do to her i they capture her alive: reprogram her to fight Mega Man and take over mankind... or kill her.

Rush runs in and tries to bite Cut Man's arm, but GutsMan snatches him and tosses the robo dog down to the ground, next to Roll.

"Stay back," Roll shouts, getting a little panicked, "I'm warning you!"

As they get closer, Roll gets more nervous now. She hates having to call for help, but she knows she has little choice. "Uh, Mega! Could use a little help!" she shouts...

ProtoMan's and Mega Man's face-off is interrupted by the sound of Roll's call for help.

"It looks like you've got more important problems!" ProtoMan says.

"Roll!" Mega shouts as he ignores his olders brother and runs to help his sister. He aims his plasma cannon at the Robot Masters and prepares to fire. But, due to his lack of power, his cannon fizzles and barely shoots sparks.

"No! No, _please_ not now!" Mega panics.

Cut man laughs as he approaches Roll, the scissors on his head opening and closeing faster, ready to attack her. "Now, it's time for you to make _the __cut_, girly bot!"

But, then, a loud whooshing sound is heard in the air. The robots look around, trying to identify where the noise is coming from.  
>Almost out of nowhere, Bass and Treble swoop towards Wily's robots at break-neck speed. Bass leaps off of Treble's back and dropkicks Cut Man, ramming his feet into his round orange head.<p>

Almost immediately after Bass lands on the ground, he repositions himself and fires four bright purple plasma blasts at Crash Man, then Magnet Man, and then two at GutsMan. Bass had manged to dispose of the remaining Robot Masters inside of five seconds with deadly efficiancy.

ProtoMan watches on, amazed by this robot's speed. He almost looks like a superior to him and Mega Man. Of course, Proto's pride would never allow him to admit it.

Even Mega Man himself watches Bass take down the Robot Masters, astounded by Bass' agility.

Bass jumps back on his feet and aims his plasma cannon at ProtoMan, who stares accross at the new robotic warrior. "Think it over!" he warns Proto, ready to fire as Treble snarls.

ProtoMan remains silent and stares back at Bass. "I already have... new boy!" Proto sneers as he walks away.

The other robots also high-tail it back into Wily's Skullker as the voice of the madman himself belts through the loudspeakers. _"Abandon the mission, my robots! Stay away from Bass!"_

Bass watches the Skullker as it soars away from the wrecked streets of Pittsburgh... and then he turns his attention to Roll. He slowly approaches her, his cold intimidating expression remaining on his face as he looks into her eyes.

Roll looks apprehensive as the new robot warrior walks up to her, not knowing if she should trust Bass or not. What if Mega's suspicions are right?

But, when Bass reaches Roll... he extends his hand to her, offering to help her up. Roll looks at Bass' hand, then back up to him and finally grabs onto his hand and he helps her back to her feet.

Bass looks into Roll's blue eyes. He's never seen someone who looked this beautiful before. In fact, Bass has never seen a female robot up close before, let-alone a pretty one.

Roll also looks into Bass red eyes, which despite their naturally intimidating appearance, don't seem to have the darkness behind them like at the press conference. In fact, Roll finds herself captivated by Bass now that he is standing before her. And she still found him to be quite attractive.

After a few seconds of silence, Bass asks in that velvety tone of his, "Are you alright, Ma'am?"

"Huh?... Oh! Yeah," Roll replies, sounding a little fluttered, "I'm okay... thank you!"

Bass finally lets go of Roll's soft right hand and turns around to face Mega Man, who steps up to check on his sister. The two robot defenders stare across at each other, not even so much as uttering a word to one another.  
>The differences between them are night and day. Mega Man is the symbol of hope; Bass is the symbol of ultimate power. Mega believes in justice; Bass believes in brutallity.<p>

Bass whistles to Treble, who jets back to his master's side. "Follow Wily!" Bass orders as he stands atop of Treble's back.

As the two begin to jet off, Bass glances back down at Mega Man, his dark red eyes once again filled with coldness. Mega Man watches as Bass soars off in the distance. He knows that something is up with Bass, he just doesn't know exactly what yet.

"Wow... he's really something, isn't he, Mega," Roll sighs as she stares at Bass soaring away.

"Yeah... he's something, alright," Mega mutters.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First and foremost, we just had our first use of the **F** word in this series, and ProtoMan was the first to use it! I'm not going to be using it too much._

_And yes, not only is Bass involved now, but Dark Man is back from the grave... sort of. Dark Man the way he was before the end of Framed is still gone.  
>Proto's shocked reaction to Wily just giving Dark Man a new memory core is exactly why Dr. Light was against the idea of giving Doc the Met a new core in Episode 3. Doc would be alive but he would not be Doc anymore... Dr. Wily of course has no such ethical limitations.<em>

_Dark Man 2's look is partially based on Dark Man's final form in Mega Man 5, he's just not as bulky._

_Did you notice the symbolisim there in the latter half of the second Vickers scene? (With Furguson sitting to the side with Vickers' robotic limbs and Erikson sitting on his unaltered side. Notice that Vickers sides with Ferguson and ignores Erikson, therefore he is shunning what little humanity he has left. I know that may be complex, but I liked that touch.)  
>Note that the poor employee Vickers threates is sometimes referred to as "Joe the Dad." That's to remind us what this guy is trying to be and what Vickers won't allow him ot be.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment (I understand that since this is the end of college for some of you readers, so you can take as much time as you need.)  
>And if you catch any typos, errors or massive continuity-wrecking mistakes,<strong> please<strong> let me know in a PM..._

_And Kerbs, I just couldn't help myself. #Bananas! ;)_


	79. Challenge

_**Chapter 6: Challenge**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Shortly after the attack in Pittsburgh and Bass' interference in it, Mega Man and Roll have returned home to the lab. After Roll's interaction with Bass as the battle came to an end, both Mega and Dr. Light are questioning her about her meeting with the warrior robot.

"What did he say to you?" asks Mega Man.

"He just asked if I was okay. That was it," she replies, "He did look at me kinda funny."

"He _did_, did he?" Thomas asks, very wary.

"Yeah... I mean, he's only been online for a few days. He's probably never seen a female before," Roll says.

Thomas states, "Roll, this might sound a bit stern, but I don't want you anywhere around this robot."

"Huh? But, why?" Roll complains.

"Because, I heard of a report coming from a bank in Rochester earlier today. Appearantly, this Bass robot thwarted a robbery there... and I would rather not discuss how he dealt with the suspects. With that being said, he is not the kind of robot I want around my daughter," Thomas answers.

Roll rolls her eyes and groans, "Fine."

A troubling thought enters Mega Mans' mind after hearing his father's comment about Bass and his handling of the bank robbers combined with the thought that ProtoMan might have been warning Mega about the robot warrior in that letter... which he sent_ right after_ Vick-Tek posted the open advertisment looking for scientists to build them a robot.

"Dr. Light, can you talk with me for a minute?" Mega asks.

Thomas nods and Mega proceeds to usher him away from Roll, Rush and Eddie, than asks in a semi-whisper, "I know this is gonna sound strange... but, you don't think this Vickers guy is working for Wily, do you?"

A chill runs down Dr. Light's spine when he fathoms the possibility of Dr. Wily receiving funding from a billionaire like Vickers, able to make whatever horror he could imagine... including a powerful robot warrior like Bass. "I certainly hope not, Rock," Light responds.

"He seems very angry with me for what happened to him," Mega adds.

"He certainly has a mistaken opinion of you. But, I don't think he is misguided like Albert. I still have my doubts about Bass, however. We should keep an eye on him," murmurs back.

Mega Man nods back. "I've got a bad feeling about him too."

"So, what are you whispering about?" whispers the voice of Roll, who snuck up right behind Mega and Thomas.

"Just talking about your new _boy_friend, Roll," Mega teases, much like how she teases him about Kalinka Cossack.

Roll crosses her arms. "He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

Mega grins, "You're the one who said he was hot."

"Well... he is. But, that doesn't mean he's my boyfriend," Roll huffs as she walks away, "But, maybe he _will be_ one day."

Thomas shakes his head, worrisome about his daughter's rebeliousness. "Rock... _please_ make sure she gets nowhere near that robot."

"You don't have to tell me twice, Dr. Light," Mega says.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

When Dr. Wily's Skullker returns 'home' and lands in the hangar bay, Wily's Robot Masters wobble out of the flying craft like a bunch of drunks, still discombobulated by the number Bass did on them. But, an angry ProtoMan storms out after Wily.

"What the hell was that?" Proto shouts.

Dr. Wily puts his hands up, trying to calm Proto down. "Let me explain, Proto-"

"I've had enough of your explanations!" ProtoMan shouts back, "You led us into a trap just so we could be humiliated by your new toy Bass! Am I right yet?"

Wily sighs and answers calmly, (but clearly trying to contain his rage,) "You yourself had no problems doing it during the Deacon Opperation. You even said back then we had to make things 'look good' so that the idiot citizens would buy it," Albert then shouts, "DID YOU SAY THAT IN NOVEMBER, OR DID YOU NOT?"

ProtoMan replies, "That was all part of the plan."

"And this instance was NO DIFFERENT!" Wily shouts.

As Dr. Wily and ProtoMan argue, a plain-looking shuttle arrives carrying Bass and Treble inside. The two of them boarded the shuttle somewhere between Skull Fortress and the battle in Pittsburgh so that they could return to the fortress without attracting the attention of the news media. If anybody caught him making his way to Skull Fortress without Dr. Wily himself in custody, the illusion would be ruined.

Once he sees Proto yelling at Wily, Bass leaps out of the shuttle and arms his blaster, standing his front of his creator. "You will leave Dr. Wily alone, or else!" he rasps.

"Or else _what_?" Proto smirks, "You'll finish the job you started earlier today?"

"You wouldn't even be much of a challenge!" Bass rasps.

"Boys, stop this senseless arguing!" Dr. Wily interjects, "Let's not forget who the enemy really is."

"Yes, Master Wily," Bass nods to Dr. Wily before looking back over to ProtoMan, "Let's _not_ forget who the enemy is... big brother!"

The 'big brother' remark pushes ProtoMan over the edge and he lunges for Bass, crashing into him and taking him down to the cold hard titanium floor of the hangar and the two robts begin tussling right in front of Dr. Wily.

With all of the Robot Masters in his present company still in no shape to even walk straight, Dr. Wily calls down to any available robot masters to brake-up this fight. "My Robots, brake this fight up now!"

ProtoMan and Bass' titanium armor clank together as they continue wrestling with eachother on the floor. Proto strikes Bass' head with his right forearm twice until Bass kicks him off. Treble snarls but Bass holds his hand up to keep his wolf bot at bay. He was going to take on ProtoMan on by himself.

Before Proto can even get back on his feet, Bass tackles the red raider and the two roll around on the floor again. Bass gets in a few punches on ProtoMan's face, one of which brakes his black visor. Bass powers his plasma cannon with the intention of taking ProtoMan's head clean off with one point blnk range shot, but the Robot Masters Stone Man, Heat Man and Ring Man come in and break-up this mess before it's too late.

Dr. Wily checks on Bass' condition to see if there is any damage, totally ignoring ProtoMan.

"Let me finish him, Master Wily!" Bass growls.

"No, Bass! I will handle him," Wily shushes as he turns to face ProtoMan, who is still on his knees from Bass's punches.

"You have disappointed me again, ProtoMan," Wily says, matter-of-factly, "I thought you, of all robots, would be able to keep your cool."

ProtoMan looks up at Wily through his visor, which is now missing a chunk and revealing an angry left eye. He takes a few exasperated breaths and doesn't say a word to Dr. Wily, then looks over to Bass. "Forget it," ProtoMan sighs raggedly, "It's not worth it. You've made your damn choice."

ProtoMan walks away, adjusting his trademark yellow scarf back to normal and Wily is not pleased. "Where do you think you're going?" Albert shouts.

"Where do you think?" Proto replies, "Same place I always am."

Wily waves off ProtoMan and turns his attention back to Bass. "Nevermind him, Bass. That one has been a pain lately."

"As you wish, Master Wily," Bass obeys.

"You did very well in combat, my boy," Dr. Wily states, "Mega Man didn't know what to make of you. When the time comes for us to take him out, he won't know what hit him until it is already too late!"

Master Wily... something interesting occured after you left the area," Bass says.

"What is this 'occurance' you speak of?" Albert asks.

"Mega Man's sister... the female robot named Roll," Bass begins, "Something happened to me when I touched her... I don't know what happened for sure. But, it seemed different."

Dr. Wily's right eyebrow goes up, "You mean, you were... _attracted_ to her?"

Bass remains silent for a few seconds, replaying the meeting with Roll in his mind. A very slight smile appears on his intimidating face. "Yes. She's... beautiful. I want her to join us, Dr. Wily."

"Roll?" Wily laughs, "Forget it! She would never turn on her brother. If there's one thing I've learned about Light's robots, it's their loyalty to the idiot."

Bass remains silent, refusing to believe this... much like how ProtoMan refused to believe that his brother would never join him. _"T__here has to be a way she can be turned,"_ Bass thinks to himself.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the fortress, ProtoMan sits alone in his quarters. There are now quite a few huge dents in the wall, each of them in the shape of his fist. When he arrived, he pounded his fist into said wall, imagining that Bass' stupid purple-streaked face face was there. But now, he remains seated on the cold floor with his head hanging down, trying to calm himself down.<p>

Things have been pretty low for Proto before, but never quite like this. He's on bad terms with Dr. Wily for sure now, and Bass is pretty much guaranteed to take his spot as Dr. Wily's right hand bot when Wily decides it's time to end the defender act and reveal his true colors.

Proto had a feeling that his arguments with Wily - which have become more frequent and more furious lately - would end up getting him thrown is Wily's figurative doghouse. Now, that he's daring to pick a fight with Wily's new apple of his eye, he's affraid he'll end up out of Wily's inner circle altogether. And that means once the secret is out, Bass will be Albert's new right hand robot on a permanent basis. Just seeing the way Wily interacts with Bass pretty much confirms Proto's suspicions. Thinking about Bass only makes Proto angry again and he balls his fists so tight, it's a miricle he doesn't brake the hydrolics inside them.

Normally, ProtoMan would never let out any emotions that would make him look weak, not even in private. Aside from the occasional outbursts - like this last one - ProtoMan has tried his best to keep these emotions in-check... then, the Deacon Operation happened. And after that, there was the outcome of the Framing Operation where he accidentally blasted Wily's ion bomb in Times Square followed by the conversation he had with Mega Man the next day.  
>Ever since those two back-to-back operations, Proto has allowed his emotions - most specifically his anger - to get the better of him, and both times it nearly resulted in fatal consequences.<p>

When Proto thinks back to those two operations, he starts remembering his talk with Mega Man that night they met in private. It was the first time the brother ever had a _true_ heart-to-heart conversation.  
>The same conversation where Mega Man told him that despite being one of Wily's robots, ProtoMan was still his brother and that he could always come talk to him if he wanted. Proto remembers every word of that conversation as well as every emotion he felt that night and every one he was sure Mega felt at the same time.<p>

Thinking about that night only pours extra salt into the wounds. And then his brother's words from the conversation they had last November during the Deacon Operation ring in ProtoMan's head again... _"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

He realizes now more than ever, he _could_ have had what he always wanted back in November. But, instead, he did what Wily told him to do, just like always. He had his chance to have his brother - hell, have a whole family and a real one, at that - and he blew it... just like Wily always says.

Realizing that this is the lowest point in his life, ProtoMan lets his temper get the better of him again and unleashes his fury once more, this time throwing his damaged helmet at the wall he spent the last few minutes punching to death.

"I _hate_ you!" Proto seethes.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>Vick-Tek headquarters.**

Marcus Vickers is holding a newspaper with his robotic hand. The newspaper features a large picture of Mega Man standing accross from Bass. The headline reads,_** "FACE-OFF! The world's robotic defenders meet during battle."**_

He stares at the picture of the two warriors on the front page and gets a bold idea, one of the boldest ideas he's ever hatched. "A face-off, huh? You want a face-off? You'll get one! Scott, please contact Mr. Ferguson and make a booking for Bass and I to appear on his show it the next availible opportunity," Vickers orders.

Erikson sharply exhales, not looking forward to having to deal with Dick Ferguson directly. "Immediately, sir."

As Scott leaves, Vickers stops him. "What's wrong, Scott? Are you going to complain about your fatigue like the others have lately?"

"No, sir. Evenything's just fine. Thank you for asking," Erikson deadpans without even looking at him as he heads out of the office... but, he stops dead in his tracks when the doors to the office open wide and Bass walks in. The new robot warrior stares at Erikson with his red eyes, causing the V.P. to stand frozen in fear. Bass has had that effect on a lot of the employees he has passed today.

Vickers cheers, "Ah, Bass! You've arrived! We have much to discuss. Scott, get out."

"Gladly, sir," Erikson blurts, double timing it out of the office, getting himself as far away from Bass as fast as he can.

"You've made the news, Bass!" Vickers says, showing Bass the newspaper headline and the picture of Mega Man and himself taken in Pittsburgh yesterday, "Headline after headline. They all scream it: _Mega Man vs. Bass!_"

Vickers places his artificial hand on one of Bass' black and gold shoulders and asks, "Have you ever wondered why a human like me has robotic limbs like these?"

"No, sir," Bass replies.

"Well, I'll tell you all about it," Vickers replies, "Our 'hero' Mega Man and Dr. Light attended a charity ball I held in the city almost four months ago. That creep Dr. Wily decided to ambush the place. Then, the big one, GutsMan created an earthquake - at least it felt like one - and the ballroom started crumbling... I was buried alive in the wreckage. I lost my arm and my leg. I almost lost my life!"

Vickers looks into Bass' eyes and continues, "Do you know why, Bass? I cried- nay, I begged for help! Nobody came for me until about two hours later. Mega Man didn't help. He was nowhere to be found. He _abandoned_ me!"

Vickers pats Bass on the back and says, "But, even though I've beome a freak of technology... I'm somewhat glad it happened now. Because of that night, I have you, Bass, And, that's why you're here... I have a proposal to make you."

Vickers steps away from Bass and continues his speech. "The public has already gotten their appetite whetted by the media. They've probably already lost sleep thinking about a Mega Man/Bass battle royal. I figured... what if we could promote it?"

Bass' right eyebrow goes up in interest. "Promote it?"

"Yes!" Vickers replies, "The hottest rivalry since _Ali vs. Frazier_! It'll be the biggest spectacle on the face of the earth! Bigger than the World Series, the Super Bowl, even the Olympics! ... _Mega Man vs. Bass: the battle of the robo titans_!"

Vickers smirks and approaches Bass. "We'll have it take place at Yankee Stadium. You can embarrass Mega Man in front of his family and friends, right in his own backyard. And we can make a lot of cash - _CASH, _I tell you - on this venture!" Vickers enthusiastically boasts, "So, how does it sound to you?"

Bass considers his options. This could be his chance to destroy Mega Man and help Dr. Wily take over the world. "I will need to consult on this proposition with my creator. But, your offer_ interests_ me very much, Mr. Vickers."

"I thought it would, Bass," Vickers says.

As Bass leaves the office he turns back to face Vickers. "And if I get the permission from my creator... the answer is _yes_. But, I want to deliver the challenge to Mega Man myself."

"You'll have it," Vickers smiles with overconfidence as Bass leaves his office.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>Skull Fortress.  
>Command Center.<strong>

Bass returned not long ago to personally inform Dr. Wily of Marcus Vickers' proposal to promote a live fight between Bass and Mega Man, and Albert could not be more overjoyed.

"A Fight with Mega Man?" Dr. Wily asks with a wretched smile, "A battle for supremacy?"

"Yes, Dr. Wily. He wants to promote it and get rich off it," Bass explains.

"And... did you accept?" Wily asks, eagerly rubbing his palms together.

"Of course," Bass replies, "It will take place at a location Vickers called 'Yankee Stadium' in New York City."

Wily's grin gets wider, thinking about it. He almost starts hyperventilating because of the excitement. "We will end the legend of Mega Man, right in front of the world... then, that little blue bastard will be out of the way... FOREVER!"

"Master Wily," Bass calls out, approaching him, "I want something in return."

Wily looks back, "Whatever you desire, my boy! So long as you can destroy Mega Man, you can have it!"

Bass answers, "I want to have Mega Man's sister at my side."

Dr. Wily looks surprised that Bass had made a request like this. "I told you she would never turn-"

"I want her regardless," Bass interrupts.

"... then, I will see what I can do," he answers with his crooked smile, "Now, contact our corporate 'friend' back in New York and tell him you accept his offer and to make preperations for the climactic confrontation immediately!"

Bass bows, "I will."

Bass leaves Wily's command center only to see ProtoMan standing in the corridor. The visor in his helmet has been repaired now. A staredown begins between Dr. Wily's two best robots.

"I overheard what you two were talkin' about in there," Proto smirks, "And good luck trying to beat my little brother... 'cause you're gonna need it. If I couldn't beat him at my best _and_ at his worst... _you_ just don't stand a chance."

"You underestimate me, ProtoMan," Bass states, "I can't wait to prove you wrong."

"'Kay, whatever you say... oh, another thing," Proto sticks his red finger in Bass' purple streaked face, "Stay away from my sister!"

"You're in no position to tell me what to do, Big Brother," Bass replies, sounding angry yet calm, "I will do what I wish... including killing your brother and taking your sister."

ProtoMan smirks after Bass walks past him down the corridor and chuckles lightly. "Doesn't stand a chance."

* * *

><p><strong>The next night.<br>Channel 5 studios.  
>New York.<strong>

"Welcome to a very special edition of The Ferguson Determinant, ladies and gentlemen," greets Dick Ferguson on the set of his show, wearing that used car salesman smile of his, "Tonight you're in for quite a treat. We've got a an exclusive interview that you won't be able to see anywhere else in the world. My guests this evening are tied for first place for the honor of 'biggest newsworthy figure in the world.' I want to welcome C.E.O. and President of the Vick-Tek corporation, Marcus Vickers, and the new Defender of the Human Race, Bass the Robot Warrior!"

Marcus Vickers is seated in a chair just to the left of Ferguson, while Bass stands right behind his supposed owner with his arms crossed and staring into the camera with a neutral expression on his face.

"It's a pleasure to have you both on _The Determinant_," Dick says to his guests.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Dick," Vickers grins.

Bass says nothing in response to Dick. He just glances at Ferguson, nods, then looks back into the camera again, looking as intimidating as ever.

After a breif moment of discomfort, Dick begins the invterview with Vickers. "Uh, Mr. Vickers, what was your inspiration for introducing Bass into the world as the Savior of the Human Race?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Dick. And there are going to be people out there watching who will not like some of what I have to say, but this is the way it is," Vickers answers, "It was about time we had a robotic protector who will _remove_ the Wily threat once and for all, not one who will just wait around for the next attack to begin and then jump in after it's already too late, just barely sending the old bastard running away!"

Bass glances at Vickers for a second. He wants to brake this pitiful human's reconstructed spine in half for insulting Dr. Wily. But, he must keep the hero act going for as long as Wily orders him to.

Marcus continues, "Not only will Bass take out Albert Wily and his robot thugs, but he will prevent any other potential threat before it even starts, apprehending any potential target before they can even think of taking Wily's place!"

Ferguson points out, "Yes, but one of the main reasons you brought Bass to us was how badly you were hurt at the children's charity ball you held in February."

Vickers nods and once again recites his warped story about the events of the charity ball. "It's because of how I managed to get the new cybernetic installations of mine. I was trapped at the bottom of a rubble pile in the middle of what used to be the Giulliani Ballroom after Wily attacked... and after calling for help, Mega Man wasn't there to help me! He abandoned me! After I woke up from a coma in the hospital, I was no longer a full human... I was a human/robot hybrid freak! It was at that very moment that I knew the time had come for Mega Man to be replaced as Defender of the Human Race, because he has done a very poor job at protecting the people he's promised to protect!"

"I can attest to that!" Dick says in agreement, "I've been calling both Mega Man and Thomas Light out on their incompetance for two years now. It comes as no surprise to me that Mega Man would leave you behind like he did."

The graphic at the bottom of the screen reads, **"Dick has witnessed Mega Man and Light robots endanger the lives of many innocent humans over the years."**

Dick himself continues, "Now... tell me more about Bass himself."

As Bass remains standing tall and dominant behind Vickers, the Vick-Tek president responds, "Bass is unquestionably the single greatest artificial lifeform ever created. He is the cutting edge personified! No other robot on the face of this planet can match Bass in terms of firepower or technological superiority, and that includes Mega Man and any of Dr. Wily's robots."  
>Vickers now asserts, "He can't be outmatched, he can't be beaten, he can't be stopped! Mega Man is the past; Bass is the future!<p>

Dick smiles and panders, "Well said, Mr. Vickers! But, the individual I want to hear from now is Bass himself. Do you have anything to say to the people are have been chosen to save, Bass?"

Bass looks down to Vickers for approval to speak. Vickers raises his robotic hand, signalling his permission.

Bass then looks directly into the camera and speaks. "I have nothing to say to the human population... but, I do have something to say to Mega Man. I have seen you in action, Mega Man, and I have heard all of the stories of the great Defender of the Human Race... and I not impressed, not even in the slightest degree.  
>There is a saying that the humans use, and I think it is very fitting when it comes to us: there isn't enough room for the two of us."<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Dr. Light's lab, Mega Man watches the broadcast of Bass' challenge on the monitor, looking angered by the whole smear campaign launched by Vickers and Ferguson. But, Bass' challenge to him is what he is hung up on the most what now.<p>

Bass now points at the camera with his left hand, staring into it with his red irises, and continues, _"Mega Man... I am challenging you to face me in combat, to show the entire world who the most powerful robot in the world truly is. I suggest you accept the challenge... unless you are not much of a Mega _Man_ at all."_

Vickers adds, _"And if the answer is yes, show up at Yankee Stadium this coming Sunday Night. I already have the place booked!"_

The graphic on Ferguson's screen begins to show the address of Yankee Stadium. Below the address, it reads, **_"Be there or be square!"_**

_"Well, Bass has thrown down the challenge for Mega Man. The only question __now is, will Mega Man accept it...? I don't think he's got the guts! We'll be right back after th-"_

The monitor goes blank when Dr. Light turns it off. "This is ridiculous! They can't see the enemy is Albert Wily, not you."

Mega Man doesn't respond. Just thinking about all of the dreck he just heard coming out of that monitor and realizing that he has a decision to make.

Dr. Light approaches him and tries to talk his son out of what he's thinking. "Mega, you are _not_ considering accepting this ludicrous invitation, are you?"

"I've... gotta go," Mega interrupts, "I have to think about some things."

As Mega steps out of the lab, Thomas tries to reason with him. He cries out, "They don't speak the truth, Rock! Don't let them get to you!"

* * *

><p>After the Ferguson interview with Vickers and Bass airs, Scott Erikson leaves the Vick-Tek garage in his modest blue sedan. After the robo garage attendant scans his ID card, Scott drives out of the garage and begins to head home.<p>

As he leaves, his thoughts dwell on Mr. Vickers actions of late, especially since he returned from his grave injuries at the ball. Erikson gets frustrated at how the man could allow himself to do what he's done to the workforce, working them almost to death. And now, alligning himself with Dick Ferguson and publicly picking a fight with Mega Man, using that scary Bass robot as his personal tool.

But, as Erikson reaches a red light on a local road, he will soon realize that Marcus Vickers' behavior is the least of his worries...

"Scott Erikson?" calls a voice directly behind him.

A startled Erikson look in his rear view mirror and finds the dark mask of Mr. Black staring back at him, looking just like it does on the news reports: large, black mask and the trenchcoat. Once he recognizes the mask, his eyes become wide with horror and he gasps until his lungs can't take in anymore air. He's so scared, he can't even make a sound. He doesn't know _how_ this man got into his car - or into the building, for that matter - but he's right behind him.

"Listen to me very carefully," Mr. Black says, "Follow my directions and drive us to a spot where nobody can see us. If you do anyhing that would alert anybody, especially the police, things will become difficult for you."

Erikson nervously nods and begins driving again when the light turns green.

* * *

><p>After following Mr. Black's directions, Erikson drives himself to a dark empty alley.<p>

"Stop here," Mr. Black orders.

Breaking a hot sweat, Erikson stops his car at the precise moment the masked terror ordered him to. He wants to be for his life, but he's still too frightened to make a sound. All he can do is stare at the large silouette behind him.

"I know you're scared to death right now... I have that effect on people," Mr. Black says, "So, let's do this the easy way. I'm going to ask you some questions, and all you have to do is give me some answers. Nothing More. Sound fair?"

Erikson pants, "Y-yes."

"Tell me about you boss' new robot friend Bass. What's so special about him?" Mr. Black asks.

"... that information is classified," Erikson shudders, still being the ever-so-loyal employee.

Mr. Black leans toward Scott. "You know what I do to people who don't cooperate with me, don't you?"

Erikson almost whimpers. "Please-"

"If was ever a time for you to not be a 'Yes-Man'... _now_ is that time," Mr. Black warns, "I'm going to give you one more chance to answer the question, or we'll do this my way."

"I don't know all of the details, honest!" Erikson simpers, "I don't even think Mr. Vickers knows everything."

"Then, tell me what you do know about Bass, Mr. Black orders.

Erikson takes a deep breath, trying to calm his rattled nerves. "He's supposed to be supperior to Mega Man and all other robots. His power source isn't solar or nuclear or electric. It's something I've never heard of before, called _Bassnium_."

Mr. Black tilts his head. "Well, _that's_ something new. Most likely explains the name... now, who is this Dr. Isaac Schultz?"

Erikson answers, "I have no idea, I never met him. Mr. Vickers wrote a check out to him and he cashed it, then he built Bass and Treble for the company. Mr. Vickers insists he's trustworthy, but... I don't trust him."

"I'm going to learn more about Bass, and it's not going to be same old the company line that your boss spouted on _Ferguson_. In order to do that, I'm going to need to gain access to his top secret files, the ones he doesn't have deleted at the end of every work day... do know the password to his personal firewall?"

Erikson gulps. He shouldbn't be doing this, but all he can think about is saving his own life. "Mr. Vickers keeps his most secure files on his computer at his mansion. It's kept seprate from official company records, but it can be accessed from anywhere... the password to access it is: _1B-2B-3."_

Behind his mask, Mr. Black is genuinely surprised. He didn't even have to use the Mindcracker device because Erikson played along... it's the only time this has ever happened since donning the mask last year.  
>"Well... that about does it. Thanks, Mr. Erikson. I appriciate it. Goodnight."<p>

With that, Mr. Black opens the left rear passenger door to Erikson's blue car and exits, pacing away into the darkness of night. But, Erikson is still so petrified, he thinks Mr. Black is still there.

"... are you still here...? You're still here, aren't you?" Erikson asks the air, without looking behind himself to make sure.

There is no response.

Scott looks in his back seat area and sees nothing there, except for a crumpled up paper wrapper from the burger place that was thrown there yesterday. He then gets out of his car and looks around the darkened alley for any trace of Mr. Black, still convinced he's out there watching.

"This is a trick isn't it?" Erikson asks the darkness, "You're going to lure me into a false sense of security and then you're gonna-"

"Mmrraaaaaoow," purrs a nearby stray cat, which nearly scares the delights out of Erikson right there, until he realizes it's just a cat.

Erikson pants as he rests his right hand over his heart. "It's just a cat... just a cuddly, furry little-"

**_POW! _**rings a loud gunshot from Mr. Black's Dessert Hellbird handgun, scaring both Erikson and the stray cat to death. Fortunately, neither were hit by the shot, but they both shriek and whine like babies as they flee for their lives.  
>Erikson leaps into his car head first and puts the pedal to the metal and speeds out of the alley.<p>

"... what a whimp," Mr. Black utters from somewhere in the shadows.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First and foremost, there appears to be a misinterpretation about Bass' "Big Brother" comments.  
>I never mentioned this, but, it's best I do now: Bass is not related to Mega Man, ProtoMan or Roll At least not in the Defenderverse. Bass was built from different plans from the Light siblings, so even though Proto and Bass were created (or in Proto's case co-created) by Wily, they are not related.<br>Bass' Big Brother" remarks are meant to be a taunt and an insult to ProtoMan, to get under his skin by bringing up his actual brother Mega Man. So, he is not calling Proto _his_ big brother. He's just mocking him.  
>I will be making a revision to an earlier chapter to make clear the fact that Bass is not related to the Light siblings very soon.<em>

_Erikson's passcode that he gave Mr. Black (1B-2B-3) was also Commander Chekov's part of the self-destruct code he used in Star Trek 3._

_"Ali vs. Frazier" is a reference to a series of boxing matches in the 1970's that pitted Muhammed Ali against Joe Frazier, which was at one time the most intense rivalries in sports and one of the most famous in the world._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment (If you're in college, it's okay if you're late,) And if you catch any typos or errors (especially ones that wreck the continuity), **please** PM me as soon as you can._

_... yes, Vickers really did say 'Nay' earlier. It is kind of fitting, because he is a jackass._


	80. Setting the Stage

_**Chapter 7: Setting the stage.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Macintosh Shopping Mall.<br>New York.**

A sizable ammount of N.Y.P.D. officers and Policebots are gathered inside the mall where a bunch of punks attempted to steal a computer store's entire stock of the newest model of the 'Thinpad' personal computer tablet (a computer with a massive five-hundred Terabyte hard drive which also has telephone and gaming capabilities... and it's no thicker than a piece of paper. Same goes for the hard drive too.)

The thieves managed to get into the store early this morning when securitybots were switching shifts. The only thing they weren't counting on was were employees who were still in the store and a hostage senario began. Police back up arrived here but have been unable to take action because of the hostages in the store.

Now, the mall has been shut down and police surround the entire premesis, and Chief Montgomery Toombs is with them. Things are already looking bad for the perpatrators, because not only are they cornered by the police, but an infiltration team is close by, ready to take them down when the Chief gives the word.

_"We're right outside the rear storage entrance, Chief,"_ says the squad leader of the infiltration team on the radio.

"Aye. We're gonna try an' talk these pukes down and let 'em know they're surrounded," Toombs replies, "If they don't come out... you'll get your word."

_"Yes, sir. We'll be awaiting your comm-... what the hell?"_

"What the hell're you guys _what the hell_ing about? Toombs asks, becoming concerned.

_"Chief, there's something in the sky heading this way, very fast. It's not stopping, either... We have visual confirmation. It's that new Bass r-"_

The squad leader's communication is cut off when Bass and Treble crash through the roof of the mall and into the computer store.

"THE HELL IS HE DOIN'?" Cheif Toombs shrieks, not happy with Bass' interference in a hostage situation.

The computer thieves inside the store pay no attention to the police or the hostages anymore and are focused soley on Bass... and they are trying to survive. Bass dashes towards one of the thieves first and grabs him by his neck, throwing him through the store's display window and out to the cops.

Another of the robbers aims his gun at Bass and fires several shots at the robot, but because his weapon uses standard non-plasma ammunition, none of his shots do any damage at all. When Bass reaches the peratrator, he grabs the gun out of his grip and crunches it into a twisted hunk of metal with just one hand.

The robber puts his hands up and begs, "Please don't! I surrender. Have some mercy!"

"I don't have any," Bass says as he rears his arm back and backhand strikes the unarmed and defenseless man accross the face, severely injuring him.

The last of the robbers runs out of the store in fear as Treble runs after him. The man trips and falls and this allows Treble the chance to pounce him. The thief tries to shake Treble off of him, but trying to shake off raging a wolf bot is easier said than done.  
>The man holds his shotgun in front of his face sideways as Treble tries to bite his face off. Trebles sharp pointy teeth gnaw into the shotgun and leaves holes in it. It won't be longer before this poor sucker becomes Treble's lunch.<p>

"Treble! Down!" commands Bass who walks out of the computer store, still looking as unflappable as always. When Bass gives Treble his command, the wolf obeys and jumps off of the punk, allowing the law enforcement to take over from here.

Chief Toombs nearly flips out and marches himself right up to Bass. He yells, "What tha hell're 'ya doin'? Do you realize you coulda got innocent people killed in there?"

Treble growls and snarls at the Chief, looking like he's about to bite him, until Bass keeps him at bay by simply holding up his hand. "How I deal with my enemies is none of your concern," Bass replies calmly, "I got the job done and your hostages aren't dead. I didn't see _you_ rushing in to stop them, human."

As Bass and Treble walk away from the scene, Toombs continues to argue with him. "Ya' think you're some big hero, are ya'?"

Bass turns back around and faces Toombs again. "I never said I was a hero. I have a job to do, and I'm doing it. If any of your hostages had perished, they would have been mere collateral damage."

Toombs snarls, "You make me sick!"

Now Bass takes offence to Toombs' words and draws his blaster and aims at right at the Chief of Police! "The feeling is mutual, human!" he says.

The Chief himself draws his handgun from his holster and all of the other officers that are around draw theirs at the same time, aiming them all at Bass and creating a very intense standoff. An errie silence fills the air inside the mall and the only thing that can be heard is the horrified weeping of the hostages, the pained whimpering of the thieves and Trebles raging growling.

Bass' dark red eyes narrow as he stares down the Chief. He would like to turn Toombs into a puddle with one blast for his remarks, but Dr. Wily's order to maintain the 'savior' illusion until he says otherwise keeps him from doing it.  
>"You're not worth the plasma," he gravels as he lowers his blaster arm, "By the way, tell your coward friend Mega Man that my challenge is still awaiting an answer."<p>

As Bass steps on Treble's back and begins to fly off, the Chief angrilly hollars up to him. "Mega Man ain't no coward! An' you ain't no Mega Man!"

"And I don't want to be!" Bass yells back as he and Treble jet away, crashing through the mall's sunroof, causing the shards of glass to rain down upon the cops down below.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>Channel 5 studios.  
>New York.<strong>

As Program Director Morris Rayburn sits behind his office desk, looking as miserable as ever, there is a knock at his door. His misery only grows even worse, because he knows who's behind that door.

"What is it?" Morris grumbles.

Dick Ferguson enters the office, that gap-toothed smile looking wider than ever following last night's controversial episode, where Bass openly challenged Mega Man to face him in combat.

"Hello, Morris! Are you having a good day? I know I am!" Dick greets as he sits down accross from Morris, "Hey, by chance, would you just happen to know what the overnights were for last night's episode of the Determinant."

Morris clearly looks perturbed at Dick's attempt to get under his skin. "You don't need me to give you your ratings."

"Yeah, I know, but my computer's terminal's running slow," Dick answers, still grinning.

"Fine," Morris grits through his teeth, bringing up last night's raitng on his computer screen. He figures he might as well give the idiot what he wants so that way he will leave as soon as possible.  
>Once the ratings appear on the screen, Morris turns his monitor around so Dick could read it. "There."<p>

Dick grins, "My eyes are a little blurry today, I've got alergies. Could you read 'em for me?"

Now that he knows that Ferguson is just here to screw with him, Morris nearly breaks the pencil he's holding in half in pure rage.

"I'm waiting, Morris," Dick goads.

A seething Morris grabs the monitor and jerks it back around to face himself. He barks, "20.6! Happy now?"

"A twenty-share!" Dick beams, looking full of himself, "A twenty-share for a local show, mind you! Not too bad for a guy who you were about to fire two months ago. And if you think a twenty-share is big, you should have seen the hits on my website. It was_ huge_!"

Whether or not Ferguson is telling the truth about the viewership on his website, Morris tries to deflate his little ego bubble. "It's just natural curiosity. Once everybody's had their fill of your new buddy Marcus Vickers and his unholy monster of a robot, they'll all tune out and your ratings will fall right back down."

Dick retorts with a snide tone, 'Well, they were good enough for your boss to enter our first round of contract negotiations this morning! You should've been there. I'm going to get everything. Big payraise, syndication deal, you name it!"

Rayburn nearly groans at the idea of hearing that the president of the station has actually begun negotiating with Dick.

"I know you can't stand me, Morris. But, it's time to get with it, man!" Ferguson smirks, "Times are changing. We have a new Defender of the Human Race, a new superpower in the business world... and then there's yours truly who is soon going to have a new contract. Sooooo... it looks like you're stuck with us."

Morris can feel his skin crawl just looking at Ferguson anymore and groans, "Are you done yet? I've got work to do."

"Not quite, Morris," Dick says, standing up and reaching into the lining pocket of his tweed blazer and pulling out two tickets, "I have two seats to this weekend's big showdown between Bass and Mega Chump, compliments of Mr. Vickers. They were mine, but being a the important member of the news media that I am, I've got a job to do and inform the world when Bass defeats Mega Man, assuming the blue jerk has the guts to show up.  
>So, I need to give these seats to somebody. It might as well be you, so you can see the crowning moment for me, Bass and Marcus Vickers in person."<p>

Morris snears, "Gee, that's awfully kind of you... Richard. But, I think I'll just watch it Mega Man knock the hell out of that psychotic tin can from the comfort of home. No thanks."

Dick puts the tickets back into his pocket. "You're going to regret those words when Bass forces Mega Man into early retirement. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to give these out to somebody else. See ya' later, Morris!"

As Dick leaves the office, Morris sighs and rubs his temples with his fingers. "If that idiot gets a new contract, I'm gonna kill myself."

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

It has been nearly twelve hours since Bass threw down the gauntlet to Mega Man on live network television, issuing him a challenge to fight him one on one to decide who the greatest robot in the world truly is.

An unhelmetted Mega Man is on the roof of Dr. Light's house right next to the egg-shaped lab structure, thinking about the challenge thrown down by Bass. He remains seated as to not draw any attention to himself from any onlookers that may drive by. He knows the entire country if not the entire world is waiting for his answer.

Roll walks up to the roof looking for her brother. "Hey, Mega. I heard about what Bass did last night. Dr. Light is worried sick about you."

Mega doesn't reply, continueing to stare at the city skyline ahead of him.

"He's really worried, Mega." she says, sitting down next to him, "He says you shouldn't accept it because you have nothing to gain from this except bragging rights."

"Did you hear about what Bass did this morning?" Mega asks.

Roll shrugs, "No?"

"Bass barged his way into the middle of a hostage situation at the mall, endangering everybody involved. Then, he threatened Chief Toombs and the other polices officers when they took issue with how he handled himself," Mega says, getting angry thinking about Bass' actions, "That's not kind of robot who should be defending this world! I'd hate to say it, but he needs to be made an example out of. And if I don't answer his, that means I'm allowing the world to be defended by corporate thug."

A frustrated Mega stands up and continues, "I don't like the idea of getting involved in a specticle like this, because I've got more important things to worry about with Wily. But, I'm not gonna sit here and let this creep threaten our friends. If he wants a fight, I'm going to give him one."

Roll admits, 'Dr. Light sent me up here to try to convince you not to accept... but, I think it would be really cool if you did."

Mega looks over to his sister and smiles. "I thought you_ liked_ Bass."

Roll snickers, "Not anymore, I don't. And after what that purple-faced jerk said about you, I want to see you blast his butt off! Besides, my true love is Shades Braxton from Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers."

"I'll have my work cut out for me," Mega says, "Bass plays rough, but he's impressive."

"Bass blasting four bots in five seconds isn't _that_ impressive," Roll says, "You've gone through Skull Frotress' defences like they were nothing, you took down Gamma, _and_ you saved Governor Deacon while you had a scrambler chip stuck to your head. I haven't seen Bass do any of that."

"So, Bass has got a lot of catching up to do if he's gonna take my job," Mega says.

Roll gives her brother a light punch to his left shoulder and encourages him. "Nobody's taking your job anytime soon, big brother. I think you can beat him. There hasn't been a bot you haven't been able to beat yet."

Mega Man looks back at his sister. His bushy brown hair waving in the breeze. "If the answer is yes, I'm only going to accept on one condition," he says, determined.

* * *

><p><strong>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.<br>Marcus Vickers' office.**

"CHARITY?" shouts Marcus Vickers at the top of his lungs.

Scott Erikson timidly tries to explain, "Mega Man said he would only show up at the event if all of the money made want to a charity and not Vick-Tek, sir."

Vickers seethes with anger because this meant that he and his company will not be making any money on this big showdown this weekend, not even a penny. "He wants the proceeds to go to charity? _Fine_, they'll go to a charity, alright!"

"Mega Man also said he wants the New York Police to provide the security. Because... he doesn't trust you," Erikson says.

"The New York police? The same people who interfered in Bass' job this morning?" Vickers snits.

Erikson tries to correct his boss. "Actually, it was Bass who interfered in-"

"Don't question me!" Vickers barks, "Go call the blue wonder back and tell him to show up and not back out. Because if he doesn't, I'll have Bass go find him and make him wish he was never switched on. GOT IT?"

"Yes, sir!" Erikson freaks as her runs out of the office in fear.

After Erikson leaves, Vickers tries to calm himself down. "Okay... relax... relax... it's only _millions_ of dollars I'm about to lose to make this event possible... but, it will all be worth it. Bass will embarrass and wipe the floor with Mega Man no matter what!"

After taking a moment to calm down, Vickers contacts his secretary. "Cindy, get me in touch with our advertising division. On the double. The event is on and I don't want to see a single empty seat in that stadium!"

* * *

><p><strong>Two years earlier.<br>Washington D.C.**

On this particular day, it had been nearly two weeks since Mr. Black (or 'John') had quit the F.B.I. He was meeting his old friend from the bureau Agent Cotto and at the moment they were sitting in the same sedan that would later become the illegally modified car that Mr. Black uses today.

"Rahm, there's I needed to discuss with you... and it's about how I left the F.B.I." Mr. Black says, sitting in the driver's seat, "I have come to the conclusion that Allen and the others would not have learned about my device as quickly as they did and wouldn't have let me out to dry... unless somebody helped them learn about it. I know you, Rahm, because we've been friends for so long. And I know you'll be honest with me... it was _you_ who ratted me out, wasn't it?"

Mr. Black looks over to Agent Cotto who is sitting in the passenger's side seat... with the _Mindcracker_ device jammed into his left ear.

"Yes," Cotto drones, staring at nothing.

Mr. Black barely smiles. "From the moment we began our first test, I knew you would do this to me. You were so scared. Why?"

"The experiments were unethical... felt the need to stop it... you were losing control," Cotto moans.

Mr. Black then stares at his feet as he reaches over and ever so slightly turns the signal power of the device a bit higher. "You will have no memory of this day. All you will remember was that you were depressed about breaking up with your wife... and stabbing your friend John in the back... so, you went out drinking..."

Mr. Black suddenly punches Agent Cotto's face as hard as he can, causing him to slump over.

"... and you may have gotten into a fight," Mr. Black finishes.

Then, something snapped Mr. Black out of his mental flashback and back into the present... it sounded like the news...

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day.<br>Utica, New York.**

... It was now nighttime and the image of channel 7's Kirk Trujillo and Trish Faulkenburg appear on a small screen on the dashboard of Mr. Black's illegally modified car. Kirk's face on the screen says,_ "The challenge has been answered! __Mega Man will be entering combat with the Vick-Tek warrior robot Bass this Sunday at Yankee Stadium. And according to our viewer feedback, the majority of you think that Mega Man will defeat Bass in the big showdown, and Bass' popularity has suddenly declined following his encounter with police this morning."_

Wearing his mask and trenchcoat, Mr. Black shakes himself back to attention as his car arrives to a specifiic location in Utica where a package has been left for him to retrieve. The location was actually a random mailbox on the edge of a sidewalk.

Mr. Black gets out and looks around to see if anybody is here to spot him. When he does not sees anybody, he approaches the mailbox and kneels down, reaching below the box and pulls off an envelope which was stuck to the bottom.

Mr. Black gets back into his car and orders, "Return to the hideout."

As the sedan drives itself away, Mr. Black opens the envelope and first pulls out a letter.  
>It reads, <em>"I figured it was best to supply you with this now before you asked me about it. I suggest that you only partake in survailing the proceedings and to not get yourself involved (that means don't even try taking a shot.) Doing so would only result in unneccesssary trouble.<em>  
><em>Don't say I never did anything nice for you. -Conduit."<em>

Mr. Black reaches into the envelope again and pulls out one ticket for this Sunday's battle between Mega Man and Bass at Yankee Stadium.

"How generous... but I'll be the one who decides if I should get involved."

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

It is early in the morning and Dr. Light makes his way to the garage section of the lab compound. He had not heard about Mega Man's decision to answer Bass' challenge until now and he is not feeling comfortable with his son's decision.

He arrives to the garage area to see that all of the family's vehicles (including their red SkyCar, Roll's SkyCycle and the rarely-used Land Blazer vehicle) have been moved outside and that Mega Man is using this area to train himself, much like he did in his early days of being a robot hero.  
>Not only that, but Roll, Rush and Eddie are gathered around to cheer him on.<p>

"Rock, I need to have a word with you right now," Thomas calls.

"Give me a few more minutes, Dr.-"

"_Now_, Rock," Thomas asserts, "And I would like for this conversation to be private."

Mega Man ceases his training for the battle with Bass and turns to his father as Roll, Rush and Eddie leave the garage. Dr. Light sounded a little bit stern, and he hardly ever does.

After the others leave and it is just Thomas and Mega in the garage, the good doctor begins to question his son's motivations. "What are you thinking accepting this ludicrous challenge?"

"Bass is not the robot who deserves to be defending us," Mega answers, "He's a monster, not a hero."

"I allowed you to be upgraded to protect the world from evil, not to participate in useless exhibition. Don't you know this could be a trap?" Light asks.

"I've already taken measures to ensure that won't happen. The police will be there to watch my back," Mega responds.

"And what about the Albert Wily factor we've discussed?" Thomas asks.

"We'll find out on Sunday if he's one of them or not," Mega replies.

Dr. Light shakes his head and sighs. "Bass' recent actions are not the only reason you're doing this, is it?"

Mega turns around and tries to answer. "I have to knock some sense into him, father."

"No, that's not all. There's enough of me in you to know what you're thinking," Thomas says, "Your sense of pride is making you do this. You believe that backing down isn't an option for you right now."

With his back turned to his father, Mega admits, "If I let Bass call me out in public like that and I don't accept the challenge... the perception would be that I'm nothing more than a Mega Chicken!"

"That's not true, son," Thomas tries to explain.

Mega continues, "You might not think so, but a lot of people probably would. They might stop believing in me and embrace somebody like Bass. I'm not about to let some thug run around and tear down everything we've fought and sacraficed for."

"I can see that I cannot change your mind," Thomas sighs, about to leave the room. But, Mega calls back to him.

"Do you support me?" Mega asks, a noticable pang of concern on his voice, wondering if this will mark the first time he hasn't had his father's support.

Dr. Light turns back around. "Of I do... you're my son. I don't like the idea, you've made up your mind already. And regardless of what his intentions are, Bass is a menace to society... and he doesn't deserve to be the Defender of the Human Race. If he truly intends to be a defender, this may be the only way to straighten him out."

Now that he knows that he's got his father's support even though the man may not like the idea of his son entering this competition Mega Man smiles. "Thanks, father."

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday.<br>Vick-Tek corporate Headquarters.**

While Marcus Vickers is at Yankee Stadium making final preperations for the big showdown tonight between Mega Man and Bass, the Vick-Tek board of directors is holding an emergency meeting, which is already in progress. Scott Erikson (whose heart rate has returned to normal since his interrogation by Mr. Black) and the rest of the board of directors are all seated around a rectangular desk in an office near the top of the skyscraper, and the topic of this emergency meeting is Marcus Vickers himself.

Teressa, the Chief Financial Officer, states her case. "Over the course of the past two years, Mr. Vickers has dumped millions upon millions of dollars developing a super fighting robot, and in doing so, the venture severely ate into this company's profits. In addition to that, he was willing to jeopardize this company's integrity in an attempt to sign Dr. Mikhail Cossack, his recent treatment of our employees has been inexcusable... and now, this Bass robot publicly calls out Mega Man and threatens the Chief of Police! And meanwhile, our C.E.O. is making a circus out of it. This, combined with the employees who are filing a complaint with the union, have caused our investors to panic. This is an embarrassment!" Teressa barks as she throws her reports on the table in anger.

Erikson, of course, tries to explain his boss' recent bizarre behavior. "Mr. Vickers has been in a great deal of stress following his injures."

"Yes, 'a great deal of stress.' I would say it's so much stress that he is clearly no longer in any condition to running a Fortune 5000 company." states the Vick-Tek head of Human (and Robot) Resources, a man named Xander Myers, " And that's why we're all here today. Action needs to be taken right now, or else there will be no _Vick-Tek_ left to save."

Erikson slowly makes the realization about what this meeting's true prupose is. "Mr. Myers, are you saying-"

"We are holding a vote of confidence, deciding wether or not Marcus Vickers should remain in power of this company," Myers interrupts

"But, Mr. Vickers built this company," Erikson argues, "We would be stabbing him in the back if we were to oust him!"

"Scott, you have witnessed our employer's gradual brakedown first hand," Xander states, "You have even confided in some of us here at this very table about your own concerns about his well being. You know what we have to do... and at this point, it's the right thing to do. Even you can't deny anymore how much of a liability Marcus Vickers has become to the future and integrity of this company."

Erikson stares at the desk as his fellow board members begin to encourage him to vote the way they want him to. He has been so loyal to Vickers for so long, this is proving to be difficult... but, he knows they are right. "If you go through with this... who could possibly take his place?" he asks.

Xander says, "Scott, you've been living under the crook of Vickers' arm for so long, you've forgotten just how competent of an executive you used to be, and you allowed yourself to become complacant. It's how you really got the job to begin with."

Erikson lets out a woeful sigh. He gets the feeling that these people are just trying to play to his ego now so their can get their way... but, regardless of their agenda, they are still right about him.

"I'm not interested in taking his job as my own. I'm not the man for the job," Erikson says.

"Even if you aren't the one for the job, we still have to do this Scott," Teressa says, "This is the only way we can stop the bleeding."

Erikson puts his face into the palms of his hands for a moment, realizing that this landscape altering decision cannot be put off any longer. He stares at the console installed into his section of the table for a long time, and everybody around him doesn't say a word. They patiently wait for him to begin the vote.  
>He then presses a button on said console and the word "recording" appears on the screen next to it.<p>

He speaks, "Vote of confidence hearing regarding C.E.O. and Owner, Marcus Vickers. Sunday, April 21, 20X3. I, Vice President Scott Erikson, will cast the first vote..."

Erikson looks up at all of the eyes of the board members staring back at him, waiting for him to cast his vote. Erikson wipes a film of sweat that has formed on his head. The pressure is on now because his vote will be the deciding factor. If he votes 'No Confidence,' everybody will follow his lead, because if his most loyal employee votes him out, they know they had better follow suit.  
>But if he sides with Vickers, many others on this board will too. While most of the board members want him gone, but they would vote 'confidence' out of fear of Vickers catching wind of their decision and fire them on the spot if he sticks around.<p>

Feeling like he has a ton of bricks on his back, Erikson leans forward slightly into the desk and speaks... "I, Scott Erikson... Vice President of Vick-Tek incorporated... vote No Confidence."

Scott nervously watched on as the other board membrs began glancing accross from eachother, looking like their minds were about to be made up all at once. The board began voting to decide Vickers' fate.

"I, Teressa Amador, Chief Financial Officer of Vick-Tek incorporated, vote No Confidence."

"I, Xander Myers, Head of the Vick-Tek Human and Robot rsources department, vote No Confidence."

Erikson watches as each of the directors, one after the other, spoke their name, rank and vote... and it was unanimous: "No Confidence."

And then the voting was done. In a matter of hours, Marcus Vickers will be ousted from his own company before the business week begins. And it's all his own fault.

"I have to go," Erikson says, standing up and feeling like the ton of bricks has been removed from his back, "Mr. Vick- ... Marcus will know something is afoot if I'm not at the stadium. I will inform him of the results myself."

"Thank you, Scott," Teressa says.

Erikson turns around and gives the board a word of warning. "If I were you... I would worry more about Bass than Marcus Vickers."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The big showdown between Mega Man and Bass is about to take place in chapter 8. And it's going to be a big one. (You don't even have to order it on Pay Per View to see it!) And now Vickers is about to be ousted from his own company. Who knows what will happen next._

_I just want to say, when I first started writing the first half of the scene with Bass taking down the bad guys at the mall, I hated it because it was too similar to the bank robbery scene. but this chapter needed to be lengthened and Bass needed to show up and taunt Mega again somehow. Thankfully, I got it into shape._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos or major errors, please PM me._


	81. The Big Showdown

_**Chapter 8: The Big Showdown.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday Night.<br>****Yankee Stadium.**

People are filing into the legendary centuries-old baseball stadium, eager to see the big showdown later tonight. In the middle of the baseball field is a large custom-built arena where Mega Man and Bass will be doing battle. The arena has four very tall walls that appear to be made from a glass like material, but it must be very strong to withstand the type of combat that will be taking place withing those walls shortly.

This is unquestionably the biggest moment in the history of events and naturally, there are only two men who could bring this to us... Howard F. Cappetta and The Supreme Intellect.

_"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen!", _says Howard, _"Welcome to the Sports Network's special __presentation of Fight Night Sunday. We've always had the pleasure of bringing __you the best in combat sports, including the Robot Championship Tournament... at least until it was sabotaged earlier this year. __But tonight, we've got the biggest event in the world!  
><em>_It's the Battle of the Robo-Warriors as Mega Man - the chosen Defender of the Human Race - __battles the new super warrior robot known as Bass - the 'Savior' of the Human Race, as billed by billionaire C.E.O. Marcus Vickers - built by the unsung scientist Isaac Schultz and __funded by the Vick-Tek corporation!  
><em>_Folks, it just doesn't get any bigger than this!"_

_"Aren't you forgetting somebody, Humanoid?" _asks The Supreme Intellect, who is wearing an even louder, more sparkly tuxedo than he did at the Robot Championship Tournament. And he's also wearing a sparkly bandana over his large misshapen bald head.

_"Oh, yeah,"_ Howard groans,_ "Joining me as always is The Sup-"_

_"And I'm THE HOST__ of this telecast, The Supreme Intellect! And don't you forget it, brother!"_ bellows the former wrestler.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, up in the press box of Yankee Stadium, Bree Recotta arrives wearing a purple suit blazer and black slacks. She approaches a plate glass window which overlooks the baseball field which has been repurposed for tonight's event and sees the large combat arena that has been built for this fight.<br>When she sees the combat arena, Bree gets in uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something feels very wrong about all of this, especially all three of the players who helped make this event happen - those being Bass, Vickers and Dick Ferguson - all appear to hate Mega Man and Dr. Light. She wants to get down to the field and check this structure out for herself.

"Well, well, well! Bree Recotta!" calls a smarmy voice from behind Bree. She would recognize Dick Ferguson's used car salesman voice from anywhere.  
>Ferguson slinks around to her right side and continues, "I assume you're here to usher in the era of Bass after he gets done whooping Mega Man later tonight? Or maybe you're here to get an interview with Mr. Marcus Vickers?"<p>

"I'm not interested in talking with either of your friends, Richard," Bree replies, suppressing her desire to knock his block off for what he said about her and her husband a few months ago.

Dick grins, "Well, that's good, because all interviews with Mr. Vickers and Bass are _Ferguson Determinant_ exclusives. You couldn't get them if you wanted to. But, maybe you can interview your good friend Mega Man after he loses."

Bree turns to face Ferguson. "I'm here to investigate the integrity of this little event. Because I have a feeling that this is really all one giant ploy to embarrass Mega Man and Thomas Light. And if I find any evidence that would prove my theory correct... you, your boss and your new robot hero are going to be nailed right to the wall! And _I'll_ be the one leading the charge!"

Dick just smirks, "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you Brianna, but everything about this event is totally legit. The integrity of the combat arena has been triple checked and verified by the New York Police Department. Mega Man will lose fairly and squarely, because that's how good Bass really is... the Mega Man era is over."

"We'll see about that, _Dick_!" Bree sneers, placing emphasis on Dick's first name, as she begins to leave the press section and leaving Ferguson standing there flustered.

He whines, "Careful with your words there, _Cheese Woman_! I can sue you for everything you've got. And by the way, don't you dare record any video here, it's prohibited. I'll throw you out myself!"

Bree turns around to face Ferguson... and holds up an errect middle finger on his right hand before she turns to leave, leaving Dick aghast at her blatent use of _sign language_.

"Wh-... that's not very lady-like!" he stammers.

* * *

><p>Aside from the White House and other high priority locations, Yankee Stadium is the most heavily guarded place in the whole country tonight.<p>

Outside the Stadium, a police mobile operations center truck is parked outside, coordinating the security of the event. Inside, several dispatchers and officers are stationed inside the truck to monitor all of the goings on inside the stadium. If anything even_ looks_ wrong, the police will be able to jump right on it. Captain Talia Tallarico is running point in the truck, overseeing the operation.

Also, several officers and event security provided by Yankee Stadium are statoned at every entrance and exit to ensure that all of the fans in attandance are just fans and not Vick-tek plants or robots posing as humans (which is a tactic often used by Dr. Wily.)

Meanwhile, Chief Toombs is personally commanding the ground forces inside the stadium. There are sharpshooters stationed at multiple points on the highest sections of the stadium and also patrols of officers and policebots are scouting the stands in search of any suspicious activities.  
>Toombs is with Officer Ash Rose - who usually serves alongside Captain Tallarico, but Chief Toombs wanted his services where they were most needed - and PoliceBot QN-60. Sixty's partner Lynn Wersching would have been here tonight, but it was her night off to spend with her brother Castor.<p>

"Either of you fellas see anything suspicious out there?" Toombs asks as he stands across from Sixty and Rose as they stand on the baseball field out in front of the combat arena.

"No, Chief," Sixty replies.

"Nothing yet," Ash replies.

"_Yet_, lad?" Toombs asks.

"I've got a feeling in my bones something's about to go down here tonight," the human officer answers.

"Well, that's why we're here, Lads," Toombs says, "Mega Man wanted us here ta' watch his blue backside and since he's one of us, that's what we're gonna do... an' besides, I might just shoot that Bass gremlin myself if I get the chance."

"Chief Toombs, commiting such an act would most likely violete your code to serve the public trust," QN-60 states, "You would lose your badge."

"Just wee little joke there, Sixty," Toombs explains, "But, if that robot does anything that would put anybody here's life in danger, we take him down."

The rest of the officers gathered around - including Ash and Sixty - nod in acknowledgment. After witnessing Bass' reckless and threatening behavior for themselves, they know that the appropriate action may need to be taken if he goes too far, regardless of how the Vick-Tek corporation would react.

* * *

><p>As the thousands of attendees continues to pour into the stadium, Bree Recotta uses her media credentials to make her way down to the field seating area to get as close to the combat arena as she can. She reaches a guard barrier, which is about fifteen feet away from the arena itself.<br>Bree pulls her video phone out of her pocket and begins recording the visual of this large combat arena. As she records, she studies the arena with her own eyes.

The large combat arena itself is basically four sheets of glass-like material, each of which is twenty yards wide and ten yards tall on a twenty yard by twenty yard metal canvas, most likely made of titanium. Each of these wall has a small platform on them to use for tactical vintage point advantage. The canvas itself has two hatches, one on one side of the arena, and one of the opposite end. These will be for dispensing energy cans between rounds.

What perplexes Bree the most is the walls of the combat arena. This can't be actualy glass, because it would stand no chance against two titanium-armored robots and several blasts of plasma.  
>"What<em> is<em> this stuff?" she asks herself.

"Transparent aluminum," answers a man's voice not far behind her.

Bree looks over her shoulder and sees a character wearing a black suit and tie... with wide shoulders and Black hair. She doesn't know it, but she's standing next to the unmasked Mr. Black, who managed to make it past security without raising any red flags.  
>He is also staring at the arena, looking like he's studying it. She figures he knows what he's talking about, so she might as well ask him.<p>

"What if they blast the walls? Aren't the fans in any danger?" Bree asks.

"Not likely," Mr. Black answers, keeping up the _'interested spectator'_ act, "Transparent aluminum is impervious to almost all types of firepower, even plasma buster discharge... _but_, a plasma bolt round embedded in an armor piercing casing _could_ penatrate it, depending on the firearm used."

Bree's thin eyebrows tilt with skepticisim. "Are you some kind of weapons expert, Mister?"

Not brakeing his stare on the combat arena, Mr. Black answers, "I know my weapons, but I'm more of a security expert... I _was_, anyway."

Bree looks into the viewfinder of her camera phone as she continues gathering footage of the combat arena. "What's your name? I could use a citation for my report."

"... that's classified," the man replies, his voice trailing off.

Bree's brow furrows after hearing that response for an answer. She looks over to her side only to see that this guy has already left and has become lost in the flood of fans pouring into the stadium. She had a hunch there was something about this guy that wasn't on the level... perhaps a little creepy.

"This is going to be a long night," she utters to herself.

* * *

><p>Scott Erikson returns from his emergency meeting with the Vick-Tek board of Directors, wearing a suit and a long black tie, and he enters the most expensive luxury suite in the stadium to find Marcus Vickers - the man he voted <em>"No Confidence"<em> in just a few hours ago - wearing a tuxedo and overflowing with anticipation.  
>Scott knows that he has to be the one to deliver the news of the board's decidion to Vickers personally, so he puts on his best stiff upper lip and takes a deep breath. It was now or never.<p>

As Erikson steps forward, Vickers notices his arrival. "Scott, where the hell have you been?"

"New York traffic, sir," he calmly answers, "It was especially bad tonight with the event taking place."

"I sent a SkyCar. Why didn't you take it?" Vickers asks.

"I must have missed it, sir," Erikson lies. He knew Vickers had sent a SkyCar, but had declined taking it here.

"Well, you're here now, so have a seat and enjoy the show. Within a matter of minutes, Mega Man will be retired as the world's defender and my Bass will take the reins as the ultimate robot! This is the night my company is coronated. Oh, yes!" he gleefully says as he stares down at the combat arena that his money created, holding his arms outward and looking like the megalomaniac the other board members said he was becoming.

"There is something we have to discuss, sir," Erikson states.

"It can wait until later. I'm in the middle of the biggest moment in history right now!" Vickers complains.

"It's important, sir," Erikson presses.

"It can wait until later!" Vickers repeats angrilly.

"... very well, sir," Erikson replies, barely managing to stay calm.

* * *

><p>Dr. Light and Roll make their way to a pair of seats in the front row escorted by a team of Policebots who will remain at their guard for the duration of the event. Thomas is wearing his usual attire, but with a suit jacket in place of the lab coat. And instead of wearing red like she usualy does, Roll is dressed in blue jeans and a blue t-shirt which reads <em>"Mega Man Rocks"<em> which is one of the most ironic t-shirt slogans ever printed.

An announcer standing outside the combat arena begins to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the battle of the millennium!"

The announcment causes the fans in attendance to cheer wildly, including Roll. Dr. Light remains seating, looking understandably uncomfortable with what he is about to witness.

Afterwards, music begins to blare throughout the stadium, introducing the first of the combatants. The ring announcer says, "Ladies and gentlemen, now introducing the new robot warrior, brought to you by the Vick-Tek corporation! This is BASS!"

Bass makes his entrance flying out of an intro tunnel on the back of Treble as pyro explodes behind him. However, the New York crowd gathered here is not embracing Bass that much. In fact, the majority of the spectators here boo him while some others cuss him out. As Bass enters the arena and rises his fists into the air to to entice the crowd, their jeers become louder.

_"It appears Bass is not getting that warm of a reception by the harsh New York __crowd here tonight"_ says Howard the T.V. announcer, _"You would think the Red Sox __are in town after hearing _that_ type of reaction!"_

_"I hear Bass doesn't do autographs. I think that's the reason they're booing him," _says the Supreme Intellect,_ "The gladhanders were hoping to make some money off of him."_

_"I suppose you didn't hear about the incident with police earlier this week?" _Howard asks.

_"Uh, my news feed went fuzzy that day,"_ Intellect says, acting ignorant.

* * *

><p>Vickers almost chuckles, "Oh, sure. You morons may boo him now, but you'll be filing in lines for the honor of seeing him again very soon."<p>

He chugs down the remainder of a glass of scotch and calls out to a nearby server in the luxury box. "Another Scotch on the rocks. Pronto! Scott, you want anything?"

Erikson gulps, "Come to think of it, I could use a stiff drink right now. It's been a long day."

Vickers calls back, "Make it a double! We may be a little smashed when Bass defeated Mega Man, but it'll make the plasma blasts prettier."

* * *

><p>Back inside the combat arena, Bass looks over to Roll in the front row. He nods in her direction, but Roll doesn't give him a response and just looks away. She doesn't exactly like him that much anymore after what he said about her brother... regardless of how hot she thinks Bass is.<p>

A different music track begins to boom on the stadium loudspeakers and the crowd goes berserk because they know who is about to make his entrance. Bass' head snaps back to face the entrance corridor, awaiting to see his enemy before the clash begins.

Mega Man flies out on Rush's back and the crowd cheers wildly, chanting his name repeatedly, "Me-ga-Man! Me-ga-Man!"

Roll openly cheers for her brother while Dr. Light applauds respectfully. Though he still feels very uneasy with this whole idea, but he will support his son.

_"And Mega Man's creator, the esteemed Dr. Thomas Light, and sister Roll are also here in attendace cheering him on,"_ Howard says.

_"I'm not surprised Mega Man brought his relatives to the stadium. But, Howard, I think you know better than anybody, relatives are like fish," _Supreme Intellect says.

_"... relatives are like fish?"_ a perplexed Howard asks.

_"Yes... after three days, they stink!"_ Intellect jokes.

_"That's not a very nice thing to say, Intellect!"_ Howard argues.

_"Well, okay, maybe you're right,"_ Intellect relents, before jabbing, _"Mega Man's relatives can't be as bad as yours, Howard. Especially your in-laws."_

Once Mega Man enters the combat arena, the doors behind him close and the only ones inside are himself and Bass. Two two robot warriors stare accross from eachother and the crowd is about to erupt just anticipating the battle about to take place.

A team of robo referees jet into the combat arena to over see the battle. The robo refs are basically bult like normal robots, but they don't have legs. Instead, they have hoverjets so they can move quicker. They are typically assigned to sporting events by whichever professional or collegate league that choses to have them, and they also are known for their black and white vertical stripes on thier bodies.

The lead robo ref hovers between Mega and Bass and gives the instructions. "I want a nice clean battle, no cheating and no interferance from your campanions. Obey my commands at all times. If we catch you cheating during the match, the decison will be awarded to your opponent.  
>You will battle in three-minute rounds of battle until one robot can no longer continue or surrenders. The T.K.O. rule will not apply here, so even if you are knocked to the mat three times, the match will continue. You both will be given supplemental energy refills between rounds should you need them.<br>Now, let's get this straight: this is a fight to the finish, not a fight to the death. If I feel that either of you is about to cross that line, I'll throw this match and the New York Police Department will be forced to take action. Do you accept those terms, gentlemen?"

Mega Man and Bass nod in agreement.

"Very well. Now, let's get it on!" Robo ref hollars.

As the Robo ref team hovers away, Mega and Bass continue staring accross from eachother.

"Your days as Defender of the Human Race are over, Mega Man!" Bass says.

"Don't bet on it, buckethead!" Mega retorts.

Once the bell rings, Bass leaps in the air and fires and few purple plasma blasts at Mega Man. Mega avoids all of the shots, leaving burn scors on the titanium canvas. Bass then grabs onto one of the bult-in platforms on the arena walls and fires more blasts, which in turn are all avoided by Mega as the capacity crowd cheers.

After Bass lands on the canvas, Bass doesn't show it, but he is surprised to see Mega Man be a more agile opponent than he had goads him one. "What were you saying the other night about not being impressed?"

Bass frowns, "You may be more evasive, but that only proves your cowardice!"

"If anybody here is a coward, it's the robot who endangers innocent lives... in other words, you!" Mega argues.

Bass shouts, "If anybody finds themselves in the way of my path of justice, that's their problem. And fi you don't like the way I do things, try and stop me!"

"You asked for it!" Mega grins, drawing his plasma cannon and firing a series of shots at Bass.

Bass dodges all of Mega's shots, causing them to strike the clear glass (or Transparent aluminum) walls of the combat arena. Bass then and soars towards Mega in a single bound and knocks him down with a flying dropkick to his chest. Mega lands on his side and the crowd begins to boo.

Mega Man quickly gets back to his feet, but Bass is closeby egging on Mega Man by making a _"Come here"_ motion with his index finger. Mega yells as he charges Bass and the two begin to grapple eachother as the crowd cheers again.  
>But, after some struggling, Bass shoves Mega Man off of him with a hard pucnh, sending him falling to the mat again.<p>

_"I don't believe it! Bass just took Mega Man down for a second time!"_ Howard the announcer says.

_"It's no surprise to me, Capetta! I've been telling you all week that Bass was the better fighter,"_ Intellect says.

_"We've hardly even see Bass fight!"_ Howard argues.

_"But, I've been in attendance for Bass' sparring sessions this weekend. When you're a former world heavyweight champion, you have access to to all of the perks that humanoids like you don't get,"_ Supreme Intellect grins.

_"I heard about those training sessions, Intellect. He was using dummies,"_ Howard points out.

_"What's wrong with working with a dummy? I have to work with you every week, don't I?"_ Supreme Intellect counters.

Bass aims his blaster arm and fires another round at Mega. He ducks out of the way and tries to kick Bass' chest, but the new warrior blocks Mega's kick with his hands. Mega then tries deliver an overwhelming string of punches and kicks, but Bass blocks every single one.  
>Mega throws one last kick, but Bass counters it by ducks it and sweeping kicked Mega's legs out from under him and knocking him to the canvas again.<p>

The bell rings, ending the first round of the fight and the Yankee Stadium crowd begins moaning with displeasure, showering Bass with their boos like only New Yorkers can.

* * *

><p>Vickers laughs in his luxury box, where he is now joined by Dick Ferguson. "<em>This<em> is what I paid for!" Vickers hoots.

"The power play of the millennium if I might say, Mr. V!" Ferguson yucks.

Erikson facepalms himself as he takes a drink, waiting for the misery to end. He wishes he could have just told Vickers he was ousted and get it over with before this 'event' could go on.

* * *

><p>After a few exhausted breaths, Mega Man shakes his head in one corner of the combat arena, surprised that Bass is so agile. "He's better than I thought," he utters.<p>

The lead robo ref hovers over to Mega Man's corner. "He knocked you down three times in that fight, Mega Man. Do you want to continue?"

"I'm not through with him yet," Mega replies.

Bass stares accross at Mega Man from his corner with his dark red eyes. Both Mega and Bass recieve an energy can that emerges from a small hatch in their corners. While Mega Man drinks his up, Bass just kicks his away because he didn't need it.

Shortly thereafter, the bell rings again and the fight continues with the fans beginning to cheer again.

"Is that all you've got, Bass?" Mega scoffs, "You're not _that_ tough!"

"Merely taunting me in the hope that I will make a mistake so you could make up for your underperformance, just as I expected you would," Bass says, "Now prepare to embrace your inevitable defeat!"

Bass runs towards Mega Man and Mega runs straight ahead as well. Bass tries to tackle Mega, but but he shifts out of the way just enough and grabs Bass by his extended shoulder guards to hurl him to the other side of the arena. This sends the crowd into a frenzy as it appears Mega Man is finally going to get the upper hand.  
>However, Bass lands on his feet and his right hand, skidding across the arena canvas as he repositions himself to face Mega, who has drawn his blaster again. As Bass stands up, the purple jewels in Bass' helmet and chest begin to glow. As Mega fires a series of plasma blasts at Bass, each of them hit their mark, dead center on Bass' chest. However, each of the shots only slow Bass down and do not look like they're hurting him. In fact, it looks like Bass is absorbing the shots when he is in this power mode.<p>

"What the?" Mega gasps.

Bass darts ahead and plows himself into Mega Man, taking him down to the mat and trapping him into a corner of the combat arena, gaining a vertical advantage over him. Bass rears his right arm back to punch Mega, but the blue bomber just barely manages to turn himself and Bass over, gaining the advantage that Bass had just seconds ago.

Mega switches off his blaster, allowing his left hand to reform and begins trying to deliver repeated blows to Bass's head, swinging left and right fists at him. But, Bass gets his arms up and blocks every single punch, not even_ looking_ like Mega's barrage of hits were even stressing him. It's like Mega's attacks are just elementary to him.

"I grow tired of your weak offense!" Bass says, aims and firing a blast into Mega's chest armor, knocking him off of him and sending the crowd into boos again.

Mega Man forces himself to get up again to attack Bass, but he blocks Mega's attempt at a forearm punch by grabbing his arm and giving the hero a swift kick in his abdomin area. Bass then uses Mega's own right arm to fling him over his shoulder and slam him down on the hard canvas.

_"When we first saw Bass, we were told he was a superior robot fighter," _says the announcer,_ "It may be correct, because Bass has __clearly outfought Mega Man in the first two rounds."_

The bell rings over the sound of the audience booing their heads off. As Mega Man struggles to get back to his feet, Bass takes a cheap shot when he grabs Mega by the back of his helmet and slams his head into the clear wall of the arena.

"Mega!" Roll yelps as she and Dr. Light bolt to their feet, horrified at Bass' dirty attack as the crowd now boos louder than ever. Even the few Bass supporters there were when this started have turned on him.

Howard the announcer snaps, _"That was cheap! Bass didn't even wait for the next round to start!"_

_"Bass wants to win, and as I always say: if you aren't cheating, you aren't trying!"_ Supreme Intellect says.

_"Shut-up!"_ Howard barks.

The Robo Referees hover down to the arena and pull Bass off of Mega Man. The lead ref gives Bass a stern warning. "You do not attack your opponent between rounds! If we catch you doing that again, you're disqualified!"

Bass sneers at the Robo ref and walks back to his corner as Mega Man barely returns to his.

The two robotic fighters are given more energy can supplements before the next round. Again, Mega Man drinks his because he needs it, but Bass leaves his be. And as the final seconds of the break period wind down, Bass hears the voice of Dr. Wily in his head. _"__Bass, finish Mega Man off... permanently!"_

Without responding, Bass holds his blaster arm down low and charges up a maximum power shot, looking to end Mega Man's life with it. "It ends here, Mega Man!" he hisses.

Once the bell sounds, Bass instantly fires a large burst of plasma in Mega Man's direction that would most likely cripple any other robot. But, Mega leaps out of the way in the nick of time and the blast hits the arena wall instead, leaving a large, sizzling black splotch on the transparent aluminum.

Not missing a beat, Bass fires several more shots at Mega Man, his purple striped face now angrier than ever as he shoots, but Mega Man evades Bass' shots. "Okay, tough bot! You want to play dirty? You got it!"

Mega Man returns fire, letting loose a series of powerful plasma blasts at Bass and the warrior robot barely avoids them while continuing to lay a string of blasts at Mega and the combat arena is beginning to become scarred with sizzling black burns from all of the missed blasts.

_"This fight has become a full-blown shootout!"_ booms Howard the announcer, _"If it wasn't for the transperant aluminum combat arena, we'd all be in danger__!"_

_"If the arena fails, I'm using you as a shield, Howard!" _Supreme Intellect warns.

The two robots continue firing at eachother until Mega Man leaps within an arm's reach of Bass, then he begins to throw punches and kicks at Bass again as the fans begin cheering so loudly the stadium starts to shake. While bass blocks the majority of Mega's hits, Mega manages to connect with a kick here and a punch there.

_"This is how I want to see Mega Man doing battle! He's getting his hands dirty now!"_ Intellect praises.

Bass gets fed up with Mega's attacks, and tries to unleash a flurry of strikes of his own. The two robots quickly begins brawling in the middle of the damaged combat arena and the crowd is at a fever pitch. After Mega Man and Bass' fury of strikes and blocks, Mega now decides to stoop to Bass' level and fire a plasma at at near point blank range into Bass' chest when he least expected it. Because Bass could not power up whatever power he used earlier to absorb the plasma shots, he took the shot to his chest, causing the Vick-Tek robot to fall to the canvas.

_"He's down!"_ Howard shouts, _"Bass is down!"_

The fans in attendance cheer loudly as do all of the police officers spread throughout the stadium, including Chief Toombs.  
>Meanwhile. Marcus Vickers grows angry and his breathing becomes harder, looking like a bull being enticed. He shouts in his luxury box, "NO! NO, DAMN YOU!"<p>

Even though Bass was momentarilly taken off his game by Mega Man, he has only grown angrier and bolts towards Mega Man to tackle him. Bass plows into Mega so hard, they both crash into one of the four transparent aluminum walls of the combat arena, causing that side of the structure to fall over and nearly hit a bunch of the fans in the front rows.

_"This battle is so intense the arena is falling apart! Oh, my God!" _Howard yells.

_"Now, _this_ is my kind of match!"_ The Supreme Intellect laughs.

The robo referees hover around Mega Man and Bass to try and keep them seperated and the stadium announcer speaks to the crowd. "The match has been forced to cease. It is no longer safe for you spectators."

But, Mega Man and Bass still struggle with eachother on the fallen wall of the area as the robo refs try to keep them apart. Despite the sudden danger to their saftey much of the crowd remains in their seats and Police have a difficult time trying to keep the raccous fans safe.

As Bass gets back to his feet, the robo refs try to keep him away from Mega Man. "The match is over. Stand down," Orders one of the refs.

"Like hell it is!" Bass growls before he blasts both of the robo refs trying to hold him back. Once they are taken out, only two more refs remain hovering between he and Mega Man and he blasts them too.

As the last two robo refs fall lifelessly, Mega Man runs for Bass again, but he catches Mega and throws him back into the destroyed combat arena.

As Mega quickly tries to stand back up, he argues with Bass. "Those referees were were only doing their jobs!"

"They were in my way, and so are you!" Bass yells as he raises his blaster arm and aims it towards Mega Man.

Seeing and hearing Bass act like this only re-affirms Mega's fear that something wasn't rightabout Bass... in fact, only a robot created by Albert Wily would ever do thing things like Bass does, expecially attack innocent people and robots.

_"Wait!... what the... It's Dr. Wily! He's here!"_ Howard the announcer shouts.

_"This isn't in my contract! I'm taking cover!"_ says the Supereme Intellect, who proceeds to hide under the announce booth.

Before the fighting can continue, the cheering fans suddenly break out in shrieks of terror. Mega and Bass look up to see a pair of Dr. Wily's Skullkers hovering over the stadium.

GutsMan, Cut Man and Gyro Man drop down into the combat arena from one of the Skullkers while former Robot Championship Tournament fighter Centaur Man jums out from the other, landing in the combat arena on all of his hooves.  
>Interestingly enough, ProtoMan is nowhere to be seen in either of the Skullkers.<p>

* * *

><p>In his luxury suite, Marcus Vickers almost jumps out of his chair, his body almost going numb realizing that Albert Wily himself has come to attack the event, much like he did during the ball in February. And this is far worse than the charitiy ball because thousands of people are in danger.<br>Dick Ferguson on the other hand drops his drink and bails out, running for the closest exit.

Erikson says, "Sir, we've got to get out of here! SIR!" Erikson now shouts, shaking Vickers' body to try to get him out of here. Even though the man will be ousted from his company very soon, Scott was stil doing the right thing.

Vickers remains silent, unable to reply as he watches the attack begin with a gaping wide mouth and wide horrified eyes at the carnage down below.

* * *

><p>The pair of Skulkers begin to open fire towards the upper concourses of the stadium, sytematically endangering the lives of the Policebot snipers who were stationed at the highest points of the structure. Bass had tipped Wily off about where the cops would be so they could easily be disposed of.<br>Now the fans begin to flee for their lives, running away from the combat arena to whatever exit they can find, and they aren't doing so in a calm and orderly fashion. But, the unmasked Mr. Black remains in his seat, not showing any sign of panic or fear despite the attack unfolding before his very eyes.  
>Once enough of the frightened spectators flee, he calmly stands up and slowly makes his way down to the combat area,<em> towards<em> the chaos that's taking place. Now that one of the combat arena's transparent aluminum walls have come down, he can take a shot with his plasma bolt pistol if he wants to, but he choses to keep it holsters underneath his black coat. Even in the shape that security is in now, all of the survailance would probably notice if he brandished a weapon.

Down on the field, near the combat arena, Bree Recotta also crouches down and grabs her camera phone again, capturing the carnage that is taking place right in front of her.

Meanwhile, as Dr. Light's Policebot security takes aim at the Robot Masters, Roll jumps over the guard rail looking to help her brother. "Mega's outnumbered. I've got to help him!"

"Roll, please no! You'll get hurt!" Thomas pleads.

Roll ignores her father and calls to Rush. "Come on, Rush!"

Rush barks and runs around to Roll, but Treble the robo wolf jets around and blocks his path, growling and showing his razor sharp teeth. Rush hesitates when he stands accross from the the red eyed robo wolf, intimidated by his presense (and reminding him of a similar encounter he had with a large robo canine in the alternate future time he jumped in almost two years ago.

Once she notices Rush is preoccupied with Treble, Roll runs towards the combat arena looking to climb in through the destroyed wall.

The police officers now race down towards the combat arena, but GutsMan uses his strength to tear down the remaining walls of the arena, causing them to fall down upon the several of the officers and pinning them down at ringside.

Centaur Man fires several shots from his blaster at Mega Man. Mega doges, ducks and weaves his way around the shots and kicks Centaur Man in the face.

Despite the danger, Howard the announcer stands his ground at the announcer's position. _"And with awe inspiring grace, Mega Man now takes down Wily's robots! __I say, kick him again, Mega Man!"_

_"This isn't part of the show, Howard!"_ Supreme Intellect blurts as the former pro wrestler hides under the announce desk.

_"I've got a job to do!"_ Howard fires back, _"I'm a broadcast journalist, meathead!"_

Before too long, Cut Man pulls his large cutter blades off the top of his head and prepares to throw it, aiming at Mega Man and taking his time to get a good clean slice.

"Don't even think about it, you orange creep!" shouts Roll, brandishing her saw-like can opener again.

"Uh-oh! Not again!" Cut Man weeps as he runs away in fear from Roll once again.

Then, three more of Wily's Robot Masters - Ring Man, Wind Man (another former tournament fighter) and Air Man (who looks very different since he first battled Mega Man) - leap down from the second Skullker and both land within feet of Roll.  
>Ring Man uses his ring power to drop three rings down around Roll. The rings then shrink and wrap themselves tightly around Roll's waist, trapping her arms at her sides. Ring Man then drops two rings down on her, and these wrap themselves around her ankles.<p>

As the remaining police officers scatter down to the field, Chief Toombs barks, "GET BEHIND THEM SEATS!"  
>He and the remaining officers still standing take cover behind the temporary seating on the field, protecting them from Air Man and Wind Man's gust attacks as well as the blasts and weapons of the other Robot Masters.<p>

"I need help!" Roll shouts, trying to break herself free, but failing to get Ring Man's rings to budge.  
>Dr. Light tries to run into the fighting arena to save his both of his children, but Wind Man uses his wind power to throw Thomas off his feet.<br>Meanwhile, Air Man - the much taller and now featuring an actual face Air Man - uses his massive fan in his chest and blow away any incoming potential threats. Mega Man looks over to see Roll tied-up by Ring Man.

Through all of the screaming and panicked yells of the audience members, Mega Man thinks he can barely hear Roll crying out for turns and sees his sister bound by Ring Man's rings. "Roll!" he shouts.

As Mega Man races to help Roll, Bass stands back up and stares Mega down. He hears Dr. Wily's voice giving him an order again... _"Bass, forgot the hero act! finish Mega Man! Now!"_

Bass and aims his blaster at Mega Man who is too busy trying to fight off the Robot Masters and save Roll. He charges up a powerful shot so he can finish Mega off.

Roll sees Bass aiming for her brother and screams, "MEGA, LOOK OUT!"

Mega Man looks behind him and sees out of the corner of his right eye Bass standing there, ready to fire. When Bass fires the blast, Mega Man ducks it, allowing the blast to strike Air Man who was standing in it's path.  
>A furious Mega wastes no time and makes a mad dash for Bass, tackling him again. He grabs Bass' left arm - his blaster arm - and slams it on the titanium canvas of the arena, damaging it.<p>

GutsMan lumbers over and pulls Mega Man off of Bass who bolts back up and tries to shoot Mega Man with his plasma cannon, but thanks to the damage Mega administered to it, it doesn't work. Instead, Bass pummels Mega with punches to his head and body while GutsMan holds him and laughs.  
>After Bass gets enough of pounding Mega Man down, he stops. He waves Mega Man off and allows GutsMan to have some fun taking over for him.<p>

"Heh-heh! Now, you're getting a ringside seat, Mega Twerp!" GutsMan huffs as he picks Mega over his head ans throws him out to the seats on the field level.

Bass aproaches at he angry captive Roll who desperately tries to break free. "Mega was right! He said you were one of Wily's!"

Bass replies, 'You shouldn't be too concerned about my allegiances, Roll."

Rush and Treble still stand off with eachother outside the arena. Rush tries to pass Treble, but the robo wolf jets into him with a headbutt, knocking Rush out.

The Police stand with their weapons aimed at the Robot Masters and the Skullkers as they hover down to the surface. "Orders, Chief?" Rose asks, brandishing an assult rifle.

"Pick yer targets carefully, but you canna' get reckless. You might hit the girl," Toombs says.

"Affirmative," QN-60 nods, holding his weapon arm up, ready to fire.

The remaining officers come out from their cover, but Bass holds Roll in front of his own body and she desperately tries to break free from Ring Man's rings. "Don't try anything stupid, officers," Bass warns, "I know you cowards cannot live with a friendly fire death on your hands, or can you?"

Toombs grinds his teeth, wishing he could shoot Bass full of holes, but he can't. And the fact that Bass is using Roll as a hostage and using Toombs' unwillingness to jeopardize somebody lse's life to stop him really gets under the Chief's skin.

"... All units.. do not open fire," Toombs reluctantly orders.

"Chief?" Ash questions.

Sixty explains to Officer Rose, "Our chances of dispatching our targets without inadvertantly hitting Mega Man's sister are extremely unlikely."

Meanwhile, Dr. Light reaches the edge of the destroyed combat area and pleads, "Please, Bass, don't take her. If you and Albert Wily want a hostage, take me instead. Leave my children alone."

"Master Wily would want to take you, Light, but I don't... I want Roll," Bass says.

"No! Not my daughter!" Thomas gasps.

As the Robot Masters begin to make their exit by filing into either of the Skullkers, Bass hoists Roll over his shoulder. She yells "Let me go, you creep!" but, her voice begins to fade as she is then taken inside one of the Skullkers by Bass and sealed inside.

A weakened and exhausted Mega Man watches on helplessly as he tries to crawl out of the wreckage of the seats that he was thrown into earlier, meekly trying to reach out to his sister with his hand despite that he can't reach her. On the inside, he was terrified to have to witness his only sister being taken away by Bass and Wily's robots. Knowing what he knows about Bass'_ interest_ in her, Mega Man fears what he and Wily might do now that they have her... and what they might do to her.

Bree Recotta shudders as she watches Bass leaving with Wily and his robots. She was so bothered by unsettling fact that the balance of power in this war may have just shifted in Wily's favor with Bass now working for the mad scientist, she didn't even acknowledge or care that she was on top of the biggest news story of the year.  
>The reporter keeps her camera phone aimed skyward as Bass and the Skullkers flee the scene with Roll. But, out of the corner of her eye, she saw somebody who stood out... it was the strange big guy she spoke to earlier (Mr. Black.) He had made his way down to the field level and was staring up at the Skullkers and Bass as they left.<p>

"Hey, you!" Bree calls.

The man turns his head towards Bree when she calls to him, but he quickly turns around and begins to leave the stadium, looking like he is in a hurry now that he knows he was spotted. Bree turns the camera phone towards him, but by the time she did, she could only see his back.

"What the hell is going on?" she shudders.

As the television cameras focus on Mega Man trying to get back to his feet with the help of Dr. Light, Howard the announcer speaks to the viewing audience _"Ladies and Gentlemen...__ everything you've just seen was real. Dr. Wily's gang of robots just invaded this stadium and have taken Mega Man's sister... and Bass is now... or perhaps he always was, one of them."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Auhor's notes:<strong>_

_You're probably wondering why the fight was so lopsided. First of, I was not trying to make Mega look weak in any way, but rather to make Bass look very strong.  
>If Mega Man's most intense offense could hardly even make Bass flinch... what can he possibly stop him?<em>

_Also, I hated to have to feature Roll getting kidnapped by Bass because the kidnapping plot twist was used so much on the show. But, trust me, I wouldn't do it unless I knew what I was doing with it. We'll see where this goes in the remaining chapters._

_Don't forget to leave a review or a comment. and if you catch any typos or universe wrecking errors, please PM me._


	82. Taken

**_Chapter 9: Taken_**

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

Somewhere in a small dank room inside of the fortress marked 'Robot Prisoner room' and still wearing her 'Mega Man Rocks' t-shirt is Roll, who is lying flat on a restraining table very similar to the one she was bound to two years ago when she and her brother Mega Man (back when he was just 'Rock') were taken by Dr. Wily. She is unable to move her arms or legs, which are being held in place by titanium restraints and another restraining device has been fitted over her utility arm, preventing her from using that to help her escape.  
>Wily knew that he had best take extra precautions with her.<p>

Roll tries to break herself free from the restraints, but the restraining table won't budge and she lets out an angry sigh. She hates the idea of being stuck as the 'demsel in distress' and she can't believe she let herself get taken by Wily again. But, Roll is even more angry at Bass for what he's done... and to think she ever found him attractive.

She hears the door to the room opening and sees Bass walking in and approaching her. His plasma cannon arm has since been repaired and he doesn't appear to be suffering from any ill-effects of the violent battle with Mega Man earlier.

"You!" She spits angrily, "You've been working for Wily all along, haven't you?"

"Yes," Bass replies, "He is my true creator. The human with cybernetic implants, Marcus Vickers, had no idea who he made a deal with, until tonight at least."

Roll continues looking at Bass with angry look in her eyes. "I should have known... Just like before."

"Before?" Bass asks, tilting his head.

"Yeah, before! When Wily and ProtoMan tricked everyone into believing that yellow scarf-wearing creep had turned good last year, and then he stabbed us all in the back!" Roll answers, "What, did Wily forget to put enough I.Q. chips in you or something?"

"I was not aware of this 'trick' you speak of, Roll," Bass states.

"You're not aware of a lot of things," Roll snits.

"I can see you're not happy about this right now," Bass says.

"You've finally figured that out, huh?" Roll jokes.

"There is a reason why I brought you here, Roll," Bass says, as he steps closer to Roll, now standing tall her her restrained body, "Ever since I first saw you... when I looked at you and looked into your eyes... I couldn't stop thinking about you. I have come to realize that I want you to be my mate."

Roll looks back with a perplexed look on her face, almost thinking this has to be a joke. Just one big unfunny joke.

"I need you, Roll," Bass says as he reaches out to touch a lock of Roll's blonde hair. But she snaps her head in the other direction, not wanting to give this robocreep the satisfaction.

Roll remains silent, still angry, then replies, "You're dumber than I thought. I'm not interested in you!"

Not wanting to discomfort Roll any further, Bass retracts his hand, but he continues to try and convince her. "Don't lie to me, Roll. You may not want to admit it to me now, but I could see the look in your eyes when we first met. You felt the same way and you know it."

"If you're so lovesick over me, why don't we just make it simple and just let me go?" Roll asks.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Bass answers.

Roll replies, "Of course! Didn't see that one coming."

"You are being offered an opportunity to be on the winning side, Roll. An opportunity to have more power than you can possibly imagine!" Bass explains, "We would be the most powerful union of our kind! Why are you rejecting such an undeniable opportuny?"

Roll turns her head back around to face Bass, her blue eyes filled with anger. "Why? I'll tell you why! You took me away from my home and family! A family that I love! I don't know if you realize this or not, Bass, but, you can't just force people to do something they don't want to do."

"Why?" Bass asks.

"What do you mean 'why?' You _can't_!" Roll retorts, raising her voice.

"Why?" Bass asks again.

Roll sighs, "Is it true you have free will, or is that just another lie?"

"I am capable of making my own decisions, yes," Bass replies.

"Let me tell you something, Bass. It's _wrong_ to take that away from someone. Forcing me to become one of Wily's puppets is no different! I don't _want_ any part of this!" she snaps.

"You say it's wrong?" Bass asks, "Master Wily has told me that it is acceptable to use your own power to influence others weaker than you."

Roll tries to make Bass come to his senses, "Dr. Wily is a liar and he's evil! He kills people without mercy. That's why Mega Man fights him, because he's trying to help all humans and robots so they never have to live under Dr. Wily's thumb. I will never join Wily, Bass... not after he killed my Doc."  
>Roll slowly turns her head away from Bass and stares at the wall. "I'd rather die than become Wily's puppet... at least I would get to be with my friend again."<p>

"It does _not_ have to be that way, Roll!" Bass insists, his voice now raising.

"If I can't have my freedom... yes, it does," Roll replies silently.

"... Your decision is unfortunate, but ultimately, it will not matter," Bass says, as he turns and leave "You will soon be mine and you will learn to accept your new power with me. And together, we will rule this planet and it's civilization with Master Wily."

After the door closes, Roll closes her eyes. She whispers, "Mega... where are you?"

* * *

><p><strong>Yankee Stadium.<strong>

Mega Man is backstage in the locker room area getting checked by Dr. Light. Mega holds his head is in his hands the entire time, still in shock over the events that just transpired. He had heard that some of the police officers were hurt when the Skullkers opened fire on the stadiumand so were some of the fans. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported. But, Mega is deeply disturbed by the taking of his sister Roll.

Rush sits by Mega's feet as he lets lets out a worrisome sigh. "They took her to Skull Frotress. How could I have let this happen?"

"It's not your fault, Rock," Thomas insists.

"Yes it is! None of this would have ever happened if I had gone back and saved Vickers that night at the ball," Mega frets, "If I had gone back, there would have never been a Bass, and my sister wouldn't be in danger right now!"  
>Mega stares at the floor. "Why Roll? What does he want with Roll?"<p>

"I tried offering myself as a prisoner, but Bass wouldn't listen... he said he specifially wanted Roll," says Light, "I shudder to think what Wily will..."  
>Thomas pauses, unable to finish his sentance, terrified by what Dr. Wily might end up doing to Roll if she isn't recued soon.<p>

After a few moments of silence, Mega Man says, "It was all a trick. The whole thing. Wily got us again. And now he's got Roll... and then there's Bass. No matter what I did to him, he never lost a step."

Dr. Light stops working on Mega Man and begins to leave the room. "If you'll excuse me, son, I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Mega asks.

Light turns back to face Mega Man, "To have a word with Mr. Vickers. If anybody knows Bass' weaknesses, it may be him. In the meantime, I suggest you return to the lab and prepare to strike Wily's fortress."

"I will in a few moments. There's... something I need to do first," Mega responds.

The good doctor leaves the locker room, leaving Mega Man alone. Mega then bows his head down and speaks, almost looking like he's praying.

"Come on, Proto," he says, "Tell me you've still got a little goodness somewhere in that metal heart of yours."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

At almost the exact same moment as Mega Man's call for help to his brother (although he couldn't hear it), ProtoMan is bouncing a small rubber ball in his quarters. The ball bounces off the floor and hits the wall, then the ball bounces from the wall back toward towards Proto where he catches it in his right hand. Proto repeats the exact same pattern over and over again as he ponders to himself.

He didn't like it when Wily made the decision to keep him holed up here at the fortress while the invasion took place at Yankee Stadium earlier. He knew that Wily was planning on having Bass kill Mega Man - although Albert never told him that to his face - and that Bass was going to kidnap Roll and bring her back here. Proto took even more exception when Wily told him that it would be best if he stayed away from his sister "until a decision is made," whatever that means. Whatever that _decision_ is, ProtoMan is sure that Bass will be the one who makes it.

Ever since he saw Bass, he has made ProtoMan sick. Everything about him - his powers, his armor, his personality and most importantly his stealing of Proto's old spot as Wily's right hand robot - makes Proto want to knock his banana-helmet block off. Proto knows that he's not allowed to take the fight to Bass the way he wants to, Wily would be more displeased. So, he's going to go about usurping Bass via an alternate method.

During the whole process of plotting what he is about to do, ProtoMan has had difficulties, not knowing if he was disobeying Dr. Wily or not. Proto has been psychologically trying to convince himself (and his programming) that what he is about to do isn't disobedient to Wily... it would just be detrimental to Bass, and Wily hasn't given ProtoMan any orders to not screw over the new guy.

When Proto accepts that his task would not counter his programming, he catches the rubber ball one more time and drops it on the floor. "Now or never."

Proto kneels down and grabs a box off the floor. He opens it up and removes the Met robot that Dr. Wily was conducting the pain program tests on a few weeks ago. Ever since that day when he caught Wily using this poor Met as his test subject, Proto has kept the little guy powered down. Proto felt he would be doing the Met a favor if he was offline and not suffering like he was. But, now it was time for the little guy to wake up again. He was a crucial part of this plan.

Proto turns the Met around and reaches for a small access area on the back of his head, right behind his hardhat. Once he feels the Met's power button, he switches him back on and stands him up on a small table.

The Met opens his eyes slowly, like he's just coming out of a long sleep. Once he sees and recognizes ProtoMan standing in front of him, he gasps out a frightened beep and hides under his hardhat.

"This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought," Proto sighs as he kneels down again to bring himself to eye level with the scared Met. "Come on outta there, little guy. Proto wants to talk to you."

The Met remains hidden under his hardhat, too scared to come out.

"I was the one who saved you from Dr. Wily," Proto says, "I think I've earned a little time to talk to you."

The scared Met lifts his hardhat just enough so Proto can see the edges of his yellow feet and two big worried eyes peeking out from under the hardhat. The Met lets out a very timid beep.

"Since I did something nice for you, I need you to do something nice for me," Proto explains.

The Met beeps a question.

Proto answers, "Well... it might be a little dangerous, but-"

The Met hides himself under his hardhat again and beeps, refusing to do anything that make the hurting come back.

"It's just one little task. All you've gotta do is not get caught," Proto says.

The scared Met's hardhat shakes from side to side as he lets out a worried beep. He doesn't want anymore hurting.

"Screw this! I knew it was a mistake," an agitated Proto snaps and walks away to the other side of his quarters with his hands on his red hips.

ProtoMan knows that there is no other way for this plan of his to work without the help of a robot as small as this Met. So, he simmers down and returns to the Met and tries to reason with it.

"I know you're scared. What Dr. Wily did was wrong. But, I need you to do something for me... and it might be risky, but you're not gonna be alone. And after it's done, I'm gonna make sure you out of here so that Dr. Wily won't hurt you anymore. Don't you want to leave here?"

The poor little Met lifts his hardhat again to reveal his sad, worried eyes. He beeps, saying that he does want to leave and be safe again.

"Alright... I'm not very good at these things but, I promise I'll get you out of here. But, you've got to do just one thing for me. Do we have a deal?"

The Met trembles, but nods, bravely deciding that he will help ProtoMan.

Proto says, "Okay. Just listen to my instructions very carefully..."

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<br>Back at Yankee Stadium.**

"Mr. Vickers," an assistant calls, approaching a distraught Marcus Vickers in his luxury suite. Ever since Wily's attack and witnessing his dream creation Bass join Wily's robots, he realizes that he's made the biggest mistake of his life. Erikson was right, the appriate steps should have been taken to ensure this _'Dr. Schultz'_ person was legit before making a deal. As far as he knows, it may have been Wily who he cashed the check out to

"Mr. Vickers?" the Vick-Tek assistant calls a second time.

"What?" Marcus replies.

The assistant says, "I'm not sure if you want to see him, sir, but Dr. Thomas Light is here right now. He says he needs to speak with you."

Vickers knows it's time to face the music and pay for what he has done. He takes a deep breath, then exhales, feeling a chill run up his back. "Everyone else leave. Send Dr. Light in."

Everyone clears the room and within a few seconds, Dr. Light walks in. His beard cannot hide the mixture of anger and fear he has on his face now. He approaches Vickers slowly. "Mr. Vickers. We meet again," he says, flatly.

Vickers doesn't respond at first.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Light asks, pressing the issue as he closes in on Vickers.

"Yes, doctor... I've made a terrible mistake," Vickers replies

Light gets close enough to Vickers and grabs him by his jacket lapels and shouts, "No, you _don't_ realize, do you? You have done more than just hand over the most dangerous robot in the world to Albert Wily!"

Vickers sees the fury in Light's eyes. "Dr. Light, please-"

Light snaps, "They took my daughter! You may not be able to comprehend this, but Mega Man and Roll are more than just robots! They are my _children_! And thanks to you, Wily has Roll... he has my little girl..."  
>Tears begin to flow from Light's eyes as he continues, "All because you had a vendetta against my son. <em>I<em> was the one who told him to leave the ballroom on the night of the attack! Do you really believe that he would ever abandon you or anybody without a damned good reason?" Light snaps again, "He wanted to help you, but I held him back because he was too injured to rescue anybody! He was injured saving lives!"

Light lets go of Vickers and wipes the tears from his face. "If you want to makes things right, you'll tell me what you know about Bass. Do you know anything about his systems and his inner workings?", Light asks, "A weakness, a design flaw, anything that will help my son bring his sister back home?"

"... I'm sorry, Dr. Light," Vickers replies, sounding worried, "... I wasn't made aware of the specifics of Bass' design and construction. If I don't know, then nobody else in the company does either."

"Well, you had better hope that unholy monster _does_ have a weakness," Thomas threatens.

Light walks away, leaving the shaken Vick-Tek president to himself.

"Dr. Light," Vickers calls out.

Dr. Light turns back around, stopping.

"I do have some files on Bass on my personal network. I don't have much, but it's something," Vicker says.

"Have them sent to me at my lab," Thomas says.

"I'm sorry this had to happen like this," Vickers adds.

Dr. Light doesn't respond to him at all and continues leaving. On his way out, Thomas almost walks into Scott Erikson, who makes his way into the suite.

After Dr. Light is gone, Vickers lets out a woeful sigh, still hoping that Bass can be destroyed one way or another. But, he is unaware of the next major shock he is about to recieve.

"Mr. Vickers, there is something we have to discuss," Erikson says, formally holding his arms behind his back.

"Scott, now is not the time," Vickers waves off.

"You're going to want to hear this, sir," Scott presses.

Vickers becomes agitated. "Right now, Scott, I have to begin the biggest damage control campaign that any C.E.O. has ever had to launch for their company, and I might be at the center of civil lawsuits and a criminal investigation, all thanks to Bass! What could _possibly_ be more important to me at this very moment than trying to save my company?"

Erikson answers, "it involves _your future_ with the company."

At that instand, Vickers could feel the human half of his body go numb. Pale-faced now, Vickers turns to face Erikson and can barely speak. "... What do you mean by... _my_ future?"

Erikson calmly responds, "The board held an emergency meeting earlier today. It was a confidence vote to determin if you were fit to run the company any further. I was a part of that meeting. It's why I was so late."

Vickers momentarilly feels relieved. "Well, that's good... since you were a part of the meeting, I know you had my back in there."

Erikson doesn't say anything.

Now Vickers looks worried by Scott's lack of response. "... you had my back, _right_?"

Erikson takes a moment to get the strength to tell his boss the truth. "... I voted 'No Confidence.'"

Vickers feels his human left leg buckle after hearing the the news. He knew what was coming next. If Erikson voted 'No Confidence' then...

"The vote was unanimous," Scott adds, "I'm sorry."

Vickers trembles, "No... no, this is my company. I _built_ this company!" he fumes, "I can't lose all of this."

Erikson states, "You have nobody to blame... but yourself, Marcus. I suggest you follow the board's reccommendation and announce your resignation as C.E.O. and President of the company at the soonest availible opportunity. You should sever all of your ties to Vick-Tek. If you don't, it will look bad for you if we had to publicly announce your removal."

Erikson turns to leave, but Vickers argues with him. "What about you, Scott? ... it was _you_ who suggested the Robot Warrior project in the first place!"

Erikson turns around and calmly replies, "I know... and I have regretted doing so for two years. But, I would have never let it control me like it did you... and I wouldn't have negotiated with somebody who refused to show their own face at the bargaining table. I plan on making things right my own way in the close future."

"You wouldn't have stabbed me in the back if you didn't want something. You wanted to take my seat, didn't you?" Vickers accuses.

"I don't want your company," Erikson replies, "What I wanted was respect... and I can say the same for everybody else who has eve dealt with you. Goodbye, Mr. Vickers."

Erikson leaves Vickers alone in the luxury suite of Yankee Stadium, leaving his former boss behind forever.

The soon to be former Vick-Tek C.E.O. is unable to speak and barely able to move because of the shock he just recieved. Just one hour ago, he was the talk of the business world and the man who would surely ensure the saftey of the human race for generations to come.  
>One hour later, he was being ousted from his own company and would surely become the laughing stock of the business world. And worse yet, he was an unknowing accomplice of Dr. Albert Wily. Worse yet, humanity's safety is now in serious jeopardy because he helped bring Bass into this world.<p>

Marcus stares at his robotic right hand covered in silver titanium, the injury that changed himforever and drove him to make his recent slew of rash decisions. "What have I done?" he whimpers.

Vickers falls to his knews and begins openly weeping to himself, lamenting his downfall and the destructive consequences of his actions.

If only he could have done it all differently, he would have. In fact, he would have thrown his full support behind Mega Man like everybody else if he could do it over again. But, it's too late for him now... and like Erikson said, he has nobody to blame but himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

After returning home, Mega Man makes final preperations to strike Skull Fortress, donning the full stealth suit installation so he can infiltrate Wily's Fortress much easier. The files on Bass from Vickers' personal network hve been sent to Dr. Light and he has gone over them.

"The files Vickers sent to us don't reveal any weaknesses," Thomas says, "But, there are some details about his power source, Bassnium. I've never heard of it before in my times, but, according to these files it is a variation of hyper plasma energy."

"So, that's so he blocked my shots earlier tonight," Mega surmises.

"There may be some other use Bass has for this too. I wonder how Albert come accross this Bassnium in the first place," Thomas says.

As Mega Man connects the stealth blaster nozzle over his left arm, he replies, "If I find either of them, they're gonna wish they never did."

Dr. Light puts his hand on his robotic son's blue titanium shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Mega replies, "Judging by the way I dealt with him in Vickers' little event earlier, I think I can handle Bass if we cross paths."

"Very well. Go do what you do best," Light encourages, "Save the world again... and bring home your sister. Just be careful doing both."

"Got it!" Mega responds.

Eddie runs up to Mega Man and flips his top head open. "How many are you gonna need this time, Mega Man?"

"The strongest one you've got, Eddie," Mega replies.

"Okay. But, it's so strong, you might not be able to recharge until tomorrow morning!" Eddie says as he fires off a can marked with an **"M"** instead of an **"E."**

Mega Man catches the can and drinks the energy liquid. His vitals are replenished and their maximum levels and he feels stronger now than he did before the battle with bass. But, the liquid tastes so strong, Mega winces as he gulps it down. It almost tastes like robo cough medicine.

"Eddie told you it was strong," Eddie says.

"Thanks, Eddie," Mega coughs before he whistles to Rush. "Hurry up, Rush! Roll's waiting!"

Rush barks and walks with his master to the outside of the lab.

Seconds later, as Mega and Rush run outside the lab, they see a large crowd of citizens (both human and robot) that have gathered outside the lab complex. Once they see Mega Man, Dr. Light and Rush exit the lab, they begin cheering. Despite what happened at the stadium and the battle with Bass, they all still believe in Mega Man, and now they are giving him the moral support he needs when he needs it the most, much like he gave it to them two years ago.

Mega Man looks back to his father, who without saying another word, gives him a nod. Mega had his support too.

Mega Man and Rush fly off together and the crowd that has gathered here outside the lab cheers even louder as the heroes head for an all too familiar location for the proclaimed _Blue Bomber:_ Skull Fortress.

Things are about to get ugly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_There are only two chapters left in Vendetta. Get ready!_

_I thought about putting the scenes from both this and chapter 10 into a single page, but I didn't want to overload the next chapter (Proto's scene with the poor Met and Vickers getting ousted combined with what I have planned for the next chapter would have been too much stuff.)  
>Also, I wanted to to build the tension for the next chapter even more. Yes, I'm making you wait for the penultimate chapter of the episode a little bit longer.<em>

_Yes, Vickers' files he gave Dr. Light are the same ones Erikson gave Mr. Black the access too. So, we haven't seen the last of those yet._

_Recognize the **"M"** can? I imagine those would taste a bit strong since they replenished all types of energy, not just health._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. Most importantly, if you find any major typos or continuity errors, please PM me._


	83. Finishing the Fight

**_Chapter 10: Finishing the Fight._**

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In his command center room, Dr. Wily is openly celebrating his what he views as his inevitable final victory over Mega Man and his eventual takeover of the entire world.

"I'm brilliant! Absolutely _brilliant_! A genius!" he gloats to himself, "Mega Man will be so worried about his precious little sister, he will be on his way to my fortress to save her any minute. And when he gets here... my Bass will be waiting for him... and then, he will be gone! Forever!"

Wily spoke the words with such glee. He never thought he'd hear the name _"Mega Man"_ and the word _"Gone"_ in the same sentence, but in a matter of hours, or maybe even minutes, that dream may become a reality. And with Bass at his command, Albert is sure that it will be.

Then, a knock is heard at the door to Wily's room. "Who is it?" Wily asks.

_"It's Bass, Master Wily,"_ says Bass' voice on the intercom.

"Come in, my boy!" Wily says.

The door opens and Bass walks in, seeing a gleeful Dr. Wily grabbing a bottle of vintage champagne out of a bucket of ice (and the cubes were provided by Ice Man earlier tonight.)  
>"The time is upon us, Bass!" Wily says, "I'm sure that blue worm will be arriving here any minute... and when he gets here, be ready. Give him all you've got. Hold <em>nothing<em> back this time!"

"I will give him the fight of his life, Master Wily," Bass replies.

"No!" Wily orders as his lip curl into a twisted smile, "Give him the fight that _ends_ his life!"

"As you wish," Bass obeys with a slight bow. Then he asks, "Master Wily, I have a question about Roll. I went to speak with her in the holding room and says she does not wish to join us. In fact, she said she would rather _die_ than fight alongside us."

Wily shrugs, "If we cannot turn her, she shall do just that!"

"What?" Bass asks, his intimidating face showing concern.

"If we can't reprogram her, then she will die just like her brother Mega Man!" Wily repeats, "It would have been nice to have one more piece of bait to torture Mega Man with, but, since Mega Man will be dying tonight too, it won't matter! Besides, Thomas Light would be mortally wounded knowing his two favorite children are dead."

After hearing Wily's comments, Bass becomes concerned for Roll's well being. After remaining silent and not reacting, Bass gathers the courage inside of himself to risk violating his obedience to Wily. "... I cannot allow you to kill her, Dr. Wily."

Wily looks back at his creation, his eyes wide in shock. Wily draws himself closer to Bass, his beady eyes still locked in on Bass'. "_What_ did you say?" Wily asks.

"I will kill Mega Man like you ordered, as well as anyone else you want dead... but, I will not let Roll die," Bass rasps.

Albert can't believe what he is hearing; Bass is openly defying his orders, even more than ProtoMan ever did. "Why is it so important she live?"

"I want her as mine," Bass replies, "I will convince her that our cause is just."

Getting agitated now, Wily counters, "The girl is stubborn! What makes you think you can convince her to turn on her brother?"

"It is possible," Bass says, "If I cannot convince her to join us... we can _make_ her join us. You can outright re-program her to make her accept our cause."

Wily insists, "Bass, you may be love-sick over her, but she's not worth it! She and Mega Man are more good to be dead than alive. And if I say she goes... she goes! Do I make myself clear?"

Bass looks back at his creator with a cold stare. He takes two steps closer to his creator, invading his personal space. "And if I say she lives... she lives. Don't forget it," he says with a chilling seriousness to his voice before turning and leaving, leaving Wily behind.

"He's getting just like Proto," Wiy grumbles.

_"He's forgetting who's really in charge here... you will have to remind him who is. You don't want another ProtoMan on your hands," _says the whisper in Albert's head.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, during the confrontation between Bass and Wily, the brave Met that ProtoMan recruited into his task slowly makes his way around Skull Fortress, heading to the destination ProtoMan instructed him to go.<p>

The Met is still scared that he may be caught and hurt by the mean old bald man Dr. Wily. The only thing that inspires him to keep going is the promise of getting out of here so that the hurting will never happen to him again.

Then, the Met gasps when he hears the clanking footsteps of two Robot Masters, Metal Man and Crystal Man. The Met quickly ducks down under his hardhat, completely covering his small body. The two robots walk right past him without even noticing him.

After the Robot Masters walk past him, the Met peeks out from under his hardhat, making sure the coast is clear, then stands back up and continues his trek.

He arrives to a small room marked, _"Security/Surveillance" _and the little robot enters a hatch at the bottom of the door that had been built for smaller robots to use in case their support was ever needed. The idea for additions like this will bite Wily in the backside in a matter of moments.

The Met enters the room which is surrounded by rows of tall computer equipment that make humming sounds and monitors displaying security camera shots of the interior and exterior of Skull Fortress. On one of the monitors is a live image of Roll, still restrained in her holding area. The Met's eyes become big when he sees her. This must have been the woman with blonde hair ProtoMan told him about.

* * *

><p><strong>Outisde in the badlands.<strong>

Mega Man was soaring towards Skull Fortress faster than a speeding bullet on his stealth pack, fully cloaked and blending in with the darkness. Rush was flying seperately well behind Mega so he wouldn't be spotted on the Fortress' radar.

Then, off in the distance, Mega saw Skull Fortress up ahead, looking larger and larger as he approached it. It hasn't changed since Mega Man had last infiltrated the place when Wily was using the tachyon pulse projector to pull the moon out of it's orbit and towards the Earth.

Remaining cloaked, Mega contacts Rush and whispers to lower the chances of the communication being tracked by Wily's radar. "When I give you the signal, Rush, come for us as fast as you can. We can't fail this one, boy."

Mega Man now soars faster, towards the intimidating hideout of Dr. Wily feeling just as much pressure to save his sister from these monsters as he had during the mission to stop Gamma. It's personal now.

"Hang tight, Roll" he says.

* * *

><p>Back in the security control room at Skull Fortress, the Met approaches a set of cables that are tied together, almost making one big cable. All of these cables are the nerve center of Dr. Wily's security system. Without it, Skull Fortress is far more prone to attack.<p>

The Met carefully sticks his extenstion arm out from under his hardhat, holding a small tool in his white hand that ProtoMan gave to him before he sent him off here. The Met aims it at the cables and presses a button on the side of the device that shoots a thin red laser that will slice almost anything it touches. He aims the laser exactly how ProtoMan told him to do and begins slicing through the cobbled together cables.  
>After all the wires are sliced, the surveillance cameras will go offline, all of the exterior and interior security systems will go offline as well.<p>

However, the beam is cutting it's way though the cables a little too slowly as far as the Met is concerned. He's worried that somebody will know that trouble is afoot.  
>The Met's eyes continuously dart to the door where he entered, affraid that one of those big Robot Masters will catch him and send him back to Dr. Wily.<p>

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the fortress, ProtoMan makes his way down the many corridors until he enters Roll's holding cell, standing below the doorway and just out of surveillance camera range. It would look pretty bad for him if Wily's security systems caught him when this is all to make Bass look bad.<p>

She sees him approaching and groans, as if her night couldn't get any worse. "Oh, great! What do _you_ want?"

"Oh, not too much. Just paying a visit," Proto replies as his visored eys catch the "Mega Man Rocks" design on Roll's shirt. "Nice shirt, sis!"

"I'm not your sister!" Roll barks back.

"I'm not too sure about that," he says, "We were built with the same plans... If you think it's so bad being related to be, you shouldn't. At least you're not related to Bass. He's a real headcase."

"I thought all you Wily scumbots got along," Roll sneers.

"Nah. To be honest, I can't most of the rustbuckets here. Sure there are one or two who aren't too bad, but most of 'em are idiots," Proto says, then mumbles under his breath, "Come on, hardhat! Shut it down."

Roll notices Proto's upity mood. "What's got you so antsy? Conscience starting to gnaw away at you?"

"It's a case of indigestion, actually. Drank too many energy cans today," Proto lies with a joke, "Also, being around Bass is enough to make you sick."

"You don't like Bass very much, do you?" Roll probes.

"Can't stand him," Proto answers, "I hear he likes you though."

"Shut-up!" Roll spits.

A loud alarm wails throughout Skull Fortress, interrupting Roll's and Proto's conversation. Proto looks up to see the camera above him freeze, no longer moving from side to side.

"Good boy!" Proto says as he hurries over to his sister's side and studies the control panel beside her on the restraining table

"What are you doing?" Roll asks.

"This," Proto answers calmly as he presses the override button, releasing Roll from the unflinching locks. Proto then removes the restraining cast that was over Roll's utility arm, allowing her full usage of her extremities again.

Roll looks at her arms and legs and quickly moves off the flat table as fast as she can, away from ProtoMan. She looks at her oldest brother, perplexed by what he just did to help her, but keeps her guard up just in case.  
>"W-why did you do that? You're with Wily!"<p>

"I've got a plan, and it just so happened to involve you!" Proto grins, "'Sides, you're my family... you didn't think I'd just leave you behind, do you, sis?"

Roll is still a little wary about all of this, lightly shaking her head like this is too good to be true.

ProtoMan adds, "I _could_ just put you back in your restraints if you want me to. Now, you want to get outta here or not?"

Roll snits, "I think I'll find my own way. I don't trust you!"

"You can mistrust me all you want. But, right now, I'm you're only ticket outta here!" Proto argues, "So, is it yes, or no?"

Roll reluctantly sighs, "Fine!"

"I knew you were smart... you'd have to be to be my sister!" he responds, "Follow me!"

ProtoMan and Roll leave the holding room together, but Roll still complains. "I am NOT your sister, dammit!"

* * *

><p>As the sirens begin wailing in the fortress, the Met begins to panic. He's affraid he did something wrong while cutting the cables and that the big Robot Masters are coming to get him. He remembers that ProtoMan told him to leave this room after he was done cutting the wires, so that's what he's going to do.<p>

The Met quickly tries to run back through the small hatch he entered through, but he hears something loud and frightening... it sounded like a buzzsaw carving through the door.  
>Soon, spraks started spitting out all along the frame of the door as it was sliced through and the Met was terrified, he was sure he had been caught. The poor little Met was so scared he didn't even think to hide under his hardhat.<p>

Then, the door was kicked open and there stood Metal Man and Crystal Man on the other side, looking down at him.

"I thought I saw something that didn't belong," Crystal Man says, "And that something that didn't belong was wearing a hardhat!"

The Met hides under his hardhat, but Metal Man grabs him and picks him up. "Don't fret, Crystal Man... I will dispose of him!" Metal Man rasps as his blood red eyes flash and he prepares his Metal Blade.

The Met trembles in fear as Metal Man hisses, "I will tear your small body apart for your heresy!"

The Met's beeps now become loud and shriek with horror, trying to beg them to not hurt him. But, it looks like this one with the saw wants to do more than hurt him. It looks like this is the end...

"Excuse me," says a deep barritone voice behind the Robot Masters.

Metal Man and Crystal Man turns to see none other than Toby the Robot Warrior, aiming his dual plasma cannons at them! He wasn't crashing through roofs anymore... he was ready to fight!  
>Metal Man drops the scared Met and tries to prepare himself along with Crystal Man to battle Toby.<p>

"Eat plasma, suckers!" Toby says before firing several blasts of pink plasma bursts at the Robot Masters.

The scared Met hids under his hardhat to shield himself from the fight. He can hear the sound of weapons going off above him and he squeezes his eyes shut, wishing it would all just stop.  
>But, eventually, the weapons fire ceases, but the poor Met is affraid to come out from under his hardhat.<p>

"Citizen?" says the deep voice. It was Toby. He must have won.

The Met looks out from his hardhat at Toby, who was kneeling down to greet him. "Come with me. Our work is not yet done here," Toby says.

The Met is affraid to follow Toby at first... but, ProtoMan told him to follow this robot after this task was done. So, he pops his extension arm out and wraps it around Toby's ankle and travels with the robot warrior as they begin their escape!

* * *

><p>Outside Skull Fortress, Mega Man approaches a secret entrance to Skull Fortress he used the last time he came here to take back the tachyon pulse capacitor, pulling a panel off of the exterior of the structure and tossing it aside, revealing a path to the large air ducts.<p>

Before Mega slides inside, he looks back to Wily's security installations outside the fortress. Every time he came here, they were very active, searching the perimeter looking for a potential target to blast out of the sky. But, now, they remained completely still and lifeless, like somebody turned them off.

"That's unusual... everything's offline," Mega utters to himself, "Fall asleep on the job, Wily?"

He turns back around and enters the air duct.

* * *

><p>Eleswhere in the fortress, Dr. Wily himself tries in vain to leave his command center room, but the door will not open. This didn't make sense. because if the security systems were offline, his door would not be locked... it's like it was <em>sealed<em> shut!

"What's going on here? HEY!" He shouts, kicking the door and banging on it with his fists. "Get me out of here!"

Outside Wily's door, the door lock had been, sealing the crazy doctor inside. And standing nearby was the Met that ProtoMan rescued, as well as Toby. It's safe to say that the Met used the cutting tool to seal Wily inside as well.

"If you scrap heaps don't listen to me and rip this door off, I'M GOING TO MELT YOU DOWN MYSELF!" Dr. Wily shouts louder.

The Met gets scared again and wraps his extension arm tightly around Toby's waist, beeping for robot warrior to protect him.

"Fear not, citizen," Toby says, "I do not think he is getting out of there any time soon. Let us make our escape."

Toby runs down the Corridors with the scared Met hanging on to his waist tightly, and Wily contiues to scream. "Who was that? Are you the one who locked me in here? GET ME OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

><p>Mega Man continues to make his way through the air ducts of Skull Fortress, which are just large enough for Mega to fit inside of.<p>

In the distance, he hears something. It almost sounds like a siren wailing and some commotion from inside. The sounds of several metallic feet can be heard clanking their way through the fortress corridors with urgency.

"Something's going on in there!" Mega whispers to himself, "And it's not because of me either."

Mega crawls towards another duct vent cover and looks out of it. He sees a couple of Wily's Robot Masters scurrying around, almost in a panic.

Mega Man carefully removes the grating and slides out of the duct, still cloaked by the stealth suit, invisible to the human and robotic eye. Fortunately, Dr. Light had recently worked all of the kinks out of the suit, so it the chances of being caught by any cloaking malfunctons are unlikely.

Mega puts the air duct cover back in place and cautiously makes his way around the massive fortress. Not long afterwars, the large Robot Master Stone Man walks in the opposite direction of Mega Man. Mega moves himself out of the larger robot's way and lets him pass and Stone Man had no idea he was even there.

"At least the suit still works!" Mega barely whispers.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan quickly navigates the twists and turns of Skull Fortress with Roll in tow, and she is getting very antsy. "This place is swarming with other robots! How are we <em>not <em>gonna get caught?"

ProtoMan takes Roll with him into a small armory room and answers, "We won't. I've already taken measures to ensure a much smoother escape."

"It's a trap, I know it!" Roll says, believing Proto's offer to help her escape is too good to be true.

"You have major trust issues, don't you, Sis?" Proto says as he peeks out the door which is cracked open just barely.

"After you stabbed my brother in the back on Election day, you bet I do!" Roll replies with anger in her voice, "It wasn't bad enough to tried to kill us all, but you had to rip my brother's heart out too!"

"What are you talking about?" Proto asks.

"Mega really thought you had changed when you came home," Roll answers, "But, when he learned that you and Wily used his feelings against him... it tore him apart. You _hurt_ him! And I hate you for it!"

ProtoMan allows Roll's comments to sink in. He never knew just how deeply his betrayal during the Deacon Operation had wounded his brother... but, he should have known such an action would have an effect on everyone involved. Especially his brother.  
>But, Proto shakes off these haunting thoughts for right now because he doesn't have time to dwell on them. He had to get this task done right now.<p>

Proto closes the door to the armory room and walks over to a rack where several sets of handcuff devices are located. He grabs a pair and a key to unlock them, then steps over to Roll. "Here, I'm gonna put these on you."

"Don't even_ think_ about it!" Roll snaps, taking a martial arts fighting stance.

"Come on, Roll! You can trust me," Proto urges.

Roll looks back at ProtoMan, tilting her head, almost scoffing at him as she folds her arms. "Trust _You_?"

Proto shakes his head. "Okay, that was a poor choice of words... _This time_, you can trust me. I'll even give you the key so you can unlock them," Proto assures, "It'll make it look like I'm helping them and not you."

Roll thinks it over. Should she really trust him, after everything he's done before? Roll almost offers her hands, but hesitates and pulls them back. "You promise this isn't a trick?"

"Yes! Cross my metal heart," he replies.

Roll waves her finger and threatens, "If you lie to me-"

"Now's not the time, Roll!" Proto interrupts, "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Roll reluctantly allows herself to be cuffed by ProtoMan, and afterwards, he puts the key in her right hand.

"You mistrust me so much, keep the key," Proto tells her, "If you think something's up, feel free to use it."

"If you're lying to me, the key won't be the only thing I use," Roll threatens.

ProtoMan and Roll leave the room and walk down the halls of Skull Fortress, looking like she is still held captive so as to not alert any of the Robot Masters.

Roll says to herself, "I hope I don't regret this."

"Yeah, I hope I don't either," Proto retorts.

* * *

><p>Bass runs past several Robot Masters in the corridors of Skull Fortress until he finds Roll's holding room. He opens the door but finds the restraining table unoccipied.<p>

"No!" he shouts and runs off trying to find Roll. Bass sees the Robot Master ElecMan in the corridor and approaches him. And since he was made aware of ElecMan's tendancy to be a bit of a letch, he feared he might have had something to do with this and interrogates him.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Bass growls, sounding like an unholy demon as his red eyes stare into ElecMan's scared eyes.

"I don't know, man!" ElecMan freaks, "Dr. Wily was sending me to make sure she was still here."

Judging by ElecMan's reaction, he was telling the truth, so Bass lets him go. "Then, start looking for her!" he yells and he shoves ElecMan away.

As he searches the Fortress, Bass contacts Treble. "Treble, we've got a problem! Follow my signal and meet me there."

As Bass searches the corridors, he suddenly stops because he sees something bizarre in his field of vision. Since Dr. Wily had a lot of money to work with, Bass' visual circuits are far more advanced than the other robots. And it was about to be very benificial to Bass's bloodlust.

Bass begins walking again and cycles through his vision mode. As he does so, the irises and pupils colors of his eyes change ultil he finds the right vision mode, which causes the irises of Bass' eyes to become a metallic silver and his pupils to turn a dark shade of blue.

Once the adjustment is made, Bass sees a lone figure with a triangular-shaped device attached to his back. His height and build are identical to that of Mega Man's. In fact... it _is_ Mega Man...

Mega Man hears someone else approaching him from behind. He looks over his shoulder to see none other than Bass approaching, looking all around like he was scanning the area. As much as he would like to plasma blast Bass into the next universe, Mega's top priority is Roll, so he steps aside and lets the super warrior robot pass.

After Bass walks past Mega Man, he stops in the middle of the corridor and stands there, as if he was thinking to himself. Then he speaks...

"I see you, Mega Man!" he says.

Before Mega could even react on time, Bass turns around as fast as lightning and tackles the invisible Mega Man.

"Time for round four!" Bass says with a wide psychotic grin as he grabs Mega Man and hurls slams him into a nearby wall.

Mega tries to prepare his blaster, but Bass was moving too fast for him, pounding him with hard and ferocious punches to the head and body and he remained pinned up against the titanium wall, thanks in part to the wide stealth suit pack he was wearing.

Now that his cloak has been compromised, Mega manages to shove Bass off of himself and uses the stealth suit to jet towards Bass and tackle him, crashing into a nearby corridor wall and leaving a large indentation in it.

Mega stands over Bass and tries to punch and kick Bass while he has the advantage over him, but Bass blocks each strike much like he did during their battle earlier tonight. But, eventually, Bass catches Mega's foot and shoves him down and regains his footing.

The two warriors lunge at eachother at the same time, ending up in a tussle and taking turns ramming one another into the cold and unforgiving titanium walls of Skull Fortress' corridors.

"Let my sister go!" Mega yells.

"You will return her to me!" Bass growls as he sends himself and Mega crashing into another wall as the violent strugges rages on.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan leads Roll to Wily's hangar deck, which is currently empty. Several of the vehicles inside are availible for use, including a few skullcopters<p>

"Can you fly a chopper?" Proto asks Roll.

"I'm a robot. We can drive and fly anything we want," she responds as she uncuffs herself with the key ProtoMan gave her.

"You haven't seen some of the Robot Masters try to operate a vehicle. They disprove that theory on a frequent basis," Proto says as he leads his sister to one of the Skullcopters.  
>"Take one of these. The security systems are dow, so you're not going to get shot down. And you better call for help, so Light will know it's you and not one of us."<p>

Roll stares back at ProtoMan, still stunned that _he_ is helping her. She was waiting for the eventual backstabbing the entire time, but it hasn't come yet. But, she's still skeptical of her older brother. "What's your game here?"

"Just helping my little sister," Proto replies with that cocky inflection in his voice.

"After leaving my and my family for dead so many times, I don't think for one second that you're helping me out of the goodness of your heart," Roll accuses, "You've got something to gain."

Proto gets impatient. "Fine! I'm trying to knock Bass down a few pegs. He took my spot as Wily's number 1 and I want it back; and by helping you escape, that's gonna help me, 'cause it's all gonna fall on Bass. Now, get a move on!"

Roll gets in one of the helicopters and frequently looks over her shoulder in case he attacks her from behind, but he doesn't. "I still hate you for what you've done to my family and I always will, but... " Roll begrudgingly confesses, "Thanks."

"Oh, don't mention it. All you've got to do in return is keep up that cheerful disposition of yours," Proto jokes as he smiles slightly and gives his sister a wave.

"Don't think you've made things right! You've still got a lot to answer for!" Roll says as she powers-up the Skullcopter and takes off, flying out of Skull Fortress unnoticed and right past the offline defenses.

The first phase of the plan was a success and ProtoMan has a clear conscience about doing all of this. He didn't harm or disobey Wily, nor did he let his family member get harmed.  
>"Well... aside from putting up with her remarks, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he says to himself, "Now I've gotta get that Met and pin this all on Bass, then everything will fall back into-"<p>

**_CRASH_ **goes the entrance door leading to the hangar, startling ProtoMan in the middle of his sentance. He takes cover behind one of the Skullkers, his plasma cannon at the ready. When he looks to see what causes this, he sees his brother Mega Man wearing his stealth-suit getting thrown through the door as it falls off it's hinges.

"Rock...? What the hell?" Proto says very silently as he watches on.

Bass begins walking through the busted-down door as he stalks Mega Man, who rips off the stealth suit and tosses the parts aside as he gets back to his feet. Mega tries throwing a punch at Bass' head, but Wily's super warrior catches it in his hand and responds with a palm strike to Mega's chin, making a sicking metallic _clunk_ sound.

"You don't really think you'll defeat me, do you?" Bass taunts.

"No, I don't think I'll defeat you. I _know_ I will! And I'm taking my sister back home!" Mega Man shouts as he tries to take Bass out with direct physical contact rather than reosrting to blasters by delivering a swift spin kick. But, Bass only ducks the kick as well as another hard punch Mega tried to throw.

"You will try, and die!" Bass threatens, "While Roll will be at my side, you and your world will be nothing more than shouldering ash at Master Wily's feet!"

"Never!" Mega yells as he powers up his plasma buster and fires off several blasts in Bass' direction, which the super robot dodges and avoids all of. Bass then gives Mega a hard right kick to the center of his chest, leaving a large dent in Mega's chest armor.

As Mega Man staggers back a few feet from Bass' attack, Bass fires a powerful blast into Mega Man's chest, knocking him back down to the floor of the hangar. Bass' blast felt more powerful than most of the shots he's ever taken in his career as a hero.

As Mega desperately tries to regain his footing, Treble runs into the hanger bay and stands ready to attack, growling and looking like he's ready to maul Mega Man. But, Bass has other plans...

"Treble... merge," Bass orders.

Treble snarls then jumps up and begins changing shape, his body transforming into something that resembles a piece of extra armor. Treble then attaches on Bass' back and the large jewel decorations on Bass' helmet and chest plate begin to glow, much brighter than they did earlier tonight during the match at the stadium.

Then, Bass' armor begins to change in appearance as well, a set of titanium wing-shaped jets form behind his back and both of the gold 'fins' on either side of his helmet change colors to a deep purple.  
>Bass then begins to levatate off the floor with the power of Treble's jets as small particles purple energy - most likely from the surge of Bassnium in his body sparkle aound him.<p>

"Uh-Oh," Proto says to himself silently, in awe of what Dr. Wily's creation can do at full strength, "We're _all_ screwed!"

* * *

><p>In the badlands, Roll continues flying her hijacked Skullcopter away from the hideous Skull Fortress. Following Proto's advice, she decides to send out a contact to let the local authorities that this Skullcopter is no longer a hostile craft.<p>

"If anybody out there can hear me, this is Roll, Dr. Light's daughter," she says, "I'm flying a SkullCopter somewhere over Arizona in the badlands. Please don't shoot me down! If you can hear me, please answer."

A few seconds later, she sees something out of the corner of her eye. She over to see Rush flying alongside her.

"Rush?" Roll yelps with surprise.

Roll puts the Skull-Copter in auto pilot and presses one of the buttons on on her left forearm to contact Rush. "Rush, it's Roll! Can you hear me?"

Rush barks enthusiastically.

"Rush, I'm so happy to see you..." Roll pauses, notices who is conspicuous by his absnece. "Where's Mega?"

Rush barks a few times to reply.

"He's... _inside_ Skull Fortress?" Roll says, "We've gotta go back! Get ready to pull a hard turn, boy!"

Roll begins to turn the Skullcopter around and begins heading _back_ to Skull Fortress with Rush. And little do they know, but not only is Mega Man there, but he needs all the help he can get.

* * *

><p>Back at the fortress, Mega Man - still rattled by Bass' last shot - looks up to see Bass himself now hovering over him in his new altered form, and he is just as shocked as ProtoMan was upon seeing this form.<p>

"Now, the mighty Mega Man... SHALL FALL!" Bass yells as he fires more fierce shots at Mega Man.

Mega barely rolls out of the path of these shots which burn the titanium floor of the Skull Fortress hangar, much stronger than Bass' normal blasts. As he evades Bass' power blasts, Mega gets off a few more shots of his own from his cannon, but once again Bass' jewel decorations glow brightly as the blasts near him. When Mega's shots reach Bass, they become absorbed by his Bassnium-powered energy field, just like they had during their Yankee Stadium battle earlier.

As he absorbs the blasts, Bass fires a powerful plasma blast from his cannon directly at Mega Man, stiking the hero's torso. Mega's bashed armor is now charred black and the burning is so severe, the light blue finish on of the armor begins to bubble like he was just douced in acid.

Bass pulls off one of the chopper blades on one of the Skull-copters. The jewels in Bass's helmet and chest glow brighter, giving him the strength to snap the Skullcopter blades. Bass then brakes them into four smaller, more narrow blades and throws them at Mega Man as he barely staggers back to his feet.

Mega leaps back to his feet and misses the first blade, then jumps ouf of the way of the other. The last two blades come at Mega fast and furious. Mega blocks the first with his right forearm, leaving a large gauge in it, but the last blade meets it's mark and stabs clean through Mega's left knee between the armor plating of his thigh and his lower leg, where there was no armor to protect him.

Mega yells in pain as he falls to the floor and grabs his impaled leg. Knowing that there's no way he could walk, let alone fight with this stuck through his leg, so he grabs the helecopter blade and pulls it out, surpressing the need to scream in agony as oil starts to flow from the 'wound' and a brief spark of static crackles from newly frayed wires sticking out of either end of what's left of his knee.  
>He quickly realizes this was a big mistake.<p>

Mega Man desperately tries to get back on his feet, but the pain in his wounded left knee is so great, he knows he can barely walk. But, before he even close to getting back on his feet, Bass blasts him again in his back, knocking him back down.

Bass lands on the floor of the hangar and slowly begins stalking Mega Man as he crawls away, almost whimpering from the horrible pain he's in. For the first time in his life, Mega Man begins to panic while fighting an enemy, because his sister sister is still in serious danger and so is the rest of the world as long as this monster is still alive... and he has no idea how to stop him.

All the while, ProtoMan watches on, waiting for his brother to mount that famous comeback of his like he always does, waiting for him to pull that ace out of his pocket like he often did they manytimes they did battle together. But, it's not happening this time.

"You should have forseen your defeat, Mega Man!" Bass says as he approaches Mega as he tries crawl back to his feet.  
>Bass then steps on Mega's wounded destroyed knee, and Mega agonizes as Bass grinds his foot into it.<p>

"What makes your defeat so unfortunate is that you have so much to lose," Bass continues, "Your father Thomas Light, your weakling citizens, your brother..."

Bass charges his blaster one more time and purple sparks of energy flash all around his left arm.. preparing the shot that will kill Mega Man...

"And the most unfortunate part of all," Bass shouts as he grabs Mega by the collar of his burned chest armor and pulls him up, "After I make Roll my mate, I will have _her_ be the one of kills every last one of them! Just like I'm about to kill YOU!"

Bass aims his plasma blaster at Mega Man's head... it would be impossible to miss from this distance...

Mega's eyes widen in terror as he stares down the glowing barrel of Bass's arm cannon... he urgently tries to shove Bass' arm away...

Proto watches in horror as Bass fires an extremely powerful blast... a blast that grazes his own brother in the head... and watches him slump to the floor...

Proto becomes paralized with shock and fear as he watches Bass looming over Mega Man's body. "No!" he barely whispers... "Rock, no!"

Bass growls with anger because his blast did_ not_ kill Mega Man. Mega had shoved Bass' arm just in time to throw his aim off just enough to avoid cetain death, but Bass' shot still did it's damage. While the right side of Mega's face was unharmed, half of the synthetic flesh on the left side of his face had been burned off by Bass's plasma, revealing much of his metallic skull underneath.

Mega's left eye was badly damaged and nearly blinded, the metallic surface of his face was now burned black and what little skin on that side of his face that hadn't been blasted off was now melted and burned. If Mega hadn't shoved Bass' arm away when he did and if he wasn't wearing his helmet, Bass' blast would have either burned clean through to his neural net and memory core... it would have surly killed him.

Bass grabs Mega by his throat and picks him up, flying over to a nearby Skullker and slamming him up against the hull. Mega lets out strained, nearly lifeless moans of pain as he stares into Bass' evil red eyes.

"I would enjoy keeping you alive just to tourture you," Bass growls, "But, I have a job to do, and that is to kill you... I am going to succeed where your brother and all of the Robot Masters failed... you will finally die, and it will be at my hands..."

Bass charges up another shot and holds his plasma cannon arm directly to Mega's half-destroyed face. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," Mega barely gags, "... you talk too much."

Mega just barely grabs Bass' blaster arm with his left hand - his copy system hand - and Bass can feel his power slipping away and tries to blast Mega Man's head off... but the only thing that comes out of his arm is a puff of whispy purple smoke and sparks of electricity.

"NO!" Bass shrieks as his glowing red eyes begin to lose some of their luster, "Master Wily said you couldn't-"

Mega switches over to blaster mode and fires one of Bass' own power shots in his chest, interrupting his wailing. Bass drops Mega Man's busted and bleeding body to the floor and hovers backwards, he and Treble trying to regain control of their conjoined form.

Using every bit of energy he has left in his body, Mega charges up his plasma cannon, which now has the same purple sparks of energy surrounding it as Bass' did, and aims at the super robot.

Once Bass regains control of himself, he begins laughing... and his body begins to glow purple again. "Do you really think I would have no power left? My Bassnium power will replenish me!"  
>As Bass charges an extrememly powerful shot, he yells as his whole body glows a bright purple and his eyes glow red... "I AM UNSTOPPABLE!"<p>

"We'll see about that," Mega weakly moans the strongest shot he can at Bass. The shot took so much out of him, Mega colapses on the floor in a heap...

Mega didn't even see if he made the shot, but he hears Bass screaming in agony. Mega lulls his head over to it's side and can see what's happening out of his undamaged eye.

Bass' body begins convulsing uncontrolably in mid-air and bolts of purple electricity spark out of his body. It appears that Treble is trying to detatch himself from Bass, but he is also suffering from the effects of this super powered blast.

"Too... much... power!" Bass wails, his voice now becoming distorted and garbled. Finally, his and Treble's conjoined body could take no more and crashes to the floor in the middle of the hangar bay.

Mega Man can feel his life energy fading away now... Bass may be defeated, but what about Roll? ... he thinks she's still stuck here in Skull Fortress, (but is unaware that she had left.)  
>Mega attempts to get up, his trembling hands desperately trying to push himself back to his feet, and his bleeding and destroyed left knee trying to support his body. But, Mega's energy was so low, he couldn't even do something as simple as standing on pull himself up anymore, and slumps back down to the floor.<p>

Mega Man barely turns himself over on his back and stares at the lights in the ceiling of Dr. Wily's hangar. He could feel what little energy he had left saping to almost nothing because of how much it took to charge and fire that last blast, not to mention the ammount of oil he was losing from his leg.  
>His power levels were so low, his neural processors were having difficulty processing anything... his thoughts were becoming fragmented as his field of vison started to become blurred and fuzzy, his current concerns begin blending in with visions of the past.<p>

He knew he had to get up, but he couldn't because his energy levels were dangerously low. If he wasn't replenished, he would power-down... Wily would find him... reprogram him... most likely kill him... _"I will be able to take all the good robots that Dr. Light built _unt_ reprogram them to turn against mankind!"_

"But... that's not right," Mega weakly responds to the old memory, word for word as he did two years ago.

Roll was still here... at least he thinks she is... he had to find her... _"You're my hero, Rock."_

"I'm gonna... make sure you... guys are safe," Mega barely moans to himself, sounding like he's on death's door.

_"I have already lost one son. I can't lose you too!"_

"I... want this... I want Dr. Wily... sent to jail... for everything he's done," Mega says... ths month will mark twoo years since he became Mega Man... it can't end now, not like this...

The world still needs saving... the people need a Defender... _"And to Mega Man specifically, should you accept it, I declare you the Defender of the Human Race!"_

"Yes, sir... Mr. President," Mega says, almost in a whisper.

Not only did the people of the world need saving, but his friends needed help too...

_"I don't even like the stuff anymore... it's the only way I can stop feeling."_

_... "Thank you so much for finding him... I would have lost him forever if you hadn't" ..._

_"You're one've our frat brothers, lad" ..._

_"I wish my son had the same qualities that you have. You have all of the morals and ethics that make for a good person. I'm sure Dr. Light is very proud of you." _

_... _then, he heard the girl he loves... _"I pick myself up because you were here... You give me reason to live."_

"... Just... doing my, job... Kalinka," Mega almost whispers... desperately holding on to that one last trace of energy to keep himself online... but, there's so little left...

As Mega's eyes begin to close and he feels himself slipping offline, he remembered firing the last blast... he was sure he saw two plasma blasts... _"You still mistrust me...? You think you're too good for your own brother!"_

"You've... got it all wrong," Mega barely moans, "I've... always wanted... to have a real... brother relationship... with you." ... he couldn't have fired two shots at Bass...

_"I'm really gettin' sick of hearing you say that, Rock,"_

As Mega slips away, he becomes confused... Proto never said that... but, that second shot... maybe... it was...

_"Drink up, bro."_

_..._

Mega then felt some of his energy returning. His thoughts were cohearant again. According to his internal chronomiter, he was only out for thirty seconds, so he was still at Skull Fortress. Looking over to his side and seeing that Bass was still there and not moving confirmed this.  
>Mega still feels very weak because of the severe damage he sustained, but he doesn't feel like he's on death's door like he did earlier... and he could taste the familiar taste of energy can juice in his mouth.<p>

He could hear the sound of a helicopter powering down and the wind forcefully blowing at his battered body... it sounded like a Skullcopter. Then he heard a voice...

"Mega!" Roll yelps as she runs over to her brother along with Rush. When she sees how severely injured her brother is, Roll nearly breakes down in tears. "Oh, my God... M-Mega? Can you hear me?"

"Roll?" Mega asks, wondering if he's still having flashbacks "You're... alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," Roll stammers as her eyes fill with tears, "I, uh... had some help. Let's get you home."

Roll helps her brother up as Rush transforms into a flying gurney. As she loads Mega up on Rush's back, he begins to speak again. "Roll... do superheroes get vacation?" he weakly asks.

"I don't think so," she replies, allowing a smile to appear on her face. If Mega is making jokes, he must be okay (just barely.)

"I could use one right about now," moans as he loads himself onto Rush's back.

Roll smiles and says, "Yeah... you can go visit your _girlfriend_, then!"

"Oh, brother!" Mega pants.

Rush barks, reminding Roll to grab the stealth suit. Roll fastens Mega onto Rush and turns to grab his stealth suit, but she stops when she sees Bass lying on his back in the center of the hangar bay, seemingly lifeless.

Rol cannot bring herself to look anymore. she feels somewhat sorry for him. Even though he was an evil robot programmed to work for Wily, Roll felt somewhat sorry for Bass. He could have been so much more if he had been a free robot and not one of Wily's personal toys... maybe if he wasn't so messed up, she would have had actual feelings for him outside of that brief atraction she had for him.

After Roll turns away, she picks up Mega's stealth suit and puts it back in the Skull-Copter. It was then that she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. Roll spins around and takes a fighting stance again, ready to fight whoever this is approaching her... but, instead she sees Toby, the robot from the Robot Championship tournament with a Met robot holding onto his waist.

Toby nods in Roll's direction. "Fear not. My programming his been restored to it's original guidelines. Good day to you, citizen."

Toby powers his jets and the Met lets go of the robot warrior as he flies off. But, the Met steps up to Roll and beeps to her. Roll looks down at the Met, trepidacious to get too attached to this Met, because it might be a Wily trap. She was sure she heard the sound of more Robot Masters not too far away.

The Met beeps up to her again, saying he doesn't want to be here anymore because they hurt him so badly. He said he wanted Roll to take him with her.

It was hard for Roll to say no to this little Met, because he looked so sad and innocent, but she still fears being tricked by Wily. Roll kneels down and switches over to a scanning dvice built into her utility arm (one of her own additions,) and scans the Met. She detected no bombs and no signs of tampering inside this little Met's body.

The Met beeps again, pleading with Roll to take him away from here. His beeps had become so distaught, it sounded like he was crying.

Roll pouts and scoops the scared Met up into her arms as she boards the SkullCopter. "It's okay, they won't hurt you anymore," she coos.

As Rush jets off with Mega Man, Roll powers up the SkullCopter and flies away from this horrible place with the scared, brave little Met alongside her.

After his siblings leave and head home, ProtoMan comes out from his hiding place and watches them fly off. The mission was complete. He got his sister out of here, as well as that Met. He got that useless Toby robot out of his way (although, after a bit of reprogramming by Proto earlier tonight, he wasn't that useless anymore) and after giving Mega Man that much needed energy can, Proto's hope of fighting alongside him is still alive. And he didn't violate is loyalty to Dr. Wily, at least according to his programming.  
>But the best part is... all of this will be pinned on Bass.<p>

Proto moseys up to Bass' fallen body and stares at him. He can see that Bass was still alive, if just barely.. and that's what Proto needed.

"The Ultimate Creation, huh?" he smirks and chuckles as he leaves the hangar... "What a crock!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

__When I wrote the battle scene, I knew the best way to get Bass over as a serious threat is to make it a bit violent. The injuries were originally going to be even more graphic than than they already were, but I didn't want to get in ratings trouble. I also felt uncomfortable with some of the ideas I originally planned, so I altered it a bit.  
>(And btw, in one of the Archie Comics Mega Man issues, Mega Man gets a Metal Blade sliced into his leg. So, it's not like we haven't seen it before.)<em>_

__There wasn't much Dr. Wily in this chapter because I wanted to put as much Bass in as possible. So, he had got locked into his own room.__

_Did some of those quotes look familiar when Mega was having flashbacks? (I decided to keep Dr. Wily's 'unt' in there, usually, I don't include them.)_

_The epilogue is next. It might take a little while because I have to re-write the last scene. (The one I wrote for the first draft doesn't fit anymore.)  
><em>_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos or major continuity errors, please PM me. (And if some of the violence was a bit too gruesome let me know now so I can change it.)_


	84. Episode 7 epilogue: An Uncertain Future

**Note from the Author, 7/4/12: **There is a story update at the bottom of the page with some good news about the Special Edition of Episode 1.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Epilogue: An Uncertain Future.<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday morning.<br>Vick-Tek corporate headquarters.**

It has been nearly ten hours since Bass' defeat at Skull Fortress.

Earlier this morning, Dr. Light had informed the news outlets that Mega Man had traveled to Skull Fortress and defeated Bass and that Roll had been safely recovered. However, Mega Man was unavailible for comment and no status updates were offered on his condition.

And despite the hours of reporting that the media has conducted since last night, they are still swarming the front entrance of the tall skyscraper of the company who helped bring the traitorous robot into the world, because a news conference was about to take place.

The day has already been a disaster for the Vick-Tek corporation. At the opening bell on Wall Street, investors sold all of their shares in company stocks, sending Vick-Tek into a financial tailspin the likes of which they may never recover from. Also the company will most likely be facing several lawsuits from the victims and families of victims who were serious injured at Yankee Stadium.  
>And as if it couldn't get any worse, the company has already been contacted by the F.B.I. who is launching an investigation on Bass and their involvement in his development.<p>

And the company is about to recieve another death blow any second...

The flashbulbs from the camera crews begin flashing all around as Marcus Vickers steps out of the front door of the large skyscraper flanked by Scott Erikson and a few other high-ranking Vick-Tek executives. Vickers approaches a podium with several microphones cobbled together and begins to speak without a prepared speech or notes.

"I have come here to admit, I have made a terrible error in my judgment... and because of my poor judgment, I allowed the robot Bass to enter the world."  
>Vickers pauses, trying to get the strength to continue, "I made a mistake doing so, and I made much bigger mistake trying to blame my injuries on Mega Man... I understand these words are of little value now, but, I never intended for any of this to happen and if I could do it all again, I would have never made the rash decisions I made recently."<p>

After another pause, Marcus continues, "I don't expect to be forgiven for what I have done, but nonetheless, I want to humblely apologize to both Mega Man and the esteemed Dr. Thomas Light, as well as everybody who has been affected by the events of the past two months... even my own employees and our investors. And that is why..."

Another pause passes as Vickers takes another moment to collect himself. This was going to be the hard part... "I am stepping down as Vick-Tek Chief Executive Officer and President, as well as relinquishing my ownership in the company, effective immediately. I will not be answering questions today, nor will I be giving any interviews. I hereby name the new President of Vick-Tek Incorporated, Scott Erikson, who will be taking a brief ammount of time to take questions from you this morning."

Without another word, Marcus Vickers steps away from the podium with his head hanging down low. The man who built this corporation from nothing, literally walks away from it... but there was still one more nail left to be pounded into the coffin.

Scott Erikson steps up to the podium to speak and the media immediately begin bombarding him with questions. Insttead of answering the questions that are being posed to him, he speaks. "If I may speak for a moment. On behalf of Vick-Tek, we want to wish Mr. Vickers the best of luck in his future endevours. Secondly, I appreciate being appointed as the new President of Vick-Tek... but, I choose not to accept this new position. In fact... I too am resigning from Vick-Tek incorporated as well."

There is a noticeable murmur in the group of executives standing behind Erikson. They were not expecting this curveball.

"I have decided that I'm not cut out for this business afterall," Erikson cites, "And also, I just want to go home for a while."

As Scott walks away from the podium, leaving his fellow executives flaberghasted, the head of Human and Robot relations Xander Myers catches up with him. "What the _hell_ are you thinking, Erikson?"

"As I said yesterday, I don't want the job," Erikson says.

"Do you realizing you are leaving this company high and dry with a stunt like this?" Myers barks.

Erikson stops and forcfully states, "While we may have been in agreement yesterday during the confidence vote, I witnessed just how untrustworthy and manipulative you people really are... I have determined that none of you are worth working for."

Erikson steps into the closest availible elevator... which also happens to have his now former workplace's former boss Marcus Vickers inside. Once the doors close and the elevator begins moving up, Vickers has a word with his former Vice President.

"So... did you?"

"I did," Erikson replies, "And not just because of the heads-up you gave me after I left the stadium last night... I just want to distance myself from these people."

"And did you cash out the stock options before the morning bell?" Vickers asks.

"Yes. They were already in a freefall by the time trading began, but I lucked out," Erikson says, "... Thanks for the advice."

"You said I didn't show you enough respect... so, consider my advice I gave you as an apology," Vickers says, "In this company's current climate, it will begin falling apart any day now, and you would have been left holding the bag if you stayed. You deserved better."

"Thank you, sir," Erikson says.

"I don't think you have to call me _'sir'_ anymore, Scott," Vickers says.

"So, do you plan on starting up a new company?" Erikson asks.

"No. After the fallout from the Bass scandal, I won't be able to show my face in public for a long time," Vickers answers, "It would be best if I go away for a while. Maybe you could start up that toy company you want talked about. Your name probably won't be dragged through the mud like mine will."

The elevator dings and the doors open. Erikson walks out, already reciveing shocked looks from his fellow employees.

"I'm going to clean out my office. Aren't you?" Erikson asks.

"I've got nothing here to take with me," Vickers says, pressing the button on the control panel that leads down to the parking garage, then reaching into his suit blazer pocket to pull out a flask.

"Here's to an early retirement," Vickers says, raising the flask towards Scott withh his left human hand, then taking a swig as the elevator doors close.

Just a few minutes later, Marcus Vickers would leave the company he built, never to return to it again. But, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he left with his head held a little higher than it should have been, because in his final act before he left, he chose to show some respect and class towards his most loyal employee.

Maybe there's hope for Marcus Vickers afterall.

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 5 studios.<strong>  
><strong>New York.<strong>

The news had already broke about Marcus Vickers and Scott Erikson's resignations from Vick-Tek, and as Dick Ferguson makes his way to the office of Morris Rayburn, he has a feeling he may next on the chopping block.

His contract expires tomorrow morning and things are not looking good. The ratings for his show have plummetted back down to the level they were at previously, corospondants came flooding into the station this morning calling for Dick's firing after promoting Bass and worse of all, the station's owner did not return any of his calls about signing the new contract and told Dick to report to Rayburn instead.

Ferguson enters Morris' office and tries to act like nothing's wrong. "Hey, Morris!"

Morris looks up from behind his glasses, still wearing a frown on his bearded face.

Dick stammers, "I was just, uh, lookng for some good news hopefully about my new contract?"

Then, Morris' smile frown slowly curls into a big toothy smile. "Yeah! I do have good news, pal!" he says, almost sounding overly excited as he stood up from behind his desk and approached Ferguson.  
>"The boss was going to tell you, but... I insisted on breaking the news to you myself."<p>

Dick looks relieved as he puts a hand on his chest. "That's great! Come on, lay it on me!"

Morris puts his hand on Fergsuon's tweed blazer-clad shoulder and smiles as he delievers the good news. "The station has decided _not_ to renew your contract!"

Dick feels his heart sink to his feet. "Huh?" he eeks.

"Dick... that means you're _fired_!" Morris says as he begins laughing hysterically.

"But... this is not good news!" Dick whines.

"It's great news for us!" Morris says.

"But, my career is over!" Dick whines.

"Maybe if you acted more like a reporter instead of a jackass, maybe we would not be having this conversation right now... oh, well. live and learn," Rayburn shrugs.

"Laugh it up Morris," an angry Ferguson warns, pointing his finger at the program director, "There are other stations in this town. Dick Ferguson is gonna make the mother of all comebacks!"

"Oh, calm down, Richard!" Morris shooshes, "I've already got another job lined up for you."

"... really?" Dick asks, looking relieved.

"Oh, yeah. Remember a few months ago when you said something about washing my car?" Morris asks.

"... uh..." Dick groans as he watches Morris return to his desk, reaches underneath it and pulls out a bucket which also contains car soap, wax and a shammy.

"It's in the spot marked _'Reserved for Program Director.'_ Come on. chop-chop!" Morris orders.

Dick gets a frown on his moustasched face and turns to leave. But, he sees all of the other employees standing outside and watching this take place, including that fellow with the video phone.

"Yeah, you better record this, pal. Because you're about to witness history in the making," Dick states, as he stands in the doorframe to Morris' office, "Dick Ferguson is about to ditch this hole in the wall chan-"

Dick's speech in interrupted when Morris comes up from behind and slams the door on Ferguson, knocking him down to the floor face first. Everybody around bursts out laughing.

An embarrassed Dick Ferguson bolts to his feet and storms off, leaving his old job and all of his laughing co-workers behind. And just like that, Dick was sent away to a long overdue trip to unemployment...  
>and he quite literally let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.<p>

Bon voyage, Dick Ferguson... and don't come back!

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Bass and Treble have been repaired following their near-fatal encounter with Man Man, but their armor still sports some slight damage sustained from the final moments , when their power was ued against them.

ProtoMan, GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man are standing around the super robots, watching a very displeased and suspicious Dr. Wily interrgate Bass about last night's events.

"I want answers and I want them _now!_" he says pointing his finger at Bass, "Last night, all of my security systems went offline and so did my surveillance cameras, and because of this, I ended up locked in my command center! Then, Mega Man's sister escaped and -according to you, Bass, - just _happened_ to sneak out while Mega Man snuck in."

Bass loudly and angrilly refutes, "I'm not responsible for this, Wily!"

Proto leans towards the trio of Robot Masters around him and whispers, "Boy, this oughta be good!"

Wily presses, "I saw that look in your eyes... I know that look. You are obsessed over her! When I said Mega Man's sister would die if she refused to join us, you said you _could not_ let her die!"

"You're damn right I said it!" Bass yells, "Roll will be mine! And none of you will take her from me!"

"If I were you, I would worry less about Mega Man's sister and be more concerned with being a failure!" Wily snaps, "And make no mistake about it... last night, YOU FAILED ME!"

Bass grabs Dr. Wily by his shirt collar and red neck tie. "I did not fail, old man!" he warns with a deadly evil to his voice, "I am the most powerful robot ever created! Who do you think you-"

ProtoMan yanks Bass off of Wily and aims his blaster at Bass' head. "Back off!" he demands, "Or I'll blast you to bits right here, big boy!"

GutsMan, Magnet Man and Cut Man stand behind Proto, ready to back him up.

Bass stares back, with Treble growling at his side. "You haven't seen the last of me yet! And if any of you try to cross me... you won't fall by Mega Man's hands... but, by _mine_!"

"And I'll be waiting!" ProtoMan replies.

"I'm sure you will... big brother," Bass says as he and Treble fly out of Skull Fortress, leaving Wily's side behind for good.

ProtoMan offers his hand to help Dr. Wily up to his feet. Wily grabs Proto's hand and is pulled back up. Dr. Wily is surprised and very pleased to see ProtoMan remaining loyal after all of this.

"Proto... you're still my boy!" Albert says, patting Proto lightly on his face.

"Nice of you to finally realize that," Proto smirks.

"Should we go after Bass, Dr. Wily?" asks Magnet Man.

"Let him go!" Wily begrudgingly orders, "Bass was a valuable weapon and I would normally hate to lose him, but thanks to Mr. Vickers, I still have enough money to fund whatever project I want! Projects that will be _much_ deadlier than Bass... and I already have some _bad_ ideas in mind! The world will be mine... mine!... ALL MINE! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

As Wily laughs his head off, ProtoMan's smile fades into a frown and he walks away. Despite having his job back and apparently gaining Dr. Wily's respect back, something still wasn't right. Things didn't feel the same as they did in the old days and Proto still feels the same emptiness he felt for most of this year.  
>And if it wasn't for Proto's elaborate plot to frame Bass for Roll's escape (and a few other things last night,) he is sure that Bass would still be Albert's right-hand robot.<p>

As he sulks away to his quarters, (and as his creator ignors him as he leaves,) Proto knows that Wily's sentiment was not what he had hoped... not the same kind of genuine feeling he got from Mega Man when they had their last conversation in January, when he told him that he could always turn to him for help.  
>His brother was sincere; Wily was not.<p>

As he walks away from Dr. Wily, Proto begins speaking to himself... "I think I wasted my time."

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 7 building.<strong>

In her office (which also doubles as her editing room,) Bree Recotta goes over the footage she recorded at Yankee Stadium last night while she composes an article about that will be airing later tonight on the late news. The article is about Bass and the threat he poses serving under Dr. Albert Wily.

Dr. Light had issued a comment to the press stating that Mega Man had traveled to Skull Fortress and rescued Roll, and the Bass was defeated in the process. However, Dr. Light did not say anything about Mega Man's condition. In fact, there are rumors going around that Mega Man had been seriously damaged and in bad health, possibly putting him out of commission for a period of time.

She and her cameraman were camped outside of Dr. Light's lab late last night along with all of the citizens who remained there until Mega Man had returned. Bree remembers the hush that befell the crowd when Rush arrived with Mega Man lieing flat on his back, followed by the police arriving with Roll and what looked like a Met robot in her arms.  
>Roll had landed the SkullCopter on the roof of a police precinct when she arrived to the city. The vehicle has since been conviscated and will be studied by scientists to try and gain any technological advantage over Wily.)<p>

As Bree watches the last few seconds of the recorded video file, she sees a glimpse of that strange man in the suit as he was leaving the stadium. Bree remembered this strange fellow and how he was the only attendee who did not run away from the violence, but rather came _towards_ it. She reverses the video back a few seconds and pauses on one of the few frames where a portion of his face was visible.

Bree leans closer to her monitor to study his features. "Who are you?" she asks the image.

While Bree may not know how this man is, she is now determined to find out... and if she does, she is in for quite a shock. And she might regret it.

* * *

><p><strong>That night.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.**

Mr. Black is in his media observation room, catching all of the late night news telecasts broadcasting at the moment. They were all talking about Bass, and unlike last week when everybody was momentarilly facinated with him, now all of the reports discuss his alliegance with Dr. Wily and the threat he poses.

Mr. Black knows that regardless of what side Bass is on, he is still going to have to be watched very carefully. This is especially so because he has just been made aware of some information, courtesy of The Conduit.

_"Bass is still alive. He was spotted leaving Skull Fortress earlier today with that wolf robot of his, Treble. The news media has been told to keep quiet on it until they get confirmation that Mega Man is still alive,"_ says The Conduit on Mr. Black's phone,_ "He could still pose a problem for us. This would have been much easier if the files you sent me from Vickers' personal network had more valuable information on them.  
>Right now, we only know as much as Thomas Light does."<em>

"The information Wily gave Vickers may have been superficial, but at least we know that if he does prove to be troublesome for us, he can be defeated," Mr. Black says.

_"Are you certain you sent me all of the intell on Bass and the deal Vickers unknowingly made with Wily?"_

"Every bit," Mr. Black says... carefully to leave out to one piece of information he discovered about a storage area the Vick-Tek company has set up outside of town with advanced weaponry and armor for robots.  
>It was more valuable to Mr. Black than it was to The Conduit.<p>

_"Are you sure you were not spotted yesterday?"_ The Conduit asks.

"Nobody was looking for me. Security was much more concerned with a Wily attack. And after he arrived nobody was concerned about..." Mr. Black pauses, "Actually, there was one woman who gave me a second look."

_"Do you know who this woman was?"_

"She was a reporter. The one who always shows up during Wily attacks," Mr. Black answers.

_"Recotta...? That's not good. Are you certain she didn't know who you really are?"_

"I'm sure she didn't. This woman will not be a problem," Mr. Black insists.

_"You don't know her. She_ will_ be a problem. She always seems to find a way to stick her nose into every piece of business, and if she finds a way to learn our business, this whole operation could be jeopardized... I would be ruined!"_

"Quit worrying! If she gets too close, she'll be taken care of," an irratated Mr. Black assures, "She will not jeopardize this mission or you. I'll make sure the operation isn't compromised."

_"You will... even if you have to take the bullet for me,"_ Conduit says before terminating the call.

Mr. Black's eyes narrow with anger afte The Conduit gets the last word on him again. "You'd better hope I don't put a bullet in _you_ first."

After he calms down, Mr. Black grabs his computer tablet and looks up Bree Recotta in his encrypted internet connection. Even though she doesn't know who Mr. Black is, he is already gathering much knowledge on her.

He will make sure that nobody gets in the way of his mission. While he doesn't care about what The Conduit's stake in this is, it is much too important for Mr. Black to fail. And if anybody does get in the way of completing this mission, even if that someone is Bree Recotta, Mr. Black will do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen...

Whatever it takes.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

We see channel 7 anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Faulkenburg on a television screen.

_"In the other top news story of the day, billionaire Marcus Vickers has stepped down as C.E.O. of the Vick-Tek__ Corporation under a cloud of controversy this morning following the fallout from Bass' betrayal last night," _says Trujillo.

Faulkenburg continues, _"And, just seconds later, Vick-Tek Vice President Scott Erikson also resigned unexpectedly. Channel 7 was there for the shocking announcments."_

We then see footage of Vickers' news conference from earlier this morning. _"I have come here to admit, I have made a terrible error in my judgment... and because of my poor judgment, I allowed the robot Bass to enter the world..._ _I made a mistake doing so, and I made-"_

Roll turns off the television in her room after hearing the news report. She was in the middle of writing in her diary at the time as she lieing down in bed with red pajama pants and short-sleeved white t-shirt.

She continues writing, _"I don't know what was going through Bass' mind. I'm not sure if I want to know, either. He thinks his creepy attempts to win me over are love, but _I can't say I feel any love for him, not after what he's done. But, I feel terrible for him He's been blinded by Wily's evil ideas.  
><em>__It would have been nice if he was reprogrammed to be free-minded. Maybe then we could have-__"_

Roll erases the last sentance she wrote, because she doesn't want to write about Bass anymore.

She then writes, _"I just want to put this whole experience behind me. __I have more important things to do now anyway. I have a 'little somebody' who needs my help right now."_

Roll puts away her diary and looks over at the Met she brought with her from Skull Fortress, who was now recharging as he was slumped over in Roll's desk chair. While Dr. Light has been busy with repairing Mega Man, he assigned Roll to watch over this Met until he could properly check-up on him.

From the moment she saw the Met last night, there was something about him that made her heart brake. This one doesn't act like Doc did and he isn't like any of the litter Roll repaired from the ballroom attack either; he always looks to be timid or worried. She doesn't know what that monster Wily did to this Met to make him this way, but he was obviously traumatized by something.  
>But, as long as he stays here, Roll was going to give him the tender care he needed until he was all better.<p>

Roll gets up and leaves her bedroom, quietly so she won't wake her Met refugee, and goes to check on her brother.

* * *

><p>Roll makes her way to the lab area, where Mega Man is still lying on a worktable in the middle of the lab with a pair of bright lights shining down on him and with Rush lying down underneath the table recharging. He refused to leave Mega Man's side until he was better.<p>

Much of the armor on Mega's torso and his left leg had been stripped off, revealing his metal skeleton and inner circuits underneath and he was connected to an emergency energy regulator - just in case any unexpected complications arose - and had a canister of robot oil connected to his chest to help keep his systems running after losing so much during the final battle with Bass.

However, the damage that Bass dealt to him was still extensive, as Roll could clearly see. Despite working tirelessly all day on repairing his son, Dr. Light has not yet ben able to deal with the damage to Mega's head and face yet.

"How is he coming along, Dr. Light?" Roll asks.

"I just finished repairing much of his internal body damage. But, I still have to deal with his facial damage," Thomas answers as he explains, "Thankfully, there were no signs of damage to his neural net or memory core, and despite taking a blast to his face, he did not suffer from any plasma shock. But, there is still much work to be done. I have to replace his damaged eye and maybe some of his facial circuitry, as well as graft a new layer of skin to replace the damaged tissue.  
>I'll let you speak with him before you retire for the evening. But, first, let me give him a progress report," Thomas says as he sets his repair tools down and prepares to bring Mega back online.<p>

Mega Man woke up from his day-long slumber to see Dr. Light out of his undamaged right eye. According to his internal chronometer, he has been offline for nearly a full day, and after being out for that long, he looks concerned that something may have happened.

"Relax and lie still, Rock," Thomas says, "How are you feeling."

Mega replies weakly as he settles down, "I feel like I was hit by a train going at warp speed."

"Your pain sensors are still trying to calibrate after your encounter with Bass," Thomas explains, "But, most of your body damage has been repaired. I still need to work on your facial area, and that would take more time."

"Have you had any sleep?" Mega asks, concerned when he sees how tired his father looks.

"I've had just enough rest. Don't worry about me," Thomas answers.

Mega shakes his head just barely. "No, you should get some sleep. I'll be fine."

Thomas sighs, "If you insist, Rock. But, I will continue your repairs before sunrise. I'll return in a few minutes."

As Dr. Light leaves the lab area to get some much needed rest, Roll steps up to her brother, still having difficulty looking at him while he is in such rough shape.

Mega looks over to his sister. "Hey, sis... how bad do I look?"

"Pretty bad," Roll replies.

Mega reaches up to his damaged face with his left hand and feels the burned remnant of the skin on his left side and the metal faceplate underneath. "I thought for sure you'd think my damage would've looked cool."

"If it was anybody else, it would," Roll says, "I just don't like seeing my big brother in bad shape, though."

Roll snaps her fingers, "Oh! Kalinka Cossack called the lab today. She was worried about you."

Mega looks back up to Roll with his good eye, afraid she might have teased her like she teases him. "What did you say to her?"

Roll shrugs, "Just that you were gonna be okay and and that you'll get back with her when you're back on your feet... and don't worry, I didn't bring up her being your _girl_friend or anything! By the way, the sooner you just admit that, the better you'll feel."

Mega stares at the ceiling with his good eye. "There's something you guys haven't told me. I could see it in Dr. Light's face when he woke me up."

Roll sighs. "Bass was spotted leaving Skull Fortress this afternoon. All of the police officers and the F.B.I. are looking for him, but they haven't found him."

Mega closes his undamaged good eye and looks worried. "... I don't know how I beat him... It took more than what I had to do it... I don't know how I'll do it next time."

Roll encourages, "But, you still beat him. And I know if he shows his purply spripey face again, you'll beat him then too."

Mega muses, "Bass is more powerful than anybody I've ever faced... even Gamma... even Proto."  
>Mega Man remembers something about last night when he was slipping in and out of consciousness, "Roll, you said you had help getting out of Skull Fortress last night."<p>

"Um... yeah, I had a _little_ help," Roll replies, deliberately hiding the details, not wishing to give ProtoMan any credit.

"From who?" asks Mega.

Roll groans. She didn't want to gave credit, but she had to, "... It was ProtoMan."

"... After I copied Bass' power I blasted him... but, I was sure I saw another shot heading towards him at the same time before I colapsed... and somebody poured an energy can into my mouth," Mega says, "It had to have been him. I knew there was good in him. He wanted to help stop the ion bomb from blowing up a few months ago, now he does this."

"Don't jump to any conclusions, Mega," Roll says, "He only helped to get Bass and trouble so he could get his spot back with Wily. He did it for himself. He even told me so."

"That might have been what he said... but, I refuse to believe he meant that," Mega says.

Roll shakes her head. "You still believe that, don't you?"

"Why do you always fight me on this?" Mega asks.

"Because, I haven't forgotten all the bad things he's done!" Roll replies, "And, I don't want to see him hurt you again like he did before."

"There _has_ to be some good in our brother, Roll," Mega insists, "And I'm not giving up hope on him!"

Roll sighs as she walks away. "I'm glad you haven't Mega... but, as for me, I'm not falling for his tricks anymore. I hope you don't either."

Mega stares at the ceiling of the lab again. It's times like this that he remembers why he doesn't open up to his sister about the matter of ProtoMan like he does with Dr. Light. but, despite her feelings on Proto, Mega Man still refuses to believe that ProtoMan is truly evil.  
>Maybe he did help them to make Bass look bad, but he had to have had a more pure motive.<p>

"I'm not giving up on you yet, big brother," Mega says like he was talking to Proto.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in New York, well after midnight, Bass and Treble were perched atop of the Empire State Building and overlooking the entire Manhattan area.<p>

"I know you're out there, Mega Man," Bass says to the air, "And if there is one thing I learned about you during our battles... it's that you are weak too! You can hide for now and lick your wounds that I happened to give you... but, our paths will cross again. And next time, I _will_ end you! I won't require Dr. Wily's assistance... I might conquer the world all by myself! And Roll... you will be mine at last! And it will be glorious!"

Treble flies off of the Empire State Building and Bass leaps off right after him, landing perfectly on his back as the pair soars away from New York under cover of night.

"I'll be back!" Bass yells.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Finally, Episode 7 is done! (It was in production as far back as early April.)_

_This is pretty much it for Marcus Vickers, Erikson and probably even Dick Ferguson too. Since Vickers' only purpose was to serve as the platform to introduce Bass, his job was done. Erikson was joined to Vickers at the hip, so he no longer serves a story purpose either.  
>As far as Dick Ferguson... it was time for him to fail hard.<br>But, you never know, one or all of them may show up again at some point in the future._

_Now, I must inform you that it might take a little longer to post the interlude and next episode than it usually would, because I want to get to work on fixing up Episode 1 (the "Special Edition" project.) There are a lot of things about the episode that I feel needs fixing and there will be some new scenes added to it too.  
>Also, I could use the extra time to plan out what I am going to be doing for episode 8 and for the rest of "Year Three." <em>

_Thank you to everyone who left reviews during this episode: BlackRussian, DestinyZX, Gancena, lalalei, pinkcrystals, WindGoddess Rune and VictorAlucard_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment._

_**_UPDATE (7/4/12):_**_

_I'm sorry for being so late on updating this story. First I had some health issues that made writing things a pain (literally). I'm better now, but I've been trying to do both the interlude to Episode 8 and touching up all of Episode 1 at the same time._

_Firstly, **the Special Edition of Episode 1 is online.** There aren't too many new scenes but a lot of the gramattical errors (and there were many of them) have been fixed. There have been some dialogue and narration changes as well, some of them are noticably different._

_Episode 8 will be online very soon. Thank you for being so patient and waiting so long. I know it's been too long, but don't worry, "Defender" will continue **very** soon!_


	85. Interlude: New Beginnings

_**Update from the author at the bottom of the page, posted on 7/29/2012.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Interlude: New Beginnings.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>April 20X3.<br>Two days after the defeat of Bass.**

After spending many hours offline while he was being repaired following his near-fatal encounter with the extremely powerful robot known as Bass, Mega Man wakes up in Dr. Light's lab. For the first time since before his battles with Bass this weekend, Mega feels healthy and back to normal again, and the first thing he noticed was that his previously destroyed left eye has been replaced with a brand new one, giving him a full range of vision again.

As he lays flat on his back atop the lab's worktable, Mega sees the bearded face of his father Dr. Light looming over him. "Welcome back, Rock. You're as good as new," Thomas says, "I wanted to make sure that you were in top shape before your birthday tomorrow."

Mega sits up on the table, trying to stretch the tired cramps out of his titanium joints after so much inactivity, and a few strands of his bushy brown hair almost falls over his eyes. "This weekend was so bad, I forgot what it was like to feel normal. I'm lucky I've got you patching me back up," Mega says... then sponteniously wraps his left arm around Dr. Light to embrace him.

"Thank you, Father!" Mega says with a genuine grateful smile on his face.

"You never need to thank me for repairing you, son. You just need to keep being the same young man I've always known," Thomas replies, patting Mega on his upper left chest, but looking and sounding exhausted.

"You look tired. Have you had _any_ sleep?" Mega asks.

"I've had just enough to stave off my fatigue," Dr. Light answers, "Now that your repairs are done, I think I will retire for the rest of the day. It took longer to repair you than I had previously calculated because your damage was very extensive."

Mega bows his head for a moment when he thinks about his deadly encounters with Bass just a few short days ago, although it felt like only a few minutes ago with how long he had been offline. "Bass is too strong. He should've never been created... maybe I should have let you work with the Vick-Tek people afterall. Wily would have never been able to build Bass to begin with."

"No, Rock," Thomas insists, "I would never want to work for a group of people such as them. You did the right thing by convincing me to turn them down. And furthermore, _they_ were respoinsible for Bass' construction; not you."

Mega Man hops off the table and takes his first steps in two days, the leg Bass severely injured during the final battle feeling normal again, but just a little stiff after the repairs. Even thinking about Bass has him bothered, and it shows on his freshly repaired face. And thinking about the final encounter with him also reminds Mega of the help he had from a certain somebody.

"Did you hear about Proto?" Mega asks.

"Yes. Roll told me about the part he played in all of this: freeing her from captivity and later helping you defeat Bass," Thomas replies, "But, she thinks his motivations were only for his own best interests and nothing more."

Mega shakes his head. "I don't believe that. After the things he's done recently, like trying to help us stop that ion bomb from blowing up, his reasons had to be more pure than that... don't you think?"

Thomas holds his arms behind his back as he answers, "Personally, I don't believe Blues would have done any of this if he didn't care about his siblings. We can only hope that your feeling about him is correct."

Mega smiles again. "I _knew_ you had more faith in him. I just wish Roll did too."

Thomas then looks worrisome. "If Albert learns about what he did... I fear what he will do to him. I know first hand what Albert Wily does to people who he thinks have betrayed him."

"I'm going to bring my brother home for real one day, Dr. Light. I promise," Mega assures, "I owe him that much. If it wasn't for Proto, Roll would still be in danger... or worse. And Bass would have won..."

Mega's voice wavers when he brings up the frightening senario of Bass conquering the world with Dr. Wily, and with his sister meeting a horrible fate that she would have faced if ProtoMan hadn't helped her out of there.

"Bass is too powerful for his own good. He could see me even with the stealth suit on, he countered almost everything I threw at him... I've never faced anybody or anything like him. I got lucky when I copied his power... but if it wasn't for Proto, I don't think I would have stopped him... I don't even know if I _can_ stop him alone."

Mega Man pauses and turns to face Dr. Light again. "Roll told me that Bass was sighted leaving Skull Fortress yesterday."

Dr. Light nods his head. "I was informed of that shortly after it happened, but I did not want to tell you before your repairs were complete. I was affraid you would worry."

"If you saw Bass at his worst and what he and that wolfbot of his can_ really_ do, you'd worry too," Mega says.

"He hasn't been sighted since he left Albert's fortress, and no futher attacks have taken place," Thomas adds, then suggests, "It is possible that Bass left Albert behind. Maybe there was some good in him too."

Mega retorts, "Not him, no way. Bass is bad, through and through. And I've got to find a way to stop him for sure... and if I don't find a way, I'll _create_ a way to stop him. I just hope I do it before he shows up again."

Mega grabs his signature blue helmet - which is a replacment for the one that was damaged during the fight with Bass - and places it over his head, covering up his mop of hair. "While you rest, I'm going out with Rush to patrol the city for a bit."

"So soon?" Dr. Light asks.

"With Bass still out there, the citizens need to know that their protector is back on his feet. I don't want them to live in fear, especially with that psychobot still on the loose," Mega says.

* * *

><p>After Mega Man leaves with Rush, Dr. Light makes his way to his house right next to the lab so that he can finally get some rest. Thomas makes his way into the main living room and hangs his white labcoat on the coat hanger nearby, but then he catches something adorable out of the corner of his eye.<p>

He sees Roll seated on the couch with the Met she recovered from Skull Fortress in her lap and scooped in her right arm. Until she recovered him from Skull Fortress a few days ago, the most important thing on her schedule was the Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers concert at Madison Square Garden in a few weeks time. But, now that this Met is here, she has been devoting a lot of her time to aiding him so he can get back to normal

While she nestles the Met in her right arm, Roll is holding a small bottle of energy liquid in her left hand, trying to convince the Met to drink it, but he looks like he is affraid to.

"But you've gotta drink your enery juice, sweetie," Roll sweetly explains, "If you don't, you won't feel good anymore. Don't you wanna feel strong?"

The Met worriedly beeps that he's too scared to drink the juice and tries to hide under his hardhat.

After whatever trauma he went through at the hands of Dr. Wily, Roll knows that she needs to be as delicate with this Met as she can be, so she nestles the Met in her ar a little more and coos, "Aw, don't be affraid. I would _never_ do anything to hurt you. I promise."

The Met looks up at Roll with his big eyes and beeps her a question.

"It's totally safe. See?" Roll answers before putting the energy bottle to her lips taking a tiny little sip to show him it's safe to drink.

After seeing his friend Roll drinking this juice and having no ill-effects from it, this Met doesn't feel as affraid anymore. A moment later, he opens his little mouth so he can drink and Roll gently puts the bottle to his lips and he begins to slurp the energy juice down like a little trooper.

"Good little boy!" Roll peeps as she gives the Met a little hugging squeeze, "I'm so proud of you!"

Dr. Light watches on with his own since of pride in his daughter. Previously, this Met would not eat or drink anything and was affraid of almost everything because of whatever happened to him at Skull Fortress. The fact that Roll managed to get him injecting energy juice is a real breakthrough.

"You are doing a terrific job with him, Roll," he says as he approaches the couch.

"Thanks, Dr. Light!" Roll replies as the Met finishes up his energy juice. She asks the little robot, "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

The Met beeps his response, not looking affraid anymore.

"Great! I've gotta talk to Dr. Light for a little bit, so you can go play," she says as she sets the Met on the floor.

As the little robot goes running along, Roll stands up and talks with her father. "He's doing better than he was a few days ago. I guess he'll be ready to go soon... I'll miss him."

"That is what I wanted to speak to you about," Dr. Light says, "In my opinion, I don't think this Met should be redistributed like the others we recovered from the Ballroom attack in February. He was traumatized by being held captive by Wily and I want to guarantee that he will be kept in a loving home."

"Then, we've gotta find him one," Roll shrugs.

"Actually, I was thinking the Met should stay here, and under your care especially," Thomas suggests, "You have experience."

After hearing her father's suggetion, Roll becomes uncomfortable with the idea and folds her arms accross herself. "I... don't know if I should keep him, Dr. Light."

"Why?" asks a puzzled Dr. Light, "You love Mets more than anybody I've ever seen."

Roll pouts, "I'm not ready yet."

"It doesn't look that way to me. You've done more with him than any of us has. He's getting better because of you," Thomas says.

Knowing that she finally has to admit why she thinks she isn't ready to take in a Met, Roll confesses, "I'm affraid I'll get too emotionally attached to him."

"Because of how you lost Doc?" Thomas asks.

Roll nods, looking sad. "I'm scared I'll lose him like I lost Doc... I can't let that happen to him. I can't go through that again."

"I know you still hurt after losing Doc, and I understand. But, you should not deny yourself a companion if you want one. Wouldn't you want to be the one who takes care of him?"

"Yeah, but... is it too soon to have another Met? I mean... what would Doc-"

Thomas gently interrupts Roll as he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Doc would want you to be happy. He always wanted that."

The_ pitter-patter_ sound of the Met's feet can be heard as he runs back into the living room. He runs right up to Roll and beeps that he's scared to go down the hallway alone. He wants Roll to go with him.

Once she saw the kindness in his cute little face, Roll's heart figurativly melted again just like it did when she first recovered this little guy. She kneels down and picks the Met up. "Aw, don't worry! If you feel safer with me, I'll go with you!" she coos.

The Met beeps again, thanking Roll for going with him. After watching his daughter being such a kind friend to this Met, Dr. Light felt the need to encourage her to do the right thing here.

"Roll... you should keep him, at least for now. You're the best caretaker he could possibly have," he suggests, "Plus, you could think of him as being an early birthday gift."

Roll looks down upon her little Met friend in her hands and asks. "Hey, do you wanna stay here with me and make this your new home?"

The Met beeps happily as a big smile comes accross his little lips.

Roll smiles too as her lip trembles. "Okay. You can stay with me for as long as you want," she says and she nestles her new Met companion in her arms.

He beeps again, asking if Roll can play with with him too.

"Sure, little guy!" Roll peeps, "We can have even more fun together!"

As Dr. Light watches Roll going outside with her little Met companion, he feels happy for her, relieved that she can finally mend the wound she has had to bare for two years after losing Doc.

Roll turns around to her father before she goes outside with the Met. "Maybe I _am_ ready, afterall. Thank you, Dr. Light. This is the best birthday gift I could ask for!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Thomas smiles back.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Elsewhere in New York.**

At a storage facility that was secretly owned by the Vick-Tek corporation, several Police Cruisers have filled the parking lot with their red and blue lights flashing everywhere. Just under thirty minutes ago, this place was broken into and raided by what appeared to be a single assailant... who happened to be wearing all Black, making his getaway in a Black car that appeared to drive on it's own.

Captain Talia Tallarico is commanding the officers and Policebots gathered here tonight, including her personal bodyguard/partner Officer Ash Rose, a man who by all means has every right to not be on duty this week, given the history this week holds for him. He hasn't been acting like himself so far this week, doing better this year, unlike last year.

The Captain notices how much he hasn't been acting like himself today and after she doles out her commands to the others, she approaches him. "You don't have to be on duty this week, Ash."

"I need to be, Ma'am," the Officer answers, "Keeps me busy... my brother would want me to carry on anyway."

It was two years ago this week that Officer Rose's brother was killed, but it wasn't just another casualty on just another day... he was one of the twenty-two victims of the first Dr. Wily attack in Times Square.

Captain Tallarico puts her hand on her partner's muscular shoulder. "You're doing him proud, but don't be ashamed if you feel you've gotta greive, kid."

"Thanks for your conrcern, Captain, but I'll be alright," the officer says.

Elsewhere on the lot, just outside the police line, a channel 7 news van arrives to the scene and Bree Recotta is the first to jump out of it, not even waiting for her cameraman to catch up with her. Once the news got around that a Vick-Tek leased storage facility was raided, this suddenly became a big story because of the fallout from Marcus Vickers' involvement with in the creation of Bass and Treble. Also, Bree felt she had to be here to cover this story.

Once she heard that the storage facility was rumored to be containing mostly advanced armor and weapon technology, Recotta's suspicion went into overdrive and she jumped on the opportunity to cover this story. For some reason it reminded her of her meeting with the strange guy at Yankee Stadium who know a little too much about weapons, or 'security' as he put it.

Bree heads for the police line where a majority of reporters from other news outlets have gathered and where a statement will be made by Captain Tallarico shortly.

As Bree's cameraman catches up with her and sets up his camera, he asks, "Do you think it's Wily?"

"No, it's somebody else. It has to be," Bree says.

"The only other jerk that gets this much police attention is that Mr. Black guy," says the cameraman.

Once the cameraman finishes his thought, a bothersome thought entered Bree's mind... it is believed that this Vick-Tek facility held armor and weapons... and that strange big guy at Yankee Stadium knew a lot about weapons, maybe a little _too much _about them...  
>Bree's brown eyes grow wide as something dawns on her... what if the big guy at the stadium was really...<p>

The wail of a siren brakes Recotta's train of thought and she looks around to see that a plain black car with small flashing lights in the windshield that was making it's way onto the lot of the storage facility is where the siren came from.  
>Once the car is parked, two men in black and white suits and ties step out and approach the police. One of the men had thinning brown hair; the other was slightly younger with a head full of black hair and looked latin.<br>Just from one look at their stiff and professional cadance they have, Bree can tell right away that these gentlemen are Federal Agents.

"Looks like the F.B.I. is here," she says.

"Feds? What are they doing here?" asks the cameraman.

"Vick-Tek is under a Federal investigation right now after their involvment with Bass," Bree replies, "And since this is a Vick-Tek facility, they want in on this."

As Bree watches these two agents speaking with Captain Tallarico, she studies their body language and how they are acting. Then, she notices Tallarico becoming agittated as the agents begin speaking to her, and it looks like the Feds are doing all of the talking.

Then, several Federal vehicles begins to arrive on the scene, some of the a large black vans with the F.B.I. seal on either side. Even more agents begin pouring out of the vehicles, some of them carrying their own Crime Scene Investigation kits with them.  
>Not long after, the human police officers and Policebots begin to move out as the Feds begin to take their place here.<p>

"And it looks like this is no longer an N.Y.P.D. investigation," Bree assesses, "The F.B.I. has taken over."

Captain Tallarico makes her way to the news reporters gathered at the police line, followed by the F.B.I. agent with the thinning hair who arrived on the scene in the black car.  
>Once she reaches the reporters, a keen eye can easily tell that she is flustered. "I'm going to keep this brief, people. Shortly after 10 PM, this storage facility was breached by unknown assailants and a sizeable ammount of the contents held inside were stolen. We will be... working with the F.B.I. to identify who is responsible for this. There will be no questions at this time."<p>

As Tallarico leaves, the F.B.I. agent steps up and speaks. "We would appriciate if all of you would move back from the scene my forty yards so that we can complete this investigation. This is an active investigation that requires as little interference as possible. That is all."

As the agent leaves, the reporters try to ask their questions anyway, but Bree had a question that she felt compelled to ask. And it was her voice that stands out above the rest. "Is this break-in connected to the Mr. Black crimes?"

That question grabs the attention of the agent and he turns around to look at Recotta. "... I believe the Captain specifically stated 'no questions' tonight, Ma'am," he says, "You will be contacted with the neccessary information when our investigation is complete."

Just by reading the agent's reaction, Bree knew that this had to have been the work of Mr. Black. And it only makes her own theory about the masked terror - and the man who may be behind the mask - all the more interesting.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at his hideout far outside of the city, an unmasked Mr. Black stares at the many screens conected to his multimendia center, watching the news coverage of the brake-in he just performed at the Vick-Tek storage facility, the same one he learned about by finding his way into Marcus Vickers' personal network.<p>

Once he sees the F.B.I. agent stepping up the address the news media, he leans towards the screen. He knows that face, he would recognize it from anywhere. It is his former F.B.I. Director, Paul Allen.

Mr. Black's eyes narrow as he stares at the agent on the monitor. He was one of the earliest contributers to his fall from grace. "You son of a bitch!" he whispers to the screen.

Then he hears Bree Recotta's voice asking. _"Is this break-in connected to the Mr. Black crimes?"_

Mr. Black's breath stopped for one second when he heard Bree - the woman whom he encountered at the Mega Man vs. Bass fight - ask the question about him. He then studied his former director's very reaction and awaited his response.

_"... I believe the Captain specifically stated 'no questions' tonight, Ma'am," he says, "You will be contacted with the neccessary information when our investigation is complete."_

Mr. Black leans back in his chair and stares at the floor, frowning as he tries to massage his browbone between his eyes. It was bad enough that his former agency was looking into his work and that Allen is leading the charge. But, now Bree Recotta may be getting involved in this. The Conduit did warn him that woman would be trouble.

"This complicates everything," Mr. Black muses to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>

_"The Vick-Tek controversy continues," _says Channel 7 anchor Kirk Trujillo as footage of the brake-in at the Vick-Tek storage facilaty is shown on the news, _"Late last night, a storage facility leased by the company was raided and contents of unknown origin were taken. It is believed that Dr. Albert Wily and his robots played no part in this particular incident, but federal investigators are now working with the New York Police in the investigation.  
>This news could not have come at a worse time for Vick-Tek, as the company is about to be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange following the public backlash caused by their alledged involvment with Dr. Albert Wily and the creation of Bass."<em>

We then see Trish Faulkenburg on the screen. _"In our other big news story of the day, after nearly a year of specluation, it has now been comfirmed that former New York Governor George Cochran has announced his candidacy in the 20X4 Presidential race! He made the announcement earlier this morning and here are some of his comments."_

We now see the former Governor of New York City, George Cochran seated in an office with several books on the wall behind him, looking directly into the camera.

_"After serving as a proud member of the United States Marines, and eight years as Governor of the great state of New York, the next logical step in my life and political career is obvious. Effective immediately, I am running for the office of President of the United States next November,"_ he states with a slight smile in his aged face.

Trish Faulkenburg adds, _"With current President Kieth Henry's reaching the end of his second term in office next year, Capaign 20X4 is already going to be a very ineresting race, but the presence of Governor Cochran insures the coming months will be even more interesting."_

We then see video of a sizeable contruction project going on elsewhere in New York City and Trujillo narrates over it.

_"Construction work continues on the mysterious large structure in Central Manhattan today on the same lot where the old Sierra Dynamics headquarters building once stood. Following the building's destruction during the Gamma attack last March, Sierra Dynamics moved their headquarters to California and the lot remained vacant until earlier this year when Governor Mitchell Deacon commisioned a new structure to go in it's place._  
><em>The Governor says that a formal announcement about this building and what purpose it will serve for the city will be made in a few weeks."<em>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>Albany, New York.****

While the man who previously held the Governor's seat has launched his Presidential campaign, current Governor Mitchell Deacon is making his own plans... plans involving this 'mysterious structure' that was just mentioned on the news.

Deacon has only been in office just over six months, but he feels that now is the time to take some major action in the war with Dr. Wily. Seeing that the majority of Wily's attacks continue to take place in New York City, Deacon wants to take measures that would be in the best interests of New York and the citizens' safety.

A pair of well-dressed human gentlemen enter Deacon's office and approach the Governor. One is a security advisor, another appears to be an engineer.

"Mr. Newkirk and Mr. Keil are here to see you, Mr. Governor," says Deacon's personal security robot.

"Thank you. Please, gentlemen, sit down," Deacon says from behind his desk, his dull jet black hair still as flat and tragically un-hip as ever.

Deacon's two guests sit down on the opposite end of the Governor's desk and the Engineer Mr. Keil places a computer pad atop of the desk.

"So, what is the latest progress report?" Deacon asks.

"Work is nearly complete, Mr. Deacon. It could be ready inside of three weeks at the earliest," says Keil the Engineer, pressing the screen of the computer pad. Then, a one-foot tall holographic rendition of a towering structure appears.  
><em>This<em> is the mysterious structure being built in Manhattan.

Newkirk the security advisor comments, "The latest revisions to the Civil Defense Tower will be to your liking, Mr. Governor. It will be fitted with two-hundred mounted plasma bolt turrets and laser cannons, and it's height can be extended to stand taller than the Empire State Building or Freedom Tower. That way it can pick off any high-flying bogeys with it's arry of missiles, all of which are impervious to anti-aircraft denfense menthods."

"What about the operation of the tower?" Deacon asks.

"There will be a crew of operators in the central hub high at the top of the tower 24 hours a day. Strict security checks will be made on each crew member before they can even step foot inside," replies Mr. Newkirk.

Mr. Kiel adds, "And there will be a lockdown system in place in case security is compromised. Any intruders will be trapped inside and awaiting capture from New York's finest."

Governor Deacon looks a bit unsure. "This all still sounds like many of the things we heard before the Gamma robot was hijacked by Dr. Wily. I want you to make _sure_ that a disaster like that doesn't happen again with the Civil Defense Tower."

"We are personally guaranteeing it, Mr. Governor," says Mr. Newkirk, "Even if Albert Wily would manage to compromise it, he would be trapped like a rat and even his best robots would most likely be unable to compromise the outer wall of the tower before being taken out by it's weapons. He would be captured at last."

"We could use the tower to bait Dr. Wily," suggests Mr. Kiel, "He does have a tendancy to appear whenever something big is happening and usually manages to use it to his advantage."

"Yes, I know all about _that_ first hand," Deacon says, "He almost replaced me with a robot copy of myself."

"The engineer brings up a good point. If Wily was trapped inside the tower, all we would have to do is call Mega Man to pick that psycho's ass up and this war would be over."

Deacon puts a hand on his chin, just below his black mustasche and ponders to himself for a moment. "A promise of the end of the war is something I wish I could deliver... and the idea is very tempting, but also very hazardous. If there is one thing we should all know about Albert Wily, it's that we should never underestimate his intelligence. Just we all think we have him beaten, he always finds a way to get out unscathed. We have to be cautious."

"Not that I don't think Mr. Kiel is doing a good job overseeing the development of the Civil Defense Tower, but I'm still suprised you didn't commission Dr. Thomas Light to design this, Mr. Governor," Newkirk says.

"After the Gamma incident, Thomas said he did not want to work on anything like that again, even if it was on a small scale like the Tower," explains Deacon, "But, the longer this war goes on, the more life and property will be lost. So, I have to step up to the plate as well and do what I can."

"Does Dr. Light know about the Tower, sir?" the security advisor asks.

"He was the first person I asked about making a defense system for New York. Again, he did not want to risk the same thing happening again," Deacon answers, "But, even though he's a friend of mine, this was one case where I don't think we can afford to wait on taking action... and I want this war over as much as anybody."

Governor Deacon stands up and approaches the office window with his arms folded behind his back. "If we _do_ use the tower to bait Wily, I want this method to be tested over and over again, even after you get it right," Deacon says, "I will not put the lives of my citizens at risk to catch him, not unless it is gauranteed to work."

"Like I said earlier, Mr. Governor... we _guarantee_ it," Mr. Newkirk says.

Deacon continues staring out of his window at the mansion's lawn outside. He now has some big decisions to make. Decisions that could potentionally end the war with Wily... or could potentially be the biggest error in judgment since Gamma.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<strong>  
><strong>Los Angeles, California.<strong>

Somewhere in a large multi-tier parking garage, a shady-looking character wearing a ski cap and sunglasses makes his way through the rows of parked cars, scanning each one of them, looking for the right one to steal.

This fellow crawls over to a parked SkyCar and kneels beside the driver's side door. This was the perfect one.

He grabs a long flat silver wand from under his jacket and jams it into the top side of the door, right in the windshield slot. The device begins to change shape and manipulated itself deep into the door and finds it's way to the locking mechanism and undoes it unlocking the car.

It appears that this guy's job for the night is done, and without much effort. Then, he hears something behind him... a voice, to be exact.

"HEY!" barks the gruff-sounding voice.

The crook spins around on his knees and spots three male siloettes standing right behind him, all of them wearing high-quality robot armor on their bodies, almost all of it painted blue. In fact, each of their armors appears to be styled after Mega Man's armor.

At first he thought these three were robots, but they appear to be three young males and robot-like costumes. But, it appears that each of these three were carrying some sort of weapons in their hands.

The tallest and biggest one of the group took a step forward, wearing a blue helmet with a spiked metallic mohawk on the top and a face shield covering his jaw, but leaving his eyes exposed. This one is clearly the leader and probably the oldest of the litter.

"And what do you think you're doing with that car,_ buddy_?" asks the leader of the trio.

The carjacker wields his metal rod, ready to use it as a weapon, but the leader holds his left hand out and a magnetic pulse generates from it, yanking the tool right out of the punk's hand and into his.

"We tried doing this the easy way," the leader says, "But, I guess you'll just be like all of the others that oppose us. Take him, boys!"

The other two members of this trio lunge into action and jump towards the carjacker. The punk tries to defend himself by taking a swing at one of these young vigilantes, but the punch is ducked. Menwhile, the other one takes the crook down by clipping his knees out from under him, causing him to fall hard on his back.

Both of the vigilantes quickly begin tying him up by his wrists and his legs with some sort of cable-like material and the leader of the group steps up and grabs him by his jacket and drags him over to a nearby guard rail, which is the only thing between this structure and a multi-story drop to the sidewalk below.

"You're probably wondering just who we are, aren't you?" says the leader through his face shield with a laugh, "We may look it, but we're not robots, and we're not Mega Man... but we _are_ the Mega Crew! So, do you have any last words?"

"No! Please!" the carjacker pleads.

The leader of the Mega Crew slaps something on the man's chest before interrupting him. "Wrong last words, punk. See ya!"

He then shoves the bound carjacker over the railing and down to the ground below. The man wails in horror as his body falls all the way down, until...

the cable his legs were tied to reaches it's limit and stops him from hitting the sidewalk just a few feet befoe he hit.

"Oh, God! Get me down!" the carjacker shrieks as his body danagles upsidedown over the sidewalk, leaving him there to be retrived by the police when they get here.

The thing that the leader of the Mega Crew stuck to the crook's chest was a small adhesive steel plate which reads, "_Another one caught, courtesy of The Mega Crew... you're welcome."  
><em>These boys certainly aren't humble about their work, that much is for certain.

Back in the parking structure, all three members of the Mega Crew look down upon their latest catch and snicker as they give eachother high fives.

"Let's beat it before the cops get here," says the leader.

He and his two armored buddies step on their red hoverboards - all of which have goofy-looking fake dog heads on the front of them, clearly designed to be their version of Rush Jets - and fly away from the scene as the wail of approaching L.A.P.D. sirens can be heard.  
>Whoever these three kids are, they are certainly making a name for themselves, but these wannabe vigilantes may end up barking up the wrong tree...<p>

"So, when're we gonna go after that punk Dr. Wily?" asks the Mega Crew member to the right of the leader.

"Yeah, we've got a war to fight, man!" adds to other to his left.

"Hey! What have I told you goofs? We've gotta build our rep first!" replies the leader, "Mega Man didn't storm Skull Fortress right away, did he? No! He built up his reputation first and let everyone know just what kind of ass-kicker he really is... besides, all good things come in time. At least that's what my sister says."

"Hey, when's _she_ gonna come along?" asks the one of the left, "She could be our Roll!"

"I'm the leader of this gang! I make the decisions!" the Mega Crew leader barks.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

A lot can happen in the span of a week.

The Vick-Tek corporation has already entered financial ruin following the public backlash from the Bass controversy and experts believe that the company could be out of business within the next few months... if they even have that long.

The trio of human young men dressed like robots known as The Mega Crew is still at-large and fighting petty crimes vigilante style and making a name for themselves.

Governor Deacon's plans for the defense system have moved forward, while Former Governor Cochran is going ahead with his Presidential Compaign.

The F.B.I. is now getting involved in the Mr. Black case and so is Bree Recotta, but the masked terror has not been spotted since the night of the brake-in at the storage facility.

And Mega Man is still proudly and boldly serving as the Defender of the Human Race, as Roll has herself a new Met companion and Dr. Light continues to develop robots for the benifit of humankind.

But it's how Dr. Albert Wily has spent his time that has made the most difference, and not for the better. Even though he is still angry over how Bass and Treble turned on him, Dr Wily has a renewed vigor to take over the world and he has been plotting and planning all new robots and instruments of terror, and it's all because of his new bonanza of money he was given by the Vick-Tek corporation.

Several sketches can be seen taped all over the walls of Wily's workshop at the Fortress, but there is one particular design that Albert has sketched multiple times and can be seen all over the room, and it is also the one that Albert is working on right now.  
>These designs are not for another robot or a weapon... it is something<em> much more<em>...

As Dr. Wily scribbles down the newest blueprint draft of his latest abominable creation on a large sheet of paper, he begins thinking aloud to himself like he always does.

"Ever since this war began, I have sought the perfect plan... the perfect weapon... the perfect robot," Albert says to hmself, "Everything from mind chips, scrambler chips, earthquakes, Robosuars, Grabbing the Moon, taking the Robot Masters... Bass... Proto... and yet, I am _still_ at square one. I have yet to take over the world... and Mega Man still lives."

Without taking his eyes off hs work, Wily continues to draw out the plans and he continues, "The only time I _ever _came within a breath of accomplishing my quest... was Gamma."

And Dr. Wily is right. The closest he has ever come to defeating Mega Man _and_ taking over the world with one swift stroke was when he hijacked the peacekeeping robot Gamma. On that horrible night, it appeared that Dr. Wily had all but won the war with resounding dominance, and if it hadn't been for the valliant efforts of Mega Man, the Lights and some of their closest friends and allies, he would have done it.

While three of Wily's most recent plans - The Deacon Operation, the framing of Mega Man for the kidnapping of Kalinka Cossack and the creation of Bass and Treble - came close to removing Mega Man by one means or another, each of them did not convey to the world the aura of power and domination that Wily wanted to convey to the world... something Gamma _did_ do very easily.

While there is no way that Wily could manage to build another Gamma, even with his newfound budget of nearly two-hundred million dollars, he _can_ make something just as powerful as Gamma... something much _worse_ than Gamma ever was... something that can -and _will_ - get the job done at last.

Suddenly, Dr. Wily's concentration is broken when ProtoMan enters the workshop, as always not knocking the door first. The entrance jarred Albert's concentration so much, his pen slipped as he was drawing the diagram for this new instrument of destruction, and the blueprint was marred with a long steak of ink.

A raging Wily throws his pen at the wall and spins around in his creaking old swivel chair to face Proto, wearing an angry scowl above his prominent cleft chin.

"How many damn times do I have to tell you not to interrupt my work?" Wily asks with a yell.

ProtoMan snarks, "You know what? You have never _specifically_ told me to not interrupt your work before! At least according to that memory core of mine."

Wily harshly gravels, "Then, I'm telling you now! And consider it an order!"

Proto's smirk quickly disappears once Wilty calls him on it. Since he had_ ordered_ ProtoMan not to interrupt his work anymore, Proto's programmed obediance to Wily's commands orders him to comply.

"Aye-aye, sir," ProtoMan groans as he leans on the doorframe.

As Dr. Wily takes his ruined blueprint for the deadly project he was working on and throw it onto the nearest table, he grumbles, "What was so damned important that you had to interrupt me?"

Proto answers, "The materials you ordered for your next wicked creation has arrived. I guess they're for that dream machine I see that I see you've made sketches of all over the room?"

"Those materials are intended for new Robot Masters. Project G-2 will require much more than that."

"What does 'Project G-2' mean?" Proto asks.

Wily grins, "My boy, you could say it is... classified."

Proto frowns as he crosses his arms accross his grey titanium chest armor. He doesn't like the fact that Dr. Wily is still keeping him in the dark about his plans, even after embracing the Red Raider as his 'boy' again.  
>But, as much as Proto hates beign left in the dark, he doesn't complain aloud. At least he has his job back and that jerk Bass is nowhere to be found anymore... but still, things aren't the way they used to be between Wily and Proto, and this was a glowing example of it.<p>

"I'll leave you to your work, Wily. And don't worry, I won't interrupt it," Proto says as he turns and leaves the workshop... then he smirks, "By the way... you never said anything about not knocking on the door!"

ProtoMan laughs heartily as he walks away, and Dr. Wily is a bit peeved that his Prototype has once again managed to get the last word. "If there was ever I time I wish I had programmed a more humble disposition into that boy's neural net, it's now!"

Dr. Wily turns his attention to the marred blueprint of the mysterious_ 'Project G-2'_ he was working on just a few minutes ago. "As much as I would like to finish developing Project G-2 right now, I do have more pressing matters to attend to."

Wily grabs a communicator and contacts GutsMan who is elsewhere in the fortress. "GutsMan, bring the robot materials to the workshop now."

_"Ya' forgot to say the magic word again, Dr. Wily,"_ GutsMan responds, still with his updated free-will capabilities programmed into his systems, something that Dr. Wily once again forgot about.

"_PLEASE_, DAMN YOU!" Dr. Wily roars into the communicator, fed-up with this _secret word_ crap, before slamming it on the floor, breaking it into two shattered pieces.

"I need to build new Robot Masters and fast! Namely ones that don't force me to say _please_!" Wily angrilly complains as his beady eyes scan all of the hand-drawn blueprints for potential Robot Master designs.

Wily's eyes stop when they reach two particular blueprints for two new Robot Masters. These Robot Masters are very unique compared to all of the others and both have powers that none of the others have. And what makes them both interesting is that they are both female.

Albert's eyes dart back and forth between the two designs. One of the female Robot Masters would be more for ground-based attacks; the other would be used for aquatic purposes. Both of them would be very useful additions to the robot army, but Wily only wanted to build one of them right now.

"I shall build you first," Wily says, grabbing the blueprint for the non-water based female robot and pulling it off the wall, "You will make a fine addition to my army, my dear!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_And **finally**, 'Defender' is back online!_

_First off, I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter online. It was longer than I expected for a whole bunch of reasons, one of which was the fact that I have been overhauling all of the Epsode 1 chapters including the interlude to episode 2, which have been posted you can finally check those out if you want. (Chapters 1 though 11, if you're interested. It doesn't look so bad to read now.)  
>It's a bit easier to read. Also for the past few weeks, my body could not handle hunching over in my chair for long periods of time, so that slowed writing things down a bit. And, I had not decided one what direction I wanted to take Episode 8 in until now.<em>

_But, I can tell you that Episode 8 is in production now and it won't be too long before it debuts. I'm going for something a bit different with this one. It's not quite the "big event" stories like we've been seeing recently, but hopefully, you'll like it._

_With this interlude, I wanted to really set up a few things going into Episode 8 and show how things are starting to change and how interesting things are beginning to happen (I.E.: Deacon working to build the defense tower, Wily's future plans.)  
>Also, I wanted to introduce some new characters, namely the Mega Crew (specifically the leader of the group) and this mysterious female Robot Master who is an OC I've been waiting to introduce for a while.<br>These things will be followed up on in the next episode and future episodes. The wheels of change are still turning._

_I__ t__hink all of you true Mega Man fans know who the aquatic female Robot Master really is, don't you? But, no,_ she's_ not showing up in the next episode. Sorry about that. Maybe in the future, however... ;)  
>And also, the new Robot Master OC is not based on any other existing character in the Mega Man games or comics. She will be a completely new character that I've had in my mind for a while now.<em>

_Please remember to leave a review/comment and if you catch any typos, PM me right away._

_... Who is the leader of the Mega Crew...? And what's the story with this new female Robot...? and what exactly is Dr. Wily' Project G-2?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Update:<em>**

_Again, it has taken longer to write this upcoming episode than I had expected, and for more than one reason. But, don't worry. Episode 8 will debut no later than August 8th of this year (or maybe sooner.)_

_I am getting closer to finishing the first raft of the chapters and hopefully, you will enjoy it.  
>Sorry to keep you folks waiting, but, don't worry. Defender isn't anywhere close to finished yet, and the new episode<strong> is<strong> coming._


	86. Episode 8: Trouble at the Tower

**_EPISODE 8: Trouble at the Tower._**

**The Following takes place one month after the events of "Vendetta."**

* * *

><p><strong>The year is 20X3.<strong>

**The effects of the wheels of change are beginning to show in the world around our heroes.  
>New relationships have been forged, those who were once thought to have been lost have been given a new lease on life, and some others in high places who chose to take the wrong path in life are now falling.<strong>

**And there are still threatening forces in the world. Some threats are already present, such as Dr. Albert Wily and the mysterious Mr. Black; some new threats are still on the horizon, yet to be seen or feared; and some of the newest threats are already here, such as the super warrior robot known as Bass. And of course there is the band of vigilantes known as the Mega Crew, who appear to be well-meaning, but whose recklessness could prove to be a problem in the close future.**

**Following his near-fatal encounter with Bass, Mega Man has been unsure of his ability to defeat the deadly robot on his own the next time they meet. He has been considering other combat methods and ideas, but his preliminary calculations have not been as promising as he had hoped.**

**But, in the meantime, The Defender of the Human Race and his sister Roll are enjoying a rare day off in their home state of New York, but this part of our story does not begin with them, but is does begin with another product of the ongoing changes taking place.**

**There is about to be a new arrival into this world... and it will prove to be quite eventful.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: A Big Night<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In his workshop, where the walls are still covered with sketches and plans for future robots and inventions - including the frightening Project G-2, - Dr. Wily looms over his newest Robot Master, the first female addition to his robot army.

The majority of her purple and greyish blue armor has been fully applicated and only her right arm is still unfinished, leaving most of her silver titanium skeletal arm still exposed. The palm of her unfinished right hand has a round generator implanted into it, which is tied to her special weapon power.  
>Her purple and blue armor is sleek and shapely and she is donned with a helmet in the the same shade purple as her torso armor with a clear visor protecting the upper half of her face which is designed to look Asian, with gold hue skin and thin eyes.<p>

Dr. Wily finishes crafting her final pieces of exterior armor for the right arm when ProtoMan enters the room, once again without knocking beforehand. Wily is annoyed at Proto's lack of knocking etiquette, but this time, Albert was expecting him, unlike all the other times Proto barged in and intruded on his work.

"Alright, I'm here. What do you... whoa," Proto pauses when he sees the female Robot Master lying flat on the work table. His eyes study her features from behind his visor and he lets out a whistle. "It's about time you started making Ladybot Masters, Wily."

"The fact that she is female is merely a financial decision, not a cosmetic one," Wily says, "It costs less to produce a female robot's body, because they are smaller and more slender. Therefore, they require less materials."

"I wish you were _always_ this cheap," Proto jabs, "By the way, I like the visor. Nice touch. Only the _best_ robots wear visors."

"The majority of the resources devoted to her construction were for her special power," Wily continues, "She has a pulse emitter in her right arm which will create a devastating shockwave attack when she uses it."

"So, let me guess, you're going to name her... Shock Woman? Or maybe, Pulse Woman?" Proto guesses, mocking the predicable names that are usually given to Robot Masters.

"I haven't chosen a name yet," Wily says, keeping his back turned to Proto as he continues crafting the last piece of the female's armor.

"Whatever you name her, be sure to keep ElecMan away from her.. unless she can kick his titanium ass. Then, at least I'll get some entertainment out of watching her beat him up," Proto says.

"I will be needing this one to be at full strength. I have plans for her," Wily says, carrying the remaining armor pieces in his right hand and a programming uploader in his other hand.

"So, she's supposed to be the latest challenger to my little brother?" Proto asks.

"She is but _one part_ of the group of Robot Masters I plan on building in the near future, and I plan out sending out this quartet of destruction all at once. But, I am not deploying them until I know their loyalty lies with me... unlike Bass," Wily says.

Proto smirks when he is reminded of his successful elaborate scheme to frame Bass last month and lets out a chortle inadvertently. But, Albert notices ProtoMan's little chortle and glances sideways at him.

"You always take pleasure in seeing him gone, don't you?" Wily asks with a hint of skepticism.

"Yeah, I do," Proto admits, his smile growing wider.

"Bass could have won me the world if he hadn't turned against me," Wily adds as he plugs the programming device into the back of the female Robot Master's neck.

"Highly unlikely," Proto retorts, "He still wasn't good enough to beat my bro."  
>Proto was careful with his words. He almost let slip that he had witnessed Bass defeated by Mega Man, and that would have raised more than a few red flags with Wily.<p>

As the Robot Master's programming is uploaded into her systems, Wily grabs the remaining pieces of her armor. "You never saw him in battle, Proto, " he says, "He was better than Mega Man. He had him _beaten!_ There was no way that he could have-"  
>Wily was interrupted by the sound of the program uploader buzzing with an alarm, indicating a critical error. "Dammit! Her programming upload has failed!"<p>

Then, the unexpected happens... the female robot's thin eyelids open. And as she studies her surroundings, she begins to look panicked.

"Wily! She's awake!" ProtoMan warns.

"WHAT?" Wily blurts, spinning around to see for himself.

As the female Robot Master looks through her clear visor with her look of panic becoming more noticable as Wily looms over her. She tries to speak, but no words come out of her mouth, mostly likely an effect of her programming upload failure.

"I'm going to have to wipe her memory core. She's a defect, and I can't have defects running amok in my fortress!" Wily says.

Once she hear's Wily's plans and realizes that she's in real danger, the female robot knows she has to get out of here and fast. So, she grabs Dr. Wily by his shirt and tie and violently shoves him off of her, sending him crashing into the wall which is still adorned with blueprints for future inventions.

She quickly leaps off of the table and stands across from ProtoMan, who is rather shocked at how fiercely this robot is defending herself. Before ProtoMan could even aim his blaster at her, she slams her unfinished right hand onto the floor and unleashes a bright blue shockwave, knocking everybody and everything away from her.

ProtoMan goes flying out the door backwards, crashing in the hallway while Dr. Wily slides across to the other side of the workshop as equipment falls on top of him, pinning the madman down the the floor.

The female Robot Master suddenly gasps and falls to her knees and grabs the sides of her helmet, looking like she's in horrible pain. ProtoMan is still layed out in the hallway, but witnesses this robot's sudden pain. It looks like she's feeling the same pain he felt when he was born.

The female robot tries to ignore the pain and sprints out of the workshop and right past ProtoMan whose stare follows her as she runs away. Usually his first instinct in a situation like this would be to check on Dr. Wily, but Proto was so preoccupied by the female robot after he saw the pain of she she just felt, he instead races after her when he gets to his feet.

"Yes! Go after her, Proto!" Wily clamors from the workshop, buried in equipment.

* * *

><p>The runaway female robot runs desperately through the seemingly endless corridors of Skull Fortress, full of twists, turns and hazards. She runs past several Robot Master cohorts, leaving them confused in her wake, wondering who she was. And one particular group of Robot Masters she runs past is the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, who are all playing a game of cards at a table set up to the side.<p>

Cut Man - wearing a poker style visor hat around his round scissor head - looks up with wide eyes at the female robot as she runs past them. "Was that Wily's new Robot Master?"

"Who cares," GutsMan says, waving one of his big yellow hands, "Let's just finish our game. And I don't want you cuttin' the cards nomore, Cut Man. I'm not stealin' any more decks."

Then the voice of Dr. Wily booms on Skull Fortress' loudspeakers. _"Attention all Robot Masters. Go after that female robot and bring her back to me! Now!"_

"He didn't say the magic word again," GutsMan says.

"Nope," Cut Man replies as he and Magnet Man return to their card game.

_"And for Magnet Man, Cut Man and GutsMan... please!"_ Wily begrudgingly adds.

"Aw, man!" GutsMan complains as he throws his cards down on the table, "Come on, let's just get this over with."

The trio of reprogrammed Robot Masters leave their game and go after their rogue runaway just as their master so _kindly_ requested.

* * *

><p>By now, several Robot Masters are pursuing the female robot as she races towards the fortress' hangar bay, which may be her only way out of here. ProtoMan is one of the robots running the fastest towards the female. "Wily wants her back in one piece!" he yells, "Don't screw it up!"<p>

As fast as Proto and the others are running, Quick Man is quicker than all the rest, (naturally.) The quick Robot Master manages to slow down and run at a normal pace to keep up with these slowpokes.

"Hey fellas," he says very rapidly without good punctuation, "I bet I can catch up with her before any of you can! Take a look!"

The female Robot Master runs into the hangar bay and heads for the opening straight ahead, but, the bay's large doors slam themselves shut, blocking her only path out. Then, out of nowhere, Quick Man bolts in front of her. "Ha-ha! I knew I'd catch you first!" he babbles.

The female turns around to run in the opposite direction, but the majority of Dr. Wily's robot army stands in her way, ready to attack. And ProtoMan was at the head of the group.

"Easy now, sweetcheeks," Proto says, "Just come back with us. We don't want to have to do this the hard way."

The female Robot Master looks around at all of these other Robot Masters all around her, each of them posing a threat, and she knew she had to this one way. All of a sudden, the pain and worry in her eyes disappear, only to be replaced with anger and power as the palm of her right hand begins to glow.

"Uh-oh!" Proto moans. He knows is is trouble, but he and the others have no idea just how much trouble they're in.

The lady Robot Master takes her hand and slams it down on the floor and unleashes a large dangerous shockwave that produces an eardrum shattering _**"VRRRRRAAAANNNNNG!"**_ sound as it spreads all around her, violently knocking all the Skullkers and other vehicles in the hangar bay over on their sides and shattering their windshields.

"Oh, shit!" Proto bemoans as the deadly shockwave heads towards him. Thinking fast, Proto leaps high into the air, grabbing onto a support beam high above to avoid being hit.

Meanwhile, all the other Robot Masters down below aren't as lucky. Many of them try to run away and others tried to stand and brace themselves for it. But, all of them get viciously blown away by the shock wave and the destroyed hulks of vehicles and debris, sending them flying all across the hangar bay, including even the strongest ones like GutsMan, Hard Man and Stone Man.

The shockwave was so powerful, it even ripped the hangar bay doors off of their hinges, giving the rogue Robot Master an easy path to escape. As she leaps out of the wreckage of the hangar bay, ProtoMan drops back down from the ceiling and runs after her.

* * *

><p>Once she lands on her feet on the barren desert surface outside, the female robot notices all of Skull Fortress' outer defences and knows she doesn't stand a chance making it past them all, so she then charges up another shockwave attack and unleashes it. This shockwave not only takes out all of the landmines embedded in the ground, but also shorts out the various turrets and anti-aircraft weapons that <em>were<em> set up around the place.

Afterwards, she makes a run for it again, leaping over the fortress' outer wall, the last thing separating her from freedom. But, ProtoMan leaps after her and continues his chase, but not for very long.

"I don't have time for this!" Proto snaps, preparing his blaster and firing a charged shot at the ground near her feet.

The plasma shot bursts right behind her, knocking her off of her feet and sending her falling hard onto the unforgiving rocky terrain of the badlands. She hits the ground on her left shoulder and head, shattering her helmet's visor on impact.

As ProtoMan advances on her, she gets to her knees and rips the helmet off her head, throwing at down and revealing shoulder-length locks of jet black hair. She lets out muted shrieks of pain as she grabs her head again and Proto becomes genuinely concerned, afraid that he might have hurt her when she crashed in the ground.

"Are you hurt?" Proto asks.

The female doesn't answer, only making these strange sounds like she was trying the scream, but nothing was coming out but air.

"I'm sorry! I'll help you back up," Proto offers... and then, the female robot lets out a muted scream as she slams her fist on the ground and creates another powerful shockwave from her unfinished right hand, completely shattering the rocky ground and sending debris flying everywhere.

Again, Proto is sent soaring backwards and collides with Skull Fortress' outer wall and hits the ground as he is showered with small rock particles.

The rogue Robot Master pants as she stares at ProtoMan and the damage she has done to Skull Fortress. The pain in her head barely ebbs down now that she has caused her share of destruction, but, she knows she is still in trouble if she sticks around here any longer.  
>The female turns begins running away into the darkness of night and into freedom.<p>

ProtoMan lets out a tired groan as he shakes his helmeted head. "Now I know why Wily didn't want any female robots on his team!"

* * *

><p><strong>Madison Square Garden.<br>****New York City.**

While tonight has already proven to be a very dangerous night at Skull Fortress, it is also the most eventful night in the life of one Roll Light.

This is a celebration of the highest order, and the fact that it is taking place here at Madison Square Garden - the world's most famous arena - makes this night just that much more special to her. Most people can only dream about the honor that she will get to experience tonight and to receive the reward she is about to be given, and she is so happy that her brother Mega Man and their dog Rush can be a part of this too.  
>(She would have had hew new Met here too, but he is scared of loud music, so he's still at home at the lab.)<p>

Roll is just seconds away from being awarded her ultimate prize for helping her brother defend the human race, and she has fought so hard for this moment. All of the fighting and hard work has all been worth it for this moment to become a reality.

A human man in a suit approaches her carrying_ the_ prize of prizes, and Roll feels her circuits tingle with excitement as she sees it and she can't hide the smile on her face.

The man then places a ribbon around her neck and the prize itself hangs from the bottom of it, now dangling in front of her. The prize was now hers, and nobody could take it away from her.

It is not a medal of valor for bravely fighting in the face of terrorism like her brother and father Dr. Light received two years ago... even though she _deserves_ one for all that she's done since then... and it's not a precious artifact that she has been bestowed... nor is it a piece of expensive necklace jewelery... it's something much more important, at least to Roll...

It's a backstage pass for tonight's performance by Captain Fallout and The Atom Smashers, Roll's favorite heavy metal band in the whole world!

The band has kicked off their 20X3 American Tour to promote their new album _"Captain Fallout and the Atom Smashers"_ (self titled,) and they have chosen to start the tour right here, in New York City. As a token of appreciation for their service to the human race, Mega Man and _specifically_ Roll were granted all access by the band's management.  
>Word is that the band personally made the request for the heroes to be invited, mainly because they knew Roll is their biggest fan, but also one particular member did it as a measure of personal gratitude.<p>

Wearing a shiny silver shirt and red pants, wearing her long blonde hair in a double ponytail behind her head and with a red lightning bolt painted on her left cheek - a very unusual ensemble for her - Roll is nearly beside herself with excitement as she looks at the backstage pass for the show.

"Thank you so very much, sir!" she peeps with a big smile after the event promoter bestows the pass around her neck.

"At the least we could do for the world's greatest heroes!" the man replies, "Perhaps you could follow me."

As Mega Man, Rush and Roll make their way down the halls inside Madison Square Garden, Mega says, "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you this excited, sis!"

"This is the greatest day of my life, Mega!" Roll beams, "I get to meet the best band in the world!"

"I'm always glad to see you happy after everything we've been through together. You deserve to have a big day like this, Roll," Mega says.

Roll smiles, "It wouldn't have been possible if you weren't my brother, Mega."

As the Light siblings continue following the promoter to their destination, Roll thinks about how big this night is for her, but it must have paled in comparison to what Mega's greatest day was. She can't help but ask him what it was like... "Mega, what did it feel like when you and Dr. Light got your medals from President Henry after you beat Wily for the first time?"

"It was exhilarating," Mega replies as he thinks back to that day, "Seeing all of those people and robots gathered there and giving hope to them all at a time when they needed it the most would've given me goosebumps... if I were human. The same goes for receiving the medal from The President."

"It must've been sweet to score one of those. You've still got that baby hung up on your wall!" Roll smiles, "I wish I could be awarded one of them."

"Receiving the medal is great, but not as great as the honor behind it," Mega elaborates, "The Medal of Valor is only for the bravest of people who are willing to do what's right even in the face of danger... you could qualify for that. You already make a good hero."

"Really?" Roll blushes, "Wow! You have no idea how much that means coming from you, Mega!"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Mega Man says as he looks over to his sister... then, he notices something about the color of Roll's lipstick tonight. Something that seems _very_ unusual for her. "Roll... your lips. You're wearing pink?"

"What?" Roll asks

"Your lipstick, it's pink. You hate the color pink," Mega says.

Roll clarifies, "It's not pink, Mega. It's... _magenta_."

"That's just another shade of pink, sis," Mega teases.

"Yeah, and Kalinka's not your _girl_friend either, right?" Roll teases back.

Mega stammers, "She's... I'm not commenting on that subject anymore."

"Gotcha," Roll grins.

"No, I got _you_ first," Mega jokes back.

As the promoter continues to lead Mega Man and Roll to their destination, Mega sees a familiar face that he last saw at the Vick-Tek charity ball in February. It was Rob Williamson, the Hollywood producer who is still wearing the exact same style of ensemble he was wearing at the ball - blue jeans, a black suit blazer and a t-shirt that reads _"Anarchy Productions"_ in bold red font, - but at least it was a _clean_ pair of these clothes.

"Hey, Mega Man! Good to see you again!" the producer says.

"Hi, Mr. Williamson. What are you doing here?" Mega asks.

"I am producing, directing and coordinating the home video release of this concert. Should be availible sometime before the holiday season," he replies, "Hey, I've made those revisions you suggested to the cartoon show we discussed, but I also have a proposition for _Mega Man: The Motion Picture_!"

"We're gonna be in a movie?" Roll asks with wide eyes.

"Well... there's still a few details to iron out... we currently only have Japanese actors playing the two of you right now. I hope that's not too much of a problem."

Just like last time, when then producer pitched the idea of a Mega Man cartoon at the Vick-Tek ball, Mega has a feeling this arrangement still doesn't quite sound right. "You'll have to talk to Dr. Light about that kind of business, sir."

"... it's the casting, isn't it?" the producer asks, "We could hire your guys, if you're not too busy."

"We'll see, Mr. Williamson," Mega says.

"So, you're saying there's a chance!" the producer smiles, "Alright! I'll see you later. Enjoy the show! And most importantly, buy the video of it too!"

Finally, after the walking through the backstage of Madison Square Garden, the promoter reaches a room in the backstage that has a nuclear atom insignia on the front, and knocks on it. Roll immediately could feel her circuits tingle once she realizes that this could be the _their_ dressing room, and behind that door could be her five favorite musicians in the world.  
>She didn't know she would be meeting them <em>right now<em>, _before_ the show.

"Oh, my God! It's them!" Roll barely sighs, then turns to her brother, fretting about her appearance, "Do I look okay? You don't think the outfit is too crazy, do you?"

"You look great, Roll," Mega assures his sister, "In fact, I think they're going to be the ones excited to meet _you_."

Then, the door opens and a burly security guard looks out. With a gesture by the promoter, the guard looks over at Mega Man and Roll and his eyes get big and wide. "Oh!" he says, "Well, come on in, guys."

The promoter steps into the room and speaks. "Guys, our V.I.P.'s are here."

Mega Man and Roll enter the dressing room and see four of the five-members of Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers inside, all of them tuning up and warming up before the show begins.

First, sitting behind his rehearsal drum kit was Tyler, the drummer, an African-American man with an afro hairstyle and wearing retro 1970's style clothing.  
>Then there was the rhythm guitarist, Annie Raver, a caucasian lady with long black hair that hangs over either side of her face, black eyeliner and black lipstick, but wearing mostly white clothing and with a yellow lightning bolt painted on her left cheek. (So, she is who Roll got the lightning bolt from.)<p>

Then, there was the bass player Red Burton, a fellow we've met before who was in Castor Wersching's old band before Castor fell into his drug addiction. His name may be Red, but his hair, his wardrobe and his bass guitar are all blue.

And of course, there was the _"Shredmaster General"_ himself, Captain Fallout, a semi-muscular dude with long brown hair, lamb chop sideburns and a square jaw who is the leader of the band. He's wearing a t-shirt with the nuclear atom symbol on the chest, a black leather jacket with a denim vest over the jacket and shredded jeans and old untied sneakers that look like they have seen better days.  
>Clearly this man is a rocker.<p>

And last but certainly not least is Eddie "Shades" Braxton, the lead singer of the band. Shades was not the tallest guy in the world (barely standing 5'10") but he makes up for it in his bombastic performances, with his good looks and his spiky black hair. And like always, he was wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses on his face.

This bunch doesn't have much time left before it will be time to hit the stage, but that doesn't stop them from dropping everything they were doing to welcome the Lights, and especially Roll.

The band members cheer when they see the Lights, but, Roll garners an _even bigger_ welcome from them than even Mega Man does, mainly because they know she's their biggest fan! (It's not everyday that_ anybody_ gets a bigger reaction then the Defender of the Human Race!)  
>Miss Raver was the first to reach Roll, giving her a big sisterly hug, and very quickly a bunch of hugs for Roll and handshakes for Mega were exchanged.<p>

While Roll is starstruck being with her favorite band, Mega Man is pleasantly surprised to see these 'Monsters of Metal' were normal people just like everybody else and don't appear to have the holier than thou attitude that some famous people can have.

Of course, while Roll was super-excited to meet the band, she almost melted when she saw Shades approaching her, unable to say a word as her blue eyes grew wide and stared at him. "Sh-shades?" she bumbles like she was in dreamland, her eyes becoming wet.

The frontman looks around, acting like she's refering to somebody else before he enthusiastically exclaims, "Yes!" holding his arms out energetically, as an excited Roll runs up and hugs him.

Tyler the drummer jokingly groans. "Of course. She cries when she hugs _him_."

"The girls always tear-up around him," Captain Fallout adds.

While the rest of the band was still hanging with Roll and chatting it up with her, Red Burton took a moment to step up to Mega Man, because he has something important to thank him for. "I'm a friend of Castor Wersching's, and I heard you found him and saved him. He's gettin' clean now because of you. Thanks, man."

"I'm glad I could help him. Do you know how he's doing?" Mega asks.

"He would've been here tonight, but he's still recovering," Red answers, "He doesn't want to do anything before he's ready."

"Hey, guys, come over here. We've got something give you," Captain Fallout says.

Mega Man returns to Roll's side as The Captain himself goes to the back the room to grab something. Roll is still in heaven, of course. "I hugged him! He hugged me!" Roll beams about her experience with Shades.

"I think your internal motivator is going to blow up any minute if you stay this excited, sis," Mega jokes.

"If I start overheating, let me know," Roll nearly swoons.

Then, all five members of the band return to the Lights, and Captain Fallout himself is carrying one of his guitars... then he offers it to them. And not only is this one of his actual guitars, but it also sports all the band members autographs. "This is now yours!" proclaims Fallout.

Roll gasps. "Are you _serious?"_

"I'm seriously serious!" Captain Fallout says, handing the guitar to Roll who is in awe.

"But, I've got a really special gift to give you, kiddo," Shades says, then removes his sunglasses from his face, revealing his blue eyes - something he _very rarely_ does - and then places the sunglasses on her face, covering Roll's own wide and still in-shock eyes.

Roll asks, "But, you can't got out there without your sunglasses."

"I always come prepared," Shades says, pulling another pair out and putting them on.

"He outclassed us again," Tyler jokes with Captain Fallout.

"Oh, my God, you guys! Thank you!" an exhilarated Roll replies.

While Roll was having the greatest day of her life, and Mega Man was happy to witness it, Dr. Wily is not having a very good night...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Some time has passed since the rogue Robot Master had fled, leaving the fortress in a total mess. Dr. Wily, much of his robot army and the fortress itself are all looking the worse for wear after taking the abuse she administered to them during her escape. Right now, Wily is holding a meeting with some of his robots, including ProtoMan. And it should come as no surprise that the mad doctor is not happy.

"How the hell did you lose her?" Albert asks, wearing a wrap bandage around his balding dented head.

"That shock pulse power of her's was too strong," ProtoMan answers, "None of us stood a chance at catching her. I almost had her - I thought I did, anyway - but she still had too much fight in her. I couldn't even get close."

Wily looks skeptical again when Proto offers his explanation. "You always have an excuse when things go wrong, don't you, Proto?"

ProtoMan took offense to Wily's remark and was_ thisclose_ to giving the old man a piece of his mind. But before he could, GutsMan stepped forward and backed up Proto's story. "ProtoMan's tellin' the truth. Her power was too strong even for me to handle."

Cut Man adds, "She tore the whole hangar bay to_ shreds!_ We had her surrounded and we still couldn't stop her."

Wily concedes, "Very well, I believe you all. But, if she is powerful enough to take on my whole robot army, then..."  
>Wily pauses in mid-sentance and begins to smile with some nasty intentions bubbling in his mind. "Then, Mega Man would be <em>no match<em> for her!"

Proto knows where this is going and tries to discourage Wily before it's too late. "Whoa! You want us to go get her back? Maybe you should take a look at what she did to this place. It would be suicide!"

"Right now, she is very powerful, but all robots need to have their energy replenished. And with a robot as powerful as she is, she will be spending too much energy trying to defend herself, and then, she will be no stronger than a wet paper bag," Wily explains.

GutsMan complains, "You can count me out! And the same goes for Cut Man and Magnet Man too!"

Wily waves the Robot Master trio off. "Fine! I am not enlisting any of you for this task anyway. This is ProtoMan's job."

"What?" Proto blurts.

"I'll explain to you in private, Proto," Wily says, then faces the rest of the Robot Masters. "The rest of you, tend to repairing the outer defences immediately. I don't want this fortress vulnerable for one more second!"

The Robot Masters obey their creator's orders and leave, save for GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, who are standing with their arms folded waiting for the magic word to be spoken.

Wily frowns and taps his foot on the floor as he stares at the trio. "... Please!"

Satisfied with hearing the magic word, the trio leaves the area, leaving Dr. Wily and ProtoMan alone to continue their discussion.

"So, let me get this straight," Proto begins, "You expect _me_ to deal with this girl, the most destructive robot you've ever created... _Alone?"_

"You came the closest to catching her. So, you are the best robot for the job," Wily answers.

Proto frowns, "So, I guess she's going to be the next threat to my brother _and_ the next one who's taking my spot, right?"

Wily staggers over to Proto, still feeling the effects of being roughed up by the rogue robot, and puts his hand on Proto's shoulder. "Proto, my boy, I have learned the hard way that you are the only robot who can be my right hand," he coerses, "And if you can complete this task for me, you will be my right hand robot for life, even after the war is over. I will even place you in charge of strategic operations once I have secured a foothold in this continent."

Proto stands with his hands on his red hips, not exactly trusting Wily's assurance. He's not exactly buying into the 'guarantee' of being Wily's right hand robot, because he remembers the times Wily has lied to him before. But, Proto is temped to go out and find this runaway robot, not to bring her back here, but to try to learn why she was experiencing the pain she endured.  
>Maybe she has the same answers about his own painful birth, and maybe it would be best to be the one assigned to find her. That way, some of Wily's more weird and sadistic Robot Masters like ElecMan and Metal Man will be kept away from her.<p>

"I'll do it," Proto accepts, "But, how am I supposed to find her?"

Wily grabs a tracking device out of his labcoat pocket and offers it to Proto. "I had the foresight to implant a homing tracker on her before she came online. I did not get the chance to link her tracker up to the fortress' main computer hub, but this handheld device will pick her up."

ProtoMan takes the tracking device from Wily. "You know how powerful she is. I can't guarantee I'll bring her back."

"If it comes to that, all that I require is her shock pulse generator," Wily says confidently, "I can afford to make a new robot to use it instead of her. And I suggest you grab your best disguise. I don't want you getting caught out there."

"Fine. I'll be sure to pick a better outfit than the one I wore at the Robot Championship Tournament," Proto says, "That day was a disaster."

Wily adds, "I want this over and done with as quickly and efficiently as possible. She will play a big part in my upcoming plans for the new quartet."

"... yeah," Proto sighs as he leaves to find the nomad Robot Master, again feeling like Wily's big _'plans'_ are going to eventually lead to Proto himself being screwed over in one way or another, just like with Bass.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

The Captain Fallout concert had long since come to a close Mega Man and Roll had returned home. Of course, Roll was carrying armfuls of gifts from the band, including Captain Falout's guitar, Shades' shades, drumsticks, guitar picks and other random goodies. She had so much stuff, even Rush had to carry some stuff in for her.

Thomas approaches his robot children as they return. "I trust you enjoyed yourselves, tonight?"

"This was the greatest night of my life, Dr. Light!" Roll gushed, sounding a little bit high-strung, "I got to meet the band before the show, and they were really nice. And they said anytime I want to see one of their concerts, they'll let us in for free!"

Thomas smiles, "I'm glad you had fun. While you and Rush take your things to you room, I would like to talk with Rock for a moment."

As Roll and Rush head for the house with all of Roll's Captain Fallout related gifts, Mega Man comes over to speak with his father. "I wish you had seen how happy she was, Dr. Light. I haven't seen her like that in a long time."

"I'm sure it was special, Rock," Thomas smiled, but then his smile disappeared when it was time for he and Mega Man to discuss some serious business. They didn't want it to soil Roll's incredible, so they agreed to wait until now.

"I got the message you sent me during the concert," Mega says, "I know it's not an emergency, but what's happened?"

Thomas explains as he leads Mega to the lab's computer, "Some interesting activity was recorded at Skull Fortress while you were out."

"By _interesting_, do you mean good news, or bad news?" Mega asks.

"Perhaps both," Thomas explains as he shows Mega some overhead satellite stills from the strange event that took place earlier, "There were at least three large seismic bursts of energy fired on the grounds of Wily's fortress. Each of them did a fair ammount of damage as well."

"Was it Bass?" Mega asks.

"Doubtful, but it does appear to be a new robot," Thomas says, "However, the seismic incidents appeared to have damaged areas of Wily's outer defenses for a brief time. And whoever was causing these events has since fled the area."

"So, whoever this robot is has already turned on Wily," Mega says, "At least there's a little bit of good news."

"We will need to keep a close eye on this situation," Thomas states.

"Either this is a new ally, or yet another enemy... like Bass," Mega adds, sounding wary of the next chapter on the ongoing war.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Finally, after all of this time, Episode 8 is underway, and it couldn't have been on a better date: The One year anniversary of the launch of this series!  
>Sorry for being so late.<em>

_For some reason, I had a hard time writing the Captain Fallout scenes. I didn't know how excited Roll should have been when she met her metal heroes. And early on, I felt the scene was a little stilted and didn't read very well, so I had to work on it for longer than I had expected.  
>I certainly hope the scene turned out well and wasn't <em>too_ overly sweet._

_On the other hand, the scenes at Skull Fortress came pretty easy. Much like the last episode, I knew it was best to start things off with a bang, and the story of the rogue nomad Robot Master girl is going to continue. And don't worry, she will be given an actual name that isn't "Female Robot Master" soon, but I want to give her a different type of name that doesn't sound like a Robot Master name with "Woman" or "girl" at the end, but only if it works. Maybe I'll make a poll question out of it._

__The reference to a Mega Man movie with asian actors playing Mega and Roll is a reference to the Mega Man live action fan film (which also starred a full-head-of-hair Dr. Wily too.)__

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch a continuity destroying error, PM me as soon as you can. It helps a great deal. You don't need to tell me about typos, because now I have a spell checker. (Ho-Ho-Ho!)_

_btw, stay tuned. The next update may be coming a lot sooner than you think. ;)_


	87. The Tower Rises

_**Episode 8, Chapter 2:** **The Tower Rises.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Somewhere in Arizona.**

ProtoMan has been following the tracking signal from the runaway Robot Master ever since he left Skull Fortress, and he has done so in his personal favorite disguise: blue jeans, a brown leather jacket with his yellow scarf tucked inside and black sunglasses (which he is wearing _at night_.) His brown hair is combed back, making him look no different from any other human, aside from his large red feet and his forearms being more robust than a human's.  
>Of course, Proto kept the collars of his jacket held high to try to disguise his face to avoid being noticed, or even confused for his famous brother Mega Man.<br>That would be very awkward.

Behind his sunglasses, ProtoMan's eyes have remained focused on the tracking device screen, which is currently displaying a map of the area and a white dot in the middle of it, marking the female's location.

Throughout his entire pursuit of the nomad robot, she had always managed to stay well ahead of him, but it seems Proto is finally starting to catch up with her. In fact, upon closer examination of the tracking device, it appears the signal has now stopped moving altogether.

Proto figures that either the robot has grown weak as Dr. Wily said she would, or maybe she's just taking a rest or recharging. Either way, Proto is heading right for her to get this wild goose chase over with.

"Just one mile away. This might have been easier than I thought," Proto says to himself as he begins to run towards the location of the mysterious, beautiful and deadly rogue robot, "Finding her is the easy part. Trying to convince her to come back to the fortress without getting myself killed? _That's_ the hard part."

As Proto gets closer to her signal, he keeps his shaded eyes on the tracker's screen. Still no movement. This recovery operation will either be a quick and easy success or a painful defeat, but ProtoMan wasn't planning on the latter to happen. He's been running over several combat scenarios in his cybernetic mind, building a strategy on how to beat her if they end up fighting again.  
>He doesn't plan on losing to her again.<p>

Proto runs into a small town not too far outside of another patch of badlands and keeps his brisk running pace as he advances even closer on the female robot's signal now. She would be in visual range right about now, and Proto begins looking up from the screen to try to find her.

But, something was up. There aren't any signs of her or her shockwave damage or any sense of panic anywhere around this place. It looks like a small town in the middle of the night. Proto figures that she must be resting and in hiding, but still, there would have been _some_ sign that she was here.

About a minute later, ProtoMan closes in on her location, but all he sees in front of him is a six-story tall building. According to the readings on the tracking device, her latitude would put her right on the roof of this place.

"Gotcha!" Proto says as he leaps the building in a single bound.

When Proto lands on the roof, he looks all around, but sees no sign of this runaway Robot Master he was looking for... except for a little microchip left lying nearby. And as Proto steps towards it, the tracking meter on his hands reads that this female should be right in front of him.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Proto sneers.

Proto kneels down and picks the chip up with his left hand. There was no mistake, it was her tracking chip. He doesn't know how she managed to remove it from herself, but she did it.

Proto clenches the chip in his fist, almost crushing it as he grows angry. He knows that Wily won't be happy when he finds out that he just lost another weapon to wield against Mega Man... so, maybe he doesn't have to know _all_ the details right now. And Wily himself said that he hadn't programmed the rogue Robot Master's tracking frequency into the fortress' computers, so there was no way he could know about the tracker Proto just found. So, Proto will use this to make his story sound a little more convincing.

ProtoMan puts the tracking chip in his pocket and presses his communicator button on his left forearm, hidden underneath the sleeve of his leather jacket, but just barely so, because his forearms are a bit too large for the sleeves. "ProtoMan to Wily. I'm still looking for her. She must be faster than I thought."

_"Well...? Keep looking for her!"_ Dr. Wily states, sounding impatient, _"I'm not losing _another_ robot in the span of a month!"_

ProtoMan complains, "You're asking me to stay out in this desert in the middle of the night and risk being spotted by the cops until I find this damn robot?"

_"I'm not asking you, Proto. I'm telling you!"_ Wily orders.

Powerless to object to Wily's direct order, ProtoMan groans "Fine."

_"Good boy. _I _will__ let you know when you can call off the recovery operation,"_ Wily states as he cuts off the communication.

ProtoMan frowns behind his sunglasses and gets angry again. Now that the communication has been cut off, he rips into Dr. Wily as if he was right there, without fear of being chastised by the old man for falling out of line. "So, you lose another robot and you take it out on _me_, old man! SCREW YOU! I should've walked out on your dumb ass when I had the chance!"

ProtoMan kicked away the gravel atop of the roof and moped, "And where would I go? I've burned all my bridges because of you and your grand plan! All because I'm_ your boy_!"

ProtoMan then drops the female robot's tracking device and stomps on it. "You can find your precious damn Robot Master yourself," Proto snaps, before pausing for a second and sighing, "Who the hell am I kidding?"

As ProtoMan walks towards the ledge of the roof to try to enjoy a night of strolling, he knew he couldn't abandon Dr. Wily's orders, or Dr. Wily himself for that matter. No matter how mad he gets it Wily, that loyalty still remains. Whether he feels like it's the honorable thing to do or if it's something Wily programming into him, he feels the need to follow him, whether he likes it or not.

"Life sucks sometimes," Proto muses before he scales down the building and returns to the sidewalk to continue the search for this elusive Robot Master, casually walking away and managing to not attract any attention from the very few people who may be outside at this late hour.

But, a few minutes after Proto was already gone, the rouge female robot comes out from her hiding place, a rooftop stairwell canopy not too far away from where she had left the tracker she had removed from herself.  
>She opened an access port on her chestplate to reach the tracking chip as she ran. Removing it while she was still on the move proved to be difficult, but she managed to it.<p>

She had been hiding here the whole time, prepared to unleash her shockwave attack on ProtoMan again if he had caught her. She doesn't want to be taken back to that horrible place and tampered with by that evil human, and she is relieved to see the handsome robot leave. She could tell that even though he looked different, he was really ProtoMan, the one with the scarf.

While the pain in her head is not as bad as it was earlier, she still felt something strange in her craniums. The female pants silently as she lies down on the roof and curls up into a semi-fetal position on her side. While she certainly looks like somebody who you would never want to cross, on the inside she is afraid and alone.

She doesn't know who she is or what she is, why the old human named Wily called her a 'defect', why he wants to kill her or why ProtoMan the handsome robot wants to come after her when he seems to be concerned about her. She just wants to be out of danger and not feel this strange pain anymore. She just wants to sleep.

The runaway Robot Master closes her thin eyes and allows herself to recharge, slipping away from this nightmare she's been living for the past few hours.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

In her room, Roll is seated across from her new Met friend, who is standing on a table and completely hidden by his hardhat. Roll is still wearing the sunglasses she received from Shades last night and many of her gifts from the band are now sitting prominently all around her room as she takes her paint brush and paints the green cross on her new Met's helmet a different color.  
>She knows that this Met is very unique and special, not quite like any other Met... much like Doc was. So, instead of his hardhat having a green cross, she wanted to give this Met a different color... not red though, that was Doc's color. But, she still wants to give him a color that suits him best.<p>

"It was the greatest concert ever! I wish you weren't scared of loud music, you could've come with me. We would've had so much fun," Roll says as she paints.

The Met beeps back, sounding muffled from hiding under the hardhat.

"You know, I've had you for three weeks, little guy, and I still don't know what I should name you," Roll says as she continues painting the cross on the hardhat.

The Met beeps back again, reciting what his registry number is.

Roll shrugs, "A registry number isn't much of a name, it's just letters and numbers. You needs something that's just _you_."

Roll makes one last stroke with her paint brush to fill out the Met's new color for his hardhat cross. She lifts her sunglasses up above her eyes and smiles. She grabs a mirror and holds it in front of him. "All done! I think you'll love your new color. Come out and take a look."

The Met lifts his hardhat up and his big white eyes peek out from under it only to see his own reflection in Roll's mirror and he beeps in confusion, wonder who _this_ Met is.

"That's you!" Roll giggles.

The Met comes out of his hardhat a little more and looks at his reflection in the mirror, lifting up one of his feet and seeing the reflection doing the same.

Roll then points to the cross on his hardhat, which is now blue instead of green. "Now, what color is that?"

The Met looks up and bleeps his answer, but because he speaks in beeps, his response of _'Blue'_ sounds like _'Boo!'_

Roll giggles again when she hears his answer. There was something so cute about this Met that always makes her heart melt. "Do you like your new color?" she asks.

The Met nods, beeping that he likes _'Boo!'_

Hearing her new Met beeping _'Boo'_ again makes something click in Roll's mind. "That's _it_!" she smiles, picking up her Met and cradling him in her arms, "I think I'll name you... Boo!"

The Met looks up quizzically and beeps, _Boo?_

"Yeah. You sound so cute when you say it! And you always look like you're playing peekaboo under your hardhat..." Roll snaps her fingers, "Hey, maybe that would be better. How about Peekaboo?"

The Met briefly hides under his hardhat, then lifts it up again and happily beeps, _Blee-be-boo!_

"That's right! You're my little baby Peekaboo!" Roll peeps as she snuggles the Met - or Peekaboo as he's known now - in her arms and kisses him on his grey rubber face.

* * *

><p><strong>Manhattan, New York.<strong>

Press agencies from all over the world have gathered here at the site of the former Sierra Dynamics building where top secret construction has taken place since December. Today, the project is finally complete, and after only six months of construction, it was done in record time and now stands behind an extremely tall black curtain that now hangs all around the site.

Security for this event is very tight, including the N.Y.P.D. and the Central Intelligence Agency. But, conspicuous by his absence is Mega Man, who normally would be in attendance for an event this big, at least as a part of the security detail in case a Wily attack broke out.

At approximately 12:00 PM sharp, Governor Mitchell Deacon appears, flanked by his personal security escort of Policebots and not a strand on his flat head of hair is out of place. He steps up to a podium set in front of the construction site and two other gentlemen appear on either side of the Governor, Misters Newkirk and Kiel, both of which we've met earlier.

"Good morning, my fellow New Yorkers," greets Deacon over the sound of shuttering cameras, "For six months, many of you have speculated on what kind of construction has gone on behind this tall curtain and what stands in the place of the old Sierra Dynamics building. Today, you no longer have to speculate. You can see for yourself."

Deacon points up to the curtain and a few seconds later, the curtain lowers, revealing a tall rotund structure fitted with several weapons and standing as tall as many of the skyscrapers that fill this city. And high atop the intimidating structure is a command center with bulletproof windows all around it where a crew of several people are singlehandedly operating this beast of a building right now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the New York Civil Defense Tower," Governor Deacon states over the sound of camera shutters and the _oohs_ and _aahs_ from those gathered, "The Civil Defense Tower - developed by security concepts technicians Mr. Wendell Kiel and Mr. Cullen Newkirk - is the most important step ever taken to keep New York City and her citizens safe, armed with several defense measures, including plasma bolt turrets, missile launchers, anti-aircraft chaff, a hostile computer jammer and a radar system that can spot and take out a _fly_ if it has criminal intent.  
>And before anybody can ask if a building this tall can counter incoming hostile forces in the air before they can enter New York City limits... this is your answer."<p>

Governor Deacon points up again and the Civil Defense Tower begins to grow in height, finally stopping when it reaches its maximum height, taller than any other building in the city.

Deacon adds, "The Civil Defense Tower can and _will_ take down any incoming threat before it gets here, including Dr. Wily. And if this project proves to be a success, there may be more towers built elsewhere in New York state. I will now take questions from the press."

One reporter asks, "Mr. Governor, why go through the trouble of building this tower when you already have Mega Man here to defend the city?"

Deacon answers, "Mega Man's job is to defend humanity and repel Dr. Wily and any other major threat wherever they may be, not just New York City. The tower is here to help further defend our city and assist Mega Man if he would need any help when Dr. Wily has the guts to show his face in our city again."

Another reporter asks, "Governor Deacon, why hire two people we've never heard of to develop the tower when you could have gone to Thomas Light?"

"My friend Dr. Light was the first person I asked," Deacon answers, "He did not wish to work on the project."

"How do we know Dr. Wily won't find a way to use the tower against us? What if this ends up like Gamma?" asks yet another concerned reporter.

"Misters Newkirk and Kiel assure that the appropriate measures have been taken to prevent another Gamma-like occurence from happening again," Deacon states, despite the direction this conference is going.

"Why spend city funding on this when it could have been used to fund our schools or our police department to deal with other crimes?" asks _another_ reporter.

"I assure you and the public that no money has been taken out of our schools or our police department to fund this Civil Defense Tower," Deacon insists, "The war with Albert Wily is still going on and actions need to be taken to make sure the tragic events like Times Square and the Gamma attacks don't happen again."

"Is it safe to say the Civil Defense Tower is _your_ version of Gamma, Governor Deacon, for better or for worse?" snipes one more reporter.

After taking a moment to choose his words, Governor Deacon replies, "This tower is _not_ Gamma and it will not be anything like Gamma. It would be very unlikely that _anybody_ could penetrate the outer wall alone without regretting it."

The same reporter adds, "These all sound like the same things Dr. Light said about Gamma last year. Now he says that measures like this should not be taken. Is that the reason why he turned down this project? Because he knows how bad this could turn out?"

Another reporter jumps in, "President Henry's approval ratings took a severe hit after Gamma and have never fully recovered to the levels the were in 20X1. Aren't you afraid of that happening to you?"

"Please, one question at a time," Deacon states, trying to keep the journalists under control and resisting the urge to insist that this tower is nothing like Gamma.

"Don't you realize that building this tower is only going to attract Dr. Wily's attention back to this city?" Another reporter asks over the voices of the other members of the press, all of whom are growing louder and more concerned.

"Can the tower be compromised by weapons? And if so, won't that bring harm to every single man woman and child around here?"

"What if the tower confuses a friendly aircraft for a hostile one and shoots it down?"

"Do you mean to tell me that New York is going to be littered with these big towers all over the place?"

"Why can't you just leave this up to Mega Man?"

After the questions become too numerous and too much to handle, Governor Deacon is forced to leave the podium and abort his presser. He looked pretty bad out there and he knows it, and leaving like this only makes it worse. But, if the plan to lure Dr. Wily to the Civil Defense Tower and capture him inside it works like he hopes it will, then everything is all going according to plan.

Mr. Newkirk and Mr. Kiel catch up with Governor Deacon just outside the eye of the press and try to speak with him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Governor, a reaction like this will only make Dr. Wily more likely to fall into the trap," says Newkirk the security advisor.

"I hope you're right," Deacon replies, "Because if this plan blows up in our faces, it could mean the end of my career."

"A plan is in motion to ensure you receive as little integral damage as possible," Newkirk says.

"It had better be," Deacon says as he loosens his necktie and leaves with his group of personal Policebots.

Kiel gulps hard after Deacon's word of warning, but Newkirk remains stiff as usual. "Understood, Mr. Governor."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab<strong>

Far from the site of the Civil Defense Tower, Mega Man stands atop the roof of Dr. Light's lab staring at the New York City skyline, a skyline which has been dramatically changed with the unveiling of the Civil Defense Tower, which can be seen all the way from here when it is at its tallest state like it is now  
>Mega's stare is focused directly at the new tower, and he feels an all too familiar distressing feeling deep down inside, the same one he had when Gamma was unveiled.<p>

"This is a mistake," Mega says, "This is a big mistake."

_"Rock, Chief Toombs has contacted us. He says he wants to speak with you about an important matter,"_ says the voice of Dr. Light from Mega's left forearm communicator.

"Put him through to me," Mega replies.

A few seconds later, Mega hears the voice of Police Chief Toombs coming from his forearm._ "Oi, Laddy. That's quite the monstrosity we got standin' downtown, don't we?"_

"Yeah... but, I'm worried about it, sir," Mega replies.

_"There're a lotta of us who're thinkin' they just shouda given you payraise instead, lad. Count me as one o' 'em,"_ Toombs adds.

Mega barely smiles at the compliment, then gets back to business. "Dr. Light said you needed to speak with me?"

_"Aye. We need your help with them young roughies that're trying ta' rip you off. That Mega Crew,"_ Chief Toombs explains.

"I've heard of them, but I didn't know they were in New York. What to you want me to do?" Mega asks.

_"If you're not too busy, try an' keep an eye out for 'em," _Toombs says,_ "Try an' talk 'em outta this vigilante business. I'd hate to ask ya' to do it, lad, but I've got a feelin' they'll listen ta' you."_

"Don't worry, sir. I don't like how these kids are handling themselves either. They're gonna get themselves in deep trouble, but I'll set them straight before that cn happen," Mega Man says.

* * *

><p><strong>New York City Police station.<strong>

Almost immediately after his talk with Mega Man ends, Chief Toombs gets a call from his assistant just outside his office. "_Chief, Agent Allen and an Agent Cotto are here from the F.B.I.. They say want to speak with you."_

"Aye, let 'em in," Toombs says. He then mutters to himself, "Let's see how much the bloodsucking feds are gonna cut me off at me knees today!"

Agents Allen and Cotto enter the Chief's office, dressed in their usual black suits and looking the part of Federal Agents. "Chief Toombs, we are taking over the entire Mr. Black investigation, including all cases that may be connected to it. We request that all evidence and case files be turned over to the bureau as soon as possible," Allen says.

The Chief is less than pleased with this development. "So, lemmie see if I understand. First, the department was a part o' this here investigation, then you're buttin' us out?"

"This is a matter of national security, Chief Toombs, one that my superiors want resolved immediately," Agent Allen says calmly, "Now, you will give us what we need and make this transition as smooth as possible, or we could do this the hard way and_ take it_ from you. And if we do things the hard way, many people's jobs could be lost, including yours."

Agent Cotto puts his hand up to try to stop his boss' forceful attitude from making this situation worse. He then leans toward the Chief and explains with more reasoning than his stiff superior did. "Chief, we don't _want_ to shut the department out, but this is a serious matter. One that the bureau wants taken care of as soon as possible."

Toombs postures, "An' why is it so important to ya'?"

Allen replies, "What we are about to tell you doesn't leave this room until this investigation is complete... we have every reason to believe that this Mr. Black character is a former agent. And if he is who we think he is, he's the most dangerous man on Earth, second only to Albert Wily. If you knew what we know, you would understand just how dangerous this man is. That is why he is our responsibility."

Toombs finally relents. He might not like it, but he has to play along. "Well... now 'at ya' put it that way, I'll get ta' makin' the arrangements meself."

"Thank you for you cooperation, Chief Toombs. We'll be in touch," Agent Allen says as he and his fellow agent leave the station.

"Aye, I bet'cha will, ya' stuffy bastard," Chief Toombs utters under his breath.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Downtown.**

A pair of high-schoolers run in the dark alleys between all the closed stores, even though it is way too late for these two to be roaming the streets. One of the kids is named Jalen Pounder, the other kid is his buddy and they are about to engage in some activity that will surly send their lives down a path they will later regret.

"Here, this one!" Jalen says, pointing to the rear entrance of one particular closed store which apparently has the least amount of security.

As he and his friend approach the store, Jalen pulls his backpack off his back and pulls an old wire clothing hangar out which has been straightened out and cut into two halves. He and his friend crouch down in front of the rear door and Jalen jams one of the wires into the lock above the door handle.

"This is nuts," his nervous friend whispers, "We're gonna get caught! We should just get outta here before the cops see us."

"I don't want to do this either... but, I've gotta do it," Jalen says, not braking his stare at the door, determined to get inside and get as much money as he can.

Then, a device about as big as a hockey puck suddenly flies out of nowhere and adheres itself to the back door. I instantly sends out powerful jolts of electricity which hand up shocking the hand of young Jalen, who yelps in pain as he grabs in hand.

"Hey you! Up here!" booms a voice from above.

The two youths look up and see a trio of armored male figures standing on the roof top across the way. The center figure was the biggest and has a spike mohawk piece on his helmet, and it was easy to tell from his presence that this was The Mega Crew, the band of young vigilantes who have been running around all over the United States over the past month.

"It's those guys on the news! Run for it!" freaks Jalen's friend.

The would-be juvenile crooks make a run for it to escape their fate, but the leader of the Mega Crew points at them, signalling his two cohorts to pursue them. The other two members mount their dog boards and hover down from the roof to chase them. Before he follows them, the mohawk helmeted leader pulls two baton-like weapons off of the back of his suit just in case these two kids think they're big enough to try to fight back, and follows his friends down to the surface on his own dogboard.

As the two young burglars try to run away, they are both tripped by a pair of wires that are shot around their legs by the other two members of the Mega Crew, sending the two youths falling face-first to the pavement. The members of the Mega Crew catch up with these two kids and grab them to tie them up and leave them for the police, but they both start fighting back.

They are clearly outmatched by the armored Mega Crew guys, but the two boys fight desperately to get away, but then the Leader of the group arrives, holding his batons in either of his hands. He then jabs one of them into the side of the assistant burglar, tazing him with a brief shock, but just enough to cause him to jolt.

Young Jalen runs at the leader of the Mega Crew and but grabs him and throws him away like he was a piece of trash, landing right next to his friend.

"Well then, it looks like your burglary days are over permanently!" says Mohawk helmet, the leader, "Surrender now and we'll be nice about this and just let the cops pick you up!"

Both of the young burglars begin charging the bulky leader together and tackle him, making him stagger backwards as his two buddies try to pull them off. All five young men begin to brawl out in the middle of the street until somebody else intervenes.

"Everybody, stop!" another voice rings out. It was the _real_ Mega Man riding on the back of the _real_ Rush.

Both the Mega Crew and the two burglar kids look up at the real Mega Man with awe, and perhaps a bit starstruck at seeing the hero in person too. And there is a bit of worry as well. This is the real deal ow, and they might all be in trouble.

Rush lands and Mega steps up to the youths, trying to get through to them. "What do you all think you're doing?"

The leader of the Mega Crew confidently steps up - puffing up his chest through his blue armor - and addresses Mega Man. "Let me set the picture for you, Mega Man. These two pukes were trying to break into that store over there, so the three of us decided to... _discourage them _from taking part in their illegal activities."

"Mega Man, please listen to me," pleads young Jalen, "I was only doing this to help my mom! She's in the hospital and we don't have enough money to pay the bills. I don't have a dad any more."

While the misguided young man is on the verge of tears, the leader of the Mega Crew mocks him. "Wah, wah! Save the sob story for somebody who cares!"

"It's the truth!" Jalen pleads

Mega Man's internal stress detector can read the kid easily, and he can see that he is telling the truth, that he wasn't doing this for malicious reasons and didn't know any better, naïvely thinking he was doing good. "I understand why you felt you had to do this, but this is just wrong."

The Mega Crew leader butts in, "That's right, you little punks! Now, you're going to jail! Tell 'em, Mega Man!"

"Please, don't send me to jail! My mom will be all alone. I'll never do it again!" Jalen blubbers.

"I was only doing to this to help him! I wasn't even gonna any money, man!" his friend freaks.

"Are you seriously going to buy their crybaby story?" The mohawk-helmeted leader complains.

Even though the attitude of Mega Crew leader is getting under his titanium skin, Mega Man calmly steps up to the two misguided youths and tries to set them straight. "I'm letting you two go, but _only_ if you promise to never brake the law again. Because if you do, the Police _will_ come after you, and they _won't_ be as forgiving."

"Are you serious?" Mohawk disapproves behind his facemask.

"We promise, we're not doing any crimes again!" Jalen almost weeps.

"Yeah, Man, we promise!" his friend begs.

"Then, both of you go home. I can explain things to the police if they have questions," Mega says.

"Thank you, Mega Man!" Jalen weeps as he goes to hug the hero for giving him a second chance.

Meanwhile, the flabbergasted Mega Crew watches this scene with confusion, and Mohawk in particular is growing angry that he big catch for the night was being let go like this. After the two misguided kids run away, Mega Man turns his attention to these three to try to set them straight as well, but Mohawk doesn't let Mega get a word in.

"What was that?" Mohawk whines, "You just let them go?"

"They're minors and they didn't know any better," Mega explains, "Just like _you three_ don't know any better."

"Hey! It's our job to clean up the world!" Mohawk says, his voice getting loud now.

"Fighting crime isn't your job!" Mega firmly states, "You're only going to get yourselves hurt or killed. And if you don't, you're going to get in trouble with the law. The Chief of Police already has warrants for your arrest! That's why I'm here to stop you!"

The other two members of the Mega Crew suddenly seem to be getting Mega's message and take their helmets off, revealing their human faces.

"Dude, maybe Mega Man's right," one of them says to Mohawk.

"Yeah. It's fun and all that, but I don't wanna go to jail," the other Mega Crew member agrees.

Mohawk the leader waves off Mega's warning. "Don't listen to him! He's just jealous that we're getting the job done better than he is!"

"I'm not jealous of anybody! You are all in deep trouble!" Mega insists.

"We're only doing this to help _you_, pal!" Mohawk says, pointing his finger at Mega, "Ever since Bass beat the hell out of you, you look like you could use the help!"

One Mega Crew member tries to shut his friend up. "Stop it, man! That's Mega Man you're talking to!"

"You don't talk until I tell you to, you idiot!" the leader snaps.

"I'm not an idiot, you IDIOT!" his friend yells back.

"You know what? Maybe it's time we quit this stupid _crew_ of yours!" the other member says.

"What? You're quitting on ME?" Mohawk flips out, "FINE! I don't need you two boneheads anyway!"

"Screw you, LOSER!" snaps one of the Mega crew kids, "Let's get outta here, man."

The other Mega Crew members mount their ripoff dogboards and begin flying away. Meanwhile, Mega Man and Rush stand back and look at each other, wondering what soap opera they just stepped into tonight.

"Hey! That equipment is _not_ yours! GIVE IT BACK!" Mohawk yells, his eyes blazing fury above his facemask.

"It's junk! That's the only thing you and your whole stinkin' family are good at!" yells the angriest of the two now former Mega Crew members.

And just like that, The Mega Crew is no more, and all that is left is Mohawk who is standing there watching his former friends ditching him, and he has nobody to blame but himself. But, instead, he decided to blame Mega Man.

"I don't believe it! You've ruined everything!" he yells at Mega, pointing his finger at him again.

Mega Man tries to explain, "Fighting crime on your own instead of leaving it to the police is wrong, and you might not realize it now, but-"

"That's a crock!" Mohawk interrupts, "This coming from the robot who went and fought Dr. Wily before the world declared you to be it's supreme defender!"

"Those were different circumstances," Mega Man says.

"Bull! It's okay for _you_ to do it, but it's not okay for somebody like me?" Mohawk snaps, pulling his facemasked mohawked helmet off and revealing his square-jaw and a full head of frizzled bone white hair. The then throws his helmet at Mega Man, who deflects it with his right forearm.

"That's enough!" Mega barks.

"I'm not a loser! You're a loser!" yells the leader, "After seeing how badly Bass beat your blue ass, it's only a matter of time before he finishes you off! And when the day comes when you need somebody to help your no-good carcass, I won't be there to do it!"

White Hair takes his dog board and rips the fake dog head off and throws it towards the heroes and storms off. Rush growls at him for putting the badmouth on his master, but Mega keeps him at bay.

"Down, Rush," Mega says, sounding a bit bothered by that kid's angry comments about how poorly he did battling Bass. He wasn't bothered by how harsh his comments were. He's just an angry young man who will eventually cool off. What bothers Mega is his comments about how dominant Bass was in their battles last month and how Mega looked like he needed help now.  
>Was this the general consensus after Bass arrived? Were people starting to lose confidence in him?<p>

As Mega Man looks up, he sees the looming presence of the Civil Defense Tower in the distance, and it casts another massive shadow of doubt over the hero. Is Bass the reason why Governor Deacon gave the green light to build the tower even after Dr. Light turned down the chance to build it? Is Deacon losing confidence in Mega too?

Bass wouldn't have even existed and Dr. Wily would not have had his new boon of money if Mega had just been able to rescue Marcus Vickers the night of the charity ball attack. In fact, all of the bad things that have happened since this war begin would have never happened if Dr. Wily had been captured when Mega had first assaulted Skull Fortress.

Mega's doubt now makes him wonder if he's even doing a good enough job anymore as humanity's defender, and that doubt makes him fear what could happen when Bass makes his inevitable return. How will he even be able to stop him and do it for good when he couldn't even pull it off by himself without ProtoMan's help.

Mega sulks as he walks down the street, allowing this massive shadow of doubt to haunt him. Rush follows him and barks, wondering what's wrong with his master.

"I just want to go home, Rush," Mega says, "I've got a lot on my mind."

Rush transforms into jetboard mode again and Mega mounts his back, and the two fly back home to the lab where Mega can try to collect his thoughts in private.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, the white-haired former leader of the now defunct Mega Crew angrily storms down the other side of the street by himself. He mutters to himself, sounding like a mix between real words and angry unintelligible grunts and grumbles.<p>

As he walks down the street, he is sure he hears something behind right behind him. It sounds like a car engine. And after a while, he hears it getting closer, and he knows for sure that he's being followed.

He stops in his tracks and turns on his heels, spotting what has to be a black car right behind him with its headlights off. The moment he comes face-toface with the car, its high beam lights turn on and the former leader of the Mega Crew shields his eyes with his forearm and he grabs a weapon with his free hand.

"I heard about you! So you want to start something with me too, do you?" White hair says, certain he knows who is behind the wheel of that car, "Well, COME ON! I'm ready to destroy people tonight!"

After a few seconds, the black car's high beams dim and it slowly beings to drive around to the side of the Mega Crew leader, and it becomes obvious to him that this is not Mr. Black's car, but rather a long stretch limousine.

The limo stops beside him and he lowers his weapon, not sure what to make of this. He takes a few steps forward, trying to get a peek at who's inside.

_"That will be close enough,"_ calmly states a disguised voice from from what had to be a loudspeaker on the car.

White Hair stops moving forward and freezes, wondering who the hell this really is.

_"I mean you no harm, young man. I have been watching your handiwork for weeks,"_ says the voice from the car.

"You've been watching me?" he asks.

_"Yes, and I am very impressed in your abilities," _says the car voice.

White Hair throws his arms up in the air and groans, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't have a group anymore. As far as that idea goes, I'm out of business!"

_"I _have _noticed,"_ says the disguised voice, _"But_,_ I was never interested in either of your compatriots. There was nothing special their abilities. They were tagalongs, nothing more. But, I _am_ interested in acquiring your services."_

"Mine?" asks a perplexed White Hair.

_"I am in need of somebody with your skill and abilities for my operation,"_ says the voice, _"This is very important business I want taken care of, and I am confident you can help me."_

White Hair becomes skeptical of the proposal. Not sure if this is the kind of person he wants to affiliate himself with. But, the voice from the car pushes on.

_"I can see you doubt me. It is understandable," the voice says, "But,s this could be your chance to show that you are better than Mega Man is. After seeing how ungrateful he was towards your help, wouldn't you like getting back at him by showing just how talented you truly are? Wouldn't you like to show him how big of a mistake he just made by rejecting you?"_

White Hair ponders to himself, and since he is still full of anger and rage after what just transpired, he comes to a make a very rash decision. "Yeah! I'm gonna show that Mega Jerk, those two jerks who abandoned me and everybody else who thinks I'm a loser! I'm going to show them all that I'm better than they are!" White Hair boasts.

_"Yes! Use your anger, let it fuel you!"_ the car voice says manipulativly, _"Use this to your advantage and you will be a valuable asset to me. What is your name, young man?"_

White Hair looks at the car and gives his response... "Tiesel."

_"Interesting name, Tiesel. If you are interested in hearing my offer, contact me. We can discuss the terms of our arrangement."_

"Contact you? How?" Tiesel asks.

A moment passes, then the rear limo door opens up slightly and a gloved hand can be seen sticking out of it. The hand then flings a small white business card over to Tiesel which lands on the pavement.

As Tiesel picks the card up, the door closes and the voice from inside can be heard again. _"I anticipate hearing from you."_

The limousine then begins to drive away and Tiesel stares at it until it is out of sight. He then looks down at the card left to him and sees a phone number written on it. He's not an expert on area codes, so he doesn't know where this number originates from.

He then flips the card over and sees the following words inscribed on it... "_The Conduit."_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

As all of his robots finish repairing the damage dealt to the fortress last night, Dr. Wily himself is communicating with ProtoMan, who isn't happy about being out all day trying to find the female robot who did the damage to begin with.

_"I've looked over over this damn desert of a state for a whole day and I haven't found her!"_ Proto complains.

Wily fumes, "Dammit, I want her back in my possession, if only for her pulse weapon. Do you have any idea how long it took to perfect that weapon?"

_"No, I don't know, and I don't care! Just take your stash of money and build another one, because you're wasting time! You're not gonna find her!"_ Proto fusses.

As much as Wily stubbornly does not want to concede an argument to Proto - or anybody else, - his right hand robot does have a good point. Wily has other plans that need attending to, much bigger plans than one robot. But, she would have been a key part of an upcoming plan... one that involves three other new Robot Masters.

"Keep looking for her until dawn. Then, if you don't find her, get back here," Wily orders.

After a long beat of silence, a noticeably displeased ProtoMan mutters,_ "Yes, sir."_

After the contact is terminated, Wily mumbles to himself as he continues work on the latest sketch of 'Project G-2'... "That boy will never learn."

_"Not unless you_ make_ him learn," _says the whisper in Wily's head

Albert tries to ignore the whisper stuck in his diseased mind and looks at a monitor in the command center area which currently shows a recap of today's newsworthy events, most noticeably the debut of the Civil Defense Tower in New York, with Mitchell Deacon himself out front and center for this unveiling.

Dr. Wily couldn't help but to look at the sight of the massive structure on the screen. He watches the recap of Deacon's ill-fated press event for the debut of the Civil Defense Tower with great interest.  
>"I hadn't heard of your new toy, Mr. Deacon. Would you be so kind as to tell me how it works?" Wily says to the screen.<p>

_"There is no doubt that the Civil Defense Tower can take down any incoming threat before it gets here, including Dr. Wily."_

Albert stifles a chuckle. "Is that so, Mitchell?"

Then, the questions began on the news footage. _"Mr. Governor, why go through the trouble of building this tower when you already have Mega Man here to defend the city?"_

_"Mega Man's job is to defend humanity and repel Dr. Wily and any other major threat wherever they may be, not just New York City. The tower is here to help further defend our city and assist Mega Man if he would need any help when Dr. Wily has the guts to show his face in our city again."_

Deacon's taunt on the screen gains Albert's attention. "He tasks me, does he?"

_"How do we know Dr. Wily won't find a way to use the tower against us?" _

"Yes, Mr. Governor, how _do_ you know?" Dr. Wily responds to the screen.

_"Misters Newkirk and Kiel assure that the appropriate measures have been taken to prevent another Gamma-like occurence from happening again."_

Then, when the questions become to much for Deacon to handle which leads to his calling off of the conference, Wily begins contemplating. "That's not very characteristic of you, Mitchell. You would never abandon an opportunity to speak to the press... not unless you knew you had just made a tactical mistake!"

Albert takes himself and his chair over to a web terminal in the command center and looks up this Civil Defense Tower. Shortly thereafter, information appears on the screen, including the raw schematics that were used to build the tower, showing how tamper-proof it is supposed to be. But, anybody who is as intellectually gifted as Albert can clearly see the flaws in the design... flaws that could easily be used to take the tower for himself.

"The fools!" Wily clamors, "Any idiot with a fusion cutter can break into that tower! Imagine what I can do with it!"

From the looks of it, it _appears_ as if the Governor has just given Wily his latest tool to use for the war, just like he and his advisors were hoping. Much like with Gamma, Dr. Wily feels that urge deep within his warped mind to use something intended for good and use it for his own rotten purposes.  
>Sure, the tower is stationary and he would not get that much use out of it, but if he can just break in and take control of it, he can pick off anybody trying to oppose him, namely Mega Man. This could be the greatest discovery Albert has ever made...<p>

But then, Wily suddenly freezes as something clicks inside of his diseased mind. This all seems _too_ convenient... Deacon's fumbling at the press conference, deliberately allowing sensitive schematics like these to be posted on the web for Wily to see, the goading of Wily to come to New York - the backyard of Thomas Light and Mega Man - to try to take the tower...

"These people are stupid, but they are not_ that_ stupid," Wily says to himself, then snickers, "This is all an elaborate trap, isn't it, Mitchell?"

Even though Albert has it all figured out, he still feels the urge to use this defense tower against Deacon and New York without putting himself in jeopardy. And he will.

"There must be some way to make them all regret erecting that tower of theirs... but how?" Wily asks himself, stroking his cleft chin as he ponders.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The leader of the Mega Crew was Tiesel... yes, THAT Tiesel. And that only means one thing... where there's one Bonne, another certain Bonne can't be too far behind. ;)_

_As you can see, Mega is beginning to doubt himself and question his own ability to be the Defender of the Human Race. This is something that I have been subtly building since Episode 6 and we will see where this goes._

_There were two scenes that were planned for this episode and were scrapped. One was never written; the other I started but never finished. Both scenes involved Mr. Black's backstory. They were cut because there was too much Mr. Black story for an episode that doesn't revolve around him (and I did not want his story hogging the spotlight from central characters and their stories.) _

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. If you catch any continuity mistakes that can create a **TIME PARADOX**, please PM me.  
>btw, the next update is not going to be posted tomorrow night, the reason why this update was online so early was because this was just a special "Defender Day" early posting that I worked hard to get done in time.<em>


	88. A Terrifying Plan

**Episode 8, Chapter 3: A Terrifying Plan**

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Dr. Light arrives to the lab to begin his work for the day, but he is quite surprised to find somebody seated in front of the lab's computer. It was Mega Man, who appears to be ardently studying something on the computer's large screen with his helmet off and his bushy hair showing.

"Rock?" Thomas calls.

Mega briefly looks over to his creator to say "Good Morning, Dr. Light," then returns to studying the screen again, cycling through several documents and staring at them.

Thomas could see how distracted his son looked when he responded to him and how something appeared to be bothering him again. After living with him for two years, he can tell when something is bothering him by now. When the good doctor approaches Mega to see what he is studying, he recognizes these documents right away as the diagrams and plans for Bass and Treble that Marcus Vickers had supplied them right before their last battle with each other last month.  
>This is the second time he has seen his son feverishly analyzing these plans in the past month, looking for any kind of weakness in the pair of Wily created robots.<p>

"You seem to be taking this problem with Bass more seriously than I thought," Thomas says.

"I have to take it seriously," Mega says, "He's still out there, and whether he's with Wily or not, I'm sure he's still gunning for me. I have to be ready for him when he shows up again, but I don't know how to prepare!"  
>Mega now grows frustrated as he continues, "I gave him everything I had when I fought him; but, he only gave me <em>half<em> of what he can really do, and he still almost killed me."

Mega puts his elbows up on the console he's seated at and puts his head in his hands, that shadow of doubt looming over him again. "I don't know how I'm going do it... I don't even know if I can," he muses, "I've never felt like this before."

Dr. Light is at a rare loss. He wants to try to assure his son that he shouldn't worry too much about it, but at the same time, he knows Mega is right. If Bass returns as a hostile force and Mega Man doesn't have a plan to defeat him, it could mean certain doom for both Mega and the entire world.

Thomas decides to sit down next to his son and try to help him study these schematics. "When it comes to a task as complex as this, two minds are better than one, my son."

Mega regains his composure when he knows he's got his genius of a father right next to him to help figure this problem out and feels a bit relieved. He barely smiles, "You've always been here for me, Father."

"Why would I not be?" Thomas replies with a shrug.

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you guys in my life. You, Roll and Rush... and Kalinka," Mega says, his voice growing softer, almost strained as he continues, "I wouldn't feel comfortable saying this to anybody else but you, because I know I have to stay strong for everybody else... but, sometimes, I feel like this war is getting to me."

Thomas evaluates, "You haven't been acting like yourself since last month. Is it _only_ Bass that is bothering you, or something more?"

Mega replies, "It's everything. Bass, Proto, and Wily, and all of that money he has in his back pocket now. The war is not getting any better... it's only getting worse. I'm afraid of people dying because of this war, especially the ones I love. And... I'm starting to feel like people are losing faith in me after how badly the last battle turned out."

"What could possibly make you think that?" Dr. Light asks.

"When I stopped those Mega Crew imposters last night, the leader of the group said that they started it because of how badly Bass outmatched me," Mega answers.

Thomas dismisses Tiesel's comments. "Empty words by an angry misguided youth."

"But, what about this Civil Defense Tower downtown? After what happened with Gamma, why would Governor Deacon even go ahead with something like this?" Mega asks.

Thomas thinks. "I don't know why Mitch carried on with making that tower. I tried to explain to him how much of a risk that project was, but I think his advisors are giving him the wrong ideas. But, he did specifically state that the tower was not meant to act as a replacement for you. You have proven that you are irreplaceable."

"I just have a bad feeling about it," Mega says.

"So do I, Rock," Thomas agrees.

Mega Man tries to shake off his doubts and shifts the subject back to the task at hand. "Let's get to work on studying these stats for Bass."

"Right!" Thomas approves as he studies the Bass and Treble plans intently. "Bass' armor is composed of very durable high-grade titanium, but as you proved last month, it's still not enough to keep him protected at all times. So, we know that he can be defeated, it will just take a larger amount of power.  
>But, what continues to mystifies me is his power source, Bassinium. We need to know how Albert created it, or how and where he got his hands on it."<p>

"And how to counteract it when he uses it," Mega adds.

"Creating a counter-measure to something we don't know about yet will be a challenge," Dr. Light says, "If only I had the advantage of a robot's processing capabilities, it would be easier."

"... That's it!" Mega says when he makes a realization and stands up again. "Please make copies of these files, Dr. Light. Rush and I are going to head out to California for the afternoon. We've got an old friend who can help crack this case for sure," he adds, placing his blue helmet back on his head.

"Ah, yes..._ that_ old friend," Thomas replies, "I'll copy the files immediately."

"I'll get Rush some Battery Biscuits and we'll be on our way. You might want to tell Dorris the robomaid we might be late for dinner," Mega says as he gets in gear.

"Rock, before you go," Thomas says, standing from his chair, "Have you spoken with Miss Cossack lately?"

Mega replies, "I haven't _spoken_ to her lately, not since last month. But... I think about her a lot."

"Maybe you should make the time to speak with her. It could ease the stress you've been having lately," Dr. Light suggests.

Mega Man smiles, allowing that radiant face of Kalinka popping up in his thoughts again. "I'd like that."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Roll and her new Met Peekaboo are continuing to bond together, much like how she and Doc formed a wonderful friendship in the few short weeks they were together before she lost him.<p>

Roll is still trying to see what her Met companion likes to enjoy, but she has learned not to force him to like all of the things Doc liked. The first time she played one of her heavy metal songs for Peekaboo, he was much more scared of it than Doc was with his first encounter with the same song. So, to ensure her new little friend doesn't get scared, Roll listens to her music on headphones for now until Boo is ready for it.  
>Besides, Peekaboo's personality is totally different from Doc's, so Roll believes it's best to let him grow on his own without anybody forcing him to do things.<p>

With Boo sitting on her bed, Roll kneels down to be at eye level with him and asks, "Do you want to read a book with me today?"

Peekaboo nods and beeps, so Roll scoops him up under her right arm and takes him over to her book cabinet. The books on her shelves are mostly books with 'cool' subject matters (such as the illustrated history of 1980's Heavy Metal) and comic books, with a few study books from her days at Light University last year stuck down at the bottom shelf on the floor.

"Let's see," Roll says, her eyes scanning the shelves and finding the first volume of Doc's favorite book _Gorgon the Mutant Hero._ The book he never got to finish before he died.

How about this one?" Roll asks as she pulls the book off the shelf to show Peekaboo. But, Boo's eyes grow wide and he bleeps when he sees the bulky, orange-skinned mutant man with the square teeth on the front cover because he doesn't look friendly.

"You don't need to be afraid of him, Boo!" Roll says, "He looks like a mutant, but he's a hero like Mega Man is."

Boo timidly beeps that the man on the cover doesn't look like a hero, not like Mega Man does.

Roll almost tries to explain to Boo that this was Doc's favorite book, but she stops herself. She doesn't want to force him to like something just because Doc liked it. So, she puts the book back on the shelf. "Well, maybe one day when you're ready, we can read it together. Does that sound okay?"

Peekaboo beeps and nods.

"I wish there was a way I could make you feel better so you wouldn't be scared of things anymore," Roll says.

Boo beeps that it's because the bad man hurting him. And Roll knows that by 'bad man,' he really means Wily, and she also knows what he did to the Met before she recovered him at Skull Fortress last month: torturing him for no reason other than 'testing' one of his sick experiments.  
>Just thinking about Wily makes Roll want to beat that creep within an inch of his life for what he's done to everybody, especially to Peekaboo... and Doc.<p>

Roll takes Peekaboo over to her bed and sits down with him, cradling him up in her arms. "Boo, I know you're scared of the bad man. A lot of people are, even me sometimes. But, you don't have to worry about him coming after you. I'm never gonna let the bad man or anybody else hurt you again. So, you don't have to be scared anymore. Okay?"

Boo beeps softly and he snuggles up with Roll as she hugs him a little tighter. He then beeps something else which translates to _I love you, Mommy_.

This caught Roll a bit by surprise. She and Doc had a similar bond like the one she has with Peekaboo now, but he didn't call her _Mommy_. Maybe it's because he and Roll were like very special friends and Peekaboo needs to be nurtured because of what Wily did to him.

Roll doesn't know how to reply to Boo at first, but then she looks over at the spare Met hardhat on one of her shelves with a red cross panted on it - her tribute to Doc - and feels a reassuring feeling deep down inside that it's okay to share the same love for this little one.

Roll smiles and holds her little companion close to her, trying so hard to not cry tears of happiness. "I love you too, Peekaboo!"

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 7 studios.<strong>

In her office at the station, Bree Recotta is working on the one story that has beckoned her since last month: The Mr. Black case. While she has still been working on other news stories around the city, the lack of Wily attacks has left her more time to focus on this, and like a detective, she has looked into the Mr. Black attacks and sightings that have taken place here in New York and those that have taken place elsewhere, like the home invasion on the McIntyre family last year.

Currently, she is on the phone with the New York Police, trying to gain access to the security cameras from Yankee Stadium from last month's event featuring Mega Man and Bass. But, she is in for an unpleasant surprise.

"This is Bree Recotta, WNYC news. I would like to make a request to obtain the Yankee Stadium security archives from the Mega Man vs. Bass event," she says into her phone.

_"I'm sorry, ma'am, but, the files you wish to get access to are now classified," _replies the robot assistant on the line.

Bree was surprised to hear this. "When did this happen?"

_"Yesterday, by the Federal Bureau of Investigations,"_ answers the robot on the phone.

"And what with the break in that took place at the residence of Tom McIntyre a year ago? Is that also classified now?" Bree inquires.

_"Yes, ma'am. All matters relating the case involving the man named Mr. Black are now under the direction of the F.B.I."_ replies the police robot,_ "I apologize for the inconvenience."_

"Okay. Thanks anyway," Recotta says as she rubs her forehead and hangs up the phone, frustrated at the sudden lockout of information on what could be the biggest non Mega Man or Dr. Wily related story of her career. If the F.B.I. has taken over the investigation, she won't be getting anything else from them.

As Bree stares at her computer monitor, which displays a still frame of the strange 'security expert' she met at Yankee Stadium last month, Bree says, "So, if the police are unable to help, and the F.B.I. are_ unwilling_ to help... it looks like I'm going to have to gather clues on my own, aren't I?"

Bree stares at that image of that strange man in the suit, knowing that there is more than meets the eye with him. And even though Bree is known to make hazardous decisions to get the story, this decision could prove to be the most hazardous of all.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Without even the slightest trace of light coming in from the outside, Mr. Black stares at the rows of monitors in the media observance room within his hideout in the shabby part of town, waiting impatiently for word to come from The Conduit.

Ever since the F.B.I. injected themselves into the investigation involving his activities, Mr. Black has been in seclusion, very rarely coming out of his hideout to avoid getting caught by his former compatriots.  
>The mission is too important to be compromised. It <em>must<em> be seen through to the end, and Mr. Black has insisted that he must be the one who ends it... preferably with a bullet.

Mr. Black maintains his stare at the rows of monitors, but the only screens he is paying attention to are the ones showing the Civil Defense Tower in Manhattan. He knows that this tower could mean the end of the war for Everlasting Peace _and_ the end of his mission as well... it may very well be his last chance.

Mr. Black's scrambled signal phone rings, breaking the silence, and he immediately picks it up and answers it... "Yeah."

_"The F.B.I. has taken control over the New York Police Department's investigation involving you, as well as all police investigations related to your other alledged interrogations,"_ The Conduit says, not sugar-coasting anything.

"We should have expected as much," Mr. Black replies.

_"It appears that the liberal use of your mind hacking device gave you away,"_ says the Conduit.

"And?" Mr. Black asks, growing impatient.

_"It is too dangerous to keep you in play for the time being."_

Mr. Black's free hand balls into a fist as his fury begins to manifest itself. "Dammit, all I need is one shot!" he seethes, "This Civil Defense Tower is the key and Mitchell Deacon opened the door for the mission to be completed!"

After a long pause, The Conduit dismisses Mr. Black's argument. _"Deacon is an idiot. The security measures of that tower are so poor, a team of trained chimpanzees can break in."_

"Exactly! If it's that easy to get inside, I can breach it in a matter a minutes, if not seconds," Mr. Black makes his case, "It's only a matter of time before the tower is attacked and breached... the target _will_ be there, but I can be there first. We can end this. Now!"

The Conduit persists, _"It is still too much of a risk. You would only get caught."_

Mr. Black argues, "It doesn't matter if the F.B.I. catches me there or not! If take out the targets, The mission would be complete!"

_"The risk to _me_ would be too high if they catch you. You could still compromise me, whether you intend to or not."_

"This isn't about you! Quit being paranoid and let me do my damn job!" Mr. Black barks.

_"You do not tell me what to do,"_ The Conduit states, sounding calm, yet annoyed, _"You work for me. I was the one who gave you this opportunity, and if it wasn't for me, you would not even be so much as a minute factor in this operation."_

Mr. Black bites back his fury because he knows The Conduit is his best chance to complete the mission. He barely says, "I have a bigger stake in this mission you do."

_"No, you don't. Not to slight whatever your reason for doing this may be, but, what I am looking to accomplish is much bigger than anything you can possibly imagine. And when the appropriate parties are disposed of, I can achieve it."_

"So, I'm stuck here. Is that right?" Mr. Black asks.

_"You will remain out of play until I say otherwise,"_ The Conduit confirms,_ "I am already in the process of acquiring another hand for this operation."_

Mr. Black's eyes narrow when he hears this news, taking it as a slap in his face, "You're doing _what_? You're replacing Me?"

_"Not necessarily replacing you. I am just acquiring a temporary asset while-"_

"We had an agreement, damn you!" Mr. Black yells, bolting out of his chair, "Nobody carries out this mission but me! NOBODY!"

_"And that agreement still stands," _The Conduit calmly replies,_ "If you hadn't been sloppy with your interrogations, you would still be out there. Rest assured, you will be the only one who will consummate this mission. The agreement I am making with the new hand is temporary, but necessary."_

Mr. Black holds back his anger long enough to ask The Conduit a very important question. "Just who the hell could you have possibly found to replace _me_?"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

Onboard a flying craft somewhere in the skies above the United States - a flying craft known as the Gesselchaft to be precise - a little robot is happily running through the corridors. His design is not like any other robot in the world, except elsewhere on this ship. His body has two arms and two legs with feet and is almost entirely blue, but he has small yellow clamps for hands and his head almost looks like a big yellow marshmallow with a flat grey tip on top of his head. He looks reminiscent of a little child's toy, but he's also as big as a small child.

His face - which has two big round eyes and below them a little smile that almost looks like a pink letter **D** on it's round side - is entirely made out of modern television screen technology, able to project whatever emotion he is capable of, complete with eye circuits and a small hatch for a mouth right below so he can eat and drink robot edibles.

As this little guy continues running down the corridor, he is completely oblivious to the fact that a war between good and evil has been taking place all his life. Right now, he's just the happiest little marshmallow-headed robot in the world.

He is known as a Servebot, and he has the number 1 on his chest. He is the very first of his kind, but he's not the only one. He has several Servebot brothers, and they're all onboard this flying craft, and they were all hand-made by their Mommy, whom they all love very much.  
>Of course they don't refer to her as "Mommy." They refer to her by her proper title: Miss Bonne. And that's who this little Servebot is running along to go see now.<p>

Servebot #1 finishes his run down the corridor, still with an adorable smile on his face, and turns the corner into his Momma's room, where she currently sits hunched over her desk, working on another creation.

Momma's name is Tron Bonne, little sister of Tiesel Bonne, sixteen years old and the middle child of a litter of three. She has always been a gearhead, and the world's fascination with robots has only helped make her a more proficient robot builder. Tron is a hard worker for her age and she is very smart too, but she is prone to mood swings at times. Sometimes, she's a sweetheart; sometimes, she's more fierce than an erupting volcano.  
>And much like Kalinka Cossack, she has a crush on Mega Man. But, unlike Kalinka, Tron's crush on the Defender of the Human Race is just an attraction to him rather than the bond Kalinka now shares with the hero.<p>

Today, she is wearing what she usually likes to wear; a pink jacket and black spandex pants, and she has her hair pulled back in her trademark flip-like do, which is quite... unique. How she manages to get her hair like this on a daily basis is a miracle.

"Good morning, Miss Bonne!" Servebot #1 says in just the sweetest little voice you can possibly imagine.

Tron spins around in her chair with a big smile on her face revealing her happy brown eyes when she hears the voice of her little man.

"Number 1!" she peeps as she holds her arms out, allowing Servebot #1 to run over and jump into his Mommy's arms. Tron rubs her noses up against the center of #1's face, giving him an Eskimo kiss.

#1 then sits in Tron's lap. "What are you working on today, Miss Bonne?"

"Now that Teisel's superhero days are over, I've been able to devote my time to the Gustav again," Tron says, sitting across from a diagram of what looks like a mech suit, somewhat similar to Dr. Cossack's 'Obliterator' Ride Armor that he brought to America and fought Mega Man with during the brief time he believed that the hero was responsible for his daughter's kidnapping.  
>Previously, Tron had been commissioned by Tiesel to build the Mega Crew suits and equipment for him and his two former friends.<p>

"Are you going to be building any more Servebots soon, Miss Bonne?" #1 asks.

"Of course I am, Number 1, but, only after we're done getting the Gustav built, and I'm gonna need _your_ help!" Tron replies.

"Oh, boy! I love helping you, Miss Bonne!" #1 says, always full of happiness and cuteness and love.

_"Hey, little sister. Come up here, there's something I'm dying to show you!"_ breaks the voice of Tiesel on the ship's loudspeaker.

Tron sighs, getting tired of her much older brother's needs having to come before her work. But, at least he sounds in better spirits, unlike last night, when he got home to the ship really late and said that the Mega Crew was done, but looking distracted by something.

"Is Tiesel going to be wearing his Mega Man costume anymore, Miss Bonne?" asks #1.

"No, Number 1. Besides, there's only one Mega Man," Tron says, gazing at her Mega Man posters covering her wall, "And he's dreamy!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on another deck of the Gesselchaft, Tiesel Bonne - Former leader of the Mega Crew - grabs a pair of his freshly made novelty contact lenses, which is something he likes to design with fun and funky designs when he's not left running the family salvage business, like he and his little sister have been for years.<p>

Their parents - Don Juan Bonne and Bonnie Bonne - are the owners of the family salvage business "Bonne Salvage and Refurbishment," but have rarely had any hands-on time with it in years, leaving it to be run by their two oldest children. In fact, these two rich snobs rarely have any contact with their kids in person and only occasionally contact them via video conferencing, because they are _always_ away on vacation using the money they rake in to pay for it.

However, in recent years, when the company has been accused of pirating salvage while under Tiesel's command, Don Juan Bonne swooped down with his proverbial big bag of money and made the accusations go away. Still, Tiesel is left to literally run the ship, and that's not exactly the best thing, especially given his recent behavior.

Tiesel places his newest pair of contact lenses on his eyes and can't wait to show his sister. And she arrives to his living area with Servebot #1 right behind her.

"What did you want to show me Tiesel?" Tron asks.

"Oh, nothing," Tiesel says, "... nothing but _this_!"

Tiesel spins around with his new scary contact lenses, which makes the white surface of his eyes look black and the iris and pupils look bright red. He howls and waves his arms to try to scare his sister, as some big brothers like to do.

Tron yelps when she sees her big brother's red eyes, but little Servebot #1 screams, "WAH! TIESEL'S A ZOMBIE!"

Poor little #1 goes running away screaming from red-eyes Tiesel, who laughs it up. Tron on the other hand is not pleased, and in a voice that is pretty big for her cutie-pie girl pipes, she unleashes on her big brother.

"So, you think that's FUNNY, TIESEL?" Tron blurts.

Tiesel - red eyes and all - suddenly becomes very fearful of his little sister, like he always does when she gets like this. "What? Me? No! I didn't mean-"

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING!" Tron hollers, pointing her pink gloved finger at her much bigger brother, causing him to go down on his knees and cower in the corner of the room, "If I _EVER_ see you scaring any of my babies again, I'M GONNA MAKE YOU SCRUB THE BATHROOMS WITH YOUR TONGUE! YOU GOT IT?"

"Y-yes, Ma'am, er- Miss Bonne, er- Tron!" Tiesel babbles.

Tron turns on her heels and storms off, looking for her Servebot. Meanwhile, a wide-eyed Tiesel stares at his sister, unable to move and panting. He hasn't exactly had the best day today. First his vigilante group crumbles apart, then he gets in an argument with Mega Man, and now Tron totally emasculates him and gives him a chewing out... and the first two were the easy parts.

He always seems to forget how protective she is over all of her Servebots running around here. If she feels anybody is doing _any_ harm to them, she snaps.

"Note to self: Don't do anything that would scare the Servebots. It will take ten years off of your life!" Tiesel says as he pulls himself off the floor as his heart rate gets back to normal.

Tiesel takes a moment to regain his composure. Then, his red eyes catch the sight of that card left by that "Conduit" person he encountered last night. This Conduit was expecting a call from Tiesel today, and this could be the deal that catapults the name Tiesel Bonne into the stratosphere. No more would that high and mighty Mega Man tell him what to do, no more would he have to be scolded by his little sister and live under the shadow of his tycoon father, and no more would he be called a loser!

Tiesel sits down in front of a big chunk of cobbled together equipment which serves as his 'speaker phone' and dials the number to The Conduit. And after several rings, there is finally an answer.

_"This is The Conduit,"_ that same voice disguised voice from last night answers.

"It's Tiesel, you new favorite understudy," Tiesel says.

_"Ah, yes. I was expecting your call. We have much business to discuss."_

"Yes, we certainly do, Mr. Conduit... or Miss Conduit... or, just Conduit," Tiesel fumbles, "So, what do you have in mind for me?"

_"After seeing your capabilities, I feel this task will be perfectly suited to you. My most trusted asset would have been the man for the job, but he will be... unavailable for a short time, and I would like you to be his temporary replacement."_

"Wait a minute! Temporary replacement?" Tiesel complains, "You said I would be a valued asset of yours for this operation! I'm not some substitute!"

_"Ah, but you miss the point. This will be your opportunity to prove yourself to me. And if I feel you are worthy, you will be promoted to be one of my two top agents. And you will be paid handsomely."_

The words _Paid handsomely_ perked Tiesel's ears quite a bit. "Paid?"

_"Yes, and the money will be all yours,"_ The Conduit guarantees,_ "Your first task is relatively simple. All you will need to do is collect some footage and audio, and make you do so while incognito. I will supply you with more information at the proper time."_

"Okay. But, you did say the words paid handsomely earlier," Tiesel points out, "How handsome are we talking?

_"You will receive your compensation when you have proven yourself. But, if it is a success, you will receive $250,000 dollars as a symbol of my personal gratitude, and more successes will lead to even greater compensation."_

Tiesel's red contact-lens-clad eyes grown wide again, this time with dreams of money falling into his lap. _Real Money!_ And it would be all his, not profit going back to his parents and being spent on Tron's latest invention. This rewards would be his and only his. And he would get even_ more_ money later!  
>After falling silent as this news struck him like an anvil, he finally mumbles, "I, uh, Well, er-... think that, um... we've got, uh... a deal! Yes!"<p>

_"Good, young Tiesel. Now listen to my instructions very carefully..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Tucson, Arizona.<strong>

At a Goodwill station here in this city, the nomad female robot who fled Skull Fortress makes her way inside, not drawing much attention to herself. She had a feeling that she should come here where some humans have gathered to accquire old clothing goods, then she can find a way to disguise her true robot features to avoid any dangerous encounters.

In the past few days, she has come across her share of humans. Some of which payed her no mind and others thought she was just a human in a robot costume. But, some humans became scared when they saw her, thinking she was one of Dr. Wily's robots, which of course, she _was_ at one time.

When encountering the scared humans, she wanted to assure them that she was not a hostile presence and that she only needed help. But, she has no means of speaking, and even if she could speak, the humans would have most likely kept running from her.

After being on the run for several days and having bouts of her head pain several times since the day she powered up for the first time and receiving no help from the humans, the nomad robot felt that maybe the only way she could get help is to try to look like the humans.

As she makes her way to an area where donated clothing is being sold, a few humans going through said clothes give her a sideways glance, wondering what a robot is doing at this place, but none of them seem to be afraid of her.

The Nomad grabs a pair of old grey sweatpants and a matching hooded shirt, both of which are just a bit bigger than her body size to accommodate her armor. Afterwards, she makes her way out of the Goodwill station, balling her new clothes up into a ball as she carries them in her arms and hoping not to attract any attention as she follows the humans as they leave with their own selections.

A robot assistant stands at the end of the line, checking out the clothes each human is buying before they leave. She sees the humans exchanging these small green rectangular papers and small round tokens of various metals to the checkout robot before leaving with their selections. Nomad obviously doesn't know how transactions work and this could prove to be a problem for her.

When Nomad reaches the head of the line, the robot assistant puts a hand up. "You are a robot. What are you doing getting clothing here?"

Nomad cannot give an answer vocally. She just holds the grey sweats up, hoping they will just let her go.

"Judging by how incomplete your exoskeleton looks, your creator probably sent you to get some temporary clothing to wear over it," says the robot assistant, "But, you still have to pay for those."

Nomad begins to look worried, afraid that she will not be able to get this disguise. Then, the robot cashier puts her finger up to her earpiece as she receives a communication...

"My mistake. You my take those items," she says, allowing Nomad to leave the store, causing the human customers behind her to begin complaining.

But, as the female robot leaves the Goodwill station, holding her new clothing tight to her chest like it was a protective blanket, the robot assistant stares at her as she leaves.

One human groans, "You just let her go because she's a robot?"

"No," replies an approaching Policebot with the registry number 1L-19 on his badge, "She let her go because this is a police matter. That was a potentially dangerous robot who just left this store."

As the remaining customers gasp, AL-19 says, "Don't panic, citizens."

As the Policebot stares at Nomad racing accross the street, he contacts headquarters. "This is retail security unit 1L-19 at the Tucson Goodwill station. I have encountered the robot that was sighted by citizens earlier this week. She is of an advanced design, human female facial features with black hair, purple and blue grey colored titanium armor and an incomplete right arm. She entered the station and took a complete pair of grey workout clothing, she will most likely be wearing those."

_"Copy that, 1L-19. Your description matches those of the reports we've been reciveing here. We'll send out units to investigate,"_ replies the Police dispatcher on the other end of the line.

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, an Arizona police cruiser patrols the area and is in search for Nomad after the bulletin issued by the Policebot at the Goodwill station. As a Policebot drives the car, his human partner looks around the immediate area and finds a female figure wearing a grey sweatsuit with the hood up over her head.<p>

"I think we just found that hoodie-wearing robo girl we just heard about on the squak box," says the human.

The Policebot looks at the subject running on the sidewalk. "Perhaps. We will have to pursue."

The police car picks up speed as the officers go after her, powering up the siren to get her attention. But, she doesn't stop running. The Policebot driving the car then gets on the loudspeaker. "Attention! You, in the grey sweatsuit. Halt!"

She freezes and puts her hands up, but keeps her back turned to the cops as they approach her.

"Turn around," orders the officer.

The woman turns around, keeping her hands up... but her face is caucasian, and locks of blonde hair can be seen coming out from under her sweatshirt's hood. This is clearly _not_ the female robot that they were warned about, and according to the Policebot's eye sensors, this is a human female who was just working out.

"I'm not doing anything! I was just running!" the jogger complains.

"I apologize, ma'am. It appears my partner made an error," the Policebot says.

"Yeah, I know," the human officer groans, facepalming himself.

Meanwhile, on a rooftop nearby, the nomad robot watches this embarrassing exchange taking place below her, now wearing the grey sweatsuit she got earlier overtop of her purple and greyish blue armor. After listening to the humans and robots with the gold badges, she knows that these are ones she will need to avoid now as well, even though it doesn't look like they work for the old human named Wily.

She has to get away from this populated area, and before the head pains inevitably return. Causing the destruction to make that pain go away would only result in more unwanted attention. Nomad carefully crawls away and stays hidden in cover atop the roof, making a careful getaway.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After spending nearly a whole day on his second search for the nomad female robot, ProtoMan finally returns to the fortress, still wearing the sunglasses and jacket disguise that he wore the other night during his first search for her, which lasted even longer than this second one.

Over the course of two searches, Proto has spent nearly two and a half days worth of time and explored a large amount of Arizona looking for this female robot, even stooping so low as to actually ask humans if they've seen anybody fitting her description, and he _still_ came up empty. And after all that time and effort spent searching, Proto is exhausted, tired and still bitter at Wily for making him go on this wild goose chase all by himself.

Proto doesn't even bother reporting directly to Dr. Wily when he returns to the fortress. Instead, he just makes his way to his quarters so he can get some rest and recharge. On his way there, he passes Drill Man who looks a bit more chipper than usual, which is hard to notice given that he doesn't have much of a face to begin with, just two eyes above a face shield with a voice box built into it.

"I was wondering where you were, ProtoMan," Drill Man says in his strange voice, "I'm on my way to see Dr. Wily. Are you?"

Proto scoffs, "Hell no. I'm going to bed. If Wily asks, tell him I didn't find the female robot."

"Maybe Dr. Wily is appointing me to take over for your search," Drill Man says, "He personally called me up to meet him in the command center to give me a new assignment. I'm gonna make him proud this time!"

"Uh-huh, whatever, that's great, pal," Proto says, patting Drill Man's shoulder, "I'm sleepy. Goodnight."

As ProtoMan goes off to his quarters, Drill Man continues making his way to meet Dr. Wily, feeling confident and full of positivity.

Out of all the Robot Masters in Dr. Wily's army, Drill Man has had the worst luck. Firstly, it's hard to get around without hands. And second, whenever it was time to battle Mega Man, Drill Man always managed to be defeated in an embarrassing fashion more than any other Robot Master.  
>After one embarrassing encounter with Mega Man, when Wily was in his usual horrible mood after the defeat, he scolded each of the Robot Masters involved in the battle and yelled that they had all shamed him.<p>

Ever since that day, Drill Man has hoped to make Dr. Wily proud of him, even after the embarrassing defeats he has taken at the hands of Mega Man during recent operations. And Drill Man is positive that today is the day Dr. Wily will trust him to handle a big mission and that he will win at last.

Drill Man arrives to the command center room deep within the fortress and knocks on it with one of his drill arms.

_"Enter,"_ says Wily from inside.

Drill Man reaches for the doorknob... but, he can't open it because he has no hands, just big drillers. It would be so much easier if he has hands. Drill Man ponders that maybe he can make Dr. Wily so proud, he will build a new pair of hands for him.

As he tries to figure a way out to use both of his drillers to open the door, Wily opens it for him from the inside. "I forgot about how challenging it is for you to open doors. Come in, Drill Man."

As Drill Man enters the command center, Wily begins, "Drill Man, I have a very special task for you, and only you can pull it off for me."

"Great! Am I going to go after that female robot?" an excited Drill Man asks.

Wily barely grins, "No, Drill Man. Your mission is _much_ more important! In fact, it could be one of my most crucial plans yet!"

"Really? What is it?" Drill Man asks, rubbing his two drill arms together.

"Our old friend Mitchell Deacon has decided to make a very tall tower in New York. A tower he thinks is going to protect his city. A tower he thinks that I am going to try and seize, so that he can trap me like a fool," Wily says, "And he is sorely mistaken."

Dr. Wily shows Drill Man a diagram on one of the screens inside the command center and explains, "They will be expecting me to enter through this hatch on the side of the tower, the area that is the least fortified. Now, any engineer who knows what he is doing would not dare leave so little protection to a crucial area of the tower... unless they _wanted_ it to be breached."

Drill Man is lost at the complexity of Wily's explanation. "... okay."

"This will be where you come in, Drill Man," Wily says, "You will be a part of a very small team of infiltrators that will be striking the tower late tonight. Your job will be to travel to the lowest level of the tower and drill all the way through to the core of the earth, creating my very own volcanic eruption that we will then fire from within the tower and drawn the entire tri-state area in a grave of boiling hot magma!"

Drill Man becomes a little worried now. "But, Dr. Wily... I'll still be underground... won't I be caught in the eruption?"

With a matter-of-fact tone, Dr. Wily answers, "Yes."

Drill Man stammers, "But... that means I'll be ... d-destroyed!"

Dr. Wily says, "Drill Man, this is a war we are fighting! Sacrifices have to be made for the... greater _good_. And that is what I am asking you to do for the good of my quest to conquer the world."  
>Wily begins smiling wretchedly, "And you will finally make me <em>proud<em>. Don't you want that?"

"Yes... but, I don't want to be destroyed!" a scared Drill Man protests

Dr. Wily's face twists into a more angry scowl. "You will never make me proud unless you do this, whether you die or not! And if you don't, you will always be a miserable failure at everything you do!"

"But... I don't want to die," Drill Man says again, sounding dejected.

"Your desire is irrelevant!" Wily growls, "I am_ ordering_ you to carry this plan out, whether you want to or not!"

Drill Man bows his head down, looking so sad after being given what was basically a death sentence. "... y-yes, Dr. Wily."

Wily grins again. "Good. Now, return to your quarters and wait until it is time to make the sacrifice for my conquest."

Drill Man turns and solemnly walks away, knowing that his life may soon be coming to an end. He doesn't want to do it, but Dr. Wily ordered him to... and he just wanted to make Dr. Wily proud... that's all he's ever wanted to do, and because Dr. Wily - being the evil 'man' that he is - capitalized on it and used this to fuel his sick desires, Drill Man could be facing certain doom in a matter of hours.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_You may have thought this version of Wily couldn't get much lower than his treatment of Mets and other evil things he's done, but doing this to poor Drill Man might be the worst we've seen him yet. I legitimately almost teared up while writing that last scene, because I knew the direction it was going to go._

_I know what you're thinking. The Bonnes and their backstory aren't exactly like they were in the Legends/Dash continuity and for some of you it's probably kind of strange to see the Bones here in this era of a Mega Man universe. But, bear this in mind: this is set in the Ruby-Spears universe, where ProtoMan is working for Dr. Wily and Air Man is tall with a human-like face. So, anything goes. (Except for Lion Men, not in this series.)_

_Also, even though the Bonnes and the Servebots are here, these are most likely going to be the only characters from the Legends/Dash universe appearing in Defender. (I'm sure that probably scuttles some of your theories on who you think The Conduit really is. Sorry, about that.)_

_"1L-19" was actually an obscure reference to a popular movie, and if you get it without Googling it first, you deserve a medal. (And it's not a Star Wars droid.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch any continuity errors that might disrupt the space/time continuum, please PM me quickly._

_I feel sorry for Drill Man. :,(_


	89. Origins

_**Episode 8, Chapter 4: Origins**_

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush take to the skies above the United States on their way to California to visit their 'old friend' who can hopefully lend some crucial insight on how to defeat Bass and Treble. During most of the trip, Mega's thoughts have bounced back and forth between how he is going to defeat Bass and Dr. Light's suggestion that he should contact Kalinka Cossack.<p>

Even with Rush's turbo powered jets, it still takes a bit of time to reach California and it gives Mega plenty of time to contact her from up here and he has strongly been considering doing so. But, he always seems to think of an excuse why maybe he shouldn't.

It may be early here in America, but it's nighttime in Russia and maybe Kalinka is busy or asleep.  
>Maybe contacting her from up in the sky is a bad idea. What if something happens to him while he's talking to her? She would probably become concerned and he doesn't want her to worry.<br>Maybe her father Dr. Cossack isn't as accepting of the bond Mega shares with Kalinka the same way Dr. Light is. Mega knows what Dr. Cossack is like when he's angry. He had to fight him in January when the Russian scientist thought he had kidnapped Kalinka, and he would much rather not have to go through that again.

The truth of the matter is, as much as Mega does have feelings for Kalinka, he is a bit hesitant to talk to her because he doesn't know how to tell her how he feels about her.

Mega sighs woefully. "I can't believe it. I've battled Wily's killer robots - including Bass, Gamma and my own brother - and I've had to rescue people from certain death - including my own family - more times than I care to count, but I'm more scared to call a girl than do _any_ of those things."

Rush barks up, "Arroo?"

Mega smiles, "Nothing, Rush. My thoughts just kind of escaped there... maybe I should just call her now."

Mega holds up his left arm and prepares to press the communication button on it. All he has to do is just call her and tell her how he feels, or maybe just have a casual conversation with her to get the ball rolling and see where it goes from there. But, he's so nervous, he stops himself before he presses the button, unable to just call her.

"I wonder if humans have this much of a hard time calling somebody they like," Mega almost laughs to himself.

But, before he could get the courage to just contact Kalinka, Mega has a strange feeling come over him... a feeling like he's being _watched_. Mega turns himself around and looks behind Rush to see if anybody is tailing him, but he sees nobody. Mega continues looking all around, scanning the surrounding areas with his advanced eye circuits, and still doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. But, he knows that something isn't right.

"Rush, try to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary until we get there," Mega says.

Rush barks and he begins looking from side to side as he heads towards California. Meanwhile, Mega Man looks over his shoulder one more time to see if anybody is following him, like a _certain_ super robot.

"I know you're out there, Bass," Mega says to the air behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>California Science Center.  
>San Fransisco, California.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush exit an elevator, arriving to the extra fortified basement of the science center. They make their way to the final security check where two guards are happy to see the hero and let him through.

As Mega Man and Rush enter, they see a very impressive laboratory set up straight ahead and as they get closer, they hear somebody inside humming a happy rendition of classical music. And as Mega Man and Rush get closer, they see the humming individual working on things in his spacious lab... and he's wearing a white labcoat and a green helmet with glasses built in and little gold antennae sticking out of either of the helmet's audio sensors.

"Brain Bot!" Mega calls.

Brain Bot turns away from his work and smiles brightly when he sees Mega Man standing there. "Mega Man! My dear friend!" he says in his noticable overbite voice as he walks over and gives Mega a hug.

"How have things been at your new lab since we dropped you off here?" Mega asks.

"Splendid! I have all the experimentation tools I could ever need," Brain Bot says, "In fact, it is good that you brought Rush here with you! I have developed a new way for him to get around faster, and it doesn't even involve wheels!"

Rush gulps and backs away, taking cover directly behind Mega Man. He remembers how disastrous things go when Brain Bot wants to experiment on something.

"That's great, Brain. But, there's something more important I need your help with," Mega says.

Brain Bot strokes his chin. "_Hmmmm._ This predicament must be quite serious if _you_ need help, Mega Man. Please show me. I do love solving a complex puzzle."

Mega Man takes the microchip given to him by Dr. Light before he left and places it inside of one of Brain Bot's computer stations. A few seconds later, the diagrams of Bass appears on the large screen above it.

Brain Bot tenses up when he sees the creation on the screen. "Bass, the warrior robot you did battle with. A very chilling character, indeed. All aggression, no compassion, nothing like you and your wonderful sister Roll... speaking of you, I witnessed your exhibition with Bass."

"_You_ watched it?" Mega asks, surprised that Brain Bot would be interested in watching such a thing.

"Yes. The human guards stationed here were most interested in watching, and given my limited combat experience, I wanted to study how the two of you fared in battle. Please take no offense, but I notice some critical flaws in your attack strategy."

Mega Man glazes his eyes. "Yeah, I noticed that on a more first-person basis. That's why I'm here to see you."  
>Mega's tone becomes more serious as he continues, "Bass is still out there and I have a feeling I'll be doing battle with him again soon enough. I figure if anybody can think of a way to bring an impossible bot like him down, it's you."<p>

"I would not say defeating Bass would be impossible... There are _always_ possibilities, my friend," Brain Bot says, "And today, we will shed some light on what is possible! Let me study his schematics."

Brain Bot's fingers flow very quickly over the computer's controls and keyboards, all without removing his eyes from the screen as he quickly takes in knowledge into his incredible CPU. "His armor is three sixths of an inch thicker than the legal limitation, he can merge with his wolf companion to increase each other's combine power five times greater than before, and his neural processing is faster than almost any other robot by one one-hundredth of second."

"Excluding your own processing speed," Mega Man adds.

"Well... I am not one to brag," Brain Bot shrugs as he continues his studying, "I notice an unusual amount of circuit protectors through his core systems. It is easy to see why Bass has an advantage over most other robots, Mega Man."

"Dr. Light says he was puzzled by Bass' power source, located inside his chest," Mega says, trying to point at the schematics on the screen, but the images move too fast because of Brain Bot's rapid pace studying.

Brain Bot immediately researches the data on the power core located in Bass' chest and helmet. Even_ he_ is surprised to know little about it. "Bassinium. An energy source I have never seen before, and the descriptions of it in these files are very vague. Perhaps that is Dr. Wily wanted, to keep everybody in the dark."

"I managed to copy his weapon power during the battle. Dr. Light removed the data chip from my plasma buster, but, he kept handy so he could study it. Here, take a look at it," Mega says, handing the weapon data chip to Brain Bot, who takes it over to an adjoining computer station and inserts it into the drive.

After studying it for only a few seconds, Brain Bot makes a startling discovery and his eyes behind his glasses grow wide. "Oh, my!"

"What is it?" Mega asks.

"I stand corrected, Mega Man... I _have_ seen this kind of energy before," Brain Bot says, "According to these readings, Bass' plasma energy is identical to... Quadirium!"

"Excuse me?" a confused Mega Man asks.

"_Quadirium_, an extremely rare energy material that arrived on Earth's surface in the form of meteorites on October 9th, 20X2, on and around the coast of the Hawaiian islands," Brain Bot explains, "After collecting and studying the samples from the meteorites, my fellow scientist colleagues chose to name it _Quadirium._ I have even had the opportunity to study the material myself at this lab. In theory, just one rock of quadirium is enough to power ten robots. and an entire meteorite could generate power for an entire country."

"What about creating a body shield of pure power?" Mega asks.

"That would be possible, yes," Brain Bot says, "Scientists have been studying the meteorite fragments to see if they can support defense systems, but they have been too powerful to use with any such devices. The Quadirium samples tend to be too powerful for them in their present form. That most likely explains Bass' thick armor and the complexity of his systems."

As Brain Bot studies, he brings up several images and reports of these Quadirium meteorites on the screens for Mega Man to look it. Mega can see that these meteorites do not look or act anything like the meteor fragments that Dr. Wily had found and used to super charge his robots earlier in 20X2 at Red Gulch. Those meteor fragments were green and looked like jewels; these meteors look like purple rocks that appear to be glowing like they were nuclear.

"And you're sure about this, Brain Bot?" Mega asks.

"The traces left by a quadirium power source are unmistakable," Brain Bot replies.

Mega has an unsettling thought... "If Bass is powered by this quadirium stuff, that means Wily got his hands on one of those meteors and we never knew about it."

Brain Bot indirectly confirms, "One of the Quadirium meteorites was never unaccounted for. It would come as no surprise if Dr. Wily had managed to obtain one."

* * *

><p><strong>Seven Months Ealier. October 20X2.<br>The shores of Hawaii, late at night.**

Dr. Wily's Robot Masters are scouting up ahead looking for caves for the mad doctor to conduct an experiment involving manipulating typhoons and hurricanes to maximize thier strength and use them as weapons. Meanwhile, Dr. Wily himself and ProtoMan are hanging back in a yellow powerboat that is currently resting in the beach not too far away and monitoring the Robot Master's progress.

"Move it, tin heads!" Wily barks, "Find me a secret cave to use for my tropical island experiments!"

A few moments pass, then GutsMan calls in. "We found one, Dr. Wily."

"Is it big enough?" Dr. Wily asks, growing tired of sitting here and risking getting caught.

"... maybe for a very small experiment," Cut Man replies.

Albert balls his fists and almost starts shaking because he's so angry. "KEEP LOOKING, YOU NIT-BOTS!" he shouts, not even knowing what he just called them.

ProtoMan leans back in his chair on the bridge of the boat and asks, "I know your patience is wearing thin, but what is a _Nit-Bot_ exactly?"

"I'm not in the mood to explain! Just sit there and watch for anything suspicious," Wily grumbles.

"Hey, isn't that the Makahuna or maka-whatever the hell it is, comet up there?" Proto asks, pointing upwards to the bright red spark in the sky.

"Every millennium that comet passes Earth," Wily says, "There is a supposed prophecy that claims particles from the comet will rain down on Earth when it passes, then it will awaken a legion of Lion Men from their slumber who will wipe us all out... A bunch of HOOEY, I say! It is an even bigger sham than the 2012 doomsday prophecies!"

"You should have used it to your advantage, Wily," Proto says, "Trick everybody into buying a lion transformation-proof placebo and collect the money. We're starting to run a bit low, you know."

Dr. Wily dismisses Proto's suggestion. "I will have the world by the end of this year. I have enough funds to last through then."

Proto doesn't answer Wily's boast, because he continues staring up at the sky. "Hey... how many of those comets are there supposed to be up there?"

"Only one," Albert answers, still focused on monitoring the Robot Masters progress.

"Well, I see _more_ than one up there. I see a bunch of purple ones," Proto says, pointing up again.

Dr. Wily looks up and sees the purple specks in the sky. "This must be the meteor shower mentioned on the news... but, the experts were not expecting them to arrive this soon."

Proto stares up at the meteor shower and makes a startling realization as one particular meteor appears to be getting larger. "Uh... I think they're arriving in _our_ direction!"

Dr. Wily looks up at the sky and sees the meteorites coming closer, lighting the sky up purple. While most of the meteorites are falling elsewhere towards the islands of Hawaii, one of them appears to be heading right for their boat!

"Pull the anchor up! I'm getting us out of here!" Wily bursts as he frantically controls the boat to maneuver it out of the way while ProtoMan runs around back to retract the anchor at the bottom of the ocean.

Wily's boat moves just in time to avoid being capsized by the purple meteorite as it hits the ocean, which creates a huge splash.

"Bubble Man! Go and retrieve that meteorite from the ocean. Then, we're getting out of here!" Wily orders as he regains stability of the boat.

The slightly portly looking Bubble Man runs up from the undercarriage of the boat and leaps over the port bow safety railing, diving into the ocean.

_"Dr. Wily, come in! There are meteors falling all over the place! What do we do?"_ wails the voice of Cut Man.

"Get out of there and return to the boat," Wily orders, "These islands are going to be crawling with the authorities very soon and I don't want to be anywhere around when it happens."

* * *

><p>After they returned to Skull Fortress later that morning, Dr. Wily, ProtoMan and some of the Robot Masters stood across from the glowing hunk of purple rock that Bubble Man recovered from the ocean, and now Dr. Wily was rubbing his hands.<p>

"We have it. Now, what should we do with it?" Albert asks.

Proto says, "We shouldn't even _touch it_. As far as we know, Bubble Man is more radioactive than a power plant right now."

"I scanned him when we returned. He's not showing any ill effects of handling the meteorite, and he isn't acting out of the ordinary," Wily says, "But, the readings on the meteorite itself is off the charts!"

Dr. Wily holds a power reader up to the device and the needle on the inside of the gauge nearly breaks when it snaps all the way to the right after picking up the immense readings from the meteor chunk.

"We could _cut_ it up and use the pieces to make us all stronger like we did back at Red Gulch," Cut Man suggests.

"Do you even _remember_ how bad that turned out?" Proto groans as he recalls how_ that_ plan backfired, "I'm not stickin' anything from outer space on my body any time soon."

"Maybe we should use 'em as a weapon like you did with the shrink ray. I wanna see what it does to that Mega Twerp!" GutsMan laughs.

"With how powerful this rock is, it would probably turn by brother into a giant!" Proto disagrees.

"Neither of those ideas would work," Dr. Wily interjects, "The meteorite is a power source, and I plan on using it the way nature intended it. But, not right now. I have more important plans layed out for November."

* * *

><p><strong>April 20X3.<strong>

The 'plans for November' were really the infamous Deacon Operation, which was a failure and because of that, Dr. Wily was now running seriously low on money and his most recent plan to take the fighting robots at the Robot Championship Tournament turned out to be an absolute disaster. Other plans had also failed, and ProtoMan had intervened when Wily was 'testing' pain programs on an innocent Met, and the most powerful weapon in Wily's arsenal - the _"Last Resort"_ ion bomb - had already been defused by Mega Man.

Albert's last shot at winning the world with what little resources he had left was to install a chunk of the mysterious meteorite into the chassis of a new robot. The only problem is, his first test on implanting the chunk of meteorite into a robot body was a disaster. The robot body that was built could not handle the sheer magnitude of power it was supposed to operate on and had completely shorted out. Wily had quickly repaired the body and tried again, but it still failed.

Dr. Wily was close to giving up on using the meteorite as a power source altogether... until he saw an ad posted by the Vick-Tek corporation stating that they were looking for a robotics scientist to build them a robot warrior and that it would pay quite well.

Now, all of Dr. Wily's financial concerns were behind him, as he was two-hundred-million dollars richer, more money than he had _ever_ had. Wily had spent his new money on building a pair of robot bodies that could not only handle the force of the power put out by the meteorites, but also use it to their advantage.

Now, Dr. Wily stood in his workroom, and on either side of him, there were two new robots... and there names are Bass and Treble.

After Bass' programming was uploaded into his neural net, Dr. Wily powered-him up for the first time. And unlike the other tests, both the meteorite and Bass worked.

The purple jewels in Bass' chest and helmet glowed briefly, then Bass' dark red eyes opened... he was now alive.

"Bass," calls Albert.

".. yes, Master Wily," Bass answers.

"Rise to your feet!" Wily orders with a grin.

Bass then stood up next to Dr. Wily laughed maniacally. He saw more than just another successful Robot Master when he looked at Bass... He saw the robot could would win him the world. But, even though this plan would also prove to be unsuccessful, Dr. Wily let loose a menace to society the likes of which hasn't been seen in years...

and he is still out there, somewhere.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day.<br>National Science Center.**

"However Wily got his hands on it, it doesn't matter now. What matters is we've gotta find a way to beat Bass," Mega says, "Do you think you can help me with that, Brain?"

Brain Bot replies while he continues studying, "While Quadirium is very powerful, it would not make a robot invincible and there are means of overpowering it."

"When I took his weapon power, I used it against him and it shorted him out... but, I _did_ have a little help on that," Mega shrugs, remembering ProtoMan's part in Bass' defeat.

"But, it only stopped him momentarily and he will most likely be doing everything he can to prevent you from copying his powers again should you two meet in combat in the future," Brain Bot says, "We need to develop a method that would be too strong for Bass' Quadirium core to protect him from it. But, even a robot with my advanced processing skills would not be able to produce it overnight."

Mega implores, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I would ask you to remain here so I could study you for an upgrade, but I realize your services are needed in case of an emergency," Brain Bot says, "I could use Rush to see if I could upgrade him in the same way Treble works with Bass."

"DAARROO?" Rush blurts as his eyes bug out and he freaks, running away from Brain Bot. He doesn't want any more wheels put on his paws.

"Well... maybe another time, Brainy. I need Rush with me," Mega Man says, "But, I can have Dr. Light send over Rush and I's schematics if that would help."

"As much as I would have liked to perform the upgrades myself, I suppose that will suffice," Brain Bot agrees, "Please have him send the samples right away and I will inform my fellow scientists here this will be a top priority that requires my immediate attention."

Mega Man smiles, "Thanks, Brain Bot. I knew you could help. I'll see you soon."

As Mega Man turns to leave, Brain Bot stops him. "Wait, Mega Man. Before you go, there was one other thing I must tell you about the quadirium. It is not related to Bass, but it might prove most interesting."

"What is it?" Mega Man asks.

Brain Bot approaches another computer and brings up a visual graphic of the solar system, showing the unusually long path the meteorites took on their way to Earth. "These Quadirium samples are clearly unlike anything we have ever seen before, and many of my colleagues have concluded that these fragments likely traveled many lightyears before they arrived here... in fact, some of us believe this could be our first real piece of evidence proving there is life beyond our solar system. And given that the Quadirium samples can be used to power a robot, it may very well be robotic life!"

"Ancient robots from outer space? If that even_ possible_?" Mega Man asks.

"As I said before, my friend, there are always possibilities," Brain Bot smiles brightly.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

While he remains in seclusion at the request of The Conduit, Mr. Black is using this time to reinforce his armors and craft new weapons and ammunition from the contents he took from the Vick-Tek storage facility last month.

Even though he knows that upgrading his current equipment is beneficial to surviving future operations as well as increasing his chances of terminating his targets, Mr. Black hates the idea of being stuck here while he knows the mission could be completed. He has been working obsessively on this for days, fighting off serious fatigue, but even though he's keeping busy, being here has given him way too much time to get lost in his thoughts.  
>Sometimes, he will allow himself to get lost in his thoughts to remember his former life... other times, his thoughts are a place he doesn't want to get lost in.<p>

Mr. Black looks up from his work at the chess board he has set up on the table nearby, all of the pieces still in the same place they have been for many months. He begins staring at the board, not even blinking his eyes or moving, hardly even breathing.

Mr. Black snaps out of the trance he slipped into and looks back down on his work, trying to brush off what just happened to him. "Too much time to think," he mutters to himself.

As he works on his weapon crafting, Mr. Black can feel his eyes getting heavy and he tries to fight off his fatigue. He doesn't like sleeping because he never knows when his mind is going to take him back to a place he doesn't ever want to go again..._ there_.

Eventually, he realizes his fatigue is causing him to make mistakes and become forgetful. When he picks up a gun to test it's aim and notices it now feels like it weighs a hundred pounds and his eyelids feel a lot heavier. He knows he has to rest. Not sleep, but, just rest. Would could a few minutes lying down do to him?

Mr. Black finally lies down on stomach atop of the workbench, resting his head on his right arm. And instead of closing his eyes, he stares at the chess board again. The black pieces were the ones he was controlling (of course) and the white ones were his opponent's, and according to how the pieces were arranged, Mr. Black was most likely going to lose unless he could find the ultimate comeback move.

Mr. Black tries to focus on any possible strategy he can think of to win the match, but as he does, he begins drifting into unconsciousness. He tries to fight it by staring at the board, but it's no use. He's still a human.

Finally, Mr. Black yields to his fatigue and his eyelids close, allowing him to fall asleep for the first time in nearly fifty hours...

At first, he was fine... slipping into nothing but a calm dark quiet... finally at peace... but, then that peace felt like it was gone... John knew he was _there_ again... each time it felt different, yet always the same... John could feel the inner panic, but nothing else. Physically he was numb, paralyzed... he felt like he had trouble breathing as he tries to get out... but, John knew he couldn't leave... he had to stay _there_... there was somebody he had to find...  
>... then, he felt like he was seconds from death, the air not getting into his lungs fast enough, into the crushing palm of doom...<p>

Suddenly, Mr. Black wakes up in a hot sweat, gasping for air. He falls off the bench he was resting on and lands on the floor across from the chessboard. As he gasps for air, his eyes looks all around his surrounds and realizes he is back at the hideout where he was working on making more powerful weapons what had to be minutes ago.

He usually hates it when he wakes up, having to find himself back in this pathetic reality he's forced to live in now. But, this time, he is acually relieved to be awake and to be here again... it's better than being _there_.

Mr. Black stares at the ceiling of his workroom and tries to calm himself down before he tries to get up again... the nightmares may only be temporary, but the memories are forever, always haunting him.

* * *

><p><strong>That night.<br>Albany, New York.**

While Mr. Black is having another one of his difficult nights, his 'temporary fill-in' Tiesel Bonne arrives to the city on his hoverboard wearing mostly black clothes, including a black beanie covering his wild white hair and a pack on his back. He is also wearing black contact lenses, because it is always said you can see the whites of somebody's eyes in the dark, so he didn't want to take any chances. And on the way to his destination, he speaks with his little sister Tron, who is displeased to see him out this late again.

_"I thought you were done with this Mega Crew stuff. Stop trying to be Mega Man!"_ Tron argues on the communicator.

"Believe me, I'm not going to be acting like Mega Man anytime soon," Tiesel replies, then says under his breath, "That big blue loser."

_"WHAT DID YOU CALL HIM?"_ Tron barks.

"Er- Nothing! I think there was some, uh, interference!" Tiesel lies.

_"If you're not trying to play hero anymore, then what you you doing out this late?"_ Tron asks.

"I just needed to get outside. Being the appointed leader of our parents' business operations and all, I need to time to get some fresh air," Tiesel lies again, but Tron isn't buying it.

_"If our mother finds out you're misbehaving-"_

"I'm not misbehaving! I will be back onboard the Gesselchaft in a couple of hours! Leave me alone!" Tiesel complains.

Tiesel cuts off his sister as he arrives just outside the Governor's Mansion where his new boss The Conduit told him to be for this mission he was sent on. He lands on the closest rooftop he can find, then takes his sack off his back and begins removing items from it. including binoculars with a camera built in and a an audio recorder with a directional microphone that can pick up audio from nearby two blocks away at full power.  
>Both of these items are ones Tiesel happened to have onboard the Gesselchaft after a recent 'salvage acquisition.'<p>

He puts his eyes into the binoculars and is able to see all the way into the office of Governor Mitchell Deacon, a face he recognizes most famously as the guy Dr. Wily had built a robot duplicate of last year.

There appears to be a group of people in the office with Deacon, most of which Tiesel doesn't recognize at all. There were Deacon's Cheif of Staff - a gentleman with salt-and-pepper colored hair named Ethan Ranquist - and Misters Newkirk and Kiel, the advisor and designer of the Civil Defense Tower.

Tiesel can see Governor Deacon pacing behind his desk, now all he as to do is aim the microphone until he finds just the right direction that will pick up what's being discussed inside...

"Your approval ratings have already taken a hit, but fortunately, not_ as big_ as we feared, Mr. Governor," Mr. Ranquist says, "There are many who believe a security tower is a necessary addition to the city until the war is over. And citizens who responded are most displeased because the funding could have been used elsewhere."

"What about the other poll?" Deacon asks.

"When asked if the tower were to be taken by a hostile force, many respondents believe that Mega Man will take it back," Ranquist replies, "So, despite the press conference ending on a sour note, it appears we may not have lost the faith of too many of our citizens."

"And when Wily takes the bait and we capture him inside the tower, whatever damage that may have been done to you this week will be undone," Mr. Newkirk says, "Not only will people remember Mega Man as the robot who took Albert Wily in, but you will be remembered as the man who helped him do it."

Deacon says, "Forgive me if I'm still a bit apprehensive about all of this. It is a very large gamble... Mr. Keil, what is the likelihood of anybody compromising the structure of the tower?"

"Nearly impossible, unless Dr. Wily brought the engines from a fighter jet with him to try and burn through the outer layer. Even then he would already be caught before he even gets halfway through."

Deacon still appears to be concerned. "What if something goes wrong and an innocent person becomes trapped inside?"

Kiel replies, "The crew at the top of the tower would be notified and would exit lockdown."

"Are you sure it was a good idea to broadcast the schematics on television? Wily isn't a dummy," Deacon says as he continues pacing.

"Sir, this plan _will_ work," Newkirk insists, "You have repeated the exact same concerns to us over and over again and the answers are the same. This tower is the best means of taking Wily down, right now. I think it's best you leave any concerns about how this operation will proceed to us. Afterall, you did trust ProtoMan before he showed his true colors last year, so you're not exactly a security expert."

"That's the Governor of New York, Mr. Newkirk," interrupts Ranquist, pointing his finger at the advisor, "I suggest you show some respect."

After an unpleasant pause in the rom, Governor Deacon turns to face his advisors, not looking very happy. "If this operation blows up in our faces and more harm than good comes from this tower, I'm not taking the fall for your incompetence!" he asserts, sharply pointing his fingers directly at Newkirk, "And even if we _do_ catch Wily, I would much rather not work with you again after the operation is over!"

The unflappable Newkirk looks across at Governor Deacon as nervous Kiel's dart around the room.

"This conversation is over," Deacon says, "You two are dismissed."

The two advisors leave Deacon's office without saying another word, leaving Governor Deacon with his chief of staff, who says, "We should have found somebody else, sir. Somebody who would stay in line."

"I need to be alone for a while, Ethan. I've got a lot on my mind," Deacon sighs as he approaches his window and stares outside of it, oblivious that Tiesel Bonne is watching him...

"That Governor Deacon has some strange hair," Tiesel ironically mutters to himself, careful not to talk too loudly out of fear that the securitybots patrolling outside the mansion will hear him.

But, no sooner does Tiesel finish his sentence does his mini computerpad/phone ring. It was Tron, trying to keep tabs on him again. Tiesel freaks on the rooftop up above and hides as he tries to muffle the sound of the phone ring.

Down on the grounds of the mansion, the commotion is just enough for the Securitybots to hear and to be alert.

"Did you hear that?" asks one bot.

"I did. Telephone ringing, followed by a scuffling noise," the other Securitybot confirms.

"I recommend a precautionary yellow alert. It was too close to the mansion," another Securitybot suggests.

"Agreed. Go to yellow alert and have Governor Deacon under guard," says the first Securitybot, "Search the entire area for any sign of trouble."

Several Securitybots are dispatched and begin searching the grounds of the mansion and the grounds surrounding it. A pair of the bots run down an alley between two nearby buildings with weapons drawn.

"This may have been where the noise emanated from. Do you see anything?" asks one bot.

"Searching..." the other Securitybot responds, looking down the alley and seeing nothing but the nearby garbage dumpster... "Nothing."

"Let's stay here and monitor the area. If there was an intruder, he can't can't have gotten far," says the other bot.

The two Securitybots remain stationed in the alley, waiting for any sign of a possible trespasser, when a garbage truck arrives to pick up the contents of the dumpster. The Securitybots give a friendly nod to the human driver of the truck and his robot assistant as they exit the truck and connect the dumpster to the rear end of the vehicle.

After the sanitationbot enters a command into his controls, the garbage truck begins lifting the dumpster, then dumps all of it's trash into the open rear section of the vehicle. After the procedure is done, the truck lowers the dumpster back down, the sanitation workers detach it and they leave the area.

Once the truck is about a mile down the road, Tiesel Bonne - who had sought refuge in the dumpster - leaps out of the rear of the garbage truck with his pack full of equipment and leaps out, spilling himself into the street with bits of trash still on him when he hits the ground.

After the garbage truck is out of his sight, Tiesel picks himself up off the pavement and brushes the trash off his body.

"Well... aside from the need to shower off when I return to the ship, that wasn't so bad!" Tiesel says.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Skull Fortress.**

After enjoying some long-awaited rest and recharging, ProtoMan wakes up in his quarters, feeling well rested after going on what felt like a never ending search for the powerful female Nomad robot. He was so tired, he didn't even bother putting his helmet and scarf on and just lied down and slept.

"Why couldn't I just sleep for a week? After all that searching, I need it," Proto says as he grabs his yellow scarf and wraps it around his neck, leaving much of it hanging over his shoulder.

After he grabs his visored helmet and puts it on, Proto stands up and exits his quarters, only to see that things are looking very busy right outside his room as several Robot Masters are walking around like they normally would when it's time to prepare for a mission.  
>He sees Cut Man walking past him, and decided to ask him about the big commotion out here.<p>

"Hey, Scissor brain! What's going on around here?"

"While you were busy_ carving_ wood, Wily ordered a team to head out to New York and attack that big tower there. We're waiting to hear who he picked," Cut Man replies.

ProtoMan heard something about a defense tower in New York and that fool Mitchell Deacon was the one who introduced it. He knew Wily would want to attack it sooner or later, but he didn't know Wily was launching an attack on it without coming to tell him first.

"Don't you think he should have told_ me_ he was launching a major attack first?" Proto asks, growing impatient.

Cut Man scratches his round orange scissor-clad head. "It does seem a a few _shears_ short of a haircut."

"It looks like Light's reprogramming job works well for you," Proto says, "I'm going to tell Wily about this... and by the way, it's _sawing_ wood, not carving wood."

Cut Man shrugs, "I know... but, I can't help it!"

* * *

><p>ProtoMan arrives to Dr. Wily's command center room, once again not bothering to knock, and immediately jumps on Wily's case. "You were going to start a mission without telling me?"<p>

"I categorically deny that, Proto," an irritated Wily says, "After your extensive search for our female robot friend, I assumed you needed the rest."

The was a tone in Wily's voice that makes Proto believe he's just playing him. "Sounds more like you were about to move out because you don't want me anywhere around when Mega Man shows up, because you think I might get sentimental. That about right?"

"Perhaps you should tell me, Proto," Wily says, looking into Proto's visor, "Are you going to put the mission first above all else? Am I going to get the old ProtoMan who is my trusted right hand, or will I get the one who's existed since the Deacon Operation ended?"

"I'm the same ProtoMan I've always been, Wily," Proto replies, not wavering, "So why don't we cut to the chase and tell me what we're doing."

Wily answers, "Our old friend Governor Mitchell Deacon has built a-"

"Yeah, I know about the tower in New York already. Let's skip to what we're actually doing there," Proto interrupts.

Wily appears to be flustered after being so rudely interrupted and straightens his white lab coat. "The tower has been built poorly, and _intentially_ poorly. They would not have so many noticeable design flaws unless they were trying to trap me," Wily grins, 'But, they are in for quite the surprise, and a very painful one!"

"Which is?" Proto asks.

Albert almost answers, but he has a suspicion that Proto might balk at what his horrifying plans are involving the tower. "Let's just say, they are going to learn why they never should have built this tower to begin with. And Drill Man is going to be the key part of this plan, so I suggest you go find him. We leave in less than a half an hour. I assume you will be joining us."

"Wouldn't miss it," Proto replies as he turns to leave, not smirking like he usually would and still sounding bitter and untrustworthy towards Wily.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan goes to find Drill Man, but he's somewhere on the lower levels of the fortress and Proto continues grumbling to himself as he looks for him.<p>

"Now I've gotta find Drill Man and bring him to the damn Skullker so we can start the damn mission, which is probably gonna be a disaster. My brother will come and wipe everybody out...'xcept me. But, I'll have a conscience attack again and then he'll get lucky and beat me. I didn't even get a 'thank you for saving us last month' either!"

Finally, ProtoMan finds Drill Man sitting by himself down in the power room in the basement of the fortress, which has a power supply that is charged every day by either ElecMan or Spark Man, which explains how and why Skull Fortress has electricity, even though they don't even run off the electricity grid.

"Yo, Drill Man! Time to go!" Proto calls.

Drill Man doesn't move. He just looks up at ProtoMan, then looks down at the floor.

Proto becomes annoyed, but didn't feel like blowing up on him. Besides, Drill Man is the only Robot Master around who hasn't acted cross with him (even though Wood Man did have his back a lot during the battles with the stone statues at the uncharted island last year, but he's an idiot.) So, Proto tries calling Drill Man again.

"Drill Man! Come on, let's go. Time for the mission that you're supposed to be such a _big_ part of," Proto says, still able to hide his displeasure.

The condemned Drill Man continues staring at the floor until he raises his driller arms up to his face, looking especially sullen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Proto asks as he approaches him.

Drill Man laments, "... I'm not coming back."

"What do you mean you're not coming back?" Proto asks, "The mission's not gonna go _that_ badly."

Drill Man answers, "Dr. Wily wants me to drill deep underground until I reach the core of the Earth... I would make the lava erupt and he would use that big tower to dispense it all over New York... but, I won't be able to get away... I would get burnt up by the lava before it even hit the surface."

ProtoMan looks concerned as he listens to Drill Man explain himself.

"I'm going to be destroyed there tonight... Dr. Wily said I would always be a failure if I didn't do this... then, I would make him proud," Drill Man bemoans, "Why is this the only way to make Dr. Wily proud? Is it because I don't have any hands?"

_"Drill Man! Wherever you are, get onboard the Skullker! NOW!" _yells the voice of Wily on the fortress loudspeakers.

Unable to disobey Dr. Wily's orders, Drill Man stands up and begins to leave, looking like somebody who is about to be sent to the gallows as ProtoMan watches him. But, before he can even make it a few steps, Drill Man begins openly sobbing and tries to hug ProtoMan with his driller arms.

"I don't want to die, ProtoMan... I want to live!" he weeps.

ProtoMan tries putting his arms around Drill Man too, feeling a horrible sense of sorrow for poor Drill Man and horror at Wily allowing this to take place. "I know you, pal," a very melancholy Proto says "but, we... have to do this."

"But, why?" Drill Man weeps.

ProtoMan tries to think of a good answer, but other than _Wily says so_, he can't think of any reason. "... I don't know anymore."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Firstly, I must give credit to lalalei for giving me the idea for Brain Bot's scene during a Twitter conversation a few weeks ago. Thank you! :)_

_As far as the origins of Bassinium/Quadirium, I have to admit there was a little bit of retconning here. And even if I had though of this plot twist earlier, I wouldn't have been able to reveal these things earlier before Bass has debuted, because that would have given away his debut a little bit.  
>But, take note of what Brain Bot and Mega discuss at the end of the sequence. It's not the Autobots and Decepticons he was referring to... but it could be something to remember for later.<em>

_Brain Bot's use of the phrase "There are always possibilities," is a quote used by Mr. Spock from Star Trek._

_Oh, yeah... that scene with Wily and Proto on the boat is ripped directly from the Lion Men episode word for word. But, in the Defenderverse, the Makahuna comet doesn't do diddly-poo. And there still will be no Lion Men.  
>(What is a Nit-Bot, anyway? A robot Nit-Wit?)<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment and if you catch any continuity errors that may cause a warp core breach, PM me._

_btw, If you feel strongly about Drill Man's dilemma and you feel sorry for him like I do, I encourage you to add #**SaveDrillMan** to your review of this chapter._


	90. All Along the Defense Tower

_**Episode 8, Chapter 5: All Along the Defense Tower.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<strong>

It is nearly Ten O'Clock at night on the east coast, and it has been some time since the security status was raised to yellow alert and Mitchell Deacon is meeting with some of his Securitybots in a safe location inside of the mansion.

"We have not found any intruders, Governor Deacon, but we are continuing to conduct an extensive search of the surrounding area," reports the lead SecurityBot.

"Thank you, you are all doing a great job. But, it's getting late and I need to get to bed," Deacon says.

"We will have extra security surrounding the bedroom area for your protection, sir," the Securitybot says.

Deacon's chief of staff makes a hasty approach to the Governor with a phone in his hands. "Mr. Governor... Albert Wily's flying craft has been spotted over the Ohio Valley region. It's heading this way, and fast."

Deacon looks suddenly alert at the news that Dr. Wily was heading here. And that only meant one thing... "He's coming after the tower."

"That's not all, sir," Ranquist adds, "He just called the hotline to this mansion, and he wants to speak with you."

Deacon says, "I'll take it right here. Inform the tower crew of this immediately and tell them to be prepared to spring the trap."

Deacon takes the phone and sees the_ 'Line 1 - hold'_ icon flashing on the front. That was Wily waiting for an answer. Deacon takes Dr. Wily off hold and puts the phone to his ear... "This is Deacon."

_"Mitchell, my old friend!" _says the voice of Dr. Wily,_ "I trust I have given you a few new grey hairs on that flat mop you have on your head since we last met in November? Or have you already bleached them black?"_

"I think you should turn your ship around, Dr. Wily. The skies of New York just got a little more dangerous for people like you," Deacon warns, vaguely referencing the Civil Defense Tower.

Wily snickers, _"Do you really think your new toy is going to scare me, Mitchell?"_

"Why don't you come and find out how scary it is?" Deacon goads.

_"I think I will, Mitchell. I think I will,"_ Wily says,_ "But, even though I have a penchant for doing some rather harsh things, I am willing to give you a way out. After what I've put you through, you've earned it... Surrender New York over to me, and I will ensure that the citizens who live within your borders will be safe... most of them, at least. I can't say the same for your dear friend Thomas Light or his robotic family."_

"You and I both know that I will never bow down to your insane demands. So, I will offer_ you_ an out for your own good," Deacon says, "Turn around and crawl back under your rock in the badlands, and maybe you won't get shot down by the tower."

There is a pause on the other end at first. Then, Wily chuckles, _"You are very confident in your tower, Mitchell... but, I think confidence may have just cost every man, woman, child and robot in New York state of their lives. Yes, even _you_ will get to watch your state burn before it's all over. I'll be seeing you soon and maybe I will be so kind as to explain the details before it's too late to stop it!"_

The call goes dead, and Governor Deacon feels an overwhelming sense of dread washing over him and every hair on the back of his neck stands on end. He leans himself up against one of the walls in the hallway he is standing in and lets out a brief worrisome sigh. If this tower trap doesn't work and Wily follows through on his threat of making New York burn, he knows he will have a lot more things to worry about than an approval rating.

* * *

><p>At the site of the Civil Defense Tower, the small crew at the top of the tower watches over the region, keeping an eye out for any trouble. Everything looks normal so far, until company begins to arrive.<p>

"Incoming hostile vessel, west-southwest over the border into Pennsylvania," reports one of the crew members, at the radar station, "It matches the signature made by Albert Wily's Skull vehicle, sir.

"Alert mode! Arm all weapons," barks the commander.

The tower crew goes into high alert as they are about to take part in a live operation. This wasn't a test anymore; this is the real thing now.

"All weapons are armed, sir," states a crew member.

"Raise the tower and be ready to enter lockdown mode on my command if he takes the bait," orders the commander, "And may this be the battle that wins us the war."

With that command, the Civil Defense Tower begins to extend it's height, standing taller than any other building in Manhattan, and the majority of the weapons on the tower now aim themselves in the direction of where Wily's Skullker is approaching. While it looks like they are fully prepared for battle, they are setting up their well-laid trap and waiting to capture Dr. Wily the moment he steps into it... but, they are all in for an unpleasant surprise.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The emergency signal was already blaring when Mega Man and Rush run into the lab, with Roll not far behind. It had been a while since Dr. Wily had the guts to show his face, but Mega had a feeling it was going to involve the Civil Defense Tower in Manhattan. Wily can't resist the temptation of using things meant for good and using them for his own demented reasons.

"Where is he heading?" Mega Man asks as soon as he arrives to the lab.

"He's just crossed the border into Pennsylvania. His current trajectory would take him directly into Manhattan," Dr. Light answers

"And right for that tower!" Mega adds, almost completing Thomas' sentence.

Before Mega Man, Roll and Rush could leave, a call comes in... "It's Mitchell Deacon," Dr. Light says.

Governor Deacon's face appears on one of the lab's two large monitors over the main computer station. _"Mega Man, I'm sure you've already been made aware of what's going on, but we could use your help."_

"I'll be my way and I'll stop Wily before he gets to that tower," Mega says.

_"Mega Man, the tower is central to why I've contacted you,"_ Deacon says, looking concerned about what he is about to reveal..._ "I don't know any other way to explain it to you, but... I do not want you to directly engage Dr. Wily himself."_

Mega Man looked shocked at Governor Deacon's order, as did everybody else inside the lab. Mega couldn't believe what he had just heard: the Governor of New York - a man whom Dr. Wily almost _killed_ last November - was telling him not to pursue Dr. Wily.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mega gasps, "Governor Deacon... are you serious?"

_"Yes, Mega Man, I am," _Deacon answers,_ "But, I can explain why: We are using the Civil Defense Tower as a means to entrap Dr. Wily inside when he and his robots try to seize it. When we built it, we knew the likelihood of Wily attempting to take control of the tower for himself was very high, so it was decided to take advantage of that."_

"So the tower is just a decoy?" an annoyed Mega Man asks.

_"No, it's not a decoy. It is fully functional. When Wily enters the tower, he will be sealed withing several layers of reinforced titanium shield walls. There is no way he can get out once we trap him," _Deacon explains.

"But, why didn't you tell me about this?" Mega presses.

_"This operation had to remain top secret. There are only three other people on my staff that knew about the plan,"_ Deacon replies, looking conscience-stricken,_ "My advisors recommended to keep this information internal, because they suspected you and Dr. Light would object to it... and I regret having listened to them now."_

Mega Man shakes his head in disbelief, glancing at Roll, who is also stunned to hear about Deacon's secret plan. But, Dr. Light is the next to speak. "Mitchell, my son was appointed to be the Defender of the Human Race by The President. He _needed_ to be informed of any defensive measure against Albert Wily."

Again, Deacon looks disturbed by his choices. _"I wish I had, Thomas. We still need Mega Man's assistance to fight any additional robots Wily may bring with him to reduce the damage done."_

Although he is very displeased with Mitchell Deacon's course of action, Mega begrudgingly agrees as he turns on his heels to leave, "I'll be there, alright... and all this secrecy had better have been worth it."

_"Mega Man, I hope you can forgive my actions,"_ implores on the monitor, _"I still need your help."_

Mega stopped for a moment as Deacon spoke, but doesn't turn back to face him. "Let's go, Rush," he commands to the robocanine instead.

As Mega Man and Rush leave the lab and Mitchell Deacon's face disappears from the screen, Roll calls to her brother. "I'll be right behind you, Mega!"

But, before she could leave to grab her SkyCycle, Roll hears Peekaboo beeping right behind her. She turns around to see her companion wondering where she's going.

"I have to go out with Mega Man for a little while," Roll replies as she kneels down to face Boo.

Boo beeps that he wants to go with her because he feels safer with her around.

"You have to stay here, Boo. The bad man is attacking the city and we have to stop him," Roll explains.

Peekaboo's eyes become wide and his small mouth gapes and he worriedly beeps again.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Roll says, giving her little Met a soft caress on his face, "I'll be right back, I promise."

Boo is unsure about this, but Roll's promises have always been true so far, so he agrees, giving a beep to her.

Roll smiles and gives him a kiss on top of his yellow blue-crossed hardhat. "I love you."

Peekaboo bleeps the same sentiment to her, again calling her 'Mommy.'

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily's Skullker arrives to New York City and even at this time of night, the Civil Defense Tower can be seen standing out in the skyline as the hovering vehicle approaches. And on the 'bridge' at the top of the tower, the commanding officer makes an important call to Governor Deacon's Chief of Staff.<p>

"Mr. Ranquist, it's your call. Do we shoot to kill or fire into the air and wait for him to fall into the trap?" he asks.

After a pause on the line, the Chief of Staff answers. _"Follow the original plan. Lure him in and trap him. Once he's onboard, shoot down his damn shuttle with extreme prejudice if it tries to escape. Any robot occupants will most likey survive the takedown."_

"Roger that, sir," replies the commander, who then issues another command to his crew. "Bridge shields in place now."

After the Commander's order, a series of heavy titanium shielding plates slide into place over the windows all around the bridge to protect the crew from any weapons fire, and several viewscreens move into place of the blocked windows to provide a visual of what is happening outside.

"Target incoming," says a crew member at the tactical station, "Awaiting command."

"Fire weapons, do not hit the target on incoming approach, but make it look like we're trying to hit him," orders the commander.

* * *

><p>The Skullker races towards the Civil Defense Tower at it's fastest speed and begins banking hard to the right as the massive defense tower begins firing plasma bolts and laser blasts at the flying craft, intentionally missing it just as the orders stated.<p>

The Skullker begins rapidly lowering it's altitude to draw the fire down upon the nearby buildings, thereby forcing the tower's crew to reduce fire to avoid striking any property or innocent targets. And sure enough, the tower's weapons cease fire, allowing the Skullker to make its approach, just like they were expecting it to.  
>But on its way down, several Robot Masters begin jumping from the rear exit of the Skullker, including Crash Man, Skull Man, Top Man, and the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man.<p>

Down on the streets below, several Police units arrive to help fend off any Robot Master interference and Chief Montgomery Toombs personally leads the Police forces on the ground as they arrive to the streets below the tower. Much like Mega Man, Toombs wasn't too pleased with Governor Deacon's secrecy about the tower's true intentions, but that will not stop him from doing his duty.

"I don't care what the Governor's plan's are for Wily, take aim on those robots o' his and fire!" The Chief barks.

As the Robot Masters begin to reach the ground, the Police open fire on them, but Skull Man has already deployed nearly a hundred of his 'Skull Shields' that rotate all around him and his fellow Robot Masters, to block many of the plasma bolts from below. And for additional protection, Magnet Man is using his large magnet shield to draw weapons fire towards it and catch them.

"Let's start this party with a bang! A BIG Bang!" Crash Man boasts, firing several Crash Bombs from his twin arm launchers. In mere seconds, the bombs attach themselves to the asphalt.

"Fall back! Fire in the hole!" yells Captain Tallarico as she runs away from the Crash Bombs along with fellow human Officers and Policebots follow suit.

Just two seconds later, the Crash Bombs explode, creating a massive crater on the street and causing some police cruisers to be blown into the air. One of which lands on a Policebot that was trying to evade being hit, pinning his legs to the ground.

As the Robot Masters land on the ground, they begin attacking the stunned police. Cut Man hurls his cutters towards some Policebots, Magnet Man uses his magnetism power to pull one of the wrecked cruisers over to GutMan, who catches it and then throws it towards the Police. And with the assistance of Skull Man's skull shields, Top Man quickly spins around and violently knocks several officers aside like they were rag dolls.

But, before the Robot Masters could do too much more damage, Mega Man arrives, firing a powerful plasma blast on the ground that knocks all of the Robot Masters away and causing them to land on the damaged pavement, much to the delight of the cheering Police Officers.

"Surrender now, Scumbots!" Mega orders, "I'm not exactly in the mood to play nice with a bunch of robo-terrorists like you!"

"I don't play nice with others! That includes _you_, Mega Dweeb!" GutsMan yells as he returns to his feet along with Skull Man, who spawns even more Skull Shields.

GutsMan and Skull Man charge at Mega Man, but our hero leaps in the air to avoid being struck by the duo and tries firing a few blasts to knock them down, but the Skull Shields take the brunt of the shot.

GutsMan and Skull Man come to a stop and turn back to make another pass at Mega Man. "Come on we'll get him this time!" Gutsy says.

But, as they begin running for Mega Man, a strong flow of wind pulls at them and all of Skull Man's rotating skulls are pulled away, leaving he and GutsMan exposed to attack. This was all the work of Roll, who used her utility arm vacuum to yank all of Skull Man's skull shields out of the way.

Mega Man quickly blasts Skull Man, then GutsMan with a double blast to remove them from this fight, at least for now.

"Well, well! It's been a long time since I saw you, Mega Babe!" says the familiar coy voice of Top Man.

Roll turns to face him and eggs him on. "Not taking the break-up well, are you,_ Toppy_?"

"If anything is going to be broken-up, it's going to be your little superhero career!" Top Man says, putting his fists up, "Come on and fight me! I won't even use my top spin, but you can't use your fancy arm of yours. Gotta fight fair."

Roll huffs as she takes a karate stance, "Bring it on!"

"Don't do it, Top Man!" cries Cut Man, "She'll hurt you real bad!"

"You deal with Mega Man. I'll with sweet little sister!" Top Man replies, facing off with Roll.

Roll and Top Man begin throwing strikes at each other, both of them blocking all their opponents attacks and not making a connection until Roll manages to connect with a right kick to Top Man's chest.

After being bested by his former 'love interest' in combat, Top Man cheats and uses his spin to crash into Roll, ramming her right shoulder hard, even tearing the sleeve on her shirt, and knocking her to the ground.

"When I said I wouldn't use my Top Spin, I lied!" Top Man laughs, "I like to fight dirty, in case you didn't notice."

Roll tries to get up, leaning on her elbows. "You like to fight dirty? Fine by me... 'Cause so can I!"

Roll lets loose a fierce left kick at Top Man... right to his groinal area, leaving a huge dent in _that_ section of his armor. Top Man's eyes become beady and crossed and his mouth hangs gaping as he makes a teeny tiny painful squeal, proving that indeed, robots _can_ feel pain just like humans do.

Cut Man was still nearby and witnessed the whole painful ordeal. "I tried to warn you, Top Man! I better _cut out_ of here!" he shudders, running away.

Meanwhile, as the fighting between the Robot Masters and the heroes continues down below and the Skullker flies around the tower, a _second_ Skullker arrives to the scene and races towards the tower's only docking hatch. Once it gets close enough, the second Skullker begins to turn around and fly in reverse to dock with the hatch.

* * *

><p>"Sir, there are now two Wily craft in the vicinity, and the second one is docking with the tower," reports a crewman.<p>

"Great! We've almost got him!" the Commander exclaims, breaking out into a sweat from the pressure of this mission, "Be ready to spring that trap and bring me camera 19!"

One of the tower bridge's viewscreens shows a live shot of the tower's docking hatch doors and another show the second Skullker slowly creeping towards the docking hatch. After the Skullker docks with the tower, sparks begin shooting out of the middle of the docking hatch doors because they are being sliced open by something.  
>Once the sparks reach the bottom of the hatch doors, they are ripped open, revealing Metal Man as the culprit... but what the crew is about to see next will prove to be the shock of their life.<p>

Metal Man reaches back inside and grabs a human, who appears to be a human male with flat black hair and a goatee... and upon closer examination, the Commander's eyes nearly bug out when Metal Man pulls the human up to his feet and sees that the person Metal Man is holding as a hostage is really... Mitchell Deacon!

Metal Man holds his Metal Blade up to Deacon's throat as ProtoMan and Drill Man step out of the Skullker, followed by a grinning and laughing Dr. Wily.

_"For the brave souls who are operating this tower, I am going to make this quick and simple,"_ Albert says as he looks upward, _"Surrender control of the tower over to me now and maybe you won't have the Governor's blood on your hands! You have thirty seconds to comply."_

The Commanding officer and the rest of the bridge crew are on the verge of panic when they see the man who hired them all for this task being held hostage by the very same monster they are trying to catch.

"How the hell did he get The Governor?" freaks one of the officers.

"Oh my God! What're we gonna do?" trembles another.

"Everybody keep quiet!" the commander barks, breaking a sweat.

Metal Man's metal blade beings rotating dangerously close to Deacon's neck as Dr. Wily counts down _"Ten! Nine!"_

"What the hell are you doing? Do something?" Yells one crew member.

_"Five! Four!" _Wily continues counting.

The Commander grabs the tower's intercom microphone.

_"Two! ONE!"_ Wily now shouts, about to make a throat cutting gesture to Metal Man.

"Stop! You've got what you want! Bring the Governor up unharmed so we can get him out of here safely, and you can take the tower!" the Commander says.

Wily smiles,_ "Whoever you are, you're not too stupid for a human. Where is the elevator?"_

"Keep walking straight until you reach the turn. Elevator is to the right," The Commander reluctantly reveals.

_"I can't wait to meet you and your gallant crew in person,"_ Wily grins as he and his Robot Masters carry on with Deacon still as their hostage.

Meanwhile, tensions are starting to rise on the bridge as the bridge crew begins to question their Commander.

"You surrendered to Dr. Wily!" freaks one crewmember.

"Don't you realize what he's going to do with the tower?" another argues.

"I haven't surrendered anything, I'm trying to buy us and the Governor some time... and this could be our chance to take Wily out ourselves," the commander insists, "Grab the rifles and aim for the door!"

The officers make a run for the rack of plasma bolt rifles, then taking up strategic positions on the bridge after arming themselves.

Afterwards, the commander gets an incoming contact from Deacon's Chief of Staff._ "Commander, what the hell is going on up there?"_

"Wily and his robots are inside the tower. They have Governor Deacon and are holding hm as hostage!" the tower commander says urgently as he grabs a rifle and aims it at the door.

_"What are you talking about?"_ a confused Ranquist asks.

"He's been taken hostage, don't you know that?" the Commander snaps.

"... _Governor Deacon is here at the mansion!"_

Upon hearing that Deacon was safe all along, every officer on the bridge feels a chill run up their spine. They had all been tricked.

The Commander urgently tries to yell for the onboard computer to enter lockdown mode, but before he could do it and before anybody could even make a move towards the manual controls, the door to the bridge explodes after Bomb Man throws a hyper bomb at it, catapulting officers everywhere, badly injuring some who were in the explosion.

Then, Bomb Man, Drill Man, ProtoMan, Metal Man and 'Mitchell Deacon' enter the bridge area. Deacon quickly changes appearance into his true form, Dark Man 2. Not only was the appearance of Deacon an illusion, but the presence of Dr. Wily was also an illusion created by Dark Man 2's enhanced holographic projector.

ProtoMan fires stun blasts at the remaining crew members and knocks them out, which spares them meeting an even worse fate at the hands of some of the other Robot Masters.

Metal Man protests, "We should have killed them!"

"Let me know when Wily appoints you to be my next replacement before you start giving me orders! Until then, shut-up!" Proto snaps back.

Metal Man growls as he tries to scuffle with ProtoMan, but Dark Man 2 stops him. "We have work to do, Metal Man. Take Drill Man down to the lowest level and meet with Quick Man.

Metal Man grabs Drill Man and forcefully removes him from the bridge area as Dark Man 2 stares at the downed Commander for a moment and scans his body with the holographic projector encased in his head. He then begins to physically become a perfect physical copy of the human, without even making bodily contact (which explains why he was able to copy Deacon's appearance without ever coming into direct contact with him.)

Meanwhile, an annoyed ProtoMan contacts Dr. Wily on his communicator. "We're inside. The plan worked just fine."

From the safety of Skull Fortress, Dr. Wily replies, _"Very good! Now leave Dark Man the task of taking over the weapons systems!"_

Dark Man 2 steps up to the tower controls of the tower and speaks using the bridge commander's voice. "Computer, focus all firepower away from recognized hostiles and target all friendlies... especially Mega Man."

_"Targeting Friendlies, Commander,"_ states the monotone computer voice, fooled by Dark Man 2's illusion.

Dark Commander steps up to the controls which appear to be simple enough to understand. He taps in commands, redirecting the weapons from the Robot Masters and aims them all towards Mega Man and the Police.

* * *

><p>As Mega Man finishes off the rest of the Robot Masters on the ground with the help of Roll and the NY.P.D., he races for the entrance of the tower. Then, all the weapons on the bottom 20 stories of the tower re-arrange themselves to target him.<p>

The weapons open fire and the ground becomes a living fireworks display. Some of the plasma bolts and lasers strike Mega's chest armor and he realizes he just became a sitting duck. Even with his reinforced armor, these weapons will still tear through it if he's exposed to this rate of fire long enough.

Mega dashes away from the tower and heads toward an armored police van for cover. But, his first concern is with Roll, Rush, and the police who are all in danger.

"EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!" Mega shouts urgently as he runs, "HE'S GOT CONTROL OF THE TOWER!"

Mega Man dives behind the police van with some officers, and Rush jets over to him, intentionally tripping Roll so that she would land on his back for him to jet her to safety.

Meanwhile, many of the police officers scatter, taking cover behind anything they can find as the tower's plasma bolts turrets and lasers now target them. Some rounds do would some human officers and seriously damage some Policebots before everybody can get to cover.

* * *

><p>Metal Man and Drill Man arrive to the lowest level of the tower a few floors below ground level to see that Quick Man has set up a booth-like structure for Drill Man to step into to begin his drilling to the core of the Earth, and Quick Man built this entire set-up inside of one minute. (Very <em>quickly<em>.)  
>The booth is built out of titanium with transparent aluminum glass surrounding it, making the structure extremely difficult to penetrate... but, lava would easily melt it within seconds.<p>

"It's a good thing I convinced Dr. Wily to pick me to build this," Quick Man boasts very quickly and nearly unintelligible, "If he hadn't picked me, you'd be stuck here all night!"

"Your work is to be commended, Quick Man. It would be a pity if Drill Man were to be unable to make the ultimate sacrafice," Metal Man rasps, glaring his evil red eyes at Drill Man.

"But, I don't want to die! Can't there be some other way?" Drill Man asks.

"Master Wily has given you the golden opportunity to have a glorious death in the name of our holy war! How dare you reject such an honor!" Metal Man rasps, pulling his metal blade off his head and menacing Drill Man, "Either you get in there now and embrace your fate, or I will help_ encourage_ you to do it!"

Drill Man is easily intimidated by the evil Metal Man and enters the round drilling structure. Quick Man then _quickly_ enters a command into the booth which powers up a pair of clamp arms to grab Drill Man and turn him upside down so he can begin drilling down. But, Drill Man hesitates.

"I don't want to do this! There _has_ to be another way to beat Mega Man!" he pleads.

Metal Man grabs a radio off of his waist and powers it up. "We're here, Master Wily," he says, "Drill Man is in position, but he is refusing to cooperate."

_"I expected as much,"_ says the real Dr. Wily, _"Drill Man... I order you to begin drilling. Make me proud."_

The upside-down Drill Man closes his eyes and aims his driller arms to the floor. Both his arms and the drill atop his head begins to spin fast and Metal Man personally enters a command that will lower Drill Man into the ground and push him downward to begin his fatal mission.

ProtoMan makes his way down to the lower level and sees that it's already to late for Drill Man. Instead he addresses Metal Man and Quick Man.

"Get out of here, we don't have any time left," he orders.

Quick Man bolts out, but Metal Man lingers, staring down ProtoMan and feeling the psychotic desire to attack him for his continued disobediance to Dr. Wily.

"What are you standing around for?" Proto snaps, "Get a move on!"

"BAH!" Metal Man growls as he storms off, leaving ProtoMan downstairs.

Before Proto decides to leave, he grabs the radio that Metal Man left down here and adjusts the frequency to Drill Man's internal communicator. He then leaves something else behind just in case anybody on that bridge wakes up.

* * *

><p>As our heroes and the police remain hidden under cover as the Civil Defense Tower continues raining an ungodly hail of weapons fire down upon them, Mega Man, Roll and some of the cops hidden behind the truck try to form a plan. There is only one entrance to the tower: the front entrance which opened a few minutes ago, almost as a means of taunting Mega Man or anybody else to try to enter.<p>

"How are we supposed to get through this?" Roll asks loudly over the overwhelming sound of weapons fire.

"There's so many guns on this tower, we can't fly up. We'd get shot out of the sky," Mega replies.

Then, Mega receives a contact from Dr. Light back at the lab. _"Rock, Roll. Dr. Wily just issued a message to the public."_

"I know. He's inside the tower," Mega says.

_"He has taken the tower,yes, but he's not inside, at least according to his message,"_ Thomas says.

"What? How?" a befuddled Mega asks.

_"He says he is still at his fortress and has left one Robot Master behind: Drill Man. And he is going to drill deep underground until he breaches the Earth's magma core. He says the tower is about to enter full lockdown, making it nearly impossible to penetrate...if he pulls this off, catastrophic damage will follow before dawn."_

"Then, I'm going in there and stopping him before it happens!" Mega Man states, "I don't know how I'm gonna pull it off, but I've got to."

Then, a pair of police cruisers pull up beside the armored van, taking a few rounds to its chassis in the process. Along the officers who join Mega are QN-60 and his human partner Lynn Wersching, as well as Officer Ash Rose and Captain Tallarico.

"Sorry we're late!" Lynn says.

"Can we be of any assistance, Mega Man?" Sixty asks.

"We need all the help we can get," Mega says, glancing out from behind cover to see how many weapons are on the tower, "Do you guys have any heavy weapons?"

Ash takes a few steps back and grabs a pair of rocket launchers from his car. "Cheif said to bring 'em!"

"Be ready to use them," Mega says, "I've got a plan."

Mega turns to Rush. "I know it's going to take a lot out energy of you, boy. But, I'm gonna need you to power up your emergency deflector shield and fly around that tower at full throttle. Your shields will protect you from the fire while I move to another vantage point. Can you do that?"

Rush barks.

Mega turns back to the officers. "When I make it to the next truck over there, we'll hit the guns on this thing with everything we've got!"

"Affirmative!" Sixty says.

* * *

><p>Back inside the tower, ProtoMan, Metal Man and Dark Man 2 - still in his disguise as the tower commander, - all return to the Skullker. (Quick Man was already there, because he's the quickest.)<p>

Dark Man 2 hangs around and gives a command to the tower computer. "Computer, initiate lockdown mode in approximately thirty seconds. And format your programming parameters immediately thereafter."

_"Warning: Formatting programming parameters will render this unit permanently inert,"_ the computer system replies.

"Carry out my order anyway," Dark Man 2 says.

As Dark Man 2 boards the Skullker, ProtoMan feels this is all wrong. And if this plan plays out like Dr. Wily wants it to, Proto feels he will ultimately be just as responsible as Wily is for everything that will happen here tonight.

"Come on, ProtoMan! Gotta get outta here quick!" Quick Man says.

ProtoMan reluctantly leaves Drill Man behind and boards the second Skullker to escape being trapped inside this tower.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and everybody else on the ground are so focused on dealing with the tower, they don't even see the defeated Robot Masters running away to the first Skullker (except for Top Man, who has to be carried away by his fellow Robot Masters because of his... injury.)<p>

With his blaster ready, Mega gives the countdown to Rush. "Three... two... one. Go!"

Rush flies out of cover with his emergency energy shielding online which create a glowing red shpere all around Rush's body to protect his from being hit, and Mega dashes out from behind the truck and heads for another police truck that is closer to the tower. Rush manages to draw the fire of some of the weapons until Mega reaches the other truck.  
>Then, the police barely come out of cover and fire several rockets at the turrets and cannons on the tower, destroying them. Mega also fires several blasts at them, melting the nozzles on the weapons.<p>

The plan appears to be working, but, the tower then begins to rotate, revealing the plethora of weapons on the_ other_ side and they continue raining fire down upon the heroes.

A frustrated Mega Man balls his fists. "I wasn't expecting this!"

"And we're out of rockets!" Ash shouts.

Roll watches on as she sees the tower begin to change shape and appearance, like several shield plates are moving down into place. "Oh, No! Mega, look! The tower! It's going into lockdown!" She yelps.

"Then, I'm gonna have to brace myself!" Mega shouts, coming out of cover and heading for the tower again, desperately firing several blasts up at the tower's weapons along with the Police.

Roll watches on and sees that the shields are coming down and while Mega is drawing their fire and managing to only take a few superficial hits to himself, there is no way he will be able to make it inside... but, since the tower's weapons are focused on Mega Man... it is possible for another to make it inside.

"He's not gonna make it... I'm going in!" she says.

"What? No!" Lynn gasps.

"Cover me!" Roll says as she leaps out of cover and runs for the only opening in the tower directly in front.

As Mega fires upon the tower's weapons, he knows he's running out of time and he has to get inside fast. Then, he saw a bright flash of yellow in his peripheral vision and sees that it is Roll making a dash for the tower herself.

"ROLL!" He yells, trying to go after her.

Roll runs toward the tower as the last of the shielding begins to come down, and the remaining turrets notice her presense and take aim, opening fire upon her. As Roll dashes for the tower entrance, she feels the heat from several shots zipping past her face and body, each one just barely missing her. Then, she feels something hot snag on the left sleeve of her shirt, again just barely missing her arm, but this one was dangerously close.

As the last shield comes down, Roll slides herself through the small space between the shielding wall and the ground and makes it inside in the nick of time. And then, just a second later, the shielding walls slam down on the ground, cutting off all of the weapons and blocking everybody out, and keeping Roll _in_.

Mega Man reaches the tower's outer wall, but it was too late. The entire tower had already sealed itself shut, and just like Governor Deacon said, there was no easy way to get in.

"No! NO!" Mega freaks, firing several blasts at the tower's outer shields, but doing no damage to them aside from slight burn marks. Mega then begins to pound on the walls with his fists and feet, desperately trying to get inside. But, after trying to break through the tower walls and failing, Mega Man staggers backwards and falls to the ground, horrified at the thought of his sister being trapped inside this tower with only a few short hours left before it becomes a living volcano.

The Civil Defense Tower has just become a ticking time bomb about to bring a horrible demise to all of New York and maybe the entire northeast when time is up... and instead of Dr. Wily being the one trapped inside the tower to face punishment for his crimes, it is now Roll and Drill Man who could be facing certain doom before anybody else.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_There isn't much action left after this episode. It's more of a nail biter, as you can see. (For those of you who follow the Twitter updates, or the profile page blog, I told you this chapter would end on a shock.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment, and if you catch a continuity error that could resurrect Edith Keeler and ignite World War 3 (It's __an old Star Trek reference,) please PM me. (And if Roll's 'revenge' on Top Man was too graphic, I need to know fast.)_

_Yes, the title for the chapter (All Along the Defense Tower) is a reference to the song "All Along the Watchtower."_

_And if you want Roll to survive, add #SaveRoll to your review of this chapter._


	91. No Time to Panic

**_Episode 8, Chapter 6: No Time to Panic._**

* * *

><p>A hush has fallen over the assemblage of police outside the Civil Defense Tower, all of them shocked at the sight of Mega Man on his knees in front of the tower after Roll had so bravely and courageously thrown herself into the mouth of danger in the hopes of saving everybody.<p>

"No... not my family, not again!" Mega trembles as he feels an overwhelming fear washing over him. Not only is his sister trapped inside this death machine alone with Drill Man, but if he succeeds and creates an eruption, she would be the first victim.

He then looks up to see the two Skullkers departing the scene and his blue eyes become ablaze with fury. This is all Wily's fault... _Everything_ is Wily's doing! He took and brainwashed his brother, he killed Doc and now he has put his little sister's life in serious jeopardy.  
>Not anymore!<p>

"Rush! After them!" Mega Man orders with a harsh anger in his voice that he rarely uses. He wanted to make Wily and his robots pay for this, and for everything they've done.

Rush jets himself upwards and Mega Man leaps onto his back, speeding towards the closest of the two Skullkers. The one that was docked with the tower just a minute ago.

Before Rush can even reach the Skullker, Mega Man leaps off his back and towards the Skullker, drawing his plasma cannon in mid-air. He grabs the rear door of the Skullker and rips it open with his right hand, startling the occupants inside. Even ProtoMan was caught off-guard at how fierce his little brother looks.

"Go back and open that tower! NOW!" Mega yells as he aims his blaster at the Robot Masters.

Then, Mega can't believe his eyes when he sees Roll getting out of the passenger seat of the Skullker, unaware that this is just another Dark Man 2 illusion. Meanwhile, a confused ProtoMan watches on.

"Mega! Please, don't let them kill me!" DarkRoll says as she races towards Mega, before her entire left arm becomes Dark Man 2's blaster arm and shoots Mega at close range, knocking him off and sending him falling down to the surface below, only to be caught by Rush on the way down.

While the Robot Masters laugh it up, ProtoMan is angered and he wanted answers. As Dark Man 2 reforms into his standard red-armored form, ProtoMan grabs him by his spiky shoulders and shoves him.

"What are you doing copying my sister? What did you do to her?" Proto snaps.

"While we escaped, Mega Man's little sister ran inside the tower. She must have thought she could stop Drill Man from drilling into the earth," Dark Man 2 answers.

"So, Mega Man's little sister will be our second casualty of the night right after Drill Man meets his own doom. Magnificent!" Metal Man rasps.

"Magnificent? I'll show you_ magnificent _you piece of metal shit!" ProtoMan erupts, shoving Metal Man violently across the Skullker and nearly shoving him out of the rear door before Quick Man quickly caught him. But, the two robots get into a struggle again and have to be pulled off each other.

In his rage, Metal Man attaches his metal blade to his forearm and tries to attack Proto with it, taking a swing at him. But he ends up chopping Quick Man's boomerang ornament off of his helmet!

"No! My beautiful boomerang!" Quick Man babbles.

When Proto and Metal Man are finally pulled apart, Metal Man howls, "How dare you attack me, heretic! The only reason I don't behead you right now is because I will inform Master Wily of your heracy myself and he will decide your fate!"

"Go ahead, you tin can scrap heap!" Proto yells as he returns to the pilot seat, not controlling the craft because it is trailing the other Skullker on autopilot.

"You will pay for this, Light child!" Metal Man shouts, "And so will your brother... and so will your sister!"

ProtoMan bolts out of the cockpit area and furiously tries lunging for Metal Man once more, only to be held back by the other Robot Masters again.

* * *

><p>Inside the Civil Defense Tower, Roll pulls herself to her feet, sounding exhausted from her race to get inside this place and the near-death experience she had with those weapons on the way here. She feels something hot rubbing up against her left upper arm and sees a large burn hole from a plasma bolt shot that had just missed her by an inch.<br>If she had been struck by the bolt, it would have penetrated the titanium skeletal arm underneath the skin - which is not reinforced like armor - and she would have been in serious trouble.

Roll uses a saw blade in her utility arm to help cut and tear away the ruined sleeve off her shirt and casts it aside, leaving her arm bare. "That was too close!" she pants, her exhausted voice echoing inside the entire tower.

She looks up and sees how huge the inside of this tower is, going on and on for what looks like miles. She can't believe all of this effort went into something like this, something that could have been used for good, only to be ruined by Dr. Wily like he ruined Gamma and all the other things he has taken and used for his own evil purposes in the past two years.

Once she remembers the magnitude of the situation, she tries contacting her brother outside. "Mega? Mega, It's Roll. I'm alright. Are you there?"

After a few moments, but Mega Man replies. _"Roll!"_ he gasps, sounding like he was feeling the effects of being in battle.

"Are you okay?" Roll asks.

_"I got a little cooked out here, but I'll be alright. I was gonna ask the same thing about you!" _Mega replies, _"Are you injured?"_

"No, I'm okay. I've gotta find a way down below and stop Drill Man from killing everybody," Roll says, still insisting on going through saving everybody.

_"No! I'm going to find a way in that tower and I'll deal with him."_ Mega insists.

Roll stresses, "But, there won't be enough time! Dr. Light said it's impossible to-"

_"I know what our father said! But, it's not impossible!"_ Mega interrupts with a hint of panic in his voice, _"I'm gonna find a way inside that tower and I'm getting you to safety."_

"Don't worry about me. We've got to worry about the citizens first. What if Drill Man makes it to the core of the Earth like Wily said?"

_"Don't even think like that, Roll! He's not gonna turn this tower into a volcano! I'm not letting letting this happen."_

"And I'm not either!" Roll says firmly, "You work on getting inside, I'm going to stop Drill Man! I'll see you inside."

"Wait, Roll! Wait!" Mega blurts, desperately trying to stop his sister from running headstrong into an impossible-to-survive situation.

"I'm not arguing with you on this right now, Rock!" Roll says, using Mega Man's real name, "We don't have time. I'll call you back."

She shuts off contact with her brother and begins exploring the dimly lit tower, looking for a way around.

"Wily said Drill Man was at the bottom of the tower, but how do I get down there?" she asks herself as she looks around, "If only it wasn't so dark in here."

Roll uses her utility arm again to produce a flashlight to luminate the path ahead of her. The only things that she can hear are the '_klank, klank'_ sound made by her metallic feet as she walks around, as well as a faint and hollow rumbling which sounds really strange. Roll doesn't know if it is the power source of this tower that is making that sound or something else.

"This place is almost as creepy as Skull Fortress... _almost_," Roll says.

Roll is so focused on surveying the surrounding area that she misses a beam set up across the way and she trips and falls face down, landing on her arms. She grunts as she pulls herself up again, "I've gotta watch where I'm walking, or else I'm not gonna be able to save anything."

After she gets back up and brushes the dust off her ripped shirt, Roll continues her search of the tower, sure to watch her step this time. And with the help of her flashlight, she spots the traces of robot footsteps in the thin layer of dust of the floor.

"These footprints are from Wily's Robot Masters. I'll follow the trail these bucketheads left behind," Roll says to herself as she follows the robot footprints until she reaches an elevator not far away.

She figures since the footprints trailed here, the elevator must still be online, so she steps inside and shines her utility arm flashlight on the panel of buttons.

"There are humans upstairs that might need help, but Drill Man has to be stopped right now," Roll says as she weighs her decision. As much as she wants to help any survivors high atop the tower, Drill Man presents to more pressing threat, so she enters a commands to take herself to the lowest floor.

As the elevator door closes and she travels down to the basement, Roll sighs wearily. "I hope I made the right choice."

* * *

><p>Back outside the tower, Mega Man continues trying to reach his sister, but she still won't answer him.<p>

"Roll!" he calls, "Roll, come on, please answer me!"

After failing to reach his sister, Mega calls the only person who can help: Dr. Light. He fears what kind of reaction the good doctor will have to his only daughter being locked inside a death trap like the tower, but his knowledge is sorely needed right now.

"Dr. Light, it's Rock. Please, come in," Mega says, sounding like he is carrying an emotional ton on his back.

_"I'm here, Rock,"_ Thomas responds, clearing sounding like he knows already.

Mega Man tries to summon the words he needs right now, but there are no other words to describe it... "Roll's trapped inside the tower. What are we going to do?"

After a long pause Dr. Light replies, _"We are going to do our absolute best to get her out, _and_ save the city as well."_

"Please call in as much help as you can. We've got to stop this from happening," Mega pleas, sounding stressed, "And I've got to get Roll out of there... _I_ was supposed to be the one caught in this situation, not her. We were all trying to find a way to get _me_ inside the tower to stop Drill Man... but, Roll just..."

_"She is only doing what you would have done if you made it inside that tower: turn certain doom into a chance to live,"_ Thomas says.

Mega puts his helmeted head in his right hand, recalling his sister's brave actions. "I told her the other night at the concert that she had what it takes to be a hero... and she does. She didn't even think twice about making a break for that tower either. She ran into a hailstorm of plasma bolts and didn't even get hit... but, she still got trapped," Mega muses, sounding like he's on the verge of breaking up, "I'm sorry, father."

_"Rock, I know this is difficult for both of us, but we have to pull ourselves together if we're going to get Roll out safely,"_ Thomas encourages,_ "And we're not just doing this for her..."_

"We're doing this for everybody here," Mega says, completing his father's sentence again, "I don't know how we're going to do it."

"_Never give up on hope, son," _Thomas implores,_ "Where there is love, there is hope."_

Mega sighs, trying to keep his father's optimism, but his doubts have already resurfaced. As if his doubts about Bass weren't enough, now he feels he wasn't fast enough to protect his sister and millions of innocent people from potentially facing a horrible death.  
>But, in the middle of his musing, Mega remembers who came up with the idea for this tower, and it's time for <em>him<em> to step up to the plate too.

"Get Deacon," Mega says firmly with notable anger in his voice, not even referring to the Governor by a more proper title, "He built this tower, so he knows a way to get it open!"

Then, Roll's voice breaks in. _"Mega, are you still there?"_

"I'm here. Dr. Light's on the line with me," Mega replies.

_"Are you alright, sweetheart?"_ Thomas asks.

_"I'm okay,"_ Roll answers,_ "I'm at the bottom level of the tower. I don't see any sign of Drill Man or anybody else down here. I hope I'm not too late!"_

"What can you see down there?" Mega asks.

_"Not much. Just a bunch of metal and building materials lying around. I don't think they were planning on using this place for much,"_ Roll assesses, then pauses, _"... I think I found something down here. Something big!"_

"What is it?" asks Mega.

_"It looks like a big tube or something," _Roll says,_ "It's round and big enough to fit a Robot Master into. Wait... There's a huge hole inside, at the bottom! This must be where Drill Man went! He's already started drilling!"_

_"Don't panic, Roll. Just listen to me," _Thomas says,_ "How deep does the hole look?"_

_"Um... pretty deep!"_ Roll replies simply, trying to keep calm despite the overwhelming pressure she's feeling right now to stop Drill Man.

_"What is this cylinder made from?"_ Dr. Light asks.

_"It looks like the glass they used to build that fighting area Mega fought in last month,"_ Roll answers, referring to Mega Man's first battle with Bass at Yankee Stadium.

"I know you want to stop him, Roll, but please don't step inside that thing," Mega says.

_"Trust me, Mega, I don't want to,"_ Roll replies.

"Dr. Light and I are gonna find a way inside and we're going to stop this from happening," Mega says, "I promise, we're gonna get you home alive too."

_"Thanks, Mega. I know I can count on you,"_ Roll says.

Mega feels bad after hearing Roll's compliment. She said she could count on him, but inside, he feels like he failed to keep her safe tonight.

"Contact me if you need help. I'll be in there soon. Count on it," Mega says.

"I'll contact Mitchell Deacon right away, Rock," Thomas says.

"Thank you, father," Mega replies, looking up to see Chief Toombs stepping up to him, offering his hand to help him up, even though there is no way a human could carry a heavy robot like Mega. Mega Man grabs the Chief's hands but uses his leg strength to pull himself up.

"I got some teams headin' here right now to try an' cut through this big ol' taxpayer waste, Lad," Toombs says.

"I'll help them when they get here. I just hope we can do it," Mega says, his shoulders looking a bit slumped.

"I know yer a'worried, Laddy, but we'll get through this a'right like always. _No surrender_ is what I say," Toombs adds.

Mega feels a little assurance by his Scottish friend, barely letting out a smile. "If there was ever a time to live by that practice, it's right now."

* * *

><p>Roll stands directly in front of the clear booth used by Drill Man when he unwillingly began his suicide mission. Despite what her brother told her to not do, she looks around for anything that might open this thing up, even though she has no plans on going in there. From what she can see, however, once this contraption is closed, it can only be opened from the inside and trying to break the material it is made from would be extremely difficult to do with a blaster.<p>

As she searches, she finds something else nearby as she shines her flashlight on it. It looks like a radio of some kind, colored dark plum purple and bone yellow, the colors used often by Dr. Wily for all of his vehicles, so this was obviously a Wily radio. Upon further examination, Roll sees something written on the side of the radio. It is a number: 4798.8. And unbeknownst to Roll, It was ProtoMan who wrote the number on the radio before fleeing the tower.

Roll contacts her family members again with her forearm communicator. "Dr. Light, I found a radio here next to this glass booth, and it has a number written on it. 4798.8."

_"47988... That sounds like a robot communication signal frequency. I think we might be able to use that to track Drill Man's location," _Dr. Light says.

"Why don't we use it to try and talk him out of doing this?" Roll asks.

_"This is a Wily robot we're dealing with here, sis. I don't think he'll listen to reason... but, it's worth a shot," _Mega Man replies.

_"I'll triangulate the signal while you contact him, Rock,"_ Thomas says.

As Drill Man's signal is triangulated, Roll listens in on the communication...

_"Drill Man! Come in!"_ Mega Man says.

_"What? Who is this?"_ a surprised Drill Man responds, his voice sounding a bit muffled over the sound of his boreing into the ground.

_"This is Mega Man."_

_"WHAT?" _Drill Man blurts,_ "How did you get my frequency? Why are you contacting me?"_

_"That doesn't matter. What matters is what you're doing!"_ Mega says,_ "Do you know that you are about to drill into the core of the planet in a few hours?"_

_"... yes,"_ Drill Man answers, sounding rather sorrowful.

Roll notices the tone in Drill Man's voice and gets the feeling this is a much more delicate situation than she thought it was. She clasps her hands together in a praying stance as she often does, hoping her brother can handle this the right way.

_"In case you don't know what's going to happen, I'll tell you,"_ Mega continues,_ "When you reach that core, it's going to turn this tower into an erupting volcano, and when that happens, your actions will kill millions of innocent people and robots. Is that what you want?"_

Roll remains silent as a long pause lingers on the radio.

_"... I want to make Dr. Wily proud,"_ Drill Man says.

_"Dr. Wily is not the kind of person you want to make proud!" _Mega shouts, _"Do the right thing and turn yourself around now, or I'm coming down there and I'll blast you to bits myself!"_

Roll is shocked by Mega's angry approach he is taking with Drill Man. "What is he _doing_?" she whispers.

Then another voice cuts in on the line... and it belongs to Dr. Wily. _"You are in no position to be giving Drill Man orders, Mega Man. If you really want Drill Man to turn around, and I know you do, I suggest you convince your friend Mitchell Deacon to turn control of New York over to me. I am not an unreasonable man. I can negotiate."_

_"Wily, you monster!" _Mega seethes,_ "You've got a problem with me and only me! Leave all of these innocent people out of this. Leave my family out of this!"_

Wily snickers,_ "You and your 'family' are the reason this war is being waged. As far as the 'innocents' are concerned, there are no innocents! Every one of them laugh at me. But, they are laughing no more. Their lives are in my hands!"_

_"They've done NOTHING do you!"_ Mega yells,_ "Neither did any of those people who you killed with Gamma, or in Times Square, or Doc! I'm gonna make you pay for what you've done to them, you psychopath!"_

Roll's eyes widen. She remembers how Dr. Wily gets when he's called out on his mental instability. "No! Oh, no!" she barely whispers.

Outside, even Mega Man was now seriously regreting how he just let his emotions get the better of him.

After a long silent pause, Dr. Wily says, _"I am no longer interested in negotiating, Mega Man. As far as I care, you and your citizens and your family... especially your baby sister, can all burn! Drill Man, carry out the mission no matter what Mega Man or Dr. Light or ANY of the policemen say!"_

_"Yes, Dr. Wily,"_ Drill Man sulks.

_"No! Wily! WILY!"_ Mega now shouts, but there is no further response from Wily, so he tires to reach Drill Man again. _"Drill Man, whatever you do, don't listen to him!"_

Even Drill Man doesn't reply to Mega Man anymore and Roll can hear the pained anguish Mega is going through right now outside. He knows he might have just made a huge mistake blowing up at Wily like that.

_"Rock, I have a lock on Drill Man's signal,"_ Dr. Light says, but there is no response on the other end. _"Rock?"_

Roll even tries to get her brother responding after his cold silence. "Mega?"

"... yeah," Mega finally answers, despondent.

_"Drill Man has not traveled too far underground just yet. We have a few hours before..."_ Thomas pauses, re-choosing his words, _"There is still time."_

"Father... get Deacon to find a way in there," Mega says, sounding especially troubled by his actions.

_"I will. And I will be on my way with the Robo Rescue Squad shortly,"_ Thomas says,_ "Roll? Just stay calm and see if you can check on the crew at the top of the tower. They may be injured."_

"Okay," Roll replies, but she has something on her mind more than anything else right now, "Dr. Light? Is Peekaboo okay?"

_"I don't think he knows about your present situation yet,"_ Thomas replies.

"Maybe you should bring him along. I don't want him left at the lab all alone. He gets scared," Roll says.

_"If you want me to, sweetheart, I will. Just remain calm. Help is on the way,"_ Thomas says.

* * *

><p>Outside the tower, Mega Man is distraught over how he handled the communication with Wily. He said he was 'willing to negotiate', and even if he wasn't sincere, there may have been a chance that Mega and Deacon could have created some sort of a diversion to buy more time for Roll and all the other innocent lives that are at risk.<p>

But when Mega lost control of his emotions and unloaded on Dr. Wily by calling him a psycho, he feels he only made saving everybody just that much more difficult.

He contacts Roll inside again. "Roll... I screwed up pretty bad... I'm so sorry."

_"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I probably would have said the same thing,"_ Roll replies, trying to keep her brother's spirits up.

Mega strains, "I'm not gonna let him win..._ we're _not going to. We'll get Drill Man before he gets too far."

_"Mega, there was something about Drill Man. He sounded like he was bothered about something. I don't think he wants to do this, but Wily's making him do it. We should have been less harsh with him. Maybe there's still a way to convince him to stop."_

"I don't think there is now. If it was one of the three Robot Masters that Dr. Light reprogrammed, maybe. But... I don't know."

_"I know you're worried about me and everybody else, but we've faced bigger threats than this. So, don't give in now, Mega... Please," _Roll implores, her own voice sounding a bit pleading now.

"I'll try," Mega answers, struggling to even say _that._

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<strong>

Inside his main office, Governor Mitchell Deacon - who is known for always managing to keep a cool head in many heated situations, even when his life was in danger last November- is blowing a gasket, and he is blowing it at the two men he trusted to build this abysmal tower to begin with: Misters Newkirk and Kiel.

"How could you have let this happen?" Deacon fumes as his chief of staff watches on, "You guaranteed that a Gamma disaster would not happen with the tower, and now the life of every citizen in New York and the entire northeast is in jeopardy!"

Kiel is a nervous wreck and unable to respond, but the calm and collected Newkirk does. "Mr. Governor, we had not anticipated the _exact_ strategy Albert Wily used to gain access to the tower. We thought the hologram robot was destroyed at Times Square."

The Chief of Staff's phone rings and he steps aside for a moment to take the call while the confrontation continues behind him.

"You didn't expect this?" Deacon asks, "Well, I _did!_ I told you that Dr. Wily was not a dummy. He's an evil bastard, but he's also a genius, and you underestimated him!"

"Governor Deacon," Mr. Ranquist says, holding the phone up, "Dr. Thomas Light is on the line. He requests your attention immediately."

Governor Deacon quickly goes from raging mad to very apprehensive as he takes the phone. This has been the most challenging of his career and his life, and to make matters worse, he has to speak to Dr. Light after his daughter became trapped in the tower.

"Thomas?" he answers.

_"Mitchell,"_ Thomas begins, sounding very stern, _"I know you ordered the construction of the tower for the right reasons, but I'm sure you now see why you should have never built it to begin with."_

"... yes," Deacon replies, hanging his head down.

_"I'm sure you are aware my daughter is one of the people trapped inside that tower. I am heading there now and I need assistance from you and the people who designed this tower to help find a way inside, and very quickly."_

"I know how grave this situation is, and how close it has hit home for you, and I'm sorry. I'll be arriving there shortly, and I am bringing with me the men who designed this tower," Deacon says, eyeing both Newkirk and Kiel. "We'll find a way to get inside before it's too late."

_"A lot of people are counting on it, Mitchell, including myself and my children and many other people's children. I'll see you there,"_ Thomas states, before ending the call.

The Governor turns back to his advisors. "The both of you have one chance, _one_, to find a way inside that tower. And if you don't, I'll nail you both to the wall."

Newkirk stands up. "We'll do it. But, rest assured, Mr. Deacon, if you try to put all the heat on us, our attorneys will respond swiftly. Lest you forget, it was _you_ who ordered the construction of this tower."

As the two advisors leave the office and head to the tower, Mitchell Deacon puts a hand through his flat dull hair. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Whatever it is, sir, I suggest we get to fixing it," Ranquist says, then asks, "Should we begin evacuating citizens?

Deacon puts his hand over his goateed chin and strokes it, trying to weigh this overwhelming decision. He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh.

"Do it, but do so as a precautionary measure," Deacon replies, "And advise the Governors of the surrounding states to do the same."

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the tower.<strong>

Roll makes her way to the second highest level of the tower and begins searching for the path to the bridge, shining her utility arm flashlight around to help find the way. She hears a male voice up ahead, sounding muffled like it is on a communicator. Roll follows the sound of the voice to help her find her way.

_"This is Commander Houston. Sending a distress call to anybody within the sound of my voice. The tower has been compromised and we have injured on the bridge."_

Roll finds a doorway which has been sealed off by an extremely thick piece of the same material that is covering the outside of the tower. They must have been sealed off as well. She tries pressing a command on the panel beside the door, but unlike the elevator, this door will not open.  
>She also finds a small intercom box to the side of the sealed off door which is where the voice of the commander is coming from. After studying it for a moment, she presses a button to use it.<p>

"Hello?" she says.

_"Yes, who is this?"_ asks the voice of the bridge commander inside.

"I'm Roll, Mega Man's sister," she answers.

_"I thought we saw you approaching the area after Wily did. We'll need Mega Man's help getting us out of here. Is he with you?"_

"Well... not exactly," Roll explains simply, "I'm trapped inside the tower just like you are."

_"What? How did you get inside?"_

"I ran past the guns outside before the tower sealed itself. There's a Robot Master named Drill Man at the bottom level who is trying to drill to the core of the earth and turn this place into a volcano eruption," Roll explains.

_"My God... where are you?"_

"I'm right outside your door, I think. It's been sealed off by a metal barrier."

After a few seconds, Roll hears a very faint knocking sound behind that barrier. It was one of the crew from behind there, maybe even the commander himself. After hearing how feint the knocking was, Roll could tell this is an extremely reinforced layer of metal, probably just like the tower's outer shielding is.

_"I'm right outside the barrier. Here's what I know: Our computers are no longer responding to our commands, but the elevator and life support systems are still online, Thank God. These reinforcement walls are made out of several layers of heavily reinforced titanium and I'm sure you don't have anyhing that can cut through it."_

"No, not really," Roll shrugs. While she does have a wide array of useful items stored in her utility arm, nothing would be of any good use against titanium walls this thick.

_"I know you want to get out of here and stop that Wily robot, but I've got injured men and women up on our bridge who need medical attention. Please, tell Mega Man and whoever else is out there to spare some resources to get us out of here. If you can do that for my injured, some of my crew that are still standing and I will help you whoever we can."_

Roll feels the weight of that decision. If resources are pulled away from trying to get into the tower and stop Drill Man, the chances of her own survival as well as many others could become slimmer. But, there are people up here who need help now too.  
>The burden of this decision is clearly showing on Roll's face, looking stressed as she quickly weighs her options.<p>

"Um, okay," she pants, "I'll see what I can do."

_"Thank you. There's one layer of armor covering outside the tower that is much thinner than any other, and it's located on the roof of the bridge. It would take a little bit of time, but some strong fusion cutting would do the trick. We'll need medical transport to take the injured away,"_ the Commander explains,_ "I'll never forget this. I'm not leaving until I can help return the favor to you."_

"Okay. Thanks," Roll pants, taking a moment to sit down on the floor and lean against the metal wall and tell her father.

"Dr. Light? I found the crew members on the top level, but some of them need help bad. You need to send the rescue squad to help them, I promised they would get it."

_"Very well. We are already on our way now and I'll spare as many robots as I can to assist them. You're doing great, Roll. You're a hero just like your brother,"_ Thomas assures her to help keep her confidence.

Roll sighs, "I never knew how difficult Mega's job really was until now... is Boo with you?"

_"He is, but he is in hiding. He's not used to this many robots being around him,"_ Thomas says.

"Tell him Mommy says don't be afraid and be strong," Roll says with a slight quiver in her voice.

_"And I want you to do the same, Roll,"_ Thomas adds.

Roll barely forces out a smile. "It's getting tough, but I'll hang in there!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Gesselchaft<strong>

Tiesel Bonne returns from his late night of working for the Conduit and hiding in dirty trash dumpsters, taking of his all black sneaking outfit, revealing all of his normal civilian clothing he is still wearing underneath and hoping that he doesn't get the railing out of a lifetime from his sister.

"Tiesel!" Tron calls loudly.

"Oh, no!" Tiesel bemoans, "Here it comes!"

"I've been trying to reach you for an hour! Something horrible is happening!" Tron continues.

While Tiesel is relieved for his own sake, he is now concerned about what this 'something horrible' Tron just mentioned. "What is it?" he calls back, making his way to the direction her voice is emanating from, somewhere in the recreation room of the ship.

When he arrives and sees Tron and her Servebots - nearly fifty of them, almost the entire litter except for those who have tasks elsewhere on the ship right now - staring at a holovision screen showing the incident at the Civil Defense Tower in New York, the city where Tiesel just returned from.

"What did I miss?" Tiesel asks himself.

Tron looks over to her brother with concern in her eyes. "That big tower in New York was just attacked by Dr. Wily! And now Mega Man's sister Roll is trapped inside. And one of those bad Robot Masters is drilling underground trying to create a volcano!"

"That is terrible... but, at least we'll be safe," Tiesel says, almost sounding like he's disregarding the seriousness of this situation.

"HEY!" Tron bursts, causing some of her Servebots to take cover and Tiesel to freeze like a petrified statue, "Just because Mega Man set you straight, that doesn't give you the right to be mean to him!"

"I mean, um... sure, it's serious, but... I've had a lot on my mind tonight," Tiesel tries to weasel his way out of another chewing-out, "I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. Honest!"

"If you mean it, then you'll get in here and hope they get Roll out alright," Tron huffs.

"Um, sure! I just have to tend to one piece of business first," Tiesel says, taking his pack and going to his living area on the flying craft.

* * *

><p>Once Tiesel arrives to his quarters a few minutes later, he removes all of his equipment he used to spy on Deacon and company earlier tonight and sees that it is all in good shape. Then, he checks to see if the picture files in the camera are in good shape - which they are - then checks if the audio is good. The only thing he needed was good audio from Deacon and the others, it didn't matter what they said, so long as the audio recorded...<p>

_"What about the other poll?"_ the voice of Mitchell Deacon asks on the audio track.

_"When asked if the tower were to be taken by a hostile force, many respondents believe that Mega Man will take it back,"_ replies the voice of his Chief of Staff

Tiesel grins and can see the dollar signs floating in his head already. He dreams of his newfound riches so much, he might even make a pair of contact lenses with dollar signs on them. Now, it was time to call The Conduit and give him the news.

He dials the number on the card he was given during his encounter with the Conduit the other night and waits for a response, but doesn't get one.

"Why aren't you answering?" Tiesel grunts.

It turns out that on this extremely hectic night, The Conduit has his hands full too, with somebody else.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's Hideout.<strong>

_"Do you have any idea how difficult it would be for me to obtain those? We both could end up compromised!" _The Conduit argues.

"You've managed to work the impossible up until now. Why should obtaining all the files and schematics for the tower be any different?" Mr. Black asks, his face now sporting light stubble and his eyes sporting bags underneath them after the difficult night he's had.

_"Everything else I have supplied to you is simple in comparison to getting those files,"_ The Conduit calmly stresses,_ "Those are top secret Government files, the kind of which that are guarded by the best firewalls in the world."_

Mr. Black says, "I have a hunch that those files are not going to be confidential for much longer. The situation is so dire, I wouldn't be surprised if Deacon and even The President himself offered the schematics to anybody on the street who thinks they can get inside and stop this from happening. Just do some poking around, nothing that would get you in trouble."

After a pause on the line, The Conduit says, _"I'm surprised at your interest in this."_

Mr. Black looks across at the chess board again and says, "I never said I wasn't a good samaritan. But, I also have something to gain as well... something that the right people are going to give me if they don't want they city turning into a magma wasteland."

_"I have to go," _The Conduit says,_ "I have pressing matters to attend to."_

"Involving your new helper, right?" Mr. Black snorts, "I should go. I would _hate_ to interrupt. Just get me the damn tower files if you can."

Mr. Black ends the call and continues staring at the chess board, each of the pieces still in the exact place... then, he _speaks_ to it... "I hope you're happy."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<br>Outside the Tower.**

It is now well after midnight and the authorities have sealed off the area surround the Civil Defense Tower so that the rescue operation can go on without interference. Several news crews have gathered around the area and news helicopters can be seen flying overhead, sure to stay out of the way of the medical transport that is here to rescue the bridge crew at the very top of the tower.

Mega Man is joining the rescue crews that have assembled on the ground as well as members of the Robo Rescue Squad. Many of them have brought advanced construction equipment with them for this operation including many fusion cutters as they all try to find a way past the reinforced walls covering the tower itself. As the humans and Robots try cutting their way through it, Mega also tries firing a sustained beam of plasma at the wall in hopes that it will cut through a little faster.  
>But, their combined efforts are not making much of any headway. By the time they would be able to gain access, it would be too late.<p>

Mega's hopes had perked when he learned about the bridge crew having an easier means of escaping through the top of the tower, but he learned that Roll would not have that same blessing because she would still be trapped behind the extra thick walls.

Mega continues firing the steady stream of plasma at the cutting area until his blaster arm begins overheating and he also loses weapon energy. When he finally stops firing the blast, steam emits from the nozzle of his arm, which has been firing for so long it is hot to the touch.

Mega takes a moment to rest and try to regain some energy while his plasma cannon cools off, even though he doesn't want to rest. If he could, Mega would keep going every second he could possibly go.

As Mega sits in the back of a very battered armored police van - the same van Roll ran from to sneak into the tower - Rush sits next to him, whimpering about Roll.  
>Mega remains silent and dwells on the mistakes he made tonight that he felt only worsened the problems. First he was so focused on trying to make it inside of the tower, he didn't keep an eye on anybody else. Then, he snapped at Wily and may have further complicated things at a time when they cannot afford to be more complicated.<p>

"Hey," says the voice of Lynn Wersching, standing nearby and leaning against the side of the truck.

Mega looks up and barely tries to force out a smile before staring at his feet again. "Pretty bad night, huh?" he says.

"Yeah," Lynn replies, then pauses for a second, "... Roll was with me when that tower started closing in on itself. I tried to stop her from running in, but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."

Mega looks up and again barely tries to smile. "Don't be sorry. Roll is pretty headstrong. When she wants to do something there's no stopping her. I know from experience."  
>Mega then looks very downtrodden, "I've been so focused on protecting everybody else, I didn't think to protect my little sister... now I've failed at both."<p>

"Don't say that," Lynn says, "There's still hope. Nobody here is running away, because we know you won't."

"This job is only getting harder," Mega admits to his friend, "A lot of things have been happening lately, and I feel like they're all because of my mistakes. And now, there are millions of lives in jeopardy, including Roll's."

Lynn sits next to Mega and Rush in the back of the van, and she pets Rush's face. "I know these are different circumstances, but when my brother had his drug problems and went missing, I felt like it was all my fault. I felt like the worst sister ever and I let myself get depressed. But, a few good friends in my life were there to help me stay strong. And _you_ were one of them."

Mega smiles again, "I'm glad I could help."

"I know your job puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders, and it's gotta feel like it's too much to handle sometimes," Lynn says, "I'm sure Dr. Light and your family support you, but if you ever need anything, you've got a lot of friends in the department, including Sixty and me."

"Thank you," Mega sighs, "I need you guys right now."

"Well, we're here for you," Lynn says.

Captain Tallarico steps up to them in the middle of their conversation to inform Mega of some important news. "Mega Man, Governor Deacon is here. He needs to speak with you and Dr. Light. It's about this tower."

Mega's facial expression - sullen just moments before - now becomes stone faced as he gets to his feet again and leaves. He wants to hear what Deacon has to say for himself.

"I'm sorry, Officer Wersching, but there's some answers I need right now," Mega says, sounding very serious.

"Okay, sure," Lynn replies a bit concerned, never having seen Mega Man look this serious.

"I hope he doesn't start an argument with the Governor," Tallarico says.

"Why not? He's the one who ordered this damn thing to begin with," Lynn says.

"He's also the one who helps sign our checks," Tallarico says, "You're starting to sound just like Toombs. I hope you two don't start anything you'll regret."

Lynn retorts, "If we all die here tonight, we won't be able to."

* * *

><p>Mega Man makes his way to an area in the street that now has a protective awning over it, serving as an area for those in charge of the rescue operation to gather and formulate their plans to get inside the tower. Standing underneath the area are Chief Toombs, the large bald-headed Fire Department Captain Bigelow, and the three people most responsible for the conception of the Civil Defense Tower: Mister Newkirk and Kiel and Governor Deacon.<p>

Mega Man heads straight for Deacon, cutting off everybody and catching Governor Deacon's attention most especially. "Now do you see why this was a mistake? _Do you_?"

After a brief period of silence and a stare from Chief Toombs awaiting his answer, Deacon answers, "Yes, I do. Where is Dr. Light?"

"He's too busy trying to save my sister and the crew right now. You can talk to _me_, Mr. Governor," Mega replies sternly, not sounding polite like he usually would when addressing somebody of a high authority.

Deacon steps up to Mega and sincerely tries to reason with him. "I know you are mad with me for building the tower, and I understand. But, however you feel about me right now, we have to put it aside to stop this disaster from happening and save everybody inside."  
>Deacon lowers his tone of voice, "I made a mistake conceiving this tower. I listened to people I shouldn't have listened to. This is my problem too... please, let me help fix it."<p>

Mega nods, "Okay. Help us."

"Mr. Governor!" Chief of Staff Ranquist interrupts with urgency in his voice, "I just got a call from somebody who says he wants to help... and he claims to be Mr. Black."

A sudden hush comes over the group under the awning, most especially Mega Man. Mr. Black is one of the most infamous people in the country who isn't Dr. Wily or one of his robots... yet_ he_ wants to help.

All eyes now are on Deacon who takes a moment to consider this 'offer' from Mr. Black... "Give me the phone."

"Don't tell the Feds I'm listenin' in. They'll be a wee bit angry," Toombs mutters.

Mitchell Deacon takes the phone and puts it on speaker mode for everybody to hear. "This is Governor Deacon."

_"Governor Deacon. I know this is a desperate situation you have found yourself in... so, I'm offering to lend a hand," _Mr. Black says,_ "And since I know you are never alone in public, you can say hello to Mr. Newkirk and Mr. Kiel for me, as well as the esteemed Chief Montgomery Toombs and Fire Captain Bigelow."_

Everybody in the group suddenly becomes apprehensive and looking all around, wondering how Mr. Black knows who has gathered here.

_"And Dr. Light is busy commanding the Robo Rescue Squad, but I know Mega Man is right there with you,"_ Mr. Black says.

"I'm here," Mega says.

_"It's a pleasure to finally speak with you, Mega Man. I've been trying to catch up with you for months,"_ Mr. Black aptly says.

"Is that why you've been going after my friends and family in the past year?" Mega asks.

_"I'm not calling to discuss my past actions with you, Mega Man. There will be another time for that. The Governor and I have more important business to discuss. Governor Deacon, turn off the speaker phone and talk speak with me directly. Don't worry, Mega Man. With those wonderful audio sensors of yours, you'll be able to eavesdrop on every word."_

An apprehensive Deacon turns the phone back to standard mode and puts it to his ear. "What do you want? Why are you offering to help us?"

_"I have my own reasons, Mr. Governor. Not the least of which is how _you_ can help _me_,"_ Mr. Black explains, _"In recent weeks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has hindered my work. All you have to do is help call them off, and in return, I will help you and your team get in that tower. I have acquired detailed files on the tower, and I already know how to exploit whatever weaknesses it has, and with that knowledge, I ... _we_ can prevent the biggest tragedy in world history from taking place. Wouldn't that be reason enough to call the F.B.I. off?"_

"I'm a Governor, but I don't have that kind of authority. And how could you possibly have the schematics for the tower? You're just bluffing," Deacon says.

_"Are you saying I don't have files that begin with the serial number A6120A14 on the upper left hand corner, the most confidential copy? I wouldn't know that number if I didn't have them."_

Deacon wipes sweat from his forehead. "Even if you do have the files and even if I did have the power to order the F.B.I. around, I don't trust you," Deacon says, "I will not accept your deal, not while I have men, women and robots I can trust."

_"It's unfortunate that you see things that way. I will be sure to remember this the next time I'm in town. Now, if you don't mind, Mr. Governor, I will be calling President Henry immediately. Perhaps _he_ will be more willing to negotiate terms."_

After Mr. Black hangs up, Deacon looks stressed and Mega Man can confirm that because he can detect the Governor's body stresses levels spiking a bit, but he is managing to keep it under control.

"We don't have time to waste," Deacon says, "How can we get inside that tower?"

Kiel says, "The shielding walls are extremely thick and made with quintuple reinforced titanium, a layers of it. The only way we could cut through that much metal in a very quick amount of time is if we had something that could produce a thousand degrees of heat and cut through metal."

"A jet engine turbine perhaps. It does not produce the same temperature, but it we kept it held on that wall, it would eventually compromise it," Newkirk says.

"And you would risk the tower collapsing on itself," says the voice of Dr. Light who arrives to the area, "I know the top priority is preventing Drill Man from reaching the Earth's core, but my daughter is still inside. She would be crushed by the weight of the tower if it colapsed."

"With all due respect, Doctor, the need to save everybody from facing annihilation is paramount. We can't make the rescue of one robot a priority."

"That's my sister you're talking about!" Mega snaps.

Governor deacon stands btween Mega and the advisors. "Mega Man, please... I'll handle them," Deacon says, before turning around to face his advisors... "Mr. Newkirk, your reckless conduct will no longer be tolerated... you're fired. Leave. Now."

Newkirk's eyes narrow and he leaves the area. "You will regret this, _sir_."

"BYE-BYE, YA' GREMLIN!" Chief Toombs hollers to the calloused advisor.

Deacon asks Kiel, "Do you share a similar viewpoint with your former associate?"

"No way," Kiel replies, "He always gave me the creeps."

"Good. Start devising a way we can safely enter the tower without any casualties, human or robot," Deacon commands.

Mega Man is still simmering down from the callousness of Newkirk, but Dr. Light speaks with Deacon instead. "I appreciate your willingness to get Roll out of this alive, Mitchell."

"I'm not about to let one of my friend's children die, not if I can do anything about it," Deacon affirms.

While Mega is still not thrilled with Deacon building the tower, he is beginning to trust his willingness to help Roll and save the entire region. He isn't about to turn away any good help now... they are all going to need it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Not much to say here. I think this chapter speaks for itself. The thrilling conclusion is coming up next, followed by the epilogue. Who will survive?_

_Only hardcore Star Trek fans will get the significance of "4798.8"_

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment, and if you catch any errors that could cause a great disturbance in the force, please PM me._

_Remember to add #SaveRollandDrillMan to your reviews._


	92. Redemption

_**Episode 8, Chapter 7: Redemption.**_

* * *

><p>It is after midnight in New York City, and the frightening alarm of the Emergency Alert System can be heard on most television channels and radio stations, followed by a monochrome computerized voice reading a civil emergency warning...<p>

_"The following message is transmitted at the request of the office of the Governor of New York. An evacuation warning is effective for the state of New York. All citizens of the state of New York are ordered to evacuate immediately to the nearest means of transportation. If you do not have a vehicle, report to your nearest evacuation checkpoint and board the SkyTransport or train in a calm and orderly fashion. In the event of SkyTransport or train evacuation, take only what possessions you need or hold most dear when you evacuate for the sake of your fellow evacuees."_

Despite the message urging citizens to evacuate in a calm and orderly fashion, people are beginning to panic as they pour into awaiting transports that have just arrived to New York docks, lined all the way up and down the piers and ready to move the people out.

Elsewhere in New York, people are boarding trains that have all been re-routed to leave the area, and the freeways and skyways are flowing with vehicles that all of them head out of New York, with the only one heading in being emergency personnel.  
>And for the second time this year, Times Square is empty, and it is all because of the situation taking place at the Civil Defense Tower downtown.<p>

Governor Deacon is tirelessly taking charge of the rescue effort along with Dr. Light, even though protocol states that he should be as far away from danger as possible.

Captain Tallarico approaches the Governor with his personal escort of SecurityBots. "Governor Deacon, given the pressing nature of the situation and the evacuation, I think it is best for you to be moved to a safe location, sir."

"I don't plan on leaving, Captain," Deacon says, turning around to face the Police Captain and folding his arms behind his back.

"Sir, your life is in jeopardy," Tallarico counters, "It's our responsibility to make sure you are safe."

"If the worst case senario does happen, and New York falls, I would not be a Governor anymore," Deacon replies calmly, "Right now, my top responsibility is making sure this tower doesn't become the death of New York, and I'm staying here until the job is done."

As Captain Tallarico stresses, Deacon's lead SecurityBot steps forward. "Governor Deacon, your chances of surviving an eruption of this scope are 1,240,245 to 1. We need to evacuate you, sir."

"I am staying here. Only escort other key personnel if they wish to be evacuated," Mitchell orders.

"As you wish, Governor Deacon. But, this course of action is not recommended," the head SecurityBot says as he and his fellow SecurityBots turn and march away.

Tallarico sighs with her hands on her hips. "If worse comes to worse, I'm getting you out of here. It's my job."

"Let's pray it doesn't come to that," Deacon says as he turns his full attention back to the rescue effort, still managing to look unflappable under pressure like always.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

The pair of Skullkers that were dispatched to the tower earlier tonight return 'home' after a mission that has proven to be successful so far. One of them is filled with a bunch of defeated Robot Masters, and the other is full of tension after the fight between ProtoMan and Metal Man.

Both ProtoMan and Metal Man leave their Skullker after it lands in the fortress' hangar bay and both head to speak with Dr. Wily, both for different reasons. And they are both shooting hateful glances at each other, trying to contain their desire to inflict serious pain on the other.

"Master Wily will make you pay dearly for your heresy!" Metal Man jabs.

"I have things to discuss with Wily. Otherwise, I wouldn't even waste my time!" Proto retorts.

"Listen to yourself. You sound like a true Light Child," Metal Man provokes, "You have forgotten where your loyalty lies."

"No. I'm just the only one around here who's got their head fused on straight, including Wily," Proto counters.

"If Master Wily heard you speak such rhetoric, he would rip you limb from limb with his bare hands!" Metal Man growls.

Proto grins, "He hasn't done it yet!"

"That will soon change," Metal Man rasps.

When the two reach Dr. Wily's command center room, they see the Mad Doctor himself seated in a chair, swiveling the chair around to face them and he is not looking too happy. "What is going on between you two? I want answers now!"

"ProtoMan instigated a fight onboard the Skullker, and it nearly resulted in my destruction as well as jeopardizing our operation!" Metal Man rasps.

"What were you doing starting a fight_ this time_?" Wily grumbles.

"His sister run into the tower as it was closing and became trapped inside," Metal Man answers instead, "He cannot seem to accept the fate that his sister will be dead in a matter of hours."

"And you never told me you were going to use that damn tower to turn New York into a lava trap!" Proto snaps at Wily, "You also never told me you were going to have Drill Man kill himself to pull it off. And you also forgot about our deal about letting me deal with my brother _again_! And because of that, my sister will end up dead tonight!"

"There were... unforseen developments that I had not anticipated, ProtoMan," Dr. Wily says, dismissing Proto's arguments.

"So, you're just going to forget that deal we have?" Proto asks, getting angry.

"Proto, you have more important things to do right now... I order you to go back out there and find the missing Robot Master," Albert orders, exploiting Proto's obedience to him just to get him out of his face.

ProtoMan can't believe what he just heard. "What?" he barks.

"I don't have time to hear your complaints. I have a world to conquer!" Wily shuns.

Proto is on the verge of seething as he stares across at Wily with balled fists. "I'm gonna remember this, old man," Proto seethes.

"Considering I built your memory core, I'm sure you will," Wily replies, "Now, get to work!"

ProtoMan then storms off to uphold his newly given order, but, not before pounding his red right fist into the wall, leaving a huge dent the size of his hand.

Metal Man turns back to Dr. Wily to protest. "That is _all_ the punishment you are giving him?"

"It's what he deserves," Albert replies.

"Master Wily, the Light child's affinity for his siblings is a weakness! He has shown blatant disrespect for you, and it cannot be tolerated anymore!" Metal Man rasps, "You should have spilled his blood!"

Dr. Wily stands up from his chair and approaches Metal Man. "ProtoMan's attitude isn't the only thing I am growing tired of! I am growing tired of the constant failures of all my Robot Masters... including your failures, Metal Man."

"But, Master Wily, I-"

"_Do not_ interrupt me!" Albert blurts, "And if you do not want to have a similar fate as Drill Man's, I suggest you don't disappoint me. The same goes for all of your Robot Master peers."

The loyal Metal Man bows at Wily's feet. "Yes, Master Wily."

As Metal Man leaves, Wily goes back to his command console and picks up the blueprints for the other three Robot Masters that will be a part of the aforementioned quartet of fear when the Nomad female robot is recovered and programmed to be a fully loyal servant like all the others... except for ProtoMan, it seems.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>  
><strong>Washington D.C.<strong>

Even at this late hour, President Keith Henry is being briefed on the details on the potential forthcoming calamity about to take place in New York by his emergency situation coördinator.

"Emergency crews would likely be able to stop the lava flow before it would reach Maryland, western Pennsylvania and points south and west. But, if this proves to be a disastrous as we expect, the entire state of New York would be destroyed, as well as much of the New England region, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as parts of southeast Canada."

The President declares, "I want as many non-essential personnel out of those regions as we can move. How are the evacuations going?"

"The first SkyTransports are already leaving New York, mostly women and children. Hospital transports will be leaving shortly and more transports from out west are on their way to assist," replies the coordinator.

Henry's Chief of Staff - and bald-crowned man with glasses named Alan Kravitz - enters the office and gives The President a nod, informing him there is something that requires his attention, preferably in private.

After the emergency meeting wraps up, Henry speaks, "We'll confer again within the hour."

The office clears out, leaving only Henry and the Chief of Staff alone inside.

"What is it, Alan?" Henry asks.

"You have a call waiting on the hotline from someone who says he's Mr. Black," Alan answers.

The President looks surprised. "Are you sure this isn't some prank caller?"

"It can't be. Members of Governor Deacon's staff reported the Governor also received a call from the same person. And he also managed to get his hands on a copy of the plans for the Civil Defense Tower... and he says he wants to assist the effort to get inside, but will only talk directly to you."

"Try tracing the call. I'll take it from here," The President says, then answers the phone. "This is President Henry."

_"Mr. President... Mr. Black speaking. __I'm sure Alan already informed you of my desire to speak with you and that I have detailed files on the tower. So, I'll cut to the chase... I have a plan that will not only get workers inside of the tower to safely rescue anybody left inside - including Mega Man's sister - but, it's also a plan that will stop Dr. Wily's Robot Master from reaching the core of the plant and turning the entire northeast into Hell incarnate... but, I require something from you in return, and only you can do this."_

The President postures with Mr. Black, "You want a Presidential pardon?"

Mr. Black scoffs,_ "No, I'm not predictable like you think I am. What I want is for you to get the F.B.I. off my back so I can continue operating freely without them meddling in my business."_

"I know you're not predictable," The President says, "From what I've heard about you, you are a very reckless person. One whose decisions ended up costing you."

_"Undoubtedly, you get your information from the F.B.I., Mr. President. But, whatever I did or did not do in my past is not the priority right now, is it?" _Mr. Black says,_ "Right now, the single biggest man-made disaster in world history is about to take place, and it looks like even your best people will not be able to stop it, even Dr. Thomas Light and Mega Man. Your only real chance at stopping this is dealing with me! I'm the only one who can get Mega Man in that tower and the only one who has weapons that can easily breach the drilling booth the Robot Master used... you need my help, Mr. President."_

"I'm afraid you've misjudged me," The President says, "I don't negotiate with terrorists like you."

_"Fortunately for you, Mr. President, I'm not a terrorist. Never said I was,"_ Mr. Black says, _"In fact, I'm willing to give you a few minutes to consider my offer and to inform the Bureau they will not be looking into my affairs any longer. When you've made the right decision, call this number..."_

After Mr. Black gives President Henry the number, he ends the call. The President looks to his Chief of Staff, who was corresponding with White House Security at the time. Alan shakes his head, "They couldn't get a trace, Mr. President. The signal kept bouncing from one location to another, he must have used a signal scrambler."

"Send the audio file of that call to the boys down in Langley," The President orders, making reference to the F.B.I. headquarters in Langley, Virginia, "I want them to confirm whether this is the real Mr. Black. And also, get a progress report from New York. I refuse to make a deal with this man, or Albert Wily."

But, while the President doesn't want to make a deal with Mr. Black, there is a small doubt in the back of his mind which tells him it might be his only choice, unless the brave robot he appointed to be Defender the Human Race can come through for him one more time.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<br>Miles under the Civil Defense Tower.**

It is approaching 1:00 AM now and Drill Man continues to drill his way down to the core of the Earth, dreading his eventual death that will come when he reaches it.

He wonders why Mega Man was trying to talk him out of it, especially after the hero has had no problem fighting him so many times. Mega Man said that Drill Man would be responsible for killing millions of humans and even robots... That doesn't sound very good.  
>But, Dr. Wily's orders prevail and force him to keep going, but his desire to not die continues to conflict with his programming.<p>

"I don't want to die... I want to live," he says to himself again, "There has to be something I could do to keep living... maybe if I drill slower, I can live longer. Dr. Wily didn't say how fast I have to drill! Yeah, that'll work!"

Drill Man slows down the speed of his three drillers and begins moving slower into the Earth, only delaying his inevitable doom.

"Maybe Mega Man or somebody else will come and fight me, that way I wouldn't have to do this anymore... I just hope Dr. Wily doesn't get mad," Drill Man says as he continues drilling at the slower pace.

* * *

><p>Back above on the surface, the rescue crews are still working hard to find a way inside, but all of their methods are failing.<p>

Mega Man is currently downing another Energy can, and he has had to drink many energy cans to replenish himself in the past two hours after every drop he can on trying to get Roll out of this death trap. And like Mega, the brave humans and robots left here are also giving it their all to stop this catastrophe from happening, now including members of the tower crew who insisted on remaining to help Roll in return for helping them earlier.  
>However, it is clear that the situation is beginning to become more and more dire.<p>

As Mega looks up, he sees more emergency evacuation transports fleeing New York, this coming right after all news reporters were ordered to evacuate the grounds, and now the few members of the news media still remaining are riding in news helicopters up above, and he is sure Bree Recotta is one of them.

Mega looks down and sees several members of the rescue team here who are now worried about whether their loved ones will be able to escape if the worst case scenario does happen. Even Lynn has checked on her brother Castor's well-being, because he is still in rehabilitation and still recovering from the multitude of medical procedures to save his life.

Tensions are also starting to rise here at the site of the tower, as some members of the rescue team - who are becoming so desperate to resolve this problem - are losing their patience with one another. And Mega Man knows that the more time is spent out here trying to get inside, the deeper Drill Man is going, bringing closer the apocalypse of nearly a quarter of the continent. Even_ he_ is starting to become afraid he won't be able to pull this off.

Then, Mega feels a gentle nudge at his right foot and thinks it is Rush at first, but when he looks down he sees Roll's new Met Peekaboo standing there, looking up at him with his big white eyes. Boo beeps that he's been looking all over for 'Mommy,' but he can't find her.

Mega tried to respond, but pauses. He doesn't quite know how to explain this to a robot as worrisome as Peekaboo. "Roll is, uh... she's in that big tower over there."

Boo looks up at the tower and blinks his eyes as he beeps again, wanting to know if she can come out.

"That's... what we're all here for, pal," Mega says, kneeling down closer to him, "I can call her if you want me to."

Peekaboo beeps that he wants to speak with her.

* * *

><p>Inside the tower, Roll makes her way back down to the basement level where Drill Man's transparent aluminum booth is, her damaged yellow and red outfit and blonde ponytail smudged with dust and dirt accumulated from her encounter with Top Man earlier and the various spills she has taken tonight.<p>

As the time marches on, her confidence is starting to ebb and she is fearing what will happen if Drill Man makes it to the core of the planet.

As she stares at the booth, she considers the possibility of breaching that thing and somehow managing to get Drill Man to stop. She then cycles through the inventory of her utility arm. "There has to be something in here that can get through this!"

Finally, Roll finds a hatchet, the same one she had to use to free Mega Man from Dr. Wily's glacier a while back. "This should do it!"

Roll steps up to the booth and rears back her arm, then slams the hatchet down on the transparent aluminum glass, only making a small scuff on it. Roll rears back again and swings the hatchet down again, but once again only makes a scuff mark on it.

Roll repeats the process over and over, gradually chipping away at the glass, but not penetrating it. Over time, Roll puts more energy into her swings and begins letting out loud grunts with each one.

"Brake, damn you!" she yells with desperation in her voice, as she keeps striking the booth with her hatchet, now managing to crackle the glass just barely, but even after several hard strikes, she still can't break through it.

Roll finally stops, exhausting her internal systems so much she begins gasping like she was out of breath. She then slumps herself up against a nearby wall and sits on the floor, and succumbs to her emotions.

"It can't end like this!" she whimpers, fearing what is going to happen to all the innocent people out there, and especially her own family. Roll doesn't want to die here, not like this. She has to _see_ her family again... she promised her little Met that she would come home.

Then, Roll hears Mega Man's voice. _"Roll, are you there?"_

A tired Roll switches her utility arm back to normal again and answers, "Yeah, I'm here."

_"Are you okay?"_

Roll admits, "Yeah... but, I'm scared."

_"I would be too if I was in there. You've gotta stay strong for just a little while longer. We're getting you out of there," _Mega stresses, almost sounding like he's trying to convince himself just as much as he is Roll.

"Yeah... I'm holding you to it, Mega," Roll sighs.

Mega pauses for a moment before giving his sister some very important news. "There's somebody here who wants to talk to you."

Then, Roll hears the cute little beep of Peekaboo coming from her forearm.

"Boo!" Roll smiles, "Aw, I'm so happy to hear you!"

Boo asks if his mommy is alright.

"I'm okay, sweetie. I'm just a little busy right now, that's all," Roll answers, deliberately not revealing the plight she is in so he would not get scared.

Boo asks if Roll is going to come home now, because he wants to see her again.

"I wanna see you too... I'm gonna try and get out of here real soon so we can play together," Roll says very sweetly, "But, if I don't get out of here really soon, there's something important I've really gotta tell you."

Peekaboo beeps again.

Roll tries hard to contain herself. "Boo... ever since I lost my first Met Doc, I've always felt a little bit broken, like a piece of my heart was missing... but, ever since you entered my life, my heart feels whole again! You fixed me!"  
>Tears of eye lubrication begin flowing freely from Roll's blue eyes as she continues, trying desperately not to sound like she's crying, "I'm so proud of you, Peekaboo... I love you so much!"<p>

Boo beeps again._ I love you too, Mommy._

Roll whimpers as she wipes away the tears that keep falling, "You're gonna be a brave little Met one day, I just _know_ it! But, I always want you to be nice to nice people and keep that big heart of yours... Promise?"

Boo beeps that he will.

"Mommy's really proud of you," she trembles," I've gotta talk to Mega right now, you can go see Dr. Light if he isn't too busy."

* * *

><p>Boo beeps and goes running along, and Mega puts his communicator back up to his mouth. While Roll was able to convince Boo that she's okay, Mega Man knows his sister is not doing too well right now, and hearing her like this is tearing him apart.<p>

_"Mega, please take care of him if I don't make it. Don't let anything happen to him!"_ Roll now weeps.

"Please don't talk like that, Roll," Mega says, his voice wavering, "You can't give up, you've got too many people still here to stick around for! I'm not gonna let you die!"

_"Mega... Rock, listen,"_ Roll whimpers, _"I don't know how much time we've got left, so I'm just gonna tell you how I feel. You're more than just my brother. You've always been my hero... you've always been my best friend, and you always will be."_

Mega bows his head down and his eyelids squeeze shut as tears barely escape from his own eyes. "You're my best friend too, sis," he says with a wavering voice, "I'm sorry if I ever gave you a hard time."

_"I'm sorry for all the times I gave you one too... even when it came to Kalinka... your girlfriend,"_ Roll says, a hint of a smile noticable through the tears.

Mega barely smiles, "Yeah... you always teased me about her."

_"I'm glad you two met, because it was good to see you happy again,"_ Roll says, _"Mega.. I want you to get Wily for me... this war has to end before it's too late,"_ Roll pleads.

"I'll do that... but, not without you there as my partner," Mega replies.

_"I guess that gives me something else to hang in there, doesn't it?"_ Roll sniffles, _"If I make it out of here, you're gonna uphold your end of the deal."_

_"You've got it, sis,"_ Mega says.

Then, the voice of Chief Toombs hollers to Mega, "YO!" as he runs over to Mega's location, causing Mega to quickly wipe the tears off his face. "Dr. Light says that Brain Guy is contactin' us an' he wants ta' talk to you. Says he's got a plan!" Toombs says.

"Did you hear that, Roll? Brain Bot's on the case! I've gotta go," Mega exclaims.

_"Brain Bot? The most destructive robot in the world? Is it a good thing or should I start praying?"_ Roll asks.

"He may be prone to trouble, but he's the smartest bot in the world. I've got to hear him out," Mega replies.

* * *

><p>Mega Man races to the partition where Mitchell Deacon and Dr. Light are right now. There are two monitors nearby which have Brain Bot on one and President Henry on the other, joining in on this conference via video communication.<p>

"You have good news, Brain Bot?" Mega asks.

_"I have formulated a theory on how the layers of titanium can be compromised safely, old friend,"_ Brain Bot says,_ "You have already been informed that a cutting flame set at approximately 912.4 degrees farenheit would be required to cut through the walls, but more conventional methods would not make that possible._  
><em>However, if you can fuel the flame with approximately one gallon a chloraphorine, with a pint of nitrous oxide and emit the flame out of a nozzle measuring two cubic feet around, you can safely cut through the tower's exterior without risk of a structure collapse."<em>

Dr. Light adds, "It would be difficult for any piece of equipment to maintain that kind of flame without it being destroyed."

_"Not if you use plasma powered heat shielding, Dr. Light," _Brain Bot replies,_ "If you can modulate the shields to - for the lack of a better term - wrap itself around the inside of the equipment used, it would be protected from the heat."_

Dr. Light nods, "Then, we _can_ pull it off! Why didn't I think of this before?"

"Because, the processing capacity of even the most intelligent humans at your age, Dr. Light, would take a significant amount of time," Brain Bot answers straightforward. Then, he blushes, "Um... no offense intended, Dr. Light."

"How fast did you devise this plan, Brain Bot?" Mega asks.

_"Approximately nine seconds, 59.1 nanoseconds... it was quite difficult figure out, for a moment at least,"_ Brain Bot modestly answers.

"If we pull this off, I owe you Big Time!" Mega smiles.

"That's not all," Dr. Light says, "Drill Man's signal appears to have slowed down. Maybe he is losing energy, or maybe your words of warning are sticking with him. Either way, this is a lucky break."

Deacon orders his crews, "Get me all the equipment Brain Bot and Dr. Light require to make this happen."

_"Agreed. I'll pool extra resources to help build this device,"_ President Henry adds, _"Let's make the most of it, everybody. We've only got one shot at this, but I have the utmost faith that each and every one of you can pull it off."_

"Let's do it," Mega Man adds.

* * *

><p><strong>At a bar in New Mexico.<strong>

Instead of enjoying their night out, patrons are huddled all around the televisions watching the terrorizing dilemma at the Civil Defense Tower in New York. Usually, this establishment would be ripe with rowdy activity, but with everybody keeping up on the happenings at the tower, not many people are in a jovial mood.

There appears to be a nervous 'business-as-usual' vibe amongst the patrons here. Everybody is concerned with New York, but many of them are still drinking and some even playing games of Pool, looking back at the news every few hits. But, they are about to get an unexpected visitor.

The Nomad female Robot Master wanders into the bar, still wearing the grey sweatsuit she took from the Goodwill station in Arizona a few days ago. With her grey hood pulled over her head, she steps inside, seeing if she can find any energy supplements and not knowing that this is not the kind of establishment that sells energy liquid, but rather, a gold liquid named _"Beer."_

Nomad makes her way past all the humans gathered here, most of which are wearing clothing that looks like it was made with faux reptilian skin - like their black leather jackets and vest, and their snake-skin cowboy boots - and approaches a robot who is standing in front of a glowing sign that reads "Bar" in big letters.

"What can I get'cha?" the bartender robot asks with his pre-programmed accent.

Nomad barely looks up at the bartender robot with her thin eyes just barely visible under her sweatshirt hood, then pulls her left sweatsuit sleeve up to reveal the energy gauge on her left arm. But, by using her right hand to pull the sleeve up, she reveals her skeletal right hand as well.

"Oh, you must need an energy can, huh?" the bartender robot awkwardly says, "I'll, uh, go get one, yeah."

As the Robo bartender leaves, Nomad waits at the bar for him to return. But, as she waits, she looks up at a television screen and sees the live coverage of the trouble at the tower in New York. But, when she sees Mega Man on the screen, she gasps.  
>Enough of Wily's programming made it into her systems that she instantly recognizes who he is, and according to the corrupted directive given to her by Wily, she knows she has to do something to Mega Man, but because the files are damaged, she doesn't know what it is.<p>

As she stares at Mega Man on the screen, Nomad can hear the faint whispers of the humans behind her, and the words, "Robot," "Arizona" and "Wily" are uttered the most.

The bartender returns without an energy can, but tries to keep her here at the bar. "Just wait here for a few more moments," he says.

As Nomad waits, she hears footsteps approaching from behind. Then the robo bartender holds his hand up and states to somebody behind he, "Please, stay back."

Sensing trouble, Nomad spins 180 degrees and sees a group of rough-looking human men and one woman standing behind her, brandishing weapons like pool cues, chains and a baseball bat.

"I knew it! It's the female robot I heard about on the police radio!" says one human trucker wearing a baseball hat.

"She's probably one 'a Wily's too!" adds a semi-toothless burly biker guy.

Nomad stares at the humans threatening her and prepares to use her shockwave attack to get herself out of this situation. Because of Dr. Wily's programming, she does not have the prime directive of robots _("No Robot shall ever kill or bring serious harm to a human")_ encoded in her systems, so this could be an especially dangerous problem for the humans.

"Don't try anything," the bartender says, "The police have been notified and will be here any minute. They're not going to harm you."

"Yeah, but if she tries anything on us, there ain't nothin' says we can't to the same to her!" says the tough cowgirl from Texas.

To make this quandary even worse, Nomad then feels the stabbing pain beginning to manifest itself in her head, and she falls to her knees and clutches her craniums, trying to let out painful shrieks with no sound coming from her mouth.

"Let at her! She's already givin' up!" laughs the toothless biker.

As the bar patrons circle around her, the palm Nomad's unfinished right hand begins glowing bright blue again, powering up another shockwave attack. The only way she can get herself out of danger and make the pain go away is to use it.

Nomad throws her head upward, knocking her hood off her head and her eyes become wide and she teeth grind together, looking like she's possessed. She then slams her skeletal right hand onto the wooden floor of the bar and lets loose another destructive shockwave.

Every human and robot inside are violently hurled off their feet, some of them flying all the way outside. Every window, glass and television shatters and the wooden structure of the bar cannot withstand the force of the wave either, and splinter apart, causing the bar's roof to nearly collapse on itself.

Miraculously, all the humans survived, but some have sustained some serious injuries after being caught in the shockwave and tossed around like they were in a tornado. The same can be said of all the vehicles parked outside, including tractor-trailer semis that were knocked over on their sides.

Nomad jumps out of the destroyed bar and runs for her life once again, hoping to evade capture by the police once they begin showing up.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly after 2:30 AM.<br>Outside the tower.**

Where once there was very little hope of stopping this disaster from taking place, there now may be a much stronger chance of saving the day, as well as a great many lives as well.

Out front of the tower stands the freshly constructed _Mother of All Fusion Cutters_, very quickly put together and designed in a remarkably fast amount of time. It looks lik something out of a science-fiction movie from the 1950's with a long blast barrel and a large tank with the contents Brain Bot suggested contained inside it.

A crane is required to handle this remarkable creation to avoid causing injury to humans and robots within close proximity. Not many people questioned the ability of this machine either, because they trusted Brain Bot and Dr. Light.  
>The only questions left are: will it work the way Brain Bot expects it to work... and if it doesn't, what then?<p>

Dr. Light visually checks everything out with Brain Bot, who is joining via video uplink. "All essential parts and circuitry fully functional and connected," Dr. Light says.

_"Tank connected correctly, and all contents appear to be capacity appears to be correct,"_ Brain Bot says.

"Testing shields now," Thomas states.

Dr. Light powers up the special plasma shielding for the cutter, and the entire unit becomes 'encased' in protective plasma energy both inside and out, causing it to glow yellow.

"Shields are online and fully responsive. Let's begin," Thomas says.

The crew members move this massive cutter closer to the tower, bringing the nozzle of the machine right up to the main entrance.

Mega Man asks Brain Bot, "How long will it take to carve an entrance into this tower?"

_"According to my analysis of the schematics, it will take an estimated sixteen minutes for the cutter to create an entrance big enough of a human or humanoid robot to fit through with little discomfort,"_ Brain Bot replies.

"Dr. Light, how far along is Drill Man now?" Mega asks.

Dr. Light answers, "At the rate of speed he is going, we still have an hour before it is too late. Once he gets that far..." Thomas pauses and shakes his head. "We just have to get it done."

From inside, Roll asks, _"But how are you gonna get to Drill Man?"_

"I have a plan. I'll use the flight suit to go down and grab him. It might take a while to do it though," Mega answers, "We just have to hope for the best."

_"How are you gonna get past this booth Wily set up here? I have a hatchet and I couldn't even break through,"_ Roll asks.

"I'll find a way. Once I'm inside, you have to get back to the ground floor and leave through the same way you came in," Mega says, "Dr. Light will get the rest of us out of here."

_"Mega, there was something in the sound of Drill Man's voice... I don't think he wants to do this. I think he's scared. Maybe we should try to deal with him a little differently,"_ Roll says, once again bringing up her belief that Drill Man may be an unwilling participant in Wily's plan.

"And it also could be a Wily trick," Mega says, "It's not going to matter for much longer, 'cause you'll be out of there in fifteen minutes... if all goes well."

_"But, what about you?"_ Roll asks.

Mega pauses for a moment, not directly answering his sister's question... he knows that his chances of managing to stop Drill Man before it's too late _and_ making it back are not high. "Like I said, we'll have to hope for the best," he finally replies.

The super cutter is powered up, producing a long hot white flame from the nozzle, hotter than any flame in human history. The unit is then slowly moved towards the tower entrance and begins piercing through all of the layers of reinforced titanium.

* * *

><p>Back inside the tower, Roll has a bad feeling her brother could be rushing into a situation he might not survive. There has to be something she can still do to help. It is then that Roll eyes the radio that was left behind with Drill Man's frequency written on it. She remembers how strange Drill Man sounded when she heard his voice earlier. He sounded like he needed to be talked down from doing this.<p>

"Wily told Drill Man to keep drilling and ignore Mega... but he didn't say anything about ignoring me!" Roll says as she walks toward the radio and grabs it.

After taking a moment to consider if she should do this, Roll makes her decision and presses down on the contact button. "Hello?"

A moment later, there is a response from Drill Man. _"What? Who is this?"_

"Somebody who wants to help you stop what you're doing," Roll replies.

_"How do you know who I am or what I'm doing?"_ Drill Man asks.

"Because I'm trapped inside that tower in New York. And there are a lot of people who are in danger too," Roll answers, "We're all gonna die if you don't stop drilling. You really need to stop and turn around."

_"I have to keep drilling. Dr. Wily said so,"_ Drill Man says.

Roll presses, "Forget what Wily says! What do _you_ say? Isn't there something inside of you that's saying this is all wrong?"

After a long pause, Drill Man answers._ "Well... Dr. Wily ordered me to do it, but I really don't want to."_

* * *

><p>Outside, Chief Toombs races up to Mega Man and Dr. Light with some strange news. "She's talkin' to him!"<p>

"What?" Mega gasps.

"It must be the radio she found inside," Thomas says.

"You're gonna wanna listen. I think our lass is trying to talk 'im outta doin' this," Toombs says, holding up the radio for them to hear...

_"I have to keep drilling. Dr. Wily said so."_

_"Forget what Wily says! What do _you_ say? Isn't there something inside of you that's saying this is all wrong?"_

_"Well... Dr. Wily ordered me to do it, but I don't really want to do it."_

"What is she _doing_?" Mega stresses, reaching for his forearm communicator to try and stop her, but Dr. Light stops him from interceding.

"She's trying to stop him... and she's making progress," Thomas says.

Mega Man, Dr. Light and many others listen on as Roll tries to talk Drill Man out of this... and the whole world listens in too, because the news media also has been keeping an eye open on the signal and have decided to broadcast it.

* * *

><p>"It's okay to not do something you don't want to do. And why don't you want to go through with this?" Roll asks.<p>

_"Because... I would be destroyed too. I just want to live!"_ Drill Man says.

"Then, turn yourself around and come back up," Roll implores, "You don't have to do this. You can live!"

But, soon another voice intervenes. It was Dr. Wily again. _"Well! I did not expect that _you_ would be so willing to help poor Drill Man! But, you are just wasting your breath! My robots will follow my commands right to the grave! Drill Man, I order you to-"_

"SHUT-UP, WILY!" Roll yells, then pleads to Drill Man, "Drill Man, don't listen to Wily. He's a monster and a killer! If you turn around and stop this now, we'll _all_ make it out of this alive!"

_"If you listen to her, Drill Man, you will never make me proud! You will always be remembered as the worthless failure you have always been!"_ Albert snaps.

_"... I'm really sorry, lady... I need to make Dr. Wily proud of me."_ a defeated Drill Man laments.

"Drill Man, you are _not_ worthless!" Roll emphatically says, "You only feel worthless because evil people like Dr. Wily _want_ you to feel that way! No matter what he tells you, you will never make him proud... just ask ProtoMan about that. And no matter how bad people like Wily want you to feel, you shouldn't feel bad, because there's somebody out there who _does_ care about you. And if you come back up and stop this, you won't make Dr. Wily proud... but you will make _me_ proud, and you'll make _everybody_ proud!"

_"She's lying to you Drill Man!"_ Wily yells,_ "I order you to keep drilling until you die creating that volcano! If you don't obey me, you will violate your programming!"_

Wily's cruel order gives Roll an epiphany: Drill Man's answer was in his core programming to begin with... "Drill Man, listen to me. If you kill yourself, you'll be violating your programming anyway!"

_"What do you mean?"_ Drill Man asks.

"All robots are programmed to never self-destruct at the request of a human. But, that is _exactly_ what Dr. Wily is ordering you to do!" Roll says, "This is why you feel the desire to keep living, because your true programming requires you to live! Even Dr. Wily can't reverse engineer that!"

_"What does this mean?"_ Drill Man asks.

"Dr. Wily's programming is worthless! It means nothing over your right to live! You don't have to listen to him anymore!" Roll says.

* * *

><p>Underground, after hours of drilling down to the surface, Drill Man comes to a complete stop as the kind lady on his communicator has convinced him not to listen to Dr. Wily's suicidal orders, but to listen to what his core programming - his desire to keep living - is telling him to do!<p>

"You're right!" Drill Man exclaims, "I don't have to die! I can live!"

Drill Man drills himself around to a 180 degree turn and begins racing back up to the surface, much to the anger of Dr. Wily.

_"DRILL MAN! Turn back around and drill to the core of the Earth, OR I WILL COME DOWN THERE AND DISMANTLE YOU PIECE BY PIECE!"_

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Dr. Wily. It's against my programming," Drill Man says, "I must LIVE!"

_"Damn you, Drill Man! DAMN YOU!"_ Dr. Wily roars, _"You are not one of my robots anymore! You make me sick!"_

Drill Man continues to drill back up the same way he came, and because he doesn't have anything in his way, he travels at twice the speed he was on the way down here.

"Hey, Lady! Are you still there? I'm going to live!" Drill Man cheers.

_"That's great, Drill Man! I knew you could do it!"_ Roll says.

"I'll come up there and help you get out of that tower!" Drill Man adds, "Then we'll both be okay!"

* * *

><p>Outside, as the super cutter is just past half way through cutting into the tower, everybody has been listening on to the three-way conversation between Roll, Drill Man and Dr. Wily on the radio, and everybody is in shock and very relieved all at once.<p>

But, Mega Man has a horrifying thought when he hears that Drill Man is on his way back inside the tower... "When he sees Roll in there, he's gonna try to attack her!"

Dr. Light hustles the crew, "Please cut faster!"

Mega Man urgently contacts his sister inside. "Roll, you've gotta take cover! When Drill Man makes it up there, he's gonna recognize you!"

"I don't think so, Mega. I can reason with him," Roll insists.

"He's still a Wily robot, and that means he's still dangerous!" Mega insists.

"His signal's getting closer, fast. But, that cutter's almost done cuttin'!" Toombs says, as the super cutter is carving through the tower walls, working faster and approaching the three-quarter mark... and then, the unthinkable happens. The cutter breaks down and the flame dies.

"Oh, no!" Thomas sighs in fear, "It's offline!"

Mega Man gasps as Dr. Light and the technicians race to get the cutter back online before it's too late. "Roll, the cutter stopped working! Drill Man's almost on you, get out of there now!"

_"I know what I'm doing, Rock,"_ Roll says, sounding calm despite the imminent threat.

* * *

><p>Inside the tower basement, Roll becomes a bit nervous now. As much as she thinks she has reached Drill Man's good side, she doesn't know what he will do when he recognizes her. But, she stands her ground and waits for Drill Man to arrive.<p>

Roll keeps the radio on and sets it aside as Drill Man comes up through the ground and into the transparent aluminum booth standing tall and covered in dirt and scratches all over his armor. He slams one of his driller arms on the door to knock it open and free himself from the booth.

When he steps out, he is shocked to see Roll of all robots standing there. His eyes contained in his very small half-face become huge as he stands across from her.

"What? You're Mega Man's sister! Dr. Wily says I have to destroy you!" Drill Man snaps, raising his driller arms again like he's ready to attack her, but Roll only puts her hands up... and Drill Man's takes notice and lowers his driller arms.

"You're my enemy... but, you helped me," he says.

* * *

><p>Outside, Mega Man runs to the tower wall, freaking out that his sister's life is now in serious danger.<p>

"Get that thing online now!" he shouts.

"It's overheated. It needs to cool down or it could kill us all!" a technician says.

"My sister's going to die if I don't get in there! Move it back now!" Mega yells.

As the super cutter is pulled back, Mega Man switches his power to GutsMan's copied Super Arm ability which he managed to copy during the battle outside earlier - causing his left arm to become bigger and much more powerful - hoping that just enough of the wall has been cut away to pry open.

Mega rears his enlarged fist back and delivers the hardest punch he has ever thrown in his life, and manages to bend the layers of titanium back just enough to create an opening, but a very small one. Mega Man uses the power in that arms to push the wall open to make the hole bigger.

He lets out a loud yell and squeezes his eyes shuts as he uses every once of strength to get that wall open just big enough for him to fit through. And finally, he manages to pry the wall open like a sardine can just enough to make it through, and he crawls inside with Rush following him in.

* * *

><p>"You're my enemy! Why did you help me live?" Drill Man asks.<p>

Roll explains, "Because what Dr. Wily was doing to you was wrong. I could hear the stress in your voice when my brother tried to talk you out of doing this, and I knew you were afraid."

Drill Man shakes his head. "My programming says I should destroy you... but, you helped me live."

"You don't have to destroy anybody anymore!" Roll says.

Mega Man arrives to the basement and Rush is right behind him. He aims his blaster at Drill Man and barks, "Get away from her or I blast you right here!"

"No, wait!" Roll says, standing between her brother and Drill Man, "You two don't have to fight anymore!"

"But, If I destroy Mega Man, Dr. Wily will be proud of me!" Drill Man says.

"No he won't!" Roll says, turning back to Drill Man, "Didn't you hear what he said? He said you're not one of his robots anymore. You've already violated his programming."

Drill Man's arms lower as Roll's words sink in. He now realizes that he no longer has a purpose. "I disappointed him for good... I guess I am a failure," he mopes.

"No, you're not!" Roll says, as she steps up to Drill Man, "You haven't failed anybody. You're not going to die now, and neither will anybody else. You just help save New York from being destroyed. Everything will be okay."

"It will?" Drill Man asks.

Seeing the sincerity in Drill Man's sad eyes, Mega Man powers down his plasma cannon and watches as Roll reasons with the Robot Master.

"You're away from Wily now. You're free! And you have a second chance to live the way you want to live," Roll says.

Mega adds, "When we step outside, there are going to be a lot of people cheering. And they're going to be cheering for you too, because they've been listening to everything that's been going on."

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Roll encourages, "You can live like us now and be happy. Dont you want that?"

Drill Man still has difficulty trying to accept that Mega Man is no longer his enemy, because his programming gnaws away at him. But, Dr. Wily's rejection of his combined with directly disobeying his orders convince him to not attack Mega or Roll.

Drill Man steps towards Mega and Roll with his head still bowed down, feeling empty inside, but not afraid to listen to his former enemies anymore. At least they sound friendly.

"But, what about Dr. Wily?" he asks, "I can't make him proud."

"No, you won't make him proud," Mega Man says, "But, you've made _me_ proud to be a robot. And I'm pretty sure you've made a lot of robots proud tonight too. And you should be proud of yourself."

Mega offers his right hand to Drill Man. But, since he doesn't have hands, Drill Man doesn't know what to do at first, so he holds out one of his Drillers. Mega puts both of his hands on the driller arm, and gently shakes it. He doesn't even copy his Drill Bomb power because he is sure Drill Man won't attack him now.

As Rush leads the way to the elevator and Drill Man slowly follows him, Mega and Roll follow them inside. Once the elevator begins to lift, Mega gives Roll and big hug and she returns it, both siblings on the verge of tears.

"I was so afraid I was gonna lose you," Mega says.

"I was afraid I'd never see my family again. That includes you too, Rush!" Roll whimpers as she looks down at Rush who rubs his head up against her leg to embrace her.

Mega says, "You're more than just a partner, Roll... you're a hero too!

"I am?" Roll asks.

"You saved the city...! You saved everybody!" Mega confirms.

"And I saved another life too." Roll says, looking over at Drill Man.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside.<strong>

Captain Tallarico begins arounding up the police gathered at the scene and giving orders. "When that Robot Master comes out here, I want him in quarantine and processed."

Lynn Wersching objects, "Aren't you listening? He's not with Wily anymore."

"He's still got Wily's programming in him. He's too dangerous to be on the loose," Tallarico says.

"Belay that order!" Chief Toombs bellows, "Chief's prerogative."

"Chief, this is a Wily created robot!" Tallarico stresses.

"He _was_ a Wily robot," Toombs says, "But, I thinks he deserves a second chance, just like the one he just gave all o' us!"

Dr. Light steps forward. "I'll take him back to my lab. I can reprogram him for good."

"I agree with Thomas, Captain," says Governor Deacon, "Drill Man's past actions are a thing of the past. I suggest we move forward."

Tallarico submits with a sneer, waving away her hand. "Fine. But, if he tries anything, I'm not going to be so forgiving."

A minute later, Mega Man, Roll and Rush step through the hole created in the wall of the tower and are met with resounding applause from everybody outside. Even when Drill Man comes out, the cheers continue for him as well. He has never known what it is like to have people happy to see him, because they were always running way when he was around.  
>The Robot Master embraces the moment by shyly waving one of his drill arms to the people around.<p>

Dr. Light approaches his robot children and embraces them, and Peekaboo runs right for his mommy Roll, who cries, "Boo!" and scoops him up in her arms to hug him.

After a harrowing night full of fear, The Light family is still whole, nothing was destroyed and nobody was killed, and a former Wily Robot Master has been given a chance to redeem himself. A chance at _living._

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>

President Henry and several members of his cabinet watch the outcome of the rescue operation in New York and are instantly relieved when they see the Light family emerging from the tower.

"Inform the evac shuttles they can return the citizens to their homes. The situation has been resolved. Also, I want to speak to that girl when she gets the chance," The President says, referring to Roll, "She deserves to be honored for what she's done tonight."

"Yes, sir, Mr. President," says one member of the staff, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Chief of Staff Kravitz returns holding the phone. He gives the President a nod, indicating that it was Mr. Black again.

The President leaves the room and takes the call just outside. "This is Henry."

_"I see that you chose not to take my offer, Mr. President,"_ Mr. Black says, _"Right now, you're probably thinking it was the right decision to refuse my help, but I assure you, it wasn't... I could have offered you something you would not have been able to refuse. Something I know you would want."_

"You can still do that. If it's for the good of humanity, it may very well help your case," President Henry says.

_"I'm not interested in dealing with you anymore, Mr. President. Goodbye."_

After a moment, the President speaks to who _else_ was on the line. "Was it him?"

_"There's no doubt in my mind, Sir,"_ replies Agent Allen from the F.B.I. _"Judging by how he sounds, it is clear he's snapped and it's only a matter of time before he does something that leads him right into our hands. We'll get him, Mr. President."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The day is saved, but the epilogue chapter is still coming up after this. I think when this episode is over, you will agree that this was Roll's episode more than anybody else's._

_Also, this was the longest chapter in Defender history, even longer than the previous chapter. (Will this record amount of text be topped one day? Maybe.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch any continuity errors that are so devastating it Would easily turn Skull Man into a big ol' pile of Them Bones, please PM me._

_Roll and Drill Man are saved!_


	93. Episode 8 epilogue: Mega Sis

_**Episode 8 Epilogue: Mega Sis.**_

* * *

><p><strong>On the border of Arizona and New Mexico.<br>After midnight.**

A moody ProtoMan sulks the streets once again wearing his jacket and sunglasses disguise as he resumes his wild goose chase for the missing nomad Robot Master in the middle of the night following another show of blatant disrespect by Dr. Wily.

Proto is relieved knowing that Wily's plan to use the tower failed and that his sister Roll and everybody else survived. And when he heard the details about how Roll managed to talk Drill Man into turning around and saving his life own too, Proto felt especially relieved.

Proto briefly grins when he imagines the tantrum that Wily must be throwing right now as a result of such an epic defeat, and one that come at the hands of Roll. But, thinking about Wily only makes Proto angry again. Even though he has regained his spot as Wily's 'boy,' things are more tense than ever between them. Proto has a sinking feeling that things are about to explode between them, and maybe within the entire Wily camp very soon.

And ProtoMan is strangely okay with an inevitable confrontation with Wily. The events of this year so far has made Proto change the way he approaches things. This has been especially clear when he tried to stop the ion bomb from exploding in Times Square, then saved the poor Met from Wily's experiments, and later freed Roll and helped his brother defeated Bass. There was something inside Proto that drove him to do these things, and it certainly wasn't Wily's programming.

"What the hell is going on?" Proto complains as he shakes his head, "Why am I being so _nice_ lately? Why the hell is Wily being such an ass? I'm best robot in the world, but instead, I'm stuck out here in the middle of the night trying to find this damn runaway Robot Master who's only gonna replace me anyway! So why bother?"

As an angry Proto turns the corner on the street, he bumps into somebody noticeably smaller than him, a woman covered head to toe and a grey hooded sweat suit with the hood pulled over her head.

Proto doesn't even bother apologizing to the woman and keeps going, and she doesn't say anything either and keeps walking... and that's when it dawns on Proto, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. There was something strange about this woman.

That didn't _feel_ like a human he bumped into, but more like a robot with armor over their body... and even though he only caught a brief glance of her face, her featured looked like a human Asian's...

ProtoMan slowly turns around to see if this female was still behind him... and there she was, standing with her back turned to Proto and looking back at him... and even though he could only see the profile of her face, ProtoMan could tell it was _her_!

Nomad bolts away from ProtoMan like a bat out of hell and Proto gives chase, now running down the streets of Arizona crossing over into New Mexico at breakneck speed, even into oncoming traffic and almost getting hit. As fast as Nomad is, Proto doesn't lose a step and keeps a good pace with her.

As the chase continues, Nomad leaps for a nearby lamp post and uses it to catapult herself to a nearby rooftopin a small city nearby. Instead of leaping after her, Proto takes a chance by simply remaining on the ground and following the path he believes she will take.

Proto's instincts were right. He spots Nomad leaping into from the rooftop and grabbing a passing SkyCar that races past on the skyway, nearly causing the driver to crash as he loses control. Nomad quickly leaps off of the car and heads down an alley between buildings nearby.

ProtoMan runs after her and turns a corner to head down the same alley, but when he gets there, he finds no trace of her. Proto sneaks down the alley and draws his blaster at the ready, looking all over for her, but not finding her.

"Did Wily gave you magic disappearing powers too?" Proto taunts, trying to get her to show herself.

A moment later, Proto hears the loud _"VRRRRRAAANNNG!"_ sound made by her shockwave attack and looks up to see chunks of debris from the surrounding buildings falling down in the alley. Proto aims his blaster at the direction where the shock was fired, but he quickly realizes that this was just a strategic ploy to throw him off. A ploy that Proto would have used if he were in the same spot.

"Clever girl!" he grins.

Proto spins around and draws his blaster only to see Nomad lunging right for him already. Before he could fire off a stun blast Nomad pounces him, knocking him off his feet and pinning him to the ground, which is crackled from the impact.  
>ProtoMan aims his blaster at the Nomad's head and she presses her unfinished right arm - which is the one she attacks with - in the center of his chest, charging up another shock attack.<p>

Proto knows that whoever makes the next move will win this battle, and it could be a fatal ending. If Proto would blast her in the head - even with a stun blast - it would likely do serious harm to her, if not fatal harm.  
>And Proto can hear the humming sound coming from Nomad's right hand, and he knows she is charging up another devastating shockwave attack, and if it's anything like the one that wrecked Skull Fortress' hangar bay, he knows he's as good as dead. And he's pretty sure <em>she<em> knows what kind of trouble they are both in too, holding each other's lives in one another's hands, waiting for the other to make the last move.

The two robots remain totally still, neither of them moving an inch and the tense stare down continues, both of them just waiting for the other to move. Proto stares into Nomad's thins eyes and she stares into his sunglasses.

As Proto looks into her eyes, however, he realizes that she's not trying to beat him. She's just trying to survive. And also, he can see by looking into her eyes that she is still feeling the effects of the pain in his head. It might not be as bad as it was when she was first powered-up, but it is still there, and Proto can still see it.

ProtoMan would hate to have to take any harsh action against her... in fact, he feels sorry for her. After seeing what Wily has done lately, she deserves better than whatever that old man has planned for her.  
>But, then Proto remembers something... Dr. Wily never<em> specifically<em> ordered Proto to bring her back to him. He only ordered him to find her... and now that he's found her, he has accomplished his specific order. That's all he needs to do.

ProtoMan powers down his blaster and his red left hand reappears. Nomad appears to understand that ProtoMan is yielding and she is surprised.

"I'm not fighting you anymore," he says, "You don't want anybody wiping your memory, so you're defending yourself. I get that... and maybe you're right. I know how Wily operates, and after seeing what he's been doing lately, Skull Fortress is no place for you."

Nomad looks bewildered and begins repeatedly blinking her eyes. Because of her botched programming upload, the Nomad does not have the ability to speak. She tries opening her mouth, but nothing comes out.

"You're free to go," Proto says.

Nomad's eyes keep blinking and her lip trembles. This is the first time she has ever encountered the basic human emotion of kindness. Nomad picks herself up off of ProtoMan and begins walking away. But, Proto gets up and tries going after her.

"Wait!" Proto calls, "I know you're suffering right now, and I know you're scared. It's a terrible pain in your head and the only way for it to go away is to destroy something. You don't know where it came from and I don't either, but... you're not the only robot who has felt this. I know what you're going through, because I've felt it myself."

Proto cautiously steps forward, inching closer to Nomad who still has her back turned to him, not moving. He adds, "When I was going through this, I felt like nobody would understand, even my creators. I felt alone, like I had nobody who would understand me, and I know you do too. But, you're not alone... I understand you."

Then, Nomad suddenly turns around and runs up to Proto and begins holding him in some sort of hugging embrace as she puts her head on his upper left chest, letting out painful muted sobs which only sound like feint choking wheezes.

Proto doesn't know how to react to her at first. Earlier she was ready to kill him, and now she's crying on him. But, Proto finally puts his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her, because deep down inside, Proto does feel for her.  
>The two share common bond because of the head pain they both have experienced. Proto felt the need to help her, and she feels like he's the only one who understands her. And in the strange world they have both been 'born' into, each other are the only ones who they fully trust.<p>

After holding the embrace for a little while longer, Proto softly says, "You need to go before Wily calls and wants a status update. I'll cover for you, but you need to go somewhere safe and keep a low profile."  
>Proto then pulls up the left sleeve on her sweatshirt and enters a command on her forearm controls. "I'm entering my communicator frequency into your memory. If you ever need me, just give me a signal."<p>

Nomad looks up with wet, tear-filled eyes and nods.

ProtoMan hears the voice of Wily coming from his forearm communicator, _"ProtoMan, have you found her?"_

Proto knows his time is up, but he doesn't answer Wily right away. Instead he allows Nomad some time to escape. "Go," he whispers.

Nomad nods again quickly pulls her hood over her head and runs away as ProtoMan replies to Wily.

_"Proto!"_ he barks,_ "Respond!"_

"She's gone," Proto lies, "There's nothing left to recover."

_"DAMN IT! This damn night has been a complete mess! Everything has failed!"_ Wily snaps, _"Return to the fortress."_

"I'm on my way," Proto says as he cuts off the call.

As Proto exits the alley, he looks towards the direction Nomad escapes and doesn't find a trace of her. She had already fled.

Proto thought about sending her to Dr. Light instead of telling her to run, but he still has his own issues with his other co-creator. Besides, if Nomad doesn't trust Dr. Light as much as he doesn't trust him, that would only spell disaster for Light and even Mega Man too.  
>In the meantime, ProtoMan hopes that this Nomad friend of his can find a safe place to be. And he hopes he can make her better one day.<p>

"You're not getting her, Wily," Proto says to the air, "No way."

Proto begins running away into the night to return to Skull Fortress. But, little does he know, he is being watched... watched by a mysterious dark figure wearing a beige cloak and a black helmet with yellow arches on either side, and with dark red eyes underneath.

"Enjoy your freedom while you have it... Big Brother," says **Bass**, "Soon, both you and Mega Man will fall at my hand... and so will all others who will dare challenge me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that week.<br>New York City.**

Press from all around the world have gathered today to take part in a ceremony, to honor the events of this past week, and most specifically to honor Roll and the part she played in it. The President and Governor Deacon are here to be part of this ceremony, however the crowd is not as big as the one that turned out for Mega Man's ceremony two years ago, and it doesn't have to be, just as long as the most important people in Roll's life are here with her.

Mega Man, Dr. Light, Eddie, Rush and Peekaboo stand beside Roll - wearing a red dress for the occasion - as she stands up on the stage, holding Boo's extension arm hand as he steps beside her. She wanted to make sure he had his mommy there so he wouldn't get scared at the sight of all the people and robots gathered out here.

"I award this medal to you on behalf of the millions of innocent lives you saved, and doing it so bravely in the face of a seemingly impossible situation using only diplomacy and reason," President Henry.

Roll nearly blushes (but, her cheeks don't turn red, because she's a robot,) after hearing the President's words about how she handled herself... even though the way she dealt with Top Man was not _exactly_ diplomatic.

"This week, you have proven yourself to be a symbol of hope and optimism, not just for all women, but for all of us. You are are just as much of a hero as your very famous brother, and you have earned this honor. Congratulations, young lady!" Henry says.

President Henry hangs the medal of valor around Roll's neck and the crowd cheers along with Mega Man and the rest of the Lights as Peekaboo jumps right next to her, looking happier than he's ever been. Roll herself smiles and waves to the people, all of which she saved by being courageous to want to help them and not having to fire a single blast to do it, something that even Mega Man has not been able to avoid whenever he has to save the world from a Wily threat

Roll steps up to the microphone and decides to speak. "Wow... I've never talked to this many people before, but here goes," Roll says, sounding a bit timid at first, "Um... Thanks!"

That sentiment alone garners more cheers from the crowd before Roll continues, "All of the stuff you heard me say the other night was all true. There was a time after I lost my first Met Doc when I felt all alone, but I had my family there to pick me up. If it wasn't for them, I don't know if I would be standing here today. I know there are people out there who aren't as fortunate to have a family who somebody close to you to help make you feel good about yourself, but even you should never feel alone... "

Roll looks down at Peekaboo, the little robot who had nobody to care for him until Roll came into his life (with a little help from ProtoMan.) Boo blinks as Roll smiles and gently squeezes his hand...

"Because there really is always somebody out there who cares about you, and will be there to pick you up," Roll concludes as she literally picks up Peekaboo and holds her in her arms.

* * *

><p>After the ceremony is over, Roll and her family step behind the stage and find the newly reprogrammed Drill Man standing there as he applauds his new friend with his new interchangeable hands, which are rather large to fit with his large forearms. If only he had a full face he would be smiling too.<br>After recovering him from the tower, Dr. Light gave Drill Man a completely new set of programming directives to help mankind, removing all of Dr. Wily's garbage from his system at the same time. Thus, we have a Drill Man who has a new outlook on life.

"Hey, Drill Man!" Roll says.

"Hi! I'm happy to see you got your award!" Drill Man says, "I want to thank you for helping me get a second chance. I've even got a task helping the humans with drilling operations now! And I've got my hands too!"

"That's great, Drill Man. You've made me proud!" Roll beams.

"Thanks... you make me proud too," Drill Man says, stepping up to Roll and wrapping his large forearms around her to give his new friend a big hug.

After Roll hugs Drill Man back, she gives him some words of advice. "You've got a new shot at living now. Make the most of it, and do it for good. You're not a failure, you're a success!"

"Thanks... now I can be friends with you guys, right?" Drill Man asks, rubbing his new hands together.

Mega Man chimes in, "You're not with Wily anymore, so you're already a friend of mine!"

"Wow! That's great! I don't want to fight you anyway," Drill Man says, scratching his drill-shaped head with the fingers on his new right hand.

Afterwards, Governor Deacon approaches the Lights with some words of support. "I want to congratulate you, Roll, on your honor... but, I am truly sorry for any of this happening."

Roll shrugs, "It's okay, Governor Deacon. Everybody made it out of this in one piece."

"Yes, but, I never should have gone through with this. The tower was a mistake," Deacon says, 'And from now on, I will be consulting all security matters of this magnitude with you, Thomas, if you wish."

Mega Man and Dr. Light share a glance at each other, briefly considering Deacon's offer.

"I think that would be a very good idea, Mitchell," Thomas says, "It is always better to work together han apart."

Dr. Light and Governor Deacon shake hands, but Mega Man still feels a bit burned by how the Governor handled this situation. He always should have consulted with them when it comes to matters concerning Dr. Wily.

As The Light head out to return home, Roll turns to her older brother. "Now I know how you felt when you got your medal, Mega. It's just as cool as you said it was."

"I told you you were cut out for this hero business, sis!" Mega smiles back.

Thomas adds, "And you are just as much of a hero as your brother is, Roll. You earned this honor."

"But, I didn't even have to fire a blast," Roll shrugs as she continues to hold Boo's hand.

"A lot of times, the best heroes are the ones who don't _have_ to fire a shot," Mega Man replies, "But, they're just as brave, and they always do the right thing, just like when you took in our new friend Boo."

Peekaboo smiles and bleeps, and Roll cradles her Met into her arms again. "I knew I couldn't give up back there. Because, I had a family to come home to. I just had to see you again... and I had a promise to keep, didn't I, Boo?"

Boo beeps and Roll kisses him on his cute little face as the Light family make their way back home.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Governor Deacon begins leaving the ceremony, his Chief of Staff follows him closely with some alarming news. "Mr. Governor, there's something important that came to my attention during the ceremony."<p>

"What is it?" Deacon asks.

"An audio file of Newkirk found its way into our posseesion," he says, "We don't know when it was recorded, but it doesn't appear to be doctored... perhaps it's best if you listen to it yourself."

Ranquist grabs an audio player out of his suit jacket pocket and presses _play_, and what comes out of the machine is shocking...

_"The tower has been sabotaged,"_ says the voice of Mr. Newkirk the security advisor of the Civil Defense Tower who was uncerimoniously fired the toher night, _"Deacon and those fools he chose to be on the bridge crew have no idea. If all goes well, we could still catch Wily, but when this becomes the ultimate public relations nightmare for Deacon, he will have no choice but to resign... it will blow everything wide open."_

Deacon is speechless, but he clearly looks bothered by this revelation.

"We don't know who he was speaking to, but our best people are looking into it. If you wish, Mr. Governor, we can presses charges against him before he even knew what hit him," Mr. Ranquist says, putting the audio file back in his pocket.

Deacon runs his hand through his jet black hair, still trying to get over this shocking news. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted him."

While the audio file is damning evidence, it is _not_ real... in fact, it was a cleverly doctored piece of forgery, manipulated by top of the line audio manipulation technology. And it was all the work of The Conduit, as well as his new hand...

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gasselchaft.<strong>

Tiesel Bonne sits in his spacious room expecting a contact from The Conduit about the outcome of the task he was assigned to carry out. It was Tiesel who manipulated the audio file with some very rare and expensive audio mixing equipment that was 'acquired' in his travels.  
>He sampled Newkirk's voice from his spy mission the other night and warped it to have him say something else entirely, each word carefully 'written' by The Conduit, and then managing to find it's way to Mitchell Deacon's office this morning.<p>

Finally, about a half hour after Roll's ceremony in New York was over, the call comes in and Tiesel picks up right away. "Hello!"

_"The file has been delivered, and it seems legal actions are already being made against Mr. Newkirk," _The Conduit says, _"No matter what he claims, he won't stand a chance."_

"Well, why did we have to frame this guy anyway?" Tiesel asks.

_"It serves a greater purpose, young man,"_ The Conduit says,_ "Getting him out of the way will only bring me closer to my goal. And I have some very special plans for Mitchell Deacon."_

After hearing The Conduit's cryptic comments about the 'plans' for Mitchell Deacon, Tiesel starts having second thoughts about working with this person, especially when it comes to shady tactics like these.  
>"Yeah, I've been thinking about our agreement. I'm not sure if I should continue doing these tasks. It's a bit dangerous, and I do have other responsibilities."<p>

_"It would be regrettable if you left. I could still use somebody with the talent that you clearly posses. Regardless, I do owe you the compensation that was promised. I am wiring it to you now."_

A moment later, Tiesel's eyes widen when he looks at a screen showing that he had just been wired double the amount that was originally agreed upon. He is so stunned, he can't even talk.

_"However, if you continue to work for me, I can promise you that the compensations will only grow bigger,"_ The Conduit says, tantalizing Tiesel who is now spellbound by the promise of more money. Money that he wouldn't have to give to his father to grow his fortune, but money to build his own fortune!

Unable to take his eyes off the massive dollar figure in front of him, Tiesel barely drones, "Well... now that you put it that way, I think I can manage to ignore the details of your missions. Just call me back when you need me. Thank you!"

_"That's what I thought. I will be in touch, Tiesel. Enjoy your riches,"_ The Conduit says.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man sits in his bedroom sans helmet, staring at a nearby mobile telephone. There have been two occasions this week where Mega has been absolutely scared of his wits.  
>The first time was when he thought he was going to lose his sister Roll just the other day; the second is right now, a few button presses away from speaking directly to Kalinka Cossack to tell her how he feels about her.<p>

The same hesitant thoughts enter Mega's thoughts again: What will she say? How will she react? Is she even awake? Is now a bad time? What if Dr. Cossack answers and how will he react?

Finally, Mega just tries to bury all the nerves and gets the courage to pick the phone up off the table and enter the Cossack Citadel's number into the keypad. After he enters the number, all that's left is one more press to start the call. Mega's right thumb hovers over the _'Talk'_ button on the screen of the phone as he has some last-minute thoughts... then, he presses it.

Mega's nerve sensors are even more jumpy now as he hears the dial tone in the speaker, buzzing differently than it would if it were a North American number. The seconds seem like hours as the dial keeps rings until he hears a pick-up.

_"You have reached The Cossack Citadel,"_ answers a robot speaking English with a Russian accent, _"You are calling from North America, and the proper language has been chosen by default. How may I help you today?"_

"Um... I would like to speak with Kalinka Cossack, if she's awake," Mega says, sounding so nervous.

_"Miss Cossack is currently at University, but I will inform Miss Cossack you wish to speak with her and reconnect the call. Please remain on the line,"_ says the robot answering assistant.

Mega Man stares at his blue feet, knowing that the moment of truth is upon him. All he hears is silence on the line for nearly a minute, and the nervousness only gets worse. Why is she taking so long? Maybe she_ is_ asleep. What if she doesn't want to talk to him or if she's weirded out that he's calling her?

Then, he hears a click on the line, meaning somebody has picked up. And it was her.

_"Mega!"_ squees a happy Kalinka Cossack.

"Hi, Kalinka," Mega says calmly, if a bit nerve-wracked.

_"I am so happy you called! You catch me right before bedtime!"_ Kalinka beams in her broken English,_ "I watch Roll's medal ceremony tonight! I wish I could have been there. Please tell her she is great hero just like you!"_

"I'll be sure to tell her. She really is a hero... I was scared I was going to lose her for a while," Mega says.

_"Aw,"_ Kalinka sighs, _"You are such a sweet guy. We were afraid for all of you too. But, I knew you would all make it. Love is too strong. That's what Mother always tell me."_

Mega smiles. "Love is strongest of all emotions... I'm so glad Dr. Light made us like we are so we can experience it."

And love is precisely the reason he was calling her tonight. It was now or never. "So, uh, how have you been?" Mega asks.

_"University is okay. I'm learning to improve my English, but, It's still rough around edges. Everybody always ask me what it was like in Skull Fortress and how scary that day was. But, my favorite part is telling them about the time we spent together."_

Mega almost gasps when he hears Kalinka's answer. "You mean you told them about...?"

Kalinka laughs. _"No, not the kiss! I would never do that to you, darling. That's _our_ secret only."_

Mega Man tenses up a bit, getting the courage to continue. "I've, uh... been thinking about you lately."

_"Really?"_ Kallinka asks.

"Yeah... you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. It's kinda hard to get you out of my mind," Mega shrugs.

_"Oh, stop it, you!"_ Kalinka blushes through the phone.

"I really mean it," Mega insists, "Um... maybe when you're not busy, and when I'm not busy..." Mega almost takes a deep breath to get this off his chest.

_"Mega... are you asking me out on date?"_ Kalinka asks

Mega replies, "Um... yeah. I would really like to see you again."

_"Yeah?"_ Kalinka replies softly and a bit shy, but unable to hide the hint of excitement in her voice,_ "I would like to see you again too, Mega."_

Mega feels relived to finally get this process going. "Great! Um, so when should we do this?"

_"I'm stuck at University until semester is over in August. Then, I am going back home and traveling with father until September," _Kalinka answers,_ "But, I will have one week open after that. If you're are not busy that week... maybe?"_

"Yeah! That sounds great! It's, uh... it's a date!" Mega says, "Um, I know you've got to get some sleep, but, uh... there's something else I wanted to tell you. Something that I don't think it can wait until September."

_"And what is it, Mega?"_ a bubbly Kalinka asks.

Mega takes a deep breath, knowing that the time had come. There was one more step to take. All he had to do was say it.

_"Kalinka... uh... I... I... um,"_ Mega stammers, almost kicking himself for not just spitting it out. " I... really like you."

Kalinka giggles, _"You are so cute when you speak!"_ Then she pauses, struggling to speak herself,_ "I like you too," _she finally says in a softer tone.

Both of them remain silent for a bit, neither one knowing exactly what to say next. He laughs a little bit, and Kalinka giggles too.

Finally, Mega says, "So, September it is, then."

_"Yes, September it is!"_ Kalinka confirms, _"And I want you to call again soon! Okay?_ _I can't wait to see you again." _

"I can't wait either_," _Mega says, sounding like he has finally gotten a ton off his back and with a relieved smile on his face. This couldn't have gone any better for Mega. "It'll be nice to be together without Wily and his bots around."

Kalinka replies,_ "Well I think war will be over by then, and that horrible man will be in jail."_

"Yeah... I hope it'll be over too," Mega says.

Mega then faintly hears the voice of the robot assitant trying to contact Kalinkka in the background. _"Miss Cossack, your schedule bedtime has come. You will be late for studies in the morning."_

Kalinka groans, _"Uhg. I have to go to bed. Father's assistant bot is very strict on keeping my schedule."_

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up. I'll call you again soon," Mega says.

_"Okay. Let's find out where good dating spots are in New York,"_ Kalinka suggests.

Mega smiles, "I'll do it. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Mega!" Kalinka says, barely unable to contain her excitment.

After the call ends, Mega feels relieved. Now that next hard part... what is he going to say the next time he sees her?

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, outside in the backyard area of the lab complex, Roll is here, back in her usual cream yellow and red outfit (an exact matching pair to replace the one that was damaged at the tower this week,) and she is kneeling in front of Doc's favorite tree, where Doc is still at rest underneath of it.<p>

Roll holds the medal she was awarded today in her hands as she gazes upon Doc's headstone at the base of the tree, the place where they liked to spend time together when they were outside. She speaks to her little friend, who was lost nearly two years ago.

"It's been a big week, Doc," she says, "I saw Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers... then, I end up trapped in the tower... I saved a lot of people and robots, even Drill Man. And I got a medal just like Mega has now, and a lot of people have told me I'm an inspiration to them..."

Roll's eyes become wet as she struggles to continue. "But, I would give all of this praise up if I could go back and save you."

Eye lubrication runs down Roll's cheeks as she looks up at the branches of the tree, all fully bloomed with new leaves. "I know it was you who sent Peekaboo to come into my life," she says, "You knew I was still hurting to be without you, so you made sure he met me... and it had to be him, because you knew we both needed each other."

Roll bows her head down and closes her eyes, allowing more tears to fall. "I promise I'll always keep him safe and I'll love him forever, just like I loved you. I'll always be there to put a smile on his face like you always wanted to do for me. I'm gonna keep this medal right next to your spare hardhat, and every time I look at it, I'm gonna remember to always be as brave and heroic as you were. I love you..."

Roll then hears a Met's beep. She opens her eyes and looks over to see Peekaboo stepping up to her. "Hi, Boo!" she says, her voice trembling.

Boo's face looks concerned. He beeps again, asking if she's okay.

"I'm okay... just a little sad right now," Roll says.

Boo beeps again, saying that she shouldn't be sad because it's been such a great day.

Boo sounded so much like Doc when he beeped that sentiment and Roll almost sobs right there, but she keeps it inside just barely. She scoops up Peekaboo in her arms and sits down next to Doc's resting place at the tree. "I just miss Doc. I wish you could have been able to know him... he was a lot like you... he saved my life once."

Boo beeps, asking if he saved Mommy like she saved everybody at that big tower.

Roll sighs, trying to find a delicate answer. "Kinda... but, he was much braver than I was."

Roll gently places the medal on the ground in front of Doc's headstone, then turns to Boo. "You want to say hi to him?"

Boo nods.

Roll turns her new Met around to face the resting place of her original Met. Boo bleeps, saying hi to Doc. Then, he thanks him for saving his Mommy.

As Roll gives Peekaboo a hug, the most amazing thing happens... a sudden gentle breeze of cool air comes wafting through, brushing right past Roll and Boo for several seconds. There wasn't a cloud it the sky and the forecast was a bit warm for today.

Roll looks up after the breeze passes, and being somebody who believes in another place higher than life on Earth, deep down inside she knew it wasn't the weather... it was Doc embracing them both.

Roll keeps her hug on her new little Met Boo and gently sways back and forth, feeling better after the reassuring experience she just felt. She knew Doc was smiling down on both of them and she feels a renewed sense of hope.  
>Because where there is love, there is hope.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_And finally, Episode 8 is done, and it was quite a challenge to write, but I enjoyed it. __Now the hard part... trying to figure out what I'm going to do for Episode 9 and hoping I don't jump the shrunken shark from the "Incredible Shrinking Mega Man"_

_Thank you very much to all of the readers and reviewers who kept up with this episode, including lalalei, Gancena, DentinyZX, WindGoddess Rune, PinkCrystals, MegaManV, Devon Ship'em, Ken Wise, ChibiFox AI and all those annonymous reviewers who joined the #SaveDrillMan and #SaveRoll campaign. This series reached 25,000 hits because of you and your continued support. I just wanted to make Mega Man cartoon stories that I hoped other fans would enjoy, and never expected this. Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart. :)_

_Again, please don't forget to a review or a comment, and please PM me if you catch any typos that I missed or any continuity errors bigger than a robosaur._

_btw, Gancena is the one who used the phrase "Where there is Love there is Hope" while reading a previous chapter. I had to use it here, because it was so fitting._


	94. Interlude: Family Meeting

_**Update on the debut of Episode 9: **For those of you who are waiting for the debut of Episode 9, I am sorry for the delay. This episode has taken longer than expected to write for development reasons as well as scheduleing.  
>Don't worry though, because Episode 9 WILL debut before the end of October.<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Interlude: Family Meeting.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>June 20X3. Nearly two weeks following the incident at the Civil Defense Tower.<strong>

_**"Live, from the first station in New York to broadcast in super-definition, it's 7 Eyewitness News! **__**With your anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg, Chief meteorologist Topper **__**Bernstein and Exaire Lancaster with sports!"**_

After the opening video, we see Kirk and Trish at the anchor desk to begin the newscast for the evening.

_"Good evening, New York!"_ Trujillo begins, _"Following the harrowing incident that took place at the site of the Civil Defense Tower in Manhattan, The tower itself might be in jeopardy. During a public appearance at city hall last night, Governor Mitchell Deacon told our reporters that he no longer wishes to take major security measures like the Civil Defense Tower without consulting with Dr. Thomas Light and Mega Man."_

We now see a pre-recorded clip of The Governor speaking to reporters. _"I made a mistake and listened to the wrong people," _Deacon explains, _"And, as much as we all want Dr. Wily apprehended, we should not get overeager to make it happen. The war will end one day, and I wholeheartedly put my trust in Mega Man and Dr. Light, and we all should too."_

Kirk continues, _"The Civil Defense tower has been dormant ever since it was attacked last month and when asked what the fate of the tower will be, The Governor replies it was still up in the air."_

Trish continues with the next story, which is related to the developments at the Tower. _"And Governor Deacon's chief security advisor Cullen Newkirk has entered a Not Guilty plea in court after being charged for allegedly conspiring to get The Governor impeached by framing him for the flaws in the tower's security. Newkirk's attorney claims that his client is the one who has been framed and that despite his differences with Deacon, he would never do anything to betray The Governor."_

Afterwards, we see video of Roll, Dr. Light and Peekaboo the Met making an appearance with a bunch of children in their presence. Trish narrates, _"Dr. Thomas Light and his daughter Roll, the brave sister of Mega Man who saved New York from being destroyed during the tower heist and her Met Peekaboo - isn't he cute? - made an appearance today at the Big Toy Store in Times Square and gave away fifty Met robots to fifty families."_

We then see a large box being opened and fifty Met robots with the standard green crosses on their helmets all jump and and run towards their new young owners who embrace their new little robot friends. Trish continues, _"Roll said she wanted young people to have a companion as special as the two Mets she has known in her life. She tragically lost her first Met named Doc during one of Albert Wily's attacks in Philadelphia two years ago."_

We then see video of the reformed Robot Master Drill Man visiting an elementary school, looking happy now that he has a chance to live.  
><em>"And The Lights weren't the only ones to visit children today. Drill Man, who touched our hearts during the famous tower heist is now giving back to the community after being given a new lease on life. This morning he visited the kids at Hempstead Elementary School and spoke to them about how he is going to be doing good for the world now and took the time to encourage the students much in the same way he was encouraged by Mega Man's sister Roll during the tower hiest.<br>He even took the time to drill some holes in the soil behind to school to help plant some new trees."_

The news story ends with a still photo of the kids gathered around Drill Man as he gives the camera two thumbs up with his new interchangable hands.

Trish continues as we move on to the next story involving a _certain_ family who has found themselves involved in the war lately... _"The Bonne Salvage company has been accused of theft for the third time this year. Their latest accuser has outright accused the company of handling themselves like pirates. The company's chairman, Don Juan Bonne, issued a comment while on his latest vacation in Iceland stating that he will not stand for his children being scrutinized for what he calls another false accusation and will fight these accusations in court."_

We see Kirk again to introduce the next story. _"By now, you have probably heard of the mysterious Mr. Black, the shadowy figure who has lurked for over a year. But, there's a good chance you haven't seen him, especially lately. Bree Recotta has the story."_

We then see a video package consisting of scenes from Mr. Blacks crimes and brief bits of video and police sketches of the masked terror himself. It is narrated by Bree Recotta...

_"He calls himself Mr. Black. He is arguably the second most dangerous person in this country, behind only Albert Wily. Nobody knows who this man is, where he will strike next or why he is committing the deplorable crimes that he has. But, he has cast a shadow over this city and nobody is safe from his attacks, even Dr. Wily's own robots or Mega Man."_

We then see a series of clips of humans who have opinions on Mr. Black or claim to have seen him...

_"I saw 'im! He was runnin' t'rough the alley next to my appartment,"_ says one human man with a think _New Joisy_ accent.

A grandmother-aged human female says, _"Oh, God! I saw that car of his speeding through my neighborhood and I locked all my doors!"_

_"Ever since Wily showed up, people have been going crazy too. That's what's wrong with this guy," _states one human interviewed on the bustling Manhattan streets.

We then see a noted psychologist who spoke with Bree about Mr. Black. _"Clearly there was something that ha happened in this person's life has been driven to the point of madness, similar to how Dr. Wily was. And when you are dealing with a subject as psychologically damaged as this gentleman is, he believes what he is doing is right no matter how vile his crimes may be."_

Bree continues,_ "However, ever since a break-in at a storage facility leased by the Vick-Tek corporation nearly three months ago, Mr. Black has not been sighted by anyone, not even the slightest trace. Even more puzzling is the New York Police department's sudden lack of participation in the investigation."_

We then see N.Y.P.D. Captain Talia Tallarico speaking to the press from earlier in the week._ "We are no longer taking any questions involving the Mr. Black case or any of the crimes perpatrated here in New York."_

Recotta's narration cuts in again as we now see clips of Federal Investigators combing the scene of the Vick-Tek storage break-in._ "It is this journalist's belief that this investigation is no longer in the hands of the police at all, but rather the FBI. And they are not returning our calls."_

Bree concludes, _"There are still a few burning questions. Where is Mr. Black now? Has he left our city for good, or is he still walking among us? If Mr. Black still walks among us, we should all be vigilant, because he could be anywhere, or anybody."_

As Bree's report finishes up, a series of still frames of random people appear on the screen... including one large framed fellow with short black hair whom Bree encountered at Yankee Stadium a few months ago. Not much of his face was showing here, but this was the man behind the mask.

* * *

><p><strong>At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Mr. Black himself was watching Bree's report from the media observation room since the report began. He was a little bit on edge when he heard about Recotta's piece because of his brief meeting with her at the stadium during the Mega Man vs. Bass battle back in the spring. He was so obsessed about Recotta's story that he set it on all of the fifty-plus monitors inside the room.  
>But, when he saw a still photo of his own unmasked face that was taken on that very night appearing on the screen, he could feel his whole body momentarily go numb. The man who has buried almost all of his emotions - save for unadulterated rage - suddenly beings to enter a silent panic.<p>

For months, Mr. Black was the one in control of his own destiny, but now it's all in jeopardy. He is sure The Conduit will be contacting him any moment to chew him out for being so sloppy as to let his face be shown on television, or possibly to pull him off the mission for good. And now that this 'new hand' has been brought onboard, that only makes Mr. Black even more expendable.

Mr. Black shudders at the idea of not being able to complete this mission of his. He has come too far for this snoopy reporter to rob him of everything he has worked for. He cannot let this happen, not before the targets are dead.

He pauses on the still of his face, and stares at it. "No!" he mutters, "No, dammit!"

Mr. Black suddenly begins hyperventalating and feels an overwhelming weight on his chest, both the effect of the panic he is feeling right now. He then bolts out of his seat in the media room and leaves to go to the study room. On his way, he puts his head in his hands as he begins desperately trying to formulate a plan on how he will dodge an inevitable confrontation with the FBI.

As Mr. Black nervously paces the floor, his eyes catch the object of his obsession, the chess board. Mr. Black freezes and stares at it again and doing so only rekindles his will to see this mission through until it's end.

Ironically, the way the pieces are arranged (with the ebony pieces at a serious disadvantage to the ivory pieces, a few short moves from defeat) is a perfect telling of the way his real life war game is currently faring: He is losing this war right now, and while he might be able to make a few carefully lace moves to hold off his defeat until a few key figures are taken out, he is only delaying his inevitable fall.

As Mr. Black stares at the chess board, he suddenly squints his eyes and looks like he was enduring mental torture before having to turn away... he allowed himself back _there_ again... _John_ knew he had to go back... but, he knew he would never make it far enough... and no matter what his physical body here on Earth will do, he will never be able to save the one that was left behind...

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly after midnight.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

While things are looking even gloomier for the world's gloomiest man, things are looking up for the Defender of the Human Race.  
>Before going to bed, Mega Man is using a computer terminal here at home. He's not using it for an important piece of super hero business, but he is looking up various places where he could go to with Kalinka Cossack when she comes to visit during her hiatus period from University in September. Or to be more accurate, when Mega and Kalinka have their first real date.<p>

As much as Mega is looking forward to seeing her again (still with the same nervous anticipation he had in the days before he called her to set this date up,) he has found it difficult to find a place where they both can have enough privacy to enjoy themselves. The daughter of one of the world's leading scientists going on a date with the Defender of the Human Race would more than likely attract a massive amount of attention.

From what Kalinka has told him, her father Dr. Cossack does not yet know about this date or the feelings she and Mega feel for eachother. Mega doesn't know how to let him know about this if things were to become more serious. it would be awkward if he were to find out through the tabloid press.

And there is also another person Mega Man desperately doesn't want to know about Kalinka: Dr. Wily. If Wily knew about how Mega Man loved Kalinka, he would probably use that against Mega and threaten her life again. Even thinking about the possibility of anything happening to her frieghtens Mega and he tries to shake it off.

Mega continues searching through the iconic locations where he and Kalinka could spent time together, but they would all still bring unwanted attention to them. Even the smaller places around the city that do not bring as much tourisim would not be private ienough for them.

"If only we could reserve one of those holosuites. Nobody would be able to spy on us... but none of it would be real," Mega mulls to himself, making reference to the 'Holosuite' business, a company that rents out large rooms equiped with a state-of-the-art holograhpic projector capable of reproducing any scene or environment the renter desires to spend time in.

Mega sighs as he rubs his face, feeling tired after not having a nice long recharging since very early this morning. "Maybe if I catch some sleep, I can process this decision a little better."

Mega shuts down the computer terminal and leaves to go to bed. On his way out, her can hear two sets of footsteps and the beeps of Peekaboo, saying he wants a little snack before bed.

"Okay, but you can only have a little bit. You don't want to get an upset tummy," Roll says as she and Boo arrive, still wearing her sleeping clothes as she holds her Met's hand at the end of his extension arm.

Mega Man smiles when he sees his sister being such a great caretaker for her new Met, even coming out here to get him his snack so he wouldn't have to walk alone in the dark at night.

Even though she won the Medal of Valor and has had her share of interviews and press about that scary night at the tower, she hasn't let it go to her head and she hasn't changed.  
>And seeing her with Boo reminds him of when she had Doc, because they are rarely seen without eachother around when she's at home. It was two years ago this month that Roll had lost Doc, but she she is doing much better this year than she did last year around the same time, and it's likely because she has Boo in her life.<p>

As soon as Peekaboo sees Mega Man, he smiles and bleeps happily to say hello to him.

"Hi, guys," Mega smiles back, then looks down at Boo, "Isn't it late for a little guy like you to be up?"

"We're just gonna get a midnight snack before going to bed. I'm surprised to see _you're_ still up this late, Mega," Roll says, smiling mischievously, "Making preparations for your big date?"

Mega looks a bit flustered. Even though he came clean about her about Kalinka, she still teases him about it every now and then. "Maybe."

"I knew it!" Roll nearly laughs, "Let me guess... you two are gonna dance the night away under the pale moonlight?"

Mega looks woeful. "I don't know what we're gonna do. No matter where we go, we'd be all over the tabloids. I don't want to embarrass her."

"You wouldn't be embarrassed," Roll says, "She would be the most popular girl in the world."

"I don't want to put her through any more than she's already been through," Mega says, "But I don't want to disappoint her."

"Well... you could always hang out in the back yard. I always feel better when I sit at Doc's tree with Boo."

Peekaboo beeps up to his mommy and asks if he can have his snack now.

"Oops! I'm sorry, Sweetie. Sure you can," Roll replies as she takes her Met to the kitchen. But, before she goes, she turns to Mega and gives him one more piece of advice...

"Maybe you shouldn't worry so much and just throw caution to the wind and enjoy yourselves, whatever you do... but, I hope you _behave_ yourselves. I've seen how human girls get when they're around boys," she jabs jokingly.

Mega almost groans after Roll's tease. "We're not having _that _kind of... nevermind," he groans before heading to his bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

The hot summertime sun sets on the dry badlands and creates an orange and red sky, perfectly making the massive fortress look even scarier than it already is. While Skull Fortress looks the same as always, work has already begun on constructing a massive partition behind the fortress which is about as tall as the fortress itself.  
>Once the partition is finished, construction will then begin on Wily's behemoth 'Project G-2' and prying eyes will not be able to look in... much like how the peacekeeping robot Gamma was deliberately kept in hiding from Dr. Wily nearly two years ago. But, Wily will not make the same mistakes Thomas Light and the others made two years ago.<p>

While Dr. Wily's construction robots work on building the partition outside, the Mad Doctor himself is holed-up in his workshop deep within the fortress and continues work on his three newest Robot Masters. This is the group that the Nomad female robot was supposed to be a part of until she escaped the fortress just weeks ago. However, Dr. Wily is confident that this group will still be successful even without her.

Unlike Wily's other Robot Masters, who were constructed quickly, Albert is taking his time with this trio and making sure to get every single thing correct. Albert is sure when this group is done, they will be the robots who will finally take Mega Man out _permanently._

But, as great as these creations will be, Albert still doesn't know why Bass _wasn't_ the bot who could get the job done like Wily expected him to be. He was the best creation to come from Wily's own hands since ProtoMan. He was the perfect soldier, aside from his obsession with Roll.

And that makes Dr. Wily ponder something that has dwelled in his mind for months: Was Bass' infatuation with Roll so strong that he would betray his creator?

Albert mulls over that thought as he works over the three new robots. "He would not have done what he did just for her... he couldn't have... He was my best robot." Albert then frowns, "But, he still threatened me! Forget him. I don't need traitors in my army. I_ will_ get it right with these new robots!"

As Albert diligently continues work on the three new Robot Masters, he hears the sharp ringing of his old alarm clock's bells. It is 6:00 PM, which is is the appointed time Wily gave his robots to report to the hangar bay so that he can hold a 'family meeting' with them.

The reason for this 'family meeting' is because Dr. Wily has been very displeased with the performance of his robots recently, including that of ProtoMan, and he is going to give them a 'pep talk' to snap them all out of this streak of embarrassing failures they have had lately.  
>Of course, Wily himself is just as much to blame for the recent operations being major failures, but he just refuses to blame himself.<p>

Albert grumbles to himself as he walks away from his work. He doesn't want to, but he had to be there or all the Robot Masters would be left doing nothing but wasting time and cluttering up the hangar bay.

"I don't want a hangar full of robotic imbeciles," Wily mutters as he straightens his red tie and leaves the workshop.

When he opens the door to the workshop, the first thing he sees is ProtoMan standing in the corridor, leaning against the wall with his arms folded and waiting to escort his co-creator to the big meeting... even though he doesn't really want to.

"I'm surprised you didn't interrupt my work," Wily says.

"I didn't because you said so," Proto replies with a condescending grin.

Albert and Proto begin walking down the hall and head towards the meeting in the hangar bay, neither one saying a word to the other for a long stretch of time, creating a cold period of silence.  
>In fact, ever since the Tower heist last month, the conversations between them have only been informal, relaying information back and forth. They have barely even spoken to eachother like they used to before Wily's handling of Drill Man's sickening mission and showing disregard for the deal he had with Proto where if anybody was going to have to take serious action against his siblings, it would be Proto and nobody else but.<p>

"You haven't said much lately," Albert says, breaking the silence.

"What's there to say?" Proto responds with a rhetorical question.

"Need I remind you again that we are fighting a war?" Wily asks callously.

"No, I've heard that about a hundred times out of you. I don't need to hear it again," Proto says, not doing anything to ease the tension in the air. "What you _could_ say is that we had a deal and you're not gonna hold up your end of the bargain."

Wily steps in front of ProtoMan and waves a wrinkled finger in his visor. "You are so concerned about the welfare of your siblings, I'm beginning to wonder where your allegiance lies."

"Where else would they lie?" Proto answers with another question.

"You may fight on my side, but you don't believe in the cause. Not anymore," Wily accuses, "The ProtoMan I once knew would follow my orders without question, no matter how much of a bad attitude you had. What I see now is a boy who is no longer devoted, and who has _changed_ ever since he lived under the roof of Thomas Light."

Both ProtoMan and Wily come to a stop in the middle of the hallway and stands directly across from one another and the tension between them is thicker than it has ever been.

"Okay, you want to know what my problem is?" Proto asks, without his usual smirk.

"Indulge me," Wily says.

After a beat of silence, Proto admits, "I don't like the way you've been doing things lately. And since you said I'm not the same Proto you once knew... well, you're not the Dr. Wily I once knew."

Wily's eyes narrow after he hears this. "Is that so, Pr-"

But, ProtoMan puts his finger up to Wily's mouth to get him to shut-up and Albert's eyes now grow wide after Proto had the audacity to first criticize his genius and then silence him like he was a child.

"Shhhhh... let me finish before you fly off your rocker," Proto says, "The Wily I once knew had a goal, and that was to become the supreme emporer of the world. But, you've become so obsessed with my brother, you've lost focus. Instead of the guy who wants to conquer the world and stick it to everybody who ever held you down, you've become the monster who doesn't care how many people you have to kill just to get rid of _one_ robot... I actually remember a time when you were ashamed of the idea of killing people."

Proto references the aftermath of Dr. Wily's first attack in Times Square New York over two years ago, when the man actually _regretted_ killing people in the attack and thought such an act was beneath somebody of his talent.

Dr. Wily angrily shoves away Proto's red hand. "I had to adapt to this war! That means some of us have to do things we're not proud of, but there is no other way to win this war unless we show these insipid maggots the true meaning of fear!"

ProtoMan shoots back, "I'd hate to break it to you, but no matter how much money you've got and no matter how many giant robots you steal or build in the back, you're still losing this war."

"Well, what ideas could _you_ possibly have to swing the pendulum around to our favor?" Wily snaps.

ProtoMan didn't know quite how to answer Wily's question at first, but he didn't want him to have the satisfaction of besting him in this argument. So, he just comes out and says it... "Put _me_ in charge of the next operation and let's find out."

Dr. Wily's fuzzy eyebrows skyrocket to the middle of his dented forehead. "What? You?" he blurts.

Now that he knows he's got Wily's attention, ProtoMan begins coaxing him. "Think about it, Wily. You're obviously too busy to run operations now that you're building new robot masters and this big G-2 monstrosity you've got sketches of all over the place. You need somebody to run the ship while you've got more important work elsewhere... and I've got plenty of time on my hands."

Proto's smirk returns as he continues, "Clearly, I'm the best bot for the job. And not only will I come up with a hell of a plan, but I'll also whip every single one of those Robot Masters into fighting shape just like you want 'em. You want to see them perform better? I'll have 'em do things you've _never_ seen them do before.  
>In the end, we'll both get what we want. I'll deal with my brother and sister my own way and have them fighting alongside me before this war is all said and done, and everything else will fall into place. You won't have any real opposition to stop you from taking the world, and you'll just slip right into power. And the best part is, you'll barely have to lift a finger. You will win this war of yours, and you can thank me for it."<p>

"And what about Bass? Even if Mega Man and Thomas Light were out of the way, he would still pose a threat," Wily inquires.

"By the time he tries to pick a fight with us, we will have enough resources to smite him like he was a bug. Especially if I've already turned my bro and sis!" Proto answers, sounding very confident in his plan.

Albert's eyebrows furrow as he stares at ProtoMan, but Proto can tell that he has secured the Mad Doctor's interest. He's not fuming like he was anymore, and soon his eyes wander off to the floor and he brings his hand up to his cleft chin and begins stroking it.  
>And Proto grins again because he can see the gears in Wily's rickety mind beginning to turn.<p>

Dr. Wily turns away and continues walking towards the hangar bay meeting and ProtoMan follows him, wondering if his co-creator is really going to give him what he wants or not.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Skull Fortress' cavernous hangar bay, every single robot in Dr. Wily's army have converged on this area and are waiting for the 'family meeting' to being, including all the Robot Masters and even secondary robots like some leftover Sniper Joes, Batontons, a Cyclops guardian and even a new series of surveillance robots known as Adhering Suzies are here, sticking themselves to the walls and watching through one of their visual sensors.<p>

But, the robots appear to be waiting around for this meeting to start and some of them are trying to entertain themselves. Magnet Man is throwing a piece of scrap metal and using his forehead magnet to catch it before it hits the floor, Ring Man is polishing the ring ornament atop his head and Air Man is competing with Wind Man to find out whose power is the strongest.

"I'm bored," GutsMan complains, "When're Dr. Wily and ProtoMan gonna get here?"

"I hope they get here soon. I want to _cut_ loose," Cut Man puns.

Quick Man babbles very fast, "if only they were as quick as me they would have been here by now and this meeting would have been over QUICKLY!"

"It couldn't be too _hard_ for them to get a move on," Hard Man puns _hard_.

But, Dive Man puns even harder, "I've got to get out of this dive, _man_!"

Nearby, Metal Man (who hates puns with a passion) has had enough of this and he turns to face the _punny_ Robot Masters behind him and flashes his evil red eyes. "STOP THE PUNS, or I will rip you all apart with my bare hands!" he yells.

All of the Robot Masters nearby freeze and fall silent as they stare at Metal Man with fear in their wide eyes.

"That is much better," Metal Man rasps, satisfied with terrorizing his counterparts.

Finally, Dr. Wily arrives to the hangar bay with ProtoMan right behind him and they both step up onto an elevated platform so all the robots can see them clearly.

"My robots, you are all gathered here for one reason," Albert states, looking very serious, "I have grown tired of the constant failures that have taken place since this war begin, many of which have been the result of your own incompetence."

Many of the robots gathered here looked shamed, while others look like they take great offense to their creator's remark.

Now with fire in his voice, Wily continues, "I have had to watch several of my brilliant plans fall and I am no longer tolerating it. I want these constant failures to stop now! My greatest creation ever is about to be built just outside the walls of this fortress and will be complete before the end of this year, and it will forever shift the balance of power in my favor! My domination of mankind and robotkind will soon follow and every one of you will have to be the best if you want to serve in my world."

With a more threatening tone, Albert adds, "And if you continue to fail, I am not afraid to jettison you from the army the same way I was prepared to do with Drill Man. Much like him, you are all expendable."

The Robot Masters nervously look around at eachother after Wily's threat, remembering how their former compatriot Drill Man was sent out on a suicide mission at the Civil Defense Tower and how he would have been destroyed if it wasn't for Roll talking him out of it.

"When the next operation begins, I don't want to see any of you making any more mistakes, not even the slightest! This new era of supreme efficiency begins immediately!" Wily barks, "And to ensure you are all groomed to meet your full potential, I am temporarily appointing ProtoMan to command all combat operations while I continue my work on my current projects."

All of the robots gathered here look shocked at this news and a loud murmur of voices are heard as the Robot Masters react. And even ProtoMan himself is a bit surprised to have been given the command that he asked for, but unlike the other robots on the floor, he hides his shock.

"If I may have your attention before I was rudely interrupted by your mumbling," Wily states, then continues, "I am making this change because I cannot be bothered with any other tasks - even future operations - until my projects are complete. So, unless it is a top priority, you will be reporting to ProtoMan until further notice."

Metal Man however is enraged at this idea and protests in the middle of Dr. Wily's speech. "This is an outrage! Why are we taking orders from a Child of Light?"

"If only I would stop being interrupted, maybe you will find out!" Wily bursts.

Like the obedient soldier he is, Metal Man stays quiet and watches on with his glowing red eyes full of rage. ProtoMan grins at seeing Metal Man humbled.

Dr. Wily finishes, "As I was saying, you will be reporting to ProtoMan. I am putting my trust in him during this time, and I want you to follow his orders as if they were my own. So, I don't want to see any more incidents of in-fighting, especially during an operation! If I hear of any such incidents happening, you will be punished!"

Albert then turns to ProtoMan and gestures towards the robots in front of them. "Proto, address _your_ troops."

Dr. Wily takes a few steps back and ProtoMan steps up to stand in his place to start his address as Wily watches on and the entirety of the robot army watches on.

"After being around each other for over two years, I get the impression that some of you don't like me very much," Proto begins, eyeing Metal Man in particular, "That's okay, because I don't like some of you very much either. But, we've all got the same goal, don't we? That means we're gonna have to work together no matter how much we don't like eachother, and I'm not just talking about giving orders in the field either.  
>Starting tomorrow morning, I'm gonna be taking every single one of you and personally training you to be better fighters... so, in other words, I'm going to be generous enough to bring you up to <em>my<em> level of excellence."

The murmurs of robot voice from down below grow louder, now sounding displeased with how ProtoMan is bossing them around and rubbing his talent in their faces. Dr. Wily himself is growing impatient as well, crossing his arms and impatiently taping his foot on the platform.  
>It's already looking like a bad start for the ProtoMan era, so Proto decides to light a fire under their titanium tails.<p>

"HEY!" he yells, "Before you complain, let me remind you that you all just got called a bunch of failures! Did you like that?"

The robot crowd now grows silent as they look upwards to ProtoMan.

"And if you think I don't know how that feels, You're wrong. I've been chewed out worse by the same human!" Proto tells them all, pointing towards Dr. Wily behind him, "I don't want to be called a failure ever again, and _you_ don't want to either. Aren't you sick of being humiliated and defeated by Mega Man all the time?"

A muttering of agreement is heard amongst the Robot Masters, but that isn't enough for ProtoMan.

"Louder!" he orders, "Aren't you sick of losing all the time?"

Then, the Robot Masters all respond with a "Yes! or a "Yeah!" all in unison.

"Are you gonna stand around and let yourself be called failures anymore?" Proto asks.

"No!" The Robot Masters reply in unison, now sounding more loud and fired-up now that Proto is giving them this pep talk.

"You're supposed to be Dr. Albert Wily's grand robot army, the greatest group of robots in the world? But, _are you_?" Proto asks in a yell, expecting the same ferocious response from them.

"YES!" the robots yells back, some of them rising their titanium fists in the air.

"That's what I thought!" Proto says, "And under my guidance, each of you are gonna show the entire world that we are the best! And nobody is gonna call us embarrassments anymore!"

After ProtoMan's pep talk, the Robot army is motivated and loudly cheer their new temporary commander (except for Metal Man, who is still displeased with this course of action.) Even Dr. Wily himself is quite pleased with how ProtoMan rallied the troops like Albert himself never could.

As Dr. Wily and ProtoMan leave the hangar bay with the cheering robots behind them still clamoring with newfound vigor, Wily gives Proto a pat on his titanium back. "It seems this idea of yours worked out better than either of us could have expected."

"All I wanted was a chance to carry the ball again. Now you can see the Red Raider work his magic," Proto smirks as he runs his hands together.

"You've got what you wanted, Proto," Wily says, "Now, I expect results... good results. I will be monitoring your progress in the coming weeks."

"You'll like what you see," Proto grins.

"I am counting on it," Wily adds with a strange tone in his voice before leaving to return to work in the workshop.

Despite this great promotion, ProtoMan feels strange about all of this, and he felt strange even before he gave the robots the pep talk. In the past few months, his relationship with Wily he become seriously strained and he willingly sabotaged some of the mad doctor's best plans by conspiring against Bass and allowing Nomad to escape. He had even had friendly discussions with his brother Mega Man earlier this year after the attempt to frame for for Kalinka Cossack's kidnapping and ever since that day has refused to fight him with the same agressiveness that he used to.

But, this chance at command is what ProtoMan had always wanted. Dr. Wily even said he has put his trust in ProtoMan again. If Wily had always put this much trust in him, he might never have had all these sentimental emotions he's been experiencing lately.

But the tone in Wily's voice when he said he was counting on ProtoMan's success was a bit too weird for Proto to ignore. Was this really the dream job Proto always dreamed of... or does Dr. Wily even care at all whether Proto succeeds or fails?

Or is Wily setting ProtoMan up to fail?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes and a special thanks:<strong>_

_Sorry for the long wait, folks. The reason for the delay was because I did not know which direction to take the Episode 9's story until a few days ago. The first concept/treatment for the episode did not work very well, so I had to go back to the drawing board. I don't know how soon Episode 9 will be posted, so stay tuned to the update blog on my profile page for updates. _

_Now for the Special Thanks I mentioned above: The idea of ProtoMan being placed in charge of the next operation was that of lalalei's and it came from a story idea that she had shared with me after she decided she wasn't going to use it herself. That particular plot point will be used here and in episode 9 with her permission. Thank you very much, lalalei. :)_

_The reason why there was an emphasis on Mr. Black early on is because we are reaching the end of his arc soon. In Episode 9, we will learn of a few crucial pieces to his mysterious puzzle ("A really Biiiiig piece!")_

_btw, I don't have any history with the elementary school that was mentioned in Drill Man's scene, it was just the first one I found on a google search. I did take the generic name approach with the toy store mentioned in Tmes Square._

_The Holosuite idea is a nod to the Holodecks from Star Trek The Next Generation. I don't know why they wouldn't have these in the future._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos or errors that might cause an escape pod to jettison from a crate full of Hamdingers, PM me right away. (Anybody get that reference?)_


	95. Episode 9: This Galaxy isn't Big Enough

_**EPISODE 9: This Galaxy isn't Big Enough...**_

* * *

><p><strong>July 20X3.<strong>

**The War for Everlasting Peace has slowed in recent months and it appears things are now at their most quiet since before the war began two years ago. But, peace itself has yet to be achieved, because the next phase - and the biggest phase - will soon begin.**

**In an interesting development, ProtoMan has been appointed to run the majority of Dr. Albert Wily's strategic operations and has been diligently working with his fellow Wily Robots to prepare them for their next mission and an inevitable encounter with Mega Man. Through ProtoMan's leadership, the Robot Masters are learning from him and are becoming more valuable assets to Dr. Wily's robot army.**

**But, Dr. Wily himself is now obsessively devoting all of his time to his two current projects: the unseen trio of three new Robot Masters and the collosal Project G-2. He has been working on these projects so much that he has been spending countless hours locked away in the workshop, and hardly any of his robots have heard from him since.**

**Meanwhile, life has been peaceful for the Light family since the frightening incident at the Civil Defense Tower in New York City. But, Mega Man - The Defender of the Human Race - is still preoccupied with the ongoing threat posed by Dr. Wily. He is also continuing to have moments of doubt in his own abilities, still haunted by his near-fatal encounter with Bass the super robot this year.**

**The wheels of change are now in full gear, and they will continue to turn until the time has come for them to stop...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 9, Chapter 1: Watching and Waiting.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<strong>

It is a very hectic time here at the Fortress, because almost all of it's occupants are keeping themselves very busy as they prepare for the immediate future, and it could prove to be a very interesting future indeed.  
>Not only are Dr. Wily and ProtoMan busy with their respective tasks, but outside the Fortress, construction robots are close to finishing the large partition where Dr. Wily's Project G-2 will soon be built underneath it.<p>

Meanwhile, as all of the other robots around here are working hard, three particular Robot Masters are taking it easy today. And that is the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, who are all enjoying another poker game while their compatriots are undergoing more grueling training sessions under the command ProtoMan.

The three robots sit across from eachother, holding their cards in their hands and wearing the best blank poker faces they can wear (and Cut Man is wearing the dealer's visor under his cutters again, playing the game and dealing cards at the same time and resisting the urge to cheat... maybe because he knows GutsMan is sitting right next to him.)

GutsMan then shoves a few stacks of metallic poker chips forward to the center of their plain-looking square folding table, confident that his hand of cards is better than the others. Magnet Man pushes a lot of his own chips forward, raising the jackpot even higher. CutMan looks worried and decides to fold, surrendering his hand.

After that, Magnet Man and GutsMan stare eachother down some more, and then Magnet Man speaks. "Deal 'em."

Cut Man hands out two more cards, one for each of the other two Robot Masters. After seeing his hand of cards now, Magnet Man puts them down on the table for his opponents to see: A King, a Queen, and Ace of Spades, and a 10 of Spades.

After seeing how much better Magnet Man's hand is, GutsMan surrenders this game and puts his cards down, because they are not enough to beat Magnet Man. Magnet Man happily bows down and uses his magnet ornament to grab the metallic poker chips and stick them to it.

"It's not fair, Magnet! You've got a face shield!" Cut Man bemoans, because it is more difficult to read the expression of somebody with only half a face.

"I have the best poker face of any robot," Magnet Man laughs, still with his chips stuck to his magnet.

As Cut Man the dealer takes back the cards and reshuffles them (and he was told not to c_ut_ them this time,) the Robot Master trio continue bantering with eachother. Cut Man begins, "I'm glad ProtoMan picked some of the other Robot Masters to train today instead of us."

"I barely had enough energy to sustain my Magnetism powers during the last workout," Magnet Man adds, "These exercises are getting too difficult."

"Ha! You guys are soundin' like a couple of pipsqueaks!" GutsMan boasts, "Proto's challenges are easy for _me_ to tackle."

Cut Man retorts, "That's because he's only been testing your strength so far, big guy. When he tries to put you in a race against Quick Man, then maybe you'll feel differently after he _slices and dices_ his way around you."

"Just you wait, boys. ProtoMan is gonna crown _me_ as the king of the Robot Masters when these exercises are all said and done!" GutsMan proclaims as he puts his large yellow hands behind his head and leans back in his chair (which nearly buckles under the immense stress of GutsMan's weight.)

"Well, Gutsy," says the voice of ProtoMan himself as he approaches the trio, "It looks like you might get your chance to prove it today."

"Hey, wait a second!" Cut Man complains, "You said we weren't up for training until tomorrow!"

"Plans changed," ProtoMan replies, "Bright Man burnt out his bulb, Blizzard Man can't take the heat and Needle Man fell on his face too many times. That means three spots are open. So, you're up."

"Can't it wait? We're in the middle of a poker game right now," GutsMan requests.

Magnet Man adds, "And I'm winning too."

"A poker game, huh?" Proto says... then, he grabs the table and flips it over, sending all of the cards and chips flying until they land on the floor, scattered about.  
>"Not anymore you don't," Proto concludes.<p>

"Why you scarf-wearin'..." An angry GutsMan bellows as he stands up and balls his fists. Then, he stops and holds himself back from getting into it with ProtoMan.

"Don't feel like fighting your commanding officer, do you?" Proto says.

GutsMan grinds his big jaw and keeps his fists at his sides.

"I didn't think so," Proto smirks, "Now, pick this crap up and get down to the Battle Room. We've got work to do."

As ProtoMan leaves, the Robot Master trio grumble as they pick up their card game, scattered all over the floor.

ProtoMan overhears their complaining and sneers, "Stop your whining! It's not like I blasted your card game to bits." Then, he turns around to face them and adds, "Besides, I wouldn't be making you do this if I didn't like what I saw out of you yesterday."

The Robot Master trio just look at eachother for a moment and shrug. "If Proto says we did good, we must be doing things a _shave_ above the rest around here," Cut Man says.

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, The Robot Master trio arrives to one of the many battle rooms deep inside of the fortress where ProtoMan is continuing to train the other Robot Masters, and it looks like he is being as rigorous as ever because several of their fellow commrades can be seen nearby and looking exhausted from their training.<p>

Ever since Dr. Wily placed him in direct command of combat operations, ProtoMan has been working the Robot Masters ragged by putting them through tests and drills that they have never experienced in all their years alive. Only when fighting Mega Man have the Robot Masters faced challenges that were this difficult.  
>They are all lucky that Proto has made today one of the 'easier' training session days.<p>

"About time. Thought you'd never show up," Proto says when he sees GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man arriving to the battle room, "Let's get started. Cut, you're up. We're about to find out who's the best with a live blade."

Cut Man begins to freak, "D-did he s-say live _blades_?"

"Come on! What my sister did to your titanium rear-end was a long time ago now," Proto says, making reference to the time Roll threw Cut Man's cutters back at him, and they ending up in Cut Man's hinder.  
>Proto adds, "Besides, it's not one-on-one combat. You, Shadow Man and Metal Man will be attacking target dummies to find who who's the fastest draw."<p>

Then, Quick Man bolts in. "Hey, Proto! Why don't you put me in there? I'm the quickest draw of them all!" he blathers.

"Because you don't have a blade. That's why," Proto says, "By the way, one of your training missions this week is gonna seeing how slow you can talk. Just giving you fair warning."

After he his had a moment to let his nerves settle down, Cut Man steps up next to Shadow Man and Metal Man who are waiting for the training session to begin. But, Metal Man is irritated with this idea. "This is pointless! We are wasting our time with these meaningless exersizes when we should be spilling the blood of our enemies as we speak!"

"No time for complaining, Saw Head. Time to get to work," Proto says, "And I want all of you to throw these weapons of yours like you've never thrown 'em before! Forget about getting it done first, just get it done the best."

Cut Man, Shadow Man and the angry Metal Man stand in their appointed zones and wait for the scrap metal training dummies to pop up from their deployment zones.

Without any notice, the dummies jump out and fly around the battle room. Shadow Man is the smoothest with his efficient using his Shadow Blade, but Cut Man and Metal Man are using more brute force with their attacks. But, Metal Man is missing some of the scrap training bots with his Metal Blade and as he grows angrier he only begins to slack behind even further. Shadow Man is taking his time taking out his target, and his is moving about the battle zone to gain the best vantage point he can.

After all the scrap bots were eliminated, a Sniper Joe hands ProtoMan a datapad with the results and Proto evaluates them. "Shadow Man, you weren't the fastest, but you never missed and you took each of the targets out with one shot. I guess Wily's idea to make you a ninja bot payed off," Proto reports, "And, even though you took all your targets out first, Metal Man, your performance was the sloppiest."

Metal Man begins to rage and pulls his Metal Blade off his head and throws it towards the Sniper Joe that was assisting ProtoMan, and the blade carves all the way through it's neck and takes it's head clean off. Thankfully, this does not do fatal harm to the Sniper Joe. Instead, his body freaks out and picks up his fallen head from the floor before running away with it. (It's a good thing the old Sniper Joes were build with a secondary processor in their bodies.)

When Metal Man catches the saw, he stomps right up to ProtoMan and growls, "THIS IS PROPOSTEROUS! No other robot in Master Wily's army is better with a blade than I, and you know it! You are deliberately holding me back!"

"This is no grand conspiracy, Metal Man. You're not in third place because I can't stand you; You're in third place because you failed. Maybe if you stop complaining, you wouldn't lose all the time," Proto says, almost mocking Metal Man.

Metal Man yells, "Master Wily may have appointed you to be in command, but you are no leader of mine!"

ProtoMan just grins, "Well, that's just too bad. If you don't like it around here, you can go build the big curtain outside. Maybe you can kill some of the worker bots in your spare time."

"Performing such menial tasks will be more tolerable than serving under you, Light Child!" Metal Man hisses, then storms off.

Proto smirks, "Okay, everybody, show of hands. Who here is glad that raving psychobot is no longer gonna be a part of this program?"

All of the Robots in the battle room raise their hands, relieved that the mad robot is gone.

"That's what I thought," Proto says, "Looks like we've weeded out the crap today! That's what Wily wants. Only the best of us are gonna stand out, aren't we?"

"You better be careful how you talk to Metal Man. He's scary," Cut Man says.

Proto gaffaws, "He doesn't scare me, and he shouldn't scare any of you either."

"Uh, whatever you say, Proto Sir," Cut Man obeys.

"Don't call me 'Sir,' because I don't like it. Just call me Proto like you always do," ProtoMan differs, "Now let's get back to work. You bots are never gonna beat Mega Man if you don't have the bolts to do it."

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>Kennedy Space Center.  
>Cape Canaveral, Florida.<strong>

Once again, the press have gathered for a public showing of one of Dr. Light's latest great advancements in robotic innovations on this bright sunny day.

Today, the onlookers are witnessing their first glimpse of a robot designed for outer space purposes. His name is Galaxy Man, and he looks like a cross between a flying saucer and an old stereotypical robot that would often be seen in 1950's science fiction stories, complete with a pair of antennae atop his head.  
>Galaxy Man has no actual face, but has a black strip where two red 'eyes' can be seen. Galaxy Man also has two arms and two legs, but can also hover his way around, thanks to the propulsion technology built into his saucer torso.<p>

Galaxy Man's silver armor plating is solar-powered and appears to change colors every few seconds to pink, yellow, blue or green as he collects energy from the sun. This is the main reason why today's event had to be held on a day where there was perfect weather, and considering how Florida's weather is known to be tempermental, the event was almost moved to California.

Even though this is Galaxy Man's big public debut, he has really been online for over a year and was kept hidden in a top secret location to prevent Dr. Wily from learning about him and kidnapping him before his combat skills were at their peak.

While Galaxy Man hovers above the ground on the launch tarmac, Dr. Light stands at a podium with several NASA officials. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome my newest robot... Galaxy Man!" says Dr. Light as he holds his hands out towards Galaxy Man.

The audience gathered here breaks out in applause and Galaxy Man bows to them as he continues to hover over the tarmac.

"Galaxy Man's purpose is to patrol the solar system and aid space crews and monitor satellites," Thomas explains, "By patrolling the solar system, he will serve as Earth's first line of defense from any incoming threats there may be, such as asteroids. His primary power is called the Black Hole Bomb, and small vacuum of energy that can absorb any threat and destroy it into atoms that will no longer pose any threat to the planet or civilization."

To ease any fears, Thomas states, "And before you ask, the Black Holes he can create are small enough that they will not pose any threat to Earth or any part of our solar system, not even the smallest star. These Black Holes are controlled by Galaxy Man at all times and can be disabled by him whenever he feels the threat has been removed. And they will only be used in case of an extreme emergency. Galaxy Man will demonstrate this power in the Anti-Gravity booth for us now."

Galaxy Man hovers his way into a large square structure with four walls and a roof, made entirely out of transparent aluminum, and several large rocks are scattered about. Once the space robot enters the booth, the technicians close it and lock him inside, running away from the booth as other technicians begin to depressurize it.

The large rocks begin floating in thin air once the gravity begins to drop to zero. Then, Galaxy Man holds his hands out and a wispy strand of dark blue energy begins to appear. The energy strand begins to grow and rotate around itself, and soon the energy ball is almost as big as Galaxy Man's round torso. Then, the energy bursts from within and a round black 'hole' appears in the center of the energy itself and begins pulling the rocks towards it

The crowd gasps as they witness this phenomenon taking place before their very eyes and the press continues to grab as many pictures and video of this as they can.

The large rocks inside the anti-gravity booth are all sucked into the Black Hole Bomb, one by one. Once inside, they are eaten by the uncanny power and turned into nothing but atoms that are not even visible to the naked human eye.  
>Then, Galaxy Man adjusts his hands and the Black Hole Bomb begins to dissipate, leaving only Galaxy Man himself left inside.<p>

The audience begins to applaud the demonstration and Galaxy Man soon leaves the anti-gravity booth after the pressure is restored to normal.

"All test asteroids are disposed of, Dr. Light," Galaxy Man states calmly.

"Good work, Galaxy Man," Dr. Light says as Galaxy Man hovers to the Good Doctor's side. Thomas then turns to the press in from of him, "I will now take questions."

Meanwhile as Dr. Light takes questions with Galaxy Man, Mega Man and Rush are on the roof of the Kennedy Space Center and keeping an eye out for any sign of Dr. Wily or his robots, including ProtoMan. But, there is no sign of them anywhere in the state of Florida, or even in nearby states.

Mega holds down his communication button on his left forearm. "Still no sign of anything out of the ordinary around here?" he asks.

_"Negative, Mega Man. Not even a shady character in sight. This event couldn't be any more peaceful,"_ a security chief responds.

If Wily doesn't appear today, this event will mark the third straight big event that has taken place since the incident at the Civil Defense Tower in New York where Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters have completely ignored it, not even issuing so much as a threat or sending a Batonton to spy on the proceedings.  
>Usually, Dr. Wily would not be able to resist the temptation to strike when both Mega Man and there is another robot or instrument he could steal and use for his own evil purposes. The only element that is missing is New York City, Dr. Wily's favorite place to attack.<p>

And as much as Mega Man is glad that he doesn't have to fight Wily, Proto of the Robot Masters today, their absense also worries him. Wily might be ignoring these events because he figured out that the Civil Defense Tower was just a trap and has now become leary of any big showcase events like this.  
>Mega Man is also worried because the more time Dr. Wily spends waiting to strike again, the bigger his next plan tends to be. This has been proven with the hijacking of Gamma, which was followed by the plot that unfolded last year on Election Day with Proto's supposed turning good, which was followed by the elaborate plan to frame Mega Man for Kalinka Cossack's kidnapping, which was followed by the construction of the super robot Bass.<p>

Once again, Mega's thought drift back towards Bass again. The fact that Brain Bot has not yet devised a safe and satisfactory way to defeat Bass yet has Mega a bit worried about the threat he still poses too. He knows that Bass is still out there, and he will have to do battle with him again. Mega Man just hopes that he can defeat that psychotic robot the next time, and that he can survive to tell the tale.

_"Did you see that?"_ asks the voice of Roll on Mega's arm communicator.

"See what?" Mega asks back.

_"Galaxy Man's Black Hole Bomb! That was so cool!"_ Roll says excitedly.

"Oh... yeah. I missed it," a disappointed Mega says.

_"Still thinking about where to take your girrrrlfriend?"_ Roll teases again, making reference to the date Mega and Kalinka are scheduled to have in September.

"I'm keeping an eye out for Wily and his bots. I don't think they're showing up," Mega replies with what he was really thinking about.

_"That's a shame. I was hoping we could send that monster to jail today and get home just in time go to celebrate at Electric Pizza,"_ Roll replies.

"He's in hiding again. Whenever he gets like this, that means something big is about to happen soon," Mega says, "But, I've got a feeling he_ would_ have attacked the Space Center if Governor Deacon hadn't used that tower to lure him out."

_"Ugh! I don't even want to hear about that creepy tower ever again,"_ Roll groans.

"I don't see why not," Mega jokes, "You got a medal ceremony out of it, and you proved just how much of a hero you are."

_"And then I had to do a bunch of interviews asking the same questions Mrs. Recotta asked us,"_ Roll counters.

"It comes with the territory, Sis," Mega adds.

_"Next time, I'd like to keep the interviews down a bit and focus on the action,"_ Roll says.

"Yeah, well, as good of a fighter you are, you've proven that you're an even better inspiration," Mega encourages.

_"I learned from the best,"_ Roll repays the compliment.

Mega Man doesn't say anything back to Roll's kind words, because he can feel that metaphorical cloud of doubt hovering over his head again. Ever since his handling of Bass in combat and how he feels his emotions got the better of him during a sensitive situation at they did during the tower ordeal nearly two months ago, his doubt of himself has only gotten worse.

Mega doesn't like having these doubts hanging over him, but he knows he has to shake it and do it soon, or it could get to him and he could end up making a real mistake.

Before too long, Mega can hear Dr. Light's down below. "That will wrap-up our presentation for the day. Thank you all for coming out today."

Mega Man looks around at the surrounding area and still sees no Wily. He then contacts Roll and the other members of the security detail around him. "Are you sure you don't see anything out of the ordinary?"

_"Nadda,"_ Roll replies first.

_"Negative, Mega Man. No signs of robot sleeper agents on the ground,"_ says a lead Policebot.

_"This is mission control. There are no signs of hostile contacts anywhere,"_ a NASA officer says.

Mega sighs. "Okay. We'll have to keep an eye to the sky for a few more days in case he tries to sneak his way in when we'd least expect us."  
>Mega isolates the contact to just him and Roll. "Rush and I will escort Dr. Light and you back home, Roll. I'll come back around here later and keep an eye out for Wily."<p>

_"Aren't we supposed to meet those guys from the F.B.I. tonight?"_ Roll asks, _"They said they needed to speak with you about something important."_

"Hopefully, they'll be early. But, when they leave, I've gotta come back here. Protecting Galaxy Man is too important," Mega says.

_"If Wily even tries anything, Galaxy Man might help take 'em out with you,"_ Roll says.

"I hope so," Mega says back.

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 7 studios.<strong>

Bree Recotta is in her office working on the next Mr. Black story that will be airing this week. The first report generated an amazing amount of viewership and reports of Mr. Black sightings were being reported everywhere (even though almost all of them were not accurate,) and it was logical for Bree to follow up on this story. She too had her own suspicions about Mr. Black and who he really is, especially after running into that weirdo at Yankee Stadium.

The station general manager Herman Hagar pokes his head into Bree's office and hollars, "Recotta, stop what you're doing. You got two people here who want to talk to you."

"I'm busy, boss," Bree says, still staring at her monitor as she compiles the Mr. Black story.

"Not right now you're not," the general manager says.

"We'll be taking it from here, Mr. Hagar," says one of Bree's 'guests'.

Then, Bree looks up to see two men wearing black suits taking off their sunglasses. One of them produced a badge in a wallet which clearly states "FBI in large blue font.

"Agent Paul Allen, Federal Bureau of Investigation," he says, "This is my associate, Agent Cotto. We need to speak with you about a series of reports you have filed lately on this station."

"The Mr. Black reports?" Bree asks.

"Correct," Allen says.

Hagar interjects himself into the conversation. "Is this gonna take all day? I've got a newscast to get on the air by Five."

"We would appreciate it if you would leave, Mr. Hagar," Allen says, not even bothering to look in the direction of the station manager when he speaks to him.

While Agent Cotto shepherds the general manager out of Recotta's office, Agent Allen sits directly across from the reporter. Bree remains silent as the agent removes a small computer phone from his jacket pocket and brings up a still frame from Bree's report on Mr. Black. The image in question is a shot of the large 'security expert' who Bree came across that night.

"This photograph was taken at Yankee Stadium on the night of the exhibition between Mega Man and Bass the super robot," Allen says, "You were also there covering that event and the attack that took place there. Did you at any point in the evening come into direct contact with this man?"

Bree replies, "Is that him?"

Allen calmly presses, "Just answer the question posed to you, ma'am."

Bree sighs, then answers, "Yes, I saw him while I was collecting footage for the newscast."

"To the best of your memory, please describe the extent of the contact you had with this gentleman," Allen asks.

"I was wondering what kind of material the fighting arena in the center of the baseball stadium was made from. He overheard me and told me what it was," Bree replies.

Cotto is a bit surprised at this. "He spoke to _you_ first?"

"Yes," Bree continues, "He said the glass was called transparant alummium and was nearly impenetrable, but just the right kind of weapon could pierce it. I thought he was a little bit _strange_ to know so much about this. I asked him why and he said he was a 'Security Expert.' Then, in the middle of the conversation, he just walked away."

"Then, the Wily attack began shortly thereafter," Allen transitions.

"Yes. All of the spectators ran for their lives and I took cover and recorded footage for the news," Bree says, "After Wily's robots fled the scene, I looked to my side and saw the same man standing there, staring up at the two Skullkers as they left. I called out to him, but he started running away. I was able to catch some footage of him as he left. That's where that photo of him was taken from."

Allen asks, "Do you have the remainder of the footage that you recorded at this event?"

"It's in the station archive, all of it. It's not much to work from, though," Bree answers.

"Have you come into any contact with him any time since that night?" Cotto asks.

"No. I haven't seen him since," Bree says.

Allen puts his phone away and silently converses with Agent Cotto for a moment. Then, he turns his attention back to Bree. "Personally, Mrs. Recotta, I do not believe in compromising the freedom of the press, but this is a matter of national security. By Federal order, all of your future reports about the Mr. Black crimes will now be run through our offices before they hit the air. And we reserve the right to keep them off the air if we see fit."

Bree gets agitated with being creatively handcuffed like this. "So, you're just going to shut me down?"

"The bureau is very close to apprehending the man directly responsible for the Mr. Black crimes. We don't want any outside influence to jeopardize that," Allen says.

Cotto says, "If anything, we will be using your reports strategically to keep him where we want him."

"So, you're telling me what to do instead of shutting me down," a savvy Bree assumes.

"If you want to continue your journalistic investigation, each report will be given Bureau approval before it reaches the public," Allen says, "If you choose not to cooperate, we will shut you down."

Allen and Cotto turn and leave Bree's office, leaving the reporter flustered. But, she then asks one more time, "Was that man Mr. Black?"

"That is classified information, Mrs. Recotta. And you will tell nobody the details of this conversation." Allen replies as he begins to leave, "If we treace a leak of confidential information coming from you, you could face federal charges. Good day, Mrs. Recotta."

Soon after the agents leave, she knows that they will pillage the station's video archive and the Mr. Black footage she has compiled on her computer station here will soon be erased... that's why she was prepared for it.

Once she knows the agents are gone, she removes one of her shoes and pulls a small drive out of it, containing all the Mr. Black files she had acquired so far.

"You can shut me down, but you're not going to shut me out that easily, boys," she says as she stares at the small drive, determined to find out who Mr. Black really is, even though she is pretty sure who he is now.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Skull Fortress.<strong>

An angry Metal Man makes his way to Dr. Wily's workshop elsewhere in Skull Fortress. When some of the other robots see him coming, they are all sure to stay clear out of his way because they don't want any trouble with him.

When Metal Man arrives to the workshop door, he knocks hard on it. "Master Wily, I request your audience," he asks formally.

_"How important is it, Metal Man?"_ Wily asks from behind the door.

"It is about ProtoMan," Metal Man states.

Dr. Wily then unlocks and opens the door, revealing himself to look very different then usual, now sporting a scraggly beard below his bushy moustache. He has been so obsessed with his recent work, he has not kept up grooming, showers only ever other day and has had half as much sleep as he usually would.

The wooly faced mad doctor lets Metal Man inside to the workshop, where the almost-finished bodies of three new Robot Masters now lie, still offline and hidden under cloths. And many detailed sketches and diagrams of 'Project G-2' are adhered on every wall of the workshop and litter the floor, with the more recent sketches and designs of this project are becoming more consistent in what Wily wants out of it... while the finished product may not be as large as Gamma, this is going to be something _unlike_ Gamma... instead of a giant robot meant to keep the peace, this will be an evil war machine with one intention: Destroy, Pillage, Kill.

"Yes," Metal Man says in awe of the three new robots and the Project G-2 sketches, "The war will soon be coming to an end, and the weakling humans will fall to the knees in fear, Master Wily."

"That will only be the beginning, Metal Man," Wily grins from behind his beard. He then darts his beady eyes towards Metal Man, "What about Proto?"

"The heretic ejected me from his pathetic training exercises," Metal Man says, "I am convinced he is trying to embarrass me because of the hatred I have for him."

"You're coming to me with _this_? I want a status report!" Wily spits.

Metal Man's glowing red eyes dim slightly as he folds his arms. "I hate the Light Child... but, his leadership skills are unquestionably strong. The other robots are following his lead and their combat performances are improving significantly. He is taking his new rank seriously."

Wily smiles with a toothy grin. "Good! Everything is working exactly like we had hoped."

"I still don't trust the Light Child, Master Wily," Metal Man says, "He may be pleasing you now, but his sympathy for his family and his weak human compassion will ultimately destroy everything we have worked for. And if the time would come where he would dare commit an act of betrayal... I beg you to give me the command to _end_ him, Master Wily, and I will do so."

Dr. Wily remains silent, running a hand through his unshaven face. "You may go, Metal Man. I have given Proto the chance to prove himself, but I need to know if he steps out of line, and I need somebody to keep a close enough eye on him... somebody who I trust. Go back and try to get back on his good side again."

"I detest the idea of serving under ProtoMan... but, I obey you, Master Wily," Metal Man bows.

* * *

><p><strong>That evening.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

In the living room of Dr. Light's house next to the lab, Roll, Rush, Eddie and Peekaboo sit on the couch and watch cartoons on the television screen and are enjoying themselves when the doorbell rings.

"Hey, Morris, could you get that?" Roll calls.

"Yes, Miss Light," replies the human-looking Robo-Butler who makes his way to the door.

A few moments later, Roll overhears Morris and another voice. The other voice says, "Federal Agent Paul Allen. This is my associate Agent Cotto. We're here to speak with Dr. Light and Mega Man."

"Yes, sirs. Masters Light and Mega Man have been expecting you. Follow me," Morris says.

Roll looks over her shoulder and sees Morris leading the two agents to the lab building next-door. Roll doesn't want to be left out of this meeting, so she gets up from the couch. "I've gotta talk to these F.B.I. guys for a few minutes. Just stay here, okay?"

Rush barks and Eddie says, "Okay." But, Peekaboo bleeps to his Mommy and asks if he can go with her.

"Well... I think you should stay here, Boo. This is gonna be kinda boring," Roll says, hiding the real reason why she doesn't want him to be in this meeting. The feds are here to discuss some business about the bad guys, and she doesn't want Boo to get scared.  
>"Don't worry, I'll be right back," Roll smiles.<p>

* * *

><p>In the lab, The F.B.I. agents arrive with Morris. "Agents Allen and Cotto from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to see you, sir," Morris says.<p>

"Thank you, Morris," Dr. Light says as he and Mega Man approach the agents. Allen is unflappable as always, but Cotto is happy to see the Defender of the Human Race in-person right in front of him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Allen says, "Your contributions to keeping the world safe are immeasurable."

"Thank you, but I've still got work to do. Wily's still out there," Mega says.

Roll enters the lab and approaches this scene. Thomas introduced her, "Agents, this is my daughter Roll."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Miss. Your effort at the Tower in Manhattan was exemplary," Allen says.

"Thanks," Roll replies smiling.

Allen turns to Dr. Light, "I know we are late, so you have our appoolgies. We will try to make this as brief as possible," Allen states, then asks, "May we use your computer terminal?"

"Certainly," Dr. Light says, leading the Federal Agents to the nearest computer.

The agents make their way to Dr. Light's large main computer station and Allen inserts a data disc into a drive. "Satilite images have been monitoring activity at Albert Wily's hideout in the Arizona badlands, and they have captured images of this in the premesis," Allen says, pointing at the structure errected behind Wily's fortress.

"It looks like a construction cover similar to the one we used to build Gamma under," Dr. Light says.

Even hearing that detail makes Mega Man more than a bit nervous. It wasn't bad enough that Bass is still out there, but now Wily might be building something big at his fortress. Maybe it's not as big as Gamma, but whatever it is can't be good.

"How long has this thing been there?" Mega asks.

"Since last month, Much like when Gamma was constructed, he does not want anybody to see what he is making. Any attempts by our drones to get a closer look have been futile," Allen says.

"I might be able to get in there, if Wily hasn't upgraded his surveilance systems," Mega says.

"President Henry would be greatful," Allen says, "The issue with Wily is not the only matter we need to discuss with you. There is the issue of the man using the name Mr. Black. This is top-secret intel you are about to see. But, given the circumstances, it's for the best."

"How much can you tell us about this Mr. Black guy?" Mega Man asks.

"Everything you need to know," Allen replies.

A few seconds later, a Federal password prompt appears and Allen enters the necessary information to unlock the encrypted files. Then, several still frames of Mr. Black in his full costume - a black mask, and dark grey trench coat - appear on the big computer screen above the terminal.

"This is how you know the man masquerading as Mr. Black," Allen says, "What you're about to see is how we knew him."

The stills of Mr. Black in costume disappear and then his federal identification card appears on the full screen, showing his unmasked face and personal information to the right of the picture."

"So, this is what Mr. Black looks like," Mega says as he studies the picture.

"His name is not _Black_," Agent Cotto says, "It's _Barton_... Ex Federal Agent Jonathan Barton."

Allen adds, "Agent Barton was one of our best, and was the head of the F.B.I. Security Developments Division. But, twenty-nine months ago, he created a device he called the Mindcracker, a small instrument inserted into the ear to brainwash the subject into revealing whatever intel he could get. And he could use it to turn subjects into human puppets, making them do whatever he instructed them to do."

"That's what he used on our friends," Mega says, almost wanting to shudder at the idea of somebody creating a device like this. It sounds like something Wily would do.

"It was an unethical abomination if there ever was one. We were afraid he was the one responsible for the brainwashing signal embedded in the Cold Steel music two years ago. But, we were incorrect," Allen says, "A month after he created the device, we reprimanded him and he was suspended from active duty. But, during a hearing to decide his punishment, he resigned from the bureau immediately thereafter, and somehow he still had his hands on the original prototype Mindcracker."

As everybody has been discussing Mr. Black/John Barton, Roll has been staring at the former agent's unmasked face on the screen, simultaneously cycling through her memory trying to remember exactly where she has seen him before... because she has seen that face.

"I've seen this guy before. Twice!" Roll says.

Everybody turns around to face Roll. "Where?" Allen asks.

"The first time was at the rooftop restaurant when Wily's Robo-Spider attacked the city," Roll says, "And then I saw him again at Mr. Deacon's campaign headquarters on Election Night last year. Both places, he stared at us a little more than anybody else, but I didn't think anything of it until now."

"He was scoping all of you," Cotto says, sounding bothered by his former associate's behavior, "Most likely studying who you are, how you behave and when he can catch you alone. I've watched him do it before."

Thomas snaps his fingers. "The week of the Robo-Spider attack was when Professor Henson was attacked in his home."

"It was also when Agent Barton began his string of attacks, and the temporary damage done to Henson's mind was identical to Barton's test subjects and other victims," Allen says.

"What else can you tell us about him?" Mega asks.

Allen answers, "New York Police Officer Lynn Wersching had an encounter with Barton last year. Fortunately, he did not use his device on her, so we were able to interview her. She stated stated that Barton had taken a particular interest in Governor Deacon shortly before he was elected, and he tried to coerce her into giving him confidential details about Mr. Deacon's security detail by offering her intell on where her missing brother was. But, she didn't play along."

"What could have driven him to do this?" Mega Man asks.

Allen and Cotto glance at eachother and Allen nods. Agent Cotto begins to explain, sounding melancholy, "John's methods were extreme. But he wasn't always like this... at one time, he was my friend... I thought he was my friend, anyway. Then, one day, everything changed."

"How?" Mega asks.

Allen steps forward and brings up another top secret file on the screen. "We would appriciate if what you're about to see and hear doesn't leave this room. Agent Barton's connection to our ongoing war with Wily runs much deeper than you think. Let me explain..."

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After a long day of whooping these Robot Master into shape, ProtoMan makes his way to his quarters, ready to go to bed for the night.

"_WHEW! _I never knew training the Robot Masters would be so tiring," Proto says to himself as he loosens his yellow scarf.

As he reaches the door to his quarters, he opens the door and looks at his beat-up mattress. "I never knew resting on that shabby bed would seem so comfortable, but when you're dealing with those boltheads, anything's possible."

But, before Proto could retire for the night, the headless Sniper Joe assistant runs up to him with his head in one arm and the handheld computer in the other. Proto looks annoyed, but the Joe would not have bothered him this late at night unless it was important. And besides, Proto felt bad for the Joe after losing his head thanks to Metal Man's senseless attack, so he might as well hear him out... even though Joes don't talk.

"What is it?" Proto asks.

The Joe hands Proto the computer tablet and Proto Man stares at it as it played news footage of Galaxy Man's unveiling early this morning. Proto watches on with great interest. Proto deliberately ignored the last to public events were Mega Man appeared because he needed more time to train the Robots and he felt neither opportunity was the right time to strike. And Wily didn't even care either.

But, A robot who can create black holes? That sounds like something that could he could use to his advantage. He could use a few extra days to train the Robots to get ready, but this is too good to pass up.

Proto begins grinning. "Joe, I think I'm just gonna chug a few energy cans and stay up late tonight. It looks like we're about to go to work for real again very soon."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_First of all, sorry for being so late on this update. I've had more time being busy doing other things then I had during any other one so far. The posting of the subsequent chapters of Episode 9 will be not be too bad._

_As you can see by the title, we are going to see more from Galaxy Man very soon. The part in the narration where it was mentioned that Galaxy Man was online already for over a year is a slight reference to one of my other Ruby-Spears Mega Man stories titled "Lost Dog" which is not really a part of the cannon established for the Defender series. But, you could check it out if you want to.  
>(Just a fair warning though. It's not the best story I've ever written, and it's pretty sweet and sappy, even for my work.)<em>

_I have a limited knowledge of poker and how it is played, so if there were any inaccuracies in how GutsMan, Magnet Man's and Cut Man's game was played, sorry. (I have an even more limited knowledge of chess, so that will be real funny when I have to deal with that later on with Mr. Black's part of the story.)_

_I strongly considered having Tina from "Mega Man on the Moon" make a cameo here, but I never went ahead and wrote it, because it didn't fit in and it only would have been a padding for the sake of making the chapter a longer read._

_Agent Barton" is not a reference to the Agent Barton from The Avengers. I know that was probably your first thought, but I've had the Barton name in mind for a long time now, since before that movie debuted.  
><em>... and if you go back to the first appearance of the Robo-Spider in the first chapter of the interlude to Episode 5, yes, that was a very subtle first appearance of Mr. Black. He was the one sitting at the table nearby.<em>_

__Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos or continuity errors - even those that are so minute even Charles Darwin couldn't find them - please PM me right away. (If you don't know who Charles Darwin is, google him.)__

__As mentioned in the interlude chapter, the concept of Proto being in command this time around was that of lalalei's and is used with her permission. So, special credit goes to her. Thank you again. :)__


	96. Silence is Deafening

_**Episode 9, Chapter 2: Silence is Deafening.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<br>****Skull Fortress.**

All the Robot Masters are once again gathered here in the hangar bay as they await the arrival of ProtoMan. Only a half-hour ago, ProtoMan told them all to be here for an important briefing, and anybody who misses it will be excluded in upcoming plans.  
>As they wait for Proto to arrive, the Robot Masters once again talk among themselves...<p>

"How many times do we have to stand around in this hangar waiting for a big announcement? I'm getting tired of it!" Air Man complains, still sporting his new imposing tall and bulky chassis, which is a far cry from his original design two years ago, (now complete with a semi-human face, so he can speak.)

"You know, the last time we were all here was when Dr. Wily gave ProtoMan the big promotion. Do you think he got fired and we're about to get a new boss this time?" ElecMan asks, still bitter about his past issues with Proto, dating back to before the war even began in April 20X1.

"That'll make you happy, won't it Metal Man?" Magnet Man asks, giving Metal Man a nudge on his arm.

Metal Man only replies with an annoyed growl as he stands staring at the stage with his arms folded, waiting to get this meeting over with. He detests the concept of having to take orders from ProtoMan, but he is only doing so for Lord Wily.

Finally, after waiting for several minutes, ProtoMan arrives to the hangar bay, followed by two small sphere-shaped robots that hover in behind him. These small robots have projections lens built into them and can project images.

The Robot Masters quiet down and stands at attention when Proto arrives, and Metal Man stares at Proto with his glowing evil eyes.

"Lights down," ProtoMan orders, and all the hangar bay lights dim so that the projector bots can display a video image on two of the hangar walls for all of the Robot Masters to see.

Cut Man nudges GutsMan. "He sure knows how to make a show out of it, doesn't he?"

"Listen up, everybody," Proto says, "You're about to find out why I called all of you here again, and you're gonna want to pay attention. A few days ago, our old friend Dr. Light debuted a new robot down in Florida named Galaxy Man."

The projector bots show video of Galaxy Man's début and Proto continues speaking. "Normally, I could give a crap about this, because he looks like just another bot, and a goofy one at that... then, I saw him do this..."

The Projector bots then show the video of Galaxy Man deploying his Black Hole inside of the anti-gravity chamber and devouring the boulders into nothingness with it. The shocked Robot Masters begins muttering to themselves again in awe (and a little bit afraid of what this robot can do.)

ProtoMan continues, "That's a pretty destructive little toy he's got! Now, I'm not a very destructive bot... but, isn't this the kind of weapon we could _use_ to turn this war around in our favor?"

Magnet Man protests, "Are you crazy? We don't stand a chance at getting that weapon!"

Heat Man huffs, "He's even more powerful than Mega Man with that Black Hole!"

"Yeah, he may be more powerful than Mega Man," Proto says, "And that's why I want you to 'recruit' him to the army."

Bright Man warbles, "But, we'll all be destroyed!"

Needle Man stammers, "Duh, I don't wanna be sucked into that... thing!"

ElecMan yells, "You've fried your circuits, ProtoMan!"

As ProtoMan listens to the complaints from the Robot Masters growing louder, he wonders if Dr. Wily would be receiving this loud of a backlash if _he_ had posed this plan to them. But, before he could set them all straight, ProtoMan's extremely dangerous plan get a surprising endorsement...

"I agree with ProtoMan's plan," calls the harsh rasp of _Metal Man_, who steps forward ahead of all the Robot Masters, "ProtoMan, you and I will never like eachother. But, I can see now that you truly are doing what is best to win our holy war. If you desire any Robot Masters to volunteer for this mission, I offer my services."

The Robot Masters watch in stunned silence, shocked to see (of all robots) Metal Man being the first to offer his support for this mission, even though he and ProtoMan can't stand eachother.

A smirk slowly appears on Proto's face. "Well... that's awfully nice of you Metal Man. It's about time you came around."

ProtoMan turns his attention back to the rest of the Robot Masters again and says, "See? If this plan is good enough for him. Can't you guys just here my plan out?"

The Robot Masters still remain silent, thinking over Proto's suggestion, even though it sounds like suicide to fight against a robot who can make Black only thing worse would be a robot who could produce bees.

Proto says, "This bot ain't so tough. He probably doesn't even have any combat experience, so we could take him out in no time. Come on, guys. Would I ever lie to you?"

"Yes!" The Robot Masters all reply in unison.

ProtoMan becomes a bit flustered. "Okay... maybe I would. But, I want you to just listen to..."

ProtoMan stops when he remembers how much power Dr. Wily had bestowed upon him when he gave him the command, and how he wanted the other robots to follow Proto's orders like they were his own.

Proto smugly grins, "I _order you_ to hear me out."

The Robot Masters obey (very woefully so) and listen to ProtoMan describe his plan to take Galaxy Man.

"I had a feeling you'd see it my way," Proto grins, getting his first taste of what power feels like, "Now, here's the plan. According to what I've heard, they've already launched this bot into space where he's supposed to keep an eye out for astroids and stuff like that. And he won't have anybody there to help his solar-powered U.F.O. kiester from out little 'incident,' and he'll be too far away from Earth for anybody to come rushing to his aid on time, even my little brother."

"But, with a weapon like that, he doesn't need help!" Cut Man whimpers.

"Let me finish," Proto barks, "A team of you will be sent out into space to intercept him. I want robots with strong freezing weapons or disorientation weapons to deal with Galaxy Man first. So, Ice Man and Bright Man, you're up."

After they learn they are being drafted into this mission, Bright Man's mouth hangs open and he makes a scared peep sound and Ice Man's circuits run cold. (Colder than they already are.)

ProtoMan continues, "In case anybody is there to interfere with us, I want a group of Robot Masters with strong projectile and energy weapons that won't be hindered by the lack of gravity in space. So, that means you, Gemini Man, ElecMan and Spark Man."

"Who's gonna take on that Mega Dweeb?" GutsMan asks in a bellow, "I wanna squash 'im!"

"I'll be doing what I can down here on Earth to keep him busy and delay him while you go get Galaxy Man," ProtoMan answers.

GutsMan tries again. "Oh, okay... So, uh... Can I join you so I can-"

"No," Proto interrupts.

GutsMan's large shoulders slump down, disappointed that he won't be getting his chance to crush Mega Man in combat.

ProtoMan continues, "Now, if we do this right, we won't have to worry about Mega Man getting in our way, and we'll already be on our way back here with Galaxy Man in-tow. The first strike team will be traveling in a shuttle that will take you out into space. Once you've got Galaxy Man, you'll meet up with the second team back on Earth. They'll be riding in a squadron of Skullkers and SkullCopters somewhere over Texas, so just follow eachother's signals and you'll meet. And if Mega Man tries to tack back Galaxy Man at this stage, that's when we've gotta throw everything we've got at him."

Bomb Man quacks, "How are we supposed to stop Mega Man? He's always beaten us every time we fight him!"

"Listen and learn," ProtoMan says, "My brother is very good as a Super Fighting Robot - _almost_ as good as me - and we've learned the hard way that he is good at taking on multiple enemies. And Dr. Wily always seems to think that only four or five of us is enough to stop him... but, he's wrong."

The Robot Masters gasp in shock at how ProtoMan had the gall (or the guts) to outright label Dr. Wily's decisions as 'wrong,' and Metal Man is the most appalled to the remark as his red eyes become ablaze.

"Sorry, but when the old man is wrong, he's wrong," Proto shrugs with a grin, "_Only_ five Robot Masters - no matter how good you are - isn't enough to stop my bro. _But..._ if we could overwhelm him - with say, a twenty-on-one advantage - _that_ would be too much for even Mega Man to handle alone. He's good, even great... but, he can be beaten."

Another hush falls over the Robot Master crowd, but this time, Proto's message appears to be sinking in. Then, Centaur Man - Champion of the Robot Championship Tournament, which had a famously disastrous ending earlier this year - steps up on all four of his titanium hooves.  
>"My only question is, when do we begin?" he asks, clinching his fist.<p>

"Only after I put you through more combat training," Proto says, "I've gotta teach you how to defend yourselves if you get your powers taken away and get all of you nice and tough before I send you out on the deadliest mission of your lives."

Cut Man's eyes become wide and he makes a gulping sound, (and he was not the only Robot Master to do the same.)

"I know some of you guys are afraid," Proto says, pointing a red finger at them, "But, we're not the ones who are supposed to be afraid; we're the bots that make our enemies afraid of us. Are you gonna try and get in on this plan, or should I just go ahead and re-assign you to you the construction crew so you can work on that big curtain out back?  
>And let me tell you something, whether you make the strikes teams or not, if don't at least try to make something of yourselves here, you<em> are<em> a failure just like Wily said you were. So... who wants to prove themselves?"

Again, the Robot Masters think about this plan. It is extremely dangerous going after Galaxy Man out in space and then taking on Mega Man, but this would be their chance to prove to ProtoMan and Dr. Wily that they are no failures.

The toughest of the Robot Masters raise their hands first without hesitation. They want in. But, the more cowardly of the robots are reluctant to jump right in.

It sounds really dangerous to go out in space and try to take Galaxy Man and then take on Mega Man. (And robots like Cut Man and Top Man are more worried about Roll than they are of Mega Man because of the 'serious physical harm' she has done to them this year.) But, they didn't want to be failures. They didn't want to end up like Drill Man and be schleped aside. Reluctantly, the scared Robot Masters suck it up and raise their hands too.

Soon, the rest of the Robot Masters who hadn't yet volunteered from ProtoMan's mission training had raised their hands, and all ProtoMan could see is a sea of raised hands.

Proto smiles, "That's what I thought. Since you're all onboard, let's not waste any time, boys! Report to the battle room and get to training."

The fortress' hangar bay's lights turn back on and the Robot Masters being filing out to begin their training in the hopes of winning a spot in the big operation. But, Metal Man approaches ProtoMan before he could leave.

"Criticizing Master Wily was an outrage, and is an act of sacrilege!" Metal Man rasps, "But, I still believe your plan is satisfactory, and I shall follow your orders."

ProtoMan grins, "Good, because I've got an order for you right now. While you're waiting your turn for training, you can put Joe's head back on."

As ProtoMan heads to the Battle Room, the headless Sniper Joe steps up to Metal Man, still carrying his head in his hands after Metal Man took it off yesterday.

Metal Man's red eyes follow Proto as he leaves and he clenches his fists in fury. "I hate that heretic!" he growls.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later.<br>Onboard The Gesselchaft.**

Somewhere in the skies above the United States, the Bonne Salvage ship known as the Gesselchaft flies ahead in her ongoing mission to collect salvage. Only now, it is sporting a new 'hood ornament' on the front of it's hull: a large mecha-skull design with two black eye holes and and a neutral smile that divots twice to look like it has two big gapped teeth.

This logo was the idea of Tiesel Bonne, who wanted the ship to look cooler and use the design as the Bonne Salvage Company's new logo. But, his sister is having second thoughts about it as they two of them discuss this in the 'garage bay' area of the ship.

"I don't know if people will want to do business with us if we use _that_ as our logo," Tron says, lying flat on a rolling cart typically used to work underneath a car as she works underneath her new mech, wearing a pink jumpsuit stained with black oil. And right next to her is Servebot#1, helping his Momma work on the mech and even wearing a little pair of overalls over his body.

"Oh, come on, little sister!" Tiesel bemoans, "The family business needs a cool logo. And not only is it cool, it's also a happy face, so it's kind of cute."

Tron wheels herself out from underneath the mech. "That isn't cute," she says as she picks up Servebot #1 and holds him up. "_This_ is cute," she states, as #1 happily smiles and waves.

Tiesel waves his sister's criticism off. "Pop said the family business needed a new logo anyway. Besides, after the latest false accusation, we could use a facelift."

Tron gives her older brother a suspicious eye. "There have been an awful lot of people accusing us of stealing things since Daddy left you in charge of the salvage business."

"And they're all yarn-spinning liars!" Tiesel rebukes, "I would never do such a thing."

Tron keeps her suspicious gaze on her brother, not saying a word. #1 also stares at Tiesel with his big round eyes and a neutral expression on his mouth.

"Honest!" Tiesel insists while holding a hand behind his back and crossing his fingers.

Tron keeps her stare on Tiesel, still not speaking. #1 still stares too.

"I cannot believe you are are doubting the word of your own brother!" Tiesel complains, "Fine, if you don't believe me, what do you think #1?"

Before Servebot #1 can answer, Tron covers his mouth with her oil-stained hand. "Don't you involve my babies, Tiesel! Don't you dare!"

"Okay. I'm sorry," Tiesel says, "... how am I supposed to know the difference between what's trash and what's treasure?"

Tron uncovers #1's mouth area, but because her hand was so oily, it now looks like the Servebot has a goatee made of oil on his yellow face. "You've been acting really strange lately, Tiesel."

"Strange? Me?" Tiesel blurts, placing his hands on his chest in a very dramatic fashion.

"... _More strange_ than you usually do," Tron says, "First you go on your superhero crusade with your friends-"

"_Former_ associates," Tiesel interrupts.

Tron continues, "Then, you've been saying mean things about Mega Man, after everything he's done for this world. And then, you've been going out late at night and buying expensive things lately."

"Yyyeah," Tiesel hems and haws, "It's... for work."

"A high-grade audio soundboard is going to help us find better salvage?" Tron snipes.

"Oh! Um, no, _that_ is for my own personal enjoyment," Tiesel explains, looking a bit nervous when his sister mentions the soundboard. The same soundboard that helped his new boss frame the Civil Defense Tower engineer last month.

"You're not using our parents' personal money without his knowing about it, are you?" Tron interrogates.

"No? Why would I? Pops gives us enough of a pseudo-allowance to live just fine!" Tiesel denies.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Tron asks.

Tiesel grumbles, "I_ wish_ a had a girlfriend. I wouldn't have to live with you anymore."

"WHAT?" Tron erupts, causing #1 to cover his audio sensors with his clamp hands and make a pained expression on his face.

"Nothing! No girlfriend!" Tiesel begs, trying to avoid being on the wrong end of another blow-up from his sister.

"I've seen you walking around like you're waiting for something. Are you sure you're not doing anything illegal?" Tron asks.

"No, of course I'm not!" Tiesel insists, 'Why are you grilling me like this?"

"Because I'm worried about you," Tron says, "You drive me nuts sometimes but you're still my big brother."

"Oh... sorry," Tiesel says, calming down after his sister reveals her concern. Of course, Tron has good reason to be this way with him, because her brother _has_ been doing some shady things recently. Most notable is his current agreement he has with The Conduit, the same mysterious 'voice on the phone' who unbeknownst to Tiesel is also is the 'boss' of Mr. Black.

The some of the more expensive things he has bought lately have been for future operations The Conduit might give him. And while the early accusations of stealing things from customers were merely accidental (or so Tiesel claims,) the most recent theft was intentional, and once again, it was an item he might need for his future business with The Conduit.

Then, Servebot #9 comes running up to the Bonne siblings, followed by even more Servebots carrying a monitor, a speaker, a microphone and a video camera. "Miss Bonne! Uncle Tiesel!" #9 calls, "Mr. and Mrs. Bonne are hailing the Gesselchaft and they want to speak you. They say they have great news!"

"Put 'em on, then," Tiesel says, as Tron wiped the oil off her Servebot #1's face to make him presentable for their parents.

After the cobbled together communication hub is prepared, Tron and Tiesel sit beside eachother, and all the servebots in the room step in front of the camera to join them and #1 sits in Tron's lap.

A live video shot of Don Juan Bonne and Bonne Bon appear on the screen, and it looks they are atop of a ski slope, covered in artificial snow which is maintained by the machine-controlled cold climate to create an authentic experience, even though it is summertime in much of the world.

_"There you are, my beautiful children,"_ Don Juan says, speaking in his very affected rich snob accent, _"How on Earth are you doing onboard the Gesselchaft?"_

"Things are doing great, Pops," Tiesel begins, "Business is good. We even came across some scrap from one of the Wily attacks. It wasn't worth much, but we sold it for top dollar."

_"Tieselton, why are you still dying your hair that ghostly white and not it's natural brown. Your sister doesn't do such foolish things with her hair,"_ Bonnie the mother says.

Tiesel tries to explain his case, "Because, I like it this wa"

_"And those ghastly contact lenses,"_ Bonnie interrupts, _"Why can't you let the world see your natural blue eyes? You should follow your sister's example."_

"I wish you both would come home one day," Tron says as she clutches #1 in her arms, "Or, maybe we could join you on one of your vacations so we could be together."

_"We would love to see you, darling,"_ Bonnie says, still wearing her beauty-injection created smile, _"But, you are the only ones we trust to run the business. This business isn't going to run itself now, is it?"_

"No," Tron pouts as she gazes down at her feet, looking so disappointed... again.

_"Besides, that's what we're calling you about, my dears,"_ Bonnie says, _"Your father and I will be busy climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and it would be too dangerous to carry your little brother with us on the climb."_

_"Afterall, neither of you have even had the chance to meet our little prince in-person yet,"_ Don Jaun adds, _"So, if you would be so kind, we would like you to be temporary caretakers for him until we return."_

Tiesel says, "Fine then, we'll get his quarters ready so Tron can take care of-", before he is interrupted by Tron stomping on his foot. "OW! I mean, er, so _we_ can take care of him... because I'm nice that way."

_"splendid! The robo nursery is already on their way,"_ Don Juan says, _"You should be ready pick him up by tomorrow afternoon."_

"One day?" Tiesel and Tron gasp.

_"I'm sure those cute little marshmallow robots will help you get little Bon's room ready in time,"_ Bonnie says.

_"We must go, my children,"_ Don Juan says, as he places goggles over his eyes, _"Your mother and I have a date with the ski slopes. Do take care of your brother."_

As Tron and Tiesel's parents end their call, the two siblings stare at eachother for a moment. "We've only got one day!" they both say in unison before both they and the Servebots bolt out of the garage and make preparations for the arrival of their baby brother.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

While The Bonnes are making preparations for an unexpected arrival, Mr. Black (the man formerly known as John Barton) is still grounded here in this place, and he has been for nearly three months. After keeping himself locked away for so long, he is almost experiencing a sort of cabin fever, and it's only getting worse by his insatiable fire to complete this mission. The fact that Mr. Black feels he is being replaced by this 'new hand' of The Conduit is only making this sense of madness worse.

Mr. Black no longer knows what is worse, falling asleep or staying awake. When he is awake, he has too much time to think and let his mind go back to _there_ again. But, when he is asleep, that's when the dreams begin and he ends up being taken back_ there_ anyway. It's like his own mind is turning against him.

Mr. Black sits in a large chair inside his study room, unmasked and dressed all in black, (naturally,) keeping the fingers on his right hands placed on the Paradise Lost and Moby Dick books at his side as he stares at the chess board again with no emotion on his face. The room is dead silent, so silent that Mr. Black can hear a ringing in his ears.

"Why?" he whispers as he stares at the board, before falling silent again.

Then, Mr. Black's scrambled phone rings, shattering the silence like a sheet of glass. There is only one person who knows the number.

He grabs the phone off the table right next to the study chair he was seated in and answers it. "What is it?"

_"It is my understanding that Mrs. Recotta's report about you will no longer be airing tonight on the evening news,"_ The Conduit says, _"And it is also my understanding that the F.B.I. is making their presence felt in the greater New York area."_

Mr. Black's cold expression doesn't change as he exhales through his nostrils, but the rage inside is beginning to percolate again. "So, I'm stuck here even longer."

_"It is _your_ fault that you ended up in this predicament."_

"Maybe you can leave the mission to your new little helper," Mr. Black says with a hint of venom in his voice.

_"No. Our agreement still stands. Unless you were to die or be apprehended, only you shall be the one who completes this mission. I have not forgotten why you are doing this, nor your stake in this. My new hand will only be deployed for secondary objectives. He doesn't know that yet, of course."_

After taking a moment to calm down, Mr. Black says. "I appreciate the gesture."

_"In the future however, I may need you the two of you to do business with eachother, for the sake of my own personal stake in this operation,"_ The Conduit says.

"I only work alone," Mr. Black says.

_"You work alone until I tell you that you don't. It would be for the best if the two of you considered working together. Why do you think I chose the codename 'Conduit?'"_

"I'll take it under advisement," a displeased Mr. Black states, "Call back when it's time to let me off my leash. I'll be waiting."

Mr. Black terminates the call and places the phone on the table beside him again, right next to the books still staring at the chessboard. As he stares, his right hand travels up to the back of his neck, until his fingers find the long scar running down from the back of his head, all the way down his spine.  
>Then, he moves his hand around to the left side of his throat where he feels another scar just barely hidden underneath his collar. Both scars are too clean to have been wounds. These are surgical scars... scars that should have never been...<p>

"Why?" he whispers... "Why?"

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<strong>  
><strong>Kennedy Space Center.<strong>

It is now the middle of the night as Mega Man sits at the top level of the space center, just a few short steps from the roof. Rush sits beside him, and nearby he has his rocket propulsion pack, which is powerful enough to launch the hero into space. He hasn't had to use it in nearly two years, when Dr. Wily had kidnapped two astronauts to seize control of the solar focusing lens on the Moon. And Mega hopes he doesn't have to use it again any time soon.

It is an unseasonably mild night here in Florida, but it's still warm enough to remind one that it is summer. Mega likes the peace in the air, but whenever this feeling lingers for too long, it only reminds him that Wily is still out there.

Late last night, Galaxy Man was launched into space to begin serving his purpose, and Mega Man has waited for Dr. Wily and his robots to attempt to take Galaxy Man, but they haven't even tried yet. But, Mega is sure that they will go after the new robot, sooner or later, and he will be ready for them... but, he knows he's not ready for Bass yet.

Thinking of Bass make Mega Man use his internal memory to play back his last encounter with him once again. As he sees the first-person archive in his mind, he remembers how frightening the Wily robot really was, and every ounce of pain that he was dealt at Bass' hand.  
>Every time Mega thinks back to these battle, he tries to figure out some sort of strategy to beat Bass, but he knows many of them probably wouldn't work. If he tries to bombard Bass with attacks, he would only absorb them; if he tries to copy Bass' power, he will probably be ready for it;if he tries to exhaust Bass by evading attacks, it would probably be a worthless effort, because Bass is so fast - especially when he is joined with Treble - he would keep up the pace, if not be faster.<p>

Mega can't help but get the sinking feeling that when he and Bass cross paths again, and they will, he will not be able to stop him without a lot of help or a significant weapon or upgrade from Brain Bot or Dr. Light.

Mega's thoughts become so mired in dread, he begins wondering deep down inside if he is _afraid_ of facing an oponent like Bass again. Not afraid of what will happen to him, because he has been in painful situations before - even though he is not looking forward to that either, - but, more afraid of what will happen to the world, the people he has to defend and the ones he cares about.

Mega can feel himself slipping back into this pit of doubt again and tries to pull himself out of it. Instead of dwelling on Bass, Mega cycles through his memory to find something to think about that isn't bad... or _someone_ to think about.

Mega's memories go back to this winter when Kalinka and her father Dr. Mikhail Cossack visited America and they first met eachother. He remembers when he first saw this beautiful human girl that there was something very special about her. Then, as the two of them got to speaking with eachother, there was a spark that was ignited between them that they didn't quite know was there yet.

Then, Mega Man's thoughts go back to that magical cold winter night in the sky back home in New York. Just him and Kalinka, all alone without a care in the world. She had been crying as she told him how much he meant to her and he was wiping the tears off her face... then, she said she was going to college and wanted to give him _something to remember her by._  
>Mega was so sure it was going to be one of her hugs, but then she stood on her tiptoes and leaned into his face and gave him that surprise kiss square on his lips.<p>

Afterwards, they had spent more time up in the clouds in eachother's arms just holding eachother. They didn't want that moment to stop, because it was the one time in their lives when all of their pain and anguish had seemed to disappear and the only thing either of them had was right there in their arms.

Mega misses Kalinka a lot, and he's missed her ever since that night when she had to return home to Russia. The occasional letters and calls are great, but having to wait until September to actually see her again is killing him, but that's only two months away now.  
>Despite whatever challenges await Mega Man, he is determined to hang on until September just to be with Kalinka again.<p>

Then, an incoming call from Dr. Light back home interrupts Mega's thoughts. Mega snaps himself back to the here and now and answers firmly, "Mega Man here."

_"You never need to refer to yourself as 'Mega Man' when you're on the line with one of us, son,"_ Thomas says.

Mega barely smiles, now speaking more softly. "Sorry, Dr. Light. I guess I've been away from home for too long to remember I don't have to be in superhero mode all the time."

_"I haven't heard of anything suspicious taking place. Maybe you should come home for the night. It is getting late,"_ Dr. Light suggests.

"The team here says the same thing. But, I feel a lot better if I know I'm here and ready to move out if those scumbots try anything," Mega says, "But, aside from the view, it's a little bit boring."

Thomas chuckles, _"Nobody said your job was easy."_

"You got that one right," Mega replies, sounding weary.

On the other end on the connection, Thomas is worrisome about his son. Mega has been so anxious lately about so many things - like keeping his family safe and the future of ProtoMan, not to mention the activities of Albert Wily and especially the threat of Bass returning - that the poor boy doesn't have much time to enjoy himself like he used to. And when he tries to be himself, Mega's thoughts drift to his troubles before too long.  
>So Thomas tries to keep his mood up...<p>

_"Have you decided on where Miss Cossack and yourself will be spending time together?"_

"Still no," Mega says, "Every place would only draw attention."

_"Well, you could always sit behind the lab. Your sister says that Doc would enjoy having company,"_ Thomas says.

"Right, then I'd only have to worry about _you guys_ looking at us," Mega scoffs.

_"Perhaps your sister and I will have our schedules booked that day if you would need it,"_ Thomas offers.

Mega smiles, "I'll think about it... you know, you're the best father a robot defender could ask for."

_"Well, I do my best,"_ Thomas replies bashfully.

* * *

><p><strong>Nearly an hour later.<strong>  
><strong>Chicago, Illinois.<strong>

Under cover of night, ProtoMan arrives to the Windy City in a plain-looking shuttle, similar to the one he used to transport Kalinka Cossack to Skull Fortress after she was kidnapped. After the shuttle lands atop of one of the skyscrapers here, Proto steps out and gazes at the Chicago skyline all around him and remarks with a smirk, "Rock, you can keep New York. Chicago looks better. I'll try to convince Wily to preserve it when I win this war for him."

ProtoMan presses the contact button on his red forearm and contacts his teams. "ProtoMan to all strike teams, report in."

_"Space team standing by in our shuttle and ready to take off,"_ replies Ice Man from space, who is joined by Bright Man, Gemini Man, ElecMan, Spark Man and Star Man.

_"Earth team one here, ready to ground and pound when needed, Proto!"_ GutsMan answers.

_"Earth team two reporting in,"_ babbles Quick Man, almost so fast ProtoMan thought it was static.

"Good. Space team, launch in approximately 5 minutes if you don't hear from me again," Proto orders, "Go directly after Galaxy Man and take out any other hostiles you find. No killing! That's my order."

_"Got it, Proto,"_ Ice Man says.

"Earth teams, head out in the Skullkers when the space team calls you and confirms they have Galaxy Man and be ready to fight Mega Man if he shows up. Again, _no_ killing."

_"Aw, but I wanted to slice him and dice him!"_ Cut Man complains.

"No killing, or I'll put those cutter in your titanium ass just like my sister did!" Proto sternly advises.

_"WHAT! No! I didn't say kill!"_ Cut Man freaks.

"I'll see if I can keep my brother distracted long enough for him to stay off your case," ProtoMan says, "We only get one shot at this. If we fail, there's no way we'll get this close to Galaxy Man again. Don't do this for Wily or me... do it for yourselves! I'll see you back at the fortress. Proto out."

ProtoMan walks away from the shuttle and looks out into the Chicago sky again. "Well... here we go," he says with apprehension.

Proto raises his left forearm again and prepares to contact his brother to lure him out here so he can buy the Robot Masters the time they need... then, he stops himself when those words from his brother pop into his thoughts again...

_"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

Proto grits his teeth below his visor. "No! Not now! Don't grow a conscience on me now!" he spits, slapping himself on the side of his helmeted head to try and knock this sentimental stuff out of it.

But, Proto's sudden attack of conscience doesn't go away, and he starts thinking about his brother and sister. In recent months he has sabotaged Dr. Wily's plans for the sake of saving them both, first with setting up Bass to fail and later leaving Drill Man's frequency written on the radio left in the basement of the tower, which he also did to try to save Drill Man's own life as well.  
>Proto knows both of them are not going to turn to Wily willingly, and forcing them to doesn't sound right. So was all that effort to save them all for naught?<p>

Then, there were the others like Drill Man and that little Met Wily was doing his test torture program tests on. Wily won't give them any remorse if he assumes control of the world. If he finds them he would probably reprogram them or kill them.

Then, there's the Nomad female robot that Proto saved. Proto lied to Wily and claimed she had been destroyed just so she could escape with her life. There is no way Proto would take her back to Wily, and if Wily ever found her alive, he would just wipe her or worse. Then, he would blame ProtoMan for everything.

And what if this plan works? When Wily takes over, the old man would have no problem killing anybody who tries to overthrow him along with anybody else he wants. And there is not enough supposed justification in the world that can convince Proto Wily's behavior would be excusable.

The inner conflict now eats away at ProtoMan's conscience like acid, and it is not allowing him to carry on with his quest to firmly gain a permanent spot as Dr. Wily's right hand and top lieutenant. But, his obsession to finally win over his co-creator - along with his newfound power he has over the Robot Masters - is beginning to corrupt Proto and turn him into the old ProtoMan from two years ago. The one whose humanity was buried deep under Wily's reprogramming and anger.

After struggling with his conscience and his compassion on one side and his lust for power and his wish to win over Wily on the other, ProtoMan finally snaps, letting out a loud yell at the top of his lungs, echoing through the nighttime sky and causing more than a few dogs to start barking on the streets below.

Then, the conflict stops and ProtoMan makes his decision... the mission has to come first, whether he likes it or not. However, instead of obeying Dr. Wily's orders, ProtoMan is obeying his own orders, and it is just as wrong as ever.

Proto presses the communication button again on his forearm and contacts his brother Mega Man. Calmly, he says, "Rock... it's your brother, come in."

There is a very long pause, and understandably so. After all the times he has tricked Mega Man, he has no reason to trust Proto at all, even if things have slowly been smoothing over between them this year.

After an extremely long wait, Mega Man finally responds. _"Proto?"_ he says, calm and sounding a bit hopeful _and_ skeptical.

Proto pauses again as his conscience gnaws at him. He tries to suppress this guilt because the mission has to come first. But, after everything the two brothers have been through since last November, he does want to manipulate him to succeed. But, again, the mission has to come first.

"Having a pretty long night," Proto says, "I had to take a walk from the hole in the wall. I'm in Chicago now. Could use some company."

ProtoMan waits for answer after another long pause.

_"I don't see why we can't just talk right here,"_ Mega Man says, still feeling like there is a red flag or two about the timing ProtoMan's call. _"Sorry, but after everything you've pulled, I just can't trust you."_

Proto grins at how sharp his brother really is. "Fair enough."

_"You said you had to take a walk. What did you mean?"_ Mega asks.

ProtoMan begins to answer in a blend of half lies and half truth, "Things have become a little chilly between the old man and me lately. And they've only been colder since that thing at the big tower. Wily did back off a bit recently. But, I've got that sinking feeling that sooner or later, him and I are gonna be at eachother's throats again."

_"Is Wily listening in on us right now?"_ Mega asks.

Proto chortles, "Not a chance. I always change my frequency when it's time to talk to anybody but him. I don't like anybody nosing in on my business."

_"Well, since it's just _us_ talking, maybe I can ask you a few things that have been on my mind lately,"_ Mega says.

"Shoot," Proto says.

_"It was _you_ who wrote Drill Man's frequency on that radio, wasn't it?"_ Mega probes.

Proto pauses again. "There were... _some of us_ at the Fortress who felt that he deserved better than to go out that way."

_"When I fought Bass at Skull Fortress in April, he almost killed me... there was no way I could have survived, not without help... you were there, weren't you?"_

Proto stalls for a few seconds, not sure how to answer this. Normally, Proto would not be afraid to take credit, especially for something he _did_ do.

_"I saw two plasma blasts, Proto. And then, my energy was refilled as I was lying there in Wily's hangar, and there was o way I could have done it. And it wasn't Roll, so who else could it have been?"_

"Okay," Proto admits, "I was there... and yeah, I didn't want to see you die. There's no way we could ever be on the same side if one of us was gone. Right?"

_"I've always known there was still goodness in you, Proto. You can't even deny it anymore,"_ Mega says, _"And if you don't want to come home to the lab, you don't have to. But, I wish you would just ditch that crooked monster. It's not too late for you."_

Mega's words tear into Proto's conscience again, deeper than any other talk they've had since the conversation last November that still haunts Proto. Finally, Proto gets the urge to stop this mission and do it some other way without having to violate the fragile relationship between him and Mega. There ws still a few minutes to stop the Robot Masters from moving out. The mission doesn't have to come first... it certainly hasn't recently, because family came first.

Proto says, "Rock, there's something I've gotta get off my chest... You might be pissed off at me afterwards, but you'll thank me later... The reason I'm calling is-"

**BOOM**, roars a nearby plasma explosion that destroys the shuttle he arrived in and sends Proto skidding across the roof along with several hunks of scorching hot debris from the shuttle. Proto comes to a stop before he could fall off the roof, saving him from a fatal fall.

* * *

><p>Back in Florida, Mega Man begins to worry after hearing the huge explosion on the line. The only other thing he hears is the sound of ProtoMan's pained grunting and moaning after he is violently thrown by the blast, followed by silence. And that silence is deafening.<p>

"Proto!" he calls with fear in his voice, "Proto, are you okay?"

The line was still open, but all he can hear is static and a pained groan from Proto... then, he hears_ this_...

"_So, it _was_ you who betrayed me! For this, you will pay with your life!"_ says the voice of **Bass.**

Mega Man's circuits runs cold and nearly go numb when he hears Bass' voice threatening the life of his only brother. He knows his responsibility is to stay here and be ready for any sign of trouble, but in this case, the mission can't come first. His family has to come first.

Mega Man calls to Rush, "Jet mode, Rush. Double time it to Chicago!"

Rush wastes no time and transforms into jet mode, Mega Man jumps onto his back and they race to Chicago to save ProtoMan from being killed by Bass. Mega Man doesn't know how he is going to stop him, but he has to find a way to hold him off long enough to save his brother.

And little does Mega know, but at the same time he jets off to Chicago, the first strike team of Robot Masters has taken off into space, ready to intercept Galaxy Man and the second team is ready to move in the pick him up on Earth.

This is going to be a very long night. But, Mega Man has no idea how long this day is about to become.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First and foremost, I have an important note for everyone to read. As I post this update, I am about to be hit by Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately, I am more inland than others, but there is a chance I might lose power and/or internet for an extended period of time because the storm itself will be strong and long-lasting.  
>So, chapter 3 might end up being delayed for an unknown period of time. If you don't see an update on my profile page's update blog or the Twitter page (look for MMDefender) by Wednesday, then I have lost power or internet.<br>Sorry to have to leave you hanging like this, but believe me, it bugs me worse than it does you. However, if everything goes well and I don't lose power/internet, the next chapter will be online later this week._

_Oh, and the line in the narration about a robot that can produce bees is a meta reference to Hornet Man, another MM9 robot._

_Please remember to leave a review/comment. If you find any typos or continuity errors that even the Eggman and the Walrus can find (Koo Koo Ka-choo) please send me a PM and PLEASE do not point it out in a review if you are logged in.  
>and the Eggman I referenced there was not Dr. Robotnik either.<em>


	97. Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

_**Episode 9, Chapter 3: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chicago.<strong>

ProtoMan struggles to get back to his feet after the shock of the explosion, and he can hear the shaken voice of his brother Mega Man on his communicator calling his name. But first, he wants to see what the hell just happened, and he wants to find out what - or who - did this.

His first thought was Metal Man, but he is with the others on the one of the strike teams, so it can't be him. His second though, even though it's a wild guess, was Dr. Wily himself, because maybe he is trying to punish him.  
>But, Proto soon gets his answer when he looks up and see Bass standing tall nearby, wearing a beige cloak over his body and joined by his snarling wolfbot Treble beside him.<p>

Bass had waited for ProtoMan to show himself ever since he last trailed him weeks ago, when Proto was with the Nomad female robot. And now that he had Proto where he wanted him, he was able to catch his admission that he had betrayed him.

"So, it was _you_ who betrayed me! For this, you will pay with your life!" Bass growls as he tears his cloak off, revealing his black and gold reinforced body armor.

Proto looks up into Bass' red irises and speaks into his forearm communicator... "Sorry, Rock. I'd hate to cut this conversation short, but I've got something I've got to take care of."

The urgent voice of Mega Man replies,_ "I'll be right there, Proto, just hang-"_

"No. This is my fight," ProtoMan says, terminating the call and drawing his blaster arm, ready to fight.

Bass only flashes a brief grin, scoffing. "You cannot possibly fight me. You will try and die!"

"We'll see about that, chump!" Proto retorts as he makes a run for Bass to knock him out, but Bass catches Proto's fist and throws him away like he was a piece of refuse.

ProtoMan tumbles and lands directly in front of Treble, who growls in Proto's face with his razor-sharp pointy teeth showing.

"Down, Treble!" Bass orders, "Leave him to me."

Treble backs away from ProtoMan, allowing the Red Raider to get back to his feet and turn his full attention to Bass. "Careful what you ask for, 'cause you've got it!" he taunts.

Proto begins firing blasts at Bass, but the jewels in Bass's helmet and chest begin glowing before the shots can reach him, creating a bassinium/quadirium shield that absorbs Proto's blasts, just like they did when he did battle with Mega Man previously.

"You are no match for me, 'big brother!' This will be your final battle!" Bass threatens before firing several plasma blasts of his own.

ProtoMan leaps out of the way of Bass' shots, but just barely misses being hit by one blast Bass had fired in a spot where he was expecting ProtoMan to land, but being the expert on strategy that he is, Proto was one step ahead.

"Looks like you're not _all that_, are ya', Fish Man?" Proto jokes, equating his foe to a Fish because his name is 'Bass.'

"I am not a fish!" Bass yells, firing even more blasts at ProtoMan, which Proto dodges and fires more blasts back toward Bass who only absorbs them with his power shield.

"Okay, so you're not a fish. Then, why don't you explain those bannana-shaped dorsal fins you've got on your helmet?" Proto digs as he fires more blasts.

"I will not be joked with whilst in combat!" Bass yells, quickly charging up a full power blast and firing it at ProtoMan's feet.

Proto jumps out of the way, but the force of the explosion is so powerful, he still gets blown away and falls off the ledge of the skyscraper. Proto barely grabs onto the ledge with his right hand and hangs on for dear life, but it is only a matter of time before the ledge gives way because of his weight.

Bass and Treble slowly stalk their way towards the dangling ProtoMan. "Most warriors would be satisfied with watching you dangle for your life until you can't hang on no more..."  
>Bass reaches Proto and stares down upon him with his plasma cannon at the ready... "But, I will not let your demise come so easily. Your defeat will come at my hands, and mine alone! Do you have any last words?"<p>

"Yeah... you can kiss my titanium ass!" Proto says, as he manages to grab onto the ledge with both of his hands, flip upward and grab Bass's head with his legs and throw him off the roof by using just his legs.

The ledge gives way under the immense pressure, causing both Bass and ProtoMan to begin falling to the streets below and Treble flies down after them. And even as the two robots fall, they continue to wrestle with eachother.

Treble jets down underneath the two robots to stop them from hitting the ground and Bass capitalizes on the sudden new landscape. He grabs Proto and throws him through the windows of another nearby building.

Bass stands on Treble's back and they both begin to fly into the massive hole that ProtoMan's body created in the side of the building. It appears that Bass has the advantage so far in this encounter, and he isn't the only one who is about to get a head start on a very dangerous quest.

* * *

><p><strong>Earth's orbit.<strong>

As Bass and ProtoMan do battle in Chicago, Galaxy Man is on patrol in space, in search of anything that may be out of the ordinary. While he does not make any extraordinary discoveries like a meteor or other spacial anomalies, he is about to find something very strange coming from Earth

Galaxy Man searches the region around him and finds a plain space shuttle making it's way out of the North American continent.

"Attention, control. I have encountered a rouge spacecraft of unknown origin. Awaiting instructions," Galaxy Man calls, using in internal communicator built inside of him, because his voice would not be heard in the vacuum of space.

_"We see it on our radar, Galaxy Man. It's not one of ours. There is no registry number at all, and they are not responding to our hails. Possible hostile contact,"_ reports the human operator.

"Engaging unknown contact, prepared to enter combat with severe force," Galaxy Man states as he makes his way towards the shuttle, arming four laser cannons from both of his shoulders, and at the starboard and aft portions of his saucer torso.

_"Roger, Galaxy Man. We'll alert the teams on the Alpha station,"_ says the operator at control.

But, as the fully armed Galaxy Man hovers his way over to the shuttle, several Robot Masters jet their way out of the craft on jetpacks strapped to their backs - including IceMan, Bright Man, ElecMan, Spark Man, Gemini Man and Star Man - and begin their assault to kidnap Galaxy Man.

Bright Man begins the attack right away by using his Bright Flash attack, making the large bulb atop his head shine brightly and blinding Galaxy Man's visual circuits. Then, Ice Man uses the Ice Slasher to freeze Galaxy Man.

However, Galaxy Man was built with countermeasures and attempts to use them to save himself. Firstly, while his visual capabilities may be hampered by Bright Man's attack, he still has an embedded internal radar system supported by the antennae on his head so he can still track the Robot Masters through that.  
>And secondly, while Ice Man's Ice Slasher is hindering his systems, his armor paneling is charged by solar power, and he reroutes his armor's power to project energy from the sun that he has absorbed to counteract the freezing attack from Ice Man.<p>

"Why isn't he freezing?" a panicking Ice Man freaks (using his own internal communicator to his fellow Robot Masters) as he desperately continues to deploy his beam of ice.

"It's time to lay it on this Space bot!" says ElecMan.

ElecMan and Spark Man use their electrical-based powers to shock Galaxy Man, while Gemini Man, and Star Man use their weapons to blast Galaxy Man, whose armor will not be able to withstand this much of a barrage that much longer.

"Mayday! Facing extreme force from Wily-controled robots! I require assistance!" Galaxy Man calls, with more urgency in his voice than he had in earlier report.

Soon, the forces of Proto's Robot Masters prove to be too much, and he begins to weaken. His only hope now is to deploy the Black Hole Bomb. With his energy sapping, Galaxy Man holds his hands out and creates the energy strands that are the 'precursor' to the black hole. And a few seconds later, the energy explodes at the center of it's core and forms the full black hole.

"OH, NO! HE CREATED A BLACK HOLE!" Bright Man warbles as he and all the other Robot Masters begin to be pulled towards the deadly black hole.

"Fire your jet packs in full reverse like ProtoMan told us in training, and fire everything you've got!" orders Gemini Man, and all the Robot Masters on the team do just that, using their jetpack thrusters to pull themselves away from the force of the black hole, but they only slow their pull towards the hole.

"This plan is not working very well!" ElecMan yells.

"Just keep firing!" Gemini Man yells back.

"Just do what he says!" Star Man freaks, firing star blasts from his arm cannon as the stars in his rotating star shield begin to dwindle as they are sucked into the black hole.

Galaxy Man tries to find the black hole bomb with more energy, but taking the bombardment from these Robot Masters is now too much for him. Visually blinded, weak and damaged from the Robot Masters' attacks, Galaxy Man grows limp and becomes adrift and the black hole bomb dissipates.

"We did it!" Spark Man hoots as many of the Robot Masters cheer.

Ice Man interrupts the happy proceedings and begins barking commands in his rough voice. "Hurry up and get him onboard the shuttle."

The Robot Masters fly towards Galaxy Man and drag him towards their shuttle. Meanwhile, a few small fighter craft are approaching from the Alpha Moonbase station, looking to take the Robot Masters out and save Galaxy Man.

"Here they come. Take 'em out!" Ice Man barks.

Gemini Man, Spark Man, ElecMan and Star Man go after the incoming fighters, while Ice Man and Bright Man haul Galaxy Man to their shuttle. The fighters try to evade the Robot Masters' attacks, but are shot down before they had a chance, forcing the pilots to eject and remain adrift in space until another ship could reach them, but they would not be able to arrive on time to deal with these Robot Masters.

"Let's get back to Earth. We're halfway done with this mission and we've still got work to do," Ice Man says, "I'll do the honor of contacting ProtoMan personally."

As the rest of the Robot Masters pull the nearly lifeless Galaxy Man into their shuttle, Ice Man tries calling ProtoMan back on Earth. "ProtoMan, It's Ice Man. We've got Galaxy Man. I repeat, we've got him!"

But, there is no response on the other end of the call. Little does Ice Man know, but Proto is just a little bit too busy trying to stay alive right now...

* * *

><p>Back in Chicago, police switchboards are lighting up like Christmas trees as they receive calls from panicked people about Bass and ProtoMan in their city. They are even more shocked to see that the two robots are battling <em>eachother<em> instead of attacking them.

Bass and Treble make their way onto the wrecked floor of the office building where ProtoMan was thrown as emergency fire sprinkler systems go off, triggered by the sheer force of Proto's impact. But, as the two robots search the floor, they do not find any trace of Proto.

"You can't hide from me for long, ProtoMan," Bass taunts, "Soon, I will find you and I will destroy you, then I will do the same to your coward brother Mega Man. And afterwards, Roll will take her place as my queen when I am the only robot warrior left standing on this wretched planet, and the rest of civilization will grovel at our feet!"

ProtoMan crashes through a nearby cubicle and tackles Bass, but he only manages to make Bass stagger back instead of knocking him down to the floor. Proto tries throwing punches at Bass' face and body, but the super robot catches his last punch and throws him away again, this time send him crashing through several other cubicles and crumpling them like they were cardboard boxes.

"So predictable. Just like your pathetic brother," Bass mocks.

ProtoMan knows that if this fight keeps going like this, he won't live long enough to see if this plan works. Instead of hitting Bass head-on again, Proto looks for anything that could give him an advantage, and he spots a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. Proto leaps up and grabs the fire extinguisher to it at Bass, then quickly fires a plasma blast the fire extinguisher right before Bass could swat it away.  
>The combination of elements creates a massive icy explosion that momentarily disorientates Bass, giving Proto just enough of an opening to go after him.<p>

"Did'ja Predict _that_, rusthead?" Proto jabs as he fires a blast at Bass' chest, striking him before he could even get his bassinium shielding up.

Seeing that his master is in trouble, Treble howls and leaps ahead at ProtoMan and lunges him. Proto catches Treble by his jaws and struggles with the wolfbot as he tries to shake him off. Treble's razor-sharp teeth begin scraping Proto's fingers as the Red Raider holds his jaw open.

Once he regains his composure, Bass dashes towards ProtoMan with a yell and kicks him hard in the chest, so hard he even knocks Treble off him. Bass then tackles ProtoMan and keeps running with him in his clutches, crashing through several walls of this building, until they crash through the other side and fall towards the streets once again.

This time, the two robots crash into the street, shattering the pavement and turning it into chunks of gravel. ProtoMan takes the fall worse then Bass, who charges his Bassinium energy to protect himself.

As Treble lands next to his master, Bass stands back up and looks down at Proto with disdain. "I expected a little bit more out of you, ProtoMan," he says, "You were supposed to have been the better of the two brothers. But, like Mega Man, you are nothing! And now, you shall embrace nothingness!"

Bass jumps into the air and the jewels in his helmet and chest begin glowing at their brightest, then Treble jumps with him and both of their bodies begin changing shape.

ProtoMan looks up to see that Bass and Treble have merged into the super-powered form they took when they faced Mega Man at Skull Fortress, and he can only say one word to sum up his current dilemma... "Shit!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Mega Man races with Rush to save his brother ProtoMan from being defeated at the hands of Bass. He fears what may be happening to Proto right now without somebody - or <em>anybody<em> - there to help him. But, to make matters worse, Mega is about to be faced with one of the biggest ultimatums he has ever had...

_"Rock, where are you going?"_ calls Dr. Light.

"Bass is attacking ProtoMan in Chicago and I've got to stop him," Mega says, "Didn't you know that already?"

_"No, because something else is happening. Dr. Wily's robots have attacked Galaxy Man in space!"_ Thomas says urgently,_ "They've subdued him and are taking him back to Earth. You have to stop them."_

Mega Man is shocked when he realizes that the timing of Proto's call and the attack on Galaxy Man_ had_ to have been a perfectly sprung Wily trap to distract him from monitoring Galaxy Man's status. (But, he doesn't know that it was really Proto's trap that he walked into and that Bass had nothing to do with it.)

Mega worries, "But, what about Proto? He will die if I don't stop him!"

Thomas pleads, _"Rock, you have to stop them from taking Galaxy Man. His black hole bomb is too dangerous to have fall into Wily's hands. I will do what I can to save Blues, please just go after the others."_

Mega Man agonizes over the choice he now has to make. If he does not go after Bass, he could be leaving his only brother to die, and he doesn't want to do that because he knows there is goodness in him even after all of the things he has done in the past.  
>But, if he doesn't go after the Robot Masters who have taken Galaxy Man, then Dr. Wily would be in possession of what he would view as the ultimate weapon, one even stronger than Bass or Gamma.<p>

The choice should be obvious for Mega, but he can't make it so easily. And for somebody who doesn't believe in the No Win scenario, he may very well be faced with one right now.

_"Rock! Please respond!"_ Dr. Light calls.

Mega finally, hesitantly responds, "I... I'll go after Galaxy Man. Just please get somebody to go stop Bass if they can, and tell them to leave ProtoMan alone no matter what they think."

_"I will do what I can. The robots are already on their way back with Galaxy Man. Your best chance to stop them is to intercept them after they re-enter the planet's atmosphere. Just follow Galaxy Man's tracking coördinates and you should find him easily."_

Mega Man doesn't say another word to Dr. Light in response. He can't even talk right now because he fears his brother may be in dire trouble. After Rush barks to get his attention, Mega meekly commands, "Follow Galaxy Man's signal."

As Rush turns and flies towards where Galaxy Man's most likely position will be when he returns in the clutches of the Robot Masters, Mega now has to focus solely on saving Galaxy Man, but his thoughts are still stuck with ProtoMan. Without any help, ProtoMan doesn't stand a chance against Bass... and nobody does either.

Mega bows his head and clenches his fists in anguish. "I'm sorry, Proto," he mourns, sounding like his brother's fate is already sealed

* * *

><p>Back in Chicago, the battle between ProtoMan and Bass is about to take an even deadlier and one-sided turn, and Proto knows it. Mega Man couldn't even make it past this robotic creature feature without a little of his help, so the chances of Proto himself doing it without any help don't look to good. But, ProtoMan is not one to surrender... and that could be very detrimental to his health.<p>

Now merged with Treble, Bass levitates over ProtoMan with evil intentions in this red eyes of his. "Go ahead, ProtoMan. Try to defeat me _now_!" he taunts.

"I don't need to try. I just will," Proto retorts, sounding a little too confident for a severe handicap like this one.

Proto fires several plasma blasts at Bass, but he is now so strong he catches one blast _in his hands_ with his Bassinium energy and throws it back. The reflected shot strikes ProtoMan in his chest and knocks him back again.

"You have never faced an enemy like me!" Bass laughs.

Proto struggles to get to his feet again and still gets his vocal jabs in. "With all due respect to my brother, You've never faced a bot like me either."

Proto again tries firing blasts at Bass, who evades him with Treble's help and jets toward ProtoMan quicker than he could react. Bass delivers a fierce double kick to Proto's chest, leaving a large dent in his burned grey armor and sends him crashing into a nearby parked bus and tearing into it like it was a wet paper bag.

"You're right, ProtoMan... I have never faced a robot as weak as you. You're even worse than your brother!" Bass insults.

Proto struggles to get up in the wreckage of the bus, his armor now burned, dented and scraped from this deadly encounter. He tries to rack his cybernetic mind for some sort of tactic that could at least buy him some time... and if there was one thing he learned from Mega Man during his battle with Bass, it was one thing...

"Weapon copy... go for the arm," Proto strains to himself.

Before ProtoMan could get himself out of the wreckage, Bass finds him and pulls him out, punching Proto several times in the face, breaking off a piece of his visor.  
>Out of desperation, Proto tries grabbing onto Bass' left forearm to copy his weapon power, but Bass quickly catches on to what Proto is trying to do and won't let himself fall into that trick so easily again.<p>

Bass just throws ProtoMan like a rag doll, sending him tumbling across the street. Once Proto comes to a stop, he can hear the approaching wail of police sirens. He knows he is running out of time and energy, and when the cops get here, they're gonna target both Bass and him. And in the shape Proto is in, he won't be able to fight the cops off too, and if he tries to make a run for it, he doesn't know how far he will get.

This is not exactly how he wanted his new career to go as commanding officer of Dr. Wily's robot army and going down at the hands of Bass doesn't exactly sound appealing to Proto, so, it calls for some desperate moves to be taken, even if it means it would only result in an extremely painful outcome. ProtoMan waits for Bass to hover over back over here so he can charge up the strongest blast he's got and fire it right in his purple-streaked face.

Proto gets to his knees and holds his blaster cannon close to his chest as Bass hovers towards him, ready to unleash on him when he least expects it.

* * *

><p><strong>In the skies above Texas.<strong>

The other two teams of Robot Masters are riding in a pair of Dr. Wily's Skullkers with an escort of a pair of Skullcopters beside them, waiting at the rendezvous point for the Robot Master space strike team to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and meet them here so they can retrieve Galaxy Man.

One Skullker is occupied by Quick Man, Metal Man, Hard Man, Skull Man, Stone Man, Gyro Man, Needle Man and Top Man (who is still a bit wary of being involved following his painful encounter with Roll.)  
>The other is occupied by GutsMan, Cut Man, Magnet Man, Snake Man, Centaur Man, Air Man, Wood Man, Tomahawk Man and Pharaoh Man, who was not utilized by Dr. Wily in recent operations. ProtoMan decided not to waste Pharoah Man's abilities, and incorporated him on this mission.<p>

"Here comes team one with Galaxy Man," GutsMan says as he points at the shuttle in the sky as it heading towards them.

The shuttle - which is now sporting slight damage to it's hull following two trips through Earth's atmosphere - begins it's rendezvous with the other teams. Ice Man contacts the other robots, _"We're almost through this. Just cover out backs like Proto said."_

"Did you beat Mega Man?" Quick Man babbles as he jets around using a nitro-powered jetpack, because the standard jet packs are too slow for him.

"No, he didn't show up. That means he'll be showin' up any minute," Ice Man says.

"Uh-oh! Any minute is _now_! Here he comes!" Cut Man freaks when he sees Mega Man and Rush fast approaching the convoy of Wily craft.

"Get ready! We're gonna teach that blue jerk a lesson, for real this time!" GutsMan says.

Mega Man and Rush race towards the Wily ships and are met by the SkullCopters being operated by some Sniper Joes. The Joe-operated SkullCopters open fire on Mega Man, but Rush helps him dodge the shots as Mega lines them up for two strong plasma shots to take out both choppers, sending them spiraling out of control down to the ground below.

Mega catches up with the two Skullkers that are serving as the last line of defense for the shuttle with Galaxy Man. The rear doors of the two Skullker ships open, revealing Hard Man standing in the doorjam of the Skullker to the right, and Snake Man in the other.

"Give him up or we'll have to do this the hard way, boys! That goes double for you, Hard Man," Mega cautions.

"The only one facing_ hard_ times will be _you_, Mega Man!" Hard Man puns before firing a Hard Fist in Mega's direction.

Mega Man ducks flat on Rush's back to avoid being pounded by the fist and fires a blast back at Hard Man. The shot strikes Hard Man in his large barrel chest, but does not have any real effect on him.

"Ha-ha! Still haven't learned, have you?" Hard Man laughs as his fist returns to his arm... but, when Mega fires a blast that strikes Hard Man's head, just above his small face area, the large robot gets knocked off his feet and falls to the floor inside the Skullker, rocking it so hard, it violently dips downward because of his weight.

"You haven't learned either!" Mega quips.

From the other Skullker, Snake Man fires his Search Snake projectiles at Mega and Rush, but Mega fires more plasma shots to destroy the snake projectiles before they can reach him.

"What're we waiting for? Let's take that Mega Twerp out!" GutsMan rallys.

As Mega tries to make a push for the two Skullkers so he can gain a clear shot at the shuttle up ahead, Robot Masters begin jumping out of the front and rear of the Skullker on their own rocket packs (except for Gyro Man, who doesn't need one because of his copter blades on his back) and they swarm Mega and Rush like hornets. The ones with long range weapons immediately open fire on Mega and Rush, who try desperately to avoid being hit.

Meanwhile, the stronger and more physical of the Robot Masters - like GutsMan, Top Man and Hard Man - hang back and provide another layer of protection for the space shuttle. And some of the Robot Masters from the space mission - ElecMan, Gemini Man and Gravity Man - fly out of their shuttle to join their fellow cohorts. The last of the Robot Masters to exit was Pharaoh Man, who Mega has not faced in combat in many months.

"It looks like our job just got a lot tougher!" Mega grunts, "We're gonna have to take them all out fast!"

Mega Man and Rush split from each other and try taking on the overwhelming amount of Robot Masters as they circle around the heroes. Mega Man heads for Needle Man first, avoiding his needle projectiles and grabbing onto his left arm to copy his weapon and wastes no time hurling Needle Man himself over towards Magnet Man, knocking them both away.

Rush jets himself towards Skull Man and bites him on the arm, causing the fearsome Robot Master to try to shake him off, and leaving him wide open for attack. Mega switches back over to his plasma cannon and blasts Skull Man dead center in his skeletal chest armor, knocking him off course.

Rush swoops back down and Mega Man catches onto him as he fires needle projectiles at the other Robot Masters, getting one of them wedged in the grill of Air Man's giant fan located in the center of his chest, deep enough to jam his fan and rendering his power useless until he can get it out.

"Are we just gonna let him _slice and dice_ us?" Cut Man complains.

"Not while I'm here, they're not!" GutsMan yells.

Quick Man spits, "Everybody who's got a weapon, fire everything you've got! He won't be quick enough to avoid it!"

The majority of the Robot Masters take aim and fire upon Mega Man and Rush with their weapons and the heroic duo try desperately to avoid being struck.

"There's too many of them!" Mega Man shouts over the sound of the weapons fire all around him.

Mega and Rush try to avoid the massive amount of weapons fire, but, the assault from the Robot Masters become too much for them because Rush cannot even make a good evasive move with getting himself or Mega hit.  
>Mega fires mores plasma shots, but Quick Man - using his nitro jetpack - quickly gets out of the way. Mega fires at Wood Man, but he deflects them with his titanium leaf-shaped hand shield.<p>

Pharaoh Man unleashes a powerful Pharaoh blast and nails Mega Man with it, igniting parts of his blue chest armor on fire. The shot was so powerful, Mega loses his balance and falls off of Rush's back.

Rush looks down and sees Mega Man's smoking body falling, and even though he knows they have to save Galaxy Man, he has to save Mega from hitting the ground, because a fall that far down could be fatal.

With the other Robot Masters closing in on Rush, the robo-dog gets himself out of dodge and jets straight down after Mega Man to save him (saving himself from certain doom in the process.)

"We beat him! We finally beat the blue dweeb!" GutsMan hollers, pumping his big yellow fists in the air over and over again.

"I say we follow him down there and _end_ him forever! The world will be ours!" Metal Man growls with an eerie delight.

Quick Man blurts, "Nope, can't do that. ProtoMan's orders. Let's get back to Skull Fortress and tell ProtoMan the good news!"

The Robot Masters celebrate loudly as they re-boardthe Wily convoy and head back to the Fortress, and they have good reason, because for the first time ever, they have soundly defeated Mega Man on their own. And even though ProtoMan ordered them to let Mega survive, they have confidence that the next time they face him in battle, he might not be so lucky.

Meanwhile, Rush barks as he races himself down to go save Mega Man as his body falls limply towards a rural area, with the only things to potentially break his fall being a barn and some haystacks.

Rush boosts power to his jets to their maximum speed and swoops under Mega's falling body to pick him up. He barks to Mega, asking if he's okay. But, Mega only lets out a weak moan.

Rush would take Mega back up to the battle, but he knows he is in trouble because he is so weak from being overwhelmed by the Robot Masters he has to be taken back home to the lab.

* * *

><p>Back in Chicago, Bass approaches ProtoMan in his merged form, ready to strike him down for good. But, he is unaware of the move Proto has up his sleeve.<p>

"Accept the inevitable, ProtoMan! You cannot defeat me! NOBODY can defeat me!" Bass yells, "Surrender now, and I might just make your demise as painless as possible!"

The second Bass completes his sentence, ProtoMan whips his arm out, aims for Bass's head and fires a fully charged plasma blast that is so powerful that it _should_ take his face right off... and it _still_ isn't enough to penetrate his Bassinium shield. But, while the blast does no damage to Bass, it does manage to stun him and weaken his shielding.

That fleeting moment was just enough for ProtoMan to unleash his assault on Bass, decking him with a hard right fist to his head, that connects right with his jaw and makes a gutteral _klunk_ sound from Bass' jaw. Proto continues to pound Bass' body and face with punch after punch until he can manage to just grab that left arm and take his power away and give this overrated chump a taste of his own medicine again.

"Don't bother surrendering! I'll make your defeat as painful as possible!" Proto grunts as he keeps pounding Bass.

Between punches, Proto reaches for his left arm, but Bass swats his hand away, and once he regains his composure, he begins fighting back and ferociously blocking many of ProtoMan's punches. Then, Bass blasts Proto in the chest at almost point-blank range and knocks him back. Bass fires once more to take him down, leaving the Red Raider on his back and injured.

Bass flies over and steps on Proto's blaster arm and aims his own plasma cannon at Proto's head.

"I told you that you could never defeat me," Bass says, "Even your best is not good enough to stop me! Now, you will meet your end knowing for certain that you are inferior!"

"Well then, get it over with, asshole!" Proto spits.

Bass grits his teeth as his blaster arm begins to charge and sparks of glowing Bassinum energy appear around it. "It will be my pleasure!"

But, before Bass could fire a fatal blast at ProtoMan's head, he is interrupted by a voice on a loudspeaker. "This is the Chicago Police Department. Surrender yourselves immediately or we will use lethal force."

Bass turns around and sees a large assemblege of Chicago's finest humans and Policebots clogging the street behind him, all with their weapons trained in his direction. ProtoMan barely staggers up, still clutching his chest after Bass' blast and looks to see the cops up ahead to. But, he looks over to see Bass focused exclusively on the cops... this is the perfect chance to grab onto his arm and take his power.

Bass yells, "I surrender to NOBODY! You will submit to ME!"

ProtoMan leaps for Bass' arm, but Bass jets himself forward and carves through the barricade of police vehicles, knocking many of the over on their sides and pinning several officers underneath them, crushing some Policebots as well. Bass fires a powerful plasma blast at a police van and completely destroys it, the explosion knocking officers down and setting some on fire.

Then, as if this night could not get any worse for public safety, even more company arrives... another Skullker full of Robot Masters hovers it's way to the scene. Bomb Man leaps out with Fire Man, Bubble Man, Dust Man, Blizzard Man, Heat Man, Toad Man and Crystal Man and stand around ProtoMan to help him up.

"What are you guys doing here? You're supposed to be back-up for the teams if they need it," Proto barks.

"We heard what was going on, so we came to get you out of here," Bomb Man quacks.

"You heard only because Wily sent you here, didn't he?" Proto asks.

"He sure did. _RRRRRibbit_!" croaks Toad Man.

"We should get out of here now and let them destroy each other," Crystal Man suggests.

Proto begrudgingly begins to leave with the Robot Masters, but he looks over his shoulder at the carnage unfolding behind him. The police are already at a severe disadvantage and they will start dying if Bass is allowed to continues butchering their defences. And ironically enough, the only one who can help is ProtoMan.

Proto felt that pang of guilt in his conscience again. If he just left, a lot of people will die at Bass' hands, and he would be responsible for it. He wasn't about to let that happen because he did not feel like having anybody die on his watch, even the ones who he has been fighting against for the past two and a half years. And he wasn't about to turn tail and run away from this scrap heap named Bass.  
>He has control of an army, and it's time to use it.<p>

"We're not going anywhere!" Proto barks, "Take Bass out!"

The Robot Masters gasp (save for Fire Man, whose flame atop his head just dims down instead.) "Are you serious? We can't beat Bass! We don't stand a chance against him!" Bomb Man quacks.

ProtoMan grabs Bomb Man by the neck of his rotund chest armor and yells, "There is no _can't!_ TAKE HIM OUT!"

"Y-yes, Proto! What condition do you want him?" Bomb Man asks.

"Broken and bloodied!" Proto orders, "But, leave just enough of him intact so we can take him back to Wily. I've got some memory core wiping to do on him. And don't you target anybody else but him."

With Proto's command, the Robot Masters aim at Bass and open fire on him while ProtoMan leaps for the Skullker and powers it up. He then uses the ship's mounted weapons to fire upon him too.

Bass gets struck by ProtoMan and the Robot Masters' weapons (including an isolated cloud full of acid rain from Toad Man) and he _still_ absorbs their attacks with his Bassinium shield, but this barrage is the heaviest resistance he has ever felt and even _he_ will have difficulty taking on both the Wily robots and the Police from all directions when they begin mounting their office... they_ might_ even manage to make it past his bassinium shields.

Bass charge a powerful Bassinium-charged blast and fires it towards the Wily robots and the Skullker, exploding the pavement before them and knocking them all on their backs. Even the Skullker gets thrown off balance and causes it to crash on the crumbled remnants of the pavement.

Afterwards, Bass looks around at all the carnage he has caused, listening to the painful screams of the humans and watching the vehicles and buildings burn around him. Taking out ProtoMan would have been a major achievement, but seeing that ProtoMan needed his fellow Wily robots to bail him out instead of accepting his defeat is enough satisfaction for one night.

"I am leaving only because it suits me to. We will meet again, ProtoMan! And you won't survive the next battle!" Bass sneers as he takes off still merged with Treble, leaving the destroyed streets of Chicago behind.

ProtoMan tears himself out of the wrecked Skullker and stares at Bass through his cracked visor as he flies away, even though he should be gathering the Robot Masters and getting out of here before the cops target them. Though he is not in the best of shape after taken a beating from Bass, he wanted the fight to come to a finish, preferably a finish where the big bad super robot doesn't go running away.

"Who's the coward now?" Proto jabs.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_With the chapter being so focused on fighting, it took a while to get the first draft of this done (and if you are familiar with my history with battle scenes by now, you know the two of us don't always get along.)_

_For those of you who felt Proto didn't look too good in the battle scenes, bear in mind that Bass is the most powerful robot in the series, so powerful even Mega Man knows he is too strong to handle on his own. _

_Originally, Gravity Man was going to play a major part in the taking of Galaxy Man and use his gravity manipulation... just one problem... there is no gravity in space. His power would have been worthless. Sure, there could have been Astro Man (the Mega Man series' other space-themed Robot Master,) but I couldn't think of a way for him to be introduced in good enough way._

_And the chapter title "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold" is another reference to Star Trek 2 The Wrath of KHAN!_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos or errors that would make Garrus turn away from his calibrations (for just a moment or two), please let me know via PM. (I wonder when a Mass Effect reference will be made in this story... oh, wait. I just made one. :P)_


	98. Preparing for the Worst

_**Episode 9, Chapter 4: Preparing for the Worst**_

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly before dawn.<br>****Dr. Light's Lab.**

"You've sustained some internal damage, but nothing that I can't repair. It could take a few hours to get you back to fighting shape, however," says Dr. Light, who is looking over Mega Man after being returned home from his failed attempted to rescue Galaxy Man.

As much as Mega is worried about Galaxy Man falling into Dr. Wily's hands, he is more concerned with more pressing _family_ issues. "What happened with Proto? Is he okay?" he asks.

"Reports show that he sustained damage after Bass attacked him, but nothing serious," Thomas says, "Even more of Wily's robots appeared and took him out of there, but not before Bass did even more damage to the street and the police."

Mega closes his eyes, bothered as he wonders what horrible things Bass must have done during that battle. "How bad is it there?"

"There are no human casualties reported yet," Dr. Light answers, "But, there have been several injuries on the scene, and some of them life-threatening... nobody could stop him. Even Blues, the Wily robots and the Police combined could not weaken him enough. If Bass had not left, there is no telling what he could have done."

"Wily's robots attacked _Bass_?" a surprised Mega Man asks.

"A whole squadron of them did. If it wasn't for them, Blues might not have made it out. I never thought I would see the day when Wily's robots would attack eachother," Thomas answers.

"I'm not sure if I believe it," Roll says, "It could still be a trick. It's not the first time that visor-wearing creepo fought his own friends just to trick people. We know all about that first-hand."

Mega knows that Roll is referring to what happened in November when ProtoMan had tricked everybody into believing he was good, even going so far as to fight his own fellow cohorts in combat to 'make it look good.' But, Mega feels differently about this.  
>"No. It couldn't have been a trick, not this time. I don't think Proto would go so far to let himself be injured like this. And even the other Robot Masters tried to take Bass out."<p>

"And don't you think it's just a _little bit_ too much of a coincidence that Galaxy Man was taken at the same time? Something's fishy about all this," Roll states as Peekaboo stands right next to his mommy and looks up at her, not knowing exactly what they are all talking about.

Mega knows that Roll is right. He couldn't deny that the timing of these two things happening too close to one another. "Something _was_ up, I'm sure of it. But, I think it was a trap to lure both Proto _and_ me in so care of both of us... but why did the Robot Masters attack him?"

Roll folds her arms and sneers at the thought of ProtoMan. "I still don't trust him."

Boo bleeps up to Roll, saying that ProtoMan helped take him away from the bad man's (Wily's) terrible fortress. (That was the same night Proto also helped free Roll and Toby the failed Robot Warrior, as well as helping Mega Man defeat Bass.)

"Well... that was the _only_ tme he's ever done anything good," Roll shrugs as she picks Boo up and cradles him in her arms.

As Roll walks away with her Met, Dr. Light continues looking over his son's damage, Mega Man dwells on Bass, the destruction he caused in Illinois and the taking of Galaxy Man. And he is most bothered by how everything went down tonight.

"I can't believe I failed to protect Galaxy Man," he sighs.

Thomas tries to keep his son up. "I am confident we will get him back."

"You don't understand," Mega says, "I made sure I was ready to move in case anything went wrong... but, I let my feelings get in the way of my duty and let myself get distracted. Proto didn't even need me to get him out of it anyway... They used my own brother against me, and they won."

"They have not won anything just yet," Thomas says.

"If I keep making mistakes like I've been making all year, they will," Mega mopes, allowing himself the slip back into his self-doubting again, "First I fail to stop Bass, then I let my emotions get the better of me at the Tower and almost cost Roll, Drill Man and everybody else their lives, and now this happens!"

Mega balls up his fist and hits the table he is lying on with it, making a dent in it. "Sorry," he mutters, realizing he much he just let his anger get the better of him again.

"I know you want this terrible war to end. But, we can't lose hope now," Thomas says.

"Every time Wily shows his face, he has an even bigger trick up his sleeve than he had last time," Mega says, then pauses... Mega didn't see or hear hide nor hair from the aforementioned Dr. Wily _at all_ tonight... "I don't think Wily was with any of the Robot Master teams who guarded the space shuttle. I didn't _see_ him, anyway. Was he in Chicago?"

"Not that I'm aware of. And he hasn't even issued any of his communiques like he usually would," Thomas says."

"It was one of his most successful operations ever and he wasn't even there and didn't even gloat," Mega sighs, "Whatever he's working on, it must be pretty bad."

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Mr. Black sits in his media observation room, watching the aftermath of the Bass attack as the reports come in from Chicago. As he stares at the multitude of screens all across the room, he also clutches an unloaded shotgun that he modified with the items he took during the raid on the Vick-Tek storage facility months ago, which is when the FBI began coming after him hard.

Mr. Black's tired, bag-ridden eyes stare at the screens and at the destruction that Bass and the Robot Masters caused, and the sight of people being carried away on gurneys... it reminds him of being back _there_ again.

Mr. Black's eyes only get heavier, but he desperately tries to stay awake because he doesn't know where his mind will take him when he slips into unconsciousness. Sometimes, his best nights of sleep are spent in nothingness, which is what he prefers. And on his worst, his mind takes him back to that terrible place again.

If only The Conduit would unshackle him and allow him to complete this mission as soon as possible, maybe his mind might not be mired in the darkness it has been in. But, that probably will not make a difference now... Mr. Black's sins will not allow him to get better... The more time passes, the worse Mr. Black's state of mind becomes, submerged in emotional bleakness.

And he is also beginning to become paranoid about things, especially when it involved The Conduit. Even right this second, he is sure that The Conduit is only keeping him holed up here because he/she/it wants Mr. Black to either mess up badly so he can be severed from the mission, or perhaps The Conduit is looking to use this to his/her/it's advantage.

After staring at the Chicago reports for so long, Mr. Black can no longer keep his eyes open anymore. And he slowly slips away until every sight, noise and sensation fades away, leaving him in a peaceful and tranquil place, where there was nothing around him...

John stays here in this dreamless place for nearly an hour, and it feels like only minutes... then, he hears something faint, like an echo... _"Why are you doing this?"..._

John feels fear washing over him as he hears that innocent-sounding voice again... _"Is this what I mean to you?" ..._

The peaceful tranquillity he was safely resting just seconds begins to disappear, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of dread... he was back _there_ again, and it is worse than it has been in months...

he still can't see anything, and can barely hear anything... but, now Agent Barton feels like he has been crushed by something... he tries to move, but he can't feel half of his body... his legs aren't working, but he tries to crawl on his hands...

_"Is this how you honor me?"_ ...

Agent Barton crawling towards the voice... as he gets closer, to the voice, it still sounds like it his right next to him... _Help me"_

Then, Agent Barton grabs a hand... a soft, female hand

_"Help me, John"..._

Mr. Black wakes up screaming, clutching the shotgun and pulling the trigger out of sheer panic. If that gun had been loaded, he would have blown out half of the monitors in this room.

After he realizes he is back here again, he hyperventalates, breaking into a cold sweet with his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly remembers that he is back here again. As Mr. Black clutches onto the empty shotgun with an extremely tight grip, he dwells on that voice... that innocent voice...

He is so detached from the here and now that he does not even hear his scrambled phone ringing. And it has_ been_ ringing for nearly two minutes.

Mr. Black lets go of the shotgun and grabs the phone, his hands still trembling from his haunting dream. In a ragged voice, he answers, "Yeah."

_"If what I had to tell you was not so important, I would not have had the patience to wait so long for you to answer... But, I know that you will want to hear what I have to say,"_ The Conduit says, _"Because the national security heads are more preoccupied with Galaxy Man's kidnapping and the situation in Chicago, they got lazy with protecting some of their intel. Because of this sudden lapse in security, I have it on good authority that the same FBI agents who have been in New York all week are going to be meeting with the state's insipid Governor Mitchell Deacon this afternoon."_

Mr. Black wipes the sweat off of his face and tries to regain his composure. "When and where," he nearly rasps.

_"They will meet at the mansion in Albany. I do _not_ want you attacking that mansion. You will most likely get caught and attract unwanted attention to me. But, I may be able to lead you to them all after the meeting is over. And, if you would be interested in... _discussing_ things with them, you may do what you wish."_

That catches Mr. Black's attention. "Define _discussing things_ for me," Mr. Black requests.

_"You may interpret that however you wish,"_ The Conduit replies.

Mr. Black remains silent. He questions why The Conduit is having a sudden change in strategy by encouraging him to deal with Allen and the FBI. Maybe the FBI is starting to suspect that more than one person may be involved in the mission, and The Conduit wants the heat taken off.

Either way, Mr. Black is strongly considering what to do with this newfound intel... this is his best chance to get the FBI off his back long enough to complete the mission... but, he still can't shake the bad dream from his head... and he can't forget that innocent voice... her voice...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

The damaged Skullker that retrieved ProtoMan from the battle with Bass in Chicago returns to the fortress and arrives in the middle of a Robot Master celebration taking place in the hangar bay. Almost everybody is jubilant on this early morning because not only has the operation been a success so far, but the Robot Masters finally got a clear victory over Mega Man all by themselves.

Proto and the Robot Masters who arrived to assist him in Chicago exit the damaged Skullker and Proto is loudly cheered once the other Robots in Wily's army see him, giving him a hero's welcome (ironically.)

"Hey, ProtoMan! We won! We got Galaxy Man!" Ice Man exclaims through his thin mouth.

"And that's not all!" hoots GutsMan, "We beat that Mega twerp too. Knocked him right of his mutt's back in Texas."

Bright Man and Gemini Man wheel over a platform with Galaxy Man layed out on top of it to present to ProtoMan, showing him the proof of their big victory.

Proto looks down at Galaxy Man's body. "Well... this is very good work, boys. We've still got one more phase to go before we can say Mission Accomplished," he says, not wearing his usual smirk, just looking a bit worn out after the fight with Bass, and it shows on his body.

Cut Man asks, "What happened to you, Proto?"

"You look like you just landed on a Crash Bomb," Crash Man says.

"Had a little sparring match with an old friend I wasn't expecting to see tonight. I had everything under control the whole time," Proto says, lying about how Bass had the advantage for most of the battle, "All I need is a shower and new armor plating and I'll be just fine. I'll go over the next phase of the plan in an hour. Until then... I've got somebody I need to talk to."

ProtoMan leaves and goes to Dr. Wily's workshop, where he has been holed up for weeks. And like so many times before, he wants answers to some questions.

* * *

><p>As ProtoMan travels the halls to Wily's workshop, he passes several ancillary robots on his way, all of whom are sure to salute their commander as he walks past them. He should be pleased with the successful results of the mission to take Galaxy Man, but, Proto's thoughts dwell on that fact that Bass now knows that it was he who betrayed the super robot during the last battle with Mega Man here at Skull Fortress a few months ago.<p>

If Proto had been able to defeat Bass and do a little memory core formatting before he could be brought back to Skull Fortress, he would have nothing to be concerned about. But, because Bass learned about to betrayal and successfully escaped, he now has something that he could later use to regain his job with Wily, and get Proto in serious trouble, much more trouble than he has ever been in.

Proto has to do something about this before Bass can use this to his advantage and if that means he has to hunt Bass down and rip that part of his memory right out of his head, then he will have to go and do that.

ProtoMan arrives to the workshop, seeing that the door at the end of the corridor is slightly ajar. This has recently become Wily's way of saying that he is expecting a visitor, in this case it's ProtoMan.

Proto opens the door and sees Dr. Wily for the first time in weeks, and behind his damaged visor, his brow furrows at how much the old man has changed, looking all scruffy with his unkempt beard and his scraggly remnants of his hair looking even more unkempt than usual. He just hopes that he bathes, or else he is shutting his aroma sensors off whenever he has to come inside this damn workshop.

Albert turns to face Proto, who doesn't even bother asking why Wily sent backup. Wily says, "I did not want to send the other Robot Masters without you giving the order yourself, but I was not about to let the new commanding officer of my army fall at the hands of a traitor."

Proto lies, "I had things under control."

"Judging by your damage, you didn't," Wily aptly says, "Bass is the single most powerful robot in the world, at least for now, and there is no way any being on this planet - including myself - can keep him 'under control.' I still find it impossible to fathom that your brother survived his encounter with him."

"I'll give Bass this, he's not as stupid now as he was when my brother beat him. So, you could say I had it rougher than Mega Man did," Proto says, still trying to make himself look like he fared better than he actually did. "But, still. I would like to see the schematics you drew up for Bass so I can plan on giving him a more sound whooping the next time I see him. He's gonna be a real problem for all of us until he can be brought down a peg."

Wily gets up from his seat, and approaches ProtoMan. "That can be arranged. But, aside from Bass' appearance in Chicago, I have heard about other_ more interesting_ developments, and that your plan and your Robot Masters are responsible. So, enlighten me."

"We've got Galaxy Man," Proto says, "He's already here at the fortress."

Albert's wretched smile returns from under his scruffy face. "That's good, my boy! That's very good!"

Wily turns away and begins having visions of what having Galaxy Man as the deadliest weapon in his arson (for now, at least) will mean to his goal of overtaking humanity and robotkind. "The world will shudder in fear when they see what kind of power I now yield. I can throw my enemies into Galaxy Man's black hole, and make everybody fall in line. Giving you command is more beneficial to our cause than I could have thought."

"We could still use a little help reprogramming him. It would be kind of hard working for the evil bad guys with Light's stuff still programmed in his systems," Proto says.

Dr. Wily faces ProtoMan briefly, then grabs the automatic reprogramming beam projector, the same device he used to reprogram the six original Robot Masters so quickly over two years ago. He then hands the reprogrammer to Proto.

"This should work just fine," Albert says, "If he would need more extensive work done, send him to me."

"I thought you said you didn't have time for anything other than your new dream projects," Proto says, glancing over Dr. Wily's shoulders and spotting the three incomplete Robot Master bodies on tables covered in sheets behind him, as well as the hundreds of 'Project G-2' sketches and blueprints on the walls and floor.

"I can make time for something like this, Proto," Wily grins.

"Yeah, well, in the meantime, you can make the time to dredge up Bass' plans, if you would be too kind. I'm gonna need them," Proto says.

As ProtoMan leaves, Dr. Wily's thoughts dwell on Proto's insistance on wanting Bass' schematics right now. Previously, he was not concerned with Bass being on the loose, but after fighting him, dealing with Bass seems like one of Proto's top priorities.

_"He seemed desperate"_ says the whisper, an old friend who has dwelled in Albert's head every day since he began devoting all of his time.

"Bass is powerful," Wily says, "He is a threat to my future empire when I take over the world, even more of a threat than Mega Man is."

_"He looked like he had more of a personal concern... he wants to have Bass removed from the equation to bring ease his positronic mind... make him wait for the schematics... we can press him why he wants them so badly..."_

"Yes," Wily smies under his beard.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that morning.<br>Onboard the Gesselchaft.**

The Bonne siblings and the Servebots make their final preparations for the arrival of the youngest member of the family, Bon, who is just under a year old.  
>They have made up a living space on the ship that will serve as the young lad's room, draped in bright wallpaper with happy sunshines and rainbows on it and an overhead crib carousel decoration with gears and fake robot-style heads on it. Only a true Bonne would appreciate such an addition.<p>

There is no crib in the room yet, because the nursery service will be providing it along with Bon when they arrive. It is a good thing too, because Tiesel had considered giving his little brother a transparent aluminum box to sleep in. He would have been very well protected, but it would not have been the most idea place for a baby.

Servebot #1 runs up to Tron, with many of his fellow Servebot brothers right behind him. "Mr. Bon's room is ready, Miss Bonne!" he reports in his sweet little voice.

"Good job, Servebots!" Tron says, "Everybody gets extra playtime this week for your hard work."

"Oh, boy! Hooray!" #1 and many of the Servebots cheer and they jump up and down.

"Now, what do you say?" Tron asks.

"Thank you, Miss Bonne!" All the Servebots say in unison.

"You're welcome, Servebots! Now go run along and have fun," Tron peeps, throwing a 'thumbs up' signal with her right hand.

As the Servebots go scurrying along, Tiesel looks like he's on-edge again and he paces the floors.

"What's wrong now, Tiesel?" Tron asks with her skeptical gaze again, folding her arms, "You can't be _that_ stressed about our little brother arriving."

"Haven't you heard about what happened last night?" Tiesel asks, "Dr. Wily's robots took that space robot Galaxy Man, and that weirdo Bass showed up in Chicago, Illinois and nearly decimated a whole street."

"The idea of that horrible Dr. Wily having a robot that makes a black hole is really scary," Tron says with a worried look on her face, "I'm sure Mega Man will get him back and stop anything bad from happening."

"Yeah," Tiesel grumbles.

Tron puts a scowl on her face. "Why are you being so mean to Mega Man, Tiesel?"

Tiesel admits, "He's the one who broke up the Mega Crew. He ran into us and tried to make us feel guilty about how we were dealing out our brand of justice, then he split us up. He was jealous! That's what he was!"

"He only kept you from getting into more trouble!" Tron argues, "One day, you're gonna wish you were nice to him. If Dr. Wily would ever come after _you_, you'd be nice to Mega Man then, wouldn't you?"

"Ha! Dr. Wily knows not to take his chances with Tiesel Bonne," Tiesel boasts, before meekly gulping, "I hope!"

Then, the voice of a Servebot is heard on the Gesselchaft loudspeaker. _"Miss Bonne, there's a trasport outside that wants to dock with us. It's the people who are giving us Mr. Bon!"_

"We'll be right there," Tron responds and walks off with Tiesel following her all the way.

* * *

><p>Tron and Tiesel arrive to the docking hatch double doors and Servebot #1 runs up alongside his Mama. "Can I see Mr. Bon, Miss Bonne?" he asks.<p>

"Sure you can, #1," Tron says, "Let's let him inside."

"Aye-Aye, Miss Bonne," Servebot #10 says as he enters a command into the console stationed right next to the big doors to open them up.

After the doors slide open, a pair of caretaker bots are seen standing behind a human female representative holding a computer pad and a stylus pen. The human says, "Are you the older siblings of Ronald Bonne?"

"Of course," Tiesel says, taking the tablet and preparing to sign his name on the bottom line of the Temporary Legal Guardian agreement.

"Okay, then. The proper arrangements have already been made with your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bonne. So, once you sign the agreement, he's all yours!" says the human female, who steps aside to make way for the two nanny bots to wheel the crib onto the ship.

And inside crawls the Bonne siblings little brother Bon wearing a green one piece baby outfit and with a pacifier in his mouth, his brown hair barely growing in. Once he looks up and sees his siblings, he takes his pacifier out and stands up, using the crib bars to pull himself up.

"Wow! It's a real baby, Miss Bonne!" Servebot #1 says with a big smile on his face.

"He's adorable!" Tron smiles with wide eyes. This is the first time she has seen her brother since he was born.

Tiesel reaches into the crib and picks Bon up to hold him. He says with great pride, "Hello, Bon! I'm your big brother Tiesel! And this is your big sister Tron! Do you have anything to say to us?"

Bon smiles and peeps... "Babu!"

Tiesel gets a puzzled look on his face when he hears this strange word. "What?"

"Babu!" Bon peeps again.

"He's been saying that word all that time. It's his favorite word. Everything is a _Babu_," says the human associate with a perky smile, "If you need any assistance, just give us a call."

After bringing in all the essential baby supplies - diapers, formula, and the like - the human female and nanny bots from the nursing company leaves, and Bon Bonne is now in the care of his much older siblings, and neither of whom have any real idea what they are in for.

"Well, Tron, you've got experience with little robot babies, so I don't think you'll have to much trouble with a real one," Tiesel says dismissively as he hands his little brother to her and tries to walk away. "I'll be minding the family business in the meantime."

"Hang on, Tiesel!" Tron starts, "You're not leaving me up to taking care of our little brother all alone!"

"Of course I'm not leaving you to do it alone... You've got the servebots to help you," Tiesel says, gesturing to Tron's little helpers on the floor.

"Babus!" Bon smiles when he sees the cute Servebots down below him, thinking they are extra large toys.

But, Tron frowns, "He's your little brother too. So, we're_ all_ going to take care of him," Tron stresses as she craddles Bon in her arms and says, "And first, we need to start teaching him new words."

Tiesel's shoulders sag. "Okay, I'll help. Afterall, I want him to live up to the Bonne family name, so it's for the best that I'm there to guide him along that path... but, I refuse to take care of his... to change his... you know," Tiesel stammers.

"Babu!" Bon giggles.

"Good, then. We're in agreement." Tiesel says.

As the oldest of the Bonne siblings leaves to return to other duties on the ship (and likely biding his time as he waits for his next assignment,) Tron cradles her little brother in her arms.

"Don't worry, Bon. If you want to follow the _real_ Bonne example, I'll set you on the right path," Tron says, then asks in a cutesy voice, "Do you wanna take a tour of the ship?"

"Babu!" Bon coos.

"Okay, let's go! I'll need to teach you how to be a good mechanic like your big sister," Tron peeps as she carries little Bon with Servebot #1 following them.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

After his damage is repaired, Mega Man wastes no time getting back to his feet and preparing to get Galaxy Man back before Dr. Wily can use his powers for serious destruction. But, that means only one thing: he must return to Skull Fortress again in order to get him.

"Is the stealth suit working yet?" he asks as he gets off the work table in the main lab.

Dr. Light answers, "No. I tried repairing it, but whenever one piece is fixed, another short circuits. Ever since your encounter with Bass, it has been faulty. Most likely, it must be his Quadirium energy that has done this."

Mega sighs and shakes his head, because he should have remembered how Brain Bot said that Bass' Bassinium/Quaririum energy is more powerful than anybody could imagine.

"Then, it looks like I'm going to have to hit Wily's defenses hard and right on the nose if I want to stand a chance getting in there," he says.

"You're going alone? You need help." Roll protests, with Peekaboo standing right next to her.

Thomas says, "I will get in touch with the National Guard legions stationed in the western states."

"I don't want them getting too close to that fortress. It's too risky for them," Mega says, "They just need to distract and weaken the outer defenses so I can get a chance to fly inside."

Roll protests, "But, you're still going in there all alone. I'll go in with-"

"No, Roll. No. You're not suited to take on defenses of that magnitude," Mega interrupts.

Roll stands her ground, arguing, "You've said that before, and I've done pretty well for myself."

"Heading into Skull Fortress is a lot different than taking on a few Robot Masters in the city with backup right behind us. And it's much worse than being trapped in the tower. You would be going into the belly of the beast, going against Wily's entire army with no help from outside. Don't worry about me, I've done this before."

"But, Wily's army is a lot bigger than it was two years ago, and now he's got Galaxy Man in his hands, and you don't even have the stealth suit!" Roll argues as Boo looks up at his Mommy, afraid that she is going to get in danger. He even sticks his extension arm out from under his hardhat and wraps it around her ankle.

"Roll, I know you want to do what's right, but you're getting over confident," Mega says.

"Excuse me?" Roll angrily huffs, putting her hands on her hips.

"Calm down, both of you," Thomas interjects, trying to calm his children from arguing.

Mega sighs after he realizes he just made this situation worse. He bows his head, "I'm sorry, Roll. I didn't mean to say it like that... it's not that I don't trust you out there. But, you've never faced anything like this. The last time I had to go through Wily's whole fortress, I barely made it out alive. And after almost losing you twice this year, I'm affraid of what could happen if there's a third time."

"I don't mean to take sides, Roll, but your brother is right," Thomas adds, "If you were suited for combat like your brother, I would not be so worried. I don't want you inside Wily's fortress."

Even Peekaboo bleeps up to Roll, saying that the Bad Man's fortress is really scary and all the bad robots live there.

Ultimately, it was Boo's plea that finally convinced Roll to relent. "Okay, fine. I'll stay out of Skull Fortress. But, I'm still going."

Mega knows there is no way he will convince Roll to stay behind when she gets herself started like this, so he decides to compromise a little bit. "Fine, you can come along. But, when I tell you you're getting to close to the fortress, I don't want you to get any closer than the outer perimeter. Can you promise me that?"

Roll groans, "Yeah... but, I don't want you and Rush going in there alone."

Thomas suggests, "You could have the National Guard's robot battalion accompany you inside."

"That's a good idea. Let's do it," Mega Man says.

Mega leaves to get himself ready for the trip to the Fortress and Dr. Light leaves to organize this massive assault. But, before Roll could get ready, Peekaboo bleeps with worry, still keeping ahold of his Mommy's ankle.

"I've gotta help Mega Man stop the bad man for good," Roll explains as she looks down upon her Met.

Boo beeps, asking if she's coming back.

Roll sits down on the floor of the lab and picks her Met up to put him in her lap. "Of course I'll be back, Boo. I don't_ want_ to go to that nasty fortress, and Mega Man doesn't either, but something really bad is gonna happen if we don't get together and stop it from happening."

Peekaboo bleeps, asking if the Bad Man is going to be there too.

"Yeah. But, we're gonna stop him so he won't be able to do these terrible things anymore," Roll says.

Boo wraps his extension arm around Roll and pouts. He bleeps that he doesn't want her to go.

"Aw. I know you don't, Boo-boo," Roll says as she hugs her Met, "But, if we can help Mega stop the bad man, we can make him go away forever. Then, we won't have to worry anymore."

Boo beeps, asking if everything will be okay like the story books she reads to him.

"Yeah. We'll all live happily ever after too," Roll smiles as she holds onto her Met in a loving motherly embrace. She hopes that what she told Boo does come to be a reality, and that she and her whole family can finally live in peace after all of the heartache they have endured.

But, standing in the way of that happy story book ending becoming a reality is Dr. Albert Wily and his entire robot army... and Galaxy Man.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_This might not have been the biggest chapter, and we're already past the halfway point of this story. But, trust me, things are about to pick up **big time** in chapter 5, and chapter 6 will be the biggest in Defender history with a massive action sequence. And there is a little surprise in Chapter 7._

_By the way, the voice Mr. Black heard in his dream is not related to Dr. Wily's whisper in his head._

_The scenes with the Bonnes are going to provide some much needed comic relief for the series that we haven't had since the Vick-Tek tandem left. There has been so much drama, we need some relief._

_I know that Bon Bonne was most likely named after the treats named Bon-Bons, but I added a different spin on his name. I bestowed the formal name Ronald "Bon" Bonne upon him, naming him after the original AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, who also used the name "Bon" short for Ronald._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch any typos that I missed or major continuity errors strong enough to tear a symbiote costume apart from it's host, please PM us - er, me._


	99. Black Hole Sunset

_**Episode 9, Chapter 5: Black Hole Sunset.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After ProtoMan had the chance to clean himself up and repair as much of the damage that he could (including fitting a new visor on his helmet to replace that one Bass damaged,) he meets with the Robot Masters for one more meeting before the most crucial of this operation begins.

"Well, well. According to what I've heard, Needle Man was the only one of you boys who had his power taken by Mega Man," Proto says, "Other than that, you did exactly what I told you to do: overwhelm him. You did pretty good work. And Metal Man, you managed to keep your inner psycho kept under wraps too."

ProtoMan now stands in the middle of the room, with all of the Robot Masters gathered around him in a circle. He continues, "Mega Man knows we've got Galaxy Man now and he's not gonna waste any time getting over here to try and get him back. So, instead of just waiting for him to show up here at the Fortress, we're gonna throw him a curveball and bring Galaxy Man back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and we're going to lure Mega Man out and make it look like our reprogramming of Galaxy Man didn't exactly work," Proto explains.

Thinking quicker than anybody else, Quick Man blurts, "Wait just a nanosecond! You mean after all this trouble we went through trying to take Galaxy Man and defeat Mega Man, we're just gonna let 'em beat us?"

ProtoMan replies, "Of course not. We're gonna make 'em think he's still on their side, and the time is right, we pull the rug out from under them. Just _like that_," Proto snaps his fingers for effect.  
>"When he's up in space, Galaxy Man would dispense of the world's global satellites. The humans' defenses would be blind and deaf and they would never see us coming. But, with our endless amounts of spy robots, we can see them."<p>

"There is no way this plan would work," Metal Man says, "Thomas Light would likely check his systems for any signs of reprogramming. This is too much of a risk. And you still have not divulged what Mega Man's fate will be."

Proto grins and folds his arms. "I take it you've got a _better_ idea, Metal Man?" he asks with a condescending tone.

Metal Man says, "I believe we should be using the power Galaxy Man wields right now to crush all of our enemies, including Mega Man. We need to show the world and our enemies that we are their owners, and anybody who fails to fall in line shall die!"

Proto shakes his head, "That sounds... just like something Albert would tell us to do, right down to all that rhetoric about crushing enemies and destroying Mega Man and all that. The only thing missing was a trip to New York City for the hundredth time and some weird plot, like stealing an ancient genie's chest right out of an Egyptian tomb or something. But, even Wily wouldn't even go that far with all that death talk at the end. But, still, that was pretty warped."

"If you do not take advantage of Galaxy Man's power to strike fear into our enemies, you will prove yourself to be a weak leader. Just as weak a you were when you were still Master Wily's right hand," Metal Man goads.

An angry Proto steps up to Metal Man and sticks his finger right between his two glowing eyes. "And let me tell _you_ something. If you ever try to take command of _my_ Robot Masters like that again, or make me look bad in front of the others again, I'm gonna have you shining my feet for the rest of your life! You want to know why? Because, I'm your commanding officer, and when I get the job done and win the world for Wily, he's gonna make me your boss forever! And I _will_ get the job done, and I'll get it done like Wily never could!"

A loud gasp is heard all through the room after ProtoMan's shocking remark, and Metal Man balls his red hands into fists as his glowing red eyes stare at ProtoMan. "For a brief time, I thought you had changed, but you are still a Light Child and a heretic," he growls.

"And you've gotta follow my orders, so I've got one for you... get out of my face, or else I'll make you shine my feet right here, right now... right after you're done kissing my titanium ass!" Proto smirks.

Metal Man seethes as he storms out of the room and Proto returns to his briefing with the other Robot Masters. "Now, as I was saying before _somebody_ interrupted me, we're gonna take Galaxy Man back to Florida and create a little show for all of the stupid humans to see. And don't worry, I've already told him not to deploy the black hole on us, so we won't really be in danger.  
>After they humans are sure that Galaxy Man is on their side, he'll return to space and that's when he disables the satellites. That's when we begin the big phase of the plan... a full-on invasion of Washington D.C., and we park ourselves right in front of the White House."<p>

ProtoMan points at Dark Man 2, "And you are going to play a big part in this. After you're done copying The President's appearance, you're going to put on the performance of a lifetime as you play the part of both The President and Dr. Wily. And in this one-bot-show, it will feature The President surrendering control to us, in front of the entire world.  
>The humans won't be able to tell that it's not really The President, but they will<em> think<em> it is. It's all about perception. They will see is that the world has just fallen into our hands, and they will cave, leaving only pockets of resistance left over to pick a fight with us, but they won't be a problem."

"What about Dr. Light and that blue dweeb Mega Man?" GutsMan asks.

Proto grins, "I'll deal with my siblings and Thomas Light my own way... and it's nobody's business how I do it either. Any other questions?"

The Robot Masters remain silent.

"Good," Proto says, "After this is done, we'll resume training in the morning and prepare for phase three. That's when it's everybody's time to shine. I'll be heading to Florida in a few minutes and I'll be monitoring your performance in person. The rest of you move out in a half-hour."

ProtoMan leaves, but he stops and turns to face the other Robot Masters to say one more thing. "Except for Metal Man, you guys did good today, even you Needle Man. ou lost your power, but you didn't freak out like you did in the training drills... and it's not like me to compliment anybody, but it's more than what Wily will ever do for you... you've proven that you're not embarrassments; you're _my_ gang."

After ProtoMan leaves, the Robot Masters begin talking amongst themselves. Some of them are fully behind ProtoMan's plan, while some others aren't as sure. But, it was good to see that not only did they get to defeat Mega Man, but they actually received praise by ProtoMan, who never compliments anybody (except himself sometimes.)

Snake Man hisses, "Do you think thissssss plan issssss even going to be a ssssssucc_ssssss_... Sssssuccssssss..." After giving up on trying to hisses the word _Success_, Snake Man mutters, "Oh, nevermind."

GutsMan boasts, "Proto's plan has worked out so far. All we've gotta do is trick the good guys into thinkin' we've lost, then WE SMASH 'EM!"

"But, what about Metal Man?" asks a worried Bright Man, "He looked really mad."

"Don't worry about him," says Magnet Man, "No matter how weird he is, Proto will keep him in line."

"But, if Proto goes through with this plan... what if this is really it?" Cut Man asks, "If we pull this off, and Proto deals with Mega Man the way he says he will, the heart of the resistance will be _cut_ out."

"And we will finally be winners, and the hopes of the humans will be gone with the wind," Air Man says, putting his fists on his hips.

Centaur Man steps up. "The time for us to become champions is upon us, my robot brethren!"

GutsMan stands up. "That's right! Just like Proto said, we're his crew! We're not gonna be a bunch of boltheads anymore!"  
>Excited, GutsMan slaps Bubble Man in the shoulder and ends up knocking him over in the process. "I don't know about you, but I love this plan," Gutsy says, "I'm excited to be a part of it. Let's do it!"<p>

The Robot Masters cheer as they raise their fists again and prepare to make the trip to Florida. While, they may take a dive in this battle, it will all be worth it when they eventually win the war.

* * *

><p>Metal Man storms his way to Dr. Wily's workshop, still biting back his fury after being admonished and embarrassed by ProtoMan in front of all the other Robot Masters. He has had to contain his contempt for ProtoMan for nearly a month, watching him poison the minds of Robot Masters with his influence and slowly turning them away from <em>Lord Wily.<em>

Proto's remarks about getting the job done like Dr. Wily never could was the last straw with Metal Man, and he will take no more 'heresy' from him and will put him in his place once and for all, and he will do it by sabotaging Proto's command by using Proto's own words against him.

He arrives to Dr. Wily's door. "Lord Wily, I have a status report on ProtoMan."

"Enter," Wily says from inside the workshop.

Metal Man enters the room and the unkempt Mad Doctor approaches him. "What is ProtoMan's plan?" Albert asks.

"ProtoMan plans on returning Galaxy Man to Florida, creating an illusion that Galaxy Man is still one of the heretics and using him as a sleeper agent," Metal Man says, "Only later would he strike the humans by crippling their defense satellites. He then wants to launch an all out invasion on this nation's capital."

Wily vigorously shakes his head. "He should be using the power of Galaxy Man _now_... but, maybe he is arranging all of the pieces for when my projects are ready to be unleashed on the world... yes, the washington invasion would be perfect for that. He knows what he's doing."

Seeing that Wily is passive to Proto's plan, Metal Man tries to convince him again. "The Light Child is not acting with your best interests, Lord Wily. He allowed Mega Man to survive our encounter with him today, and he refuses to end him."

Wily grinds his teeth. He doesn't like how Proto tries to keep his brother around, but after dealing with it for so long, he has come to deal with it. "Proto has always wanted his siblings to serve on his side. We all know that by now."

Metal Man steps forward to deliver the 'knockout blow' to Proto's command... "And during the briefing, he said, and I quote... 'when I get the job done and win the world for Wily, he's going to make me your boss forever! And I_ will_ get the job done, and I'll get it done like Wily never could' ... Ask the Robot Masters and they will confirm it, Lord Wily."

Upon hearing Proto's quote from Metal Man, Albert balls his aged fists, crackling his knuckles. He knew that ProtoMan held some resentment after the handling of the Tower operation. But, it's clear that he's holding more then just resentment; he's trying to outshine him.

"How dare he!" Wily growls, "I gave him the golden opportunity, and he _still_ pulls this on me!"

"What shall we do with him, Lord Wily?" Metal Man inquires.

"I would use Galaxy Man to lure Mega Man here so he could meet his demise inside Galaxy Man's black hole... but, you should accompany the Robot Masters to Florida, continue serving as my mole as you have been ever since this plan was concieved," Wily says, "I will deal with ProtoMan personally... and this plan is about to change."

* * *

><p><strong>That night.<br>Governor's Mansion.  
>Albany, New York.<strong>

Governor Mitchell Deacon has been speaking with Federal Agent Allen from the F.B.I. during the afternoon, and one of the subjects they have been discussing has been Mr. Black. However, due to the emergency involving the taking of Galaxy Man, they had to cut the meeting short.

The Governor and the Agent approach the front door of the Mansion, accompanied by a group of Deacon's personal securitybots and Deacon's Chief of Staff Mr. Ranquist as Allen prepares to leave.

"I apologize we had to end our discussion so soon, Agent. But, now that Wily has Galaxy Man in his hands, we need to be ready," Deacon says.

"I understand, Mr. Governor," Allen says.

Ranquist says, "Please send over any additional information about your cases to The Governor's office as soon as you can."

"I'll inform the bureau to do so immediately. You will have it on your desk before sunrise," Allen says, flatly as always before turning to leave the mansion.

Allen leaves The Governor's Mansion and enters his FBI-issue black sedan and begins driving on his way back to Langley, Virginia... but, very shortly after he leaves the Mansion, he is soon followed by_ another_ black sedan... one that has not roamed the streets since April.  
>Agent Allen doesn't know he is being followed at first and proceeds on his way as usual, even making calls to the FBI to make the arrangements for Governor Deacon to receive some files on Dr. Wily and even Mr. Black.<p>

Then, as he looks into one of his rear view mirrors, he sees a black car that looks very similar to Mr. Black's illegally modified sedan. "What have we here?" he asks himself.

Instead of continuing on his path back to Virginia, Allen decides to take an alternate path. If this is the man he once knew as John Barton tailing him right now, then he is going to deal with him and get this over with personally.

Allen begins turning on a series of side roads, seeing of the black sedan follows him, and it does, not missing a beat. Allen reaches for his car's dashboard computer and types a message to the FBI, which reads. _"I am being tailed, likely by Barton. Triangulate my car's signal and intercept."_

"Okay, you hooded bastard. Come and get me," Allen says as he stares at Mr. Black's car in the rear view mirror.

The agent keeps driving, passing through a more suburban part of the state that is not as congested with traffic, and Mr. Black's car continues to follow him all the way, now no longer making an effort to hide the fact that he is tailing his former boss...

A few minutes later, the two enter a rural area of New York designed for farmland preservation and greenhousing complexes developed in recent years, but still leaving plenty of wide open space, and with very few cars passing by at this time of night. Mr. Black's car still maintains pursuit, getting ever closer to Allen's car. And there was no mistake, this_ is_ Mr. Black.

Then, Allen slams on his brakes and spins his car around 90 degrees to the left, nearly T-boning Mr. Black's car as both vehicles come to a dead stop in the middle of the street. The FBI agent gets out and draws his handgun, equipped with a flashlight attached to it.

"Barton! Come out with your hands up!" Allen barks, keeping his gun aimed at Mr. Black's car, "I've already contacted the authorities. In a matter of minutes, this place is going to be crawling with Police, FBI, CTU, every agency in the region. It's over, Barton!"

Allen carefully steps his way around to the driver's side of Mr. Black's car, shining his flashlight into the heavily tinted window, but he can't see through it.

"I'm only giving you one more chance, Barton!" Allen barks, "Step out of the car and surrender now."

A few seconds later, Mr. Black's driver's side window lowers to reveal the inside of the car. Allen cautiously approaches and looks inside... and sees _nobody_ in the driver's seat. Allen peeks his head through the window to get a better look and sees no sign of _anybody_ inside.

"How the hell?" he says to himself

Then, the sound of a car engine speeding this way catches the agent's attention, he looks outside to see another random car heading right for him at full speed!

Allen leaps out of dodge of the car, nearly avoiding certain death, and crashes hard on the pavement below. And the random car screeches to a halt... and Mr. Black steps out, dressed in his full body armor, dark grey trench coat and his black mask, looking like a figure of darkness as he stalks his former boss.  
>The owner of the car he stole remains slumped over in the passenger seat, zombified after having the mindcracker used on him.<p>

Allen grabs his handgun that he dropped and fires at Mr. Black, who blocks his head with his arm, using his consealed armor to catch the shots, doing him no more harm than slight discomfort from the impact of the armor slamming his chest.

Mr. Black then throws a smoke bomb that erupts at Allen's feet, encasing the agent in tear gas that impairs his vision and gags him. A few short seconds later, he feels the hands of Mr. Black grabbing him from behind to put him into a sleeper hold, but the FBI Boss begins blindly fighting the Masked Terror.

Allen manages to pull himself out of Mr. Black's grip just enough to maneuver himself around to fight him face to face. He opens his eyes briefly and they burn as tears involuntarily fall because of the smoke bomb, but he sees a large black blur that looks like Mr. Black.  
>He knows not to go for a body blow because of his armor, but it didn't look like his face was very well shielded, so he aims high and for the face. Maybe he can pull that mask off and give him a taste of his own tear gas.<p>

He throws a punch with his right hand, but Mr. Black catches it, but Allen sticks a hard left palm punch right on his chin knocking Mr. Black back a few steps. Allen opens his reddened eyes again to see Mr. Black shaken by that last punch. Now to get that mask off.

The agent lunges for Mr. Black, grabbing his head and looking to pull the mask, but, Mr. Black grabs his arms and slams him up against his illegally modified car. Mr. Black quickly reaches into his trench coat pocket and removes the Mindcracker, looking to use it on Allen and end this fight now.

When Allen opens his eyes, he sees Mr. Black looming over him with the Mind hacking device in his right hand and he puts his arms up, grabbing Mr. Black's arm to stop him. But, Mr. Black's strength is too much for him.

With his free hand, Mr. Black turns Agent Allen's head over to give him free access to jam the Mindcracker into his left ear ear. Out of pure desperation, Allen lets go of Mr Black with his right hand and jabs him in his upper throat with it, using the area between his thumb and index finger.

The chop connects and Mr. Black lets go, grasping at his throat and gasping for air as he staggers backwards and doubles over. Allen knows this might be his his best chance to take him out.

Allen runs for Mr. Black looking to tackle him, but, Mr. Black grabs him and throws him down. Then, he jabs the Mindcracking into his left ear, immediately putting the FBI Agent into a zombified state.

"Connection status," Mr. Black says, his voice gravelly after the throat shot.

"I have accepted the connection," Allen drones as his pupils become large.

Mr. Black coughs as he drags Allen over to his illegally modified car, then pulls his mask off, revealing a bloodied lip as he takes in deep breaths after being punched in the throat.

"When you first report to the FBI, you are going to tell the Bureau that you encountered Barton," Mr. Black instructs, "You managed to wound him, but he got away. Judging by how serious the wound is, he most likely won't survive without professional medical treatment. When this device is disconnected, you will have no other memory of what happened tonight, and what you do remember is sketchy."

After he removes the mindcracker from the agent's ear, Mr. Black takes off his trench coat and reaches into his car, pulling out a two-pint bag of his own blood, (blood which he had donated years earlier, than arranged to have it removed from the blood bank and moved into his own possession.)

To enhance his story of being wounded, Mr. Black takes his coat off and inserts the blood bag into one sleeve, preparing to shoot the bag with Allen's gun to make it look like he had shot him. But, as he grabs Allen's fallen gun, he sees that the Agent is still awake, but very groggy. To further enhance his illusion, Mr. Black slams Allen's head into the car and knocks him out, likely giving him a concussion.

"You're lucky I still respect you enough to leave you alive... Paul," Mr. Black says.

* * *

><p><strong>In the badlands of Arizona.<strong>

The sun beginning to set in the western United States as Mega Man makes his way to Skull Fortress riding on Rush and Roll flies beside him on her SkyCycle. Even though Roll said she would stay back with the National Guard when they converge on the fortress, he knows how headstrong his sister is when it's time to fight, so he tries to convince her to stick to her word.

"You're gonna have to be careful, Roll. Even at a long distance, Wily's fortress is a lot more deadly that it looks. And that's saying something," he says.

"Don't worry, Mega, I know what I'm doing," Roll insists.

"You've never had to go through defenses as heavy as this," Mega stresses, "They're almost as dense as Gamma's was."

"Rock, I get it," Roll says, using Mega's real name, "Look at it this way. We're gonna soften up Wily's security and make it easier for you."

Mega utters under his breath, "I just hope that's _all_ you do to these badbots out there."

As Mega and Roll continue racing ahead, Roll spots something very startling off in the distance. She points ahead and gasps. "Mega! Look up ahead!"

"I see it," Mega Man says aghast as he sees the same thing about to soar above them... a full squadron of Dr. Wily vehicles like Skullkers, SkullCopters and Skull Jets, as well as a flying saucer style of craft with a blue topside and a yellow underside.  
>But, the most surprising thing is that none of the ships seem to pay Mega Man or Roll any mind and fly right over them, continuing on their way to the east.<p>

"This isn't an ordinary attack force! This squad is twice as big as the one I fought this morning!" Mega says in shock.

"Why are they ignoring us? We're right here," Roll asks.

"I think we're about to find out," Mega replies as he sees a Battonton flapping towards them.

Mega and Roll stop in front of the Battonton as the small robot begins projecting a holographic image of Dr. Wily, no longer sporting his scruff beard and shaved back down to his moustache, but still with his frizzled remnants of his scalp hair.

_"Greetings Mega Man, and you as well, Roll!"_ the image of Wily says, wearing that wretched grin of his, _"I'm so sorry I could not speak with you in person, but I am too busy launching the operation that will finally place the world in my hands! Galaxy Man will be returning to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but unfortunately, neither of you will be alive long enough to stop it. Because, his first order as a member of my army is to pull you into his black hole bomb!"_

As the holographic image of Dr. Wily begins laughing, Galaxy Man himself can be seen in the horizon, hovering towards Mega Man, Roll and Rush.

"There he is!" Mega yells, pointing in Galaxy Man's direction.

_"Goodbye, Mega Man! GOODBYE FOREVER!" _howls the holographic video of Dr. Wily as the Battonton flies away.

As Galaxy Man gets closer to the heroes, Mega Man desperately tries to get his sister away from him. "Roll, you need to fall back and meet with the National guard now!" he urges.

"No way! We've got to work together!" Roll protests.

"This is not up for debate, Roll!" Mega urgently shouts, "Get out of here, now!"

As the siblings argue, Galaxy Man produces four laser cannons from his body - two from his shoulders, one from his stomach and one from his back, all of which are upgrades he must have been installed by Wily today - and he opens fire on Mega, Roll and Rush.

"Too late!" Mega Man says as he and Rush veer off to dodge the hail of laser fire and Roll does the same.

Two of Galaxy Man's shots hit one of the intake vents on Roll's SkyCycle and she begins to spin out of control, veering down towards the barren badlands surface below her. She finally crashes and gets thrown from her seat, hitting the ground with a thud. But, aside from being momentarilly rattled, she is uninjured.

Mega Man targets Galaxy Man and fires two blasts at him to make sure he does not try to attack his sister, but the space patrol robot soars himself out of the way and now concentrates all of his firepower on Mega.  
>With Rush's help, Mega Man evades Galaxy Man's firepower and tries to return fire himself. Neither robot hits their target, their shots only cutting through the air, with one plasma blast from Mega striking a nearby cactus in the badlands.<p>

Roll gets back to her feet and abandons her wrecked SkyCycle. "Wait for Me!" she yells to Mega Man as she runs towards the battle.

Mega Man leaps from Rush's back and latches himself onto Galaxy Man, causing the flying robot to spiral out of control under the sudden weight shift. Mega knows he has to stop Galaxy Man before he can deploy a Black Hole Bomb, and his two best options are to either try and grab him to copy his power, or to rip off an armor panel to expose his crucial power supply and rip it out of his body to shut him down the hard way.  
>Mega knows that the latter option poses a serious risk to Galaxy Man's life, so he decides to copy his power.<p>

Mega reaches out for Galaxy Man's arm, but the Robot Master swats his it away. Galaxy Man then aims the laser cannon mounted on his right shoulder directly at Mega Man's face, preparing to fire.  
>But, Mega Man grabs the cannon and bends it in another direction, just barely avoiding getting shot in the face with it and twists it into such a position that Galaxy Man won't be able to use it anymore.<p>

Galaxy Man begins to spin himself around faster and uses the momentum to shove Mega Man off, sending him crashing onto the dry ground as Roll and Rush catch up with him.

Once he regains control of himself, Galaxy Man holds his hands out and begins to form a Black Hole Bomb. The dark purple energy strands begin to merge with each other just like they did during the demonstration at the space center the other day, meaning there isn't much time left before it manifests itself into it's full form.

"Sorry Roll, but I'm getting you out of here now!" Mega Man urgently says to his sister as he tries to pick her up and make a quick getaway from the death trap about to be sprung. Rush doesn't waste any time and fires his jets to hoist Mega and Roll away.

But, just a second later, the Black Hole Bomb bursts and fully manifests itself with a dark black sphere appearing in the center, beginning to violently pull anything and everything around the area towards it. The pull is already so strong that it stops Rush's flight momentum dead in his tracks as he and the Light siblings try to get away.

Roll keeps her grip on Mega's hands as tightly as the force from the black hole begins pulling at her too, causing her body to dangle horizontally. And the only thing keeping Mega Man from getting sucked away are the magnetic stabilizers built in his feet to keep him attached to Rush's back.

"Rush, boost all power to the jets!" a panicked Mega Man yells as he clings to his sister.

Rush's jets burn brightly and fiercely, but even at full throttle, he only manages to move just a few inches ahead and still puts them all at risk of certain death.

_"Galaxy Man, increase power to the Black Hole Bomb, then leave them all to die. I want you to converge on the convoy. We have some big plans this evening!"_ commands the voice of Dr. Wily in Galaxy Man's internal communicator.

"Yes, Dr. Wily," Galaxy Man says. After he gives enough power to the black hole bomb to sustain itself for a few more minutes, Galaxy Man flies away, following the Wily convoy.

Now, the pull of the black hole is even stronger, ripping cactae out of the ground and gulping them up. Meanwhile, Mega Man and Roll grip onto eachother's hands, desperately trying to avoid getting pulled into the black hole.

"Just hang on!" Mega shouts urgently over the roar of the black hole bomb.

As Roll hangs on, she looks over her shoulder and almost screams when she sees the frightening black hole not too far away as it sucks up another cactus.

"DON'T LOOK AT IT, ROLL!" Mega urgently yells, "Just look at me!"

"Rock, don't let me go, please!" Roll pleas as she looks into his eyes.

As Mega Man and Roll hold onto eachother, the black hole is not getting any weaker... but Rush _is_. All of his energy is being spent on trying to stay away from the black hole, and as he gets weaker, they are all being slowly pulled _towards_ the black hole instead of away from it.

And as Mega and Roll are pulled closer to the black hole, it is now even tougher for them to hang on. Mega's knees start buckling under the pressure... and he can can feel his sister slipping from his grasp.

"No! Don't let go!" Mega yells.

Roll tries to hang onwith all the strength she has, and Mega tries to do the same... but a few seconds later, the black hole becomes too strong and rips Roll right out her brother's hands.

"NO!" Mega Man cries.

Roll screams as she is dragged across the barren surface of the badlands and quickly pulled towards the black hole...

desperate to survive, Roll switches her utility arm over to hatchet mode and chops it down towards the ground...

and mercifully, Roll manages to plunge the hatchet deep into the ground, bringing herself to a full stop and saving her from being sucked into the black hole.

While Mega Man is slightly relieved to see that Roll was able to save herself from getting sucked into the black hole, he is still scared to death because she is still dangerously close to it, and so are he and Rush, who is only getting weaker and getting pulled ever so closer to it.

Mega hears Rush's jets starting to sputter as he lets out weakening barks, and the black hole is now getting closer. The black hole may be dying out soon, but it doesn't look like any of them have that much time left.

Mega Man's first responsiblity is to save others before himself, and his most important priority right now is saving Rush and Roll, so he has to pull some drastic measures like the one he is about to perform. Because he has no Battery Biscuits with him (and it would be nearly impossible to eat in a situation like this anyway), Mega's only option is to reroute power from himself to Rush so that he can have the strength to keep himself away from the black hole.

Mega opens a port on Rush's side and removes a cable connected to his internal power supply and connects it to his own, transferring power over to Rush.

Rush barks louder now and jets at full power again, but the new boost of energy is only enough to slow his pull towards the black hole and not stop it altogether. And because Mega gave so much of his own energy to help Rush, he now grows weak and falls to his knees on Rush's back.

As the black hole pulls them closer, they find themselves approaching Roll who is still clinging onto the ground and holding on for dear life. All Mega has to do is reach out to grab her so Rush can get her out of here... hopefully. He reaches out his right hand but his vision becomes blurred due to the energy losses, and he can hardly hang on to Rush with his left hand...

Finally, the pull of the black hole is too strong for him to hang on to Rush anymore and he falls off...

Roll screams her brother's name as she helplessly watches him be dragged on the ground towards the black hole, too far for her to reach...

Rush howls and turns himself around and tries to save Mega as well, killing his jets so he does not dart right into the black hole...

As Mega Man reaches the final few yards of distance away from the black hole, the violent pull of it picks him up off the ground, sending him flying in mid-air, but he was so weak that he can barely reach for anything...

but, before Mega could get pulled into the black hole, it rapidly dissipates and the black sphere core shrinks, no longer able to sustain itself due to Galaxy Man's absence.

Mega's limp body passes right through the purple smog-like cloud left behind by the black hole and then falls to the ground, making a weak groaning sound upon impact. Rush also crash lands right next to him.

After the black hole is fully dissipated, Roll pulls her hatchet out of the ground and races to her brother and Rush's side. "Rock! Rush! Are you okay?"

"I've felt better," Mega moans as Rush sticks his tonge out to the side. "We have to get to Florida, fast."

"But, how?" Roll asks as she tries to help Mega sit upright, "You're out of power and Rush is running low on fuel."

"Not for long," Mega says as he reaches for his forearm communicator. "Dr. Light, it's us. Please answer."

_"Rock! Are you all okay?"_ a panic-stricken Dr. Light asks.

Roll answers, "We almost got pulled into one of Galaxy Man's black holes. But, we're still intact."

_"Thank goodness. I saw the sudden spike in Matter/Anti-Matter activity in the region and feared the worst,"_ Thomas says. But, then Roll hears the sound of a worried Peekaboo bleeping if his mommy is okay.

"I'm okay, Boo," Roll replies still sounding a bit rattled, but her face brightening when she hears him.

Peekabo beeps again, asking if she's coming home now.

"We're coming home soon, but we've got one more thing to do first," Roll says.

Mega explains, "We need to tell the troops to abandon the assault on Skull Fortress. Wily's robots and Galaxy Man are planning a major attack at the Kennedy Space Center. A ton of Wily ships are heading there right now, and I've got a bad feeling Wily himself is gonna be there too."

_"Right. I'll do what I can here,"_ Thomas says.

"We need energy cans and fuel for Rush. Please send Eddie over here too," Roll adds.

"I'll send him immediately," Thomas says.

Mega looks over to Roll and apologizes. "I'm so sorry, Roll. I tried holding on... but, I couldn't."

"Yeah, well... it's not every day that we're pulled into a black hole," Roll pants.

"That's no excuse," Mega says, feeling the doubt cloud hanging over him again, "You were almost vaporized because I couldn't hang onto you."

Roll insists, "Mega, forget about it. I'm still here."

"When we come across Galaxy Man again, I don't want you anywhere near him," Mega says.

"We'll see about that," Roll says, almost under her breath, likely still peeved after getting her SkyCycle toasted by the rogue robot.

After hearing Roll's headstrong plan (even if it means putting herself in serious danger) Mega woefully glazes his eyes. "This day is gonna be even longer than I thought."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I'm sorry that this update wasn't online sooner. I also apologize if this chapter looks a little rough around the edges. Let's just say it's been a long week for me. :\_

_You might be wondering why Proto wants to plan a full-on invasion of D.C. because you are thinking of the time they did the same thing in the episode Mega Pinocchio... well, not in the Defender universe, they didn't. In the Defender version of that story (shown in entry 35, No Strings) only Mega was sent to Washington D.C., but there was no invasion. Now you can see why I changed a few things around. ;)_

_Yeah, you can take a guess what Proto's line about taking a genie's chest from an Egyptian tomb is a reference to. ;)_

_The CTU agency that Agent Allen mentioned was a reference to the Counter Terrorist Unit agency from "24," my favorite live action series. (Be careful, though. It's not for kids.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment for the chapter Chris Cornell and Soundgarden totally approve of, (I hope, or I'll be hearing from their lawyers.) And if you find any typos or a continuity error that is so nerve-wracking that it would make coffee nervous, please PM me._

_The next chapter is the 100th entry of the Defender of the Human Race series, and it is the largest chapter yet... and it will be 'A Good Day to Die'... that's all I can say._


	100. A Good Day to Die

_**Thanks from the author for Chapter 100:**_

_You are about to read the 100th entry in the Defender of the Human Race series so far. It has been a long creative journey and a lot of sweat and tears have gone into this, and I couldn't have done this without the support of all you readers who have stuck with this series this long.  
>To everybody who is reading this, thank you. :)<em>

_And the best news is, even more adventures to to come. And you're all invited for the ride._

_Here's to Chapter 100... and here's to Chapter 200!_

_sincerely, MegaBauer, your friendly author (and closet fanboy of Tar the Lion-Man. :P)_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 9, Chapter 6: A Good Day to Die.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Kennedy Space Center.<strong>

It is now getting late in Florida, and ProtoMan has hung back on a nearby rooftop waiting for the first of the Robot Master groups to arrive with Galaxy Man, but they are running later than he expected them to be.

"What's taking them so long? Did they get drunk on energy juice when they were celebrating?" Proto mutters to himself.

Proto keeps himself in cover so he won't be spotted anybody, but he doesn't like it very much. And the last time he hung around on a rooftop for too long, Bass showed up, and he can't afford to have another impromptu situation like that arise to screw everything up. And as he waits for the Robot Masters to show up, he lets his thoughts drift to save himself from being bored to death. And he thinks back to the Nomad female robot he had to deal with - and ultimately decided to help - over a month ago.

Proto gave her his communication frequency the last time he saw her and told her to contact him if she needed his help, but she hasn't done so since that night. Proto hasn't heard much about any instances of mass destruction taking place or sightings of a humanoid female robot running loose anywhere in the country since then either.

Proto wonders if she is still okay, or about okay as she can be given her situation... he _hopes_ she is okay. And more importantly, he hopes Dr. Wily doesn't find her... and that she has not been found already.  
>Proto decides he will find a way to keep her safe from Wily in his world order after he secures permanent command. But, ProtoMan's dream of having more power in the army is going to come to an end very shortly...<p>

Finally, the alarm klaxons blare outside the Space Center and ProtoMan looks up to see two Skullkers arriving overhead.

"It's about damn time, you slow pokes!" he grunts to himself as he leaps out from cover and joins his fellow robots on the ground.

The outer weapons stationed at the space center try to take down the intruders, but, they get shot down by the Skullers themselves. And the rest of the security robots stationed outside don't stand a chance against the onslaught of Robot Masters as they leap out and begin storming inside. However, ProtoMan notices somebody is missing...

"Where's Galaxy Man?" he asks himself.

Shortly after, Proto spots Galaxy Man hovering over to the scene by himself, arriving later than he was supposed to.

"What took you so long, space bot?" Proto asks impatiently.

"There was a slight delay. I apologize for the inconvenience," Galaxy Man states as he hovers his way inside the Space Center.

"If we blow this, you're gonna be sorry," Proto utters.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man chugs down a strong can of the super-powered energy juice from an energy can is he prepares to leave the lab and head down to the Space Center, where Wily's robots have already arrived. He is now wearing the flight suit over his torso, the same suit that he last wore during Election Night last year and is just beginning to fit the rocket launcher over his standard blaster cannon.

"I took it upon myself to refuel Rush. I am surprised you aren't using _him_ to get there," Thomas says.

"We'll head down there together, but if we come across Galaxy Man, I want him out of danger. I refuse to put anybody at risk of getting pulled into that black hole," Mega says, "And besides, it's good to have a little extra firepower with all these Robot Masters running around."

Rush transforms into jet mode again and Mega Man mounts himself on his back, and Roll steps on right behind him. "You don't have a problem with me coming along this time do you?" she asks.

"As long as you stay away from Galaxy Man, I don't. Just, remember, you've got somebody to make it home for," Mega says, giving a slight nod to Peekaboo who's looking up at them with concern in his big eyes.

Roll looks down at Boo and re-thinks her plan. Normally, she would go into any situation with a full head of steam, just like she did at the Civil Defense Tower. But, if the worst case scenario happens, she fears the idea of her Met having to lose his mommy when he still needs her.

"Okay, I'll play it safe this time," she says, "But, I'm still coming along."

"Let's go," Mega says. "Rush, full throttle."

Roll gives Peekaboo a little wave and Boo gives her one back with his hand as he watches her leave with Uncle Mega Man and Cousin Rush as they jet out of the lab.

* * *

><p>Back at the Kennedy Space Center, ProtoMan and the Robot Masters have been ripping through the security here like a hot knife through butter. But, under Proto's leadership, there have been no casualties so far, whether it be human or robot. And that's the way ProtoMan prefers it.<p>

The remaining security officers and robots who have not yet been incapacitated fall back to the main door to the Space Center control room where they hope to mount a major offensive against the Wily robots until Mega Man can arrive. They were informed that Mega Man would not be alone either, and that they would be getting some 'sizable assistance' from the National Guard. They just hope they can hold out until they arrive.

Remaining hunched behind a makeshift wall of shielding, the security forces keep their weapons trained on the door at the end of the corridor. Right behind them, a team of engineers begin welding the door to the control room shut to hold off the enemy for as long as they can.

Then, after hearing a series of intimidating beeps coming from the other side of the door, the door itself explodes at the end of the hall thanks to the work of Crash Man and his Crash Bombs, and the Robot Masters pour out and begins taking on the security. The robotic members of the security quickly fall to the Robot Masters devastating offense as the Security bots are taken down by the Robot Masters' weapons, and the humans are blinded by Bright Man's flash power and striped of their weapons by Quick Man, who zooms right up to them.  
>Again, no fatal injuries take place.<p>

ProtoMan leads the way to the door, firing a steady stream of plasma energy at the fused door, but barely able to leave a mark on it. "Fused shut," he says, before turning to GutsMan and Hard Man. "Take it down, boys"

GutsMan and Hard Man step up to the door and begin pounding it with their extremely powerful fists, leaving huge dents in the door. Under this pressure, the door will not last much longer. Meanwhile, ProtoMan begins issuing orders to the others.

"Quick Man, Bright Man, I want you to do the same routine to the humans inside that room as you did to the ones out here: Blind 'em and take their weapons," Proto commands, "GutsMan and Hard Man will take care of the robots inside there, and I want the rest of you to fortify your positions here and watch for incoming enemies. And if you see Mega Man or Roll, you tell me first and I'll take it from there. Galaxy Man, you stay with me."

Quick Man, Bright Man and Galaxy Man stick with ProtoMan as GutsMan and Hard Man continue pounding on the door and the others split up to follow Proto's order. Finally, the door to the control room can handle no more punishment and gets torn down by the two strong robots and they barge their way inside followed by Quick Man and Bright Man.

Once again, Bright Man blinds the humans with the bright flash, Quick Man takes their weapons and Proto hits them with stun blasts as GutsMan and Hard Man dispatch the security robots. Again, dealing only temporary damage to the targets.

"There's gonna be more coming, so watch the perimeter," Proto says, "Leave my siblings to me."

"Can't we pound on Mega Man a little bit?" Hard Man asks.

"Not unless I tell you, big boy," Proto says.

"So, you're saying there's a chance! Sounds good to me!" Hard Man says as he leaves. But, GutsMan stays unusually quiet as he leaves.

"Hey, Gusty, usually you're the one who's itchin' to beat up my bro. What's wrong?" a suspicious Proto asks.

"What? _Ummm_, nothin's wrong, Proto," GutsMan replies, sounding a little bit unsure of himself as Hard Man gives him a sideways look. "I'm ready to smash that little blue twerp. Er- only if you say so."

After the others leave, only ProtoMan and Galaxy Man remain in the control room alone. Proto looks at the hundreds of screens all along the wall of the circular room, seeing all the images from space, weather satilite image and even security feeds from right outside the Space Center. And when the final phase of Proto's plan begins, all of this power will be in Proto's hands and the war will finally be over, especially if he can find a way to get his siblings on his side tonight...

but there was something about the way GutsMan was acting just now. And come to think of it, he, Cut Man and Magnet Man have acted the same way since they showed up. It's like they are a bit apprehensive, yet all the other Robot Masters are acting normal. Then, Proto wonders is this somehow ties into the attack parties being late getting here.  
>And ProtoMan is about to find out <em>exactly<em> what's going on, and he will not like what he sees.

ProtoMan sees on the main feed looking outside the Kennedy Space Center and sees even _more_ Wily vehicles coming in and landing. And several Robot Masters are seen pouring out of said vehicles, Robot Masters that he did not include in this operation.

"What the hell are they doing here?" he asks himself.

Then, Proto sees Dr. Wily's new personal saucer shuttle arriving outside (something that Wily had made for himself thanks to his new boon of money he acquired this year.) The top half of the saucer opens and Dr. Wily himself steps out.

Now, ProtoMan is really perplexed. "Galaxy Man, stay here and await my orders until i get back," he says to Galaxy Man as he storms off to see what Wily is doing here.

After Proto leaves, Galaxy Man contacts Dr. Wily... "ProtoMan knows you are here, Dr. Wily. He is heading your way."

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily walks into the Space Center accompanied by several Robot Masters, ones who ProtoMan had left out of this mission, like Heat Man, Plant Man, Needle Man among others. ProtoMan makes his way out to the front door and meets with Wily, and seeing that he has groomed himself back to his old self, he knows the old man must be here for a reason.<p>

"Dr. Wily! Surprised to see you here," ProtoMan says, wearing that smirk on his face, "Here to see how far I've come along? Maybe you're here to see how good the Robot Masters really are under my command?"

"You are only part of the reason I am here, ProtoMan," Wily says, "You have done an exemplary job with improving the Robot Masters strengths and catching Galaxy Man is quite an accomplishment, and you did it all without having to spend a penny out of my till... and I think the time has come for me to retake command of my army."

ProtoMan's smile disappears. "You're doing what?"

"This is an opportunity we cannot refuse, Proto," Wily grins, "With Galaxy Man's black hole bomb power, there is no telling what kind influence I will now wield over these weakling humans! And they need to know who is the one holding their lives in his hands."

"So your booting me because you want to credit? Fine! Take it! Just let me finish what I started!" Proto says.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, ProtoMan," Albert says, "Your plan is flawed, too flawed to be utilized in it's current form."

ProtoMan steps into his co-creator's personal space and argues, "Wily, you gave me a job, and I've done it pretty damn good-"

"And I will be more than happy to finish it for you," Wily interrupts.

"If we break from the plan I layed-out, it'll all fall apart!" Proto says in a loud voice, "We have them where we want them!"

"Do you realize you are talking to a genius of a man, Proto?" Wily asks, waving his finger in Proto's face, "Whatever you had planned, I will make it better."

"You don't even know what the damn plan is!" Proto shouts.

"I know more than you think... including how _you think_ you will get the job done better than I ever could. Does that sound familiar to you? _Hmmmm?"_

Proto falls silent. He doesn't know how Wily heard about what he said about him, but he heard it alright.

"Let me tell you something, _Blues. _I am the master; you are the creation. Nothing you will ever do can be better than what I can do. Your plan may be good, but it will take weeks, if not months to achieve the results I want. And I want results now... even if blood has to be spilled to get them.  
>Your service as commander of the Robot Masters is no longer required, and you shall return to your prior duties as second-in-command. This discussion is over," Wily says.<p>

Before Dr. Wily could leave, he adds, "And don't worry about your siblings, Proto. I already had Galaxy Man give them a fine farewell present."

ProtoMan is floored by what he has just heard and remains almost paralyzed in stunned silence as the Robot Masters walk past him. First, Wily usurps him to take back power at the worst possible time, just to get back at him for what he said (and he might have been using Proto just to get what he wanted the entire time.)  
>Now, he learns that his sibling might be gone (even though he doesn't know they are still very much alive.) Proto could almost feel his oil running cold as he thinks about Mega and Roll. That must have been why Galaxy Man and the others were late.<p>

Proto can't image what life could be like without even the slightest possibility of his siblings fighting _with him_ instead of against him. He thinks his dream has been destroyed.

Then, ProtoMan sees Metal Man slowly stepping his way inside the space center, and his eyes stare at the Robot Master from behind his black visor. Metal Man was the one who he made the remark to about getting the job done better than Wily, and it must have been him who told Wily about it.

It made sense. Of all the Robot Masters, Metal Man is the only one who worships Wily like he was a God, so naturally, he would be in the old man's back pocket.

Metal Man stops right next to ProtoMan, and says, "If only you had not been a Light Child and more of a true son of Lord Wily, you might have been allowed to complete your pitiful plan."

Before Metal Man could leave, ProtoMan grabs his arm with his right hand and stops him. Proto turns his head and warns, "If my brother and sister are dead... you're gonna be the first one who pays for it."

"I'll be sure to inform Lord Wily of your meek threat, and I would watch your tongue if I were you. Soon, it will be you who takes orders from me," Metal Man rasps with a laugh as he shakes himself off Proto and continues walking away.

"Don't bet on it, you Metal bastard," Proto whispers as he stares back at Metal Man.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in Florida.<strong>

Nearly ten miles away from the Kennedy Space Center, Mega Man, Roll and Rush arrive to meet with the National Guard troops gathered at the rendezvous point. This group consists of nearly the entire Southeastern chapter of human and robot troops, all armed to the titanium teeth and ready for combat.

"Mega Man, we've already received reports of the increased presence of Albert Wily's robots at Kennedy," says the commanding human officer of this assembledge of human and robot troopers. We plan on converging there and striking at full strength, and we want you to lead the charge. You've had the most experience dealing with Wily's robots, so what is your recommendation on how we deal with them?"

"I know this might sound strange, but try not to destroy them," Mega Man answers.

"It would make our job a lot easier in the future if we took them out," the Commander says.

Mega remains silent for a few seconds, mulling over the Commander's suggestion. "I know some of these robots are responsible for some very bad things. But, even the worst of them can be reprogrammed for good. Look at what we did for Drill Man."

The Commander nods, "If you say so, my troops will be careful. But, what about Wily and Galaxy Man?"

"I'll deal with Galaxy Man myself, he's way too dangerous for anybody else to take on. I know from experience," Mega says, "Make sure Wily survives. I want him to stand trail for what he's done."

"How forceful are we allowed to be with him?" the Commander asks.

Mega Man pauses again. If it was up to him, he would make sure to bring Wily into custody as unharmed as possible. But, these troops have a job to do.  
>He answers, "I don't condone violence against humans, even ones like Wily. But if you have to hurt him to take him in... I understand. Just make sure he survives," he finally replies.<p>

"Gladly, Mega Man," the Troop Commander says, barely grinning because he is more than willing to inflict some harm upon Dr. Wily.

"I'm ready when you are, Sir," Mega says.

"Let's move out!" The Commander calls as the human troops let out a _"HOO-HA!"_ behind him.

As the troops begin to move out, Roll catches up with Mega Man. "If you want somebody to help reel Wily in for 'em, just let me know," Roll says.

"Let's leave it to them, Roll," Mega says, knowing that if Roll had the chance to get Dr. Wily after everything he has done - especially taking Doc, - she might do something she might regret.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Space Center.<strong>

ProtoMan sits by himself as the Robot Masters - that he personally trained and made better - continue to carry on with Dr. Wily's revised mission objectives, now exclusively under Wily's control. He is sure that Dr. Wily will now use Galaxy Man to kill anything that dare attempts to stand up to him, and seemingly nobody will be able to stop him, except for maybe Bass, but who knows what's going on in his warped memory core.

Then, the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man walk up to the brooding Proto. "Hey, ProtoMan, what're you doing sitting here?" GutsMan asks.

"Yeah, we're about to _carve_ our names into the history books! Eh-heh!" Cut Man puns.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking orders from Wily right now?" Proto asks, staring at his red feet.

"Ever since we got new programming, we do things our way now," Magnet Man says.

Proto barely smirks, "I wish I had it as easy as you." He then leans back on the steps he is seating on and puts his arms behind his head. "it appears I've been sacked, boys. Dr. Wily's calling the shots now, him and his little bitch Metal Man," he says.

A confused Cut Man leans over and ignorantly whispers to GutsMan, "I didn't know Metal Man was really a dog bot."

"This means I'm not in command of any of you guys anymore," Proto says, "It's a shame, because this was a pretty good plan. Now, it's probably gonna fail like every other plan when Mega..." Proto pauses, "Nevermind."

"Hey, I don't care what Wily says, the three of us are still your crew," GutsMan says.

"That's right. You're one of us," Magnet Man adds.

Proto groans as he stands up and sulks, "Well a lot of good that does me. What I need is my own personal army to shove this war right up that old man's..."

Proto stops and takes a moment to simmer down, then turns around to face GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man again. "For what it's worth, thanks. Just don't go spreading that compliment around too loudly, or Wily might chew you out and Metal Man will call you a bunch of heretics or something."

_"Attention all Robot Masters,"_ says the voice of Dr. Wily, _"We have incoming visitors, including Mega Man and his miserable family! Get your metallic hinders out there in take them out!"_

Despite Wily's grim order, ProtoMan perks up a bit after hearing that his family and specifically his brother are still alive. If he's still around, there a good chance that he'll be able to foil Wily's retooled version of Proto's plan even with Galaxy Man involved.

"That Blue geek survived? Come on Cut Man and Magnet Man, lets get him!" GutsMan booms as he and the other members of the trio race out to go get Mega Man.

ProtoMan decides to catch up with them and head outside. "I don't want to miss how Rock dominates 'em this time."

* * *

><p><strong>Outside.<strong>

The assemblage of National Guard troopers arrive in their ground troop carriers, some even arriving with tanks. And above them, Roll flies in on Rush as Mega Man himself arrives via his flight suit. And right outside the Space Center, a large group of Robot Masters race out and stand across from the heroes as they gain ground.

_"Destroy them, my Robot Masters,"_ Wily's voice is heard yelling on a loudspeaker, _"Destroy them all!"_

Many of the Robot Masters prepare to charge ahead towards the National guardsmen and robo troops. Then, ProtoMan races out and yells, "Get out of dodge, they've got rockets!"

Some of the Robot Masters ignore him and charge ahead anyway, but the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man follows Proto's suggestion and move elsewhere as the big tanks fire off a couple of large explosive rounds and knock many of the Robot Masters up into the air.

A group of Robot Masters - including GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, as well as Top Man, Bright Man and Ring Man - take cover behind a water fountain statue of the old style NASA space shuttle of the late 20th century, and ProtoMan is nearby trying to give orders.

"Take out the tanks first, they're the biggest threat aside from my brother," Proto barks, but aside from GutsMan and Cut Man and Magnet Man, the Robot Masters do nothing but look at Proto with awkward indifference.

"What are you rustheads standing around for?" Proto snaps.

"Sorry, ProtoMan, but we take orders from Dr. Wily again," Bright Man says.

"And he said to ignore your orders, man," says Ring Man.

ProtoMan curses, "Stupid human idiot!"

After another blast hits and rocks the ground, GutsMan grabs Ring Man and Bright Man by their torsos and menaces them a little bit. "I think you _better_ listen to to what he has to say, if you know what's good for you!" he says.

A fear-striken Bright Man and Ring Man nod and agree to hear Proto out.

Proto repeats, "Cut Man and I will take out the launchers on the tanks. GutsMan, you can tip 'em over. That should help even things out a little bit."

"What about Mega and..." Cut Man gulps, "his sister? They're out here too."

Top Man freaks, "She's here? No! I'm not gonna be anywhere around her! Keep her away from me!"

Proto grunts, "I want them alive. Period!"

Proto and the Robot Masters he was plotting with come out from cover and go after the National Guard's tanks. ProtoMan fires plasma at the rocket nozzles and melts them, making the tank's main weapon ineffectual. Meanwhile, Cut Man uses his cutters to slice off the nozzle on another tank.

GutsMan races towards a crippled tank and grabs it, toppling it over and forcing the human operators inside to evacuate it so they won't be sitting ducks...

Meanwhile, Mega Man flies over the carnage taking place on the ground, looking for Robot Masters to take down so he can help his friends. He first spots Hard Man, whose hyper-alloy armor on his barrel-shaped body is so tough that even Plasma Bolts barely harm him. But, Mega Man knows how he can stop him... just go for the face.

"Hey, Hard Man!" Mega calls, causing the large Robot Master to look up. Mega then fires the rocket from his modified cannon, targeting Hard Man's somewhat small face.

Hard Man catches the missile as it nears his face. "Nobody can take me out, especially not with a measly rocket!" he says and he throws the rocks back towards Mega Man, who blasts it out of the sky.

Mega flies down and grabs Magnet Man's arm, snatching his magnetism and magnet missile power before he even knew what hit him. He then flies towards Hard Man again.

"If that rocket doesn't stop you, maybe _these_ will!" he says while firing several Magnet missiles, all in the shape of U-shapped magnets.

The Magnet Missiles adhere themselves to Hard Man's chest, and the last one sticks to his head. "Oh, no, get it off me!" he wails as he tries to pull the magnet missile off his face.

Then, they all detonate and knock Hard Man down... and the one that was stuck to his head literally knocks his face off, revealing twisted servos and eyeball circuits that dangle above his toothless mouth. It's a good thing his memory core is well protected with his thick armor, or else he would not have survived...

Meanwhile, Cut Man and Top Man try to take on the robot troops while trying to avoid _any_ contact with Roll. Both of them have had a very painful encounter with her earlier this year, and they fear what she might do to them this time.

"You watch my back and I'll watch yours," Cut Man says, his big eyes wide as he holds his cutters in his hands.

"Yeah, got it," Top Man replies, frantically watching out for Roll as he tries to deal with the robo troopers.

"Uh-oh! Here she comes!" Cut Man warbles as Roll and Rush make a flyby right past them.

"Hi, boys!" she calls as Rush soars right over the two Robot Masters' heads and they both cower, causing CutMan to drop his cutters.

The National Guard robo troopers take advantage of this and throw some plasma grenades at the scared Robot Masters' feet. Cut Man and Top Man scream and run away and the grenades explode and send them crashing through the front windows of the Space Station building...

Meanwhile, ProtoMan tries to turn the tide of the battle by targeting any threats and taking them down. But, he is about to have yet another change of plans.

_"ProtoMan!"_ yells the voice of Dr. Wily on his communicator, _"Get back inside right now!"_

Forced to comply with Wily's order, Proto ceases firing and scrambles back to his feet and runs back inside the Space Center, dodging the weapons of the united heroes.

"This is my lucky damn day!" Proto groans to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Back inside.<strong>

ProtoMan makes his way to the Space Center's theater room, a large viewing area with stadium-style seating arrangements all around the circular room that all facing a floor stage at the center, and several tall support pillars stand to keep the roof of the theater stable.  
>This area is meant for presentations held here at the space center, but tonight, Dr. Wily plans on making it a theater of destruction.<p>

Proto sees Dr. Wily with Metal Man and Galaxy Man standing on the stage at the floor level of the theater, and he can overhear Wily asking Galaxy Man, "Did the battle with Mega Man in the desert exhaust too much of your power?"

"No, Dr. Wily," Galaxy Man states, "My solar energy is at eighty-nine percent capacity and I can still sustain a Black Hold Bomb for a prolonged period of time."

"What's going on here?" Proto asks as he approaches the stage.

Metal Man growls, "It is none of your business, heretic!"

"Relax, Metal Man," Wily says, "I will explain."

Metal Man yields, "As you wish, Master Wily."

Albert explains, "This fine theater wing of the space center will soon be forever known as the exact location where I won the world."

"I don't see how," Proto says, "Have you seen how badly that battle is going out there? If you hadn't messed up my plan, this wouldn't be happening right now!"

"Listen and learn how my plan will fare better than yours," Wily smiles, "While the Robot Masters might not be faring so well outside, it will be of no matter to me, because Mega Man will have to come in here to find Galaxy Man. And that is when Galaxy Man will unleash the most powerful black hole he can, and I will finally be rid of Mega Man and all of my challengers forever!"

"What?" Proto snaps, getting up and stages and trying to confront Dr. Wily, but Metal Man stops him and holds him back. "You can't just have him fire off a black hole in here, Wily!" Proto argues.

"_Unt_ why shouldn't I, ProtoMan?" asks with that sinister glee.

"He is afraid to watch his brother die. He is weak," Metal Man jabs as he holds Proto back.

"It'll kill us all! Even you, Wily!" Proto presses loudly.

"Nobody questions my genius! Not even you!" Wily shouts, "Unless I need your opinion, don't discuss this with me."

ProtoMan remains quiet and shoves himself off of Metal Man, walking away from them all, even though he knows that this idea will end up in a catastrophe. "You've_ really_ lost it now, old man," Proto grumbles under his breath.

* * *

><p>Back outside, Mega Man and the heroes manage to repel the rest of the Robot Masters and prepare to make their push inside. As many of the Robot Masters begin retreating to the Skullkers they arrived in, Mega Man lands on the ground and turns to the National Guardsmen nearby.<p>

"If Galaxy Man is in there, I don't want any humans coming in after me," Mega says to the troops, "His black hole power is too powerful for a human to withstand. Only robot troops should follow me in to go after Wily. Everybody else should rescue anybody who's injured inside, but be careful."

"We need to get our injured out of here, but I'll keep some of my men stationed here in case more reinforcements arrive," the Commander says.

Mega Man runs inside the space center with the robo troops, and Roll and Rush run in right behind them.

"Our scanners are reading several human and positronic life signs all throughout the building, most of them faint," states one robo troop.

Mega asks, "Which signals are the strongest?"

"There are six robots and one human in the theater, located in the northeast section of this building," answers a robo troop.

"That's Wily, and I'm sure that's where Galaxy Man is too," Mega says, feeling a sense of dread washing over him. He now knows how deadly this black hole power truly is after he almost was pulled into one. And he knows he is the only one who can stop it.  
>The dread is not only stemming from the uncertainty of what is going to happen, but also he does not know for certain if he can stop Galaxy Man without seriously damaging him beyond repair.<p>

As Mega Man and the others make their way to the theater, he sees several severely damaged robots and humans who have been injured, moving around blindly, the latter of which was obviously the work of Bright Man. But, Mega also notices that of all the humans and robots he has come across so far, none of them are dead, fortunately.  
>This clearly looks like something ProtoMan would do, because of his history of defeating his enemies in a non-fatal way.<p>

When he catches the sight of Roll and Rush out of the corner of his eye, Mega's feeling of dread only worsens as he thinks back to the encounter they all had with Galaxy Man earlier tonight. Mega stops and lets the robo troops run ahead as he tries to reason with his family.

"You two need to stay back," he says.

Roll tries to protest with her brother again. "But, Mega-"

"I have plenty of help, I'll be fine. Just _please_ stay back here," Mega urges.

"... Okay," Roll relents.

Mega gives his sister and Rush a hug. "I know how much you want to catch Wily. Don't worry, though. When we drag Wily out of here, I'm gonna let you put the cuffs on him before we through him in the paddy wagon. I love you guys."

"You too," Roll says, looking worried about her brother.

Afterwards, Mega heads out with the robo troops and Roll and Rush stay here, but Roll is bothered by the sense of finality Mega had in his voice. He sounded like somebody who had a bad feeling that he wasn't coming back.

"I don't like this," Roll says as he proceeds ahead anyway.

Rush barks, trying to tell her that they should turn around.

"I don't_ want_ to go in there, Rush, but I've got a bad feeling about this," Roll says, "Just stay really close to me."

As Roll sneaks ahead, Rush follows, whimpering in fear of facing off with Galaxy Man again.

* * *

><p>Back in the Space Center theater, Dr. Wily personally checks Galaxy Man's armor, checking for any structural weaknesses as he waits for Mega Man to arrive. Metal Man stands guard with his arms folded, his glowing red eyes scanning the scene for any sign of heretics, and a few of the Robot Masters who managed to avoid getting blasted by the allied forces outside - GutsMan, Cut Man and Quick Man - also stand nearby.<p>

Meanwhile, ProtoMan lounges in one of the theater seats, putting his feet up on the seat in front of him and looking like he doesn't really care anymore.

"What are you doing just sitting around?" an annoyed Wily barks.

"Just want the best seat in the house," Proto says nonchalantly, then looks at the Robot Masters, "I might go for a popcorn run, I'm sure there's some left at the stand. You guys want some?"

Metal Man storms his way up the aisle to ProtoMan. "I have almost had enough of your disrespect to Lord Wily!"

Proto smirks, "Are you gonna scrape me with your little _saw thing_? Does that thing even shoot in eight directions?"

Metal Man grabs ProtoMan by his yellow scarf and Proto prepares his blaster, and things are about to get ugly until Dr. Wily shouts, "Stop! We have work to do, and we aren't going to get it done if you start killing each other!"

Both Proto and Metal Man stop struggling with one another, but continue gazing each other strong hateful stares. The anger between them is stronger than it has ever been before, because Proto feels that Metal Man sold him out and Metal Man is furious for Proto's lack of obedience to 'Lord Wily.'

Metal Man follows Wily's order, walking away from Proto and quelling his desire to hurt his mortal enemy. Meanwhile, Proto makes a _'shoo'_ motion with his left to tell Metal Man to go schlep back to Wily.

Quick Man bolts himself out of the room for a fleeting moment, then returns a few seconds later. He blathers, "I think we've got company heading this way, Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily smiles and rubs his hands. "Let's give them a warm welcome."

* * *

><p>Mega Man and the robo troops enter the last hallway leading to the theater where the life signs are located, and he feels that strange sense of dread coming over him again. He knows that this night is not going to end well for somebody.<br>After the group comes to a stop, Mega looks over his shoulder to see if Roll and Rush did as he asked and didn't follow him, and is relieved to see that they stayed behind.

"No mistake, Mega Man. Strong life signs inside the theater," a robo trooper says, "We're ready to move in."

After taking a moment to prepare himself for the encounter that is sure to follow, Mega Man nods. "Let's do this."

Mega and the group of Robo troops barge through the door and run into the theater, and they see Galaxy Man hovering at the center of the stage as a light shines down upon him. It looks like he is in a state of suspended animation.  
>Mega knows something isn't adding up here, because the intel the robo troops gave him about the life signs were correct.<p>

"We know you're here, Wily! Show your face!" Mega shouts, his voice echoing inside the theater.

"Certainly, Mega Man!" says the voice of Dr. Wily from under cover, shortly before stepping out from behind one of the many support pillars around the Theater. Metal Man comes out and stand near Wily, serving as his bodyguard.

Mega and the robo troops take aim at Dr. Wily as he leans himself next to the pillar he came out of hiding from. "You are a hard robot to kill, I will give you that, Mega Man."

"I've got a lot friends and hope on my side," Mega says.

"Hope," Wily scoffs, "The most foolish human concept there is. Always relying on your hope that something - fate, a higher power, plain luck - will come and save you from your eventual failure. You remind me so much of Thomas and his blind optimism."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Mega says.

"Of course you would. You're just as hard-headed as he is," Albert mocks.

While Wily and Mega have their exchange of words, Roll and Rush sneak their way to the entrance to the theater room and take cover behind the wall, keeping out of everybody's sight. Roll looks over to Rush and makes the _"shhhh"_ sign over her mouth.

"How does it feel knowing that you are about to face a robot that you cannot defeat?" Albert asks

"I don't know, because I don't think I'm about to find out," Mega says, "And even if I would fall, there will be others after me who will take you down. Maybe even Bass will step up to the plate to take you down."

"There may be other challengers, but I strongly doubt that any will be the thorn in my side that you have managed to be," Wily says, "And with you out of the way, the resolve of these weak humans that you protect will finally be broken and they will be brought to their knees, and Galaxy Man will be the weapon that will make it a reality, starting tonight! I have already won!"

"That will never happen. Humans will fight evil to survive, even powerful monsters like you, and they can beat you."

"No, they cannot. They cannot even fight for themselves. They have to hide behind far superior beings like robots to fight their battles for them. And soon, all the world's robots will either be under my command, or destroyed... Well, well, well. It has been nice having this final conversation with you, Mega Man. But, alas, today is a good day to die," Dr. Wily says as he turns to mosey his way back into hiding behind the pillar. Then, he hears the cocking of every robo troop's gun.

"Don't think about it, Wily!" Mega Man barks, keeping his plasma cannon trained on the mad scientist.

Wily freezes, but begins chuckling. "You are in no position to tell me what to do, Mega Man. To use your sport of American Football as a reference, the clock is running out.. I am in the _green-zone_, is it?... and I am about to score a touchdown. But, you will not live long enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This Galaxy isn't big enough for the two of us... right, Galaxy Man?"

Suddenly and without warning, Galaxy Man holds out his hands and deploys a black hole bomb. The phrase 'Right, Galaxy Man?" was a code word for him to unleash on the heroes again.

Dr. Wily quickly hides behind a pillar as the Robot Masters grab onto anything they can to save themselves. Mega and many of the Robo troops do the same, taking cover behind anything they can inside the theater, but some of the robo troops that are closest to the disturbance react too late and begin flying towards the black hole... and they get swallowed whole by it, never to be seen again.

Mega Man watches on in horror as he keeps in cover behind a pillar. Those robots never stood a chance against the sheer force of the black hole... and he only imagines what horrible things Dr. Wily will do with this power if he doesn't stop this now.

Even the Robot Masters struggle to take cover as GutsMan and Cut Man hide behind another one of the pillars, Quick Man darts behind a row of seats, and Proto remains behind a pillar of his own, watching as Metal Man stays with Dr. Wily behind the pillar he took cover behind to protect him.

Meanwhile out in the corridor, Roll fires her plumber's snake at on of the unoccupied pillars in the theater, and barely manages to get it wrapped around it tight enough without it getting pulled towards the Black Hole.

"Let's go!" she calls as she feels the vacuum of the black hole pulling at her long hair.

Holding on tightly to Rush, Roll and he jet their way to the pillar, using Roll's grapple to help keep them from getting pulled towards the black hole.

Mega Man notices their presence and is utterly aghast. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Sorry, Mega " Roll apologizes, "But, somebody's got to keep an eye on Wily."

A stressed out Mega shakes his head as he stays behind his pillar. "Just stay there and don't move unless it's to get out of here! I've got this."

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily begins taunting his enemy from the other side of the theater. He yells, "You and I both knew this day was going to come, Mega Man! Today is the day when even _you_ cannot deny my genius, and it will cost you everything! And if you don't surrender, it will cost you your life! ... Galaxy Man, prepare to raise power to the black hole bomb!"

"What?" a mortified ProtoMan shouts behind another pillar near Wily, "Can't you see we're already in enough trouble as it is?"

Wily ignores ProtoMan and yells, "I said raise the power, Galaxy Man!"

Galaxy Man states, "Increasing the power to the black hole vortex will result in potentially fatal harm to me an all non-hostile lifeforms in the immediate area, Dr. Wily."

ProtoMan implores, "Dammit, Wily! Listen to what he's saying!"

Wily insists, "We will escape from here just fine!"

"That black hole is strong enough to tear this whole place apart!" Proto yells.

Metal Man growls, "That is enough out of you, Light Child!"

Despite Wily's refusal to listen to him, Proto Man emphatically pleads, "Wily, please listen to me and forget about Mega Man for one damn minute! If Galaxy Man powers that black hole bomb any more, we're _all_ gonna die here! That means you won't be around to win any damn war!"

Galaxy Man states, "ProtoMan's theory is highly likely, Dr. Wily. Your chances of survival are dangerously low. I recommend an alternate course of action, sir."

Even though Dr. Wily knows how deadly this idea is and ProtoMan is trying to talk him out of this, the whisper in his head continues to feed his obsession with getting rid of Mega Man... _"Don't listen to them. This is your best chance to kill Mega Man right now. You must kill Mega Man. KILL MEGA MAN!"_

The whisper in his head rings over and over and it is louder than any of ProtoMan's yells or the roar of the black hole, nearly driving Wily to the brink of a breakdown. He must listen to it.

Wily turns his head and yells, "FULL POWER, DAMN YOU!"

Proto winces as he hears Wily's suicidal demand and he braces for this nightmare scenario to become a reality. "We're dead," he sighs.

Galaxy Man holds his hands out wider and over his head, and his armor begins changing colors more rapidly and almost blindingly bright, using his reserved solar energy to power the black hole as it begins to expand and become more powerful... too powerful.  
>The black hole itself is now as big as Galaxy Man's body, and it has become so powerful that the first five rows of seats in the theater as well as the carpeting beneath it are ripped out and pulled into the black hole.<p>

"It's getting stronger! Hang on, everybody!" Mega Man shouts with urgency.

Even more robo troops lose their grip from their only protection or get pulled out from cover as more seats are pulled out of the floor, also getting pulled into the black hole.

Using his incredible quickness, Quick Man tries to run away from the black hole, but even_ he_ is not quick enough to get clear of the black hole yet. Despite his lightning-fast speed, he looks like he is running in place, only moving away from the black hole very slowly.

GutsMan uses his strength to grab onto the pillar with one arm, while keeping hold of Cut Man with his other arm. "Don't let me go!" Cut Man wails in fear a he cutters are ripped from his head, sucked into the black hole.

Mega Man stays behind his pillar and faces the danger. After looking over to check on his sister and Rush - who are both clinging onto their pillar and each other, but still there - Mega charges his blaster and fires off two quick shots at Galaxy Man's black hole to see what it will do, but both blasts are gulped into the hole, having no effect on it.

On the opposite side of the theater, Metal Man uses his own body to shield Dr. Wily, but the black hole rips an overhead lighting rig down off the ceiling and causes it do crash upon them.

Metal Man manages to protect Wily from being harmed, but Metal Man took so much of the brunt from the rigging hitting him that he loses his grip on the pillar and loses his footing, getting pulled away from his master and dragged down the stairs leading down to the stage and the horrible doom that awaits...

But, Metal Man pulls his Metal Blade off his head and stabs it deep into the floor, stopping his trajectory, if just barely.

Seeing that Metal Man is in serious danger, ProtoMan decides that even though they don't like each other, he needs to help his fellow robot. And, he needs all the brownie points he can get with Wily at this point, so he might as well do what he can.

Proto calculates how to make a jump that can get him close to Metal Man without getting himself killed in the process, and after getting his bearings and tightening his yellow scarf, he takes his chance, leaping towards the nearest wall at the end of the room and getting pulled away by the black hole before he reaches it. Proto then gravitates towards the seats nearest to Metal Man and catches onto them, keeping himself in cover, but feeling the incredible force of the black hole pulling at him up ahead.

Proto reaches his hand out to Metal Man. "Give me your hand!"

"I do not need the help of a Heretic," Metal Man yells.

"Will you stop with the heretic crap for a second and listen to me?" Proto yells back, "I'm trying to save you! Don't you want to continue serving Lord Wily?"

Metal Man says nothing at first, glaring his red eyes at ProtoMan. But, ultimately decides to reach out to ProtoMan and take the chance to save himself. "I will accept your assistance only to ensure Lord Wily's success."

And after a few seconds of trying to reach for each other, Proto grabs onto Metal Man's hand... with his left hand... and copies his power in the process.

"You took my power!" Metal Man shouts.

"Shut-up! I know what I'm doing," Proto shouts, formulating a plan in his head where he can attack Galaxy Man with the blade and sever his crucial power cords, forcing a shut-down on him without putting his life in jeopardy... but Metal Man doesn't see it that way...

"So do I," Metal Man rasps.

Metal Man grabs on to Proto's hand with his right hand and removes himself from his cover point, putting all of the pressure on ProtoMan... Metal Man has deemed this an act of betrayal, giving him a reason to risk violating Lord Wily's order to not kill his fellow Robot Masters, or in this case ProtoMan... and he is not afraid to martyr himself to do it.

ProtoMan desperately holds onto the seats as Metal Man now grabs a hold of Proto's left arm with both of his hands... "You're gonna get us both killed, you idiot!" Proto yells.

"Exactly!" Metal Man shouts, "You have committed your final act of heresy, and you must be extinguished, even at the expense of my own existance!"

ProtoMan can feel himself losing his grip on the seats, which will soon buckle if the pressure is not eased up shortly... he knows at this point that this isn't going to end well for somebody, and it's either him or Metal Man... and Proto doesn't plan on going anywhere any time soon...

Without even thinking of his self-made policy to not kill, ProtoMan switches from hand mode to blast mode and fires a copied metal blade into Metal Man's chest... and it slices deep into some of his crucial circuits...

Metal Man's evil red eyes begin to flicker as he lets out a strained choke... he then looks down at his own blade sticking in his own chest, oil oozing out of it...

He rasps, "Today... is a good day... to die," ... and his grip on ProtoMan loosens, breaking free from his grasp... and he gets pulled towards the black hole at the center of the theater...

Metal Man's body falls limp as he flies away... then he begins to enter the black hole, feet first, and his body begins to be consumed by it from bottom to top...

and just a few seconds later, Metal Man is gone, vaporized into nothing but atoms.

ProtoMan looks away, unable to watch this any further. Even though he hated Metal Man almost as much as he hated him, he was still trying to save him.

As if this problem couldn't get any worse, Dr. Wily yells at the top of his lungs, "Galaxy Man! More Power! MORE POWER! **MORE POWER!**"

Unbelievably, Galaxy Man obeys and begins to raise the power of his black hole bomb to maximum strength, and even more pieces of the theater break off and fly into it. Robo troopers try to open fire, but their rounds are too weak to not get pulled up into the black hole. Then, their own weapons are snatched from their hands, and they are forced to hunker down behind what little cover remains left.

ProtoMan then looks up to see Wily and the Robot Masters on this side of the theater, as well as the remaining robo troops and his family on the other side, all of them desperately struggling to stay alive and avoid the same fate as Metal Man. And there is only one way that they will survive: Galaxy Man has to be put down. And hopefully, not fatally.

Proto aims his blaster arm directly at Galaxy Man - who has his back turned to him - and begins charging the most powerful shot he can. He won't even see it coming, and hopefully, it will be powerful enough to not get pulled into the black hole.

But, now the black hole bomb's strength is too powerful for even robots to stand up to it, and while Proto hangs on to the remaining seats for dear life, he feels like his arm is about to get pulled out of it's socket... even feeling like the insides of his arm are getting ripped out.

Proto begins to feel terrible pain in his blaster arm, feeling that in fact something_ is_ being ripped out of it. Behind his visor, his eyes bulge as he sees the buster cannon's plasma generator being ripped out of his arm like a tooth being yanked out. Proto painfully howls through mashed teeth as the plasma generator is disconnected and pulled into the black hole.

But, when the plasma generator is swallowed into the black hole, it does no harm to it whatsoever. But, if it had struck Galaxy Man himself, it would have done serious damage.

Now, all of the ceiling tiles, lighting rigs and chunks of walls themselves are getting torn off and pulled into the black hole and now even the support pillars are beginning to buckle, putting everybody hiding behind one in imminent danger. And when they give way, this whole section of the space center will collapse... if the black hole bomb doesn't swallow it all first.

ProtoMan feels the seat he is hiding behind starting to get ripped out and he quickly dives behind other seats in the row that are slighty more stable.

The pillar GutsMan is holding onto begins to buckle, and both he and Cut Man begin screaming, and Quick Man begins to panic as he is now moving in_ reverse_ and towards the black hole, even though he is running at top speed.

The pillar Roll and Rush are hiding behind begins to bend ever so slightly and Roll gasps. "We're not gonna make it, are we?"

"I've still got one more trick up my sleeve. Just hang on!" Mega says, getting an idea after seeing how ProtoMan attempted to deal with Galaxy Man.

Mega Man opens an access panel on his blaster arm and disconnects the plasma generator, then manually sets it to full charge to turn it into a deadly weapon in and of itself. Once he closes his arm panel, he produces a copied Magnet missile from his arm, adhering the plasma generator to one side of it.  
>Then, Mega grabs his last rocket from his leg and attaches it to the magnet, making a cobbled-together instrument of sheer destruction, and then he loads the rocket into the nozzle of his blaster arm, prepping it to fire.<p>

Mega peeks out from behind his pillar, calculating how he can fire this thing and hit Galaxy Man without it getting sucked into the black hole. If he fires to downward, toward the floor, the propulsion of the rocket will keep it going down as it gets pulled up towards the hole and should hopefully hit Galaxy Man... even though the combination of two major explosives combined with a fully charged plasma generator could kill him, this is Mega's only chance. Failure will result in the death of everybody.

Mega needs to get the time to line up a shot, and the only way to do that is to be exposed to the pull of the Black Hole. With the power of his flight suit, it should buy him at least thirty seconds before he is pulled in, but the time frame he has of pulling this shot off is much smaller.

Mega Man leaps backwards, keeping his feet towards Galaxy Man turning on his jets on his flight suit to full power. Immediately, he is slowly pulled towards the black hole, giving him only seconds to make this shot... Mega holds his blaster arm out, then fires his cobbled super-shot...

the rocket flies downward, then gets pulled up towards the black hole bomb... but just as Mega had hoped, the rocket's booster keeps it down low just enough by a few precious feet...

The cobbled-together weapon hits Galaxy Man's chest, exploding into a massive fireball, creating a shockwave that knocks Mega Man backwards, crashing into the wall where he entered earlier... and Quick Man - who was still running - gets bolted out of the wrecked theater, and crashes through the wall, leaving an almost perfect hole in the shape of his body.

Galaxy Man flies backwards, his saucer-shaped chest armor blown apart and his face damaged from the super weapon, and he crashes on the floor, his color-changing armor now fading dim to its natural grey.

Without Galaxy Man to fuel it, the black hole falls apart and disintegrates. Once that happens, everything that was being pulled towards it falls to the ground, and almost everybody is so relieve to be alive, so relieved that they don't even try to apprehend the dangerous madman still in the room.

Wasting no time, however, is ProtoMan who scrambles to his feet to grab Wily and get out of here. "We're getting out of here now!"

"No!" Wily bursts, "I am not failing this time!"

"It was never your plan to fail!" Proto argues as he tries to pull Wily out of here, but Albert struggles.

"Where is Metal Man?" Wily growls.

"No time! Out! Now!" Proto insists.

Roll looks out from behind her pillar and sees that she has a clear shot at catching Dr. Wily from here. After recoiling her plumber's snake from the pillar, she fires it at Dr. Wily, and it wraps around his right ankle. She then yanks Wily down to the floor and begins pulling him as ProtoMan grabs onto him and tries to pull him away, making a tag of war with Dr. Wily in the middle.

"I've got him, Mega! I've got him!" Roll calls as she and Rush pull on Wily.

Mega Man gets up to his feet and looks at the sight of Dr. Wily in the grip of his sister on one side, and his brother on the other... all he has to do is get Wily out of Proto's hands and this war could be over!

Mega tries using the flight suit to jet himself over, but it has been severely damaged, puffing out plums of black smoke. Instead, Mega begins running to the other side of the theater.

ProtoMan then begins pulling Wily so hard, he pulls the madman out of Roll's grip, resulting in Wily's right shoe getting pulled of and actually spraining his ankle in the process. As Proto hoists the wailing Wily over his shoulder, he yells, "GutsMan block the door!"

Mega Man reaches the center of the stage and begins running up the other side towards Wily as he and his robots begin escaping. He aims his blaster and tries to fire, but can't because he used his plasma generator to take down Galaxy Man.

ProtoMan whisks Wily out the doorway on the other side, followed by Cut Man, then GutsMan, who uses his strength to tear the roof and walls of the hallway down and block the doorway with them.

"No!" Mega yells as he reaches the blocked door, trying to punch himself through it to no avail.

One of the remaining robo troops calls to his fellows, "Wily is escaping. Repeat, Wily is escaping. Pursue with extreme prejudice!"

As Mega Man races towards the other door from which he came, he is about to have another serious problem fall into his lap,_ literally_...

Many of the support pillars begin to buckle from the stress of the black hole attack, and whole sections of the theater begin caving in. And now, taking Dr. Wily is no longer Mega Man's top priority, getting family out of here _is_!

"Roll, Rush! Get out of here!" Mega shouts with a hint of panic.

Roll begins to run as her support pillar begins to topple, but Rush jets alongside her and she jumps on his back, getting to safety. Mega however, doesn't have the benefit to jetting out. He has to make a run for it.

Mega races up the ramp leading to the door and sees the remaining robo troops bolting out to the hallway, he then looks up to see the entire ceiling about to fall on top of him. Once he reaches the door, he leaps out the open doors and into the hallway, avoiding being crushed by a mere second.  
>But, as the dust begins pouring out of the destroyed theater of the space center, Mega pulls himself back up and heads out of the building to pursue Dr. Wily.<p>

* * *

><p>Mega Man races out of the Space Center along with the remaining robo troops, and Dr. Wily's last remaining Skullker is already making a getaway, and with no blaster, not enough weapon energy to make another magnet missile, a damaged flight suit and Rush busy getting Roll out of danger, Mega watches on helplessly as Wily gets away again.<p>

Frustrated, Mega walks away and slumps himself against the outer wall of the space center. He and Roll were so close to ending this war, the closest he has been in over two years when Mega had captured Wily at Skull Fortress (before ProtoMan's interference and robbed him of victory that day.)

Again, Mega feels the doubt washing over him. He was too slow to apprehend Wily; the deadly weapon he made to stop Galaxy Man almost killed him again; his decision to include the robo troopers got several of them killed; and because he didn't have time to make sure Roll and Rush were out of danger they almost met the same fate too... but without their help, they wouldn't have had a chance to capture Wily.

The circumstances of his decisions and abilities are only becoming more dire with each mission. But, thankfully, there have been no casualties in his family or any innocent humans. nd hopefully, it will stay that way.

Rush and Roll fly overhead and land near Mega, both of them safe after their harrowing experience today. Both of them walk over to either side of Mega and rest with him, Roll sitting down beside her brother as Rush lies in Mega's lap.

"Okay, I admit," Roll pants, "That was a bad idea going in there."

"Yep. It was," Mega says, "But, because of you, we almost got him. You did good."

Roll smiles as Mega puts his arm around her and rubs Rush's head with his free hand. "Remember when you said you could use a vacation?" she asks.

"Yeah," Mega replies.

"I could use one too at this point," Roll pants, "Let's go someplace warm and tropical, without any big towers and black holes anywhere in sight. Maybe that's the place you and Kalinka can have your first big date."

"Too public. We'd be on the front cover of every newspaper," Mega says.

"Well, the offer to use the backyard is still open," Roll smiles.

"No way. I don't want you guys looking on us too. But, just thinking of the backyard makes me want to go back home," Mega says.

"Home sounds good to me too right about now," Roll agrees, "But, a few minutes of little rest wouldn't hurt either."

"After all we've been through today, I can't blame you, sis. I think Dr. Light will forgive us being out after curfew," Mega sighs.

The Light siblings remain seated against the exterior of the Kennedy Space Center and allow themselves to take a breather after the exhausting day they have had today, grateful that they are able to have a tomorrow and that they can enjoy it with each other and the rest of their family.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Even though the 100th chapter is a milestone, it certainly is bittersweet, because Metal Man is gone. I thought about his fate for a while and considered having him survive, because I hated having to lose a good Robot Master, but I felt this was the choice to make for the story.  
>This outcome was 'Version A' of the chapter; 'Version B would have featured Metal Man surviving, but I had a strong feeling that the latter would not work.<em>

_Proto's line about the Metal Blade firing in eight directions was a reference to the way it functioned in Mega Man 2._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos that the spell-checker missed or a massive continuity error that is so devastating it could crack a Met's hardhat (and believe me, nothing can break those), please PM me._

_The episode is not over. The Epilogue is coming up next._


	101. Episode 9 epilogue: So Close

_**Episode 9 Epilogue: So Close.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The next day.<strong>

We see the extent of the damage to the Kennedy Space Center following last night's massive battle that took place there. One whole section of the building is caved in, which was the theater where Galaxy Man deployed his black hole... it _was_ the theater, at least. Now, it's a pile of debris.

_"Following a harrowing encounter last night at the Kennedy Space Center, Mega Man has recovered Galaxy Man from the clutches of Dr. Wily and returned him home,"_ says Kirk Trujillo at the channel 7 news desk as we see Galaxy Man's body being carried out by members of the Robo Rescue Squad and whisked away back to Dr. Light's lab.  
><em>"Galaxy Man was severely damaged during an attack on the space center, but Dr. Thomas Light has told the public that all of his damage can be repaired and he will be back in space before the end of the year, and with a greater security detail around him.<br>Damage to the space center itself was significant and will be closed for the next few weeks while crews work to repair it before the end of Summer."_

We then see footage of the previous Governor of New York as Trish narrates, _"Former New York Governor George Cochran is making preparations for his campaign for the U.S. Presidency in 20X4. The field will be wide open this year, as President Keith Henry will be ending his second term next year, but the former Governor is confident that he will make a leave a very large impression on the upcoming election season. Most political analysts believe that while Governor Cochran has an impeccable record, the subject of his son - noted robot racist William Cochran - will be brought up at times during the race.  
>The Governor's son is noted for attempting to create an anti-robot protest group, but has not made any public appearance since he appeared on a program hosted by former Channel 7 correspondent Dick Ferguson shortly before it was cancelled."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

Tiesel Bonne has been a busy young man so far this week and performing quite a few tasks, including taking in his young baby brother. But, the one thing he has wanted to do, but has not been given the chance to do it, is get another assignment from the Conduit so he can make more money for himself.

He has spent a lot of time in his room (or his 'central living area') waiting for that call to come in, and he is doing so even right now as he wears his favorite all-red contact lenses in his eyes while he waits.

Then, there is a knock at the door. _"Tiesel! There's something we have to discuss this instant!" _says the cutie-pie voice of Tron on the intercom.

"Can't it wait for now, Tron? I'm in the middle of something," Tiesel says, but in actuality, he is only waiting for a call that might not even come tonight.

_"You're not ignoring this! Don't you forget, I've got the lock bypasser, and if you don't come out in two minutes, I'm opening this door!"_

Tiesel groans as he gets out of his seat and heads to the door. "The bad thing about being in business with your genius little sister: she has access to the best tools."

Tiesel opens the door and sees the usually cute face of his sister wearing a displeased scowl. "Why doesn't our baby brother have a night-light?"

"_This_ is what you bother me with? I gave him a light, and a very good one I might add," Tiesel says.

Tron summons a primitive floating carrier robot to bring the night-light Tiesel mounted on Bon's wall... which happened to be a neon light sign that reads _"Live Girls!"_ with a silhouette of a woman on the right side of it.

"So, _this_ is your idea of a night-light for our little brother? What kind of example is this setting for an impressionable mind like his?" Tron sternly asks.

"We didn't have any in the salvage stock, so I chose the next best thing," Tiesel explains, "Besides, Bon is not old enough to know what that sign is about anyway, and this light is much brighter than a standard-issue kiddie night-light. And it's colorful... kids love colors."

Tron frowns, "Do you think Mom would like to know these facts?"

"No!" Tiesel freaks, "Please! I'll buy one at a store down below first thing in the morning! Just please don't!"

Tron continues to frown, as she waves a hand in front of the floating carrier robot, signalling to take the lewd sign away before she storms off.

Tiesel calms down, putting his hand on his chest in relief after avoiding that near-disaster. "You could have let _me_ keep it, you know!" he says.

Then, in a complete 180-degrees turn of events, Tiesel's phone connection begins to ring and his red contact-lens eyes grow big as he scrambles to answer it. But, he was in such a rush to answer it that he steps his foot in the nearby wastebasket in the process.

Tiesel tries to kick the wastebasket off his foot, but his foot is now wedged in there pretty good. So Tiesel rears his foot back delivers a mighty kick to the air which manages to knock the wastebasket off, sending it crashing into the wall and sending the trash inside it to fall on the floor.

Tiesel finally answers, "Yes! Hello! Tiesel here!"

And the voice he has waited to hear is on the other end, and it belongs to the mysterious Conduit. _"I trust I am not calling at an inconvenient time, young Tiesel?"_

"No. I am actually very happy to hear from you, Conduit. Do you have any more assignments for me, by any chance?" Tiesel asks, crossing his fingers.

_"You are very keen,"_ The Conduit states, _"There may be an opportunity for you very soon, one that is more suited to your skill set... I trust you have not forgotten how to use your skills."_

"Oh, I haven't forgotten those skills, trust me," Tiesel says, "But, what would you have me do exactly?"

_"That has yet to be determined... it depends on the reliability of my other asset,"_ The Conduit says, _"But, you will know when the time comes. I cannot remain on this line for much longer, for I have more pressing matters to attend to. Just be ready, young man. Your time is coming."_

As the call ends, Tiesel begins to smile. Soon, he will be able to go out there and get even more money under the table. But, several things enter his mind.  
>How dangerous will this assignment really be? How much work is going to have to go into this? Is this assignment going to involve some shady work like the last one where he helped frame the engineer from the Tower? What is Tron and their parents find out? What if he has to do this on a night where he has to take care of his little brother?<p>

As these things enter Tiesel's mind, he tries to shut them all out, because this is more chance to claim his own stake and make more money. He thinks that is what matters most, but it is not and if he is not careful, he will soon find that out the hard way.

He is getting himself involved in a very deadly game.

* * *

><p><strong>F.B.I. Headquarters.<br>Langley, Virginia.**

Agent Rahm Cotto makes his way to the bureau's medical wing, where Agent Allen is recuperating following his encounter with Mr. Black, who escaped and injured his former boss pretty badly in the fight.

The Special Agent in Charge looks like he has seen better days as he lies in his clinic bed, clearly showing the signs of somebody who is suffering from a concussion. His eyes are still sensitive to light, so the room lighting is dim.

"The doctors say you should be on administrative leave for the next few weeks," Cotto says as he stands next to his boss, "In the meantime, I've been put in charge of the Barton investigation because of your absence. And my first act in charge is to get your debriefing."

Allen's eyes close as he tries to recall anything from last night. "The last thing I remember was going to bed two days ago. Everything since then, I can't remember any of it."

"He was tailing you, and you informed the bureau that you were going to engage him," Cotto says, "Our teams missed you both by about five minutes. By the time we arrived, he was gone, and apparently you tagged him because we found a decent amount of his blood at the scene.

Allen groggily recalls, "I found Barton... I fought him, and I managed to wound him before he escaped... with the amount of blood he was losing, there's no way he'll survive without profession medical attention."

Agent Cotto's black eyebrows furrow as he hears that, because something did not sound right. "Wait a minute... With a concussion as bad as yours shouldn't remember _anything_, and you just said the last thing you remember was going to bed the previous night... but, you seem to remember very specific details of encountering Barton."

Agent Allen looks confused.

Cotto decides to test his memory to see if Allen remembers his meeting with Governor Deacon yesterday. "You met with an Elected official yesterday, do you remember who it was or what city you were in?"

Allen moans, "I... don't remember anything..." He drones again, "I found Barton. I fought him and managed to-"

"I_ knew_ it! He used the device on you. You're saying what he programmed you to say. He probably faked his own injury too," Cotto says as he makes a hasty retreat from the medical ward and races down to the crime scene lab on the next floor up.

* * *

><p>Cotto makes his way to the lab wing of FBI Headquarters, arriving to an area just outside the sterile lab area (also known as the "clean room") where every technician inside has to wear a full body suit to prevent germs from getting in. This area his a large viewing window, so that agents can observe the activities in the sterile lab without having to suit up to to go inside.<p>

"Have you checked the samples of Agent Barton's blood for any sign of tampering?" he orders the lab technicians in the clean room.

"No, Agent," replies the technician inside, his voice muffled from wearing the protective suit.

"Do it now. It is imperative to the Barton investigation," Cotto orders.

The agent watches as the lab technicians take the samples of Mr. Black's blood that were taken from the scene of the fight with Allen last night, and run them through their equipment to check if the blood was altered in any way, specifically if it was frozen or preserved at any point.

"Agent Cotto, it seems there is an abnormality in Agent Barton's blood. While the blood cells are undamaged, they do show signs of dormancy, consistent with prolonged periods of refrigeration."

Agent Cotto looks bothered by learning this revelation, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that Mr. Black/John Barton was and is a smart man and would probably find a way to outsmart the FBI. He had done it several times before, even before he became Mr. Black, and he just outsmarted them this time too, and he will outsmart them again.. but, not if Cotto lets him.

* * *

><p><strong>That night.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.**

Before resting for the night, Dr. Light continues repairs to Galaxy Man's body as Mega Man enters the lab without his blue helmet on and letting his messy brown hair show.

"How is he coming along?" Mega asks of Galaxy Man's progress.

"His damage was much more extensive than I first thought, but he can still be repaired. I must say, Rock, the makeshift plasma missile you created can do serious damage to a robot," Thomas says.

Mega half-smiles, "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an admonishment."

"As someone who values Robotic life as much as human life, I feel it was too much of a risk to Galaxy Man's life," Thomas says.

"I'm sorry, Father," Mega apologizes, "It was the only option I had."

"You don't need to feel sorry, Rock. Given the circumstances, I understand why you had to do it," Thomas says, "If I was in the same position as you were and all of you were in danger, only being able to use the cards I was dealt like you were, I probably would have had to made the same choice."

Mega Man looks over to the computer screen where the news is showing the aftermath of the attack at the Space Center last night. Seeing such destruction to a landmark like that only makes him feel bad about how everything went down and how Wily escaped again.

"We were so close to getting Wily," Mega says, sounding regretful, "If only I still had enough power to fight, I would have been able to stop him this time."  
>Mega gets frustrated as he continues, "He always seems to be one step ahead of us. His plans only get bigger and bigger, and whenever we think we've got him, he always gets away."<p>

Mega bows his head as he reflects further on the events of last night. "A lot of those robo troops didn't make it... They got pulled into that black hole like they were pieces of paper and there was nothing they could do to stop it. I was the one who told them to follow me in there... it's my fault they're gone."

Dr. Light stops his work on Galaxy Man and turns to Mega Man, trying to convince him that it was not his fault. This is not the first time he has heard his son express guilt like this, especially since Bass arrived. "I know that you feel bad, Rock. But, those robo troops would have followed you into the space center regardless. They would still be here if I hadn't."

Mega pauses again before making a surprising admission, "When I saw Galaxy Man deploy that black hole again... I was scared."

"I understand, Rock. Having to face off against such a powerful threat would understandably be intimidating," Thomas says.

"I wasn't just scared for me... I was scared for everyone else; especially Roll, Rush and Proto. I was scared of what Wily would have done with Galaxy Man if he had won," Mega says, "I hesitated when I saw that black hole... I didn't know what to do and I kept second guessing myself... I've been doing that a lot ever since Bass showed up. I keep making mistakes."

"You haven't been making mistakes," Thomas tries to assure.

"Yes, I have been," Mega says, "Those troops were lost because I wasn't fast enough. And the main reason Wily got his hands on Galaxy Man was because I fell for his trap again. It's getting harder to now... I don't think I'm even doing my job good enough anymore."

Thomas grabs his son by his blue titanium shoulders and tries to talk some reason into him. "I don't want you thinking that way. You are doing a miraculous job protecting this world from Wily, and you and your sister are doing than better than any other human or robot could ever do. Things are only getting difficult because of how much deadlier Wily is making his plans, not because of you."

"That's what I'm saying," Mega says, "Each of these Wily plots are getting bigger and crazier than the last. It's been a while since people have died in this war, and I want to keep it that way... but, I'm really worried about it happening if I don't stop Wily soon, and I'm scared I won't be fast enough to stop it. I just hope this war doesn't take away anybody I care about, like you and Roll... or my brother... or Kalinka."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Nearly twenty-four hours after the destructive clash at the Kennedy Space Center, Dr. Wily is still livid after the failure of the plan, losing possession of Galaxy Man back to Dr. Light and the loss of Metal Man. And Albert has gathered many of his robots to give them the chastising of a lifetime and blaming them for his own mistakes.

"How dare you!" Wily seethes, "I had Mega Man in the palm of my hands, and I was about to crush him like a bug and be rid of him! I would have been ruler of the world at last! But, thanks to you, WE'RE STILL AT SQUARE ONE! I thought you had all changed after ProtoMan had trained you, but I should have known better. You are all still the same old failures you always have been, and until you prove otherwise to me, you always will be!"

Many of the Robot Masters look ashamed after being labeled as failures by their human creator again.

"The only robot who wasn't a failure during this operation was Metal Man... AND NOW I'VE LOST HIM TOO!... But, you should not get _all_ the blame, because I never should have put a failure in charge of an army of failures!" Albert barks, looking directly at ProtoMan.

Proto barely smirks. "What a surprise."

"Once again, you let your human compassion and your fear ruin another one of my brilliant plans!" Wily seethes as he approaches ProtoMan.

Proto sneers, "It was never _your_ plan to-"

"SHUT-UP!" Dr. Wily snaps, "I gave you a responsibility to make my Robot Masters better assets to my army while I completed work on my greatest creations ever. And instead, you try to take the spotlight for yourself and make me look bad in front of my own robots!"

"You know, you're doing a pretty good job of that yourself right now," Proto mocks.

Wily points his finger in Proto's face. "That's it! I have had enough of your insolence, your back talk, your disrespect, your compassion for your supposed siblings and your unwillingness to kill to win this war! ProtoMan, you are DEMOTED to the lowest rank in my army! I don't need a second-in-command, and I certainly don't need one like you!" Wily barks, "I am the only one in command!"

"Yay!" Proto groans as he mockingly waves his hands over his head in a faux celebratory manner. "Was I supposed to cheer there?" he snarks.

"Metal Man was right about you! You are Thomas Light's creation more than you are my own!" Wily insults, pointing his aged finger at Proto.

"Yeah, I heard it enough from him while he was still here. Are you done yet, and can I go now?" Proto asks.

"Get away from me!" Wily yells.

"Good, I need some fresh air anyway," Proto says as he begins to leave and head outside.

"No, you don't!" Wily says, "You'll just leave this fortress and try to back to Light, won't you?"

"Are you kidding? You've lost more screws than I thought," Proto scoffs, "Even if I tried to do that, it's my business what I do."

"Not while you're under my command, it's not!" Wily says, "I forbid you from leaving this fortress until I say so."

ProtoMan turns around and glares Wily a dirty look, partly blocked by his visor. Proto then storms off to his quarters, leaving Wily and the others behind.

Dr. Wily then turns around and barks to all the Robot Masters. "All of you are now assigned to building Project G-2 out behind the fortress until further notice! Now get back there and get to work. And don't screw it up!"

* * *

><p>ProtoMan arrives to his quarters and throws a punch at one of the titanium walls with several dents in it, all of which are in shape of Proto's fist after all the other times he has punched this wall out of pure anger lately.<p>

"That's right old man!" Proto grunts as he throws another punch at the pounded wall, "Blame me for you being a good-for-nothing human idiot!"

Proto pounds the wall again. "I could've handed you the world, you old bastard! But I don't owe you jack now!" Proto bursts, throwing his hardest punch at the wall, making so large of a dent, it even bends the wall outside his quarters now.

After failing to let out his frustrations by throwing punches at the wall, Proto tries to settle down. But, he can't get his mind off of how everything went wrong.

He had the command that he always wanted from Wily, only to have it snatched from him right when he was about to pave the road to a likely victory. And now that he has lost his command, he has found himself at his lowest point yet: no longer serving as Wily's Right Hand robot and being demoted to the bottom of the totem pole around here. As angry as Proto is, he feels betrayed more than anything else.

ProtoMan sits down on his shabby bed and reaches underneath it, pulling out the wrinkled front page of a New York newspaper printed on the morning of Election Day last year, with a picture of him and his brother Mega Man standing side by side, with the headline _"ProtoMan turns on Wily!"_ above it.

ProtoMan doesn't even smile when he stares at the page, because seeing it only reminds him that this was another dream that will never become a reality. not the way he wants it anyway.

ProtoMan opens an access panel on his blaster arm and removes a microchip containing the weapon data of Metal Man's Metal Blade. Proto stares at the chip for a long time, thinking back to Metal Man's final moments on Earth.  
>Even though he tried to save Metal Man, it was ultimately ProtoMan's actions that resulted in him getting pulled into the black hole. Proto has expected to have a conscience attack hit him like a ton of bricks any time now, but it hasn't happened yet. And maybe it is because ProtoMan hated Metal Man almost as much as he hated him.<p>

For years, Proto had to watch as Metal Man would brutally maim or even kill any robots - or anybody else - in his path during these missions. And Metal Man was more than happy to try to do the same to Mega Man and Roll, although he never succeeded at hurting them. It was Proto's leniency towards his siblings started drove a wedge between he and Metal Man in the first place, and that only grew to pure hate for one another.

But, despite that hatred, ProtoMan did not want to do what he did to Metal Man... at the same time, even though it is probably wrong to think this, Proto is glad he is gone. He knew that this world (or as Wily ironically stated, this Galaxy) was not big enough for the two of them to co-exist, and one of them was probably going to take the other one down at some point. And the world - whether it falls into Wily's hands or not - is probably a better place without Metal Man in it.

"If I'm such a heretic, then I guess I'll see you in hell, Metal Man," Proto says, crushing the microchip in his hand, and destroying the last piece of Metal Man that he left behind before being vaporized by Galaxy Man's black hole bomb. And for good measure, he gets in one last parting shot...

"By the way... your weapon is overrated."

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily makes his way to his workshop deep within the Fortress and locks himself inside with his three latest creations, all of which are complete and covered with sheets as they lay flat on the three work tables.<p>

"I have had it with them... I have had it with all of them!" he says, "Even though Metal Man was always loyal, _he_ could never get the job done like I wanted him to either... now, it's time to take matters into my own hands again."

Dr. Wily then begins to remove the sheets over the three new robot creations, starting with the one to his left: A robot who has a face designed like a human's and a helmet colored golden yellow and blue on his head, complete with two sharp spikes on either side of the helmet and one right the top.  
>His armor matches his yellow and blue helmet colors, with gold shin guards over his black legs.<p>

Wily walks to the other side of the room and unveils the next robot: a large framed robot with bulky armor colored blood red and several silver spikes protruding from his wrists and his extra large shoulder armor pieces, and with a large saw-shaped mohawk standing tall on his head, which is sporting a face that only consists of two angry eyes.

Then, Albert approaches the table in the middle of the workshop and pulls the remaining sheet off, revealing the third robot: The tallest of this trio, donned in navy blue and black armor with gold trim, this robot has a plasma blaster built into the sides of his forearms, allowing him to use his hands and his weapons at the same time.  
>This robot also has a human face and is wearing a navy blue helmet on his head, with a white strip running down the center and a gold horn-like ornament placed on the forehead of it.<p>

Dr. Wily begins to smile wide as he grabs the remote to power them all up for the first time and uses it. The three new robots all open their eyes at once, coming to life. Then, he speaks their names...

"Enker... Punk... Ballade. Rise, my robots!"

Enker (the robot with the spiked helmet,) Punk (the large red robot with the sawhawk,) and Ballade (the tallest of the trio) stand up from their tables and step up to Dr. Wily side-by-side.

"Yes, Dr. Wily," they all say in unison.

"What is your primary objective?" he asks.

Each of the robots reply the same answer in unison... "Kill Mega Man."

"Yes!" Dr. Wily laughs, "You will KILL Mega Man!"

Dr. Wily howls with laughter, confident that these robots will finally extinguish Mega Man, because that is what these Robot Masters were specially built to do... but, really, these robots are technically not Robot Masters... they are something more.

They are **The Mega Man Killers.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I am already at work on Episode 10 and the interlude for it, and the Mega Man Killers are coming! I want to get this next batch of stories done quicker than last time and I hope to have the interlude chapter online sometime next week and the next two episodes done soon, (and if the Mayans and their doomsday prediction interrupt me, they will have hell to pay.)_

_I want to give a very big Thank You to all of you who have followed this series for the past 101 chapters, namely those who have left reviews for recent episodes like Gancena, DestinyZX, MegaManV, WindGoddess Rune, PinkCrystals, CristianSoldier, the guest reviewers, and especially lalalei who came up with the concept of ProtoMan being in charge of things for this episode. :)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch a typo I missed, or a continuity error that would even make Mr. Spock's mind crack, or something that just looks wrong or perhaps out of place, please PM me._

_Stay tuned for Episode 10: The Killers... Part one of a **TWO-EPISODE finale** to Year Three! (And yes, I still plan on making Year Four and Year Five.)_


	102. Interlude: Killing Time

_**Interlude: Killing Time.**_

* * *

><p><strong>August 20X3.<br>Over two weeks after the event at the Kennedy Space Center.**

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The Light siblings are outside in the back yard of the lab compound enjoying a pick-up game of soccer. Mega is teamed with Rush serving as his goalie; Roll is teaming with Peekaboo the Met and Eddie as her goalies. (And Roll has two goalies today since she is not a sports expert, and because of the height disadvantage shared by Boo and Eddie.)

Despite Mega's ongoing doubts in himself and how serious the more recent Dr. Wily threats have been, today he is allowing himself to have some fun with his family at home, and enjoying the time they are having when they are not fighting Wily's robots. But, there is still one very important day coming up for Mega Man that does not directly involve his duties as Defender of the Human Race, and his sister is sure to remind him.

"So, only one month to go until the big date, Mega," Roll smiles mischievously as she awaits her brother to serve the ball and start the next round of their game.

"I know," Mega says with more trepidation than excitement as he holds the ball under his foot. "I still don't know where I can take her where we can be alone."

"Quit worrying about which people seeing you," Roll says, "Just go where you guys want to go and have fun."

"I don't want the word to get out before her father knows... and I _really_ don't want Wily to catch wind of it. But, even then, I still don't know where to take her. I don't want to mess this up," Mega says, then asks his sister for advice. "Roll, you're a girl. Where would you want to go?"

Roll smiles, "That's easy! Find out where Captain Fallout and The Atom-Smashers are playing and find the best seats you can get. Then, if it's not too late, swing by the closest Electric Pizza and dance the night away."

Mega shakes his head as he tosses the ball back to Roll. "I don't think her idea of a date night is the same as yours, sis."

"Okay. Just find out what she likes and do that, and tell her what things you like too. Maybe after I beat you at this soccer thing today, maybe you'll be able to think a little more clearly," Roll says after she kicks the ball hard, right past Mega where it is stopped by Rush.

"For someone who doesn't know much about Soccer, you know how to play," Mega grins, "But, I'm not going down so easily."

Mega and Roll proceed to play their game back and forth, neither team scoring a 'goal' over the course of two minutes. Then, following a kick from Mega Man, Roll misses the ball and it heads towards her goal area where Peekaboo is standing with his extension arm sticking out. (He was allowed to use his spare hand because of his small stature.)

But, as the ball gets close and he realizes that it is heading right for him, Boo gasps and he quickly retracts his hand and hides under his hardhat. The ball bounces off his hardhat right above his blue cross on the front, and Boo shudders from underneath.

"Oh, no! Time out!" Roll gasps as she runs over to Peekaboo's side. Even though Boo is making progress with his fears ever since he was rescued from Skull Fortress, Roll worries that a big enough scare could set him back a great deal.

After she reaches her Met, Roll sits down next to him and tries to caress his hardhat. "Boo?" she calls.

Peekaboo lifts his hardhat up just enough for his big eyes to show as he lets out a worried beep.

"Aw, it's okay, sweetie," Roll coos as she puts an arm around Boo, "It was just an accident."

Mega Man then kneels down next to Boo. "Hey, little buddy. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to send the ball your way. Are you okay?"

Boo comes out of his hardhat a little more, and he bleeps that he feels okay, but he was scared of the ball because he thought it was going to hurt him.

"That's okay, Boo. But, you don't need to be scared of the ball," Roll assures sweetly.

"Actually, you made a great save for you mom's team," Mega adds.

Boo gives a surprised bleep.

"You sure did, cutie!" Roll smiles.

Now that he feels better, Boo steps up to the fallen soccer ball and gives it a light shove with his right foot, trying to emulate what he saw his Mommy and Uncle Mega doing. He looks up at them and smiles again.

Roll leans over and gives Boo a hug when she sees him cheer up. "That's my brave little Met!" she peeps.

Mega lets out a relieved sigh when he sees Peekaboo is doing okay. He would have felt terrible if Boo wasn't. It would have been another brick on the load of his growing doubts, which has been a serious recurring problem this year. But, thankfully, everything is okay and they can continue playing their soccer game.

But, before the game can continue, Morris the robo butler steps outside with some news for Mega Man. "Excuse the interruption, Mega Man, Sir. But, you have a call waiting from Miss Cossack."

Mega's eyebrows shoot up when he hears that Kalinka is calling. "I, um, I've gotta go inside for a minute," he says awkwardly, not waiting to outwardly show his happiness to hear from Kalinka in front of the others.

As Mega heads inside, Boo looks up to Roll and beeps, asking who Miss Cossack is.

"That's the nice human girl Kalinka I told you about," Roll giggles, then whispers, "She's Uncle Mega's _girl_friend."

* * *

><p>Mega heads inside to get the call from Kalinka. He wonders why she is calling him when it is nearly midnight in Russia, mainly when it is so close to the end of her semester for the season. He hopes that nothing happened that would prevent her from coming to visit him next month.<p>

Mega reaches the nearest telephone and takes a moment to prepare himself before answering it. Just like before, he has faced the deadliest of robotic enemies - including two encounters with Galaxy Man and his black hole bomb just last month - and constantly has to make life-or-death decisions in battle, but, when it's time to talk to this special girl, Mega gets hesitant.

Finally, he answers the phone. "Hello?" Mega greets with the same somewhat shy sound to his voice he had the last time he spoke with her.

_"Mega!"_ says the cheerful voice of Kalinka on the other end.

"Hi! Is everything okay?' Mega asks.

_"Yes! I have great news!"_ Kalinka says.

"What is it?" asks Mega.

Kalinka can barely contain her excitement as she explains in her broken English,_ "I was going to spend time with father on my first week away from university, but he is busy attending conference in Sweden that week. So, I have adjusted schedule and I am coming to America to see you first thing!"_

"That's great! So, when are you going to be here?" Mega asks.

_"I have already made arrangements. I will be in New York City on first day of September,"_ Kalinka says.

Mega's eyes become wide again. While he is very happy to be able to see Kalinka again for the first time since January, he now has even less time (less than two weeks to be exact) to get ready for the big day, and the big date.

Desperately trying to hide his sudden nervousness, Mega responds, "Great! I can't wait to see you again!"

_"I can't wait to see _you_!"_ Kalinka peeps, _"I want to see whole family again too. You are all so wonderful!"_

"I'm sure they want to see you again too," Mega replies.

_"I have class in morning, so, I have to go to bed. I do not know how I will sleep, thinking about date!"_ Kalinka squeaks.

"That's okay, you need your rest. Maybe we can talk again when you're not busy," Mega suggests.

"Final examinations before semester is over will take my time, but, I see what I can do. You are worth it!" Kalinka says.

A few moments later, after the call is over, Dr. Light turns the corner and sees his son standing there as he puts the phone down, looking a bit bewildered at having to prepare for the big day even sooner.

"Rock, you are feeling alright?" he asks.

"Father, if I was a human, I think I'd faint," Mega says, almost sound a little dazed.

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

In her room onboard the ship, Miss Tron Bonne is busy making a blueprint design for a new mechanical contraption, which is something she does quite often. Right next to her drawing board are the designs for the mech she has been working on most of the year which is still being stored incomplete in the garage bay of the Gesselchaft.

The blueprint design she is working on now in stuck to the middle of the drawing board and depicts an alternate style of mech suit, one that is the height of an average human. This design would have a cockpit in the torso of the unit that is designed to hold somebody small, like say an infant the size and age of her little brother Bon.

And speaking of brothers, Tron hears a knock at her door. _"Tron, it's me."_

"Come in, Tiesel," Tron responds.

Tron's door slides open and Tiesel enters, looking like the kitchen pantry just exploded on him with his face and hair stained with bits of food. "Our little brother would rather _play_ with his food than _eat it_."

"He's too young to eat the grown-up food you're trying to feed him," a flustered Tron says.

"Hey, when I was a strapping young man, I was fed only the best food, and look at how well I turned out," Tiesel boasts.

"That's because Mom and Dad's nannybot was on the fritz and fed you like an adult," Tron says.

"Oh... well, at least I developed good jaw pressure because of it," Tiesel proclaims, pointing to his strong square jaw line.

Tron sighs as she grabs a communicator to her Servebots. "Chef, please prepare some proper baby food for Bon. I'll be down to feed him in a few minutes."

_"Aye-aye, Miss Bonne,"_ the Chef Servebot replies from the kitchen.

"Taking care of Bon is harder than I thought," Tron says as she returns to work on her latest design, "It's starting to cut into the time I _should_ be spending on the Big Project."

"And it's also eating into my working schedule. I could get a big job at anytime, and I can't just abandon it," Tiesel says, inadvertently making a subtle reference to the arrangement he has with the mysterious Conduit.

"... Yeah," Tron says as she gives her brother a skeptical gaze again, "So, I've devised something that'll help us take care of him."

Tron pulls the blueprint of the mech suit she has created. "It's a suit for Bon to wear that will keep him fed and cared for when the two of us are too busy to do it. I haven't thought of a name for it yet, though."

"Yes! This is perfect! This is why your are the brains of the family, Tron!" Tiesel smiles as he kisses his sister on the cheek. "Once you've given this idea your final stamp of approval, I'll gather the parts we need to built it. This is the best idea you've ever had, Tron. Even better than the Servebots."

As Tiesel leaves the room, a wary Tron sighs to herself, "What I_ should_ have done was make tracking device so I could see what _you've_ been up to."

As Tron places the blueprint sketch back down on her drawing board, she feels a little bad for making a mech suit that takes care of their little brother when it is her and Tiesel's job to do. But, because she is still not mature enough to take more responsiblity with her brother - something that she should not have been forced to do at this point in her life yet - she carries on with designing the suit for her brother so that she can focus on what she wants to do and the family business.

"I just hope this idea doesn't blow up in our faces," she says, "Or Mom and Dad are gonna kill us."

* * *

><p><strong>F.B.I. Headquarters.<strong>  
><strong>Langley, Virginia.<strong>

Agent Rahm Cotto is at the center of an emergency meeting in the bureau's main briefing chambers. Ever since being placed as the agent in charge of the Mr. Black/Former Agent John Barton investigation, he has proposed an alternative plan to apprehending the rogue former agent, but there are those here who oppose the change in strategy, namely the interim Special Agent In Charge named Darren McAllister who is filling in for Agent Allen while he recovered from being injured and mindhacked by Mr. Black.

"Agent Cotto, the plan you have proposed to apprehend Agent Barton is far too laid back, in my opinion," says McAllister, "It will only allow him to run amok and put more live at risk, possibly even putting the entire world at risk."

"Mr. McAllister, I am aware that this plan is not necessarily the most conventional method, but I do believe this is the best means to capture Agent Barton," Cotto says, "He is _expecting us_ to fall back so that he can come out of hiding, and if we can make it look like we are easing our pursuit, he will do that. Then, we can monitor him as closely as we can and apprehend him at the right time."

"Why should we not apprehend Agent Barton at the first available opportunity?" asks another high-ranking agent on the F.B.I board.

"Agent Barton may be a very smart man and I know he saved his money... but there is no way he could afford funding a one man army the way he has done so in the past two years without help. Nobody can."

"Albert Wily managed to do it," McAllister reminds grimly.

"Albert Wily is a criminal mastermind who was able to build himself an army of robots the likes of which this world has never seen. Agent Barton not the same kind of threat," Agent Cotto states.

"It is very likely that he used his abomination of a mind hacking device on an innocent human and ordered him or her to empty their bank account into his," the other agent on the board assumes.

"No," McAllister says, "According to our reports, every victim of Agent Barton's Mindcracker did not have any personal savings taken from them."

"This is why we have to change our strategy," Cotto says, "It is my belief that Agent Barton is not working alone. In fact, he may even be working under somebody else who most likely has significant resources. And if he is, we need Barton will lead us to them. It may be somebody we don't even know yet."

"Or perhaps, it is Albert Wily," McAllister adds.

Cotto takes a moment to pause and choose his words carefully. "I don't think that's very likely... but... we must be prepared for all scenarios. Even the worst case."

The board members look across from each other and exchange nods, then McAllister speaks. "Your proposed strategy is approved, Agent Cotto. Bear this in mind: the bureau wants Agent Barton in custody, and we do not your personal history with him to cloud your judgment. If we believe that your past with his in any way compromises this investigation, you will be face severe punishment. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Cotto replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In the past two weeks after the Galaxy Man plan unraveled, ProtoMan has spent a lot of his time here alone in his quarters, lieing on his shabby bed and staring at the ceiling. And it is here where Proto is right now, still as angry and bitter as he has been since he was demoted.

Not a word has been exchanged between Dr. Wily and Proto ever since the night of the attack on the Kennedy Space Center. Proto has nothing to say to Wily because the Galaxy Man plan was Proto's own, until Wily hijacked it and messed everything up.

Proto's thoughts dwell on the events of those few days. He thought Wily had put his trust in him, but then he pulled the plug at the worst possible moment. And it was all because his stooge Metal Man - who ended up being pulled into Galaxy Man's black hole bomb when he tried to kill ProtoMan - was in Wily's ear and and convincing him to interfere in the plan... or maybe that was Wily's intention all along.

Whatever drove Wily to make the decision to stab him in the back, it doesn't even matter to ProtoMan anymore. Whatever the old man says, Proto is not even going to listen and whatever he orders him to do, he's not going to do it... but Proto only frowns when such defiant thoughts enter his mind, because he knows that he _will_ do what Wily tells him, whether he wants to or not.  
>It must have been something that Wily programmed in his systems when he was built, or after he was taken from Dr. Light's lab, that makes him unable to defy his word. Whatever it is, it's only making him more bitter.<p>

And that is what make Proto's dilemma such a sore subject. As much as Proto does not like the actions that Dr. Wily has taken in recent months and how Wily chastises him for his failures - both are things that Proto is growing to hate him for, - he has no choice but to take it on the chin every time.  
>He can't disobey, and because of his betrayal of his brother and the rest of the Lights last year, he has nowhere else to go.<p>

Proto's thoughts are broken because there is a pounding at his door, followed by the bellow of Dr. Wily outside. _"ProtoMan. Your attention is needed!"_

Proto ignores Wily and puts his arms behind his helmeted head saying nothing in response.

_"Unless you are recharging right now, open this door!"_ Wily barks.

Proto lets out a long sigh, once again unable to disobey Wily's order. But he does try to stall himself for as much as possible as he slowly stands up and casually walks to the door, then finally opens it to see his great leader standing before him, and he has already had enough of Wily's face.

"There. I opened the door. Goodbye," Proto says as he begins to close the door again.

"You have an assignment," Wily says before Proto could shut the door.

"Aren't I supposed to be demoted to Buck Private?" Proto asks.

"There has been a slight change in plans," Wily says.

"Oh, joy," Proto halfheartedly groans as he wanders back into his room, "Are you gonna cut me off at the knees again like you did last time?"

"If you keep up the attitude, boy, maybe I will find somebody else," Wily barks as he begins to lose his patience.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't stabbed me in the back, maybe I'd have a pretty good attitude!" Proto barks back as his voice raises.

"Your plan was flawed," Wily argues.

"Bull!" Proto fires back, "My plan was perfect and you know it! You just had to take over because you're obsessed with killing my brother, or maybe you wanted to bask in the spotlight that I made possible. Or maybe..."  
>Proto steps right up to Wily's personal space again, "You were just jealous that <em>your boy<em> was about to outshine every single robot you ever built and every plan you've ever hatched. Am I right yet?"

"You mean like how you could get the job done better than I ever could?" Albert counters, bringing up something ProtoMan had said during a heated moment with Metal Man during the Galaxy Man operation.

"Oh, give it up! I didn't say that to insult you," Proto sneers.

"It sounded pretty insulting to me!" Wily barks.

"Your strategy for this war wasn't working anymore!" Proto yells back, "It needed a new point of view, a non-human one. It's a shame that your dearly departed Metal Man had to go screw it up, or we'd probably been on the path to world domination right now."

Proto leans against the door frame and folds his arms as he stares across from Wily, who stares into his visor. Proto wonders what is going through Wily's demented mind right now. He wonders if he has struck a nerve, making Wily think about how he sabotaged Proto's plan and making him wonder what could have been if he had not interfered.  
>Or maybe the old man is so thick headed he doesn't even care how Proto feels.<p>

After a long period of silence, a disinterested Proto gives up and asks, "You're never gonna admit that I'm right, so, what do you want?"

"My three newest robots are online, but their combat abilities are untested. I need you to train them like you trained the Robot Masters," Wily replies.

ProtoMan cannot help but chortle. "That's funny. Bass didn't need one second of real training, yet the robots who are supposed to be better than him _do_ need it. And besides, I thought I was just another failure."

"I was very disappointed in how you conducted yourself during the last phase of the Galaxy Man operation, specifically how your actions led to Metal Man's destruction!" Wily says.

"I don't know if you noticed - and you probably didn't - because you were too busy taking cover, but he was trying to pull me into that black hole with him," Proto says, "Believe me, even though I hated him, I would rather not have... done what I did."  
>After a pause, Proto adds, 'I just didn't want to end up dead."<p>

Wily grins. "Well, now that you have given a real explanation for what happened, you can train the new robots like I have requested."

"Does this mean I've got my old job back? No more of this Buck Private crap?" Proto asks.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Wily says.

That manages to get under Proto's titanium skin. "I want my old rank back! Second in Command! No less!"

"You are not getting it back, at least not just yet," Wily says, "But, if you want to get a head start on digging yourself out of the hole you put yourself into, then you will report to Battle Room 1."

As Dr. Wily leaves, Proto just shakes his head. "This job is gettin' worse all the time."

* * *

><p>After a decent amount of time spent getting here, Dr. Wily and ProtoMan arrive to Battle Room 1 deep inside Skull Fortress, the walls and floor still with the dried-up remnants of the Yellow Devil from two years ago. And standing in the middle of the battle room are the Mega Man Killers, the three robots that ProtoMan has not had the chance to see in the metal until today.<p>

"ProtoMan, meet my latest additions to my army!" Albert says, proudly introducing the trio of robots.

"Oh, great, this is the part where I guess their names. Let's see," Proto grins as he points to Enker, "_You_ must be...Spike Man! You know, 'cause those things on your head."

Enker is annoyed at the joke as Proto moves to Ballade, who is standing in the middle. "And you are... Big Chin Guard Man. Sorry, that's all I've got."

Ballade and Enker share an annoyed glance with each other before Proto stands before Punk. "And you have to be... Porcupine Man?"

Punk gets in Proto's face and barks, "It's Punk!"

Proto just laughs, "Punk Man? That's a bit of a stretch."

Before this figurative powder cake could explode, Dr. Wily steps between Proto and Punk. "It is just Punk," he says, pointing to the new robots, 'Punk, Enker and Ballade."

Proto remarks, "You know, Wily, this whole _One-Name_ thing really didn't work out with Bass, so it's not gonna work with them either."

Punk jabs, "I don't need to have _'Man'_ in my name to prove that I'm better than all the rest of the robots around this dump!"

Proto scoff, "Oh, really? Who have you beat?"

"Who have _you_ beat?" Punk responds with the same question.

"A lot more robots than you ever will, big boy," Proto huffs.

Enker intervenes, "It's not about what we have done, it's what we're going to do."

"Oh! So, you three are supposed to be the next group of Mega Man killers, huh?"

"That's _precisely_ what we are," Enker punctuates.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Proto snorts.

Before Dr. Wily could blow a gasket, Ballade steps in. "Enough! Dr. Wily says that you, ProtoMan, would improve our combat capabilities to their fullest potential. Is this true?"

"You'll be learning from the best," Proto proclaims, folding his arms across his chest.

Punk scoffs at Proto's claim of being the best as Ballade states, "Then, let's begin."

As the Sniper Joes begin setting up the targeting drones, Wily pulls ProtoMan aside and mutters, "You are already on thin ice, Proto. Don't blow this. And don't even try to take advantage of them to make them look bad, or I will demote you all the way down to construction bot!"

"Well, gee," Proto says with faux concern, "I guess I better play fair."

Proto's main assistant during his days as commander of the army - a Sniper Joe who had previously lost his head following an outburst by Metal Man - steps up and hands Proto the datapad to check the progress of these Mega Man Killers.

"There are going to be targeting drones coming out from behind their deployment areas. Shoot 'em down as best you can," Proto says, sounding disinterested in this process.

"Drones? How lame," Punk snickers.

"Too bad. Deal with it," Proto rebukes.

The three Mega Man Killers stand ready and wait for the drones to appear as they draw their weapons. Ballade arms the blasters that are built into his wrists just above his hands; Punk removes a pair of red discs from either of his sides, then flicks them both to produce the buzzsaw blade hidden within them, creating a weapon known as the Screw Crusher (also known as Punk Blade,) reminiscent of Metal Man's Metal Blade; and Enker removes a long sharp golden staff from his back and holds it in front of himself.

A few seconds later, the drones spring out and the Mega Man Killers unleash their attacks with their special weapons. Ballade uses his twin blasters to take down drones in short order.. Constructing Ballade with the ability to have two plasma cannons, _and_ use both of his hands at the same time (unlike Mega Man, ProtoMan and Bass) will prove to be a tactical advantage in battle.

Meanwhile, Punk uses all sorts of attacks to take down the drones, including his Screw Crusher and Punks attacks are the fiercest of all the Mega Man Killers so far, decimating the drones and leaving them in piles of scrap on the floor.

Not to be outdone, Enker uses his golden staff weapon to take his targets down at close range. He then leaps in front of some of Ballade's shots and catches them with the staff, absorbing them. Enker than aims his energy staff his fires the blasts that he absorbed at even more drones to take them out.

Proto watches on with astonishment. "What the blue hell did that thing just do?"

"These are the kids of weapons money can buy, ProtoMan," Wily gloats with sinister delight.

Once the Mega Man Killers defeat the practice drones - and very quickly and efficiantly so, - Ballade and Enker yield. But, Punk he other ideas. He targets the remnants of the drones and destroys then, and then he begins targeting the Sniper Joes in the room who aren't even a part of the excercise, including the formerly Headless Joe, who loses his head again after Punk knocks his block off.

Ballade yells, "Stop!"

"Make me, boss!" Punk yells back as he beats down another Joe.

An angry ProtoMan has had enough and draws his plasma cannon. "I'll make you stop, loser!"

But, Dr. Wily puts an arm out in front of ProtoMan to hold him back. "Punk, you may stop now," Albert calmly states.

Finally, mercifully, Punk comes to a complete stop and looks around at all the wrecked training drones and robots in the room, many of which_ he_ wrecked. "Whatever you say," Punk says, shrugging his large spiked shoulders.

A very displeased Ballade marches up to Punk and admonishes, "I gave you an order to stop and you disobeyed!"

"You think that because you're supposed to be the head of the group, you can boss me around? I don't think so," Punk snits.

"Your disobedience will not be tolerated," Ballade says in a stern warning before turning to Enker, "And I don't want you collecting my blasts with the mirror staff."

"ProtoMan told us to beat the drones as best I could. So, I did," Enker grins.

ProtoMan interrupts, "Great, we've got our own Three Stooges in our army now. If you'll excuse me, fellas, I've got better things to do than this."

As Proto turns to leave, Dr. Wily grabs him my his left arm. "Actually, ProtoMan and I have some business to discuss right outside."

* * *

><p>As ProtoMan and Wily step out into the corridor just outside the battle room, Proto wastes no time trying to back out of this arrangement to train the Mega Man Killers.<p>

"Don't make me work with these scrap heaps, Wily," Proto complains.

"Need I remind you that if only you hadn't killed Metal Man and shown me blatant disrespect, you would probably not be in as deep as you are now," Wily says.

"I don't want to waste my time with them! Captain Chin Guard with the two blasters is okay, but the other two are a complete waste!" Proto bemoans, referring to Ballade as _Captain Chin Guard_. "Aside from their powers, they've got nothing!"

"After spending months programming these robots myself, I think they _are_ something," Dr. Wily says as he steps directly in front of ProtoMan's path as he tries to walk away. "And by insinuating that they are not, you are insulting my genius!"

"Does this mean I'm on the construction crew now? 'Cause it'll be a lot better than having to babysit those three buffoons."

Wily grins again. "No. In fact, I _order_ you to be the personal instructor to Ballade, Enker and Punk. And you will train them every day I tell you to until they are ready to be unleashed onto the world. Next time, you will know your place and who is in control."

From behind his visor, ProtoMan stares daggers at Wily as the old man walks away, biting back his anger as he balls his red fists. "Getting worse all the time," he utters to himself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_With The Mega Man Killers here, ProtoMan being forced to train them, Kalinka Cossack returning, and the ongoing developments with Mr. Black and the Bonnes, and whatever the Conduit is up to, Episode 10 will be a big one. You do not want to miss it. Period. (And it's only the first half of the Year Three finale.)_

_As you can see by the title of the interlude, I'm guilty of making puns too. (The Mega Man Killers are here; the title is "Killing Time." Wocka, Wocka.)_

_The Light family playing soccer was a nod to the old Mega Man Soccer video game. And the term 'Outshined' that Proto used during his first scene with Wily was intended to be another reference to a Soundgarden song._

_Also, I came up with the name 'Punk Blades' for Punk's weapon, and I would much rather use that name than 'Screw Crusher', because I have a hard time taking that name seriously._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see a typo I missed, something the looks wrong or a continuity error that would make Quick Man stop dead in his tracks just like Flash Man's weapon could, please PM me._


	103. Episode 10: The Killers

_**EPISODE 10: The Killers.**_

* * *

><p><strong>September 20X3.<strong>

**Following the successful rescue of Galaxy Man, it is now an interesting time of development for our hero Mega Man. In a matter of hours, he will be reunited with Kalinka Cossack and they will spend their first night out together on a date. However, the Defender of the Human Race is still experiencing doubts in himself after the handling of recent missions.**

**And as the War for Everlasting Peace continues, those with their own wretched and ulterior motives are beginning to grow desperate, and with that desperation will come severe consequences.**

**While Dr. Albert Wily's plots for world domination have become more sporadic in 20X3, they have become far more deadly, each one becoming more of an undertaking than the last. And his latest creations - the trio of Advanced Robot Masters known as The Mega Man Killers - could prove to be his deadliest yet... until the mysterious Project G-2 is complete later in the year.**

**Meanwhile, Wily has forced ProtoMan to personally train these so-called Mega Man Killers to battle the hero. But, without the power he once had as Wily's second in command, ProtoMan could be forced to helplessly watch the results of his own work with The Killers.**

**And elsewhere, there is the unknown motive of the person who calls themself The Conduit. Nobody knows The Conduit's true identity, motives or goals, but whatever The Conduit has in mind, it is very large. And he still has the masked terror Mr. Black and the unknowing new hand Tiesel Bonne under his command**

**The events of the next several weeks will drastically change the landscape of the ongoing war and the world in which it takes place... as well as the lives of those involved in the conflict.**

**For the wheels of change continue to turn... and dark days may lie ahead on the journey...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 10, Chapter<strong>** 1:**** They Grow Up so Fast.**_

* * *

><p><strong>JFK Airport.<strong>

In the midst of all the flights arriving to and taking off from this busy airport, a small annonymous-looking passenger jet from Russia arrives to the tarmac, ironically landing on tarmac it landed back in January, only now on a warm Summer afternoon instead of a cold blizzard night like in January.

Sitting inside the small plane, along with a team of four custom-built Guardian Robots with red and black armor - is Kalinka Cossack who is speaking with her father, famed scientist Dr. Mikhail Cossack on a mobile video tablet.

"The plane just landed, Father," Kalinka says in her native Russian, "America looks so different when it is not covered in snow."

_"Very good. Has the escort from the consulate arrive yet?"_ asks Dr. Cossack as his face appears on the screen in Kalinka's hands.

Kalinka looks outside and sees a black limousine pulling up to the tarmac. "They're here."

_"After you join them, they will take you to your hotel, and I assure you that it will be a much safer establishment than the under protected establishment in which we stayed in January,"_ Mikhail says, _"I have already made the arrangements for you to be checked in under an assumed name to keep attention away from yourself. Did you receive the details I sent you?"_

Kalinka glazes her eyes at her father's plan. "Yes, Father._ Ivanka Zhukov _will be checking into her suite."

_"It is only for your protection, Kalinka. Also, the security robots I have provided will accompany you wherever you go."_

Kalinka sighs. "How am I supposed to have any fun when I am always surrounded by these big robots?"

_"After what happened to us last time we were on American soil, I do not want to leave your safety to chance,"_ Dr. Cossack says, _"However, the robots are programmed to make an exception if you are with Mega Man. He is the only person outside my immediate security detail I trust with your safety."_

Kalinka replies. "Well, I'll have you know that I have already been invited to visit Dr. Light's lab, and I will be there tomorrow. I think I will be more than safe when I am there," Kalinka says.

_"After speaking with Thomas about his lab's integrity, I am sure you will be. But, if Dr. Wily were to appear, I do not want you anywhere near an attack site. If I know Mega Man, I'm sure he will be sure to keep you away from danger too."_

Kalinka smiles at the mere mention of Mega Man's name. "I know he will. He keeps everyone out of danger."

_"When you visit, be sure to deliver the package to Thomas. It is my personal token of appreciation. And contact me after you have settled down in your room. I hope you will find it more than exemplary."_

* * *

><p>After checking into the hotel under her assumed name, Kalinka is escorted to her suite by two members of her father's robotic security detail as well as hotel robots who are carrying her bags and the package from Dr. Cossack, which is contained in a square box.<p>

She was hoping to keep a low profile while here, but being escorted by tall and bulky robots only got a few looks from people. And the fact that her picture was publicized so much when she was kidnapped by Dr. Wily's robots the last time she was here did not help matters either, as she was certain she saw a few people pointing in her direction.

When she arrives to the suite, two more of her father's guardian robots emerge from her room. "Your suite has been inspected and deemed fully secure, Miss Cossack," states one of the robots in English, but with a Russian accent.

"Thank you," Kalinka says in English before crossing into her suite.

When Kalinka enters the room and looks around, her jaw almost drops at how posh and luxurious this room is. So much nicer than the one she stayed in at the other hotel in January, complete with everything one could ask for, including a king-sized bed (even though it is much too big for her small frame.)

Kalinka sees a double door leading to a balcony outside and heads right for it, as the hotel's robot assistance load her bags into the room. As she reaches the doors, she opens them and looks out in awe at the sight of the sun setting on New York with the Status of Liberty barely visible in the distance. Unquestionably one of the best views in the city.

Dr. Cossack clearly wanted his little princess to have only the best while she was here in America.

After the robot assistants and guardian robots leave the suite, Kalinka returns to the room and cheerfully laughs as she jumps on the bed, enjoying this wonderful experience. But, enjoying this room and exploring the city is not even the best time she will have while she is here, because tomorrow is when she will be seeing her hero again: Mega Man, the robot boy who save her life in more ways than one ... the robot boy whom she loves, but just has not quite been able to tell him yet (much like how he has not quite been able to tell her the same sentiment yet either.)

She knows that her father wanted her to call him once she was checked-in, but she wanted to let Mega know she had arrived too. So, she calls the number of Dr. Light's complex on her video tablet phone, not using her video mode however, because when she sees her Mega Man for the first time in months, she wants to see him in-person, right in front of her.

After a few rings, there is an answer. _"You have reached Dr. Thomas Light's laboratory,"_ cordially states the voice of Morris the robo butler.

"Hello, this is Kalinka Cossack. Is Mega Man in tonight?" Kalinka asks in English, crossing her fingers on her free hand and hoping that he is there.

_"Certainly, Miss Cossack. I shall inform him you are on the line," _states Morris.

Even now, Kalinka can barely contain her excitement as her heart nearly skips a beat and she covers her mouth with her hand and trying to contain herself.

_"Hello?"_ answered that unmistakable voice of Mega Man's

Kalinka smiles, "Hiyee! I made it safe to New York!"

_"Great. I feel a lot better knowing you're here,"_ Mega says on the other ends.

"After what happened last time, Father doesn't want to take chance. He has his security robots following me like shadow," Kalinka groans in broken English..

_"I understand. He only wants to keep you safe,"_ Mega says.

"But, it's hard to have fun when you are covered with robo guardians," Kalinka muses, "At least Father says Guardians won't be around when we're together. He trusts you to protect me as much as them."

_"Speaking of, when do you think we should meet tomorrow?"_ Mega asks.

Kalinka now turns herself over on the large bed, lying on her stomach and twirling a finger in her wavy shoulder-length blonde hair. "I don't know. What is good time for you?" asks with a growing smile on her face.

_"Well, it's still hot outside during the day, at least here in New York. Maybe later in the evening, around 7:00,"_ Mega says.

"That sounds good. It gives me plenty of time to pick best wardrobe to wear," Kalinka replies, kicking her feet behind herself, "Do you have special place in mind."

_"Yeah, I do. It took me a while to pick the best one, but I found a pretty special one. It's special to me, anyway,"_ Mega replies, sounding a bit sentimental.

"If it is special to you, I would love nothing more than be there with you, Mega," Kalina says sincerely.

_"Okay. Great!"_ Mega says, sounding relieved, _"I'll see you tomorrow!"_

"You too!" Kalinka smiles.

As the call ends, Kalinka holds the phone tablet to her chest and hugs it as she rolls around on the large bed, letting out a bubbly giggle as she dreams of what it will be to be with her hero whom she loves again tomorrow evening.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>That Night.<br>Skull Fortress.****

While Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack are preparing for their date, Dr. Wily is preparing for the plan that he believes will finally carry out one of his life's most elusive goals: Kill Mega Man. Albert has waited patiently over the course of the past two weeks for ProtoMan to get the skills of his newest creations up to their absolute peak, and unlike other plans such as Bass and Treble's arrival into the world, the mad doctor is not about to rush this process along.

On his way to Battle Room 1, Dr. Wily spots another certain trio of Robot Masters in GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, all of whom are in the middle of another poker game at their square folding table. As he passes the three Robot Masters, Wily looks upon them with disdain. Ever since Thomas Light tainted them with self determination, they have not been the same loyal soldiers that they once were.

Albert stops and turns to the Robot Master trio who look up from their game. "Report to Battle Room 1... please," Wily says, forcing himself to utter the word _'please.'_

"We're in the middle of a game!" GutsMan complains, "You didn't give us any time to prepare ourselves."

Wily threatens, "If you want any chance of being on the next mission, you _will_ follow me! And anybody who refuses could find themselves regretting it in a much more _painful_ way!"

GutsMan, CutMan and Magnet Man looks across at each other with a glint of fear in their eyes and make their decision very quickly.

"You know, uh, maybe we can _cut_ this game short! Eh-heh, eh-heh!" CutMan nervously hems and haws as he removes his poker hat from his round scissor-clad head.

"Yeah, besides, er- it's the boss' orders, right?" Magnet Man anxiously agrees.

"Right behind you, Dr. Wily. Like I said, we're not busy right now or nothin," GutsMan worriedly, as he and his two buddies follow Dr. Wily.

Albert smiles a sinister grin and begins heading to the Battle Room again, satisfied that all it took to get those three in line was fear. Yet, seeing them fold under the pressure so quickly lowers his opinion of these three Robot Masters even further than it already was.  
>But, Wily will show those three and all the other Robot Masters - even ProtoMan and Bass - that his new Mega Man Killers are the models for the future of this robot army, and they will succeed where all others failed.<p>

* * *

><p>After a long walk, Dr. Wily and the Robot Master trio arrive to the Battle Room where several other Robot Masters are gathered inside, along with ProtoMan who is idly sitting back with his feet up and looking miserable.<p>

He looks over and sees the Robot Master trio. "Oh, hey, boys. Did Wily break up the game?"

"Playtime is not a concern right now," Wily barks, "Stand at attention! Especially you, ProtoMan!"

Proto groans in a nagging voice, "Right. Gotta look prim and proper when the great trio of overrated boltheads arrive, don't we?"

Proto has absolutely hated having to personally train the Mega Man Killers for all this time. Their combat prowess actually is very strong, and it is only getting stronger thanks to ProtoMan, but he can't stand them.. especially Punk.  
>Proto only hopes that Wily deems these three ready to be deployed and soon, because he doesn't know how much of Ballade's stuffiness, Enker's dirty tricks and Punk's attitude he can take.<p>

Finally, the double doors to the battle room open and the Mega Man Killers make their way inside... two of them, anyway. Ballade walks ahead of Enker, who is to his right.

Dr. Wily frowns. "Where is Punk?"

"I have tried to summon him myself, but he refuses to listen. His attitude is a problem. His personality parameters need to be adjusted," Ballade says.

Proto quips, "Yeah, with a plasma blast upside his head."

A frustrated Wily cracks his knuckles. "Well, until Punk arrives, I will not waste any time. Today the exercise you will be running-"

"The tests can begin! The best robot in the world has arrived!" Punk shouts loudly as he enters, carrying a large boombox in his hands. After pressing the _play_ button, the over one-hundred year old rock song _Cult of Personality_ begins to blare as Punk strides into the battle room, holding the boombox high above his head.

This obnoxious show of ego earns Punk a stern glare from his leader Ballade in the process and an equally displeased stare from Enker.

Punk walks in and makes his way towards ProtoMan first, nearly jumping in Proto's face as he loudly gloats over the blare of his music. "I'm better than you, chump!"

"Punk! Stop that noise now!" Ballade barks as Enker watches on with anger as well.

Punk puts his boombox down and stops the song. "You deadbeats are no fun at all," he complains.

Dr. Wily straightens his lab coat and says, "Now that we're all here, we can proceed. Today will be one of your most advanced challenges yet. Explain, ProtoMan."

Against his better judgment, ProtoMan steps up and explains, "You three are going to be playing with some live targets... and those live targets are us."

A noticable grumble is heard in the room from all the Robot Masters gathered here, unhappy with having to fight against these three new robots.

"Hey! We didn't sign up for this!" Bomb Man complains.

"Duh, why do we have to fight these robots?" whines Needle Man, (whom Punk openly mocks, mimicking him in a whiney voice.)

Wily is more than eager to explain, "When asked what could possibly make my Mega Man Killers' senses any stronger, ProtoMan said that they need to practice a realistic battle with real targets."

"What?" blurts GutsMan.

"Did you _really_ say that, Proto?" Cut Man asks in dismay.

"Go ahead, Proto. Tell them the truth," Wily says.

ProtoMan only stares back at Wily through his visor, teed off that the old man would take his own words and use them against him like this, just to make him look bad in front of his peers. At least, Proto is certain that was Wily's intention, because that slight hint of a grin the old man is wearing right now would indicate as much.

Proto turns back to the Robot Masters and keeps his own anger in check long enough to explain. "I've been ordered by Dr. Wily to train these three like I trained you last month."

Punk riffs, "So, _that's_ why the challenges have been so easy!"

"As I was saying," an annoyed Proto continues, "I am putting them through the same drills I put you through, but Wily wants more out of them. So, I told them the best way to prepare is to take part in a live combat scenario, with us versus them."

"This will be more satisfying than I thought!" Enker says with a hint of Dr. Wily's sinister grin.

"Enough, both of you," Ballade orders, setting his two cohorts straight.

"Whatever," Punk blows off.

The Sniper Joes (including Headless Joe, who carries his detached head in his free hand) begin to wheel in an assortment of energy shields, all of which can project a pane of translucent blue energy that can withstand enemy fire for a decent ammount time.  
>ProtoMan is the first to pick up an energy shield and explains to the Robot Masters, "Just use these to block their shots and get in a few shots yourself."<p>

"Belay that suggestion," Dr. Wily chimes in, holding up his right index finger, "You are all here to make my new robots better, not to take advantage of them. And if you even_ try_ anything that would be out of line, you will pay for it!"

Several of the Robot Masters becomes afraid after hearing Dr. Wily's threatening words, while many others grumble and complain.

Proto frowns, "Well... you heard the great overlord. Let's do as he says. The sooner we get this over with, the better off we'll be."

"I doubt it" ElecMan mutters to ProtoMan as he gives him an angry look.

The rest of the Robot Masters grab their energy shields and get ready as the Sniper Joes get out of dodge, namely Headless Joe, who doesn't want to lose any more limbs. The Mega Man killers also stand ready to fight with Ballade arming the plasma cannons imbedded above his hands, Enker brandishing his staff and Punk producing a pair of Punk Blades.

"You may begin combat when ready," Dr. Wily states to the Mega Man Killers as he leaves the battle room to watch the proceedings from between the double doors where it is much safer.

"I'm ready _now_!" Enker says.

"You will launch only on my command," Ballade sternly orders.

"Quit wasting our time and get on with it!" Punk complains.

"Three... two... one. Fight!" Ballade commands, and the Mega Man Killers launch their assault and the only thing ProtoMan and the Robot Masters can do is defend themselves.

Enker leaps ahead of his partners and holds out his staff to absorb the energy-based shots from the Robot Masters down below. He then aims one of the sharp and pointed ends of the staff downwards towards them and fires their combined energy back at them.  
>Some Robot Masters try to get their shields up, but react too late and get struck by the mirrored energy shot.<p>

Punk flings his Punk Blade discs towards the Robot Masters, who block them with their shields. The only problem is, Punk's blades pierce the shields and disable them, leaving some Robot Masters less protected against the Mega Man Killers.

Ballade then fires off a pair of capsules from his built-in plasma cannons above his hands. The capsules - nicknamed Exploding Crackers - land near the Robot Masters and explode, the force blowing away several of them until they crash against the wall of the battle room.

Shadow Man comes face to face with Enker, who tries to strike him with his mirror staff, but Shadow Man's ninja-like speed and skills cause him to block the attacks until Enker manages to jab Shadow Man in the abdomen area with the sharp edge of the staff and hoist him over his head to throw him away.

"Hey you!" blurts Quick Man, who taps Enker on the right shoulder, then bolts to his left side, "You think you're the quickest robot around? There's no way! Try and catch me, slowpoke!"

Quick Man darts all over the place and Enker tries to catch him, but keeps missing. Finally, one of Ballades exploding capsules strikes Quick Man and nearly blows the back of his torso open, demonstrating why they are dubbed 'crackers.'

Now, Centuar Man gallops his way toward Enker with his blaster drawn and fires a cluster shot at him. But, this was a massive mistake, because Enker holds his staff out again and absorbs the multi-shot, making the staff glow brighter than it had at any point in the battle so far.

Enker unleashes the collected shot right back at Centaur Man, whose green armor becomes scorched black as he falls over, and leaving one of his rear legs twitching.

Ballade fires more explosive crackers at Robot Masters and Enker uses his staff on them as well, taking even more opponents out of the fight. The ironic facet here is that this is a battle with a few Mega Man killers versus many Robot Masters, and the many are losing to the few.

Magnet Man races into the thick of the middle of the battle and uses his magnetism power on Enker to try to snatch his mirror staff from his hands, but Enker has a firm grip on the staff is will not let it go without a , while he was not looking, Magnet Man gets blasted several times by Ballade.

"Hey, you better _cut it out_ and stop attacking my friend!" Cut Man yells (with a pun, of course,) flinging his rolling cutters in Ballade's direction. The lead Mega Man Killer ducks the cutters and Enker leaps forward and knocks them down with a swift strike from his staff, then fires more mirrored energy shots in Cut Man's direction, striking him in the chest.

"Why don't you three chumps pick on somebody your own size!" Shouts GutsMan, who drops his energy shield and runs towards the Killers with a full head of steam. But, that was his biggest mistake.

Ballade fires more crackers in his direction, exploding at GutsMn's feet. The large Robot Master stops dead in his tracks and tries to keep his balance, but a running chop block from behind by Punk knocks him on his back. Then, Enker jumps high in the air and aims his Mirror staff downward on his way down. It looks like Enker in about to impale GutsMan with his weapon, possibly fatally.

But, ProtoMan jump in the way and tackles Enker to save his fellow robot. Before Ballade could fire upon him, Proto fires off a fully charged blast in mid-air, forcing Ballade to find someplace else to be as he leaps backwards and avoids being damaged.

As Proto lands, Punk plows his way past Plant Man, shoving him aside with one of his spiked shoulders, and races straight for ProtoMan.

"So, you want some of me, do ya?" Proto says, "Come get me!"

ProtoMan fires a series of blasts from his cannon and Punk evades them as he nears Proto, carrying a Punk Blade in his hand. Punk flings the blade at Proto, but Proto uses the shield to deflect it without the blade crippling the shield itself like it did with some of the others.

As Punk reaches Proto, he tries to plow into him with a spiked shoulder tackle, but Proto jumps right over his head. Punk doesn't miss a beat and spins right around to face Proto again and produces another blade before he runs straight for the Red Raider.

This time, Punk plunges the blade into the center of Proto's energy shield and disables it. Proto toss the shield with the blade still in it away and goads Punk on. "Come on, big boy! You want me so bad? You aren't that tough!"

Punk yells and charges Proto again, but the Red Raider drops flat of the floor while Punk tackles nothing but air.

ProtoMan returns to his feet and aims his blaster at Punk as he tries to get up. "Now to show you who the best really is, loser!"

"ProtoMan! Stop!" yell's the voice of Dr. Wily on a loudspeaker.

Proto stops and yells upward. "I'm not letting him-"

Proto's yell is interrupted by Punk's large foot crashing into his face and upper torso, knocking him flat to the floor. "You were saying, ProtoLoser?" Punk taunts.

Punk then brandishes another Punk Blade, "Dr. Wily said he didn't want you making us look bad, but it's funny how I didn't hear him say I couldn't make _you_ look bad! And that's what I'm gonna do... and in a very literal sense!"

As Punk is about to attack Proto with his blade, Proto aims his plasma cannon right between Punk's eyes. He doesn't care if it makes Wily's new favorite robots look bad; Proto would rather make it out of here in one piece. But, before it could happen...

"Cease combat," echos the voice of Dr. Wily.

With that command, the Mega Man Killers, Robot Masters and ProtoMan stop fighting, all obeying the order of Dr. Wily as he re-enters the battle room, surveying the carnage and seeing the Robot Masters as well as ProtoMan either tired, knocked on the floor or damaged, and the Mega Man Killers standing tall, showing not even the slightest hint that they were even in an intense battle.

"Lucky," Punk snorts.

As Dr. Wily makes his way to the center of the battle room - which is now covered in scrap metal and spilled robot oil, - he states, "I think that will be enough training, my robots. Because, after witnessing how excellent your combat skills truly are, I think the time has come for you Ballade, Enker and Punk to be released into the world!"

"It's about time! Let's get out of here! I'm ready to crush some skulls for real!" Punk boasts.

"Not tonight, Punk," Wily states, "I will inform you when it is time to fulfill your ultimate purpose. Punk, Enker, you may return to your quarters; Ballade, we have some things to discuss."

"As you wish, Dr. Wily," Ballade obeys.

"Ooooh. Secret meetings," Punk mutters under this breath.

ProtoMan stands up and barks. "I don't know if you've noticed, Wily, but we're here too! We've got Robot Masters that are badly damaged after your new-"

"I only have time for the strongest robots in my army, Proto," Wily interrupts, almost sounding like he is dismissing the health of the Robot Masters entirely. "If you are so worried about them, you know where to take them."

Proto watches as Wily leaves, wearing a scowl behind his visor. Finally, he and the Robot Masters left standing try to help some of their fallen comrades up. But, before he goes, Punk wants to get the last word.

"Bye-bye, boys! I might pay a visit to the robo infirmary, if you've got one around here. I can tell you how much better I am in person," Punk jabs, getting in one last insult as he picks his boombox back up and resumes playing his loud music on the way out. "See you tomorrow, Scarf Boy! What kind of a tough guy wears a scarf anyway?"

Proto sneers at Punk as he leaves after the other Mega Man Killers and Dr. Wily... "I never thought I'd say this, but that spiky scrap heap makes me miss Metal Man."

"You said it," GutsMan agrees.

* * *

><p>After watching that carnage unfold, Dr. Wily makes his way to the rear of the fortress with Ballade close behind. Further putting ProtoMan and the Robot Masters in their place under Wily's thumb only gives his sick mind even more pleasure. It makes him feel powerful, and a rotten smile comes across his face. And soon he plans on holding the life of every single man, woman, child, animal and robot under his thumb too.<p>

As Ballade walks beside Dr. Wily, the madman strikes up a brief conversation with his newest pride of his army. "Give me your opinion of your fellow Killers, Ballade?"

"Enker's skills are on par with my own, but I fear his recklessness will cost us in combat," Ballade responds, "And Punk's attitude is something that needs to be dealt with, whether it has an effect on combat or not."

"But, do you believe either of those factors will result in failing your primary goal?" Albert asks.

After taking a moment to run all the potential combat scenarios in his mind, Ballade replies, "Unlikely. When we finally meet him in combat, Mega Man's destruction will be an inevitability. Enker and Punk have their shortcomings, but with our combined strength, Mega Man will be unable to match us, and his fall will come at our hands."

"Enker and Punk are excellent robots, Ballade, but as you said yourself, they have their flaws. I believe you have none. In fact, you may be the greatest robot I have ever built, and I can foresee you leading my army as I conquer the world," Wily says, giving Ballade a similar talk to the one he gave Bass in private before his eventual defeat at the hands of Mega Man (with ProtoMan's help.)

"What about ProtoMan?" Ballade asks.

After pondering his answer, Albert replies, "Proto is being made to learn a very valuable lesson. When he finally learns it, he will once again be my right hand. But, you will be my sword... and what you see before you will be my hammer..."

Dr. Wily and Ballade stop at the end of the corridor and look out a large window that oversees the construction of the massive Project G-2 as several construction robots work diligently on building this monstrosity underneath the partition behind Skull Fortress. The massive creation is only in its earliest phase of construction and will still take weeks to finish, but the 'skeletal structure' of the project is already standing as tall as the fortress itself, and even though it is unfinished, it is still the most intimidating object of destruction Wily has ever built... and that is saying something.

It does not look human, and it is not as colossal as Gamma was... but this project will clearly be an instrument of terror the likes of which only Dr. Albert Wily could create.

Dr, Wily holds his arms outstretched and declares, "Victory is in my grasp, Ballade. And with you, Enker, Punk... and_ this project_... I am certain that I now have the keys that will unlock the door to world domination! And after Mega Man and my enemies are extinguished, nobody will be able to stop me!"

Dr. Wily howls with laughter as his clenches his fists and throws his head back... and with the Mega Man Killers and Project G-2 in his arsenal, he may have good reason to laugh in the face of his opposition.

* * *

><p><strong>The next evening.<br>Dr. Light's lab compound.**

Standing in the bathroom area of Dr. Light's house, holding his blue helmet in her right hand and trying to shine it with his left, is Mega Man.  
>He wants to look his best when Kalinka arrives, but at first he felt strange about worrying over minor things like a smudge on his helmet. Dr. Light told him that it is natural for young men - even young male robots - to feel the need to prepare for a date with a young lady. Thomas admitted that even he did so himself in his younger days.<p>

After he is sure his helmet is spotless, Mega places it down upon the bathroom counter and looks at the reflection of himself in the mirror to check if he needs to clean his face, even though his complexion is perfect to begin with. Mega pauses for a long moment. Even though he is anxiously awaiting Kalinka's arrival, he cannot help but reflect on the path his life has taken leading up to this night.

His face is still ageless and youthful, but were he a human, that face would likely have ten extra years on it due to the rigors of war. And while the age certainly does not show, the emotional pain he tries to keep hidden behind his blue eyes _does_.

His life was intended to have been a peaceful one, to live just like any other ordinary young human male would. But, very quickly, that was all changed and he found himself being Humanity's only hope against a madman with a massive army of robots. And with that responsibility has come personal struggles like his strained relationship with his brother ProtoMan, and the loss of Doc the Met.

He looks down at his blue and cyan body - everything from his neck down to his feet heavy altered to make him the hero that he is today - and wishes that he didn't _have_ to be like this. He wishes he could be plain old _Rock_ again. He would have been able to take Kalinka anywhere they wanted without fear of the press following them.

But, as much as he would like to be normal again, he knows that he serves a purpose for being like this. He is the world's symbol of hope and protector, a rank he chose to accept. He has touched a lot of lives and made friends that he might never have made were he not Mega Man - including Kalinka - and if it were not for those friendships and his family, he might have never survived the earliest of missions...  
>but, if Wily's next plot proves to be even deadlier than the taking of Galaxy Man, Mega doesn't know how he will make it through it unscathed, even with the help of his family and friends.<p>

Mega ruefully shakes his head to snap out of this dreary mood he has slipped into, trying to keep the doubts out of his just wants to enjoy his night with Kalinka and not have to think about the war and Dr. Wily or any of his troubles.  
>"Don't do this tonight, Rock," he says to himself, "Just think about her."<p>

Mega solely focuses on the date tonight, and even though he is still a bit nervous about what he should say and how he should handle himself, just thinking about Kalinka brings a smile to his face again.

Mega grabs a hairbrush and considers properly grooming his bushy brown hair. But, after thinking about it for a bit, he puts the brush back down.  
>"It's not me," he says as he simply runs his blue hands through his hair to make it a little more presentable.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the family room of the house, the rest of the Light family is gathered as they also await for Kalinka Cossack to arrive. And Roll is sitting on the floor in front of the couch preparing her Met Peekaboo to meet Kalinka.<p>

Roll kindly says, "Remember, Miss Cossack has an accent, so she speaks a little funny. Just don't bring that up and don't laugh, 'cause that might hurt her feelings." Then, Roll smiles, "But, you wouldn't do that to a nice person, would you?"

Peekaboo bleeps to Roll, lightly shaking his head from side to side.

"I know you won't, Boo, because you're a good little Met!" Roll giggles as she rubs the upper sides of Boo's big yellow feet.

Mega Man arrives to the family room, once again wearing his spotless helmet and Roll steps over to her big brother, quipping, "Aren't you a little bit _under-dressed_ for a big date, Mega?"

Mega shrugs, "I wish I_ could have_ dressed up, but normal clothes can't really fit over this armor."

Roll gives Mega an innocent shove in his shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Mega. You look great just like you always do."

Dr. Light then approaches his children, wearing a tweed blazer over his usual clothing instead of a lab coat. "If you don't mind, Roll, I would like to speak to your brother privately for a moment."

"Sure. I'm gonna keep an eye on the front door!" Roll peeps as she springs for the door.

Dr. Light takes a moment to give his son one last piece of advice. "I know I do not need to tell you this, because you are the most respectful boy in the world. But, I want you to treat that young lady with respect like a gentleman would."

Mega smiles sheepishly. "I will, Father."

Thomas pats his son on his light blue shoulder. "I want you to forget about this fighting with Wily and enjoy yourselves. And try not to be so nervous."

Mega kindly asks, "What should I... you know... say to her?"

"Only you will know what to say and when it feels like the right time to say it," Thomas says.

Mega knows what his father means. When the time feels right, that will be the time to tell Kalinka Cossack just how much... he loves her.

"I think she's here! A car just pulled up out front!" Roll squees as she races to the couch where Peekaboo and Eddie are jumping on the cushins and Rush happily barks.

A few nervous moments later, the doorbell rings and that alone make Mega's circuits tingle.

Dr. Light checks the security camera and confirms, "Indeed, she has arrived."

After taking in a long deep breath into his respiratory system, Mega Man makes that walk to the front door. And after he grabs the handle, he twists it and opens the door...

And there she stood, her short frame wearing a sleeveless white dress that went stopped just above her knees, and heeled shoes of the same color, waves of golden blonde hair hanging down to her shoulders just like she had in January, green shadow worn on the lids of her eyes. And a smile that become sweetly curled upward when she saw him.

She was like something out of a dream, looking even more angelic than she had when he first met her. It was like time was slow and only each other were there at the time, not even paying any mind to the group of tall robot guardians who were standing with her at the time.

"Hi," Mega says in a way that is so innocent and almost shy, it is irresistably charming.

Kalinka's smile only brightens. "Hi! I have missed you so," she barely squeaks back, sounding like she was just reunited with the other half of her heart.

"I've missed you too," Mega smiles back, looking so genuinely happy.

This young human lady and this young robot boy reach out for each other's hands. But, before they could touch, one of Dr. Cossack's guardian robots steps up, carrying a box.  
>He states in Enlgish, "We have been appointed to protect Miss Cossack by the order of Dr. Cossack. But, we have permission to pass responsibility of Miss Cossack's safety over to you, Mega Man, at Miss Cossack's request."<p>

"Um... thanks?" Mega shrugs.

The guardian turns to Kalinka and states, "If you require further assistance, Miss Cossack, we will remain outside this complex."  
>He then turns to Mega Man again and presents the box he is carrying. "Please, accept this as a token of appreciation, Mega Man."<p>

After the guardian robot leaves the box at the door, Mega Man says, "Okay... thanks again, pal."

As the guardian robots march to the vehicle they arrived in with Kalinka, she glazes her eyes. "Father insisted on having them with me. But, they will not bother us... I hope."

"Would you like to come inside for a few minutes before we go?" Mega offers.

"Yes, please! I want to see your beautiful family!" Kalinka replies happily.

As Kalinka walks into the house, she nearly squees when she sees the sight of the rest of Mega's family inside. Roll is the first to comes to her give give her a hug as she peeps, "Hiye, Kalinka!"

"Hiyee! I am so happy to see you again!" Kalinka chirps. Then, she looks down to the floor, "You have new baby! I want to see him!"

"He's right here!" Roll replies, turning around to the couch and picking up Peekaboo, and Kalinka's heart nearly melts - figuratively speaking - when she sees the adorable little robot looking up at her with his big eyes.

"Aww! He is so precious!" she coos softly as she rubs the top of his hardhat, "Hello, little one!"

Peekaboo smiles and bleeps _hello_ to her.

"You must be Roll's little angel," Kalinka says.

"He's one of 'em. I have another watching over us," Roll says, making reference to Doc as she snuggles Boo in her arms.

Dr. Light approaches Kalinka with his arms folded behind his back. "How do you do, Kalinka?" he greets, extending his hand out to her, and she holds her's out as well and the Good Doctor shakes it gently.

"Everything is great Dr. Light! You have beautiful family," she says with a hint of broken English.

Mega Man steps up next to her and says, "They're the best family an advanced humanoid robot could ever ask for."

"I trust your father Mikhail is doing well?" Thomas asks.

"Father is always keeping busy, making new robots and trying to replace Ride Armor," Kalinka says, before she realizes, "I forgot something! Father wanted to give you something in gratitude for helping us. That is what box is for. Let's open it before we go."

Mega Man leans down and opens the box from the top, first seeing a hand-written note on paper from Dr. Cossack inside. Dr. Light picks up the letter and reads it aloud.  
>"To the Light family, I have regretted not being able to show my appreciation for saving the life of Kalinka more than I did in January. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to do so. Please accept this new robot as a token of appreciation for you and especially Mega Man helping my Kalinka. I certainly hope you will enjoy his company. Signed, Dr. Mikhail Cossack," he reads.<p>

"He made us a new robot?" Roll asks as Peekaboo looks down into the box, wondering if it is a new friend for him to play with, (like maybe another Met.)

Mega Man reaches into the box through the layers of packaging popcorn and feels something inside. Something round. Mega pulls the mystery item out and reveals that it is a blue bird robot, just a little bigger than a Met, with wings on either side of his body, a yellow beak, and to top it all off... he is wearing a helmet patterned after Mega Man's own helmet.

"His name is Beat," Kalinka cheerful says.

"Ho do we power him up?" Mega asks.

"In his helmet," Kalinka says, pressing down on the diamond-shaped access port at the center of Beat's helmet to open it. She then sticks her index finger inside the port to reach his power button.

After she closes the port of Beat's helmet, his oval eyes open up and he chirps. "Beat, Beat!"

Mega lets go of Beat so he can flap his wings and fly, and the robot bird begins making a pass all around the family room, saying hello (or "Beat!") to the entire Light family before he perches himself on the back of the couch.

"What is Beat's primary function, Kalinka? Aside from being a pet, of course," Dr. Light asks.

"Father says he can carry a lot of weight in his feet. And he can search ahead of dangerous areas and fly back before anybody even knows he is there," Kalinka says as Beat begins flying around the room again until he is out of sight.  
>"You might want to make cage for him. Father says he could not get him to stop flying unless he was in confined space."<p>

The grandfather clock in the room chimes at the stroke of Eight O'Clock. "Oh, dear," Dr. Light says, "I think you two kids have somewhere to be. Just be back before Ten."

Rush leaps and wags his short white tail, barking that he will take Mega and Kalinka out if they want.

"Sorry, boy. But, I've got this one," Mega replies.

Rush pouts at first, but Kalinka kneels down next to him and pets him. "Don't worry, Rush. Next time, I want you to fly us around city!"

Rush perks up as Kalinka gives him a hug. And despite his constant desire to lick his favorite people in the face, he refrains after Mega reminded him all week to not lick her in the face this time.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Kalinka make their way out outside the lab and step atop of Transport Item #2, the same vehicle they traveled on in January when the shared their first kiss together. Mega mounts the craft first, and Kalinka second, standing directly behind him.<p>

"Have fun, you two!" Roll calls as she waves, with Dr. Light and Boo waving right beside her, while Eddie and Rush stand nearby too.

The guardian robots approach the couple and the leader asks, "You will be needing out presence, Miss Cossack?"

"I'm with Mega Man. You can take night off!" Kalinka nearly laughs.

"Oh... well... as you wish, Miss Cossack," the guardian robot obeys, uncertain what to do. now that they have no duty to perform until Kalinka returns.

As Item #2 automatically fastens a pair of safety restraints to her feet to keep her onboard, Kalinka remarks to Mega, "So, you never tell me where you plan on taking me."

"It's a bit a a surprise," Mega replies, "But, it's dear to my heart, and it is for a lot of New Yorkers too."

"Okay. I like surprises... as long as there is no explosion or big ion bomb, like last time," Kalinka says as she wraps her arms around Mega's waist and the couple takes off into the sky.

"Trust me, this isn't no Wily surprise!" Mega jokes as he and Kalinka head towards their destination for the big date.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I know this release is early, especially since I haven't even finished the rest of the first draft yet. I know that sounds like a real risk, but I really wanted to get a head start releasing this episode, because finishing it could take a while. And, I already planned this episode's plot, so I felt it was safe to get a head start here.  
>The big date was originally going to take place in this chapter, but the chapter would have run too long, so it will be featured in Chapter 2... sorry to have to make you wait for it. But, it will be worth the wait. (Those of you familiar with your Defender history might know where they are going too.)<em>

_I admit, Punk's entrance with the music is a reference to a professional wrestler named C.M. **Punk**, who also uses the same song used here for Mega Man Killer Punk's big entrance. Mega Man Killer Punk's claims of being the best robot in the world is also based on Wrestler Punk's on-screen character.  
>But, you've gotta admit, even if you didn't get the reference, and I'm sure many of you didn't, it made for a pretty fun scene (especially if you happened to be listening to the music while reading.)<em>

_Beat's speech is a reference to the Mega Man: Upon A Star cartoons, where he began his sentences with the phrase "Beat, Beat!" (And he was also voiced by Scott McNeil.)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, incomplete lines or continuity errors that are so big that McKayla would **still** not be impressed (and neither would Punk), please PM me as soon as possible._


	104. The Big Date

_**Episode 10, Chapter 2: The Big Date.**_

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack begin their date by flying in the skies above Manhattan, heading to the east-southeast, and Kalinka watches as the cityscape zooms by when she passes. As she rides behind Mega, Kalinka's memories of the first time they traveled through the skies together come flooding back, and it is just as exhilarating tonight as it was on that chilly night in January.<p>

But, there is something different about it this time. During their first flight together in January, they were just two young people who did not know what they meant to each other until they shared that first kiss; Today, Mega and Kalinka know how much they like each other and have become closer, (and they are going on an _real_ date tonight.)

Soon, Mega Man and Kalinka fly over the New York coastline and pass right by it, now soaring over the North Atlantic Ocean towards New Jersey.

"Where are we going?" Kalinka asks.

"Just look up ahead," Mega answers.

Kalinka manages to peek over Mega Man's left shoulder and gasps when she sees the sight of none other than the Statue of Liberty on the horizon, and getting closer. Lady Liberty's figure is still well-lit in front of the dark orange and purple sky as the sun sets.

As Mega brings Item #2 to a stop and hovers in front of the Statue of Liberty, Kalinka stares in awe and wonder of the American icon. "She is even more beautiful in person than in pictures."

Mega smiles as he recollects his first memories of this landmark. "I remember just a few days after I was born how Dr. Light told Roll and me that we wanted us to see Lady Liberty. I was so ignorant, I thought Lady Liberty was a real person."

Mega grows a hint more serious when he continues, "But, when I did see her here for the first time, I felt inspired. I promised myself that I would never let Wily harm my family again... I might have never become Mega Man if it wasn't for this statue."

"For that, we can all be thankful she is here in New York," Kalinka says, resting her head on Mega Man's shoulder.

Mega turns his head slightly and asks, "Do you want to go inside?"

Kalinka looks perplexed. "Aren't they suppose to be closed to visitors this late?"

"At this time of night, yes. But, after making some arrangements with the officials here, I was able to extend the business hours for a little while longer, just for the two of us," Mega says, "They awarded me with a key to the city when I stopped Wily the first time, so I might as well use it. Besides, the view is safer on the inside."

Kalinka smiles. "You know how to show someone a good time!"

"It's my first chance," Mega humbly replies

* * *

><p>Shortly afterwards, following an elevator ride to the upper levels of the interior of the Statue of Liberty, Mega Man and Kalinka arrive to the inside of Lady Liberty's head, with only a couple of flights of stairs remaining until they reach the crown section and the spectacular view that awaits.<p>

"It's a little bit of a climb to reach the crown. The elevator only goes up so much," Mega says.

"That's okay. We will take our time," Kalinka replies as she hooks her left arm around Mega's right arm.

"I'm in no hurry," Mega smiles.

As the couple makes their way up the stairs arm-in-arm, they continue catching up with each other's lives. "I've been looking forward to this night so much I haven't even asked you about how things have been in college," Mega says.

"I'm still taking courses in world history, and in music too. I want to be good piano player. I am also taking English," Kalinka explains, before bashfully admitting, "I want to be as good with English as you, but I still have long way to go."

"You've already got the hang of it. Just keep at it and you'll master it," Mega encourages.

"Do you know how to speak in Russian?" Kalinka asks.

"Я много языков запрограммированы в моей памяти" Mega replies in perfect Russian.

Kalinka titters, "I should have known!"

"We could keep talking in Russian if it's easier for you," Mega offers in English.

Kalinka politely declines, "That is okay. I need more English practice."

As Mega and Kalinka continue going up the stairwell, he asks her, "You told me that you like to ice skate. Have you been able to to do that in your free time?"

"University rink is usually reserved for hockey team. But, I get out there when I have time," Kalinka answers, "University nutritionist says if I stay off the junk food, I'll have great form and perform graceful. But, I have been so busy with studies, I hardly get time to skate."

"How much longer are you going to be enrolled there?" Mega asks.

"Probably until Twenty-Second birthday," Kalinka answers, sounding a bit downtrodden, "Father wants me to get full scholarship. But, I wish I could transfer to university in America. Maybe somewhere in northeast United States... that way, we could see each other more."

"I would like that too," Mega agrees.

Kalinka then sighs. "Father select university for say he wants me to learn where he did... but, I think he wants to keep eye on me. I cannot go anywhere on my own without his protection. My university got sudden increase in security budget when I started."

Hearing Kalinka muse about Dr. Cossack's need to overprotect his daughter reminds Mega Man so much of Roll when she was overprotected by Mega himself and Dr. Light in the early stages of this war. "I know from experience that he could ease up on the security a little bit. But, he's only trying to protect you because he loves you."

"I love father too, and I know he want what is good for me... but, I don't feel I can be myself." Kalinka looks up to Mega and smiles, "But, with I am with you, I can be."

Mega smiles too and shyly hangs as head down as he and Kalinka continue going up the stairs slowly. "This might sound corny, but... besides my family at home, you're the only person I feel comfortable with being just_ me, _and not just the Defender of the Human Race all the time."

Kalinka's arm gives Mega's arm a little squeeze. "We are two of kind... to of '_a'_ kind, that is," Kalinka says, correcting her English.

As Mega and Kalinka continues walk up the stairs together, they come across a plaque bolted into the wall with a picture of this very statue taken in 1886, when it was built. Kalinka becomes interested in reading the text below the picture and removes a small case from her purse, opens it up and puts a pair of wire-rim eyeglasses n the bridge of her nose.

"I never knew you wore glasses," Mega says.

Kalinka turns back to Mega and shyly takes her eyeglasses off, looking unsure of her appearance with them on. "I have check-up and doctor tells me I need to wear these to read better. Do I look okay with them?"

"You look great!" Mega assures her.

"But, I look like Father when I have these on," Kalinka shrugs as she puts the glasses away.

Again, Mega assures her, "With or without them, you look great, Kalinka. Because you're so beautiful."

Kalinka giggles, "Aw, you are just being nice, aren't you?"

"No, I really mean it," Mega insists, his voice now growing softer, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. But, you're even more beautiful on the inside."

Deeply touched by her special friend's kind words, Kalinka's cheeks become flushed and her eyes become glinty. She's been complimented on her beauty before, but never has she heard anybody appreciate her for the kind of girl she is.

"You are going to make me cry!" she pouts as she turns away for a moment to wipe away any tears that may emerge. But, when Kalinka puts her right hand to her face, Mega Man notices something on the inside of her forearm... something he finds bothersome...  
>it is an old incision scar running across her wrist, consistent with that of a suicide attempt.<p>

Mega looks concerned as he sees the scar. He knew that her bout with depression following her mother's death was serious... but he didn't know how serious it was until now.

"Kalinka... what happened?" Mega asks, pointing to the scar.

Once Kalinka realizes that Mega has noticed the scar, she holds that arm close to herself to hide it. "I... don't want to talk about it. It was... time in my life I want to forget," she replies, sounding shamed.

Mega Man gently wraps his hand around Kalinka's left hand and speaks to her gently. "I understand. But, if you ever want to talk about it... I'm here for you."

Kalinka stares into Mega's eyes, touched by the genuine care he is displaying for her. She nods, "Okay."

Mega holds Kalinka's hand as they go up the final steps before reaching the 'crown level' of Lady Liberty's head. And when Kalinka sees the view of Manhattan from here with the full city skyline now draped under cover of night, her breath is taken from her again.

"I can see why you love New York so much," Kalinka says as she and Mega Man approach the five windows at the front of the crown.

"I wouldn't want to call anyplace else my home," Mega says, "There's so much more you have to see up close. Like central park, although it's better to go there during the day. The Empire State building too, and Freedom Tower. That's the really big one, right there."

Mega then points his finger towards the massive Freedom Tower and Kalinka leans her body towards his. "Can we see all of these places together?" she asks softly.

Without hesitation, Mega answers in a voice as soft as hers, "Absolutely... and we can go anywhere you want to go too."

Suddenly, a brief gust of wind causes the Statue to shift very slightly, but it catches Kalinka off guard so much that she loses her balance and falls into Mega Man's arms.

"What was that?" a worried Kalinka asks, fearing that a Wily attack is taking place here.

"Don't worry. That's just the wind," Mega innocently snickers, then explains, "Lady Liberty doesn't have any gust absorbers like all the other skyscrapers in the U.S. do. Governor Deacon says he doesn't want to have any renovations that would risk damaging the statue's surface."

Mega gently helps Kalinka regain her balance, and she can't help but blush. "I'm so sorry. I thought that was attack at first. These heels don't help either."

"Don't feel bad. I thought the same thing when I was up here for the first time," Mega admits, "But, even if it was an attack, I'd protect you."

Kalinka smiles again as she wraps her left arm around Mega's back and leans her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

Mega puts his right arm over her shoulders, making a side-by-side embrace. "I'm just doing my job, ma'am," he softly says, which is what he said when he and Kalinka took their first ride in the clouds together.

The two remain silent for a moment as they gaze at the sight of New York up ahead, gently holding each other at their sides. Finally, Kalinka speaks. "When was first time you were up here?"

"April, two years ago. Right after I became Mega Man," Mega answers.

Kalinka looks up to Mega and appears to be bothered by something. "You keep saying Mega Man in third person, like he is somebody other than you. Why?"

Mega takes a moment to look upon New York once more before he looks back into Kalinka's eyes and explains, "I'm sure you've heard how I wasn't always like this. Before this war started, my name was Rock... I was just Dr. Light's robot son and lab assistant. But, when I became Mega Man, I knew that I had to stay strong for everybody. Even on days when I didn't don't feel very strong.

As much as I honor this job and am honored to be humanity's protector and an inspiration to people, including you... I wish I didn't have to fight anymore... I wish I could be normal again."

Even tonight, I wished I could wear something nice for tonight... but, my upgrades would make it impossible. This armor is my protection, but... it's also like a shell that I can't take off. Not until we get Wily and the fighting stops."

Kalinka feels so bad for Mega Man because she could hear the sadness in his voice when he yearned to be his old self again. She now has a much greater knowledge of the kind of hardships he goes through having to fight a war and be the symbol of hope in the face of terror while trying so hard to have some semblance of a normal life.

Because he trusted her with his feelings, she decided to help make him feel better by making a request. "I know you have to keep armor on, but... please, take off your helmet," she requests.

Mega looks surprised at first, but Kalinka explains, "Tonight, you do not have to be Mega Man... we're just two friends named Rock and Kalinka tonight."

He almost could feel a lump in his throat when Kalinka allows him to shed the tough super hero exterior and be the kind robot boy he really is inside. Mega Man - or Rock - lets go of Kalinka for a moment and removes his blue helmet, allowing his hand-combed hair to show and feeling so liberated to be _himself_ for right now.  
>But, like a boy on date night, his concern about his appearance returns. "Do I look okay with it off?"<p>

"You look wonderful!" Kalinka beams, "I have never seen your hair in person!"

"Are you sure I don't have Helmet Hair, or anything?" Mega asks again.

"I am _sure_ you don't. You are adorable with or without helmet," Kalinka assures him.

After Mega puts his helmet down on the floor, he feels the need to ask Kalinka another question. "Kalinka... if this war ends... would you still like me if I wasn't Mega Man anymore?"

"Of course I will," a worried Kalinka replies, "Why do you speak about yourself like this?"

After looking into Kalinka's sweet and concerned green eyes, Mega says, "This war is starting to take a toll on me. Every time Wily shows up, it's harder to stop him and still survive... and the past few times, I made mistakes... mistakes that I wouldn't have made two years ago. I'm not ashamed of being Mega Man. I'm proud to be."  
>Mega sighs, "I just want this war to end so we can all live in peace again and I won't have to be Mega Man all the time... but, I don't know what will happen to the friendships I've made. Everybody has always known me as Mega Man, even your dad and you."<p>

Mega lets his head hang down and stares at his feet, realizing his has let his growing doubts bog him down again... then, he sees Kalinka's hands reaching for his hands, then holding them. Mega looks up into her eyes again and lets her speak.

"You are more than _Mega Man_ to me," she says softly as she stares into his blue eyes, "You are even more than my hero to me... you are best friend I have had in my life. And I like you not for hero you are on the outside... but, for beautiful boy you are inside."

Kalinka then lets go of Mega's hands and brings hers up to either side of his flawlessly smooth face to carress it. "And this will always be, long after war is over," she adds as she collars her arms around Mega's neck in an embrace.

"I like you for the kind of girl you are too. From the moment I met you, I knew there was something special about you," Mega says as he puts his arms around her and cuffs his hands near the small of her back, gently drawing each other closer.

Kalink's voice becomes smoother as she says, "I was just fangirl when I meet you on that day. But, when we got to know each other... and when we shared our kiss together in the clouds... I knew there was bond between our hearts."

Mega almost whispers, "I knew it too... I felt it even earlier."

Mega Man and Kalinka bring themselves even closer to each other, their faces so close to one another they can feel each other's breaths... Mega is sure he can feel his internal regulator (or the robot's equivalent of a heart) working on overdrive right now... and Kalinka can even feel her heart fluttering... they both can sense the feeling they have for one another deep inside...

"There is something I want to say to you," Kalinka whispers...

"I think I want to say the same thing to you," Mega whispers back...

But, without saying another word, Mega and Kalinka slowly lean into each other's faces and close their eyes... but, at the exact second their lips touch again for the first time since that blissful cold night in January, Mega's communicator chirps.

Their eyes open at the same time, but Mega's are full of worry because he knows his family would not call him tonight... unless...

"Oh, no!" he gasps as he lets go of Kalinka.

"What is wrong?" Kalinka asks.

"It's _him_," Mega replies, referring to Dr. Wily.

Mega answers his forearm communicator and replies, "Where is he?"

The voice of Dr. Light responds, _"Here in New York, in the western section of Manhattan. But, his attack force is small. Only three robots, but I have never seen them before."_

Mega and Kalinka both look outside of the windows at the front of the Statue of Liberty's crown and see a small plume of smoke emerging from Manhattan, and flying above it is Wily's Skullker, barely visible as a little flying dot with a light on it.

"I'm on my way. Tell Roll and Rush to meet me there," Mega says.

"They are already en route," Thomas replies.

After Mega cuts the communication, he looks over to Kalinka who politely stands with her arms held low in front of herself. He feels so terrible for this night to go like this, a night they both were looking forward to with great anticipation to be with each other again. To have Dr. Wily be the cause of this just pours more salt into the wound.

"I'm so sorry, Kalinka," he says, full of regret as he gently holds her by her shoulders.

Kalinka half smiles. "It is okay. I understand..." Then, she leans up to Mega and plants a kiss on his left cheek. "Go get them!" she encourages as her smile becomes full, "Maybe we can continue date when you get back."

Mega smiles again, "Sounds good. I'll make this one quick."

"I'll wait for you," Kalinka speaks gently.

Mega approaches one of Lady Liberty's crown's windows and opens it, spotting Item #2 already hovering in the air. He then leaps from the statue and lands atop of the platform. But, the call of Kalinka grabs his attention... "Wait!"

Mega Man turns around and sees Kalinka standing there, holding his blue helmet in her hands. In the urgency to deal with the threat, Mega had forgotten his helmet was still off.

"Thanks. I'll be needing this," Mega smiles as he takes the helmet from her and places it back on his head.

Mega waves to Kalinka and she waves back before the Defender of the Human Race soars back towards the city to stop Dr. Wily and these three new robots, and to make them pay a little for wrecking his night out... but, he may just be heading towards a fight he cannot win.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

As Mega Man heads for Manhattan to start a fight he may not be able to win, Mr. Black sits in his media observation room, already wearing his armature pieces over his clothing and ready to move out. He has been spending several recent nights fully dressed in the 'Mr. Black wardrobe,' obsessively waiting for the time to come where he can strike again.

He then suddenly comes to attention when he hears an emergency signal on the encrypted police band radio, which almost always signals that a Wily attack was taking place. Mr. Black mutes the monitors and stares at the radio as it speaks...

_"Attention, all units. Three robots of unknown origin are attacking West 78th Street. Dr. Albert Wily's Skullker craft is hovering overhead and the robots were spotted exiting the craft before the attack started. All available units, report to the scene and assist in repelling the threat. Apprehend Albert Wily by any means necessary."_

Mr. Black then enters a command on a keyboard in front of him that switches all of the monitors all around the room to local New York City traffic cams,stares at his scrambled phone, waiting for The Conduit to sick him, just like he has been waiting for months. Nearly two minutes pass, but the call never comes, and as Mr. Black's eyes narrow, he decides that it is time to take matters into his own hands and not have to wait for _permission_ to leave.

He stands up out of his chair and charges for his armory on the bottom level of his abandoned warehouse hideout, grabbing his dark grey trench coat and black mask and putting them both on on the way out, fully becoming the masked terror he has become known for.

And as he heads for the staircase leading to the garage where his illegally modified black car is stored, he grabs a shotgun leaning against the door frame, heavily modified with technology taken from the Vick-Tek storage facility earlier this year. With the new mods, this shotgun is now capable of firing high-impact plasma shell casings that can pulverize even the toughest armor and shred apart any systems underneath.

But, even with this and all of his other weapons, he has no idea what kind of battle he is about to step into.

* * *

><p><strong>Channel 7 headquarters.<strong>

Investigative reporter Bree Recotta races through the parking garage to the nearest satellite news van where a small camera crew is already onboard. Having to miss out on the Galaxy Man situation because it took place in Florida was a tough one to get over, but seeing the Wily attacks return to New York conjures up both excitement to carry the big story again, and of course the natural fear that comes with one of these attacks.

"How bad is it?" Bree asks as she climbs into the passenger seat of the van.

"Wily's floating Skull ship, whatever it's called, and three robots are on the ground. _Only_ three," says the cameraman, unimpressed by the number of attackers. "It sounds like Mega Man's got this one in the bag."

"Don't underestimate Wily. I learned that the hard way," Bree says, recalling near near-death experience onboard the massive Gamma

"Who knows. Maybe we'll run into Mr. Black too," says the cameraman.

Bree pauses, "Yeah... maybe."

Bree closes her passenger door and the channel 7 news van peels out of the garage, also racing to the sight of the attack. And she is about to get her wish for Mr. Black to show up. And as the old saying goes, _be__ careful what you wish for... you just might get it._

* * *

><p><strong>Manhattan, on the intersection of West 78th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.<strong>

The Killers have already wreaked havoc upon this section of the city, causing destruction to several buildings and sending thousands of innocent humans and robots running for their lives and now they are merely waiting for their prey Mega Man to arrive. But, while Ballade and Enker stand in the middle of a four-way intersection and wait patiently after starting their initial attack, Punk is entertaining himself.

"Hey, you two. Watch this!" Punk says, drawing a Punk Blade and flinging it at a whole row of street lamp posts, chopping them all down just to see how far his blades can be thrown and how much damage they can do on their way.

"Stop wasting energy on useless efforts and be ready for Mega Man!" Ballade snaps.

"You can wait for Mega Man your way, and I'll wait for him my own," Punk says as the Punk Blade returns to his hand, "In the meantime, I'm gonna make snow angels."

"Do you even _realize_ there is no snow out here?" Enker nearly laughs at the absurdity of Punk's suggestion.

"Don't need any!" Punk says as he jumps into the air and lands on his back in the middle of the street, shattering the asphalt. He then shifts his arms up and down and his legs back and forth, further crackling the pavement to create a gravel angel.

Ballade frowns at Punk's adolescent behavior and it takes a lot just to contain his anger. Before he could give Punk an admonishment he would never forget, Enker slaps him on his arm. "We have company."

"Mega Man?" asks Ballade.

"No. It looks like this supposed _Police force_ that Dr. Wily told us about," Enker says as a full squadron of police cars arrive to the scene and block all the intersections to trap the Mega Man Killers.

Punk springs up from his gravel snow angel, equally unimpressed by the threat posed by the police. "Oh, joy! More target practice! I thought the training drills were over."

"This isn't training anymore; this is reality. Prepare for battle," Ballade states.

As several human officers and Policebots exit their vehicles and take aim at the Mega Man Killers, Police Captain Tallarico makes her way out, flanked by her personal escort Officer Ash Rose and several Policebots. "Surrender now or we will shoot you down!" she barks on a megaphone.

"I sincerely apologize, ma'am, but we we have our orders from Dr. Wily," Ballade responds with the tone of a professional.

"In other words, you humans will surrender to_ us_, or we will destroy you!" Enker threatens.

"Or _kill you_. Whatever sounds best, we're gonna do it," Punk adds.

"I don't have any orders to wait for Mega Man to take you out," Tallarico says before ordering her officers, "Fire at will!"

The entire group off N.Y.P.D. officers open fire upon the Mega Man Killers, but Enkers whips out his mirror staff and holds it high in the air, managing to magnetically draw all the plasma bolts from the police weapons towards it and saving himself and his fellow Killers from getting hit. Enker collects the plasma contained within the bolts as the dead shell casings fall to the surface.

"Mirror staff nearing full capacity," Enker reports as the staff nearly shakes in his hands.

Ballade orders, "Punk, Enker. Fire special your special weapons now!"

Ballade crouches and launches a pair of Explosive Cracker capsules towards the police gathered at two of the intersections on either of his sides. Meanwhile, Punk flings his Punk Blades at the police at the south intersection and Enker unleashes the full power of the collected plasma from his staff on the police at the northern intersection.

Ballade's crackers explode and devastate half of the police assemblage while Punk's blades incapacitate the Policebots, slicing their weapon arms off. Enker's mirrored plasma attack completely destroys almost all of the police vehicles and severely injures several human and robot officers. He then unleashes the rest of the plasma he gathered on the cops at the northern intersection with similar results.

The assault from the police completely ceases, utterly devastated by the sudden attack by the Killers, but during this lull in combat, Punk snaps and shoves Enker. "Hey, Dum-Dum! Those were MINE!"

"I don't recall Ballade giving any such order," Enker counters.

"No, he didn't. _I_ DID!" Punk barks as he shoves Enker again.

"Stop this!" Ballade orders as he steps between the two, "We have a mission to carry out, and I don't care who destroys what. Just get the job done! That goes double for you, Punk!"

Punk's angry eyes stare back at Ballade as his huffs through his respiratory system are clearly audible. If Punk had a full face, he would be frowning as well.

_"Get ready, my robots! Mega Man is approaching! You know what to do!" _cackles the voice of Dr. Wily above in the Skullker, completely unaware of the semi-scuffle that just took place between The Killers.

"If I'm still standing at the end of this fight - and I will be - Mega Man's mine!" Punk says, pointing his red finger at his fellow Killers. "And don't get in my way, either one of you!"

As Punk storms off, Ballade gives a stern stare back at him. If their mission to destroy Mega Man was not the top priority, he would discipline Punk himself right now and blast some obedience into him. But, for the good of Dr. Wily's order, he keeps his frustration in check.

* * *

><p>Up above, Mega Man quickly approaches the scene on Item #2 and is horrified to see how badly the police was decimated by these three robots. Clearly, these aren't just three run-of-the-mill Robot Masters. These three are very powerful - perhaps as powerful as Bass - thus, continuing the streak of Wily related plots growing stronger with each one.<p>

Mega Man reaches for his communicator to call Chief Toombs directly to get more back-up, but, he stops himself before he does so. Seeing how badly hurt the officers on the street already are, he doesn't want to jeopardize any more of them like he feels he jeopardized the Robo Troops during the attack at the Space Center.

"I'll do this myself," Mega says as he swoops down to street level towards the three figures standing before him, about to begin the next battle of his life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I'm sorry for this chapter taking longer than expected to release. I caught a case of the flu (not a strong one, thankfully), and I was in really not up to writing very much. But, I am recovering now and I expect to get as much work done as I can._

_The battle that is about to take place was going to be featured in this chapter, but I felt it was too jarring to go from the heartwarming date to a big huge battle. And trust me, the battle coming up is going to be intense._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or errors that would make The Grinch's brain shrink two sizes too small, please PM me._

_btw, I apologize to anybody who doesn't have Russian font in their computer. If so, one of Mega's lines is just a bunch of squares. :|_


	105. War Zone

_**Episode 10, Chapter 3: War Zone.**_

* * *

><p>As the channel 7 news van heads towards the scene of the attack in western Manhattan, Bree Recotta and her crew listen to the reports coming in from the scene of the attack, and they are all in disbelief hearing how badly the police force has been throttled by the Mega Man Killers.<p>

_"Almost all of our bots are gone! We've got injured everywhere!"_ Captain Tallarico blurts, _"We need ambulances here or people are going to start dying!"_

_"Stay hunkered down!"_ replies Chief Toombs on the line, _"I'm'a sendin' as much backup as we got, includin' meself. We're bringin' the whole armory too! Just get the injured outta there,"_

_"You better bring the _army _wile you're at it.__ It's only three robots, but they're tearing us apart!"_ Tallarico stresses.

_"We got somethin' better than the army, we got Mega Man on the way." _Toombs says.

Then, an all-black car runs a red light at the intersection to their right and up ahead, peeling out in front of them and causing the news van driver to slam on the brakes and come to a screeching halt. After the sudden shock of the brake, Bree focuses on the car and recognizes it from the reports. It has to be Mr. Black's car.

Despite the strict order from the F.B.I. she was given in July, and the risk of following a dangerous man such as Mr. Black, Bree elects to see what he is up to. "Follow that car!"

"Don't we have a major attack to go cover right now?" asks the driver.

"Just follow him!" Recotta instructs, against her better judgment.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black speeds towards the scene of the battle that is about to begin between Mega Man and The Killers. But, as he looks in his dashboard console to see his rear view camera, he spots a familiar news van belonging to Bree Recotta's station.<p>

"This is not too surprising," Mr. Black says as the dashboard camera zooms in on the van to reveal Bree Recotta as one of the occupants. "Even less surprising."

Mr. Black begins thinking of ways to get Recotta and her crew off his back, and as a traffic light begins to turn red up ahead, Mr. Black decides to take full advantage of it. "Let's see how desperate you are for a story."

* * *

><p>As the traffic comes to a stop ahead, Mr. Black bypasses them by veering his car off the street and over to the sidewalk, tearing down newspaper kiosks and sending already scared citizens jumping out of his way.<p>

"This nut's driving on the damn sidewalk!" blurts the driver, coming to a stop and not risking their safety or that of pedestrians.

"It's okay. He's heading where we're heading, we'll catch up with him one way or another," Bree says.

* * *

><p><strong>At the intersection of 78th street and Amsterdam avenue.<strong>

Dr. Wily watches in his Skullker high above as Mega Man reaches the war-torn intersection where the Killers now wait.

"Here he comes!" Wily blurts, "Make him suffer a little bit before he dies! He has two years of payback to answer for!"

_"Understood, Dr. Wily,"_ replies the voice of Ballade.

Albert looks over to his co-pilot seat and sees the empty chair where ProtoMan would usually be. Proto is still under order from Wily to remain at the fortress, or else he probably would have been here (although, if he was, he would not have liked to have been forced to watch his brother's life on the line.)

"It will be nice to not have your brother's long-awaited death be interrupted by you," Wily says to the seat as if Proto was still sitting there.

As Wily sees Mega Mega getting closer, he slaps and rubs his hands together and the grin on his face becomes wide, so wide it nearly hurts the muscules in his face to pull a grin this wide.

"I have been waiting for this, you meddling pest!" he chuckles.

* * *

><p>The three Killers stand in a triangle in the middle of the intersection with Ballade at the forefront, and Enker and Punk standing on either side and slightly behind him. They stare up at the sky and spot the robot they were all built specifically to destroy, Mega Man, arriving to the scene on Item #2.<p>

Mega leaps from the flying platform and lands directly across from his three enemies, creating a tense face-off between them.

"For only three bots, you've managed to do a lot of damage," Mega says, "But, I'm afraid your fun stops here."

"The only thing stopping will be your life, Mega Man... we are here to destroy you," Ballade states as he stares across at Mega.

"Yeah, I figured as much. So, who wants to go down first?" Mega retorts as he draws his plasma cannon.

"Oh, you are _so_ dead, boy scout!" Punk remarks as he grabs a pair of his Punk Blades and prepares to fling them in Mega's direction, but Ballade holds him back.

"You are so quick to boast, just like your older brother. But, _you_ will be the one who fails tonight," Ballade says while making a subtle hand signal to Enker.

"You have one free shot, Mega Man. Use it wisely," Enker goads.

Mega can tell he is being played by these three and that they probably _want _him to blast them head-on for some reason. So instead, Mega lines up a trick shot, spotting a reinforced fire hydrant to use to his advantage. Mega fires a shot blast at the fire hydrant, which riccochets off of it and towards the Killers, allowing Mega to fire off another shot aimed directly at Ballade.  
>But, Enker draws his mirror staff and holds it straight up in the air and absorbs both blasts with it.<p>

Mega's eyes widen, never having seen a weapon like this before. Just a few seconds after absorbing the blast, Enker twirls the staff around in his hand and aims it in Mega's direction, firing the energy right back at him, and Mega just barely rolls himself out of harm's way as the blast hits the ground.

"Didn't see that coming, did you, Blueberry Man?" Punk laughs.

Mega fires two mores blasts at The Killers, but Enker's staff absorbs them both.

"Attack pattern thirteen," Ballade commands, giving his fellow Killers a code that only they know.

Just how ProtoMan trained them to do, the Killers begin performing a miticulous combat sequence, starting with Enker unleashing the collected blasts back at Mega Man again. Mega just barely avoids them again, but nearly finds himself getting impaled by a pair of blades thrown his way by Punk which Mega just narrowly avoids by summersault flipping his body away  
>But, as soon as he lands, he finds a Ballade cracker capsule about to blow at his feet. "Uh-oh!" Mega wails as he tries to jump away from the capsule, but doesn't get enough distance before it explodes, with the shock of the detonation sending his body crashing into a parked car at an awkward angle.<p>

Punk laughs again, "You may be a little tougher to hit than we thought you were. But, you're not so _Mega_ now are you?"

As Mega Man gets back to his feet, Ballade gives him a warning. "You cannot surrender, nor can you run away, nor will we be negotiated with. The three of us were built by Dr. Wily for one sole purpose... to destroy you, Mega Man!"

"Maybe your master Wily didn't tell you, but I don't lose so easily!" Mega fires back as he aims his plasma buster at the Killers again.

"On the contrary, Dr. Wily told us everything there is to know about you. Particularly, the fact that you usually enlist the help of others. Especially those closeest to you," Ballade says.

Mega looks over Ballade's shoulder and sees Rush and Roll in the sky heading this way, and he suddenly realizes that they both just became targets!

Ballade quickly turns around and fires a Cracker capsule up towards Roll and Rush and Mega tries to stop him by blasting him, but Enker catches the blasts and reflects it, strikng Mega Man in his chest.  
>Meanwhile, Ballade's capsule explodes as it reaches Rush, damaging the poor robodog's armor and knocking Roll off, sending them both screaming and falling and crashing to the ground alongside eachother.<p>

"Enker's got the Valley Girl; I'll take the Blue Wonder," Punk says as he eyes Mega.

"No! We stick to the plan!" Ballade orders, "Enker is needed to counter Mega Man's plasma blasts. You deal with the sister."

Punk's angry eyes become ablaze again, furious that he has to deal with Roll who he views as an inferior opponent. "Fine, I'll deal with her, but remember, _I_ get to kill Mega Man!_"_

As Punk goes to deal with Roll, Ballade turns to join Enker as they begin stalking Mega Man.

* * *

><p>At the same time, Mr. Black's black car comes to a screeching halt in an alley behind a building nearby where the battle with the Mega Man Killers is taking place. Now wearing the mask and trenchcoat, Mr. Black himself exits the car and walks around back of the car where the trunk has already opened. He then grabs the modified plasma shotgun and then his high-powered sniper rifle, already loaded with custom-constructed plasma bolt bullets that are strong enough to pierce through into a robot's memory core for a certain kill. (Just like with the original Dark Man.)<p>

After strapping the shotgun over his shoulder and under his trench coat, Mr. Black heads inside the nearest building, handling the rifle in his hands. The rifle was for taking out his primary target; the shotgun is for anybody who dare gets in his way.

"Security on. Wait for my return," Mr. Black instructs the car as he leaves, and per his command, the illegally modified sedan arms it's deadly security countermeasures.

* * *

><p>Back on the ground, Ballade and Enker approach Mega Man, who is trying to change his strategy because blasting them is not going to work thanks to Enker's mirror staff would only catch them. Meanwhile, Punk is dealing with Roll, who has her own problems.<p>

She was not damaged by the detonation of Ballade's cracker capsule like Rush was, but when she fell off, she hit the ground hard on her left arm, severely damaging the utility arm. Roll winces as she clutches her left arm in pain, which spits out sparks as she tries to use it.

"Aw! It looks like Little Miss Jumpsuit got herself hurt on the playground when she tried to play with the big boys," Punk mocks as he steps up to her.

Roll turns around and backpedles. She doesn't know how she is supposed to handle this big robot who his blades and spikes all over his wrists and shoulders when she has a utility arm that doesn't work anymore - therefore no weapons or gadgets to use to her advantage - and with the pain she is in from the fall. With he left arm completely useless, the only weapons she can try to rely on are her feet and and her martial arts skills.

"I hear you've got a lot of toys in that bendy-wendy arm of yours," Punk jabs, "But, without 'em, you're nothing but a wannabe loser hero! Even if you had 'em, you sure as hell can't beat me!"

Roll grits through her teeth, "I don't need utilities to beat you!"

Keeping her hurt arm held close to her body, Roll tries to kick Punk as he approaches her, but Punk blocks it and shoves her away and knocking her to the ground.

As Roll painfully grunts, Punk mocks her, "_Tsk, tsk, tsk._ Maybe you should stop playing with the big boys and get yourself back in the kitchen where you belong and live as a little Barbie doll bitch!"

After being called such a vile remark, Roll balls her right fist and gets to her feet sneering at the abrasive Punk. "What did you call me?"

"Oooooh! I looks like I made you mad, didn't I?" Punk mocks.

Roll runs right for Punk and slides underneath him right between his legs and springs up behind him. As Punk turns around to face her, Roll kicks him right between his eyes, momentarily disorienting him.  
>Roll tries to throw another kick but Punk catches it and shoves her down hard, causing Roll to fall on her injured left arm again, worsening the pain.<p>

"You've done it now, Suzy Homemaker!" Punk threatens, producing two Punk Blades, "I'm not above hitting a woman - human or robot - and I'm not above using one of these on anybody who tries to fight me!"

Rush meakly tries to limp over to help, but falls because his front left paw and underside are severely damaged after taking the brunt of the Explosive Cracker from Ballade. He lets out a distressed howl for Mega to help them, _fast_.

Nearby, Mega Man sees how much trouble his sister is in and knows he needs to help her, but Ballade and Enker are closing in and he needs to get past them to help her. But, that seems impossible, because of Enker's staff. He needs to improvise again to make it past them.

"Item #2, return at turbo speed," he says into his forearm, approaching the fire hydrant he deflected the blast off of earlier. Mega then kicks the nozzle off the hydrants and does his best to bend it upwards to spray Ballade and Enker with an intense blast of water and disorient them just for a moment.

Mega Man then races toward Punk, barely ducking a wild swing from Enker's Mirror Staff, and aims his blaster at the Killer, firing off three shots that strike him in his bulky red chest with the last shot knocking him down.  
>Mega quickly grabs Roll and uses this lull in combat to race her away from danger and go get Rush. But, Roll is not in the mood to leave despite her injury.<p>

"I'll be alright! It's just the arm! I can beat him!" she grunts.

"You're hurt and don't stand a chance against them! Just take Rush and get back to the lab!" Mega insists as he helps pick up Rush and loads him and Roll atop of Item #2 as it returns.

"I'm not leaving you!" Roll loudly argues through the pain.

"Don't worry about me! There's more back-up coming! Just go!" Mega insists as he provides cover for his sister.

"They're gonna _kill_ you!" Roll yells as she clutches Rush, who barks at Mega, also trying to get him to change his mind.

"GO! NOW!" Mega shouts emphatically as Punk returns to his feet and the other Killers now come after him.

"Rock, PLEASE!" Roll yells as Rush howls.

"Item #2, return to lab," Mega vocally commands the platform, and Item #2 then whisks Roll and Rush away from the area. He can hear Roll's screams of his name as she helplessly watches the Killers advancing on him.

Mega Man aims his blaster at the three Killers as they now surround him, with Enker standing between Punk and Ballade, holding his staff at the ready to absorb any shots that Mega or anybody would fire their way. He knows he has to form a strategy somehow, but he doesn't know what he can possibly do to get the better of them.

"An admirable act to selflessly save your family. But, there is no escape for you," Ballade says coldly.

Mega eyes the three Killers, trying to decide how he can take them. Mega charges up the most powerful blast he can, though he knows blasting them is not a good option, he can try to create another distraction to buy him some time.

"Do not be a fool and prolong your demise any longer than you have to. You will only be doing yourself a favor," Ballade says.

"If Wily has taught you bozos anything, it's that I don't surrender easily!" Mega retorts.

"Well, that_ is _what we're counting on," Punk says with a hint of sinister delight.

"Too bad for you, then!" Mega shouts as he aims his blaster downwards to fire a fully charged blast at the ground in hopes of creating a concussive explosion that would knock the Killers back.

Enker holds his staff down low to absorb the shot and successfully catches _the entire shot_ with it, but Mega capitalizes on it by running straight for Enker, and jumpkicking him to knock him down. Enker barely keeps his grip on the staff as he goes down while Punkmakes a b-line for Mega with two Punk Blades in his hands.  
>But, Mega runs straight for him as well, tackling him and then using all of his strength to hoist the extremely heavy Punk with his back to take him down.<p>

Ballade fires blasts from his twin blasters in his wrists, just barely misses with most of his shots, but not all as one grazes Mega's right arm and another brushing his side.

Despite the onslaught of fire from Ballade, Mega Man still reaches him and grabs onto his left arm to copy his power and even the odds... but, there's one big problem... when Mega copies Ballade's weapon data, he doesn't really copy his weapon at all, but rather, worthless _'corrupt data.'_

Before Mega could devise another plan, Ballade shoots him with his right wrist blaster, forcing the hero to let him go. Ballade then repeatedly fires shot after shot at Mega and nails most of them directly in his chest.

Mega Man tries to aim for another plasma shot, but Punk flings a Punk Blade at him and the blade slices deep into the large yellow control buttons in Mega's forearm, crippling the blaster.

As Mega yells in pain, Enker unleashes the full force of the fully charged blast from Mega Man earlier directly at him. The blast explodes at Mega's feet and burns much of his armor, blowing his body clean through the destroyed remnant of an armored police van.

"How's_ that_ for Plasma Power?" Enker grins.

_"YES!"_ howls the voice of Dr. Wily on the communicators of the Killers, _"He never stood a chance! Now, grab his body and finish him off! I want to world to watch their hero DIE!"_

* * *

><p>On the roof of the building he entered earlier, Mr. Black makes his way to the ledge facing the carnage taking place below him, and there he sees Punk and Enker draging Mega Man's body into the middle of the street, his armor showing burns, mainly from from the plasma shot fired back at him. Sice the powerful shot landed near his feet, parts of his feet and leg armor have been chipped away exposing the silver metallic endoskeleton underneath.<br>And above the scene hovers the Skullker with a gleeful Dr. Wily inside.

The wail of sirens approaching indicate that more police reinforcements are on the way, and with their presense about to be felt again and with this battle going the way that it has, Mr. Black knows he does not have much time left to strike. The time is now.

Mr. Black kneels down at the ledge on one knee and raises the rifle up to his line of sight and finds his target, gentle keeping his right index finger wrapped around the trigger...

_"What are you doing?"_ asks the voice of The Conduit in an ear bud reciever placed inside his right ear.

"I'm ending this now," Mr. Black calmly answers, lining up a shot.

_"I did not authorize this course of action!"_ The Conduit says.

"You don't have to. Now, don't interrupt me... I have something to take care of," Mr. Black says as he grows quiet, ready to pull the trigger...

_"Not tonight,"_ The Conduit says, "_I want you to pull out of that area at once."_

Mr. Black loses focus of the target and tries to wrap his mind around The Conduit's bizarre order. "... You want me to do _what_?"

_"Extract yourself from that area now. It is too much of a risk to me if you get caught!"_

"I have a clear shot and bullets that will get the job done! And I'm not leaving until you let me finish this!" Mr. Black rasps in a semi growl.

_"I am telling you one more time, and it will be the last time, extract yourself now or I will cut all ties with you... and you will be removed from this mission!"_ The Conduit orders sternly.

Before the argument could continue, Mr. Black hears a feint beeping in his other ear, which is another ear bud connected to a mobile motion detector he is wearing on his belt. Multiple life signs are advancing on his position, and they are close, much closer than he could have anticipated. Judging by how far the siren sounds are, Toombs must be trying to catch the Killers off-guard, and possibly Mr. Black too.

"It looks like you're getting your wish! I've got company," Mr. Black seethes as he stands up and hangs the sniper rifle over his free shoulder opposite of the one clad with the advanced plasma shotgun.

_"I told you so. Get out of there now."_

Mr. Black turns and attempts to make a hasty retreat, but does not get more than one step ahead before a squad of officers and PoliceBots come barging through the staircase door, led by Officer Lynn Wersching who barks, "FREEZE!"

Mr. Black remains still, standing across from Lynn, her partner QN-60 and several other officers and PoliceBots, all of which have their weapons drawn and aims at him. He focuses mainly on Lynn, whom he has had an encounter with before.

"I heard about your brother" Mr. Black says, referring to Lynn's brother Castor who is a recovering drug addict, "It appears you made the right decision not to work with me afterall."

"Shut-up and put your hands where I can see them!" Lynn snarls.

Mr. Black remains still as the officers now circle the masked man.

"Do it now or I'll blow your kneecaps off!" Lynn barks.

QN-60 adds, "For the sake of your physical health, I suggest you follow her order."

Mr. Black then raises his gloved hands in the air, following Lynn's order... and he curls his right index and middle fingers twice and his thumb once, then clinches his left fist very quickly, almost like his is entering a code.

Before any of the officers realize what he was doing, a strange sharp ringing sound immits from seemingly out of nowhere and it rings in the ears of the human officers and the PoliceBots are stunned by it as well. But, Mr. Black himself is immune to it because of the ear buds receivers in his ears. Afterall, it was _his_ countermeasure.

Mr. Black then makes a break for the door to the stairwell, shoving Lynn out of his way. The only officer left in his way is Sixty, who is still feeling the effects of the countermeasure signal as he tries to raise his weapon arm at the masked man.

Mr. Black unstraps the shotgun from his shoulder removes it from his trench coat. Before Sixty could fire, Mr. Black fires off an extremely intense shot into the PoliceBot's gut. He then fires another shot into Sixty's upper right chest, and bits of scrap metal and oil fall and splatter everywhere as Mr. Black shoves him out of his way too.

"NO! SIXTY!" Lynn screams as he fires several rounds at Mr. Black, all of which striking his torso armor.

Lynn runs to Sixty's side, but he strains, "Go. Get him."

Lynn shakes the ringing out of her head and she along with some of the human officers pursue Mr. Black through the building.

* * *

><p>Back down on the street, Punk looks around the area as he catches the residual effects of Mr. Black's countermeasure. "Did you guys here a ringing in your audio sensors just now? I sure did."<p>

"A minor distraction," Ballade says, "We have a task to complete."

Punk and Enker drop Mega Man's body off in the middle of the street, leaving him laying on his back. He is so weakened from taking the pounding, he can barely move, and not having the chance to drink an energy can before he left doesn't help matters, and that could prove to be a fatal mistake very shortly.

A battonton robot flies down to the surface to record the horrible act that the Killers are about to perform so that the entire world can watch it happen.

"This was easier than your loser brother said it would be!" Punk spits as he leans over Mega Man.

"Why kill him right away when we can enjoy ourselves?" Enker says as he aims his staff downward and Punk draws another blade, ready to prolong Mega's death as long as possible and make it as painful as they can.

"No. Dr. Wily does not want him to have a chance at recovering," Ballade says, "We finish him now."

Then, a Police helicopter flies overhead with a gunner hanging out of its side carrying a six-barrel chain gun (or mini gun). The gunner fires the gun at the Killers, but Enker whips his staff around to his front and absorbs the plasma bolts again. He then reflects the collected energy back at the helicopter, blowing it's chopper blades off and causing the whole craft to spiral out of control until it crashes in the middle of 77th street.

As the helicopter crashes, even more Police arrives to the scene, led by Chief Toombs. And this time, they are carrying much heavier artillery.

"Yer gonna pay for hurtin' our boys 'n girls, ya' Wily slack heaps!" Toombs shrieks as he hoists a rocket launcher over his shoulder and prepares to fire.

"Enker, Punk, deal with them now!" Ballade orders.

Punk and Enker leap away from Mega Man's body as Ballade fires his remaining Explosive Crackers at the police, forcing some of them to flee to a new hiding place, wiping out some of the back-up Policebots.

"FIRE!" Toombs yells, as he fires a rocket from his rocket launcher and many of the other officers do the same, all sure to avoid hitting Mega Man.

The police's fire is evaded by the Killers, causing them to do major damages to the nearby buildings and the street itself. Enker still has enough collected plasma in his staff and used it to fire upon a patch of the police reinforcements, and Punk uses his blades to eliminate more Policebots. And once again, the Police's numbers are starting to dwindle at the hands of the Killers, and that makes Mega Man's situation even worse.

* * *

><p>Back inside the building Mr. Black had been using as a vantage point earlier, he is now racing to get out of dodge as he is being chased by a few of the remaining police officers still standing, namely Officer Wersching who is well ahead of all the rest.<p>

Mr. Black races down a two-sided stairwell as fast as he can and Lynn is two flights above him, but in an attempt to cut the amount of distance between them, she leaps over the railing and lands on the next set of steps. As she looks over the next set, she sees Mr. Black scrambling down the next set of steps, and if she jumps in time, she might be able to pounce on him.

Lynn dives over the rail and Mr. Black sees her, but he cannot react in time before she lands on him, sending them both tumbling down the remaining stairs on this level until they hit the floor.

Mr. Black tries to get away, but Lynn wraps her arms around his head and throat to put him in a sleeper hold. She also wraps her legs around his lower torso to make it more difficult for the masked man to shake her off.

"For your information, my brother's doing better, you asshole!" Lynn sneers as she wrenches her arms tighter around Mr. Black's neck.

"That's good to hear," Mr. Black grunts as he reaches his feet and creates a way to get this woman off of his back before the others cops heading down the stairs catch up with them. He reaches around and grabs her and hunches himself over with all of his strength to rip her off his head and back, throwing her onto the floor.

The moment he throws her off, the masked terror makes a break for it again, running out of the stairwellm but, Lynn pulls herself together just enough to get up and go after him again.

Wersching bursts out of the stairwell and reloads her handgun as she sees Mr. Black racing for the rear door where his illegally modified car is waiting to get him out of here. Lynn aims her gun and repeatedly fires it at him, emptying the whole magazine. Each of the rounds either misses or strikes Mr. Black's armor... except for one.

As Mr. Black bursts through the rear exit, he feels the left side exploding just below his ear, following by something hot drenching his mask and clothing. The former agent stumbles as he slams himself into the side of his black car, clutching his neck and putting pressure on it as he can. He knows he is in serious trouble.

"Get me the hell out of here," he grits as he scrambles to get into the car, but because of the nature of his injury, he does not sit into the car as much as he just falls into it. The A.I. powered sedan does not even wait for it's owner to close the driver's side door as it whisks him away.

Lynn races out the door, trying to fire off another shot but her gun is empty, so she throws the gun in the car's direction even though she has no hope of hitting it.

"Subject is escaping, heading north," she gasps into her radio, out of breath from running, "Requesting back-up."

_"Cannot fulfil that request. We're taking too many losses at the hands of the Wily robots,"_ replies the dispatcher.

* * *

><p>As Punk and Enker overwhelm the police, Ballade stands over Mega Man aiming his right blaster arm directly at Mega's head. With no strength left to fight, and no blaster to fight with, and his support from the police being badly devastated, Mega Man does not stand a chance to survive.<p>

"Your life ends here, Mega Man. Those that you protact will soon accept their place as Dr. Wily's slaves," Ballade says.

"You really think my death will end this war?" Mega barely will be another after me. The human race will never surrender to Wily."

"There may be another Defender after you, but he will meet his end at our hands as well. The people you protect will cower at the feet of Dr. Wily, just like you should have done," Ballade states as he charges a powerful shot.

"HEY!" Punk yells, lunging for Ballade and shoving his arm away as he fires the shot the would have killed Mega, causing it to fly astray into an already ravaged building. "I told you, he's _my_ kill!"

"This is too important for your ego to intervene, Punk! All that matters is getting the kill!" Ballade argues as Enker catches up with them.

"You just just want to get the kill because Dr. Wily appointed you to be the 'leader' of this group!" Punk argues, "Everybody knows that_ I_ am the best Killer here, and I should be the one who finishes off the little blue dillweed!"

"Your weapon wouldn't do enough damage," Enker interjects, "Let me impale him and we'll take his head back to Dr. Wily!"

"Oh, so you're gettin' in on this too?" Punk loudly bemoans, "Why don't I shove a blade in your face and we'll see how much damage it does!"

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Ballade yells, "I am the robot who executes Mega Man, and you both will fall in line!"

"Like hell, I will!" Punk shouts as he punches Ballade in the jaw, and the two Killers begin fighting each other as Enker tries to separate them!

* * *

><p>"WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" an enraged Dr. Wily shrieks high above in the Skullker, "They are not supposed to fight eachother, those idiots!"<p>

Albert nearly breaks the control panel and his hand as he contacts the Killers, screaming, "KILL MEGA MAN NOW!"

_"I'll be more than happy to obey, Dr. Wily. But, I've got some business to take care of first!__"_ Punk replies in the middle of his brawl with Ballade.

Wily balls his fists so hard he cracks his knuckles as his aged face turns red and the vein in his forehead pulsates. This great plan is falling apart in a way he never anticipated.

* * *

><p>Down below, Punk jumps on Ballade with two of his blades in his hands, but the Killers leader kicks Punk upside his head to save himself. And despite his own wish to be the robot who kills Mega Man, Enker continues his attempt to keep his partners from killing<em> each other!<em>

Meanwhile, admidst the wreckage of Police vehicles, Chief Toombs staggers back up to his feet after being violently thrown off them from the shock of a Ballade explosive cracker. He grabs a rocket, loads it up and takes aim at the Killers, who are all far enough away from Mega Man and too distracted fighting each other. Perfect distance to them them down.

"Say _cheese_, ya' gremlin bastards!" he says as he fires the rocket at at the Killers.

Just as the Killers realize they have all been targeted, it is already too late as the rocket strikes the asphalt nearby, sending them flying and crashing to the shattered ground, with Enker crushing the fire hydrant Mega used to create a distraction earlier.

Toombs hollers, "Everybody who's left standin', fire anything you got at 'em!"

The remaining police officers and Policebots regain their composure and open fire on the Killers with their plasma bolt automatic rifles and handguns as a group of PoliceBots hustle into the middle of the line of fire to retrieve Mega Man and get him to safety.

* * *

><p>Back onboard the Skullker, an erupting Dr. Wily slams his fists into the Skullker control panel, causing buttons to come loose and fly off, in disbelief that this once magnificant plan has completely unraveled! And this time it's not even his fault, or ProtoMan's, but that of the Killers themselves.<p>

After controlling himself just enough to stop his hands from smashing things, Dr. Wily yells, "Retreat, you rustheads! RETREAT!"

* * *

><p>The Skullker lowers itself to ground level to collect the three Mega Man Killers and makes a retreat as the Police tries to shoot it down. If only they had any more explosive-grade firepower left undamaged by the Killers' attacks, they would have used them to bring Wily down.<p>

The wail of more sirens are heard as ambulances and fire engines make their way to the battle-ravaged intersection to treat the injured and put out the many fires that blaze in the nearby buildings and the destroyed police vehicles.

The pair of Policebots sent out to retrieve Mega Man return with the badly damaged hero in-tow, and Chief Toombs as the first to reach him. "Mega Man, are ya' a'right?"

Mega barely moves his head from one side to the other.

"Come on, speak to me, laddy!" Toombs urges as she tries to shake Mega Man by the arms.

Barely awake and looking the worse for wear, Mega finally groans something, and it is the name of the only person he doesn't know for sure is alright. "... Kalinka... have to find her."

"He's gotta be loopy. If had a bomb go off in me face, I'd be too," Toombs says, "Let's get 'im back ta' Dr. Light's lab, an' do it fast."

"Yes, Chief," nods a PoliceBot as Toombs and several of the human and robot officers load the injured Mega Man atop of a gurney, and then into an emergency police vehicle with a SkyCar engine to take him back home to the lab.

* * *

><p>The channel 7 news van is still caught in a traffic backup because several motorists abandoned their vehicles and fled. Bree gets out and runs towards the scene of the devastating attack along with her cameraman who begins recording the sight of the Skullker heading away from the area and several medical personnel arriving to aid the injured.<p>

The cameraman counts down, "You're live in five... four... three," then uses his fingers to end the countdown.

In her earpiece, Recotta can hear the voice of Kirk Trujillo back at the anchor desk as the station broadcasts live._ "We now have Bree Recotta reporting live at the sight of the attack in western Manhattan. Bree, we understand you could not get to close to the site because of the hazardous conditions, but what is happening there now that Dr. Wily has left?"_

Bree looks into the camera and reports into the microphone, "There is no other way to put it, Kirk. western Manhattan has become a war zone tonight. As you have probably heard, three of Albert Wily's robots - and possibly Albert Wily himself - appeared here at around 8:30 PM tonight and..."

Bree pauses when she sees Mr. Black's car in the distance zooming away from the area and heading north.

"Bree, you're live!" whispers the cameraman, trying to get her attention.

Bree continues, "... and from what we've heard, Dr. Wily and his robots weren't the only ones here."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I had to be careful with depicting all of the injuries that took place here, because I didn't want this story to get into rating trouble. Hopefully, it is not too intense for me to get into trouble. But, if you think that the injuries were too intense for a T rating, please let me know in a PM.  
>(Now you see why I this up into two chapters. It would be too jarring to go from a beautiful date to a sequence where characters are getting injured and shot.)<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos or incomplete lines or continuity errors so bad that Rudolph's nose would burn out, please send me a PM right away._


	106. Regrouping

_I want to take this time to send my deepest sympathy to the victims, families of victims and all who have been affected by the unspeakable tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut at Sandy Hook Elementary School._

_Out of respect, all unneccessary references to guns and shooting were removed from this chapter._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 10, chapter 4: Regrouping.<strong>_

* * *

><p>On their way back to Skull Fortress, Dr. Wily is still fuming mad and now spends the majority of his time chewing out the Mega Man Killers for allowing their anger towards each other to cost him certain victory and the 'honor' of watching Mega Man be destroyed.<p>

"How dare you!" Wily flips out, "I built you three to be the robots who would bring me Mega Man's head on a plate! I did not build you to embarrass me like this!"

Ballade attempts to explain his case to Dr. Wily, but Punk cuts him off. "With all due respect, we had everything under control. That is, until Horn Head over there messed everything up," he says, referring to Ballade as _Horn_ _Head _to make reference to his golden bullhorn-like ornament on the forehead of his helmet.

Ballade states, "Punk selfishly put his own best interests ahead of accomplishing our goal because he wanted to be known as the robot who killed Mega Man, and therefore jeopardized the entire operation."

"Didn't you want somebody who could get the job done right?" Punk asks, leaning back against the interior of the Skuller with his arms folded behind his blade-clad head.

"This is not about _who_ kills Mega Man! Just _kill him!"_ Wily erupts, curling his wrinkled fingers into twisted talons.

"We should return to New York and finish the job we started," Enker suggests, "Mega Man is nearly destroyed. He would stand no chance against us now."

"That is out of the question," Wily dismisses, "By now, he is already back at Thomas Light's stupid little lab and The President has likely already scrambled his military forces to protect the entire region. We had to defeat Mega Man the first time before he and his pacifist of a father could conceive a counter-offensive!"

Wily returns to the smashed controls of the Skullker and utters, "They will be _expecting_ us to return. The only way you will stand a chance to defeat them now is to launch a larger attack next time."  
>Wily spins his pilot's seat around to face the Killers and waves his finger, "But, I am <em>not<em> letting you three loose again until you learn how to COOPERATE!"

"I can solve that problem. Put me in charge," Punk says.

"You've created enough problems for us already," Ballade admonishes.

"All you had to do was say, _'Yes, Punk. Please kill Mega Man for us,'_ and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, would we?" Punk argues.

"Your weapon wouldn't have been able to crack his critical systems like my staff could. That's why _I_ should have killed Mega Man!" Enker adds.

"You're still trying to make a big deal of yourself, are you?" Punk counters, getting testy again.

"At least Enker can keep his ego in check more than you do," Ballade says.

"So, it's two-on-one now, huh?" Punk loudly bemoans, "It's fine by me, I like it the odds are against me, it looks better when I win. So, come at me, bro!"

After having to listen to this arguing for so long, Dr. Wily finally snaps and yells, "SHUT-UP!"

Ballade, Enker and Punk all fall silent and stop arguing with each other. But, Punk gets in one more parting shot at Ballade by flipping him off with his right hand.

Ballade sneers at Punk's gesture and shakes his head as he takes a seat nearby in the Skullker, which is the copilot's seat next to Wily's, which is traditionally where ProtoMan sits.

"I apologize for the failure of the mission Dr. Wily. It will not happen again," Ballade says formally.

Wily turns his head away from Ballade and stares out the Skullker windshield. "It had better not," he grumbles.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

In the aftermath of the slaughtering attack by the Killers, the lab has become like an emergency room as Mega Man, Roll and Rush are all undergoing repairs following how badly they were beaten by their new enemies.

Roll is wearing an apparatus over her bashed utility arm that shuts down local pain sensors when worn, Rush is temporarily powered down as Dr. Light finishes work on the most serious damage he sustained, and the badly damaged Mega Man lies prone on another work table nearby, still very weak and having to be fed an Energy Can by Eddie.

After ingesting the energy juice in the can, Mega finally becomes lucid, but does not feel much better because of the heavy damage he sustained in battle and he lets out a pained grunt.

"I _told you_ they were gonna kill you," Roll says, still cradling her injured utility arm as a worried Peekaboo sits next to his Mommy, wrapping his extension arm around her.

"I'm still here, though... but, I'm lucky I am," Mega mutters as his eyes squeeze shut, bearing his own injuries. His first concern however is with Kalinka Cossack. "Kalinka. Where is she?"

"Her security detail made their way to Liberty Island after you left to fight the three new robots. They picked her up and returned her to her hotel room. She's safe," Thomas replies.

Mega looks very relieved now. Even though he has yet another massive challenge falling right into his lap with The Killers, the knowledge that Kalinka is okay makes him feel at least a little better

"I was so excited to be with her, I didn't drink any Energy Cans," Mega says.

"Doh, Eddie forget to give you Energy Cans too," Eddie pouts.

"Don't feel bad, Eddie. I don't think all the energy juice in the world could've prepared me for those guys. Where are they now?" Mega asks.

"They left the area and flew back to Skull Fortress," Dr. Light answers.

"They started fighting with each other after the purple one almost blew you up," Roll adds, "That red jerk with the saws and spikes on his arms was the one who started it."

"They were fighting over who would get the right to finish me off... I guess that was my saving grace," Mega Man utters.

As Thomas removes Mega's burned blue chestplate, revealing the endoskeleton underneath so that the Good Doctor can better assess the damage, he asks, "I would hate to ask you about the battle at a time like this, Rock, but did these new robots exhibit the same strength that Bass did?"

"_Ugh!_ Don't say _that_ name, either," Roll groans when she hears Bass' name again.

"They were very good at combat, about as good as Proto is, but none of them are like Bass," Mega shakes his head.

Thomas lets out a brief relieved sigh. "Well, then... it's good to know that Albert has not used any more fragments of the meteor that Brain Bot told us about," he says, referring to the meteorite Dr. Wily found last year which was later used to power Bass and create the energy form that Wily dubbed Bassinium.

"He might not have used it to make them, but I don't like how that one bot's staff catches plasma like it was nothing," Mega says, "That's gonna be big trouble."

"The only trouble there's gonna be is when I get back at that stupid punk of a robot!" Roll sneers about Punk, "Did you hear what he called me?"

"I'd be careful with these bots, Roll. They're worse than Robot Masters," Mega warns.

Roll turns to Peekaboo and says, "Boo, cover your ears. Mommy's about to say something you shouldn't hear."

Boo's eyes get big and he hides under his hardhat.

Roll gets an angry look on her face as she adds, "I don't care how dangerous they are, 'cause that bot with the saws and spikes isn't gonna be so bad when I get done kicking his titanium a-"

"Pardon me," inadvertently interrupts Morris the robo butler, "But, Miss Cossack is calling the lab. She wants to know the status of Sir Rock."

Mega gives Dr. Light a nod, then the Good Doctor relies to the robo butler. "You can patch her in here, Morris. Audio only."

After Morris connects her to the lab, the worried voice of Kalinka can be heard. on the audio speakers._ "Rock? Are you okay?"_

"I've felt better, but I'm alright," Mega replies

_"I wish I was there right now with you,"_ Kalinka says.

"I know you do, but you wouldn't want to see me right now. I'm not in the best of shape," Mega says.

_"Hopefully after you get better, I can see you again?"_ Kalinka asks.

"Sure. We have lost time to make up for before I beat up those three new goons of Wily's," Mega replies.

_"Okay. Please tell me when you are better. I know you can beat these stupid, stupid Wily robots,"_ Kalinka says.

After the call ends, Mega's mood slips again when his thoughts drift to The Killers. "I _hope_ I can beat them," he sighs to himself.

Despite her injury, Roll manages to crack a smile and tease her brother again. "So, she knows you as _Rock_ now, huh?"

Mega stares at the ceiling and uncomfortably answers, "She just... I'm not discussing this right now."

"Did you two kiss?" Roll asks playfully.

Thomas intervenes, "Roll, please, your brother needs to remain calm."

Roll relents as wraps her good arm around Peekaboo again. "Okay... we'll just discuss this later."

While Roll thinks that her brother's mind is on Kalinka, Mega Man's primary concern is The Killers. He hadn't faced anything quite like The Killers since Bass, and he has no idea how he will stand a chance against such a well-oiled machine like this team the next time.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After returning 'home' to the fortress, a steaming mad Dr. Wily storms off to the solitude of his command center where he can at least begin formulating his next strategy for The Killers. And on his way there, he comes across ProtoMan, who is leaning himself up against the purple titanium wall and staring at Wily with that smirk of his.

Albert knows why Proto is here. He knows just how much Proto wants to rub this defeat in his face, but, the mad doctor just keeps walking straight ahead, briefly flashing Proto a look that clearly states _'Don't start with me' _as he passes him. In fact, Wily is so determined not to deal with ProtoMan that he actually hurries his walk a few steps so he can bypass him quicker.

Proto continues staring at Dr. Wily and keeps the smirk on his face as the madman walks by. But, before Wily could manage to walk away in time, Proto chimes in "Who're the failures now?"

Once Proto's jab hits his ears, Dr. Wily stops dead in his tracks and balls his fists, which are already bruised from bashing them into the Skullker's controls earlier tonight.

"You know, except when it came to Metal Man and me, I don't remember a single time when any of us started fighting each other in the middle of a battle," Proto adds, just twisting the knife a little more.

"I am only going to tell you once. Stop!" Wily spits angrily.

Proto yields, "Sure, whatever you say, Wily..._ if_ you could find it in your black heart to let me out of this fortress for a few hours. I know I'm supposed to be in the dog house around here, but I think I've been grounded here long enough. You know, if you don't let me outta her soon... I could _sue you_ for the right to leave."

Albert turns around with wide eyes, furrowed brows and a slack jaw, flabbergasted that Proto would even suggest something as absurd as suing him.

"Okay, that was a stretch. I don't think there are many lawyers that would represent the world's most wanted man and robot in court," Proto quips as she shrugs his arms. "But, seriously, a few hours away from this dive could go a long way."

Dr. Wily puts his hands on his hips and grows frustrated again until ProtoMan speaks up again, making a suggestion that grabs his attention...

"If you let me out, you can even keep tabs on me if you want. I know how you love that," Proto says, proverbially dangling that carrot in front of his co-creator.

After frowning upon Proto for a few tense seconds, Wily gives a backhanded wave and walks away. "You are free to go. But, I expect you to return before morning," he grumbles.

After Wily gives him what he wants, Proto mutters, "That was easier than I thought."

ProtoMan and Wily continue going their separate ways for the evening, but Wily turns around when Proto is nearly out of sight and stares at him again until walks so far away he can no longer see him.

_"Don't trust him," _says the whisper in Dr. Wily's head, _"Are you going to just let him walk out of here so easily?"_

Given his demented state of mind, the only one Albert trusts is the whisper. Wily grabs a communicator out of his lab coat and contacts the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man. He could have selected any other Robot Masters to do this, but Albert feels very spiteful tonight after how sour the attack went.

"You three. Are you in the middle of another ridiculous card game?" Wily asks.

"Yeah. You would put us on the mission," GutsMan answers.

"Good! ProtoMan is going to be stepping out for the night, and I want you to follow him and monitor where he goes and what he does. If you don't want to be a part of the Mega Man Killers' next training drill, then I think you should do it," Wily says.

_"You forgot to say the magic word,"_ Cut Man reminds.

"PLEASE!" Wily yells in a fit of rage, "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, **PLEAEEEEEEEEASE!**"

After his outburst, Wily slams the communicator on the floor and stomps on it over and over again until it is completely destroyed in several pieces. And this outburst only illustrates even further that whatever patience Albert Wily may have left is reaching it's end.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan makes his way to his quarters and opens up his makeshift closet, revealing his preferred outdoors disguise of his leather jacket (with roomier forearms) jeans and sunglasses.<br>He should be happy to leave this dreary fortress, but he doesn't look very happy right now.

As much as Proto is glad that Wily gave him the chance to get out of here for the night, he is heading out for a reason. A much more important reason than just_ getting some fresh air_.

For nearly an hour, his been repeatedly contacted by the only robot outside of this fortress who knows what his communication frequency besides Mega Man... the female robot Nomad.

Over two months ago, Proto gave her his frequency and told her to call him if she needed him, and after never being contacted for several weeks, he became concerned. But, not only is she contacting him now, but she is contacting him frequently and urgently, and Proto is now concerned_ because_ she is trying to reach him.

Proto wants so badly to contact her to tell her that he is on his way, but, he knows that he probably shouldn't try to contact her from here, because Wily is so paranoid he is probably going to monitor any messages he sends out, even more so now that he knows Proto is leaving the fortress. All he can do is head out as soon as possible and make sure Wily doesn't follow him and learn of Nomad's existence.

"Just hang in there, kiddo. I'm coming to help," Proto says like he was speaking to Nomad as his forearm communicator continues to receive her contacts.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

With his hands covered in dried blood, the former F.B.I. agent begins wrapping a pressure bandage around his neck with a gauze on the wound he sustained earlier tonight. Mr. Black can consider himself lucky that the carotid artery was not hit and that the wound was superficial, or else he would be in serious trouble right now.  
>But, he has still lost a significant amount of blood, and that is only being made worse by the fury he is feeling right now because of how everything went down tonight.<p>

Mr. Black's phone continues to ring, but he refuses to answer it until the bandage is fully applied to his neck, because he doesn't feel like bleeding out just for a debriefing, especially after how everything went down tonight.

Finally, after securing the bandage, he grabs the phone answers full of venom. "I had the target, Goddamn you!" he growls.

_"There was no guarantee you could have succeeded taking your target out,"_ The Conduit calmly replies with a voice that is disguised by advanced audio software.

"Bullshit! You weren't even there. You have no idea how close I was to ENDING IT ALL!" Mr. Black erupts, throwing an item across the room, "Tell me the truth, dammit! Why was I ordered to pull out?"

After a pause, The Conduit responds, _"Tonight was not the right time to consummate this mission."_

Mr. Black becomes utterly baffled at his employer's comments. "Now is not the time? Is this your idea of a joke?

_"This mission will end when I say it does. No sooner."_

Mr. Black jabs back, "When it looks best for you and your agenda, right?"

_"Correct. And if you do not want me to change my mind on your future involvement, you will accept that."_

Before the seething Mr. Black could speak again, The Conduit adds, _"Your actions tonight have proven that you are a liability. You have shown that you are unwilling to stay put when you are told. And because of that, I feel it is imperative to ensure my ability to operate in the event of your inevitable capture or death."  
>"I want you to duplicate all of your intel so that my newest asset will be fully prepared to take the reigns in the event of your fall. And failure to cooperate will force my hand... and your services would no longer be required. And you will never get the chance to take that shot."<em>

Mr. Black remains stone silent, becoming a bubbling caldron of rage. But, he knows he has to play along, because this is his only chance to complete this mission. He has to follow The Conduit's order.

After taking a moment to calm himself down enough, Mr. Black replies, "Okay... I'll play along, and I'll copy the files for your new little helper. I'll even put them in his hands myself if you want me to. But, you have to do something for me too."

_"Keep your request within reason,"_ The Conduit replies, willing to hear Mr. Black's request.

"If you expect me to make these miracle extractions, my vehicle needs a SkyCar engine if I'm going to stand a chance at escaping the Police and the F.B.I." Mr. Black says, detailing his request as more of an order.

After a moment passes, The Conduit very briefly snickers on the line, so briefly that it ends almost as soon as it begins. "That can be arranged. I know just the engine to acquire."

"And I want your word that nobody but me fires the bullets that end this mission. Just do that and I'll do what you want," Mr. Black says, "But, if you stab me in the back... I'm going to come after _you_! And I will destroy everything you're working to achieve!"

_"That would be the biggest mistake of your life. If you behave yourself, we will not have any further problems. But, do not cross me, because I have all the power here... Agent Barton."_

The Conduit disconnects the call, once again getting the last word and leaving Mr. Black simmering. He should calm down, because the constant stress is not helping the severity of his would, and the bandage on his neck is already soaked red with more blood. But, Mr. Black continues to stew in his anger as he makes his way to his study room.

Once there, he makes his way to a bookshelf, removing a copy of _A Tale of Two Cities_ that stood out from the other books on the shelf by just a few inches, and reaches for a switch, then flicks it. The entire shelve then shifts to the right, revealing Mr. Black's master computer station.

He removes an unused hard disc drive (which is merely the size of a half-deck of playing cards thanks to today's technology) and plugs the cord dangling from the end of it into the master computer and soon begins duplicating his entire database full of intel he has acquired from missions, weapon data, and every other piece of information he knows or that has been given to him by The Conduit.

Almost as soon as he begins the process, Mr. Black feels drowsy and light-headed, because of the loss of blood. He realizes that he needs to get to the other bag of frozen blood he has so that he can use it before it is too late.

But, before he takes one step, Mr. Black falls to the floor, landing on his knees and forearms right in front of the chess board that he constantly obsesses over every night. The entire room feels like it is on a boat in the middle of an intense typhoon, and his limbs feels like they are full of gelatin.

John barely lifts his head up and sees the chess board on the table in front of him and he reaches for a piece - the ebony Queen to be exact - and barely picks it up...

"Your move," he moans as his pupils become dilated... and everything around John goes dark.

But, when he opens his eyes, the landscape before him is now totally different. He is no longer in his hideout in New York... he is at home again in Virginia, just like he remembers it... and sitting across the chess board is somebody he remembers very well... it was _her!_ And she is just how John prefers to remember her: light olive-brown skin, long black hair with large curls, full lips, soft eyes with dark pupils. She was perfect again.

John placed the Ebony Queen chess piece down on a square in front of her ivory King piece, winning their match. "Checkmate."

"Whoa! What just happened?" she asked.

"I just beat you. Again," John said, leaning back in his chair and victoriously folding his arms behind his head.

She looked away from John and folded her arms. "No. I had _you_ beat," she insisted.

"If this were a game of Checkers, you might have. But, Chess is a game of strategy... and your strategy fell apart about five moves ago."

She huffed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Generals don't exactly tell the leaders on the other side of the battlefield when they are making mistakes," John mischievously grinned.

She glazed those beautiful eyes of hers and began walking away, but John's grin only got wider as he went after her. "Oh, come on, I'm only trying to make you a better player."

"Uh-huh," she dismissed.

"You're learning from an expert here," John says as he pursued her.

"Uh-huh," she dismissed again as they reached the kitchen.

"You know, you're a very lucky woman to have me in your life," John said coyly as he stepped in front of her.

"Uh-_huh,_" she groaned with a little more sass this time as she turned around.

Seeing that he was not going to win this, he sighed, "Okay, I admit, I should have told you when you were losing."

John stepped close to her and added, "And I'm an even luckier man to have a woman like you in my life."

She smiled and taped John on his nose with her finger. "Now you've said something right."

"Uh-huh," John smirked as the two come closer to each other... he missed this feeling... and then, it was gone...

... John wakes up from his collapse, and finds himself back in this dark, cruel, soul crushing reality. He wasn't John Barton anymore; he is Mr. Black again.

After staring at the ceiling and clutching the same Ebony Queen piece in his hand, Mr. Black slowly pulls himself back to his feet and remembers to find the extra blood bag so that he can administer it to himself before he collapses again. But, before he leaves, he places the chess piece right back where it was, in the same square it has stood for many months.

He cannot end this match without her here. But, they will finish it together one day... one day.

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in Montana.<strong>

Wearing his civilian disguise of the jacket, jeans and sunglasses, ProtoMan rides in a plain civilian-looking shuttle as he begins homing in on the origin point of Nomad's communication signal. As he travels, he keeps an eye out for any sign of destruction caused by Nomad's shockwave attack, but he doesn't see any.

Proto also watches his six for even the smallest sign of anybody tailing him, particularly any of Wily's robots. Being the expert on combat that he is, Proto knows when he is being followed, and it is much easier when those following him are doing a poor job at hiding the fact that they are following him.

Proto sees another anonymous-looking shuttle following his every move. Obviously, it was sent out by Dr. Wily, but, judging by how bad they are at tailing and the clumsiness of their flying, Proto has a bad feeling he knows who the pilots are.

ProtoMan lands his shuttle in a patch of bare land and watches the other shuttle fly right past him, then swing back around to take up a position behind his shuttle again, then pulls off a rather clumsy landing somewhere behind him on another patch of land.

"_Ugh... _you guys," Proto groans as he steps out of his shuttle and walks towards the other shuttle.

After Proto reaches the other shuttle, he knocks on its solid titanium hull and awaits a response.

_"Nobody's here!"_ says the muffled voice of Cut Man from inside.

_"I hope he buys it,"_ utters the voice of GutsMan.

_"You _seriously_ think he's going to buy _that_?_" Magnet Man nearly groans.

"I'm not leavin' until you get out of there," Proto affirms.

A few seconds later, the rear entrance door opens and Cut Man, GutsMan and Magnet Man step out, looking disappointed that they were caught.

"I told you he knew it was us," Magnet Man says.

"_Cut_ it out!" Cut Man complains, (with a cut-related pun, of course.)

ProtoMan asks, "Wily sent you out to spy on me, right?"

"Yeah. He said we wouldn't have to be in the next training mission with those three goonbots if we did it," GutsMan replies.

Cut Man adds, "We didn't really _want_ to do it, though, because it's you. You've been good to us Robot Masters."

"You even saved GutsMan's titanium skin from Enker's staff, no matter how much he wants to admit it or not," Magnet Man says.

Proto puts his hands in his jacket pockets and mulls something over. "I've just got one question: Are you guys still my crew?"

All three answer in unison, "Yeah."

ProtoMan grins. "Okay... I want you to keep following me in this flying bathtub of a shuttle you've got here, but don't follow too closely and don't drop off too far, or Wily will get suspicious. I'm sure he's tracking us all right now, so let's play it safe... can you three tell a lie?"

The trio looks confounded. "Robots can't lie," GutsMan says.

Proto grins, "Robots with advanced programming can. And ever since Light upgraded your systems, you're just like me."

The trio robots look at each other with surprise.

"Don't pay any attention to what I'm doing out here. When Wily calls, you just tell him that tell him that I'm just sitting by myself and not doing anything strange or out of line. If he asks if I'm talking to anybody, tell him I'm not. Does that sound easy enough?"

"I think we can handle it, boss," Magnet Man replies.

"Good. If we get too close to a populated area, hang back and don't draw attention to yourselves. Let's get out of here," Proto states as he walks back to his shuttle.

"Hey, Proto. What are you doin' out here anyway?" GutsMan asks.

Proto turns and answers, "... need some fresh air. What else?"

As ProtoMan heads back to his shuttle, Dr. Wily contacts the trio looking for a status report. _"You have all come to a stop. What is he doing now?"_

Proto glances back to GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man as he returns to his shuttle, expecting the trio to follow his instructions.

Magnet Man answers his creator with a lie. "He's not doing anything right now. It looks like he's just sitting there. We'll keep an eye on him."

Proto gives them a nod when he overhears their answer. He knows he can rely on them if things get heated.

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, ProtoMan closes in on the origin signal of Nomad's contacts as her calls continue to reach him. Proto lands the shuttle on a nearby rooftop and jumps out, racing for a criss-cross alley between a bunch of buildings that are standing close together, which is where Nomad's calls are emanating from now.<p>

Proto lands in the alley on his feet, causing everything around him to shake at the impact of his landing. Again, Proto does not see any sign of destruction consistent with Nomad's shockwave weapon. Nothing looks out of place around here in the slightest.

Now, Proto is more worried, because her communications came from this area, but she is nowhere to be found.

"Hello?" Proto calls, "It's ProtoMan. Are you still here?"

After a few seconds pass, Proto hears something kicked around nearby. He looks around with extreme caution, because with no Nomad anywhere in sight and cramped quarters out here in the middle of nowhere, he knows this could all be an elaborate trap set by Wily... or, by Bass.

Proto keeps his left arm held up, not yet drawing his plasma cannon, but ready to defend himself if it comes to that. And if Nomad is being used or hurt to get to him, the perpetrator will get the beating of their life, no matter who they are.

"Where are you?" he calls to whomever is out there.

But, after another long stretch of silence, from a dark corner behind Proto, Nomad emerges, still wearing the heather grey sweatshirt and pants over her body to hide her true robot appearance. She has her left hand placed up against her cranium, because she is feeling intense head pain again like she did when she was born. Her face is dripping with eye lubrication as it leaks from her thin eyes, because the pain has become too much to handle.

An urge inside of her wants to unleash a shockwave and cause destruction to make the pain go away, but her wish to not cause needless destruction is holding her back from unleashing it. But, with the head pain becoming worse, she does not know how much longer she can resist the primal urge to destroy.

The sound of her metallic feet catch ProtoMan's attention and he turns around to see her wincing in pain as she barely staggers towards him. He becomes deeply concerned when he sees how bad she is suffering.

"It's the pain in your head. Right?" Proto asks.

Nomad is unable to answer vocally, because her programming was never fully uploaded when she came to life and robbed her of her ability to speak. But, she does manage to nod.

Proto holds his arms out and offers her to come over to him. "It'll be okay. Come'ere."

Nomad barely manages to stagger into Proto's arms, burying her face in the shoulder of his jacket and tightly wrapping her arms around him, letting out a silent weep that nobody can hear. Proto gently wraps his arms around her and sways back and forth as he tries to calm her down.

"It's okay, I'm here now," he says in a hushed tone, "I know you feel all alone in this big world... and I do too, sometimes. But, at least you've got me."

After being kept in a warm, welcoming embrace for a long period of time, Nomad begins to calm down and the pain in her head begins to subside. ProtoMan can feel how much calmer she is now that she eases the grip she has on his body. Maybe it is extreme emotions - both positive and negative - can have an effect on this strange pain that only Proto and Nomad have ever felt the full brunt of.  
>And making Nomad feel better also gives ProtoMan an inner peace that he has never had in his life. He finally feels like has a purpose, and <em>a good one<em> for once.

Nomad looks up at Proto, her face still wet until he wipes the tears from her face.

"Are you feeling better now?" Proto asks.

Nomad nods and wraps her arms around Proto tighter and rests her head on his chest again. She is afraid he is going to leave her and she is just making sure she keeps ahold of her only friend in the world.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere for a while. Let's sit down and relax for a few minutes. I some supplies for you," Proto says.

ProtoMan and Nomad sit down on the ground directly across from each other and Proto pulls out an Energy Can from under his jacket. Nomad stares at the can and doesn't know what to make of it, but Proto explains it to her.

"This is a can full of energy liquid," he says, offering the can to her, "If you drink it, you'll get your strength back without having to sleep. Plus, if you're in trouble, this should help you last longer in battle."

Once Nomad realizes what this can is, she takes it with both of her hands, one of which being the hand that houses her shockwave pulse generator, the hand that is missing it's outer protective layer of titanium, exposing her silver skeletal hand underneath. She holds the Energy Can close to her body like it is a valuable resource, which it _is_ in her situation.

Proto then pulls something else out from under his jacket which looks like a package of long blue cookie-like wafers.

"I know you've gotta be hungry, so, I was able to smuggle out some food for us robots to eat. It may not be the best delicacy for us, but here, they're all yours," Proto explains as he offers the wafers of robot food to her.

Nomad immediately grabs the wafers and begins eating them as soon as she unpackages them, finally relieved to get some nourishment in her system after going a while without finding any places that had food for robots. After less then a minute, Nomad scarfs down all the wafers.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink some of that Energy Can now?" Proto asks.

Nomad ruefully shakes her head, picking up her Energy Can and scootching herself over to Proto's side so she can be close to him again. Proto puts his arm around her and looks down upon her from behind his sunglasses, and then he begins using the fingers on his right hand to move some strands of her black hair out of her face to fully reveal her profile.

Proto doesn't know how a robot as innocent and beautiful as Nomad could have ever been used to be one of those idiotic Killers, but it makes him all the more glad that Wily never got the chance to use her as a weapon. And as long as Proto has anything to do about it, the mad doctor never will get that chance.

After spending several minutes in his care, Nomad's body slowly slumps over as she slips into recharge mode and her head gently lands on Proto's shoulder. She fell asleep in his arms because this is one of the only times that she feels safe to sleep. Because she_ trusts_ him. She knows that he will not let anybody hurt her.

ProtoMan remains quiet and keeps Nomad held safely here in his arms, and he begins thinking back to the last time he spoke with his brother Mega Man, and the circumstances of that talk.

The main reason he had called him was to distract him long enough so that teams of Robot Masters could take Galaxy Man right out of space and take him in to use as a weapon. But, during that communication, Proto had second thoughts about using his brother like this - after Mega has been so willing to accept him as a brother too - and almost warned him that the talk was a trap.  
>Then, of course, Bass arrived and attacked Proto and he never got the chance to warn his brother. And because of that, Galaxy Man fell into Dr. Wily's hands and the Black Hole Bomb nearly took everybody out.<p>

The decision to use his brother as a means to an end so easily has bothered ProtoMan since that night. And ever since Wily demoted him, Proto has felt the need to do something he has rarely done, and as he holds the resting Nomad at his side, ProtoMan feels that the time has come to do just that.  
>It's time to tell the truth and come clean to Mega Man about his deceptive action... and maybe come clean about a few other things too.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Happy 25th Birthday to Mega Man and the entire franchise! I had to have a chapter update today, even though it wasn't a very eventful chapter, I couldn't ignore this special day.  
>I've played a great many Mega Man games in my day, but my first Mega Man game was the first Mega Man X game in August 1994, followed by Mega Man 5, then Mega Man 6. And somewhere in between playing MM5 and MM6 is when the Mega Man cartoon entered my life, and that was one of the most important moments of my life, because it would later spark my desire to create.<br>So, the Mega Man franchise is very dear to me, and if you're reading this, I'm sure it is dear to you too.  
>Now, the next big anniversary associated with Mega Man is September 2014, the 20th anniversary of the cartoon show's debut!<em>

_I really wanted to bring Nomad back in a way that would stick with readers, and hopefully it makes up for her absence in Episode 9. And for fellow Nomad fans, do not worry, we have not seen the last of her. She will be back soon enough._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment. And if you see any typos, incomplete lines/scenes or continuity errors that are so bad they could make Frosty the Snowman melt (again,) please PM me._

_I plan on getting the next chapter online sometime before Friday. (And that Mayan calender better not interrupt my story, or I'm gonna kick it's hinder!)_


	107. Trying Again

_**Episode 10, Chapter 5: Trying again.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The morning after the attack.<strong>

_"The Wily robot attack that took place in Manhattan last night still has citizens shaken, and it has had a serious effect on everybody who became involved,"_ states Trish Faulkenburg at the channel 7 anchor desk,_ "The ranks of the City's Police Department have become severely depleted after several human police officers were severely injured at the hands of the three new Albert Wily robots. And Several PoliceBots were destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the attack as well. Officers from other precincts in New York state have already transferred to the city on a temporary basis to help increase the depleted ranks."_

Trish continues,_ "And also, reports state that Mega Man and even his sister Roll and his dog Rush were also hurt trying to battle these three mysterious robots before the destructive team fled the scene. This morning, Dr. Thomas Light told the media that the injuries sustained by Mega Man, Roll and Rush have been repaired."_

_"In addition to all of that, it is widely believed that the masked character Mr. Black appeared at the site of the attack last night and nearly destroyed a New York City PoliceBot. But, thankfully, NYPD representatives tell us that aside from receiving severe damage, he should be able to make a full recovery," _says Kirk Trujillo, with some good news about QN-60.

_"In other news, we have just received word that Governor Mitchell Deacon's personal SkyCar has been reported stolen!"_ states Trish,_ "We will have more on this as it develops."_

Little do we know that the stealing of Governor Deacon's car was actually an act carried out and executed by The Conduit so that Mr. Black can take the SkyCar parts for himself. Further proof that there are not many people who The Conduit cannot effect with his/her/it's malicious acts.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

After resting for the night following his late night repair work on Mega Man, Roll and Rush, Dr. Light back in his lab with Beat the robo bird perched on a pedestal nearby. But, instead of working on a project right now, Thomas is taking a call on the lab's large computer station from Dr. Cossack, and the Russian scientist's face appears live on one of the computer's screens.

_"Greetings, Thomas. It is good to see you again,"_ says Dr. Cossack.

"It is good to see you as well. Although, I regret not being able to greet you in person," Thomas replies.

_"I trust you are enjoying the company of your new companion?"_ Mikhail asks.

Beat the bird flies around the lab and lands on the back of Dr. Light's chair and chirps "Beat-Beat!" to his creator, Dr. Cossack.

"He is a welcome addition to the family, Mikhail," Thomas says, "But, you never had to give us a reward for helping you find Kalinka this year."

_"On the contrary, I felt it was necessary, even if it was a small gesture,"_ Dr. Cossack says, _"Speaking of my daughter, she is the reason I am contacting you. I have heard of this new threat posed by Albert Wily and that these three new robots are very powerful, and are still at large."_

"We are working on a strategy to defeat these new robots now, Mikhail. Mega Man will personally make sure that no harm comes to Kalinka," Thomas assures.

_"I am confident that he will not... but, being honest, I do not feel comfortable leaving my daughter alone in the hotel I have placed her in, even with the security of my guardian robots. I apologize if this sounds intrusive, but, I would feel less concerned if perhaps you would take her in at your complex for the duration of her stay in America, because your lab complex is much safer. Would you please do so?"_

"Of course, Mikhail. Kalinka is always welcome here," Thomas agrees.

Dr. Cossack looks relieved at the news. _"Thank you, Thomas. I greatly appreciate this. I will inform Kalinka of the change in her living arrangements myself. I would have liked to have spoken with you at a greater length, but I have a keynote address to deliver before the evening is out."_

"I understand, Mikhail. But, I would be pleased to have that conversation with you when we both have more time," Dr. Light says.

"I would as well. I shall see you again in the future," Dr. Cossack says with a nod as he ends the call to contact Kalinka to inform her or the change in her living arrangements, (which she will likely be pleased to hear.)

Not wasting any time, Dr. Light contacts Dorris the Robo Maid in the house right next to the lab. "Dorris, please make all necessary preparations to the guest room. We will be having company over for a few days."

_"Right away, Dr. Light,"_ Dorris replies in her thick Austrian accent.

Thomas begins stroking his grey beard. He is quite sure that his son will be happy to hear that his special friend is going to be staying here as well, but he wonders what so much time spent with each other will do to Mega's emotional capacitors... and he hopes they do not burn out from excitement.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

There is a ring at the doorbell and Mega Man personally makes his way to answer it, once again not wearing his helmet. There, he sees Kalinka Cossack, now wearing her blonde hair lightly pulled behind her head and with a small semi-ponytail and wearing an orange and yellow Autumn tunic and white pants, much more casual than how she was dresses last night, but still beautiful nevertheless.

"Oh, Rock! You are okay!" she sighs as she enters and hugs the robot boy she cares so deeply for, sounding so relieved to see him looking okay. "I was so scared for you last night."

"I understand. But, I'm a pretty tough robo hero to keep down," Mega reassures.

Kalinka and Mega pull themselves apart from their hug just enough to look into each other's eyes again. "Has Dr. Light told you yet?" she asks with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah. He told me your dad felt safer with you her," Mega replies, already well aware that Kalinka will be staying here. A smile forms on his face again, "I feel a lot better knowing you're here too."

Kalinka's becomes brighter again. "Now we _can_ spend more time together..." She then gets a conflicted look on her face as she adds, "That is, if it doesn't interfere with your duties."

Mega replies, almost bashful and irresistably charming. "No, of course it won't. I was hoping to spend more time with you."

Kalinka's smile returns again as she and Mega hold each other in their arms. But, her guardian robots bring her bags inside, coming to a stop right beside her and Mega Man.

"Where shall we place your bags, Miss Cossack?" asks the lead guardian robot.

Mega replies, "Just follow me. Dr. Light already had a guest room set up."

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Kalinka arrive to a bedroom at the end of the hall in Dr. Light's house, the same hall where Mega's and Roll's rooms are. As soon as they arrive, the Guardian robots immediately begin placing Kalinka's bags into the room.<p>

"It's not as luxurious as a hotel room is. But, I hope it's cozy," Mega says, looking and sounding more shy than usual.

After the Guardians place her luggage in the guest bedroom, the lead robot turns his attention to Kalinka. "We will stand guard outside the door if you wish, Miss Cossack."

Kalinka looks a bit odd about having these four burly robots standing guard outside her room, which she fears would make the Light family seem uncomfortable in their own home. "Maybe, you could stand guard _outside_ house. You can provide better security out there," she suggests.

"As you wish, Miss Cossack," states the lead guardian, giving Kalinka a bow along with the other three guardians before they leave and head outside.

Kalinka sighs, "I am so sorry about them. Father insists on keeping them with me after he heard about Wily's new robots."

"That's okay. If anything, having them outside will make the lab even more secure," Mega replies.

Kalinka steps further into the room and sits down on the bed, grabbing a bag and setting it on the bed with her. She opens the bag up and searches for something important. "There it is," she says, pulling out a digital picture frame and switching it on.

A picture from over ten years ago appears on the frame's screen, showing a beautiful woman on the screen who shares some of Kalinka's facial features. Kalinka than places the frame on the nightstand to the right of the bed and gazes at it as she sits back down again.

Mega Man asks, "Is that your mom?"

Kalinka smiles with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Yes."

"She's very beautiful," Mega compliments gently, "I'm sure she meant a lot to you."

"She was my best friend in world when I was little," Kalinka reminisces, "I miss her greatly."

Kalinka forces herself to move her gaze away from her mother's picture before she becomes emotional and looks up to Mega again. "Thank you for letting me stay here with your family."

"I'm glad you could stay here," Mega shrugs shyly, "I'll let you have a few minutes to get unpacked if you want."

Kalinka tilts her head as she listens to the tone in Mega's voice when he speaks. Ever since they got here to this room, his demeanor seems a bit off. "Are you okay, Rock?"

"Yeah, it's just..." Mega pauses, then admits, "When my brother stayed here last year, this was his room. I haven't been around this room ever since. Until you walked in this room, just seeing it only reminded me of... my problems with him."

Kalinka stands up and walks over to Mega, putting her hands on his blue shoulders. "Everything will be okay," she says in a soft, supportive tone, "You teach me that when I needed someone."

Mega smiles with kind eyes, "Thank you, Kalinka."

The voice of Dr. Light chirps on Mega's forearm communicator. _"Rock, could you come to the lab? Chief Toombs is calling and wants to discuss a potential strategy for combating Wily's new robots."_

"I'll be right there," Mega replies.

_"And do tell Kalinka that I hope she finds her arrangements to be comfortable,"_ Thomas adds.

Mega grins as he holds his forearm up for Kalinka to respond.

Kalinka nearly snickers as she answers, "The room is very nice. Thank you so much, Dr. Light!"

_"Oh! Why, you're welcome, Kalinka,"_ Thomas replies, a bit surprised to hear her on the line.

As Mega Man leaves, Kalinka calls to him. "Rock."

Mega turns around and replies, "Yes?"

Kalinka smiles as she puts her hands behind her back and nearly blushes. "I never got to tell you last night... you look really cute with your hair showing!"

Mega slowly smiles in surprise, so thrilled that she likes his more natural appearance. "Um... thanks!" he barely replies.

Mega and Kalinka stand in place and gaze at eachother, almost giddy and too excited to talk.

"Um, I've, uh, gotta go talk to the Chief," Mega blathers as he snaps back to the task at hand. "I'll be done soon."

Kalinka watches Mega walk away as she stands in the door frame of the guest bedroom. He face nearly becomes flushed because of how she just came out and told him how cute he was. She has never had feelings quite like this for any other boy before and she wishes that she could have told him how much she really feels for him. She almost did with a kiss last night at the Statue of Liberty. But alas, she never got the chance.  
>Maybe before she has to leave America, she <em>will<em> get the chance.

And likewise, Mega Man's thoughts dwell on Kalinka as he heads back to the lab. Now more than ever, Mega feels very strong emotions for this beautiful Russian girl, and he wishes the Killers had never appeared to ruin their date last night, because he would have been able to tell her how much he cares for her... or demonstrate it with the kiss they would have shared.  
>Maybe now that they can spend more time together, he might have the chance to tell her what he needs to say... without interruption next time.<p>

Mega Man enters the lab, but immediately turns back around to return to the family room for one very important reason... he forgot to put his helmet back on, because he was daydreaming about Kalinka.

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Bonne ship Gesellschaft.<strong>

Today is a big day for young Bon Bonne, because today, he is getting his big surprise! His older sister Tron carries him in her arms and big brother Tiesel follows them as they make their way to the Gesellschaft's garage bay where this big surprise awaits.

"Wait 'till you see what we've got for you, Bon!" Tiesel says as he rubs his glove-clad hands together.

"That's right. The Servbots and I have been working hard on it, and you're going to love it!" Tron peeps.

"Babu!" Bon replies as his siblings, using his favorite word.

The Bonne siblings reach the garage bay, where a group of Servbots are gathered around a large mech suit with tangerine orange and yellow shaded armor that stands about as tall as Tiesel. The suit itself his average-length legs, but it also sports very long arms, starting at the shoulders at the top of the mech's head going all the way to the it's ankles, nearly reaching the floor.

"Surprise, Mr. Bon!" The Servbots all say in unison in their cutie-pie little voices.

Bon chirps, "Babu, Babu!" as he happily flails his arms around.

"That's right! It's the Kresiel Mech Suit!" Tron explains, "And it's equipped with the finest state of the art technology (at least the best we could salvage,) including shock absorbers in the cockpit to protect you in case the suit tips over. That way you'll be nice and safe. And the arms have strength enhancers, so they can carry ten times more than even the strongest human in the whole world!"

"I don't think he cares much about the technical specs, sis," Tiesel mutters to his sister.

Tron mutters back, "But, he's learning the essential knowledge it takes to be a Bonne. We _have_ to know about tech specs."

Tiesel barely mumbles, "If you say so."

Tron continues speaking to Bon again as she places her little brother into the Kresiel cockpit, "And the best part is, the suit can feed you and keep you entertained without having to leave it. Isn't that great?"

"Babu!" Bon says as Tron fastens him to his seat with a safety harness.

Tron then reaches up and pulls down the front section of the mech suit's chassis to close it, so that the suit can be powered up. The front section of the suit is basically a basic round 'head' with a blank face consisting of two vertical black lines for eyes. The face area even has a large object that almost resembles a pacifier jutting out of the front where the mouth would be.

"Okay, Bon, let's see if your new suit works," Tron says, "Tiesel, power it up."

Tiesel reaches around back of the Kresiel and flicks a power switch, hidden underneath an armor panel, and the suit's posture becomes more straight and proper as it turns on.

* * *

><p>Inside the suit, all the controls come to life before little Bon, who immediately puts the pacifier feature into his mouth, and begins slurping juice that is dispensing from it. Then, he begins looking around the inside of the cockpit at the controls to see what these things do.<p>

In front of his field of vision, he sees a view screen that shows him an external view via the two eyes on the face of the suit. There, he sees his siblings standing before him as the Servbots begin to scurry away behind them.

_"Okay, Bon! Let's test the controls and see how they work!"_ Tron says cheerfully.

Bon looks down again and puts his hands into two small stations where his real arms will control the Kresiel's arms, also, his legs will also help control the feet of the mech from in here too...

And as we are about to see, putting a large and potentially dangerous piece of equipment in the hands of a toddler surely won't result in disaster... _surely._

* * *

><p>Bon's mech suit looks all around, then looks down at his legs and his extra long arms. The sound of Bon cooing can be heard from outside as he wiggles the suit's fingers.<p>

Then, Bon starts giggling as he raises the extra long arms high above his mech suit's round head. "BaaaaBUUUU!" he calls as he then takes those arms and slams them down on the floor, leaving two huge dents in the garage bay hull.

"Uh-oh!" Tiesel groans.

"Babu! Babu!" Bon cheers again as he starts jumping up and down in the suit, it's feet making loud crashing sounds as they begin caving in the garage bay floor!

The Servbots whimper and begin running away as Tiesel's jaw drops. "He's gonna kills us all in that thing!" the older Bonne bemoans.

"Well, get over there and lower his power!" Tron says.

"ME go over there? It's _your_ suit!" Tiesel complains.

Tron then grabs her older brother by his collar and growls through gritted teeth, "I said get over there and lower the power!"

Tiesel folds, "On my way!"

Tiesel tries to head over to Bon's suit, and barely ducks a wild swing from one of his little brother's long arms. When he reaches the suit, he leaps onto the back and opens the armor panel to expose the power switch and flicks it to 'minimal energy consumption.'

Bon's suit then slumps over like it was drunk and the arms droop onto the floor, but Bon's entertained giggles can still be heard from inside the suit it staggers ahead, now longer powerful enough to cause any more damage.

Tiesel barely steps down off of the back of Bon's suit and runs his hands through his large mass of bone white hair. "Well... that wasn't too hard... I hope!" he mumbles.

Tron rests her right arm in her left arm and puts her right hand on her chin as she ponders to herself, "I think I need to reduce the strength of his suit's hydraulic joints. Or maybe find a way to decrease the weight of his titanium limbs."

"You make your adjustments. I think I'm gonna go faint for a little while and let my heart rate get back to normal. I'll see you later," Tiesel says as he staggers away.

* * *

><p>Tiesel makes his way to his quarters on the upper level of the Gesellschaft and nearly collapses into his desk chair, his physical strength nearly depleted from his harrowing encounter he just had with his little brother's much suit. But, before he could rest for too long, he hears something right next to him making a noise.<p>

He then recognizes this noise as his phone system, telling him that he missed a call. His red colored contact lens eyes grow wide when he realizes he my have just missed the call he has waited for.

"Oh, my GOD!" he wails as he scrambles to find The Conduit's phone number and call back before it's too late. Finally, Tiesel finds the number and dials it up, hoping for the best.

Each ring feels like an eternity, and Tiesel begins breaking a sweat. He doesn't want this lucrative - albeit shady - revenue stream to be cut off before he can make some real money. But, finally, there is an answer...

_"I had thought that you were no longer interested in working with me."_

"Oh, no! I didn't mean to not answer. I've just been very busy today. I sincerely apologize. I still want to do business with you, yes... please," Tiesel nearly pleads.

_"I am glad you are still interested, young Tiesel. Because I am going to be giving you a greater responsibility in my operations. My primary asset has been stepping out of line recently, and I have decided that I need to cover all of my bases. I want you be at a specific place later tonight. There, you will be given my primary asset's entire database of intel, and you will be given greater responsibility."_

"Greater responsibility?" Tiesel asks, his ears nearly perking.

_"Yes. It is time for you to take your rightful place, young Tiesel... I feel that you will one day be my primary asset and the crown jewel in my organization. My current primary asset has some... personal business to take care of first before he resigns from his post."_

Tiesel begins dreaming about his financially wealthy future. And he is being given greater responsibility in The Conduit's organization. Sure, it sounds a bit shady, but the money is good. Really good.

"By chance, how soon is this _transition_ going to take place?" Tiesel asks.

_"It may be sooner rather than later,"_ The Conduit answers, _"Just be sure to report to the address I will provide you later and, and be there at the time appointed."_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Inside Battle Room 1, The Killers are once again undergoing another rigorous series of training drills from ProtoMan. But, unlike the first round of training, Dr. Wily - who is oblivious to Proto's late night visit with Nomad, thanks to the Robot Master Trio - has given Proto full permission to really put The Killers through the wringer this time, making the three new robots earn their victories, even if it means they have to take a fall once or twice.

At this moment, The Killers are battling against more advanced targets than the training drones that never fire back. These are waves of security robots that Dr. Wily had once used to patrol Skull Fortress in the earliest stages of this war before he had built more advanced robots to secure the place, but to call them 'robots' is perhaps being too kind.

The physical design for these units are very basic, built with a human-like body and a rusty silver shade of armor. These units also do not have advanced A.I. and are really just privative drones that are given a specific order by their owner, and they attempt to fulfil it. And it is easy to see why Wily decommissioned them soon after he had a whole army of Robot Masters, Sniper Joes and other bots around here to fortify the fortress.

After all the advanced combat drones are taken down and the latest round of training concludes, the Sniper Joes - including Headless Joe - race into the room to begin hastily repairing the fallen drones. Meanwhile, a grin forms on Proto's face as he looks at the results. "Still not good enough."

All three of the Killers are displeased with Proto's grade, namely Punk. "The hell do you mean it's still not good enough?" a frustrated Punk complains.

Proto snarks, "What do I mean? Well, actually, it's a phrase used in ancient Roman times, which in the proper English means... you still didn't do good enough! Any more questions?"

Ballade joins in, "Insulting our intelligence will not help any of us! Either tell us what _you think_ we are doing wrong, or-"

"Or, you'll what? Run along to Wily and whine?" Proto says, "After you screwed things up last time, he's not as open to listening to you as he was before. Now, shut-up and do the course again!"

Punk declares, "I don't think so! I'm done with your pointless little training missions. I don't need a relic from two years ago who wears some stupid scarf grading me on my skills when I am clearly the Best Robot in The World!"

"Well, if you're the best, why can't you beat a Mega Man who's barely alive?" Proto stabs with a smirk.

"I think you better shut up and get that wannabe badass look of your face before I chop it off!" Punk snaps as he balls his fists.

Ballade steps between ProtoMan and Punk. "Enough of this! Bickering will get us nowhere."

"That's another thing. As much as I can't stand Scarf boy over here, I'm not too keen on _you_ right now either!" Punk continues, pointing a finger in Ballade's face, "You shouldn't even be the leader of this group. Like I said last night, _I_ should be the leader!"

Proto cannot help but chortle at Punk's claim, while Ballade protests, "You do not have the capabilities to be a true leader!"

Punk snaps, "You can keep denying it, Chin Guard - and as for you Visor Man, you can laugh all you want, - but, if I was in charge, Mega Man would've been dead already! And why shouldn't I be the leader? I'm better than you, Ballade! I'm better then you, Enker!"  
>Punk then turns to the grinning ProtoMan and points at him, "And I'm<em> sure as hell<em> better than _you_, Scarf Boy!"

Ballade then grabs Punk by his spiky shoulder and spins him back around to face him. "I have had enough of your attitude! Dr. Wily appointed me as the leader for a reason, and that is because I am superior."

Enker now jumps into the argument, "_You're_ superior? Who has the best weapon of all of us? Me!" Enker brandishes his mirror staff before Ballade as tensions begin to escalate.

Punk fires back, "You don't even _have_ a real weapon! And that stick of yours doesn't count!"

"At least I didn't get blasted by Mega Man five times or kicked in the face by his sister, which is more than I can say for you!" Enker jabs back.

"Stop it!" Ballade barks, "This is why we failed to defeat Mega Man! We cannot stop arguing with ourselves, and our enemies capitalize on it. When we learn to fight Mega Man and our enemies instead of each other, we will be victorious."

Seeing that Ballade is trying to cool off the situation, ProtoMan decides to pour some fuel on the fire. "Don't flatter yourselves. Wily wasted his time picking you three dumbbells to challenge my brother, 'cause no matter which one of you is the leader and no matter how much you learn to play nice, you three couldn't beat Mega Man on your best day... and as for you, Punk..."  
>Proto steps right up to Punk and grins, "You couldn't beat <em>me<em> on my worst... 'cause, I'm better than you."

Proto smirks again and begins walking away from The Killers. But, Punk boils over with rage and attacks ProtoMan from behind, clubbing him from behind with his arms, nearly plunging one of his wrist spikes into the back of Proto's neck in the process and tearing his yellow scarf.

"You are not better than me!" Punk yells as the other two Killers hold him back from attacking ProtoMan any more.

In the midst of all this carnage, a fuming Dr. Wily marches into the Battle Room to bring it to a stop himself.

"Stop this fighting right now, I order you!" Wily yells.

Only Wily's order convinces Punk to stop trying to attack ProtoMan, who is pulling himself back to his feet with the help of Headless Joe (who is trying to help Proto while carrying his own disembodied head.)

Even though Wily's order made Punk stop attacking, it still does not shut him up. "You are not better than me!" he yells, "None of you are! I should be the leader of this group! I should be the leader of this whole damn army!"

"Your attitude is wearing thin even with me, Punk!" Wily admonishes, waving a finger at him, "With the time spent wasted arguing, you could have dealt with Mega Man by now!"

"You're starting on me too, old man?" Punk argues, "Get in line! I'm better than you too!"

With that, Wily loses it and snaps. Nobody dare lays claim to being superior to Albert Wily in any way without repercussion. "All robots within the sound of my voice, take Punk to the brig!"

"Our pleasure," Hard Man says, leading a group of Robot Masters also including Ring Man and Stone Man who are more then happy to oblige after being abused by Punk during the training exercise earlier in the week.

"Here, let me lend you a hand," Enker says, also happy to throw Punk in the brig.

"You think a night in the clink is gonna shut me up! HA! Just wait 'till you open the door again, and I'll knock all of you out side by side!" Punk yells.

As the Robot Masters take the complaining Punk away, ProtoMan is fed up. "I've had it! You can put me on the damn G-2 Construction crew if you want, but I'm not working with these idiots anymore."

"Don't stand there and play the innocent bot! You instigated this fight just as much as Punk did!" Wily accuses.

"You took advantage of us and ridiculed the entire team," Ballade piles on.

"You mean you've never heard of reverse motivation? Come on! You were supposed to use it to your advantage, but you're too stupid to figure it out!" Proto lies. Then, he turns to Dr. Wily, "Besides, you gave me permission to put the screws to them this time... didn't you, Wily?"

Ballade looks confounded as Wily gets steamed again after hearing Proto use his own tactic against him. "I did, Proto... but I did not expect you make the in-fighting worse!"

"Well, when you have an idiot like Punk, you should've expected it," Proto says, before turning back to Ballade and adding, "By the way, the three of you aren't the best _anything_ around here yet! I'm the measuring stick in this army, and I've pulled my weight around here more than anybody else. Just ask around."

ProtoMan then begins storming off, but Wily tries to stop him. "Just where do you think you're going _this time_?"

"I have to go _liberate_ a clothing repair kit because Asshole back there ruined my scarf!" Proto loudly replies as he continues storming off, but, really he is using this as an excuse to head out of the fortress so he can talk to his brother.

After Proto leaves the battle room, Dr. Wily is simmering with anger by now and his forehead vein is pulsating again as he paces the floor, but Ballade tries to speak to him.

"Dr. Wily, why must we partake in more training exercises when we clearly had Mega Man beat in our encounter with him?" Ballade asks.

Without even looking at Ballade and continuing to pace, Wily replies, "You have to undergo more training because you _failed_ to beat Mega Man in your encounter with him! And now he is getting ready to defeat you again and you have to be better than last time. Preferably without fighting _your own teammates_ next time!"

Ballade muses, "I try to keep Punk and Enker in line, but I never have succeeded in doing so. I don't think I have their respect. Dr. Wily, what am I doing wrong to not maintain command of my own team?"

"Ballade, I am sure you are looking for some sort of great inspiration, but I'm am not in the mood to be giving any of it out right now!" Wily growls as he too storms out of the room, leaving Ballade there by himself, standing amongst the wrecked targeting drones as the secondary robots and Headless Joe try to clean the room up.

Ballade tries in vain to put the pieces together. Wily placed him to be the leader of The Killers, but he does not have the respect of his own teammates; Dr. Wily also told him he is the best robot here, but Punk loudly disputes it and ProtoMan also lays claim to being the best (and he hasn't even met Bass yet.) And having to partake in more training to best Mega Man only casts more questions in Ballade's mind.

Ballade is slowly, but surely (and cruelly,) learning that being the crown jewel in Dr. Wily's army may not be what it is cracked up to be.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The intersection of 79th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.<br>Manhattan.****

Bree Recotta returns to the scene of last night's Mega Man Killer attack by herself, without her usual cameraman there. She wants to do some investigating of her own, but the building where she believes Mr. Black was sighted at during the attack appears to be crowded with several vehicles that read "_Acme Cleaning Services"_ parked outside.

"Acme? Does Wile E. Coyote work here?" Bree asks herself.

The reporter crosses the intersection and makes her way to the building, hoping to sneak inside while using the proviso that if one looks like they belong, nobody will ask questions. All she has to do is walk past the two workers she sees near the door and she is in.

Bree does reach the front door, only to have the two _Acme_ workers suddenly stand up from their work and stop her. "You cannot enter this building, ma'am. Please turn away now."

Bree tries to give them a story to get a way inside. "I'm sorry, but I work here and need to get my-"

"No, Mrs. Recotta, you _don't_ work here," says the voice of Agent Cotto as he approaches her, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave this premises."

As Cotto begins shepherding Bree away from the area, she tries to use this to her advantage. "You said that my reports on the Mr. Black case would be monitored through the F.B.I. Why don't you allow me to look at the crime scene and you can edit the report first-person?"

"Because, this is a confidential crime scene, Mrs. Recotta. It doesn't exactly work that way," Cotto refuses.

Bree makes a last ditch attempt to convince the Agent to allow her inside. "Look, I know you're looking for him and you need all the help you can get. I'm not just some reporter, I've helped Mega Man and Dr. Light on numerous occasions since this war started, including uncovering the framing of Mega Man in January. Just let me onto the scene just this once, and we'll keep this all to ourselves if you want to."

Cotto stops. He does not want to do this, but he knows it is the only way she will go away. "I still cannot let you inside the building... but, I can disclose some some information that can be released at a later time."

"That works for me," Bree says.

Choosing his words carefully, Cotto explains, "The individual who calls himself _Mr. Black_ was here at this building last night and he had an encounter with police after witnesses claimed they saw somebody matching his description in the area. A pursuit began and one of the officers managed to wound him before he escaped. Blood stains were found on the rear exit door and the samples taken match that of the the prime suspect's. That's all I can disclose."

"Thank you," Bree says.

"Don't thank me, because if you leak this information, it's a Federal offense," Cotto says, "Not a word of what I told is to be revealed to the public or anybody else without my direct permission. Aside from that advisement, we did not have this conversation. Good day, Mrs. Recotta."

As Cotto heads back inside the building full of "Acme" workers, Bree tries asking him one more pertinent question. "Is he the man I encountered at Yankee Stadium in April?"

Cotto does not so much as dignify Bree with any further response and heads back inside.

"How charming," Recotta says to herself as she returns to her vehicle.

* * *

><p>Agent Cotto makes his way inside the building, heading for the rear exit door where his former friend Mr. Black was hit with Lynn Wersching's bullet in the middle of the carnage last night.<p>

What he wants more than anything is to stop Mr. Black from continuing his dangerous string of crimes not just for anybody who would be caught in his path, but especially for the sake of the man who used to be John Barton.

Finally, Cotto returns to the rear exit door, which is being held open with a restraining device, it's outer side splattered with dried up human blood. Several agents and F.B.I. investigators litter the entire floor as they make a meticulous and thorough search of the entire area.

The Agent already heard that this was Mr. Black's blood, but he had to see for himself. Cotto personally takes his portable scanner and gets close to the blood stains on the door to scan it. A few seconds later, the results appear... _"DNA match, 99.9 positive. Barton, Jonathan,"_ it reads.

"Definite match, sir," chimes in one of the investigators, "And it's too fresh to have been frozen like last time. The police officers who were here says the female officer Wresching opened fire on him. I think it's safe to say she tagged him."

Cotto turns to a nearby Agent and asks, "What did the witness accounts report after Agent Barton left this building?"

"Agent Barton staggered out of the building clutching his neck, then entered his vehicle and escaped the scene."

"With a wound as severe as the one he took, there's no way he would have been able to make such a clean getaway without help," Cotto says, "It has to be the A.I."

The A.I. is an Artificial Intelligence construct that was used by the F.B.I. to assist with data, but, it could also be used much like early user-controled robots could, being given instructions by a human and executing them. It was in use for several decades, but it was deemed obsolete and was replaced with a more advanced series of A.I. which was constructed by Doctors Light and Wily in the years before the War for Everlasting Peace began.

"Are we sure it's the A.I., sir?" asks the other Agent.

"The bureau never received confirmation that the A.I. was destroyed," Cotto answers, "Agent Barton's vehicle is already outfitted with several devices, including those that can that nullify radar equipment and scramble traffic cams, which explains why he can make such easily getaways without anybody catching him. But, in order to get it all to work smoothly, he needs help... help from a mind more advanced than that of a human.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon.<br>Dr. Light's lab complex.**

Out in the back yard area, Kalinka Cossack makes her way out to Doc the Met's resting place right under his favorite tree, carrying a flower in her hand. She sits down in front of the tree and gently places her flower in front of the rectangular marker that reads "Doc" in large letters, leaving it near a flower Roll has left here, which she has been doing every week since Doc was lost.

"Take care of him, Momma," Kalinka says in Russian as she looks upon the resting place.

Kalinka hears footsteps on the grass behind her and looks over her shoulder to see Mega Man, once again without his helmet. Mega sits down beside her and speaks softly. "That little guy was a hero too. He lost his life to save Roll's."  
>With hurt in his voice, Mega continues, "When I think about that day, I can still hear my sister's crying... losing Doc tore her apart... I don't ever want to see her or anybody go through that again, not if I've got anything to say about it."<p>

Kalinka puts her hand on Mega's left shoulder and gently rubs it. "When I listen to you speak, I hear such pain in your voice."

"It's a hard life being a super hero sometimes," Mega admits, "Especially lately... this is gonna sound really strange, and I'm sorry... but ever since that robot Bass showed up, I've been... afraid. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose badly one day, and everybody who I care about will be..."

Mega pauses, unable to continue describing the troubling thought. Instead, he says, "I'm worried that something like Doc's death is gonna happen again too, and I'll be right there to stop it, but I won't be fast enough... I'm so scared it's going to be somebody I care about."

Kalinka does not know what to say because she cannot imagine what kind of pressure he has to go through on a constant basis. So, she does her best to show him that she is right here for him. Kalinka scootches herself closer to Mega so that they are sitting right next to each other and she intertwines her right arm with his left one and their fingers interlock with each other to hold hands again.

Mega gives Kalinka's hand a gentle squeeze. "You have no idea how good it is to have somebody like you in my life. Somebody from the outside who understands... and who I can trust with my feelings."

"I feel same about you," Kalinka says, "You are somebody I can trust with feelings... I never could make same connection with doctors who Father tried to have treat me when I was down."

Kalinka looks up at Mega's face, sorrowful. "I'm sorry I scare you with my wrist last night," she apologizes, referring to the scar on said wrist.

"It's okay," Mega says.

"You say last night, if I want to talk about it, I can when I am ready... I think I am ready to talk about it," Kalinka says.

Kalinka lets go of Mega's arm and pulls up the sleeve on her tunic shirt, revealing the old suicide scar. She takes a moment to summon the courage to speak about she obtained this, then finally lets it out.

"Momma died from cancer about three year ago," Kalinka says, her English faltering, as well as her voice, "We were so close... losing her was like losing a piece of my heart. After she left us, Father went to work on his experiments harder than he ever had before. He began work on cancer studies, trying to make sure that what happened to Momma never happened again.  
>But, he locked himself away to his work so much, I thought... I thought he had forgotten about my grieving. I was only a teenager and did not know how bad he was hurting too, and that he was doing what he could to keep himself going.<br>But, being so young at time, I did not know better and I thought he did not love me as much as Momma did. And I should have never felt like that, because I know he has _always_ loved me."

Kalinka pauses for a moment, trying to collect herself. "I felt so alone... I didn't care about anything anymore... and when I was at lowest point... I did this."

Kalinka's eyes then flood with tears as she points her left index finger at the old scar across her wrist.

"It hurt so bad, but I didn't care... I wanted to be with Momma again. All I remember was falling asleep afterwards... when I wake up, I remember being in hospital. Father was so scared and promised he would never put work before me again."

Kalinka's face scrunches and she hangs her head low as the tears begin flowing. "I was so selfish to do that... every time my arm hurt, it reminded me how I hurt him when he was still mourning Momma... I hate myself for making him go through that."

After hearing how much her attempt still haunts her, Mega wraps his arm around Kalinka and tries to comfort her. "You don't have to hate yourself, Kalinka. It's okay now."

"After I did that to myself, I felt like monster for putting Father though that... my depression got worse and I wouldn't leave Citadel anymore. Then, when Dr. Wily began attacks, I was scared he would take over world. I was scared he would take Father too..."

Kalinka's wet eyes make their way up to Mega's blue eyes. "Then, I saw you for first time... you give me hope. You show me that even in darkest hour, there will be a ray of light on other side. You make me pick myself up and live again. I promised to live like Momma wanted me to."

Mega smiles. "I'm glad I was there to help you, Kalinka."

As Mega wipes the tears from Kalinka's eyes, she smiles as her voice cracks and she shyly admits, "When I got better, I became a fan. This might sound goofy now, but, I had poster on wall."

Mega and Kalinka laugh for a moment, but then Mega places his right hand on Kalinka's forearm and speaks softly again. "You never have to worry about being alone again. We'll always have each other, no matter how far apart we are."

Another lone tear falls from one of Kalinka's eyes as she shudders, "Oh, Rock... I..."

Again, the two young ones leans towards each other again ever so slowly. Once again, they will share a kiss, and this time it will mean so much more the the one they would have shared last night, because their hearts are so much closer bonded...

But, before it could happen, Mega and Kalinka hear a little gasp nearby. They both look over their shoulder and see that the gasp come from Roll who was standing nearby with her hand up to her mouth. And with her was Peekaboo, who didn't know the significance of what was about to happen, but his eyes were big and wide when he saw Uncle Mega Man and Miss Cossack so close to each other.

Once she realizes she has been spotted, Roll can barely speak as she tries to apologize. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry. I came at a bad time, didn't I?"

"It's okay, sis. Uh, we were just..." Mega stammers.

"Um... we were, playing staring contest," Kalinka covers for him.

Roll smiles, "Um, okay... I'd hate to interrupt, but, Mega, there's something I've got to tell you. And I think you'll want to hear it in private."

After taking a moment, Mega assures Kalinka, "I'll be back shortly," then stands up to speak with Roll. It was a drag that another kiss that would have been shared had to be interrupted. But, if Roll says it's important, then, it probably is.

Roll kneels down to Boo and sweetly suggests, "Go play with Miss Kalinka while I talk to Uncle Mega. Okay?"

Boo bleeps and runs over to Kalinka who peeps and scoops the Met up in her lap to cradle him, showing him so much love much like Roll does. Meanwhile Mega and Roll step away from them to speak in private.

"I don't know what to say about this, but..." Roll sighs, "ProtoMan just contacted us at the lab. He says he wants to talk to you."

Mega's face becomes serious when he hears that his brother wants to talk to him again. "Tell him if he wants to talk, we can talk on the line. Even if he's sincere, I don't exactly feel safe meeting up with him."

"That's the thing," Roll says, "He says you _don't_ have to meet anywhere and he'll talk to you on the communication line. Whatever you want to do."

Mega looks down at the grass as he ponders his options. He gets the feeling that Proto truly is sincere and that he is finally - hopefully - turning the new leaf that he always hoped his older brother would turn. "I'll be right in. But, I don't want anybody tapping in. It's just him and me."

As Mega begins to go inside, Roll hooks him by his arm. "If you talk to him, don't you trust him, whatever he says," she warns, "Remember how he hurt you last time."

Mega Man just nods.

"I care about you too much to see you depressed again, Mega," Roll adds.

"I know you do," Mega adds as he begins walking back over to Kalinka, who is still snuggling Boo in her arms.

Mega kneels down to Kalinka and says, "I've gotta go inside for a little while. I'd really like to spend more time with you after I'm done."

"I would like to too," Kalinka smiles.

As Mega heads back inside, Roll sits down next to Kalinka and smiles as she watches her interacting with Peekaboo. Witnessing this beautiful moment happening in front of Doc's tree only makes it more precious.

"I love him so much, Roll!" Kalinka chirps, "He is such a cute baby!"

"I think he loves you too! I don't know how such a big heart can fit in his little body, but it does!" Roll smiles, "But, if you really want to see him happy... tickle his feet."

Kalinka giggles as she takes her right hand and begins tickling them on the bottoms of Boo's feet, which sends the Met into a fit of happy beeps that sound like laughing. Boo's eyes close and his mouth smiles wide open as he kicks his yellow feet.

After seeing how kind Kalinka has been to her family, and the kind of kindness that just cannot be faked, Roll feels happy to know that this lady has found such a place in her brother's heart.

Peekaboo bleeps up to Roll, asking if Kalinka is staying here.

"Only for a few more days, Boo-Boo. Then, she's gotta go home," Roll explains.

"I'll be going to be with my Poppa when I get back home to Russia," Kalinka adds to Boo, "He is like Dr. Light. He makes robots and wants to help whole world!"

Boo bleeps up to Kalinka, but because she doesn't understand Met bleeps yet, she doesn't know what he said.

Roll translates, "He asks if you'll come back to visit again."

"Of course I will, little baby!" Kalinka answers sweetly as she gives Boo a hugging squeeze.

As Roll rubs the top of Peekaboo's hardhat, she speaks to Kalinka directly. "Thank you for being there for my brother. He met you at a time when he wasn't doing so good. But, seeing you kinda gave him a new outlook of life after that."

Kalinka looks genuinely surprised to hear that she had the same effect on Mega's emotional state much the same way he had on her's some two years earlier. "How so?" she asks.

Roll answers with a hint of bitterness, "It was right after ProtoMan betrayed us. It hurt Mega so badly, I was afraid he'd never be the same again. That's why Mega had to go inside just now, because ProtoMan is calling the lab and says he wants to talk to him. But, he's probably just trying to manipulate him again."

Boo bleeps to Roll, again reminding her of when ProtoMan helped him escape The Bad Man's scary fortress.

Roll half smiles. "Helping save you was the only thing he did that was good, sweetie."

Kalinka picks up on that exchange between Roll and Peekaboo and reveals, "ProtoMan helped treat my injuries when I was held at Fortress this year. He even spoke to me. He told me he does not hate Rock"

After hearing this from Kalinka, combined with saving Peekaboo from Skull Fortress on the same night he also freed Roll herself from capivity, Roll now has conflicted feelings about her older brother. Hearing these heroic acts does not mesh with the spiteful opinion she has always had of him. (And if she only knew about how Proto cares for Nomad, it might have seriously changed her opinion of him.)

But, despite this knowledge, she refuses to believe that ProtoMan is anything other than pure scum, just a few steps above Dr. Wily, but that doesn't say much. After he emotionally wounded Mega Man last year, her hatred for ProtoMan runs deep.

"I don't trust a single thing he does," Roll says wearing a slight frown on her usually kind face, "He's always looked out for himself, and he doesn't care about anybody else!"

Kalinka poses a theory to Roll. "I know you don't like him, Roll. But, maybe main reason why he has done these bad things in past is because Wily is making him do them."

Roll's expression begins to take on a form of sadness mixed with her anger for ProtoMan, looking like she is holding back tears. She wants to believe Kalinka, but she cannot get past all of the things ProtoMan has done to her family.

Seeing the change in his Mommy's emotions, Boo begins walking over to Roll with Kalinka's help, and Roll hugs her Met as she tries to keep her emotions in check.

"Whatever his reasons are, I'll never forgive him for hurting my brother... never," Roll nearly pouts, "ProtoMan's not my brother. He never will be."

* * *

><p><strong>N.Y.P.D. vehicle storage garage.<strong>

Flanked by four of his personal Securitybot guards, Governor Mitchell Deacon makes his way to the police garage which is where his car is now being held now that it has been found.

"Is there any damage?" he asks.

A young human male Officer replies, "More than just damage, Mr. Governor. The body of the car appears to have been untouched, but the engine and SkyCar parts have been stripped. It appears that's what they wanted."

"Was anything taken from the glovebox?" Deacon asks.

"Well... we're not sure, sir," replies the officer.

Deacon's face becomes panic-stricken as he quickly makes his way to his stripped car. "Please, out of my way," he says, as opens the door and leans himself inside.

He immediately opens the glovebox and frantically searches for something very important. Something that cannot be taken. But, after several seconds of urgent searching, he finds the important item and The Governor's face drops back down to normal as he lets out a huge sigh of relief.

What he found was not a credit card or even a confidential government document or a piece of personal information. It was a security keycard that Dr. Light had given him, granting him access to the lab in the case of an emergency. If this were to fall into the wrong hands and something terrible were to happen afterwards, he would never be able to live with himself.

Deacon emerges from the car, looking relieved as he places the keycard to the lab into his jacket lining pocket, certain to never let a scare like this again again. "It's okay now, son," he says, "Please return the car to me when your investigation is complete."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Governor," says the Officer as Governor Deacon leaves.

As The Governor returns to his limousine with his SecurityBots, it appears that he has nothing to worry about because nobody found the lab keycard and that the perpetrator was only interested in only taking the SkyCar parts... it certainly _appears_ that everything will be alright... but, little does he know...

* * *

><p>Mr. Black places the last of the SkyCar parts on a table in the garage area of his hideout, which is where his illegally modified black sedan is parked now. When they are installed into the car, the vehicle will be jut as functional as a fully functional SkyCar, allowing him to reach his destinations much quicker, and make emergency getaways much easier.<p>

But, he will not be making the upgrades until a later time, preferably until after he has recovered from the injury he sustained last night. He had fully planed on making the upgrade tonight, but, The Conduit has informed him he has other plans tonight.

Mr. Black leaves the garage and returns to the study area, where his master computer station is still exposed. He grabs his scrambled signal mobile phone and contacts The Conduit for a progress report.

_"Yes, what is it?"_

"Stealing The Governor's own car from right under his nose... That's shrewd," Mr. Black says.

_"My__ connections are quite extensive. It is just another way of sinking my claws deeper into the craw of Deacon. But, I will deal with him soon enough,"_ The Conduit says, then asks, _"Has the data been duplicated yet?"_

Mr. Black picks up the portable hard disc drive and replies, "In full, and stored on a hard disc."

_"Good. I am still counting on you to personally deliver it to my new asset at a location of my chosing later tonight."_

"Sure. I can't wait to meet your new friend," Mr. Black says with a hint of evil intention in his voice.

_"There is something I need to ask you about Deacon's car... I want anything I can get on that insipid pinhead politician. Did you find anything when you searched the car?"_

"I searched with what little time that I had, but I found nothing. Nothing of worth, at least," Mr. Black replies.

After a pause, The Conduit states, _"Fine. Just be there to deliver the package to my asset at the appointed time and place."_

"Fine," Mr. Black says as he ends the call...

and then, he makes his way to the master computer and removes something thin from it... something about as small as a keycard... It is not the keycard to Dr. Light's lab that Governor Deacon has to gain access to Dr. Light's lab... but, the card in Mr. Black's hands now contains the exact same security bypass data, giving him a perfect duplicate of Governor Deacon's card.

Mr. Black sits down in his study chair and stares at the card in his hand... "No, I didn't find anythingin Deacon's car, Conduit... nothing at all."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_First off, yes, I've finally relented and have begun spelling the name Servbot correctly. I'll probably make the appropriate change to the previous chapters where they were featured in the close future._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos, incomplete scenes or continuity errors that are so bad that it would make Chewbacca late for Life Day (and in the process, spare us from three hideously unfunny Harvey Korman segments and Bea Arthur singing,) please PM me right away._


	108. Coming Clean

**_Episode 10, Chapter 6: Coming Clean._**

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's house next to the lab.<strong>

Mega Man is pacing back and forth his room behind a closed and locked door as he tries to gather the inner strength to respond to his brother's communication. As much as Mega wants his brother to change his ways for real and as optimistic as he is for that to happen, he still gets a little apprehensive when it is time to deal with ProtoMan, because he never knows reach ProtoMan he is going to get.  
>Sometimes, Proto shows his inner goodness which Mega believes he has deep down inside; other times, Proto is trying to blast him into oblivion, (which fortunately has not happened much lately.)<p>

And even after the talk Mega had with his brother following Wily's failed to frame the Blue Bomber and after learning of the good that Proto has done this year, Mega Man still remembers how badly his brother betrayed him and his family last November on Election Day. That wound still hurts.  
>As much as Mega cares for his brother, he does not know how he could have done that so easily... unless it was all just another Wily order given to him.<p>

Finally, after spending several minutes preparing himself for this conversation, Mega presses down the communication button on his left forearm to respond to ProtoMan's call.

"I'm here, Proto," Mega says.

_"You took long enough, bro! After having me wait for so long, I thought I was gonna become the robot version of Rip Van Winkle over here!"_ Proto jokingly complains after the long wait.

Mega responds, "Sorry. I've just... had a lot on my mind today. Partly thanks to Wily's three new goons that he sent after me last night."

_"Yeah... they're not quite like the Robot Masters are they?"_ Proto asks.

"That's an understatement," Mega replies, "So, are they the only reason you're contacting me?"

_"Part of the reason. But, uh... there's something else we've gotta talk about first. I've gotta get something off my chest,"_ Proto replies.

Mega now waits as his brother pauses on the other end before he finally begins, _"Remember the last time we talked, when that Banana-head Bass showed up and almost toasted me in Chicago?"_

Mega replies, "How could I forget? That was the night I wasn't able to help Galaxy Man in time from being ambushed by the Robot Masters, and all of us almost got sucked into a black hole the next day. Aside from Bass showing up, it was one of Wily's most successful traps."

There is another pause from Proto after Mega's comment about it being Wily's trap. _"... Yeah,"_ he finally replies, sounding distant.

Unbeknownst to Mega Man, Proto is having a difficult time trying to continue this conversation. He knows that he is going to have to admit that it wasn't a Dr. Wily trap at all, and that ProtoMan himself was the one who had conceived it to take advantage of him for the sake of the mission.  
>He wants to just keep pretending that it was all Wily's idea, but he knows it would haunt him even more. So, he has to come clean about it.<p>

_"There's something I've gotta tell you about that talk we had that night... and about that whole operation,"_ Proto says, sounding like he is not looking forward to this.

Judging by the tone in ProtoMan's voice, Mega has a bad feeling this talk may end up taking a bad turn any second.

_"Bass wasn't meant to be a part of it. He left Wily the night after you fried him, and he's got an axe to grind with me just as much as he does you," _Proto says, then admits,_ "As for the rest of it... it was a trap, but, it wasn't Wily's idea... it was mine."_

Mega Man is in disbelief after hearing his brother reveal that he had taken advantage of him... again.  
>"You... what?" Mega utters, and in a shaken tone of voice.<p>

_"Yeah... Wily had put me in charge of his whole army and I decided that getting Galaxy Man was the best way to go,"_ Proto explains, _"I called you to distract you long enough so that the bots could take Galaxy Man before you could get there. Wily didn't tell me to do it... I did it myself. But, I realized I shouldn't have played you like that, and I was about to abort the whole plan and admit what I was doing, but... Bass ruined that all."_

Mega brings himself down to sit on the floor and puts his head in his hands listening to how elaborate this scheme truly was. He thinks back to all the times Roll warned him - even tonight - that ProtoMan couldn't be trusted, and hearing this only proves it.  
>As hurt as Mega feels, he is more angry than anything else right now. If it was under Wily's order, that would be one thing; but, his own brother <em>willingly<em> manipulating him like this (again) is something that hits him much harder

"How could you do this?" an angry Mega Man demands to know.

After a long pause, ProtoMan cannot find any true justification for what he has done this time. _"... I dont' know."_

"What kind of answer is that?" Mega snaps, "I thought there was good in you after what you've done lately! But, deep down inside, you're still the same old backstabbing ProtoMan I've always known!"

_"Rock, I know you're pissed off at me right now, but just give me a minute," _Proto says in a reasonable tone, not losing his cool like he usually would in a heated situation like this. _"This is been bothering me since I contacted you that night. I made the wrong decision and I shouldn't've done it..."_

But, then, ProtoMan uses a sentiment that he has never once used before for anything he has ever done in his life, whether it be to his brother or anybody..._ "I'm sorry, Rock."_

Mega Man grows silent again, still frustrated to no end with his brother. But, hearing Proto actually be _apologetic_ for something sticks in his thoughts, because his brother has never apologized for anything, even stabbing Mega in the back on Election Day and leaving him and his family to die above the vat of lava at the Robot Assembly Factory that same night.

ProtoMan apologizes again, _"I'm sorry for doing that, and for not coming clean about it until now."_

"You say you're sorry, but, after what you've pulled, how do I know_ this conversation _isn't just another trap?" an indignant Mega Man asks.

_"It isn't, not this time," _Proto insists, _"You can believe me or not, if you want, but since I'm being honest today... I really am getting sick of the old bastard. Ever since he created Bass, he's been disrespecting me. Even when he put me in charge of the rest of the army, all he did was stab me in the back! And there are things he's been doing lately that are bad, really bad."_

"Including these three goons he's created," Mega spits.

_"That group is _one_ of the things Wily has done that you do know about. You only know half of it, like those three idiots, and what he tried to do to Drill Man and how he treated that Met... but, if you knew everything he's done, you'd probably blow a fuse."_

"Let's just say I've got a heads-up that he's doing something big at Skull Fortress," Mega says, still wearing in irritated frown on his face.

_"Yeah... that. Wily calls it 'Project G-2' and he's not tellin' us the details, not even me... But, it looks like he's trying to build another Gamma, or at least something pretty close to it,"_ Proto says.

Suddenly, Mega's mood now becomes one of concern. Dr. Wily hijacking Gamma was bad enough, but, the knowledge that he might be making his own Gamma may be even worse. Even the name Proto game him makes sense: the 'G-2' could stand for _Gamma 2!_

"How far along is he on building this thing?" he asks.

_"There's still a lot of work left to go, but, it'll be ready by this year for sure,"_ Proto answers.

In the fact of this troubling fact, Mega's resolve becomes stronger, stating, "Whatever Wily tries to do, even if it's sicking these three thugs on the world or making another Gamma, I'm gonna stop it! Even if I have to beat you to do it."

_"I hope you do stop it, Rock,"_ Proto confesses, _"'Cause Wily's idea of a future is just getting worse."_

Mega Man wants to give another try at convincing his brother to abandon Dr. Wily already, but he is still mad over his brother's confession, and he knows that Proto still would likely not leave. If he hasn't left after all the despicable things Wily has done so far, why would he leave now?

Proto continues, _"But, Wily's three new goofballs aren't going to just keel over and let you win. And even though they're not as bad as Bass, they're still bad news. The Robot Masters hate 'em."_

"And I'm sure you do too," Mega interjects.

_"Pretty much, yep,"_ Proto confirms.

Mega states in a question, "But, I don't suppose you're able to give me any advice on how to stop them, are you?"

_"Actually, that's the other reason why I'm calling you,"_ Proto answers, with a hint of his confidence returning in his voice, possibly because he has the chance to stick it to The Killers, _"Wily ordered me to train these three morons for battle. But, what he didn't know is that I didn't teach 'em everything, and I've studied their weaknesses. And I'm more than willing to tell you how to stop them."_

"Well, tell me, and don't leave anything out," Mega says, sounding a bit stern.

Proto begins,_ "The one with the staff and the gold spikes on his head is named Enker. His only weapon is the staff, and it's also his weakness. If that thing holds too much plasma, it becomes too tough for him to carry and he has no choice but to fire, or it'll blow up in his face. You have to fire on him immediately after he reflects the plasma shots back at you, because the staff takes a few seconds to recharge itself.  
>The staff is not just usable by him, so if you take him out, take it."<em>

_"Then there's the big red guy. His name is Punk. He thinks he's the best, but I think we both know better. The best way to hurt him is to hurt his ego and let him know how bad he really is. He's got such a hot head, he'll start making mistakes."_

"And what about the leader?" Mega asks.

_"Ballade. Unlike the other two, he really is the best of the bunch. I've tried to find a weakness in him, but I haven't seen much to work with, unless maybe, you catch him by surprise. The only other strategy with him would be bombard him with everything you have, but you'd probably have to take down the other two first so you could even get the chance."_

"What about Bass? He's the robot I've got to worry about," Mega asks.

_"Hmph... do what you did last time?" _an unsure Proto suggests, "_That's all I've got. After facing him... I don't think he has any weaknesses but taking his power away. And I don't think he's gonna let either of us take it from him so easily,"_ Proto suggests.

"That's not exactly the best advise," a flustered Mega says.

_"You asked,"_ Proto retorts matter-of-factly

After another pause between the brothers, Mega uses his memory archive to think back to the last time he spoke to ProtoMan, which was the manipulation he admitted to tonight. Right before Bass attacked him that night, Proto's had tone changed and he was about to tell him something that might make him mad at the time, but he would thank him later for it. It sounds like Proto was telling the truth when he said he would have warned him on that night.

Proto is the first to break the silence. _"I hope those tips I gave you on Wily's new bots can help. Let's consider that my way up smoothing things over after what I had to tell you tonight."_

"After learning how you took advantage of me, it might take a little longer before things are totally smoothed over between you and me, if we _ever_ get that chance," Mega says, then sighs, "But... thanks for being honest with me about it."

_"After the progress the two of us have made since the Deacon Operation... I didn't feel right holding it from you. And I know what you said earlier, Rock, but I'm _not_ the same Proto I used to be. Things have happened to me lately that have... made me re-think a few things,"_ Proto reveals, making a very veiled reference to his bond with Nomad.

"I hope so, Proto," Mega says, "With the way things are going, this war has got to end soon before anything else happens to any of us... I just hope you're not on the wrong side when this war does end... if it ever does."

_"I don't even know which side is the right one anymore, Rock,"_ ProtoMan sighs, sounding quiet and reserved, nothing like Proto usually would.

"I think you're getting a good idea now," Mega aptly replies.

_"... Maybe,"_ Proto replies back as his brother's words - and Dr. Wily's recent deeds - sink in.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>At an abandoned warehouse in Rhode Island.**

Riding on his hoverboard - which he previously used when he was running around as the leader of The Mega Crew, the trio of Mega Man rip-offs, - Tiesel Bonne arrives to the location where The Conduit had told him to be, just a minute earlier than the appointed time because he wanted to be a model henchman.  
>Very shortly, he will be picking up the package from The Conduit's 'primary asset'... but, Tiesel has no idea what he is in for tonight. No Earthly idea.<p>

Tiesel dismounts the hoverboard, wearing all black clothing and his old Mega Crew masked helmet which no longer sports the saw-like mohawk on the top and has also been painted black. The Conduit told him to wear dark clothing to hide his figure as much as possible in case of the unlikely chance of 'outsider interference.'

The oldest Bonne sibling then enters the dark, dank and abandoned warehouse by his lonesome, waiting for this 'primary asset' to arrive. And he is not too happy to be here, either.

"I wish this guy would hurry up and get here. This place gives me the creeps!" a weary Tiesel says to himself.

"I'm already here," speaks a gravelly voice from behind Tiesel, and the sound of footsteps are heard approaching immediately afterwards.

Tiesel then turns around to see a large-framed, shadowy figure walking towards him... and as the figure comes closer to him, Tiesel's black contacts clad eyes begin to focus on the figure, which appears to be carrying a briefcase in its grip... and as the figure gets closer and becomes more clear, he begins to recognize it, especially the trench coat and the black mask.

Tiesel's eyes become wide when he realizes that The Conduit's primary asset is really Mr. Black, the masked man he heard about from news reports!  
>He knew that performing these tasks for The Conduit might have been shady business, but only now does Tiesel Bonne realize just how bad it really is!<p>

Striken with fear and unable to move, Tiesel meekly points his shaking finger at Mr. Black and stutters, 'Y-y-y-y-you're M-M-M-Mr. B-Black!"

"Yes, I am... the only question is, what's in this case?" Mr. Black asks in a vaguely threatening manner as he holds up the briefcase in his hand, "I tend to travel with high-powered weapons and explosives. You know that too, don't you?"

After being intimidated by the not so vague threat from the masked terror before him, Tiesel finally manages to make a break for it and run for his life. But, Mr. Black drops the case and reaches into his trench coat, removing a bolo (a strong cable with two heavy weighted orbs on either end) and flings it at Tiesel. The bolo wraps around both of Tiesel's ankles and trips him, causing him to fall face first to the floor.

Tiesel whines as he tries in vain to remove the restraining tools from his ankles and get out of here, but Mr. Black is quickly gaining on him.

"No!" Tiesel shrieks as he tries to crawl away on his back, holding up his trembling hands to signal for mercy. But, Mr. Black catches up to him and holds him down by firmly placing his right foot down on his chest.

Knowing that he is trapped, Tiesel begins begging for his life. "Please, don't kill me, man!"

"Take of that mask. Now!" Mr. Black orders in a growl.

Tiesel fumbles as he takes off his masked helmet, revealing his face and his head of white hair.

Mr. Black reaches into his trench coat again and removes the mindcracker device, and once he recognizes it, Tiesel shudders in fear. Mr. Black states, "If you know who I am, then you know what _this_ is!"

"Please don't! I'll give you whatever you want," Tiesel begs.

Mr. Black interrupts, "What I want is information, and you are going to give it to me. You can either do this the easy way and tell me right now, or we can do this the hard way, which is _my way_!"

"I'll tell you anything you want. Just_ please_ don't neutronize my brain!" Tiesel whimpers, remembering the reports of what Mr. Black did to noted criminal Mr. Rozhenko last year by blanking his brain with the mindcracker.

Mr. Black keeps the Mindcracker in his hand, but begins questioning Tiesel. "Who are you?"

Tiesel is so panicked, he doesn't even remember who he is at first and actually has to jog his memory. "Um, Bonne! Tiesel Bonne."

Mr. Black tilts his head, almost like he is surprised to hear this. "Tiesel Bonne... as in 'Oldest of three siblings, son of Donald J. Bonne, who is the head of the Bonne Salvage company.' _That_ Tiesel Bonne?"

Terrified that Mr. Black somehow knows this much about him - why, he doesn't know, because he's not famous, - Tiesel blurts, "No! I meant to say, I'm realy, um-"

"_You_ are The Conduit's new hand?" Mr. Black interrupts, "I'm being replaced by a Goddamn _junk dealer_?"

"Son of a junk dealer, actually," Tiesel politely points out.

"Shut-up!" Mr. Black yells, making Tiesel stay quiet. He then interrogates him further, "Is The Conduit planning on replacing me?"

Tiesel stammers, "Uh, he said his primary asset - I guess that's you - is becoming a problem, and he... at least I think it's a _he, _wants to make sure he has another asset ready to take over when you're gone."

"Did he send you here to kill me?" Mr. Black questions.

"No!" Tiesel begs, making sure Mr. Black knows he wasn't here to assassinate him, "I don't even have any weapons! He just sent me to get the database. Er- that is, if you want to give it to me."

Mr. Black kneels down closer to Tiesel's face, placing extra pressure on his chest with his foot. "Do you know who my target is?"

"Target? What target?" Tiesel chokes.

"Don't play me, boy!" Mr. Black hisses.

Tiesel warbles, "I'm telling you the truth! The Conduit never told me anything about any targets. All I've ever done is record the voices of Mitchell Deacon and his stat. And- and I altered the audio to help him frame that guy for the tower in New York!"

After hearing how broken Tiesel is, Mr. Black suspects that he is telling him the truth and there is no need to use the mindcracker. He doesn't really need to any way, because he has a message to give the young Bonne, and he wants it to stick with him.

Once he sees Mr. Black place the mindcracker back into his trench coat, Tiesel feels very relieved, because he will not become a vegetable tonight. But, his relief is short-lived when Mr. Black grabs him by his shirt and pulls him up to bring him face to face with him.

"Please, don't kill me! I've got a family!" Tiesel whimpers.

"I'm not going to kill you," Mr. Black states, "But, I _am_ going to give you a warning... whatever you do, even if The Conduit orders you to do otherwise, stay out of my way!"

"Y-yes, Sir, Mr. Black!" Tiesel obeys.

Mr. Black continues, "I have something very important I have to take care of, and _nobody_ is going to stop me... not The Conduit... not the F.B.I... and not you! Do you understand?"

"Yes," Tiesel nods quickly.

"And if The Conduit ever _does_ tell you to target me... think twice," Mr. Black warns before letting go of Tiesel and letting him drop to the floor again, sending him falling right on his rear.

Mr. Black leaves Tiesel behind and walks away. But, before he goes, he stops and picks the briefcase back up, turning back to the Bonne. "You might want to consider sticking with the family business. It's less hazardous to your health."

Mr. Black tosses the case toward Tiesel who yelps and cowers on the ground, covering his head with his arms, afraid the case is really a bomb. But, the case lands right next to him and does nothing.

Tiesel opens his right eye and looks at the case, then looks back up to see Mr. Black walking away, back into the darkness from which he came. After he is gone, Tiesel looks back down at the case with both eyes open now. He takes one of his feet and gently kicks the case, still bracing for the worst because he still thinks the case is rigged.

When the case does not explode, Tiesel sits up and cautiously reaches for it with his hands. He closes his eyes and winces as he unlocks the latches on either side of the case's top handle. His face winces even harder when he opens the case... he then open his eyes and sees what looks like a hard drive inside it, fitted into a foam block to protect it.

Tiesel nearly collapses as he lies flat on his back, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. In fact, he is very lucky he hasn't suffered a massive coronary yet following his encounter with his baby brother's mech suit this morning and now this.

He only got into this shady line of work to make money for himself and to prove how good he was (and to get back in some way at Mega Man for foiling his group)... but, now this job is not looking too profitable for Tiesel Bonne anymore.

Staring at the ceiling, Tiesel pants, "This is not my day!"

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>Skull Fortress.**

After spending a night in the brig, Punk is being led to Dr. Wily's command center by a group of Sniper Joes and his fellow Mega Man Killer, Enker, who yesterday was more than happy to get rid of him for the day and assisted the Robot Masters in throwing him in the clink for the night. And like always, Punk is running his mouth... or his voice box, because he doesn't really have an actual mouth.

"I'm pretty sure you and the other rustbuckets were laughing it up last night," Punk says, "Maybe you had good reason, 'cause you were witnesses to history. It's not every day that the best robot here is thrown in the brig by the great exalted leader."

"And if you didn't have the attitude you have, maybe it wouldn't have happened," Enker replies, "I don't know if you've noticed, but, you're making us all look bad."

"Look bad? If it wasn't for me, both you and Captain Chin Guard would've been vaporized by Mega Man the moment he showed up, or maybe he would've blasted you so many times, you'd look like Swiss cheese," Punk spits back, "By the way, where is _Ballet_ anyway?"

"I haven't seen him since yesterday. Last I heard, he was being very quiet and brooding, and staying to himself," Enker replies.

Punk nearly laughs. "What kind of a leader mopes? Not me, that is if Dr. Wily made _me_ the leader of this group. Maybe that's why you're bringing me to talk to the man. He's gonna ditch _Ballet_ and make me your new boss!"

"I couldn't think of a worse fate," Enker jabs back.

"Oh, snap!" Punk sneers.

Enker and the Sniper Joes arrive to the fortress' Command Center with Punk, and as the doors open, they see Ballade standing next to Dr. Wily who is seated in front of his massive computer observation station. Obviously, they were in the middle of a conversation as they awaited the arrival of Punk and Enker.

After seeing that his fantasy of being the leader of The Killers is not becoming a reality, Punk mutters to himself, "Wishful thinking."

As Ballade stands tall, staring at Punk with his hands on his hips, Dr. Wily turns around from his central computer and stands up to approach Punk. "After yesterday's outburst, I trust that you will be more behaved from now on after spending a night in solitary."

Punk stares at Wily for a moment, then over to Ballade, then back to Wily. "Oh, yes, Dr. Wily. I would _love_ nothing more than to play nice with my teammates," Punk replies, sounding as abrasive and sarcastic as ever.

Albert gets a frown on his face as Ballade now folds his arms across his chest. Wily warns, "I sense insincerity in your voice. I would hate to demote such a talented robot to the Project G-2 construction team out behind the Fortress because he cannot learn how to stifle his attitude when it matters."

Seeing that his angry self-centered attitude is only getting him into deeper trouble, Punk gives in. "Fine, I'll coöperate. I can't prove that I'm the best unless you give me the chance, right?"

Wily smirks as he rubs his aged hands together. "That's more like it. Sniper Joe units, you may leave us. I wish to speak to Enker, Punk and Ballade alone."

The Sniper Joes who escorted Punk here bow and begin leaving the Command Center, leaving The Killers all together in the same room for the first time since their latest blow-up yesterday. Punk gives Ballade a hint of a dirty look and Ballade gives him an angry frown back, clearly showing that the animosity between them is still there.

Dr. Wily stands before the three Killers and begins, "I am not a very giving man, so, you should be grateful I am even _allowing_ you another chance to kill Mega Man. But, I am a man with very big plans, and those plans will be ruined if Mega Man is not removed from the equation as soon as possible. And you three are the only robots in my army who I trust to do that for me."

Ballade also speaks to his Killer teammates, adding, "Dr. Wily's robot army has always been littered with robots who are inferior, robots who are turncoats... and at least one robot who appears to be more concerned with his own interest in recruiting Mega Man to our side rather than killing him, that being ProtoMan.  
>We have the opportunity to be the first robots who will carry out the goal of destroying Mega Man and clearing the path for Dr. Wily's world domination. And if we stop battling each other and focus solely on Mega Man and the rest of our enemies, we will destroy them all, without fail!"<p>

Ballade continues with a serious tone, "But, the only way we can achieve this goal is by working together. The way the two of you have acted in recent days has been inexcusable, and it led to our failure to kill Mega Man during our first encounter. But, I admit, I too have made mistakes that led to our failure."

Enker and Punk seem to be interested in how Ballade is taking his share of the blame. Punk lets out a "_Hmph!"_ as he crosses his arms.

Ballade presses, "I have already affirmed my commitment to our goal. And Dr. Wily wants the two of you to do so as well. And if you don't, then, he nor I want you to waste any more of our time!"

After Ballade's ultimatum, Punk and Enker glance at each other for a moment, then back to Dr. Wily and Ballade. Enker makes his decision fast, stepping up to Ballade and stating, "I will strive to achieve our goal of killing Mega Man."

Ballade nods his approval to Enker as he stands at his leader's side, and right near Dr. Wily. Afterwards, all eyes are on Punk, who stands by himself as he pokes the tip of one of his wrist spikes with his finger.

"The choice is yours Punk. You can either work with us, or we will work without you," Ballade states.

"Okay... I'll play along," Punk gives in, "I'll be a good boy and take orders like you want me to. But, Dr. Wily, after we take over the world and everything, I want my own country all to myself, as my own personal reward for putting up with Enker and Ballade. I want to be the supreme dictator, and I want to name my country _Punkatopia_! And I want my face on on the flag!"

Ballade's eyes narrow after hearing Punk's bizarre request, irritated that Punk is still making a game out of their mission. Meanwhile, Dr. Wily lets out a short exhale out of his nose, resisting the urge to throw Punk back in the brig for trying to take a country for himself, which would leave Wily with _only_ ninety-nine percent of the world to own.

"Don't worry, Dr. Wily, I won't try to send an invasion force on any of your countries, just as long as you don't invade Punkatopia," Punk says, "I don't even need that much land. I can just take of those Hawaiian islands, preferably the biggest one. _Makahunna_, or whatever it's called. In fact, you're even invited to come visit."

"Fine! You can have your country! But, only if the three of you get rid of Mega Man!" a fed-up Dr. Wily blurts.

"Well then, I guess this makes us one big happy robo family, doesn't it?" Punk says with a satisfied tone in his voice as he looks across at Ballade again.

Meanwhile, Ballade's expression remains unflappable. "Just follow orders when they are given to you and don't put your ego before our goal, and we will get along fine."

"Sure, cool. Whatever you say, boss. But, just remember..." Punk adds, "I'm still _the best_ until somebody around here proves otherwise. Aside from that, good to work with ya' again, buddy!"

Punk gives Ballade a slap on his shoulder following his sarcastic comment. While Punk appears to be willing to work for the good of their goal, his still has a serious attitude problem and Ballade is not totally convinced that he is as willing to coöperate as Enker appears to be.

Dr. Wily speaks again. "Now that you three are on the same page, at least you had better be, allow me to give you your attack plan for this evening."

Enker asks, "What about the training we're supposed to undergo?"

"You do not need to undergo more training sessions," Dr. Wily explains, "Just obey my orders, and you will succeed."

Ballade asks, "What is the plan?"

"While I would enjoy striking New York again, their police force is likely preparing for us to return. And they are likely to be more prepared for us than other areas whose police forces will be less prepared," Wily answers, "So, instead, we will strike an alternate location - Detroit, Michigan - where Mega Man's friends are unlikely to reach him in time to help him, and whose police force has never faced a group of robots quite as deadly as you!"

"And what if Mega Man's family members appear?" Ballade asks.

"Deal with them however you wish, but they are not the top priority. I want Mega Man's head on a plate, and I will accept nothing less than that!" Dr. Wily hisses, "Everything else is secondary to killing Mega Man!"

"As you wish, Dr. Wily," Ballade obeys.

"Now, listen to my instructions and listen well. This will be the plan that rids Mega Man from my life forever," Dr. Wily says, "... And _do not_ mess this one up!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_The working title for this chapter was "The Next Conversation," meant to be a reference to the chapter 'The Conversation" from Episode 5, which was one of the key moments in Defender history. But, this conversation was not really the _next_ one, because Mega and Proto have already had two meaningful conversations since then: The talk at the end of Episode 6, and the talk mented here from episode 9._

_I'm pretty sure that the weapon used to trip Tiesel is called a bolo. But, I'm not sure what it is called, all I know is that I saw it used by Batman before. :P_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. But, because of Christmas, I might not be able to respond to reviews right away. So, bear with me.  
>And if you catch any typos or un-removed notes or continuity errors that are so bad that your holiday flight to Punkatopia would be cancelled, let me know via PM.<em>

_Finally, thank you once again for your support through the year of 2012. I hope that you have a safe and Merry Christmas (or a Happy Holiday, if you don't celebrate Christmas.)_


	109. Unwelcome Guests

**Episode**_** 10, Chapter 7: Unwelcome Guests.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

It is now the morning after Mega Man's conversation with ProtoMan, and Mega's emotions are still conflicted. He is still severely disappointed in his brother for how he took advantage of him and how that act alone nearly led to certain doom inside of a black hole bomb, _twice_. But, Proto was regretful during their talk (at least he sounded regretful,) and he revealed how much disdain he now has for Dr. Wily, going so far as to give him advice on how to defeat The Killers and reveal what he knew about this 'Project G-2' Wily is building.

And this 'Project G-2' is sticking in Mega's mind just as much as the talk with his brother, because of the threat another Gamma-like monstrosity would pose to the world. Having to defeat one giant robot was tough enough as it was, but Mega has a bad feeling that having to defeat another giant robot while he is experiencing the doubts that have haunted him lately will only make saving the world even more difficult, not to mention having to deal with The Killers.

As Mega tries to deal with this multitude of thoughts, he returns from breakfast with Kalinka Cossack at his side, once again with their arms interlocked. Of all the things are have gone wrong the past few days, having this wonderful girl here to spend time with is about the only thing that has been normal.

"I haven't had big family breakfast in a long time, and never with family as big as yours!" Kalinka smiles.

"I've never had one with somebody special like you before either," Mega says, shyly.

Kalinka gives Mega's arm a squeeze with her arm. "Aw, you are so sweet, Rock! I wish I could stay here so I could be with you and your beautiful family. But, I would miss father too much if I did. I_ already_ miss him after being away at University."

"I would miss my family too if I was away from them for so long. I don't know how you have been able to be away from your Dad for so long," Mega says.

"I don't know either, sometimes," Kalinka says, "Sometimes, it is so liberating to be able to do things on my own, then, I miss father and get homesick."

"Roll felt the same way when she was enrolled at Dr. Light's college for robots," Mega says, "But, after a second security scare there after the Wily attack, Dr. Light arranged for her to come home. I'm glad he did... he's already lost one of his children to Wily."

Kalinka looks up to Mega's face and notices something a bit off about his demeanor, especially noticable in how he spoke just now. "You act different since last night, like you are sad again."

Mega lets out a sigh as he looks at his prominent feet. "My brother contacted me last night. It wasn't exactly best talk we've ever had. I got mad at him for something he did... but, he said he was sorry. He also said he and Wily aren't on the best of terms anymore, but... I don't know if anything good is going to come out of that."

"But, that is good sign," a hopeful Kalinka says, offering a sweet smile, "Maybe, he _will_ come back one day. Then, your family will be complete like you always wanted."

"I hope so," Mega barely chokes, looking like he desperately trying to control his emotions. And if Kalinka wasn't here with him right now, he would probably let himself shed a tear for the relationship he may never have with his brother.

Instead of dwelling on his troubles, Mega tries to change the subject to something better. "I was thinking about the time we spent together the other night. I wish it didn't have to end like it did, so... maybe we could have another date before you have to go home?"

"I would love nothing more than to have second date with you, Rock!" Kalinka happily approves.

"Great! I don't think we'll be going back to Lady Liberty. I already made a tall order with her administrators to keep business hours open for us," Mega shrugs.

"So, where will we go this time?" Kalinka asks with anticipation.

"Oh, we'll think of somewhere," Mega finally smiles again.

* * *

><p><strong>That evening.<br>Detroit, Michigan.**

At an automobile factory where several cars are being manufactured, the whistle blows to signal the end of the work day and many of the human works begin filing out as the robot workers prepare to head to their chambers to recharge. But, they are all about to learn that today was a day in which they all should have called in sick.

As the human workers begin leaving the factory, they overhear the sound of Dr. Wily's Skullker and look up in horror to see the flying craft hovering above them. As the pair of Security robots stationed outside aim upon the Skullker with their weapons, the Skullker shoots them down with blasts from the laser cannons mounted on its sides.

The workers they to run for their lives, but The Killers leap out of the Skullker and block their path as they land on the ground, drawing their weapons.

"Back inside now, and do not try to resist us!" Ballade orders as he aims his dual cannons and dual Explosive Cracker launchers at the humans.

As the humans begin running back inside in fear, Punk chases them inside. "I bet when you woke up this morning, you didn't think you'd be a part of a hostage situation, did you?"

Enker and Ballade run inside the factory after Punk and The Killers make quick work of the pre-installed defense systems that were incorporated into the building shortly after the war with Wily began in the off-chance this factory would ever be attacked.

Once the majority of human workers are gathered here, they are held at bay by Ballade and Enker while Punk leaps away to round-up the rest of the humans and the robots.

Ballade then states, "All of you, get down on the floor and do not attempt to challenge us."

The gathered hostages do what Ballade says, but one human tries to make a break for it. Ballade then fires off an Explosive Cracker capsule up ahead of the running human and it explodes in front of the man, just far enough away to not hurt him, but close enough for the shock of the explosion to knock him to the floor.

"Get back with the others, or the next one will be on-target!" Enker shouts.

The human work scrambles to get to his feet and return to where his fellows have all been corralled. Meanwhile, Punk returns, shepherding the company's entire robot workforce so that they can their human coworkers are now gathered.

"There are likely more here that we haven't found. Round up anybody else you can find and bring them as Dr. Wily instructed us," Ballade orders Punk and Enker.

Enker bows and races to the upper levels to find any other potential hostages as Punk does the same... but, not before quipping, "I do so, _only_ because I feel like it!"

As his fellow Killers leave, Ballade stands before the gathered hostages with his arms aimed directly at them, with both wrist blasters and Cracker capsule launchers armed and ready. Meanwhile, Dr. Wily enters the factory, chuckling with delight at the mere thought of what will be (in his mind, anyway) a certain victory tonight.

"Good work, Ballade. Everything is going just as I had planned," Wily says.

The mad doctor then takes a few steps towards the hostages, all of whom are now on their knees or seated on the floor. "And as for _you _little parasites, all you have to do is sit there and behave yourselves, and you will all be able to return to your normal lives once again."

"What do you want with us?" warbles one hostage.

"We want Mega Man. That's what!" Wily replies, breaking out into a laugh.

But, as Ballade stands by and keeps all the hostages in line, there is something about this particular plan that is not sitting well with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly afterwards.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man races to the lab to see the reports coming in on the appearance of Dr. Wily and The Killers at the factory in Detroit.

"None of the workers have been accounted for... they are holding them all as hostages," Dr. Light nearly shudders.

While Mega Man is deeply disturbed learning that so many innocents are being held hostage, he is also not surprised that Dr. Wily has stooped so low. He has had no problems holding single hostages in the past, (like he did in space with Tina McIntyre,) so threatening a large amount of people would be no different for him, but it still has to be stopped before the worst happens to even one of these hostages.  
>And afterall, Mega knows why these innocents are being held...<p>

"Wily and his goons want me to show up. It's time to make 'em wish they didn't!" Mega says as he makes a break for the garage alongside Rush.

As they leave, a concerned Kalinka follows them and Roll kneels down beside Peekaboo, who looks up at his Mommy with his big eyes and a worried face.

"Mommy's gotta go help Uncle Mega save everybody, okay?" Roll kindly says.

Boo bleeps up to Roll, asking if she_ has_ to go.

Roll replies, "As strong as Uncle Mega is, he really needs help with this one. Don't worry, Boo, I promise you'll be safe here at the lab with Dr. Light."

Boo beeps that he's worried about her.

"Aw, I know you worry about me," Roll coos as she picks Peekaboo up in her arms, "But, I'll be back home after this is all wrapped up, I promise."

Boo beeps something that sounds like _okay. _He is still worried, but accepts his Mommy's promise of her return, because she's never failed to come through on her promises to come back home before.  
>But, Boo always wishes that Roll did not have to leave when The Bad Man (Wily) begins attacking, because he is afraid the evil robots will take her away to their scary fortress.<p>

Roll gently speaks to Peekaboo as she holds him. "I wish I didn't have to go, but, if we don't stop the bad guys... I don't know who will. Just remember, I love you, Boo."

Boo bleeps the he loves her too, and Roll gives her Met and big hug before she has to leave.

* * *

><p>Out in the garage area, Kalinka follows Mega Man and Rush outside, also concerned that Mega will not return following how badly he was beaten the last time he faced The Killers.<p>

"I'm sorry I have to go, Kalinka, but, there are lives at stake," Mega says as he fits his blue helmet atop his head.

"I understand," Kalinka replies, "Just please come back, Rock."

Mega looks back down upon Kalinka and replies softly, "I will. You give me a little extra motivation to survive."

Kalinka smiles back, unable though to hide her worry.

"Besides, we have plans tomorrow night, I assume?" Mega says.

"Of course, Rock," Kalinka confirms.

"Then, I guess better come back. I don't want to disappoint such a beautiful girl," Mega says.

Mega reaches for Kalinka to give her an embrace and Kalinka does the same, the both of them holding each other tightly until Rush barks to get Mega's attention back to the matter at hand. Afterward, Mega Man and Kalinka break the hug, but continue gazing into each other's eyes as Mega boards Rush's back.

Roll races out to the garage and mounts herself on her SkyCycle, quickly taking off before Mega and Rush do. As she goes, she calls, "Hurry up, Mega!"

Mega looks back to Roll already in the air as she goes and Rush barks again. He then looks back down to Kalinka, finding it so difficult to tear himself away from this girl.

"Go," Kalinka says silently, still not able to break her own gaze with Mega Man.

"Rush, go," Mega says, still staring at Kalinka as Rush barks and takes off.

Kalinka watches on helplessly as the robot boy she cares so deeply for takes off and disappears into the night. "Please come back, my Rock," she silently sighs.

* * *

><p>Back at the auto factory in Detroit, every single human and robot staff member here have been successfully gathered and now stand on their knees as hostages of The Killers. But, while Ballade and Enker take this situation seriously, Punk is entertaining himself once again.<p>

Punk is leaning into the cab of a fresh-from-the-factory pick-up truck which now has two pipes wedged between the edge of the driver's seat and both pedals as the Killer robot hotwires the ignition to start the engine.  
>Once the engine ignites, it roars as the tires squeal, barely managing to not speed ahead because the brakes are being held down by the pipes that Punk placed there.<p>

Punk then quickly ties a cable around the pipe that is holding down the brake pedal and steps back a few paces.

"I love a good car wreck!" he hoots as he yanks the cable to pull the pipe from the brake pedal. And as the other pipe holds the gas pedal down, the truck peels out of the factory and heads straight for the parking lot at top speed!

Punk lets out a "WHOOOOO-HOOOOO!" as he watches the truck burning rubber out of the factory until it crashes violently into several parked vehicles owned by the employees, twisting the vehicles into wrecked hulks of metal and shattered glass.

"Now _that_ was fun!" Punk calls back to his fellow Killers, "I'm gonna go get an SUV and do it again."

As Punk goes off to find another vehicle to create more carnage for his own amusement, Ballade looks upon him with disdain. "I am growing to hate him more than Mega Man."

"Think of it this way, if Dr. Wily grants him his own country in the new world, we would never see him again," Enker adds with a grin.

Ballade remains silent as he watches Punk intimidating one of the humans being held hostage, a father who desperately wants to be allowed a phone call to speak to his children one more time, i the worse case scenario were to happen.

Punk menaces, "Shut-up you stupid human, or I'm putting you in the next car I crash!"

Punk then grabs the man and shoves him to the floor, and Ballade's frown becomes more pronounced after watching this act of unneccessary cruelty. Ballade has seen several humans pleading with The Killers to spare their lives and the robot workers are also scared at the threat being posed to them, and because of witnessing this, Ballade's own feelings about this plan have been at-odds.

"I still do not see the purpose of targeting these humans and robots. They are defenseless and pose no threat to us. They are not even our enemies; Mega Man is," Ballades comments.

"As Dr. Wily said when he laid out this plan: they are a means to an end," Enker replies, "We are simply using them to lure Mega Man out to face us. And because Mega Man protects weaklings like them, he has no choice but to come save them."

"I know what Dr. Wily told us... When we defeat Mega Man, what happens to all of them?" Ballade asks.

Enker tilts his head for a moment, then replies, "Their fate is up to Dr. Wily at that point. Without Mega Man in his way, their would be nobody to stop him."

Ballade's brow furrows, deeply pondering if committing such an act like this is even necessary. Unlike ProtoMan, Ballade has no reservations having to destroy or kill anybody who poses a threat to him or Dr. Wily. But, the idea of having to do the same to anybody who is _not_ their enemy is not appealing to him in the slightest. Perhaps it has come as a result of being trained by ProtoMan, but as a robot warrior, Ballade feels there is no honor in unnecessary killing, and he would much rather not partake in any such act.

_"Attention, my robots! Mega Man is almost here, and his pitiful allies with the Detroit police force are not far behind! Head for the roof and prepare for battle!"_ calls the voice of Dr. Wily from above in the Skullker.

"Yes, Dr. Wily," Ballade responds, 'What about these hostages?"

_"They are no longer a priority. If they escape, let them. We have what we want now that Mega Man is here!"_ Wily answers.

Ballade feels a sense of relief as he and Enker begin heading for the roof where the battle with their real enemy will take place.

* * *

><p>Up on the roof, Ballade and Enker arrive with Punk trailing behind them a few seconds later, and they begin looking for Mega Man in the sky.<p>

"There!" Enker calls, pointing up ahead to see Mega Man on Rush's back with his blaster aimed directly at them. Roll is right next to him on her SkyCycle.

"Prepare your mirror staff, Enker. He's about to open fire any second," Ballade commands, and Enker does so.

"Punk, stand ready, but do not draw your weapons until I say so. We will take them by surprise," Ballade says.

Punk nearly chuckles. "Wouldn't be _my_ first choice, but... you _are_ the boss."

The Killers think they know what Mega Man is going to do next... but, they are wrong. Because Mega Man has an ace up his sleeve that even ProtoMan did not give him.

As Mega Man nears blast range of The Killers, he quickly raises his aim from The Killers up to Dr. Wily's Skullker hovering above the factory, firing off a powerful shot at the shuttle's right engine. Mega's shot cripples The Skuller's engine and causes the ship to spin out of control until it makes a hard landing elsewhere on the roof.

The Killers turn their attention to the Skullker, so focused on Dr. Wily's safety that they forget Mega Man is now targeting them. And Enker gets struck in the arm by a blast from Mega Man while his back was turned, unable to use his staff in time to catch the blast.

Once the other two Killers turn back to Mega Man, Punk has already been targeted and get blasted in the chest by the hero.

Mega calls over to Roll, "I've got these guys for now! You know what to do!"

"Right!" Roll answers as she veers her SkyCycle over and Mega zooms ahead with Rush.

Ballade fires an explosive Cracker Capsule at Mega and Rush, who quickly bank a hard right to avoid getting caught in the explosion. Mega Man returns fire with more plasma blasts and Ballade changes his strategy, using his twin blasters to fire back at him as he evades the pair of shots.

The two robot fighters continue exchanging shots at each other, barely missing one another until Mega leaps from Rush's back and races towards Ballade to begin hand-to-hand combat with him. Much like Bass before him, Ballade is very agile and proficient at blocking even the best blows Mega is throwing at him.

Ballade tries to throw Mega off by dropping a cracker capsule at his feet and leaping away, but Mega caught him in the act and backflips backwards to avoid the massive explosion afterwards.  
>The two robots then lunge for each other and crash in mid-air as they wrestle on the roof.<p>

"You are wasting your time! No matter how hard you fight, you will still fall by our hands!" Ballade claims.

"Not if I have anything to do with that, pal!" Mega counters, punching his fist into Ballade's jaw and gaining a vertical advantage on his as they continue to struggle...

Elsewhere, Enker sits up, still clutching his left arm from the blast he took from Mega Man when he was looking away. But, his pained expression becomes a satisfied grin when he finds his mirror staff laying just a few short feet away from him.  
>All Enker has to do is take back his weapon and this fight will be under Killer control again.<p>

But, as Enker reaches for the staff, Rush flies by and snatches it in his jaws, flying away with it.

"Come back with my staff, you stupid mutt!" Enker complains as he runs after Rush.

Rush takes the staff and continues to jet himself away as Enker chase after him. That is, until The Killer runs out of roof and nearly runs right over the edge, which would have sent him falling through the parking lot into deep into the pavement.

"I'll get you, you stupid dog!" Enker yells, trying to find a secondary weapon on himself... until he remembers he doesn't have a secondary weapon.

"DAMN!" Enker yells as he shakes his fist...

Meanwhile, a frustrated Dr. Wily grumbles angrily to himself as he exits the Skullker with a repair kit to fix the damage to the engine, if it can be fixed at all. Before he begins, he contacts ProtoMan back at Skull Fortress.

"ProtoMan! Get a secondary Skullker over here on the double!" he barks.

_"It's going that badly already, huh?"_ Proto replies.

Wily becomes angry as he reacts, "Never you mind how things are going here! I have already summoned by personal shuttle to arrive under auto pilot control-"

_"So, I've gotta come pick up those three losers while your alien U.F.O. ship picks you up. Sounds easy enough," _Proto interrupts.

"Enough with the back talk and get your titanium backside over here now!" Wily snaps before ending the call.

But, as Dr. Wily attempts to repair the damaged Skullker, he catches the sight of Roll landing nearby on her SkyCycle. And as she dismounts the craft, she stares angry and hateful daggers at the mad scientist, and Albert knows he is in serious trouble.

"I've been waiting for this moment for two years, Wily!" Roll fiercely states as she stalks Dr. Wily, balling her fists.

Wily then drops his tools and attempts to beg for mercy again, putting his hands up in front of himself. "No, Roll! You don't want to do this!"

"I'm doing this for all the people you've killed... and for my baby Doc, YOU MONSTER!" Roll now shouts as she now runs directly for Dr. Wily.

Dr. Wily yelps and freaks out as he tries to run back into the crashed Skullker, but as he reaches the rear door, Roll fires off her plumber's snake and grapples it around the mad doctor's right ankle, much like she did the last time they crossed paths after he tried (and failed) to kill everybody in the Space Center theater with Galaxy Man's black hole bomb.

Dr. Wily grabs on to the frame of the rear as Roll tries to pull him towards her and wails for help. "Help me, you dingbots!"

Roll threatens, "I don't care what my father and brother say! I'm gonna make you pay for what you've done!"

Roll grunts loudly as she yanks the plumber's snake in her utility arm as hard as she can and successfully pulls Dr. Willy apart from the door, dragging him towards her.

But, before she could reel Dr. Wily in, one of Punk's blades slices the plumber's snake into two pieces, freeing Wily. Roll however is so focused on apprehending Wily, she ignores the threat from Punk and continues running for main target.

Dr. Wily again scrambles to get away, but Roll dives for him and takes him down, pinning him to the surface again. She then turns Wily over and grabs a left fist full of his pink dress shirt and red neck tie. And with her right fist, she rears back and gets ready to deck the old man!

"The prime directive of robotics says we can't kill and bring severe harm to you. But, there's nothing that says I can't punch your lights out!" Roll yells with an angry face.

Before she could knock the daylights out of Wily, Roll feels somebody grabbing her arm. She looks over her shoulder to see Punk right before he throws her off Wily, sending her body crashing to another area of the roof.

As Dr. Wily takes off to the relative safety of his Skullker, Punk taunts Roll again. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you've got an ass kicking coming to you that I never finished the other night!"

Roll sneers as she returns to her feet, taking a fighting stance with his fists tightly clenched. "You said it, you big spikey chump!"

Punk scoffs, "Chump?_ Me?_ Oh, no, darlin'. I'm no chump; I'm the best robot in the world!"

Using some of the strategy Mega Man shared with her (which ironically was ProtoMan's strategy that he shared with Mega first,) Roll taunts, "You're not the best! You're no Mega Man! You're just a loser!"

"So, I'm a loser now too?" Punk asks, becoming irritated, "I'm gonna show you how much better I am than your loser brother is, but before I deal with him, I'm gonna deal with you,_ and_ your loud mouth! And I don't need any blades to do it!"

"Good! I could use the sparring practice, sissybot!" Roll taunts again.

"I'll give you target practice!" Punk yells as he charges Roll, who quickly throws a straight side kick directly where his jaw would be, (if he had one,) which stops the Killer robot dead in his tracks and shakes him up again.

Punk's angry eyes only get angrier once he shakes Roll's kick out of his head. "I dare you to beat me with something else than once of these wannabe Hong-Kong Phooey kicks!"

Roll aims her utility arm and fires a plunger at him, which sticks right to the center of his large forehead. "If you're the best, than why is your talent where that plunger should be?"

Embarrassed, Punk yanks the plunger off his head and throws it away. Roll backpeddles, holding her left arm behind herself and Punk gets a full head of steam. Holding his hands outward in a threatening manner and storming towards her, he growls, "That's it, you little-"

Punk's threat is interrupted as slips falls on his diamond saw back thanks to a puddle of cooking oil that Roll happened to load into her arm's surplus cooking oil supply before leaving the lab tonight.

Standing over her fallen enemy, Roll then draws the finisher, the weapon that no robot has yet to stand up from without neural repairs: the frying pan!

"Let me tell you something, Punk, if that_ is_ your real name," Roll says, "I'm not a bitch! But, _you_ are a creep, and a dummy to boot!"

Roll swings the frying pan downward, but Punk puts his arms up to block it. "You're one to talk!"

The Killer then shoves his arms up to push Roll away, then rears his right foot back and kicks Roll in her abdomen and knocks her back down.

As Roll tries to get the strength to stand back up, Punk is now the one prepared to finish _her_ off with one of his Punk blades. "It's a shame you had to cheat and use your little household toys. I guess that means I've gotta do the same to you, and re-arrange your pretty little Barbie-Doll face in the process."

As Punk leans closer to Roll and brandishes his blade, Roll switches over to her vacuum mode and spits back, "Re-arrange_ this_!" as she powers up the vacuum and sticks it in Punk's face. The suction force from the vacuum is so string that it adheres itself over Punk's eyes, forcing The Killer to drop the blade and stagger around blindly.

While all this carnage goes on around them, Mega Man and Ballade continue to do battle with each other on the roof. Ballade tries to get himself out of the disadvantage he has found himself in and attempts to blast Mega in his head, but the hero grabs The Killer's arm and pins it down to the surface. Ballade then aims his other arm at Mega Man's head, but Mega grabs that arm and holds it down as well.

However, this only opens Mega up for an attack, and Ballade headbutts him with his 'golden bullhorned' helmet, which dazes Mega long enough for the lead Killer to shove him off and line him up for more shots from his twin blasters, and prepping an explosive capsule on both arm launchers to fire at any moment.

Mega Man stares straight across at Ballade, waiting for him to make the first move, because even against just _one_ of The Killers, he is still in a very tough spot.

"What are you waiting for?" Mega says, "Try me!"

"I don't _try_, unlike you. I just _do it_, and I succeed!" Ballade retorts as he begins firing blasts from his wrist blasters.

Mega Man somersault flips himself out of the way of Ballade's shots, but Ballade fires off an explosive capsule ahead of where Mega Man is heading, which will either trap him into being bombarded with shots or cause him to run into his own demise.

But, Mega had kept a sharp eye on Ballade's every move as he avoided his shots and fires a blast of his own, hitting the Ballade Cracker with it, causing it to explode in mid air and knock Ballade back from the force of the combined explosion.

Before he could get back to his feet, Mega blasts him directly in the chest to knock him back down. Thanks to the 'trick play' to take down Dr. Wily's Skullker and using Proto's strategy, it looks like Mega and his family stand a real chance at defeating The Killers.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at Dr. Light's lab, the good doctor is monitoring the ongoing battle with the killers. From his computer station here, Thomas is able to monitor the life signs of his children, as well as receive updates from the police forces in Detroit. And having an extra pair of eyes and ears can make all the difference in a battle with some of the most dangerous robots in the world.<p>

"Rock, there are squads of police en route to your location. Just stall Wily's robots for a little while longer," Dr. Light says.

Mega Man replies in the middle of battle, _"I don't plan on stalling them. We're stopping them ourselves!"_

A concerned Thomas utters under his breath, "Dear, oh, dear."

Eddie paces the floor of the lab back and forth, also concerned. "Eddie hopes extra strong Energy Can works better this time!"

Peekaboo is concerned as well, standing far away from the computer on the other side of the lab and hoping his Mommy Roll and Uncle Mega are going to be okay. For now, he has to watch from here and hope for the best, very much like Kalinka Cossack is doing right now as she nervously watches on as well.

Seeing how worried Boo is, Kalinka approaches and sits down next to him. "You are worried about your Momma?"

Boo pouts and nods with a beep.

"I am worried too, about Mega Man. But, they will be back home soon... I am sure," Kalinka says, hoping that her calming words to Boo do indeed come true.

* * *

><p>Outside the lab, the quartet of Cossack Guardian Robots stand guard, ready to protect the only daughter of their creator to the last drop of their oil. Because of the Wily attack, these guardians are on heightened awareness, but everything appears to be normal out here tonight... and then they notice the Black sedan with fully tinted windows driving up to the lab.<p>

The guardians become alert when this car begins backing into the driveway path leading to the lab compound's garage and parks there. The team of robots are not sure what to make of this car, but they are not about to take any chances, especially with Dr. Cossack's daughter inside.

"Prepare weapons. I will investigate," states the leader to his other three guardians in Russian.

He and the rest of the guardians prepare their cannons built into their right arms. As the leader approaches the now-parked car, the passenger side door opens, causing him to stop in his tracks and spurring all the guardians train their weapons on the car.

"Exit the vehicle and identify yourself," orders the lead guardian in perfect English, but with a Russian accent.

After a long beat of silence passes where nobody exits the car, all the guardians begin making a cautious approach and begin surrounding the vehicle. The leader is the first to reach the car and quickly manuevers himself to get a clear shot at the driver of this vehicle... except, he doesn't find one.

The rest of the guardians begin opening the other doors and the trunk, searching for any sign of life, but ultimately find no such thing.

Then, the Black car drops a disc-like object about the size of a hockey puck underneath of itself, which then produces an extremely powerful electrical surge which shocks all the guardians, electrocuting them until they all collapse on the ground.

Seconds later, Mr. Black makes his way up the sidewalk leading to the lab in a calm and fast-paced stride, wearing in his full masked disguise. As he makes his way up the path to the garage, he looks down upon the fallen, smoking bodies of Kalinka's guardians as he passes his car.

"Close everything and leave the engine running," Mr. Black instructs the A.I. in his car, which then closes the trunk and doors by itself as it ignites the engine.

Mr. Black reaches the garage and removes the duplicate keycard from his sleeve of his trench coat and swipes it through the card reader outside. The reader accepts his duplicate card just as if it were Governor Deacon's original card, and the large garage door opens.

"All too easy," he says.

The masked terror waits a moment, almost like he is in deep thought, then makes his way inside, about to shatter the peaceful environment of the Light family's lab. With Mega Man and Roll away fighting The Killers, and the security systems here at the lab mainly designed to repel robot intruders instead of humans, there is very little to protect those inside from Mr. Black...

* * *

><p>Back inside the lab, Dr. Light continues monitoring the progress in Detroit, oblivious to what (and who) is about to invade his lab.<p>

Kalinka now stands near Dr. Light as she watches the large monitors above him, monitoring the progress made in the battle. From the looks of things Mega and Roll could win this one. But, then she thinks she shes something out of the side of her right eye. As she glances over, her whole body becomes chilled and her eyes become wide when she sees the frightening large man in the trench coat and mask making his way out of the garage in into the lab.

Kalinka lets out a blood-curdling scream that scares everybody else in the lab (aside from Mr. Black.) Thomas nearly jolts at the sound of Kalinka's scream and briefly looks at her, then looks over his other should to see what made her scream, and feels his own body grow numb with fear as he sees Mr. Black approaching him.

"Step away from the computer. Now," Mr. Black orders in a gravel.

Dr. Light and Kalinka back away from Mr. Black, as does Eddie. Meanwhile, poor Peekaboo hides under his hardhat, still scared from Kalinka's scream and unaware of Mr. Black.

As Mr. Black approaches the computer, Beat the robo bird flies into the lab, alarmed after hearing Kalinka's screaming. Once he sees Mr. Black, he darts for him like the Angriest Bird in the world, letting out a loud "BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

But, Mr. Black reaches into his trench coat with his left hand and produces a tazer device, then without even looking, zaps Beat with it when he is close enough. Everybody else watches on in terror as the robot bird then spirals out of control, letting out a "Bzzzeeaazztzzz!" until he hits the hard floor and rolls around until coming to a stop, upside-down with his yellow feet stcking up in the air.

"He'll live," Mr. Black says, as he puts the tazer back in his trench coat, "Don't make me do that again."

After not recognizing that voice, Peekaboo lifts up his hardhat and his eyes become huge and his little mouth hangs open when he sees the tall human standing in front of Dr. Light's computer terminal. He does not know who this scary man is, but after hearing what he did to Beat, Boo is really scared now. He wishes his Mommy and Mega Man were here, because they would stop this bad human.

Mr. Black produces another hard drive from his trench coat - similar to the one he gave Tiesel Bonne last night - and plugs it into a port on the lab's computer station.

"What do you want from us?" an alarmed Dr. Light inquires.

"Vital information. Don't interfere," Mr. Black replies coldly as he begins entering commands into the computer.

Mr. Black enters commands into the computer and several files begin appearing on the lab's dual monitors as they are all copied to Mr. Black's hard drive, along with a gauge showing how much progress remains.

"What is he doing?" a scared Kalinka asks Dr. Light in a near whisper.

"He's copying all of our data files!" Dr. Light answers, afraid when he sees _exactly_ what is being copied: Data on past missions with Dr. Wily, including data on Dr. Wily himself, information on all the Light family's friends and allies, something else that terrifies Dr. Light to his core...

"He's taking crucial data on all robots, including my blueprints," Thomas answers, then shudders with fear when Mr. Black isolates the image on one of the monitors to show the vital statistics on Mega Man. This clearly must have been what he was looking for.

"NO! Don't you harm my children!" Dr. Light belts as he charges for Mr. Black.

But, Mr. Black punches Dr. Light in his ample stomach - so hard, he nearly breaks his ribs - and violently shoves him away. As Dr. Light lands on the hard floor, Kalinka huddles next to him, protecting him like he was her own family.

"The next person who tries to stop me will have their kneecaps blown off!" Mr. Black threatens as he pulls his standard handgun from his coat and aims it directly at Thomas and Kalinka.

Poor Peekaboo watches in horror as this terrible man does this to Dr. Light and Kalinka, as does Eddie. Boo inadvertently lets out a scared bleep... which catches Mr. Black's attention and he stares at the Met...

Once he realizes this monster stares at him, Boo gasps and hides under his hardhat, only his scared eyes now showing as he whimpers and his little body trembles...

Mr. Black stares at Boo and realizes that he poses no real threat to him, especially because he is so scared. He turns his attention back to Thomas and Kalinka again for a moment and then turns back to the computer. But, Boo continues to whimper as he stares at the monster before him, and he quietly beeps for Roll to come back, even though she can't hear him.

Eddie runs up to his Met friend and tries to calm him down as Mr. Black keeps his gun trained towards Dr. Light as he monitors the remaining progress on the data copy. But, Dr. Light tries to reason with him. He coughs, "Why are doing this, Agent Barton?"

Mr. Black cocks his gun, and Kalinka trembles with fear. "Please don't shoot him!" she pleads.

"John Barton is dead," Mr. Black growls, "And since you know so much about him, Dr. Light, you should know that."

"Why are you targeting my children?" Dr. Light still asks in a strained voice.

Mr. Black says nothing in response as the copy process completes. He holsters his gun and removes the hard drive from the computer, placing both of them back under his trench coat.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, "Mr. Black says, almost like nothing ever happened, "When the F.B.I. arrives, tell Agent Cotto that I know he's still watching me, and that if he the bureau don't get out of my way, they'll all regret it,"  
>He then turns to Kalinka and adds, "Tell your father his guardians need repairs, Miss Cossack."<p>

Mr. Black turns away and leaves the lab, leaving the terrified Lights and equally scared Kalinka be without doing any more harm. Peekaboo stares at the frightening figure until it leaves, then completely hides under his hardhat making weeping beeps for his Mommy to come back home.

After the threat is over, Kalinka tries helping Dr. Light to his feet again. "Are you okay, Dr. Light?" she asks in a trembling voice.

In a strained voice and keeping one of his hands over his stomach where he was punched, Thomas tries to assure Kalinka, "I'll be alright. We need to tend to our robots."

"I'll call for Rock to come back," Kalinka suggest.

"No, don't," Dr. Light insists, "They can't be distracted right now. They could get seriously hurt if they are."

* * *

><p>Back in Detroit, Police helicopters make their way to the automobile factory to assist the Light siblings in their fight with Wily and his robots. Meanwhile, several cruisers and armored vans make their way on the streets to rescue the hostages, whom by now are racing out of the building en masse.<p>

Mega Man knows the police back-up is coming, but, as much as he appreciates the help, he wants to finish off The Killers by himself. With some of his recent victories going the way the have, Mega Man feels that he needs this victory to be a clear-cut success.

And it appears that victory may soon be at hand with Ballade on the ropes, Punk having his hands full with Roll, Rush taking Enker's only weapon from him, and Dr. Wily stranded here. If everything goes well, this horrible war could finally come to an end tonight.  
>But, even if they win here tonight, the Lights will be horrified to learn what just happened at their home.<p>

Ballade has yet to return to his feet after being momentarily bested by Mega Man. With his back turned to his enemy, Ballade enters a morse code message into a panel on his arm, which states, _Enker. Get over here on the double._

"You're not going to win this battle!" Mega states as he aims his plasma cannon at Ballade, waiting for him to make the next move.

In a surprising move, Ballade holds his hands up as he slowly returns to his feet, keeping his back turned to Mega Man. "And you think this, because...?"

"You're on the wrong side. That's reason enough," Mega retorts.

"And you think _you are_?" Ballade asks.

"I _know_ I'm on the right side," Mega replies, "You've just been blinded by Dr. Wily's evil programming. I'm tired of arguing, so, either stand down, or I'll blast you again right here!"

Ballade turns around and tasks Mega with a moral challenge. "You claim to be on the right side, but would you really strike an opponent who is yielding to you? Is there any nobility in that?"

Mega wants to blast Ballade into submission, but because he so believes in what is good and true, he is having difficulty justifying hitting an enemy who appears to be surrendering. "Is it noble for anybody to hold hundred of innocent humans and robots hostage?" Mega counters.

"A means to an end," Ballade responds, despite his own misgivings about it, "It drew you here, and now you are faced with the difficult decision."

"It's not that difficult to blast somebody wicked like you!" Mega states as he trains his Blaster on Ballade's chest, ready to bring this debate to a close.

But, before he could convince himself to attack Ballade, Enker runs up from behind and catches Mega's attention as he is about to attack him. As Mega Man and Enker begin duking it out, Ballade shows what lack of noble morals he has be blasting Mega several times from behind to take him down again. And like a coward, Enker takes advantage by stomping Mega Man while he's down.

"What took you so long?" a perturbed Ballade asks his fellow Killer.

"The dog took my staff!" Enker replies, still angered.

"When you lose your weapons, you start using your limbs and keep fighting! You nearly cost us this battle!" Ballade chastises.

Enker looks at his leader with a disgusted face. "Yes, sir, Ballade."

"Punk, forget the sister and come here, now!" Ballade orders...

Meanwhile, as Punk still has Roll's vacuum stuck to his eyes, he receives Ballade's order and replies, "Yeah! Sure! It's not like I've got a vacuum on my eyes, or anything."

The Killer makes a desperation attempt to get this contraption off his face and grabs the vacuum's tube, yanking it and jolting Roll towards him. When he senses that she is close enough, Punk throws a another kick at her. Roll gets her arms up to protect her face, but she still gets knocked hard and lands on her back.

As Roll grows weaker, so does the vacuum's suction power, and Punk is finally able to pull it off his eyes. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got bigger fish to fry. Namely your brother. But, don't worry, I'll come back and finish you off myself when we're done!"

Punk rejoins his fellow Killers, prepared to consummate their mission to kill Mega Man. But, Rush flies back around with Enker's staff still in his mouth, and that is enough to distract Enker again as he tries to get his staff back.

"Ignore him! I'll take care of this!" Ballade loudly says, aiming his dual blaster at Rush and spreading several blasts in the air. One of which hits Rush's side and sends him crashing on the roof.

Enker leaps over and snatches his mirror staff from Rush's mouth. "I'll be taking this, you little fleabag!" he spits as he returns to the other Killers with his staff.

Again, before the Killers could finish Mega Man off, the Police helicopters distract them, now close enough to target them. But, again, Ballade has a plan. "Dispose of these weaklings."

The Killers turn their attention to the helicopters and Punk and Ballade target them with their weapons while Enker holds his staff high in the air to catch the plasma bolts from another chopper. Like before, he waits for a break in the firing and then unleashes a powerful blast of the plasma collected from the Police's own ammo, which cripples the chopper and causes it to fall all the way to the ground below where it crashes.

Mega Man barely gets back to his feet and tries to attack the Killers to save the police from getting hurt worse, but Enker checks behind him and sees that his foe is attempting to stop them. Enker then spins around and fires off the rest of the plasma collected in his staff at Mega Man, striking him in his chest to take him back down again.

Roll shakes the cobwebs out and sees how badly her brother is faring and tries to help him by running into the heat of the battle. But, Ballade notices her and fires off a capsule in her direction.

Roll manages to barely avoid being destroyed by the explosion by jumping aside, but the force of the capsule pushes her backwards and nearly knocks her off the building. She barely manages to grab onto the ledge and save herself from falling, but after being in such a grueling battle, she won't have enough strength left to pull herself back up and then save her brother in time.

Once all other opposition has been dealt with, The Killers circle the fallen Mega Man, ready to execute him, and this time, they are working together. And off in the distance, Dr. Wily exits the crashed Skullker to watch the momentous event.

"Yes! Yes, my robots!" Wily clamors, "Now, KILL HIM!"

As a seriously weakened Mega Man looks up, he sees The Killers standing around him. Punk pins his blaster arm down with one of his feet and Enker does the same, pinning his other arm down to help ensure he will not make anymore miracle comebacks.

Ballade delivers some final remarks to his enemy. "You have proven to be a worthy opponent, Mega Man, and I would enjoy nothing more than to debate you on morality. But, the time has come for you to meet-"

Punk interrupts, making a circular gesture with one of his hands, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Can we just skip to the part where we kill him?"

Ballade makes an annoyed sigh. "Very well. Tonight, Mega Man. You will die."

But, before Ballade could finish off Mega Man, he and the other Killers hear something loud landing right behind them... followed by an angry, gutteral snarl like that of a wolf...

"Not by your hand, he's not!" proclaims a voice they have never heard before.

The Killers turn around and see Bass standing nearby, staring at them with his red-irised eyes, and Treble right below him, snarling at them with all of his razor-sharp teeth showing.

"You must be Bass," Ballade says.

"To be more accurate... I am your doom!" Bass threatens.

"Well, looks like we've got another sucker in attendance tonight!" Punk cracks, "I'd hate to break it to you, but Mega Man's our victim. Too bad."

Bass' red eyes narrow when he stares at Punk, the one who was attacking the figure of his unhealthy obsession, Roll. "The only victim here will be you for what you have done to my queen!" he threatens.

Punk laughs, "Her? Your queen? What is this, your own personal fanfic shipping dream?"

By the crashed Skullker, Dr. Wily watches on in shock, fearing that Bass is about to rob him of the moment he has waited for since over two years ago. "Bass? No! Don't! Get out of here!" he rambles.

Bass looks over his shoulder after overhears Wily's stammering and an evil-looking grin appears on his face. "Dr. Wily... it's interesting to see _you_ here."

As Bass turns to approach Dr. Wily, the mad doctor begins to freak again, thinking that his own monster is coming after him now! "Get away from me! Stop him!"

"You heard the Doctor. Take him out!" Ballade orders.

The Killers turn their full attention to Bass and Treble, preparing to attack. But, Treble howls and leaps into the air, and Bass follows suit, spinning his body around to face The Killers as the purple Quadirium/Bassinium jewels in his head glow a bright purple and Treble's body begins to transform, beginning their merge into their combined form.

Meanwhile, Mega Man barely sits up on his right arm and sees Bass and Treble before him, completing their merged form and his eyes widen. Tonight marks the first time that Mega Man and Bass have been within close distance to each other since their last confrontation in April.

"Uh-no! Not him! Not now!" Mega barely says to himself out of pure dread, as he tries to crawl away with whatever strength he has left.

Bass and Treble complete their merge and now Bass levitates above the surface of the roof, facing off across from The Killers as Roll barely pulls herself back up to the top of the roof. And when she sees Bass in his fully merged form, even she gasps in shock.

As Dr. Wily races back into his Skullker, urgently calling ProtoMan again to hurry up with the Skullker and the saucer shuttle, Punk is not impressed with Bass or his merged form.

"Oh, great! So, you're supposed to be a bat now, right?" Punk scoffs, "Here, let me clip your wings!"

Punk throws two of his Punk Blades at Bass, but the mighty robot warrior uses catches them both in his hands, then crushes both of the blades before letting them drop. "You were saying?" Bass stings back.

"Looks like we're doin' this the hard way, aren't we?" Punk snaps as he begins to charge Bass.

"No, Punk!" Ballade calls, but Punk ignores his leader's order and bulrushes for Bass anyway.

Bass quickly charges up a Bassinium-charged plasma shot and blasts Punk in his chest, quickly defeating him. But, before he could finish Punk off for good, he fires more blasts at Enker, but The Killer catches them with his mirror staff as Ballade fires several shots from his twin blasters.

Bass uses his Bassinium force field and absorbs all of Ballade's shots. When Enker unleashes Bass's shots back at him, his Bassinium force field absorbs all of that energy as well, not hurting Bass in the slightest as his face takes on an angry scowl from absorbing all of this energy.

"You're only making me angry!" he yells before he jabs his arms outward toward Enker to fire back the entirety of his collected plasma power back, which is too much for The Killer's mirror staff to catch. Enker take the entirety of the shot and goes down in a heap.

Now, the only Killer left standing is Ballade, who now begins firing the Explosive Cracker capsules as he continues firing blasts from his wrist blasters. But, Bass's force field absorbs Ballade's blaster shots and he uses the collected power to shoot down the capsules with his plasma cannon. And despite the force of each explosion, Bass does not even flinch because of the protection of his force field.

The usually unflappable Ballade now wears a look of dismay on his face when he sees how seemingly impervious Bass is to these attacks. This robot is much more powerful than Dr. Wily said he was.

Ballade fires the explosives capsules much faster now, as quickly as he can produce them from his arms, and all of them aimed direction at Bass. But, Bass just shoots them all down like they were nuisances to him, and his Bassinium force field still holds steady under the intensity of the explosions.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily's new blue and gold saucer craft arrives and opens it's upper half to grant the mad doctor access to get onboard. As Wily climbs inside, ProtoMan arrives in the auxiliary Skullker. When Proto exits the craft, he stares at the sight of Bass withstanding Ballade's onslaught without a problem, wonder how he or his brother ever survived him.

Dr. Wily barks, "Collect as many of the Killers as you can and get out of here!"

"What about Ballade?" Proto asks.

"Get him only if there's anything left of him. Just make it quick and keep Bass off my back if he comes after me!" Wily orders as he seats himself in his saucer and begins taking off.

Proto continues watching Bass, and so does Mega Man who barely makes it to his knees and helplessly watches as Bass begins charging a blast inside his left forearm. He knows that if Ballade doesn't move, he could end up destroyed. A part of Mega wants to help Ballade for his own good.

Bass raises his left arm one more time and fires off a powerful blast into Ballade's chest to knock him down. And just like that, Bass maganed to handily defeat all three of The Killers in utterly dominating fashion, a feat that nobody else - even Mega Man - has been able to do yet.

Bass aims his blaster down at the fallen Ballade and threatens, "Consider yourselves lucky that I have other business to attend to here. You and your friends had better leave, or you will _not_ get the chance to!"

Ballade angrily sneers up at Bass, but ultimately leaves when he and the other Killers get a signal from Wily to abort the operation. Ballade barely gets back up and makes a run for ProtoMan's Skullker as he clutches the blast mark on his chest. Enker and Punk barely stagger their way behind him as well.

After the defeated Killers retreat to the Skullker, Bass looks over to Roll, who is staring back at him and still keeping her fists clenched, but also afraid of what this creep will do next.

Bass speaks to Roll as he slowly begins levitating towards her. "You never had the change to explain to me in greater detail why it is wrong to make decisions for others."

Mega Man fires two blasts at Bass, but both are absorbed by his Bassinium force field. Bass then stops moving towards Roll and turns his full attention to Mega, who is on his knees, aiming his plasma cannon at him... and looking noticeably tense. That is because deep inside, Mega is _afraid_ of what might happen next, because he is ill-prepared to take on Bass in his normal form, let alone his merged form with Treble.

And Bass can sense the intimidation he has struck into his enemy as a satisfied smile forms on his purple-streaked face. "It looks like the damage I dealt to you in our last battle was more than just physical... I can see the fear in your eyes. Much like the humans you protect, you are now so weak that you _should_ be destroyed."

"There are at least three bots up here who're not about to let that happen. Our sister, their dog, and me," chimes in the voice of ProtoMan.

Bass looks back to ProtoMan and taunts, "And _you,_ 'Big Brother,' are hiding your fear behind your false bravado and a visor."

Proto smirks, "You know, if you ever faced us all at once, you'd never stand a chance."

"And delusions of confidence as well," Bass adds.

Bass look back over to Roll, who by now is trying to comfort Rush who is still shaken by one of Ballade's blasts, yet still staring at the robot who lusts after her. Then he turns to Mega Man again.

"I will let you live for now, Mega Man," Bass says, "Just seeing your fear is satisfying enough, for now. Unlike those three cowards you did battle with earlier, I want you to be at your best when I kill you."

Afterwards, Bass takes off and flies away, using the power of Treble's jets in merged form. Mega Man lets out a sigh and lets his shoulders sag down because he is glad to have been allowed more time to prepare for a fight with Bass.

Roll and Rush race to Mega Man's side, but ProtoMan stares at his brother, bothered by how tense - or even scared - he was when he was in Bass' presence. "This isn't like you, Rock," he comments.

Upon hearing her other brother's comment, Roll snaps back, "Get lost!"

"Suit yourself, sis!" Proto groans as he gets back aboard the Skullker and leaves a few seconds later, taking The Killers back to Skull Fortress with him.

As the wails of Police sirens cut the air, Mega Man barely makes it back to his feet with Roll's support, but, he looks dejected. Not only did he fail to stop the Killers again, but his confidence fell apart when he was face-to-face with Bass, and Bass picked up on it.

But, as if this night couldn't get any worse, Mega then gets an emergency call on his communicator...

_"Rock! Please answer!"_ calls the scared voice of Kalinka Cossack.

"Kalinka? Are you okay?" Mega replies, becoming concerned when he hears the noticable fear in her voice.

_"The lab was just broken into by horrible man in trench coat and mask!" _Kalinka nearly cries.

Mega Man's, Roll's and even Rush's senses run cold when they realize _who_ Kalinka is referring to.

* * *

><p><strong>Soon afterwards.<strong>  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man, Roll and Rush return to the lab, horrified when they see what has happened inside of their home: Beat has been incapacitated, Eddie is a nervous wreck and does not even notice their arrival at first, Dr. Light looks like he was attacked and is hunched over in pain, and Kalinka is in tears.

But, Roll looks all around for one very important member of the family, but she can't find him. "Where's Peekaboo?"

"He has hid under hardhat ever since," Kalinka chokes, "We can't get him to come out."

Roll urgently runs around the lab and cries, "Peekaboo? Boo!"

Then, Roll finds poor Peekaboo's hardhat with the blue cross sign on it and bares witness to the heartbreaking sight of her Met coming out of hiding with eye lubrication soaking his face. He then begins running up to her, loudly bleeping _Mommy_ until Roll gets down on the floor and scoops him up in her arms, and he wraps his extension arm around her body to hold her tightly.  
>Once she grabs him, Boo begins making weeping beeping sounds, which in turn makes Roll very upset as well.<p>

"Did he hurt you?" Roll asks in a weep.

Boo barely bleeps that the big scary person did not hurt him, but describes who Mr. Black did hurt and that he scared him.

"Everything's gonna be okay now. He's gone," Roll now breaks down crying with her Met as she hugs him and profusely weeps, "I'm not gonna let anybody do this to you again."

Mega Man watches on in emotional agony as Roll hugs her Met. Once he sees Kalinka running up to him, her wraps her up in his own arms, and she hugs him tightly.

"Are you okay?" Mega asks in a trembling voice.

Kalinka quickly nods and answers with her English falling apart, "He did not hurt me. But, he attack Dr. Light."

A worried Mega looks up to see his father staggering over to him, clutching his stomach area. He asks his father, "What did he do?"

"He copied the entire database, including files on all of my robots, and both of you. It was your files he was the most interested in," Thomas explains, "I tried to stop him, but. I failed."

"No, father. You shouldn't have done that," Mega pleads as he takes one arm and embraces Dr. Light with it.

"My damage is only temporary, and fortunately, so is Beat's. But, what he did to this home and everyone in it was..." Thomas pauses and shakes his head, "Only Albert Wily would commit such an act."

As Mega Man embraces his father and Kalinka again, and soon joins his sister to try to calm both her and Peekaboo down afterwards, he realizes that he is now posed with yet another difficult situation in dealing with Mr. Black, because a heinous act such as this would make it clear that the masked terror must have a grudge with him.

And if that was not bad enough, Dr. Wily and The Killers are still on the loose... and so is Bass.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Not much to say, other then this marks the second longest chapter in Defender history, but unfortunately I felt terrible having to write the parts where poor Boo was scared and Beat was zapped._

_And congratulations, Little Kunai, you correctly predicted Bass arriving and whooping the Killers in your previous review!_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos or continuity errors that are so bad they would make the New Year's ball in Times Square go back up and fly off into space never to be seen again, please PM me._

_(I have been waiting for the chance to make a reference to fanfic lingo inside of a fic.)_


	110. Coming Apart

_**Episode 10, Chapter 8: Coming Apart**_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress hangar bay.<strong>

Despite the overwhelming odds they faced with having to battle the team of Mega Man, Roll and Rush who were all ready to take the fight to them, and later having to deal with Bass, Dr. Wily is once again not taking the defeat of The Killers very lightly. In fact, 'not taking it very lighty' would be an understatment, because tonight, Dr. Wily is like an active volcano, in that he could erupt with great fury and anger at any moment.  
>And when that happens, it would be best to be someplace else.<p>

Unfortunately for The Killers, they don't have the option of leaving. And nearby, a group of the Robot Masters are watching on - including the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man, as well as Bright Man and ElecMan among others - and so is ProtoMan who leans himself against a Skullker with a grin on his face, all of them entertained by watching _somebody else_ take the blame for a change.

"This was not supposed to happen!" Dr. Wily nearly rasps with balled fists, once again refusing to take blame for his part in the filed plan, "I gave you the plan, a fool-proof plan, but you forgot that one tiny little detail... You were supposed to bring me Mega Man's head on a plate!"

Ballade bows his head down and attempts to claim responsibility, like a good soldier. "I apologize, Dr. Wily."

In a rare moment of defending his fellow Killers, Punk chimes in, "We _had_ Mega Man defeated, actually, until that psycho with the wolfbot showed up and mowed us all down. I'm not sure if you were exactly _expecting_ him to show up, but we weren't!"

"You are all supposed to be the best of my creations!" Wily snaps, "That means you are all supposed to be prepared for any-"

Punk interrupts, "In fact, when you got your little Skull craft shot down by Mega Man, that just about threw whatever strategy we had right down the toilet, especially when you whined for us to help bail you out from getting your ass handed to you by a girl! We had to make sure you escaped, and I ended up getting embarrassed by Mega Man's sister because of it!"

Dr. Wily points a finger in Punk's face, "You are on thin ice, Punk!"

"Maybe I like thin ice!" Punk retorts, full of his abrasive attitude as Enker shakes his head, hoping that Punk will just shut-up before he gets them all into more trouble.

"Quiet, Punk!" Ballade orders.

Punk finally becomes frustrated with his teammates for not wishing to stand up for themselves and stays quiet as he leans against Dr. Wily's new saucer shuttle and folds his arms.

"DON'T LEAN ON MY SAUCER!" Wily shouts in an outrage.

Punk groans as he removes himself from the blue and gold saucer.

Ballade apologetically says, "You are correct, Dr. Wily. We are held to a higher standard to all other robots, and we should not have failed."

Wily shouts, "You're damn right you should not have failed! I could have recruited the Robot Masters to perform this mission and they would have done a better job! At least they can comprehend the words 'Destroy Mega Man!'"

Punk scoffs, "Oh, please! Some of these idiots would need to comprehend _the word_ 'Comprehend' before they can comprehend anything _about_ comprehending! Namely GutsMan."

"Lemmie at 'im! I'll give ya' somethin' to... whatever that big word is!" GutsMan growls and the Robot Masters all have to hold him back, just barely.

"Case in point!" Punk loudly proclaims as he gestures towards the raging GutsMan.

Dr. Wily becomes fed-up with Punk's attitude again and warns, "One more remark out of you, and I'll-"

"You'll just throw me in the brig again! Which is fine by me! I could use the sleep," Punk taunts, then levels the knockout blow to Wily's ego, "In fact, _you_ being there tonight only screwed everything up! We would've killed Mega Man if we didn't have to babysit an old man!"

A red-faced Dr. Wily finally erupts with fury. "THAT'S IT! Get that disrespectful tin can out of my sight!"

As the Robot Masters prepare to haul Punk off again, Ballade tries to reason with his creator. "Again, I apologize for my teammate's attitude, Dr. Wily. Punk is only angry because of how-"

"SHUT-UP!" Dr. Wily shrieks as he nearly rips his lab coat off and throws it to the floor, "I built you three to become the robots who would kill Mega Man, not to humiliate me! You were supposed to be my finest creations, but, instead, you are all failures just like all the rest!"

Ballade gets a downcast look on his face after being labeled a failure by Dr. Wily, something that he had labeled many of the other robots before him. After being groomed to be the eventual 'Sword' of Dr. Wily (and potentially Wily's new Right Hand if ProtoMan ever became too much of a problem,) being labeled such a pitiful name hits Ballade much harder than Enker or Punk.

While Ballade is devastated by being called a failure, Enker looks sorely displeased as well, just not as much as Ballade is. But, Punk is still mouthing off to his creator as he gets dragged away by the Robot Masters.

"Don't call me a failure, you old meatbag! Let me loose and I'll finish off all of you," Punk shouts, before look at ProtoMan and adding, "Especially you, Scarf Boy!"

ProtoMan just keeps on grinning and waves goodbye to Punk by twiddling his red fingers. After having to put up with him for so long, Proto is glad to see Wily put the screws to him at long last.

"Get him out of here, and don't let him out of the brig until I say so!" Dr. Wily orders in a yell before turning to Ballade and Enker again, "And as for the two of you, go to your quarters. In fact, I don't care where you go, as long as you are nowhere around me!"

"As you wish, Dr. Wily," Ballade nods, sounding dejected.

The two remaining Killers leave, and Enker gives Wily a sideways angry glance, which the mad doctor notices and only sets him off even more.

"Are YOU giving me attitude too?" Wily flips out, "REPORT TO THE BRIG AND JOIN YOUR RED FRIEND!"

"What?" Enker steams.

"GET! NOW!" Wily roars.

Enker storms off as a group of Sniper Joes - along with Headless Joe - escort him to the brig. And afterwards, Dr. Wily steps into Ballade's personal space and growls, "Are you going to_ dare_ to start anything with me, Ballade?"

"No, Dr. Wily," Ballade answers.

Wily then begins barely chuckling, sounding like he is on the verge of a serious mental meltdown. "A smart decision! Yes! Now go!"

Proto watches this exchange and can clearly see a Dr. Wily he has never quite seen before. Normally, Proto would snark Albert on how these 'Mega Man Killers' don't look as slick as Wily thought, butright now, the old man looks like he could rip somebody's circuits out of their body with his bare hands if he wanted to.  
>So, for the sake of not having to spend all night with Punk in the brig, Proto decides not to pile on tonight.<p>

After Ballade leaves the hangar bay, ProtoMan begins to follow suit to return to his quarters, but even _he_ is not spared Wily's wrath...

"And YOU!" Wily bellows, causing Proto to stop in his tracks, "I can hear you!"

"Didn't say anything, Wily," Proto answers.

Dr. Wily races around to ProtoMan's front side and points the finger in his face now, which is now shaking uncontrollably due to Albert's uncontrolled rage. "No, I always hear you even when you don't speak! You laugh just like all the others!" he rambles.

"I wasn't laughing either," Proto says, calmly.

"As much as they are to blame for what happened tonight, so are you!" Wily says.

"Would you be so kind to tell me why?" Proto asks, annoyed at Wily's latest accusation.

"You trained them all in combat, which is no wonder why they can't seem to kill Mega Man, because _you_ can't do it either!" Wily seethes, "And not only was your lousy training at fault, but this team of Killers was never complete like they were intended to be, because you let the female robot slip away!"

Wily refers to the time ProtoMan reported that there was "nothing left to recover" of Nomad. In actuality, that was a lie by Proto which led Dr. Wily to believe Nomad had been destroyed so that she could escape and keep herself out of Wily's clutches.  
>Although Proto manages to show no reaction to the mention of Nomad, he feels a hint of fear at Wily's mention of her, because he does not want her to fall victim to this man.<p>

"I sent you out night after night, and all you could turn up was A DEAD ROBOT?" Wily snaps, "If you had only done what I told you to do, I could have wiped her memory, the team would have been complete and NONE OF THIS would have happened! And most of all, your brother would be out of my way, as in DEAD!"

After once again being railed by his 'loving' co-creator, ProtoMan keeps his cool and says, "No matter how many robots that you build, there's only one who can win you this war and stop my brother... me. But, since I'm still demoted, I guess I'm no help to you there."

Dr. Wily is once again on the verge of blowing up again, but turns himself around with a loud "BAH!" and storms off to his workshop again, nearly frothing at the mouth and clinching his fists until his aged knuckles become bone white.

ProtoMan remains alone in the hangar bay, sure to stay clear of the thermonuclear mad scientist. And as he remains here by his lonesome, he thinks about how Wily ultimately placed the blame on him again.

Even though Proto had nothing to do with The Killers failure tonight, it's somehow still _his_ fault. And as much as Proto hates Punk, even he would have to admit that The Killer made some good points in his argument, mainly that Wily's insistence on being present during the operation helped lead to their defeat.  
>And, like always, Dr. Wily doesn't blame himself for his own mistakes; he just blames everybody else.<p>

"This job is just getting worse and worse," Proto muses.

* * *

><p>As Dr. Wily makes his way to the workshop, he mutters indecipherable ravings an in a combination of English and German, clearly sounding like he is just one hair away from losing what little sanity he has left... if he hasn't already.<p>

No robot is safe from his anger, either. He snaps at Plant Man just for being in the same corridor as he, yelling "GET OUT OF MY WAY" as he storms to the workshop.

When he finally reaches the workshop, he slams the rickety door as hard as he can, creating an impact so loud that it nearly knocks the old television in the room to the floor. He then storms over to the workbench where has had built and devised many of the robots in his army over the years, and once he sits down, he grabs two fists full of what remains of his grey hair and pulls on it, feeling the urge to rip it all out.

But, instead of ripping his hair out, Albert lets go and uses this unfiltered rage to his benefit. He grabs a pen and begins quickly jotting down a rough sketch and notes on another robot, because some of his best ideas have come to him in the middle of his tirades.

In the middle of the frantic sketch, the little whisper in his head becomes welcome company, helping him craft his latest tool of destruction, even telling him what kind of look this creation should have, right down to even the smallest details like colors used on the armor and facial features.

Wily's eyes get large as he continues his rough plan of this new robots, still on the verge of a full-blown breakdown. But, in the middle of his work, something grabs his attention and it comes from the old television, which was left on all night while he was out with The Killers...

_"This news just coming in out of New York,"_ says the grey-haired news reporter on the screen in the middle of network coverage of the failed attack in Detroit, "_We have just learned that the lab complex of Dr. Thomas Light has also been the target of some kind of attack tonight."_

Wily suddenly stops work on the robot and his head quickly turns towards the television. The mere knowledge of something happening to Dr. Light or his family catches his attention, especially because Albert Wily himself was not the one responsible, and he wants to find out all the details, (and learn who would dare try to threaten Dr. Light without him being there to join in.)

_"It is reported that this invasion of the lab complex took place at the same time as the hostage situation in Detroit. We do not yet know if this attack was related to the Detroit situation or if Dr. Albert Wily may have been involved, but witnesses have taken to social media and claim they saw a black car driving away from the area that matches the same make commonly used by the masked criminal known as Mr. Black."_

"There's that name again!" Wily utters as left eyebrow arches with interest. Several times over the course of the past year, Dr. Wily has heard the name _Mr. Black_ and sightings of a man in a mask and trench coat showing up in the middle of recent attacks, even the first Killer attack earlier this week in New York.  
>Even ProtoMan had mentioned seeing somebody matching the description on the night Dr. Wily had strapped Kalinka Cossack to a massive ion bomb in Times Square. And it was likely this mystery man who shot the first Dark Man and destroyed his memory core that night.<p>

Dr. Wily begins hatching an idea... perhaps there is truth to the saying_ 'The enemy of your enemy is your friend.'_ Perhaps he can forge an alliance with this Mr. Black and they can work together to kill Mega Man...

But, the Whisper in his head disputes, _"He could be trouble. You don't need a weak human who wears a mask to help an intellect like you."_

As always, Wily follows the advice of the whisper and dismisses the idea of working with Mr. Black. But, the idea of perhaps_ using him_ to get what he wants does sound appealing.

Albert finally settles down and listens further to the news reports from New York. And as the details come in, he will be glad he did. But, that in and of itself will be very bad news...

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's mansion.<br>Albany, New York.**

In his office, Governor Mitchell Deacon sits in his chair as he leans on his desk with his forearms and taping his right fingers on his left hand as they rest near his forehead. The Governor has the look of somebody who is trying to remain calm and collected despite the unsettling news about what just happened at Dr. Light's lab. This news has been made even worse knowing that the one responsible for this was likely Mr. Black, who was spotted in the area by citizens who called 911 operators to report this.  
>But, as disturbed as the Governor is upon learning this, he is more angry than anything. Angry at himself for letting this happen.<p>

"This would have never happened if I had kept that keycard on me at all times," Deacon muses.

His Chief of Staff Ethan Ranquist is first to reply, "There is no way any of us could have seen this coming, sir."

"But, I could have stopped it. I could have told Thomas to change the security code on the lab as soon as that car was stolen. We might have even caught this Mr. Black bastard and gotten him off our streets!" Deacon stresses, even slamming his balled fist down on the desk in frustration.

Everybody gathered in the officer stares at The Governor, most of them shocked to see that he has finally lost his cool after managing to control it so well even during the most tense situations.

"It seems like almost every time Wily shows his face in this country, something is happening to me, or to people around me," Deacon surmises a bit grimly, "And now there's this, and this Mr. Black character is involved."

Ranquist reminds the Governor, "There is not yet any concrete evidence that Mr. Black was responsible for this act. It could easily be another illusion by Albert Wily."

"It could be. But I have a bad feeling in my bones it's this guy," Deacon insists.

Ranquist's phone rings and he answers it. "Ranquist... Right... I'll inform Governor Deacon personally."

"What is it? Deacon asks.

"That was the F.B.I. They have confirmed that, in fact, it _was_ this Black character," Ranquist confirms, "Both the Bureau and our own Police force is conducting a manhunt of the surrounding areas."

Governor Deacon stands from his chair and puts his right fist on his goateed chin. "I would like to have some time alone, if you please."

"If I may say, Mr. Governor, you are blaming yourself for this too much," the Chief of Staff tries to state.

"I appreciate your opinion, Ethan, but... I just need time to think right now, mainly about how I'm going to make this up to Thomas and Mega Man. He's probably still mad at me for constructing the tower. I don't know how he'll forgive me for this."

Giving up trying to reason with The Governor, Ranquist leaves Deacon's office without saying another word, and all other staff members gathered in the office follow suit. And after he is all alone, Deacon opens up the bottom desk drawer and removes a bottle of brandy and a shot glass. The Governor is not much of a drinker, but if there was any time for a drink to ease the stress a little bit, now is the time.

After he pours himself the drink, Deacon immediately gulps it down and puts the shot glass back on his desk afterwards, letting out a sharp exhales. He is still infuriated over what happened. and an action this brazen by Mr. Black could cause The Governor to make his own swift _reaction,_ much like how Dr. Wily's first attack spurred Mega Man to volunteer to become a robot warrior to defend the world.

While something as significant like commissioning another robot to deal with this situation is not on Deacon's mind, it would certainly appear that he knows that something must be done to prevent having a menace like Mr. Black on the loose in the city, even if it means stepping on The F.B.I.'s toes to get it done.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The peaceful home of the Light family has now become a crime scene and several New York Police officers swam the area, and several Policebots have formed a perimeter to keep everybody at bay, even the press.

Inside, Dr. Light is being checked by doctors while he and Kalinka Cossack are being interviewed by F.B.I. agents about what took place here.

Agent Cotto is already inside the lab and has spent time interviewing those who were here when Mr. Black invaded this home. The agent who was once a friend of the man who _used_ to be John Barton is reviewing the footage from the lab's security systems. When he sees the footage of Mr. Black tazing Beat, attacking Dr. Light and then brandishing his handgun, Cotto's dark brown eyes narrow.

"It appears the wound to his neck didn't slow him down much," another agent says, "You know Barton better than anybody else. What is he going to do next?"

"I _thought_ I knew him. But, the John Barton we once knew - even on his worst, darkest day - would never do something like this. Attacking the most brilliant man alive and threatening innocents. He didn't do that to Professor Henson or either of the McIntyres, but he did it here, tonight." Cotto says, "He really _has_ gone over the deep end. And now that he knows that we're on to him, we don't have much time left."

"What makes you think that?" asks the other agent.

"Trust me, I just know. Look at his file and a calendar and you'll see what I mean," Cotto replies cryptically.

During the conversation between the agents, Chief Montgomery Toombs makes his way into the lab, despite the urging from more federal agents on the premises to stay outside until the investigation is over, and he makes a B-line for Agent Cotto. And he is not too pleased.

"I'm hearin' this was that Mr. Black who did this tonight," Toombs says, not bothering to use an indoor voice, "So, you an' the feds still think it was a good idea ta' shut us outta the investigation now, do ya?" he asks.

"I realize that you and the department are concerned, Chief Toombs, but, The Bureau is handling this situation," Cotto insists.

"Maybe if ya' just let us be a part of it, maybe my friends here wouldn't'a been attacked," Toombs steamrolls.

"We are handling it," Cotto holds firm.

"Aye? Well, you ask me, you boys 're doin' a bad job 'a handling it, fella," Toombs jabs before walking away

Cotto is left at a loss after the stinging comments from The Cheif, so much that he actually ponders if he really is the best means of apprehending his former friend.

"Why me?" Cotto groans.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Mega Man makes his way inside to house next to the lab, going directly to Roll's room. He knows that she has tried to calm Peekaboo down after the Met had to bear witness to a terrorizing situation like the one that took place here tonight.<p>

Mega is glad that his father will recover from his injuries just fine and that Beat can easily be restored to normal, but the knowledge that this former Federal Agent could dare invade this home and terrify his family bothers Mega Man greatly. And combined with another near-defeat at the hands of The Killers, as well as Bass' appearance and his picking up on Mega's timidity, his luck appears to be on a downward path for him and it is only getting worse.

As he reaches Roll's room, he sees her seated cross-legged on her bed with Peekaboo cuddled in her lap and wrapped up in a little blanket with his eyes closed as he sleeps and recharges. The room is well-lit, probably because Boo was afraid to be in the dark after what happened tonight.

Roll looks up makes a "Shhhhh" sound with her mouth so that Mega would be quiet, and he nods to comply.

"It took me so long to finally convince him to sleep. He was afraid that creep was still here," Roll silently says, "How is everybody else?"

"Eddie was freaked out at first, but he should be okay," Mega says, "Dr. Light is being treated now... Kalinka's doing okay now, but she is concerned for the others, including Boo."

Roll looks down upon her sleeping Met again and gently keeps her arms wrapped around him and watches him sleep. He is so innocent and would never hurt anybody, and it is heart wrenching for her to know that this gentle little robot has had to undergo so many horrible experiences already in his life.

Roll's lip begins trembling as she speaks again, "We were making so much progress helping him not be afraid so much. But, I've never seen him this scared after what he saw tonight... I'm afraid he'll never be the same again."  
>As her eyes overflow with eye lubrication fluid, Roll silently weeps, "I promised him he would be safe here. I <em>promised<em> him. I've never broken a promise to him, never! I should've stayed home, I could've stopped all this... I'm a terrible caretaker."

Mega tries to comfort his sister as he places puts his left hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Roll."

"But, it's true," Roll mopes, "I lost Doc, and now I let this happen to Peekaboo."

Mega's hand now gently squeezes his sister's shoulder and he kneels down in front of her. "Listen. I know you're upset because of what happened, and so am I. But, we're gonna find this guy and nail him, just like we're going to nail Wily."

Roll wipes the tears away as she continues to look down at her sleeping Met. "I know what you meant now when you said this war is getting harder. Even home isn't safe anymore."

Mega feels the emotional weight of that statement. Even though this was an act committed by Mr. Black and not Dr. Wily, things are going too far. He assures, "Anybody who has hurt us and all the other victims is going to pay for it. We're going to end this war soon. "

"I hope we do," Roll says, not sounding sure or confident in herself for the first time in many months.

Mega steps out of Roll's room and leaves her to comfort Peekaboo, only to find Kalinka approaching him in the hallway, looking sorrowful as she clutches a mobile phone which belongs to her.

Mega and Kalinka approach each other in the hallway, until they reach one another's touch. "Are you okay," Mega asks as he gently places his hands on her shoulders.

Kalinka looks saddened and struggles to find the strength to speak, but Mega Man tries to assure her, "It's okay. I know you're shaken up."

"It's... not just that," Kalinka says, "I just got off phone with father... he heard about what happened, and... he thinks I should come home until it is safe again."

Mega Man is emotionally jolted by this news, adding just another brick on the load that he has had to bear tonight. He tries to speak as well, but he is still too shocked to speak or find the right words at first. "W-when?" Mega barely asks.

"He has plane coming tomorrow afternoon. I try to tell him I will be fine, but he insist on this. I don't want to leave you, Rock," Kalinka laments as her eyes fill with tears.

Mega takes her into his arms and they hold each other tightly. "I know you don't, Kalinka. But..." Mega pauses, almost suggesting that maybe Dr. Cossack is right and that Kalinka should be where it is safe, but he cannot force himself to say it.  
>Finally he submits to his feelings nd says, "I want you to stay here too."<p>

"We were suppose to have second date," Kalinka sniffles.

"We will, Kalinka. It just might have to be a little later than we thought," Mega says, silently as he and the girl he cares so deeply for remain standing in the middle of the hall, hugging each other and not letting go.

* * *

><p><strong>At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Dead tired as he sits in the large chair in his study room, an unmsked Mr. Black has spent all night waiting for a call from The Conduit well into the late night hours. But, the call never came. Surely, surely the mysterious overseer must have learned about what happened at the lab by now, because it is all over the news and Mr. Black made sure that he was noticed by enough people to make his presence known.

As his eyes become heavier, he stares at the chess board where _she_ sat so long ago, but something feels strange this time. He has had this strange haunting feeling wash over him before, but never as strong as tonight.

Finally, the scrambled signal phone rings, and Mr. Black answers it. ".. yes," he calmly answers.

_"You dare cross me again!"_ The Conduit says in a low, angered tone, _"You lied about not finding anything in Deacon's car, and you once again operated without my permission. And furthermore, I have failed to make contact with my secondary asset after your meeting with him!"_

"Yes, I admit, I lied to you, I struck that lab, and I intimidated your young friend named Mr. Bonne. I'm due for some sort of dire penalty, aren't I?" Mr. Black asks, sounding awfully calm for somebody who knows he is in for it.

_"And now you antagonize me,"_ The Conduit says, _"I have had it with you-"_

Mr. Black interrupts, "Well, before my services are no longer needed, let me tell you that I copied Thomas Light's entire database, highly detailed files on everything the man has ever worked on or had anything to do with, every robot he ever built,_ including_ Mega Man, otherwise known as DLN-001, according to his registry number. And I know you would love to get your hands on all this, but only I know where I'm keeping it."

Mr. Black balls his free hand into a fist until his knuckles crack as he starts growling, "So, if you_ dare_ cut me off at the knees before this mission is before, all this intel goes with me, and you will never see one piece of it! NEVER!"

The Conduit remains silent.

"You love to play the puppet master and manipulate me and everybody else you think you own. But now, the shoe is on the other foot," Mr. Black says, "_I_ have _you _in the palm of _my_ hands now. And you will play along with me, because I'm the only real chance you have of completing this mission. And you know it! And after seeing what I did tonight, you should respect that,"  
>"You wanted to embarrass Mitchell Deacon, and after he finds it was his keycard that got me into that cozy little lab, he will be embarrassed; you asked me to prepare your boy to take my place, and I've taught just how dangerous it is to be in my shoes; And I am closer to finishing this mission than ever before, and I WILL finish it... so, are you sure you want to fire me now, or should you be saying <em>'Thank you, Mr. Black?<em>'"

A beat passes before The Conduit speaks again..._ "Perhaps I would be willing to pardon your actions, provided you give me Dr. Light's data."_

"You'll get it when I complete this mission, and no sooner. And if you stab me in the back, I'll destroy it all before my body hits the floor," Mr. Black morbidly says before terminating the call and letting the phone drop onto the table right night to him

Even though he told The Conduit he would give him the data after the mission is over, Mr. Black does not exactly plan on doing any such thing, because by then, nothing will matter... he knows what he will do with that data he took tonight... he knows _exactly_ what to do with it...

After the adrenaline of the intense conversation ebbs, his eyes become heavy again as he stares at the chess board... why couldn't she still be here? Things were so much better then...

As John drifts off into unconsciousness again, he is surrounded by the peaceful nothingness that he finds so comforting... until he hears _her_...

_"This is how you honor me?"_ she asks with anger and severe disappointment in her voice... and then he sees her standing in front of him, looking serene as she wears a white silken gown which balances her brown skin... but as heavenly as she look, her emotions are not as harmonious...

_"This is what I mean to you?"_ she asks just as angrily...

John's breathing becomes labored from the stress of hearing her like this. He tries to speak, but no words come out... he does not remember her ever being this angry with him or saying those words before... but, these exact words have haunted him before, sometimes in the aftermath of committing his more unscrupulous deeds.

She turns around and walks away -almost looking like she is floating - and John tries to run after her, but he runs in slow motion... _"This is how you honor me?"_ ... he tries reaching out to grab her before she gets away... _"This is what I mean to you?"_

_"You deserve this."_ ... John suddenly feels everything collapsing on top of him all at once, crushing him. He was back _there_ again...

Mr. Black screams himself awake from the haunting dream he had, his eyes wide and darting from side to side. He bolts out of his chair, drenched in hot sweat and her haunting words still ring in his head... _"This is how you honor me?"_

Mr. Black's eyes ind the chess board, and they only ring louder like bells going off in his head... _"This is how you honor me?"_

"No!" he panics, "No!"

Mr. Black darts off to the bathroom area as fast as he can, and runs the water once he gets there, splashing ice cold water on his face. Yet, she still haunts him... _"This is what I mean to you?"_

Mr. Black looks up into the small mirror on the wall, expecting to see her scolding him in the reflection, but he only sees himself staring back. He was no longer dreaming... but, she was haunting him now...

_"You deserve this."_

"... I deserve this," Mr. Black mumbles.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>J.F.K. Airport.**

Flying atop of Item #2, Mega Man escorts Kalinka to the medium-sized plane waiting to take her back home to Russia, where she would be ensured to be under heavy protection. The four disabled guardian robots were already sent here earlier and loaded on the plane. The only thing holding the flight up from returning to Russia is Kalinka.

But, Mega Man took his time getting here, and Kalinka encouraged him to. They both do not want their time together, not like this... not before they told each other how they truly feel for one another.

Mega brings Item #2 to a landing right at the foot of the staircase which extends from the door on the side of the plane down to the tarmac. Both and Kalinka stand across from each other, heavy-hearted about this moment having to come so soon and would like anything to extend their time with each other.

"Could you come on plane for a few minutes? That way, we have privacy," Kalinka asks, trying to delay her departure as much as she can.

"Sure," Mega replies, also with the same thought she had in mind.

* * *

><p>Mega and Kalinka enter the plane's cabin area where the robot pilot is waiting. Kalinka instructs in Russian, "Delay our takeoff for at least ten minutes."<p>

The robopilot nods, "Yes, Miss Cossack. But, I advise we leave as soon as possible."

After the robopilot enters the cockpit, Mega and Kalinka are by themselves again, like they want to be. They both barely smile while they look across each other again, but there is a great sadness behind these smiles this time, because they do not know if they will see each other again. And after a beat of silence, Mega Man speaks first.

"I'm so sorry for everything that's happened, especially last night," Mega profusely apologizes, "I wish there was something I could do to change it all."

Kalinka says, "Don't be sorry, Rock."

"No, I should be," Mega says, frustrated with himself and bearing great guilt, "You were at the lab because your father thought you would be safe there... but, it _still_ wasn't safe enough. All of you could have... died last night," Mega adds, barely choking out those last few words, afraid to think of any such scenario.

"But, that did not happen. We are going to be okay," Kalinka encourages, "And I'm sure little Peekaboo will feel better soon. He has good Momma."

"I just wish I could stop all this war and terror so we could all live peacefully again... I don't want to see anybody die again," Mega says.

Kalinka reaches for Mega's hands, and just like their night together inside the Statue of Liberty, they hold them.

"You are are most caring person I have ever met, human or robot," Kalinka says.

"I was raised well," Mega says, barely smiling.

"Yes, you were," Kalinka says.

After a moment, the two gaze into their eyes again, and their voices once again begin to become soft.

"You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you," Mega says.

"I will miss you just as much," Kalinka says, now stepping closer as he and Mega being holding each other in their arms again, "I promise, no matter where our lives take us, we will always be two close friends named Rock and Kalinka, just like when we were at statue. You are my angel."

"You're my angel too," Mega says gently, "People like you are what makes this world a good one."

But, there was something else he had to tell Kalinka before they she had to go, something that he would be remiss if he forgot. Despite his nervousness to just say what he feels, he just had to let it out and tell her, or a moment like this might never come again...

"When we were at Lady Liberty the other night, there was... something else I never got the chance to tell you," Mega begins, "I'm afraid if I don't tell you now..."

Kalinka moves her hands up Mega's blue arms and coos, "I'm listening."

Mega feels himself tensing up a little bit as he tries to come out with it. "Kalinka... I... I..."

Kalinka puts her right index finger up to Mega Man's mouth... "You don't need to say anything, Rock," she nearly whispers...

For the third time this week, they draw closer to each other and their faces come near. This spectacular moment was about to happen again, but there would be no interruptions this time... it would become a reality on this day... it had to this time...

Mega Man and Kalinka's lips finally touch one another's and they share their first kiss in nearly nine months. Unlike the first on the cold night in January, when it was a kiss from her that he was not prepared for, they both were ready for this, sharing the same affection for each other. But this is still a soft, innocent kiss between two young ones who just now realized how much love they were in.

In just a mere few seconds the kiss was already over, their lips making that soft _smack_ sound when they parted, but they created a moment of love that will last a lifetime.

When they come apart, Mega and Kalinka gaze into their eyes again, knowing the kind of experience they just had. There were no words that needed to be said between them to describe how they felt. They just knew it.

Mega and Kalinka smile and almost titter with the nervous excitement that comes with a moment like that. "You have lipstick on your mouth," Kalinka giggles.

Mega anxiously snickers, then says, "That's the first time I've ever... kissed somebody like that."

"I've only kissed like that twice... both times, it was you," Kalinka says, her eyes becoming watery again, "I wish we could make this moment last forever."

"Well, maybe... we can make it last a little longer," Mega says, so softly he is only audible to Kalinka.

"As close to forever as we can," Kalinka says as she and Mega draw themselves close again and close their eyes, one tear falling down her face.

The two young ones kiss again, but this one was much different than either of the kisses they have shared before. This kiss was prolonged and passionate, and they held each other closely as their hearts became aflutter with such adoration for each other.

After several seconds sharing this incredible moment together, Mega and Kalinka finally end the passionate kiss and reopen their eyes, to see each other again. Kalinka eyes overflow with tears of happiness, and her robotic angel wipes them away.

The two lovebirds then draw each other into an embrace, with Kalinka resting her head on Mega's chest, so close that she can barely hear his internal systems humming as they function deep inside his torso.

"I want us to have this moment again," Kalinka sighs in a slight tremble.

"No moment will ever be quite like this one," Mega says, his voice straining to contain his emotions, "But, we'll make _new_ moments together, each one better than the last. And I'll always protect you... I'm always going to make sure your heart is full of happiness when we're together... just like you do with mine."

As Kalinka feels and hears the soul of this sweet robot boy, she has to tell put into words how she feels about him, just like how Mega wants to with her as well...

"Rock... my angel... I... I lo-"

**_BOOM!_ **rumbles a loud explosion that violently rocks the plane, nearly knocking Mega Man and Kalinka off their feet. Mega Man could tell right away what that explosion really was just from the sound... it was a Ballade cracker capsule!

Kalinka screams in terror as she tightens her grip on Mega Man. Mega also holds on to Kalinka's body and shouts over the sound of the explosion, "Just hang on to-"

**_BOOM!_ **bursts another explosion that destroys the cockpit of the plane, and takes the robo pilot with it, blowing the door off and causing it to collide with the back of Mega's legs.

Then, yet another explosion occurs that causes the entire plane to suddenly tip over on its side, crushing the left wing in the process. Inside the cabin, Mega and Kalinka are thrown violently as the plane collapses, landing on their sides with Mega tying to take the brunt of the fall to protect Kalinka.

Then, a noticable carving sound is heard, and Mega looks up to see the familiar design of Punk's blades slicing deep into the hull of the collapsed plane.

Mega Man then picks Kalinka up and tells her, "Stay behind me and take cover!"

With Kalinka cowering behind Mega, he takes aim at the area of the hull where Punk has nearly carved through.

Once the area has been carved through, the patch of hull is kicked in by Enker - with Ballade and Punk standing right behind him - and Mega Man fires several plasma shots at The Killers. But, Enker collects all the shots with his mirror staff once again.

Mega yells as he tries to charge The Killers, but Enker fires the collected energy back at Mega. Mega Man knows that he cannot dodge out of the way of this shot, because the reflected plasma shot would likely strike Kalinka behind him, so he has no choice but to take it himself.

Once the reflected plasma blasts strike Mega in his chest, he falls down, exposing Kalinka who is huddled on the far end of the cabin.

Ballade points to Kalinka and orders, "Get her!"

Kalinka screams as she tries to run away, but Enker leaps inside and snatches her, hoisting her over his gold-plated shoulder and carrying her outside as she begins kicking and wailing on him.

As The Killers begin to make their exit, Mega Man tries to pursue them to save Kalinka. Mega ignores the pain and runs after them, drawing his plasma buster as he emerges from the half-destroyed plane, which is now in flames from the explosives. But, once he steps out, Ballade turns around and bombards Mega Man with shots from his twin wrist blasters until he falls to the tarmac.

"Rock! No!" Kalinka shrieks as she tries to kick and hit Enker as she carries her.

As Mega Man lies on his front side, Punk grabs him by his helmeted head and taunts him. "The only reason why I don't take your blue head off right now is because Dr. Wily ordered me not to. And believe me, if it wasn't for these damn directives he put in my head, I'd turn you into a puddle! At the same time, though, it's not so bad, because we want to finish you off just right: in your city, and right in front of your little girlfriend there... is she your girlfriend?"

"We don't have time for this, Punk!" Ballade barks.

Punk drops Mega back down to the ground and drops a small holographic projector disc right next to him. "See you later, Blue Boy!"

The Killers begin to leave the scene in a plain looking shuttle - the same kind ProtoMan used the other night - and the only thing hat Mega Man can focus on is the sound of Kalinka's cries for his name. He barely looks up and reaches for her with his right hand, even though he cannot possibly catch her.

But, The Killers take Kalinka away in the shuttle and escape with her, and Mega Man nearly collapses on the tarmac, letting his head fall. Then, the disc Punk left behind begins to project a holographic image of Dr. Wily's head and shoulders, staring back at him.

_"Mega Man! You never told me that our little friend Kalinka Cossack was back in town!"_ Wily says, _"And you were so kind of her to give her an escort back home? How generous of you! But, I'm afraid that will be your undoing!"_

Mega barely looks over to the holographic image of Dr. Wily, whose right hand appears in the image and waves to him, clearly showing that this is a live feed from Skull Fortress. _"These holographic discs do not last very long, so I will make this quick for your puny transistor brain to understand. Now that Ballade, Enker and Punk have Miss Cossack in our clutches, I suggest you show up at a random destination of our choosing. And as Punk may have lit slip, it is not far from home."_

Even while he is weakened from the attack, Mega's anger rises and he stares at Wily's holographic image with hatred.

_"I suggest you show up, Mega Man. You would not want Kalinka to worry herself TO DEATH, would you?" _Wily goads with a threat.

Mega musters all the strength he can and lets out a yell as he smashes the holographic disc with his right hand.

As Mega Man hears the sound of Police and fire engine sirens approaching and the sound of Dr. Light's voice coming from his forearm calling his name, all he can think out is Kalinka and her safety. No matter how weak he is, and no matter the odds, no matter if this is a big death trap laid by Wily, and must get her back alive and safely.

Whether Dr. Wily knows about the bond between Mega and Kalinka or not, he just made this war much more personal than he had in two years.

_"Rock! Are you alright! Rock, please answer!"_ urgently calls Dr. Light.

Mega Man responds after holding down a key on his left forearm, uttering the words he fears... "They took her!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The penultimate chapter of this episode is next (otherwise known as the big pre-epilogue action climax chapter.) And you won't want to miss it, because I'm going to say it right now... much like the climax of Episode 9, **one will not survive to see chapter 10.**_

_And by the way, I know the idea of Kalinka being kidnapped was already done in Episode 6 and some of you might not be too favorable of that creative choice. But, don't worry, this should be the last time she is kidnapped in the series... it _should be_, at least._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors that are so bad that the Fiscal Cliff would go over _us,_ please PM me._


	111. Payback Time

_**Episode 10, Chapter 9: Payback Time.**_

* * *

><p><strong>At an office building in Manhattan.<strong>

Today is "Take Your Son (or Daughter) to Work Day" here at the Highland Industries office building, and several young children between the ages of eight and twelve years old are swarming the place today, some of them bored out of their minds and would rather be sitting in the most boring class they can possibly imagine.

Unfortunately for them, classes don't start until next week. And that is even more unfortunate than that, they are all about to meet some very unwelcome guests in a few very short moments.

_"Attention, human employees,"_ calls a voice on the building's intercom system on every floor.

Every human - both the adults and the kids here- and robots look around, not recognizing that voice... which happens to belong to Punk.

_"It's my pleasure to announce that all of you human pieces of filth now have the day off. And I suggest you get the hell out of this place right now, or... well..."_

A loud explosion created by a Cracker capsule from Ballade shakes the upper levels of the building, even causing the lowest levels to feel the impact of it. Immediately, people and robots inside running for their lives. Some adult humans on the upper levels sustain injuries from the blast, (but, the children were spared from injury.)

Another capsule blows a hole clean through the roof, allowing The Killers easy access to the top floor. Ballade drops down first, followed by Punk, and then Enker with Kalinka Cossack over his shoulder, who now has her mouth bound with a cloth to muffle her screams. But, she continues to try to wriggle herself from Enker's grip, but there was nothing doing.

"We have found a suitable location for the final battle, Dr. Wily," Ballade contacts.

_"Very well. We are on our way and will follow your signal,"_ Dr. Wily responds.

"We?" Ballade asks, noticing Dr. Wily's choice of words.

_"I am bringing some support for this operation. I do not want a repeat of your first two failures,"_ Dr. Wily responds.

"Understood, Dr. Wily," Ballade obeys as the communication ends, stinging from the word 'failure' being thrown out there so easily by his creator.

While Ballade goes along with Dr. Wily's strategy, Punk is not too pleased with it. "Since when do _I_ need back-up?"

"We should carry on as planned and not question Dr. Wily's direction," Ballade says as he begins to head deeper into the tall office building.

"I don't need help from anybody!" Punk snaps, "Not from him, those Robot Masters, or either of you! And why I wasn't put in charge of this little operation instead of you, I'll never know!"

"I can take a good guess," Enker quips as he carries Kalinka.

Punk almost bulrushes Enker after his remark, but Ballade barks, "Stop it, both of you! We have work to do until Mega Man arrives. Punk, scare the collateral subjects out of this building while I plant the capsules."

"Wait, we're _not_ into taking hostages anymore?" Punk asks, growing annoyed.

"We are only taking one this time. And Enker, don't let her go or I will blast you personally," Ballade warns as he leaves the top floor.

Kalinka tries to hit Enker and break free after Ballade leaves, but The Killer keeps hold on her with little effort. Meanwhile, Punk jabs, "If I didn't have work to do, I'd actually try to help the little broad escape just to see you and him blast each other."

"Kiss off!" Enker sneers.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man clutches an Energy Can in his hands as he sits on the side of the lab's work table, still hurting from the surprise attack by The Killers. He has yet to drink much of the juice in the can, because he is overwhelmed with worry. Despite the threat he faces from The Killers and Dr. Wily, he is far more concerned with Kalinka Cossack's welfare than anything, and he is extremely concerned with how and why Dr. Wily knew that she was here.

"They took her," he says, shaken to his titanium bones, "Wily knew she was here... how did he know she was here?"

"It was probably the creep who broke in here last night," an angry Roll says as Peekaboo stands right next to her and clutches his Mommy's ankle with his extension arm hand, worried about Miss Kalinka and still scared after the brake-in that took place a night ago.

"That is a possibility," Dr. Light concurs as he surveys whatever damage Mega Man may have sustained during the surprise attack, "But, it also might have been the tabloid media or a leaked report that Albert stole from the Police database. Either way, we must save her."

Down on the floor, Eddie then chirps with alarm, "Hey! Eddie says look at the screens!"

Mega Man and the entire Light family look up at the lab computer's dual screens and see reports coming out of Manhattan about the attack on the office building, along with a Sky Traffic cam video of the same shuttle that The Killers used to take Kalinka landing on the roof of said building.

When Mega Man sees this, he gasps, "That's the shuttle they took Kalinka with! That's where _she_ is!"

The shot then shows two Skullkers arriving to the scene and several Robot Masters jumping out of them, which only makes the situation more dreadful.

"And it looks like they've got back-up too," Roll says as Boo becomes scared at the sight of The Bad Man's robots and begins to hide under his hardhat.

As Mega Man stares at the live video of Manhattan, still overcome with worry about Kalinka's safety. In fact, he is so concerned about her that he is almost completely overlooking the safety of the rest of the innocent humans and robots that are still inside the building.

As he stares at the lab's dual screens, Mega Man begins formulating a rescue plan inside his cybernetic mind. But, Dr. Wily's taunting after the attack still sticks in his mind...

_"I suggest you show up, Mega Man. You would not want Kalinka to worry herself TO DEATH, would you?" _

The thought of Wily even harming so much as one hair on Kalinka's head - let alone threaten her life - ignites a vengeful flame inside of Mega Man, and that flame is fueled by his hatred for Dr. Wily. Mega's mindset quickly changes from worry for Kalinka's life to that of absolute determination to get her back at all costs.

Mega Man drinks the rest of the Energy Can juice to reenergize himself and crushes the can in his hands. "It doesn't matter how much back-up they have. I'm getting Kalinka back! And if Wily is there this time, I'm going to make him wish he wasn't!"

Mega Man gets himself off of the work table before Dr. Light could finish diagnostic of his body and heads for the storage area where the armor and special weapons are held. He becomes concerned for his son's well-being, because he has never seen this much pent-up aggression in him like he saw just now.

"Should we contact the police?" Thomas asks.

"They already know," Mega says as he charges ahead, "We can't afford to waste any more time. Every second that passes, Kalinka's life is in more danger."

Before Mega Man enters the weapons storage area, Mega turns back to his family. "As soon as I'm ready, I'm heading out, and I'm not waiting up for anybody."

"Don't worry Mega, I'll be right behind you," Roll calls. But, as she begins to head out to the garage area, Peekaboo bleeps with worry and tightens his grip on her ankle.

"Boo, we have to go save Miss Cossack from The Bad Man and his mean robots. We'll be right back," Roll implores as she kneels down next to Boo.

As Peekaboo lets go of his Mommy's ankle, he bleeps that he is afraid to stay here because he's worried the other man in the mask will come back again.

"He's never coming back, Boo. I know you're worried, but I really need to help Uncle Mega save his friend," Roll insists, "Everything will be okay, I promise."

A very worried Boo then beeps that Roll promised that last night, but the masked man still came anyway.

Roll becomes speechless when her Met says that to her. She wants to be the best caretaker - and Mommy - for Peekaboo that she can be, and It tears her apart knowing that her promise does not have the same certainty that it used to have.

Dr. Light interjects, and speaks to Peekaboo, "Actually, my little friend, I have taken it upon myself to have Dorris the maid activate her secondary protocols just in case of an emergency."

Dorris enters the lab, carrying her broom in her hands like it was a weapon. In her Austrian accent, she states, "If anybody enters the lab without permission, it's Hasta La Vista."

Peekaboo looks up at Dorris, then back to Roll, still scared despite the protection the robomaid can provide. Boo still wants his Mommy here.

Mega Man emerges from the storage area, now clad in the flight suit armor with the rocket buster installed over his standing plasma buster. The suit should also provide some extra protection from the special weapons of both The Killers and the Robot Masters, which is the mean reason he is wearing it.

"Time to go," Mega says as he begins heading outside along with Rush, who barks and begins running beside him. Roll stands up again and hesitantly begins following her brother outside, but a sad bleep from Peekaboo makes her stop in her tracks.

She turns around and sees Boo looking back up to her, and at that moment, she knows she has to make a very important decision. She wants to help Mega Man save Kalinka (and with all the Wily robots swarming the place, she is afraid he will need that help, regardless what he said.) But, Peekaboo needs her here. Even though he will be safe with Dr. Light's security measures and Dorris here, it is Roll's presence that he needs to make him feel more secure.  
>And she feels if she needs to be the best caretaker she can be, this is one time she needs to be here for her Met baby.<p>

"Roll?" Mega calls.

"I'm sorry," Roll says, turning around to her brother, "...I'm staying here. Just this once."

Boo's face lights up and he lets out a bleep when he learns his Mommy is staying home to keep him safe. Roll's eyes water as she walks back over to her Met and gets down on the floor to scoop him up into her arms. "My Boo needs me right now."

Mega Man, on the other hand, actually feels very relieved that Roll will not be joining him afterall, because he would much rather his family be home and safe for a mission like this. "I understand. It's gonna get really heated over there anyway," he says, "I've got plenty of back-up, though. Right, Beat?"

"Beat, beat!" the robo bird chirps as he flies around to Mega Man.

"Beat and Rush will be back with Kalinka. I'll be late," Mega says, "I'll be busy giving Dr. Wily and his 'Mega Man Killers' a taste of their own medicine."

As Mega leaves the lab with Rush and Beat, Roll hugs her Peekaboo and he snuggles up in her arms, feeling so much safer with his Mommy here. She couldn't leave him now, not when he needs her more than ever.

Boo beeps, asking if Roll is really staying home today.

"Yeah. You don't have to be afraid. I'm never gonna let anybody hurt you," Roll says, "Because I love you!"

Boo bleeps how much he loves his Mommy too as Dr. Light smiles upon his daughter. "You made the right decision, Roll."

"I just hope this isn't too much for Mega to handle," Roll says with trepidation.

"I hope not, either," Thomas says, "But, I am more concerned with your brother's state of mind more than I am Wily's robots."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Mr. Black watches the attack taking place on the Highland Industries building on several monitors in the media observation. At the same time, he is suiting up for his inevitable departure to head for that building and end it all.  
>And just like last night, he awaits a call from The Conduit to give him the okay to head out, but to Mr. Black it does not matter, because he will be doing what he wants anyway.<p>

But, his body does not feel at all ready for this moment, because of how little sleep he had last night after the haunting dream he had, not just once, but every time he was asleep, the same vision of _her_ conquered his mind. Even now that he is awake, it still lingers in his mind... and so does _she_.

Finally, the phone rings. "Yeah," Mr. Black answers.

_"What is your assessment?"_ The Conduit begins with a question.

"He'll be there... he _has_ to be there," Mr. Black says, "So, are you letting me loose, or not?"

_"By now, you know that I have gown tired of your conduct..._ _but, the time has come... you know what to do."_

Mr. Black pauses for a brief moment after the weight of that comment hits him. It is finally time to end this, and he might never get a chance like this again, so he had better make it count.  
>"Are you sure you're not going to cut me off at the knees this time?" he asks.<p>

_"Not this time. And when this is done, I want that data you took from Light's laboratory,"_ The Conduit insists.

"I know you do," Mr. Black says, ending the call and not telling him/her/it whether he's giving up that data or not.

After all the armor is suited on, he then reaches for the only two pieces of the 'Mr. Black outfit' remaining, the dark grey trench coat and the black mask, both of which are still stained with the blood his lost the first time he tried to complete this mission this week.  
>He places the trench coat on without a problem, but as he tries to fit the mask over his head, his mind drifts back to<em> her<em> again... and that dream...

_"This is how you honor me?" _

"I don't have a choice," he says to himself, almost responding to the haunting dream as he slips the black mask over his head... "It will all be worth it."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Highland Industries building.<strong>

Hundreds of humans, scared children and worker robots begin running out of the building in droves, fleeing from every exit they can find. The humans begin racing out into the street and into oncoming traffic which causes a massive traffic situation with several vehicles coming to a screeching halt to avoid hitting the people, but also causing the drivers behind them to crash into each other.

Meanwhile, the channel 7 helicopter is flying overhead and Bree Recotta is onboard reporting on the situation as it unfolds.

"This is Bree Recotta, reporting live from downtown Manhattan, where terror has struck the area for the second time this week with Dr. Wily's three new mysterious robots holding the Highland Industries building under siege. Fortunately, it appears that the majority of the staff here have fled the building, but we do not have confirmation if everybody has been accounted for. We can confirm that these robots destroyed a plane at JFK Airport and that Mega Man was in the vicinity of the attack."

She and her cameraman look down and spot several vehicles approaching the area. "And now the New York Police have arrived to the scene. Let us all hope that they can get these innocent people to safety"

As the Police vehicles come to a halt, the human and robot officers sprint to the building. Many of these officers were transfers from other precincts in the state because many officers are still recuperating from the first Killers attack the other night, but they are still fully prepared to storm the building and enforce the outer perimeter while the Special Weapons and Tactics team prepares to infiltrate the building if needed.

And leading the charge once again is Chief Toombs, who is giving out the commands to the officers on the street.

"I want everybody who's got a piece 'a armor strapped to yer bodies ready to barge into that building an' fortify our position, an' take out any of these Rust Masters Wily brought with 'em. The SWAT boys are gonna try and get into place and nab Wily if he tries to escape. An' when Mega Man shows up, us 'n him are taken 'em all down if we have to."

Then, a group of Robot Masters - Snake Man, Bright Man, Needle Man and Quick Man - rip down the front door, causing the citizens and media outside to run away and scream for their lives as the police officers and Policebots now aim their weapons at the Robot Masters.

"Hey, wait a nanosecond! Don't you fire just yet!" Quick Man blathers rather quickly, "Dr. Wily's got a message for you and you're gonna want to hear it!"

"What the hell is he saying?" asks one human officer to another.

"He sssssssayssssss that you will want to lissssssen to what Dr. Wily hassssss to sssssay!" Snake Man says, "And you sssssssstupid humanssssss had better sssssshut-up and lisssssten!"

Quick Man bolts back inside the building and bolts right back out with a loudspeaker and the voice of Dr. Wily booms out of it...

_"Good afternoon, my intrepid friends. Before you think of storming this building, I need to inform you that my robots are holding a very high profile hostage inside. And she happens to be named Kalinka Cossack, daughter of Mikhail Cossack! And I also have cameras stationed all over this structure, and if I see any of you New York pigs step one foot inside, the girl dies!"_

Chief Toombs shakes his head, growing frustrated with having to throw away whatever plans the police had because of this mad man's sick game.

_"But, while all of you will be watching from outside, I will make an exception for one robot to come inside and join the fun... Mega Man! So, you might want to give him a call and tell him to grow a robo-spine and show up. Kalinka is waiting."_

The Robot Masters step back inside the building, with Dr. Wily's orders being the only thing preventing them from attacking the police and starting a full-on firefight. Toombs begins calling back the officers.

"Everybody stay clear o' that building an' don't step foot inside, no matter what anybody says," he orders.

The Chief then pulls a walkie-talkie-like communication device from his belt that he was using to send Wily's message to Mega Man. Toombs calls, "You get all that, laddy?"

Mega Man replies, _"Yeah... I heard it, Chief. I'm already on my way."_

"Aye. We're gonna keep all the folks out here safe from these here rustbuckets," Toombs says.

Mega urgently says, _"Wait! If Wily sees you attacking those Robot Masters, he might kill K... just leave them to me. I'll deal with them."_

As many of the officers begin tending to the humans and their children, one man in a suit and tie runs around frantically looking for somebody. "Janet!" he cries out.

After he doesn't find this 'Janet' he is looking for, he tries running back inside the building, only to be blocked by the Policebot blockade. "This is a restricted area, sir. Please, turn away now," states one Policebot.

"Please, you've got to help me! I think my daughter is still in there!" the man says.

Toombs overhears this exchange, and after he does, he looks over to the crowd of people who just fled this building and the children who are with them. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten that there was a mention of an increased presence of young people here because of this company's "Bring your kid to work day" that was being held today.

"Uh, no," Toombs says, knowing how bad this must be, being father of four himself, "This situation just got a whole lot worse, lads."

* * *

><p>Inside the building, Ballade finishes planting his explosive capsules on the mid-lower floors of the building. When he gives the command, they will all explode and terminate anything and anybody caught in the blast. In fact, so much explosive power on the lower floors could cause the entire building to collapse.<p>

As Ballade places the last of the explosives, he has another conflict over holding Kalinka Cossack's life in jeopardy just like he did when holding the lives of the workers in Detroit last night. If this plan is carried out the way Dr. Wily wants it to be carried out, it would result in the Cossack girl's demise as well as Mega Man's. (As well as the girl who might still be lost inside this building, whom Ballade is unaware of.)

Much like those auto workers, this Cossack girl is not Ballade's enemy; only Mega Man is. Extinguishing her serves no purpose to him, and Ballade does not know why it would serve a purpose to Dr. Wily.

After he places the crackers, Ballade contacts Dr. Wily. "This is Ballade. The crackers have been placed at the appropriate areas."

"Good," responds Wily, who happens to be standing nearby on this very floor, catching Ballade slightly by surprise, "Now all we have to do is wait for Mega Man to make his grand entrance and then... we will be rid of him forever!"

"Why must we take such an underhanded action such as this? My partners and I are more than capable of defeating Mega Man," Ballade asks.

"You can defeat him, yes. But, you clearly cannot kill him. Or, so your recent actions have shown," Wily says.

"But, we _can_ kill Mega Man, Dr. Wily!" Ballade insists.

"You three are getting one more chance, and you are _lucky_ to have it," Wily says, "And if you fail this time, it will be your_ last chance_. And then we do things my way and you detonate those explosives of yours."

Ballade looks troubled by Dr. Wily's words again. Wily said that The Killers are merely lucky to have another chance at killing Mega Man, and then he has a back-up plan if they fail, but sounding like he is _expecting_ them to fail.

As Dr. Wily leaves, Ballade calls to his creator to ask him a very important question... "Am I truly the finest robot you have ever built?"

Dr. Wily stops and turns around. "Tonight, we both find out," he states before continuing to leave.

Once again, a mute Ballade stands here pondering his status in Dr. Wily's eyes, and even in his own. His sense of strength now feels sapped for some reason, and perhaps that is coming from how this operation is supposedly his last chance. Or perhaps it comes from harshly being labeled a failure by Dr. Wily.  
>If tonight really is his last chance as Dr. Wily claims, Ballade knows that he really must make this one count, or his status as a warrior, as the leader of The Killers and perhaps even his own existence may all be worthless...<p>

As the nearly salivating Dr. Wily makes his way towards an elevator, he finds ProtoMan standing near it.

Wily frowns, "Don't you have better things to do than stand around and wait?"

"I'm just waiting for my turn," Proto shrugs, thinking that Dr. Wily will allow him to take over on this operation if The Killers fail... or in Proto's mind, _when_ they fail.

"I recall letting you have your turn several weeks ago, with pitiful results," Wily says and he heads for the elevator.

"You mean when you cut me off at the knees before my job was done and messing the whole thing up?" Proto snipes.

"I am not in the mood for discussing this! You are still demoted enough as it is," Wily growls as he steps onboard the elevator, "I would rather enjoy my victory in peace."

"I'm glad you invited me to the party," Proto snarks, "It's a shame GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man didn't get RSVP'd."

Wily impatiently outstretches his arms. "Aren't you getting on?"

Proto grins as he leans against the wall on one arm. "I'll take the next one."

Wily folds him arms and frowns upon ProtoMan again as the elevator doors begin to close.

As Proto Man presses the 'up' button on the elevator panel to summon the other elevator, the voice of Ballade now catches his attention. "Even _you_ think we will fail."

ProtoMan turns around and replies, "Well, it's like this. You, those two other goofs and Wily can't seem to get that Mega Man is better than you think."

"We had him beaten twice!" Ballade argues.

"Did you really?" Proto asks.

"How could we not?" Ballade asks with resentment.

"The first time, you three fought each other. And the second time, you almost let him and my sister beat you," Proto says.

"We have come closer than you ever did. You merely want to turn him to your side and let him live," Ballade says.

"Of course I do. He's my brother," Proto says as the elevator arrives and he steps inside it, "And I also want him on my side because me and my sibs would be unstoppable together... certainly better than you and those two goofs."

Proto's jab hits Ballade's pride hard, just like Dr. Wily's labeling he, Punk and Enker as failures yesterday. All this does now is put more pressure on he and The Killers to succeed at defeating Mega Man today. But, are Dr. Wily and ProtoMan right? _Can they_ kill Mega Man?

"Goin' up?" Proto asks, smirking.

"I will take the next one," a sullen Ballade replies.

"Fine by me," Proto says as the doors close.

* * *

><p>Back outside, the panicked father is urgently pleading with the Police to let him inside to find his daughter, whom still has yet to be found.<p>

"Please, officers, we have to get her out of there. Maybe you could negotiate with Wily to let her out if she's in there," he says, his hands clasped together as they tremble.

"We will do what we can, sir. Right now, Dr. Wily is holding another hostage inside and has threatened to execute her if we intervene," a Policebot states.

"A _hostage_?" freaks the father of the missing girl.

"It's not your daughter Wily's holdin', pal. He just told us so," Chief Toombs says, "But, we're gonna get in there 'n find your girl as soon as we can."

"But, when will that be?" asks the father.

Toombs hears the sound of Rush's jets over the sound of the whirring helicopters and looks up to see Mega Man approaching. "Hopefully in a matter o' minutes now, lad," Toombs says...

As Mega Man approaches the building, he gives his animal companions instructions on what to do. "Rush, as soon as Kalinka is safe, you swoop in and take her back to the lab and don't turn back for anybody."

Rush barks with approval.

Mega says, "Beat, I'm gonna need you to use that beak of yours to knock around some of these Robot Masters. Got it?"

"Beat!" Beat peeps.

"Okay. Let's burn pod!" Mega says as Rush boosts his jets and the heroes head down towards the building...

Down below, the four Robot Masters from earlier pour out of the building's front entrance again once they see that Mega Man is here, now joined by Spark Man, Air Man and Tomahawk Man. They all prepare their weapons and powers, ready to attack Mega Man. But, what they weren't expecting was a Mega Man who has reached the end of his patience with this war.

Tomahawk Man strangely senses Mega's ire by looking at him. "There is great fury in him. It will be like fighting ten Mega Men."

"Then we hit him with everything we've got! We're getting our old jobs back, starting now!" Air Man yells.

The Robot Masters begin using their weapons and fire up at Mega Man while the citizens watch on from a (hopefully) safe distance. Even the Police have to watch by and not help because Mega Man requested them to for the sake of Kalinka's life.

Mega leaps from Rush's back, firing up his flight suit jets and fires off a missile from his blast nozzle, aimed directly at the Robot Masters down below. Quick Man bolts away and the missile strikes the ground, causing serious damage to Spark Man and knocking around every Robot Master around in all directions. Bright Man is the next to go down, falling on his head upon impact, shattering the large bulb atop his head, rendering him useless.

That shot alone took down two out of this group. Now Mega Man had to deal with the other five left, and he plans on doing that to anybody who stands in his way of getting Kalinka back.

After Mega lands on the sidewalk right outside the building, he leaps to Bright Man, who is loopy from losing his bulb, and copies his bright flash power. But, he knows it would not be wise to use it out here, because of all the people gathered here. So, he has to forge an alternate strategy.

Mega then dashes over to Spark Man's damaged body and copies his spark power, only to have Quick Man zoom right in front of him.

"We meet again, Mega Man!" Quick Man blithers out of his mouth.

Mega Man tries to deck Quick Man with a punch, but he misses because the Robot Master darts out of his way.

"Ha-ha! You're still too slow! Gettin' slower with age, I'll bet! Systems getting rusty," Quick Man quickly taunts.

Mega would use the Bright Flash to hopefully freeze Quick Man's circuits like the departed Flash Man's own power did over two years ago when he first faced him. But again, there are too many people at risk to use that weapon. So, Mega Man has to use an alternative strategy, and he has a good one in mind.

"Bet'cha can't hit me, slow poke!" Quick Man taunts in a blurt.

Mega presses a key on his left forearm and aims his plasma buster at Quick Man, who is already preparing to dart away. Then, Quick Man gets a surprise as Beat collides beak-first with the back of his head.

"Hey! What was that?" Quick Man spittles as he turns around, opening himself up to be blasted in the back by Mega Man.

As Quick Man staggers, Mega Man, runs in and decks him with a kick to his head, severely bending the boomerang ornament on the Robot Master's helmet. Normally, Mega Man would not fight as dirty as this, but the anger inside is boiling like never before. And with Kalinka's life on the line, there is no such thing as a fair fight anymore. Not with Albert Wily. And now he was going to make that evil old human learn that the hard way.

As Mega knocks out Quick Man and copies his power, he shows this new mean streak of his as he immediately targets Needle Man and takes him out before he could even return to his feet. The remaining three Robot Masters try to fight him off, and do so in vain.

Snake Man tries to fire off his Search Snake projectiles, but Mega Man catches him trying to target him and blasts him. Air Man then powers up his turbo-powered giant fan inside his torso and unleashes a mighty gust of wind upon Mega Man as the police and citizens hunker down.

"Heh-heh! You're still not strong enough to stand up to my wind power, Mega Loser!" Air Man taunts as Tomahawk Man grips a tomahawk blade in his hand, ready to use it on the hero.

But, Rush swoops around and bites Air Man's leg and Beat comes back around to try and peck at the tall Robot Master's face. Tomahawk Man tries to attack Mega Man while his last remaining teammate is at such a bad disposition, but Mega Man powers up his flight suit and flies towards the strong wind from Air Man. He then blasts the tomahawk blade and then Tomahawk Man himself, then follows that up with a powerful blast that blows out Air Man's fan.

Another blast fries Air Man's circuits and knocks him out, clearing the path for Mega Man to go inside and save Kalinka.

Mega groups with Rush and Beat and advises them, "Wily said only _I'm_ allowed in, so you two just hang back until I have Kalinka. I can't risk her life."

Rush barks and Beat chirps, then Mega Man begins to head inside, calling behind him to the police as he goes. "Get ready to take Wily in once I get Kalinka back."

"Wait-up!" Chief Toombs calls, which causes Mega to stop and listen. "We think there might be one more innocent person still in there, a kid. Good news is, we don't think Wily has her."

Mega Man becomes more concerned than he was already when he hears about this, and as he looks over to the crowd of citizens still gathered outside, he sees a noticable amount of children here, including one very worried human man.

"Her name is Janet. She's only eleven," the man pleads, "Please save her."

"We'll get her out of there," Mega replies. Before he leaves, he turns to Chief Toombs. "If they try to escape with Kalinka and you don't hear from me, please send everything we've got at them and make sure they don't get away."

"Aye-aye! He ain't goin' nowhere with that girl," Toombs agrees enthusiastically.

After kneeling down and copying Air Man's power, Mega Man runs inside the building to the clamoring of those gathered here - especially the kids - and begins his search for Kalinka Cossack, the girl he loves. But, as if the present situation was not bad enough, it was about to get worse.

Much worse...

* * *

><p>Amidst all the commotion taking place during the battle outside, Mr. Black's car races past a group of officers and Policebots standing outside. The officers recognize the vehicle and prepare to open fire, but the car drops off a flashbang puck which ignites and temporarily blinds everybody caught standing around.<p>

The Black car spins around, coming to a screeching halt, and then makes another pass at the building. As the car slows down, Mr. Black exits before it could come to a complete stop and begins heading inside.

The Policebots that are left standing have enough of their vision left to take aim at the masked terror with their weapon arms, but, Mr. Black triggers the same strange jamming signal to scramble with the Policebots the other night during the first Killers attack, doing the same to these Policebots.

Mr. Black walks right past them and the fallen blinded human officers and enters the building's rear exit as his car speeds off. Once inside, Mr. Black draws his plasma bolt handgun and and proceeds deeper within the building.

He knows his target is here, and he plans on taking that target out.

"It ends here," He growls.

* * *

><p>On the twentieth floor, an entire office wing has been torn apart, with desks flipped over and equipment strewn all over the place. meanwhile, Dr. Wily watches the building's security feeds -all of which are tapped in to his pocket computer tablet - and sees Mega Man making his way through. He is so focused on Mega Man that he does not even know that Mr. Black is here too. But, Wily <em>does<em> know that when Mega Man arrives, he doesn't want to be around (like the true coward that Wily is.)

Wily puts the handheld tablet back under his arm and begins leaving for the relative protection of his Skullker on the roof, but before he goes, he faces The Killers, with Ballade and Enker standing ready to fight and with Punk now holding Kalinka in front of himself, almost like she was his human shield.

"Mega Man is almost here. You know what to do," Wily says as he begins to storm off. But, he stops right in front of Punk and Kalinka before he goes, taking the chance to gloat to Cossacks face.

Albert grins widely, "You think your knight in shining cyan armor is going to save you again. But, he will not be saving anybody this time. I only wish I could stay and see the look in his eyes right before he is killed, but I have other _world domination_ matters to attend to."

"You still will not get away with this!" Killinka argues.

Punk scoffs, "Wow. Great comeback there, Babushka."

"Kalinka!" Cossack complains.

"Yeah, whatever," Punk dismisses.

"Ta-ta, forever, Miss Cossack!" Wily laughs, lightly pinching Kalinka's left cheek before she yanks her head away.

As Dr. Wily leaves, however, Ballade speaks up. "Dr. Wily... what are we doing with the Cossack girl?"

Dr. Wily stops and turns around. "What else? Once Mega Man is dead, we will have no further use for her."

Kalinka feels a chill run down her spine and her body go numb as her hands begin shaking. She knew what that meant, and so did Ballade.

"She dies?" Ballade asks.

"Simple enough to understand. Goodbye!" Wily says, giving a wave as he leaves.

As the Killers remain holding a panic-striken Kalinka, Ballade has another attack of conscience. "We do not need to kill this woman. She is not our enemy," he states.

As Punk keeps a firm hold on Kalinka's arms and she watches nervously, he quips, "What kind of morality trip did you just come off of, buddy?"

"He has been like this since yesterday," Enker interjects, "He asked the same question of those pathetic human workers we held in Detriot."

As The Killers are caught up in their latest argument, Kalinka's eyes look over to the nearest door frame, and she finds Mega Man barely peaking around the corner. The two make eye contact, and Kalinka feels a sense of relief knowing that her angel is here, even if she does not know how he will pull this one off.

Meanwhile, The Killers continue their argument, with Punk mocking, "Are you going soft, Ballade? Did Scarf Boy teach you that killing is bad?"

Ballade counters, "This woman is no threat to us or Dr. Wily's supremacy in the new world."

"This little bitch here is one of Mega Man's friends," Punk says as he continues to grip Kalinka, "That means she's guilty by association!"

"There is no purpose in killing those who are not our enemy!" Ballade argues back.

Now Enker jumps into the argument, and says with an accusatory tone, "I'm beginning to question how much of an allegiance to Dr. Wily you really have, Ballade."

"Finally, him and I agree on something," Punk says, "I think it's time for our great exulted leader to demote _you_!"

_"Attention! I don't know if you have noticed, but, Mega Man is outside the office where you are right now!"_ says the voice of Dr. Wily.

Outside the office area, Mega Man winces as his keeps his blaster drawn. He forgot that Dr. Wily was somehow watching him on the security cameras.  
>Now that the element of surprise is gone, he has to come up with another kind of plan to save Kalinka. But, he has very little time to devise one, and after he saw the explosive capsules strewn throughout the building, he knows that this all might be another giant death trap...<p>

"Show yourself, Mega Man!" Ballade shouts.

A moment later, Mega Man comes out from cover, aiming his blaster on The Killers, but his eyes are focused on Kalinka. Punk quickly releases his right hand's grip on Kalinka and draws a Punk Blade, holding it close to Kalinka's lower chest, near her heart.

"I think that's close enough there, pal," Punk says.

Mega stops in his tracks, not stepping one inch closer to The Killers. Of all the intense situations he has faced in his life, including those where his own family members were in danger, this is the most scared Mega Man has ever been.

"Kalinka? Have they hurt you?" he asks.

Kalinka answers in a tremble, "No."

Mega then tries to reason with The Killers, "Why don't you just let her go? I'm the one you want."

Ballade casts a sharp eye at Enker and Punk, reinforcing his point in a non-verbal way. Ballade replies, "When it comes to our moral differences, Mega Man, the matter of innocent lives becoming casualties of war is one that I am sure we both agree on."

"Oh, great, here he goes again" Punk groans.

Mega Man begins to plead, loud enough for Wily to hear if he is listening, "You can do whatever you want to me, but please, don't hurt her."

Kalinka's lips tremble and her eyes water when she hears how far Mega Man is willing to sacrifice his health to save her.

Mega adds, "You don't even _want_ to kill her Ballade. She's not your enemy, you said so yourself. So just let her go."

Ballade responds, "As much as I do not wish to commit such an act, it is ultimately not up to me."

Punk says, "That's right, it's up to somebody _else_, isn't it? ... We've got Mega Man here, Boss. What do we do now?"

Dr. Wily lets out an evil snicker as he responds on The Killers'... _"You may kill the girl when ready, preferably in the most painful way you can. And Ballade, do not interfere!"_

"NO!" Mega shouts, panicked.

Punk grabs Kalinka by hair blonde hair and holds the blade up to her neck, next to her right carotid artery. "Any last words for your boy toy, sweetheart?"

Kalinka's tearful eyes stare across into the frightened eyes of Mega Man... in a slight weep, she tells Mega what she was trying to tell him before she was taken... "I love you, Rock."

"Oh, boo-hoo!" Punk groans, "How about you, Hero?"

Mega fights back his emotions and speaks... "Kalinka... close your eyes, NOW!"

Kalinka immediately knows that he is about to use an ace of his sleeve and follows his instructions, and Mega uses the bright flash with the bulb held deep inside his forearm.  
>And the flash blinds all three of The Killers, causing Enker to Punk drop their weapons, and causing Punk to let go of Kalinka, inadvertently freeing her before he could do any harm to her.<p>

"KALINKA, GET DOWN!" Mega urgently shouts.

As Kalinka drops down in a ball on the floor to take cover, Mega Man unloads on The Killers, first blasting Enker dead-center in the chest and knocking him down. Then, he switches to Quick Man's quick Boomerang and fires it at Ballade to knock him down.

Saving Punk for last, Mega switches over to Snake Man's Search Snakes, and fires one right into Punk's 'mouth' area and it chews on his voice box... _finally_ shutting him up. Mega Man then blasts Punk down with a plasma shot, then does the same to Ballade to make sure he stays down long enough.

Afterwards, Mega races to Kalinka, who is still huddled on the floor. Mega gently grabs her and helps her up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Kalinka replies as Mega races her to the other side of the office area.

Mega calls, "Rush, meet me at my location!"

As Mega Man and Kalinka reach a set of windows by the northern end of the office, Rush flies up to the other side, awaiting to pick up Kalinka from outside. Mega uses his blaster to let out a steady beam of plasma energy to melt away the window, allowing Kalinka a safe way out.

"Rush is going to take you back to the lab. It'll be safe there," Mega says.. then he holds Kalinka close to him and finally tells her, "By the way... I love you."

Kalinka nearly shivers when she hears Mega tells her how he feels the same way and they plant a very quick kiss on each other's lips. Then Mega helps Kalinka out of the window and places her atop Rush's back, with Beat providing cover.

"Are you coming with me?" Kalinka asks.

"Not yet. I've got business to take care of first," Mega says as he caresses Kalinka's face.

"Please, come back to me!" Kalinka says in a plea.

Mega replies, "Trust me... I'll be back."

Kalinka nods as a new round of tears pour from her eyes and Rush jets off to take her to safety. Then, Mega Man turns back to the staggering Killers, now wearing an angry scowl on his face... it's payback time.

Before he resumes dishing it out to The Killers, Mega contacts Chief Toombs outside. "Chief, Dr. Cossack's daughter is safe and out of the building, but, don't send your officers inside. The place is rigged to explode. Get everybody away from here now; If our missing girl is still in here, I'll find her before it's too late."

_"Aye. We're movin' back now! Go get 'em!"_ Toombs replies.

Afterwards, Mega storms his way to Enker, who blindly tries to find his mirror staff. Mega gives The Killer very heard punch to his spiked head, and then delivers another one to his jaw. The second punch was so hard that he broke the right side of Enker's jaw, knocking it off-kilter and causing servos to fall out of his mouth.

Mega Man then fires several shocking blasts from Spark Man's copied spark weapon, frying Enker until he falls to the floor.

Punk barely makes it to his feet, still gagging on the Search Snake in his 'mouth' area, but Mega Man uses his flight suit to jet towards him and lets out a warriors yell, delivering a hard roundhouse kick to Punk's head, leaving a large dent on top.

Punk grabs a Punk blade with his right hand, but Mega charges up a powerful plasma shot and blasts half of Punk's arm clean off. Mega fires another powerful blast into Punk's chest, severely damaging his enemy's red chest armor, and turning it a dark black.

Ballade's vision barely begins to clear just enough for him to watch Mega viciously take Enker down. Clearly, this is a much fiercer, angry Mega Man than they had faced previously.

Mega Man sees Ballade reach his feet and prepares to take him down last as he aims his blaster at him, but the Killer aims his twin blasters and capsule launchers at him, starting a standoff between the two robot gladiators.

Ballade pants, "You are much stronger when your emotions are in control of you. I was wrong about you. Clearly, you are not as bound to your morals as I thought."

Mega Man growls, "You want to know what my stance on morals is? I hold myself to a higher standard than you. But, if anybody does anything to harm the ones I love, they're gonna get it!"

"An interesting outlook, indeed. Very human," Ballade says, "But, you still have enough conscience to not attack a defenseless opponent, do you not?

Ballade disarms his capsule launches and protracts his hands out again, then folds his arms... but, he is secretly raising his left hand on his right forearm, which will trigger the explosive crackers that Ballade had planted all throughout the building earlier.

"Yes... I have a conscience. It's what separates robots like me, my sister and even my brother from any of you three and Wily. And I don't like the idea of striking a defenseless opponent," Mega says as he eyes Ballade very carefully and remembers that Enker's mirror staff is right behind his left foot...  
>"There's just one thing, Ballade... you're <em>not<em> defenseless!"

Mega Man fires a plasma blast towards Ballade, who jumps to the side and avoids it, once again drawing his weapons. Ballade then fires several shots from his twin blasters at Mega, who rolls down to the floor and grabs the Mirror staff.

But, instead of using it to collect the shots, Mega dodges Ballade's shots and throws the staff at him like a javelin, then switches over to a modified version of Air Man's wind power add extra speed behind that staff... and the staff impales Ballade through his chest, causes The Lead Killer to nearly freeze in horrible pain as he clutches his comrade's staff and robot oil begins to leak from his chest.

Ballade's whole body lightly trembles as he looks up to Mega Man again, who has his blaster trained on him, ready to blast him if The Killer tries anything. But, the severity of his injury is so bad that he loses a significant amount of oil from his body and he begins to grow too weak too fight anymore.

"You... we're right," Ballade shudders before he collapses to the floor, too weak to stand under his own power.

Mega Man lowers his blaster arm, exhausted and finally allowing the pent-up aggression to escape his system, finally able to have defeated The Killers, all of whom are taken down on the floor around him. All that remains is finding Dr. Wily and this war will finally be over. Or, so he thinks.

As Mega begins to charge ahead, he hears something. A scared young girl calling his name from far away... "Mega Man?"

Mega stops his pursuit of Dr. Wily when he hears that little voice, remembering that one of the employees here has a daughter who was unaccounted for. And with all the Ballade crackers planted through this building, he cannot take the chance of leaving so much as one innocent life behind just to pursue Wily.

Mega turns around and begins looking for the girl, and his sensors clearly indicated that she was somewhere on this floor. "I hear you," he says, trying to get her to speak again so he can find her, "Can you tell me where you are?"

"Janet," The scared girl replies.

Mega Man remembers that was the name the girl's father give him earlier. Now he knows for sure that she is still inside, now, he just has to find her and get her out. "Everything's safe now, you can come out," Mega says as he begins searching for her.

She whines, "I'm scared."

"Don't worry, I'm coming to get you out of here," Mega calls, able to get a better fix on where the girl is thinks to his audio sensors, but still unable to pinpoint its source of origin.

Then, the girl screams loudly and Mega Man becomes alarmed. Now able to get a more exact pinpoint because of her scream, Mega Man races out of the office area to find the girl... and he sees what she was screaming over when he comes across Mr. Black entering his line of sight.

Mega Man halts and aims his blaster at Mr. Black and the masked man comes to a stop as well, aiming his plasma bolt gun at Mega. After all these months, these two have finally crossed each other's paths, and in the worst possible way.

The intensity in Mega's eyes matches the kind he had when he battled The Killers just moments ago. After what this man did to Dr. Light at the lab last night, he could knock him out right now (with a stun blast, at least) and throw him in jail right next to Wily. But, because there is an innocent life still at stake, Mega has to keep his responsibility to protect human life in danger... then again, if Mr. Black forces his hand, that he would have no choice but to take action.

Keeping his aim fixed on Mr. Black, Mega Man tries to reason with him... "I don't know what your problem is with me, and believe me, after what you did to my family last night, I'd like to blast you right here. But there is an innocent little girl still inside who needs to be taken to safety. This whole building is rigged to explode, and if I don't get her out of here in time, she'll die. And if you have any compassion in your heart,_ Agent Barton_, then please just let me help this girl to safety!"

Still aiming his plasma bolt gun at Mega Man, Mr. Black rasps, "Don't let me stop you."

Confused, Mega keeps his aim trained on Mr. Black and vise-versa. Maybe this man still has enough compassion to let Mega help the girl... or maybe, Mr. Black is trying to lure him into a brief false sense of security.

Either way, Mega Man slowly makes his way towards Janet's last known location, still keeping his aim trained on Mr. Black, and with Mr. Black still aiming for him as well.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Ballade regains consciousness as his auxiliary power kicks in, still lying prone in intense pain and 'bleeding' robot oil from the massive punctures on either side of his torso where Enker's mirror staff is still impaled. The Killer coughs weakly and more oil comes from his mouth, running down his chin.<p>

Ballade's own internal diagnostic indicates that Mega Man had managed to rupture a crucial 'artery' inside his chest that distributes robot oil to the body, and when his body runs out of oil, Ballade would lay crippled, likely to be abandoned by Dr. Wily and captured by Mega Man and the authorities.

That is not the ending Ballade wanted.

_"Attention, Killers! Get yourselves out of that building! We are triggering Plan B!"_ calls the voice of Dr. Wily.

The severely battered bodies of Punk and Enker barely stagger to their feet and begin stumbling their way out, not even giving their leader Ballade so much as a glance as he lay 'bleeding' and critically wounded on the floor.

As Ballade brings his right hand up to the gaping hole in his chest, he reflects on everything Dr. Wily had promised him... Wily had said he was the finest robot he had ever built, the one who was going to kill Mega Man.

But, the reality was, he had just been defeated by Mega Man, the robot he was built to kill, and he defeated so soundly that he would never be able to live it down. And in between, he was also defeated soundly by Bass, harshly insulted by ProtoMan, never had the respect of his fellow Killers, and worst of all, labeled as a failure by his creator Dr. Wily.

Ballade now accepts that he was never the best robot. He feels that he truly is a failure. An embarrassment... and Ballade would rather not live than live on an a failure and an embarrassment. And since Dr. Wily has ordered Plan B - detonating the cracker capsules spread throughout the building, - Ballade will be able to have the warrior's death he would want... and then, his plans change.

Before Ballade could trigger the crackers to detonate, he hears a scream ringing out. Even in his weakened state, he could tell it was that of a human child. Ballade could then hear Mega Man's voice, and all he had to do was detonate the crackers and his enemy would be exterminated. But, the presence of the human child makes Ballade reconsider again.

_"Ballade! Where the hell are you?"_ Wily yells.

"Still inside, Dr. Wily," Ballade chokes.

"Get yourself to a higher floor and set off those crackers!" Wily commands!

Ballade knows he is too weak to attempt to escape the blast, and reaches for one of hs forearms, ready to detonate the explosives planted on the bottom twenty-five floors. But, he stops himself, because that human child is still inside.  
>Children are innocent and pose no threat to him or Dr. Wily, and therefore created the attack of conscience within Ballade again. While Mega Man would be destroyed, the human child would die too, and Ballade's final moments would be spent in shame, rather than celebrating a warrior's demise.<p>

"I... can't do it, Dr. Wily," Ballade strains.

_"WHAT?"_ Dr. Wily yells.

"There is a child still inside... I... refuse to harm non hostiles," Ballade refuses, "There must be another way."

_"There's another way! If you will not detonate those explosives, I will override your controls and detonate them from here!"_ Wily yells.

"No... I... cannot... allow that," Ballade says, retracting into his forearms again and he produces two more of his explosive capsules. He then arms them and crosses his arms across his chest, planning to detonate himself and sever the connection to the crackers withing the building

According to a robot's programming, no robot can self-terminate at the behest of a human's order... but, nobody made Ballade come to this decision. He chose to sacrifice his own life on his own, not because of how he was defeated and not because of the shame heaped upon him by Wily and the others... but, to be able to end his short life like a true warrior, and to ensure that his final act will not be that of a monster...

"Good bye," Ballade says, detonating the two cracker capsules in his arms, completely decimating Ballade's body...

But, mere nanoseconds before Ballade sacrificed himself, Dr. Wily seized control of the rest of the crackers and detonated them at the same time. All the other capsules begin simultaneously exploding around the entire building, and anything and everybody else left behind are in danger of meeting the same fate...

* * *

><p>Once all the capsules begin exploding, Mega Man and Mr. Black are heavily jolted by the sudden force of the blasts, knocking both of them to the shaking floor. The screams of Janet the innocent girl are drowned out by the roar of the explosions as they go off all around them and balls of fire erupt everywhere.<p>

The building's sprinklers begin spraying water down, trying in vain to put of the fires that now blaze as they eat through the floors and walls.

Mega Man scrambles to get back to his feet and race to save the girl still inside. Meanwhile, Mr. Black tries holstering his guns as best he can and makes a break for it, racing for the outside the only way he can, and that is by diving through the remnant of a window and diving to the outside.

As Mr. Black makes his near-suicidal escape attempt, Mega follows the screams of the little girl Janet inside, now able to pinpoint her location, but then the sound of raging explosions and fire are now joined by another more gutteral rumbling sound...

... then, the floors above begin to cave in on top of them...

* * *

><p>On the roof, as the building begins to rumble from the explosions and it's structual instability, Dr. Wily begins to freak as he sits at the controls of one of his Skullkers. apparently, Ballade's bombs were a little stronger than Wily thought they would be.<p>

"What is happening?" Wily shrieks.

"This building's coming down!" Proto barks back as he lurches himself towards the Skullker's controls and takes off, simultaneously commanding the secondary Skullker to take off too, both ships already containing the fallen Robot Masters, as well as Punk and Enker, who had just made it on time.

"What the hell are you DOING?" Wily barks.

"Saving your ass!" Proto snaps right back, then utters, "I don't know why."

As the Skullkers take off, ProtoMan looks out of the side window of their Skullker to see the lower half of the building erupting in flames, followed by plumes of grey dust pluming out of each floor from the twenty-second al the way down, going floor to floor all the way down.

The floors of the building had collapsed, but, fortunately enough, the hardened reinforced support beams within the structure helped keep the rest of the building standing, preventing a complete collapse. But, ProtoMan is still concerned because his brother trapped inside this calamity taking place below him. The Red Raider opens the passenger side windshield of the Skullker and begins to climb out.

"Proto! What are you doing?" Wily yells.

Proto yells back, "I'm going to find my brother, if there's anything left of him! If we had done this my way from the start, this wouldn't be happening right now!"

"Fine! Assuming Mega Man is still alive, you may deal with him however you see fit. Consider it my way of making amends for last month," Wily says.

"You better hope he's still alive," Proto sneers before he leaps out of the Skullker and heads for the surface below, his figure becoming lost in the cloud of dust down on the surface.

Dr. Wily huffs as he grabs a pair of thermographic binoculars and peers out the Skullker's windows to watch what is about to take place down below.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, inside what remains of the building, the sounds of people screaming outside can barely be heard as Mega Man lies underneath a pile of rubble. Although he is weakened and hurt from being caught in the collapse, he still has to find the human girl trapped down here with him, especially now that she is mortal danger. Although he had managed to pinpoint her location before the floors caved in on them, there is no telling where she might be now.<p>

Mega uses what strength he still has and hefts a large chunk of what used to be the ceilings of the two floors above him, then moves it aside. Afterwards, he emerges from the rubble, covered in the building's dust and his armor heavily dented, and the wings of his flight suit crumpled. The dust inside the building is still thick and he can barely see his own surroundings until he increases the contrast of his scope of vision.

Mentally, Mega calculates where the girl was hiding when the building's floors began coming down, and figures that she must not be too far from where the longitude of her previous location.

"Little girl," Mega calls, strained, "Janet. Can you still hear me?"

"I don't know who _Janet_ is, unless that Cossack girl changed her name," says the voice of ProtoMan, who now approaches his brother, stepping over the remnant of building materials.

Mega Man turns his full attention to his older brother. Although the two have made progress with their discussion they had the other day, he knows that Proto would just as easily try to turn him over to his side, even when he is in a vulnerable position such as this. (ProtoMan is an opportunist, afterall.)

Mega aims his blaster at his brother for the first time in many months, and ProtoMan is quick to do the same. "Don't think about it, Proto!"

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Proto responds in a question.

"I know you," Mega retorts, "I know what you're here for: to fight me to try to recruit me again. But, there is an innocent child trapped in this building. And if you dare try to stop me from saving her, I'll have no choice but to take you down!"

Mega's buster arm becomes more rigid as he warns, "I just took down all three of Wily's thugs. Don't make me blast you!"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down," Proto says, powering down his blaster arm and putting his hands up. "Yeah, I want you and I to be a team, and I'll admit, for a moment I thought about trying to convince you down here. But, I was really coming down here to see if you were still alive."

Mega still stands across from ProtoMan, ready to blast him if he needs to, but his aim begins to trail off. Maybe Proto is telling the truth this time. "Proto, please, whatever orders Wily has given you, try to ignore them. If I don't get this girl out, she could die down here!"

And Proto remains standing there, slowly putting his hands back down to his sides as he remembers what order Dr. Wily gave him before he leapt from The Skullker... _'Deal with him however you see fit...' _And ProtoMan didn't feel like fighting his brother today, so _that_ is how he chooses to deal with him.

"I don't like the idea of somebody dying on my watch," Proto says as he turns around and walks away, "Do what you've gotta do and save that kid."

Mega could not believe his auditory sensors. His brother ProtoMan had just forfeited a possible fight and walked away. "Th-... thank's Proto. I'm gonna remember this."

"_Now_, I think we're even," Proto says as he walks out of Mega Man's view, and the hero turns back to the rubble and desperately tries to save that girl.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, up in the Skullker, Dr. Wily watches on via his thermographic binoculars and his eyes become huge as he sees ProtoMan's silhouette <em>walking away<em> from one that looks like Mega Man's, both of which standing near a small fallen human body.

"He's walking away?" Wily fumes, then erupts, "HE'S WALKING AWAY!"

Wily is in unabashed shock and dismay, furious that ProtoMan would dare defy him by walking away from his obligation to defeat Mega Man. Committing such in act is outright betrayal, far worse than Bass or Drill Man had done to him this year. And ProtoMan's abandoning a chance to challenge Mega Man may have been the ultimate betrayal.

As ProtoMan leaps back up onboard the primary Skullker, Dr. Wily bolts out of his seat and snaps, "Do you have a screw loose! Do you realize what you just did? You just walked away from battling Mega Man!"

ProtoMan replies, "Yep. Sure did."

Wily becomes more irate with ProtoMan now, almost sounding demonic as he seethes, "I gave you a goddamned order!"

"_You_ told me to tell with my brother however I saw fit... and I _saw fit_ not to fight him today!" Proto replies, raising his voice, "Now you know how it felt to be me when you pulled the plug on my Galaxy Man operation."

Before Dr. Wily could erupt all of his fury upon ProtoMan, the Skullker begins to be pelted by plasma bolt shots from the police down below not that they are out of cover.

Dr. Wily rages as he leaps back to his pilot's seat, "You are lucky we have to escape, or else I would... I would... BAH!"

"Yeah, sure you would," Proto dismisses.

As the two Skullkers take off, retreating from this place with their attack team in full - minus the now departed Ballade - the Police continue their attempt to take them down, but both ships had already escaped.

* * *

><p>Chief Toombs yells, "Get the rescue crews in that damn building now!"<p>

Several rescue teams and firefighters race inside to find Mega Man and the missing girl, as well as anybody else who may have been trapped inside. Meanwhile, Janet's father tries running in behind them, tears running down his face, only to be stopped by The Chief.

"My little girl's in there!" the father screams in a sob, now falling apart from all the stress.

"We're gonna find her, man!" Toombs urges, grabbing the father to stop him, but also holding him in a tight sympathetic embrace, "We're gonna get her outta there."

* * *

><p>Back down on the surface, as the dust from the severely damaged building fills the air, the body of Mr. Black lies prone atop the caved-in roof of a police van, his dark clothing now stained white from the dust falling on him.<p>

When he leapt from the building to escape being caught in the collapse, the only thing that broke his fall was this Police van, and even then, the only thing that saved Mr. Black from being killed from the impact was the body armor he is wearing under his clothing. But, even then, he was badly injured in the fall.

As his eyes barely open behind his mask, Mr. Black can feel his limbs tingling. He begins weakly coughing and he whimpers in pain, as his numb hands begin involuntarily twitching. He tries to regain control of himself and move, but even the slightest move feels like he is being struck with a giant crowbar.

He then hears the engine of his A.I. controled sedan pulling up beside him, also coated in dust from the building collapse. Mr. Black tries to roll over on his side to fall off of the van, worsening the pain and causing Mr. Black's pained whimpers and moans to become loader.

He eventually rolls off the side of the van and lands on the ground, landing hard on his left side with his shoulder and knee taking the brunt of the hands tremble as he tries to crawl into the car, until the trunk pops open and a pair of large clamp arms emerge from the back, grabbing onto the car's owner and places him into the back seat.

"Home," Mr. Black moans in agony.

The car's arms return to the trunk and all the doors close as it drives it's owner back to the abandoned warehouse hideout outside the city, barely escaping the police as they begin racing back towards the building.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the remains of the building, Mega Man desperately pulls hunks of debris away, trying to un-bury the human girl Janet before she dies down here.<p>

"Please, still be with me!" he pleads as he rips away the debris.

Finally, after pulling away one large hunk of building material, he finds the girl, much of her small body pinned underneath the crushed remains of an office desk, and her head lulled to one side with tears running down one side of her dusty face.

"Oh, no! Please, don't be..." Mega panics, thinking the worst has happened.

The girl lets out a slight weepy whimper, clearly indicating she is still alive, but she is not in good shape.

"It's okay, you're gonna make it out of here. Just stay with me," Mega urges as he removes the rest of the rubble from the top of her body. Seeing how distressed the girl is, Mega kneels down beside her and places one of his blue hands on top of her left hand.

"The doctors are right outside, they'll be in any second. Are you feeling okay?" he asks.

Janet frightfully weeps, "I... can't move."

Mega then becomes stunned with fear when he learns she is paralyzed, but he does his best not to outwardly show it to ensure the victim does not become more scared, which would potentially put her in a state of shock.

"Don't worry, Janet. The doctors are coming and you'll be able to move again really soon. And your dad's okay too, he's right outside. Everything's gonna be okay," Mega says, trying to convince himself as much as her.

"Did you beat... Dr. Wily's robots?" the girl asks, barely.

"Yeah I did. All of 'em. Even the scary guy in the mask ran away," Mega says, barely able to keep his composure.

"Did you... save Kalinka?"

Mega pauses, "Y-yeah, she's safe."

"Is she... your girlfriend?" Janet asks, in spite of the pain she is in.

Mega stammers, "Yeah, she is. But, it's our little secret, so please, let's keep that between us for a while, okay?"

"Okay," Janet says.

Finally, members of the rescue team make their way inside and dash towards Mega Man and Janet. Mega Man flags them over, waving his arms.

"I found her. She needs help," Mega calls.

"Alright. We've got it from here. Thank you, Mega Man," The lead human medical technician says as he pats Mega on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, as the medics and medicbots work on Janet, Mega Man watches in fear. Even though it appears this little girl will survive, he is afraid that his worst nightmare may just come true today: something horrible has happened to an innocent victim and he was too slow to stop it.

He is still being treated like a hero by the rescue team and by Janet herself... but, Mega Man does not feel like a hero right now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_This is now the longest chapter in Defender history, with over 12,000 words of story! The conclusion of Episode 10 is up next, and as you can see, things are pretty dire for just about everybody right now._

_As you could see, I wanted to make a fiercer Mega Man in this final battle, especially after he has not looked as sharp in battle since the fights with Bass. It was time for Mega to kick some serious titanium tail. _

_And there are two call backs to the cartoon episode 'Electric Nightmare' with Dorris returning and the "Let's burn Pod" line. And there were two lines that were obvious Terminator references._

_The scene where Roll stays behind to be with Peekaboo was one version of the scene, but there was an alternate version that I had considered using. Originally, I wanted Roll to be a part of the final battle and I was in the process of writing a scene where she joined Mega and left the lab, which she would have regretted because she would have felt like she was a bad caretaker.  
>But, it just felt very wrong to have Roll leaving Boo when he was still very scared. In fact, that version of the scene felt so wrong that I stopped writing it before it was finished, and Roll stayed home with Boo afterall.<em>

_I had to be careful with handling the collapse of the building because I felt uncomfortable depicting a building collapse in New York City (for obvious historical reasons.) So, I changed the scenario to have the building remain standing, but the lower floors drop out._

_And of course, Ballade died, (and at least for one of you mystery reviewers, it wasn't much of a surprise. XD) But, he got to go out on a high note, attempting to stop a heinous act from taking place. Thus, it made him a tragic villain who tries just barely to reform himself in the end._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos and continuity errors that I missed, please PM me. (And btw, to those who were around to read the earliest version of this chapter, I apologize for leaving one of my production notes in the first scene... yes, this really happened.)_


	112. Episode 10 Epilogue: No Remorse

_**Episode 10 Epilogue: No Remorse.**_

* * *

><p>It has been nearly a half an hour since Dr. Wily and members of his robot army retreated from the Highland Industries building, and the mad scientist is now flying his Skullker back to Skull Fortress while the secondary Skullker flies on autopilot nearby. Both Skullkers are sporting damage with several burn marks on their hulls, compliments of the New York Police who attempted to shoot them down as they escaped.<p>

Wily is still furious over how badly The Killers' final operation together ended. His face is etched with pure anger, his blood is boiling and the vein in his forehead is visible and pulsating as he clutches the controls of the Skullker tightly, and if he were stronger, those controls would be braking right now.

Behind Albert are some of the dazed - and in some cases severely damaged - Robot Masters that he chose to bring along. And he is not happy with how poorly they fared against Mega Man today, nor is he happy with how The Killers fared either. If Ballade was still alive, he would wipe his memory as punishment.

But, the true target of Albert Wily's ire is ProtoMan, sitting right next to him in the passenger seat with his titanium arms folded.

Dr. Wily hasn't spoken a word to ProtoMan since they retreated, and vise versa. But, the tension between them is incredibly thick, much worse than it has ever been in the past two and a half years. There is no question that tension between Dr. Wily and ProtoMan is about to reach the breaking point, if it has not already reached it.

The sun is setting in the badlands, giving Skull Fortress an orange tinge to it's dark purple exterior as the Skullkers enter the hangar bay to land, and GutsMan, Cut Man, Magnet Man, Headless Joe and his fellow Sniper Joes stand nearby.

After landing, Dr. Wily storms out of the Skullker and ignores ProtoMan altogether, the scowl on his aged face never leaving it. He orders around his Sniper Joes, "Get Enker and Punk out of there and send them to the workshop!"

The Joes enter the secondary Skullker and remove the limp bodies of the two remaining Killers and help them out. Enker is still spitting loose bolts out of his dislocated jaw, and Punk is still gagging on the Search Snake stuck in his throat.

Wily then watches as Bright Man stumbles out the rear of the main Skullker and Air Man follows him, tripping on his own feet and landing on top of him. The scene is almost comical, like something out of a movie. Dr. Wily does not see the humor in that or anything else right now.

"Pick them up!" He growls.

As the Joes scramble to pick up the fallen Robot Masters, the trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man stand by and watch. "How bad was it, Dr. Wily?" Gutsy asks.

"I'm not talking about it!" Wily snarls through gritted teeth as he stares inside the main Skullker, waiting for ProtoMan to come out.

While Wily impatiently anticipates ProtoMan showing his face, Proto remains in his seat onboard, still with his arms folded across his grey chest which is stained with traces of the dust from the building collapse.

After spending over a minute staring at his damaged Skullker and waiting for ProtoMan to exit, Dr. Wily barks in rage and storms back to his workshop, and the trio of Robot Masters look inside the Skullker, wondering what is going on between Proto and Wily.

"Hey, ProtoMan. Is there a _divide_ between you and Wily?" asks Cut Man.

Magnet Man mutters, "You just _had_ to make a pun, didn't you?"

ProtoMan remains silent inside the Skullker and sulks, arms still folded. He couldn't let himself attack his brother after all the progress they have made and while that girl was in danger. And he doesn't regret walking away when he did, even if it means he is permanently locked in Wily's dog house.

But, ProtoMan has no idea how bad he really has it yet.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>**

The oldest of the two Bonne siblings Tiesel and Tron are in the recreational area of the ship and watching the network news reports of the Wily attack at the Highland Industries building in New York. The headline at the bottom of their salvaged television reads _"Disaster in Manhattan. Partial building collapse after Wily attack. Several injured."  
><em>Their little brother Bon is elsewhere and the Servbots are performing their duties elsewhere on the ship, and maybe it is for the best that they do not see this disturbing news.

As she sits on the couch (which was also salvaged) across from the television, Tron bites down on her pink nails until she sees Mega Man emerging from the wreckage of the building. "Oh, thank God, Mega Man is okay!" she gasps.

"Yeah," Tiesel replies distantly with his eyes occasionally wandering off, distracted by something on his mind.

"I just hope all those people in that building are gonna be okay too," Tron adds as she clasps her hands together.

"Yeah," Tiesel drones again.

Tron turns her attention to her brother and casts another of her skeptical gazes upon him again. "You've been acting really strange since you went out late the other night. What happened... this time?"

Tiesel's eyes get a bit wider as he zones out and has a flashback to that harrowing encounter with Mr. Black on the night he obtained the hard drive from him. He has not had the guts to even look at the drive - or even the case it is in - since that night. He lets slip, "You don't want to know."

Tron's eyebrows tilt. "You haven't been trying to steal anything again, have you?"

Tiesel finally snaps out of his 'zone' that he was in just a moment ago and focuses on his sister. "Huh?"

"I'm really starting to worry about you, Tiesel," Tron says, getting up from the couch and standing across from him now.

"Tron, you're always worrying about me! Every time I turn around, there you are worrying! You're not our mother, you know?" Tiesel protests.

Tron frowns, "I _have to_ worry about you, Tiesel. You're my big brother. You've been in my life more then... mom and dad," Tron's voice hushes to a meek sigh and her head hangs down as she mentions their parents, both of whom have rarely been around for their offspring since the salvage business became profitable.  
>"If something bad were to happen to you... I don't know what I would do," Tron mopes.<p>

Tiesel begins to respond, "Well, you would have enough money to live on. And you have the brains to run the family-"

Tron gives her brother a hug, unable to wrap her petite arms all the way around his large torso. "I give you a hard time a lot, but I care about you."

After hearing his sister's genuine concern, Tiesel decides that it's time to have a change of mine regarding his shady 'side job' with The Conduit, and it is a decision he should have made a long time ago. "I know you're worried about me, Tron. But, worry no further. I'm going to get my act together."

After Tron lets him go, Tiesel tugs on the front of his deep dark green shirt (which has green metallic shoulder pads sewn into the shoulders for some reason) and prepares to tend to a very important piece of business.

Tron sighs, "Something tells me he's not _really_ going to change."

* * *

><p>Tiesel makes his way to his quarters to contact The Conduit, whom he has not spoken to since the night Mr. Black intimidated him. Tiesel is concerned that his 'boss' will be displeased about this, but the oldest Bonne sibling would rather not get himself into any serious trouble.<br>And if his encounter with Mr. Black is any indication of the danger he faces, nothing good can come of this 'career.'

Tiesel locks himself behind his door and then calls The Conduit with the number that was given to him on the night they met in the alley, (the night Tiesel's Mega Crew dissolved.)

He waits for an answer from the mysterious one, and it feels like an eternity. Eventually, there is an answer on the other end, and the digitally altered voice of The Conduit speaks... _"You are two days late."_

"Er- yeah, I know," Tiesel stammers.

_"I am sure you know who my primary asset is now, because he told me what he did when he turned the hard drive over to you. But, we may not have to concern ourselves with him anymore, because I have it on good authority that Mr. Black was caught in the Highland Industries building collapse. Your promotion may come sooner than either of us expected."_

Tiesel hesitates at first, then re-summons the courage to speak up. "Actually, that matter is why I am calling. If you want that hard drive, I'll still give it to you, but... I don't think I want to do this anymore."

There is cold, dead silence on the other end of the line and Tiesel fears that he has already made his 'boss' angry.

_"... This is about Mr. Black, I am certain. If he is still alive, I assure you that I will keep him on his leash."_

Tiesel refutes, "It's not just him. This job is way too dangerous and I'm afraid I'll end up getting hurt, or worse."

_"I will increase your compensation," _The Conduit offers.

"I'm not interested anymore," Tiesel insists, "I'll pay you back all the money you've given me so far. I just want out."

After another long period of silence, The Conduit speaks again, this time with some noticeable anger in that distorted voice... _"You think it's that easy to get out, do you?"_

Tiesel's square jaw begins chattering and whatever confidence he had begins fading. Tiesel then begins pleading, "Please, I just want to have my life back!"

_"You no longer have a life! When you forged that audio file of Mitchell Deacon's security advisor, you involved yourself. And when you did that, you became my slave. I may have suggested you to forge that audio, but it was you - and you alone - who forged it_._"_

Tiesel's eyes become wide as The Conduit threatens, _"If Mr. Black is truly dead, that makes you my primary asset, and if you dare attempt to abandon or defy me, an anonymous tip will be handed to the Federal authorities. And afterwards, you Tiesel Bonne will be sitting in a Federal Penitentiary, and every penny of your parents' wealth will not be enough to bail you out! Or perhaps, I will find that floating garbage scow in the sky you call a home... and you will not want to know what would happen from there."_

"No, Please! Don't hurt my family!" Tiesel begs, "Just leave my family alone and I'll do anything you want."

_"You will do whatever I want you to do regardless who I chose to involve! When I tell you to jump, you will ask 'how high?'... I own you! Just like I own that ingrate Mr. Black!"_ The Conduit furiously says.

Tiesel remains dead silent as the mind-numbing terror hits him. His life really is ruined now, and the lives of his family are at risk because of his own immaturity.

_"You will drop off Mr. Black's hard drive at a location of my choosing. After I have gone through the data on the drive myself, I will then give you a location to retrieve it. And I suggest you use those files to your advantage, because you be needing that knowledge in the immediate future."_

Tiesel remains silent, shocked and overwhelmed with worry and stress.

_"Tiesel... I trust you understood those instructions."_

"Y-yeah," Tiesel answers, his voice rattled.

_"Good. Because failure to follow those instructions will result in swift punishment. But, you already know about that. I fare thee well. Good bye."_

Tiesel then hears the solid dial tone after The Conduit disconnects, and he feels hollow inside. He has an overwhwelming feeling of dread, like the walls are coming in on him... feeling doomed.

Numbly, Tiesel stands up from his desk seat and begins leaving his room, walking stiff as a zombie because his mind is still so stuck on The Conduit's threat. That fear is confounded when he returns to the recreation area of the Gesselchaft and sees his sister Tron and their little brother Bon, along with several of the Servbots, including Servbot 1 who is so happily interacting with Tron.

When he sees them all, he turns around and hides behind a nearby door leading to another area of the ship and puts his head in his hands as he leans against said door. He is overcome with worry as he now fully realizes that if The Conduit's threats are serious, the lives of his family are in real danger, and it is all because of Tiesel's own mistakes.  
>And there is nothing he can do about it now... except play along.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

The man who used to be Agent John Barton has crawled from the back of his car all the way to the study area, leaving several articles of his dust-stained upper body clothing and armor behind, making a trail leading all the way inside... almost like the Mr. Black facade is symbolically falling apart as the man underneath returns to the one thing that reminds him of being normal.

Now, all of Barton's upper clothing is shed, leaving him only in his black trousers and socks, and revealing hideous bruising on his back and left shoulder from taking the falls at the Highland building earlier. Yet, despite the pain he is in, he still drags on, crawling his way towards one room on the far end of his hideout with a set of closed double doors.

He can hear the phone ringing, obviously The Conduit - fresh of his threat made to Tiesel Bonne - trying to re-establish contact with him, but John ignores it. He was in no condition to talk right now, quite literally.

He could have crawled to his medical closet where several doses of his self-healing compound are stored. But, he decided to continue his crawl to this one room on the far end of his hideout. He deserves to suffer..._ she_ even said so in his haunting dream.

Finally, Barton reaches that set of doors and pushes them open with his right hand. As they creak open, he crawls inside the darkened room.

"Lights on," John painfully chokes.

A set of light illuminate a soft dim hue in the room, shedding light on something John had painstakingly - and obsessively - built himself... a shrine to the woman in his dreams. Clearly, she is not a figment of John Barton's imagination, but a real person in his life... at one time.

Everywhere, there were pictures of her adorning the walls and personal effects like selections of her jewelry were carefully protected in a glass case. This room even smells like her, because when John entered, there was a slight dispersal of the perfume she often used to wear that permeated the room.

And at the center of this room hangs a long, elegant white dress. A wedding dress.

John crawls further before stopping in the center of the room and lying on his right side, too weak to move any further. His body, drenched in sweat from trying to find the strength to make it here and dealing with the pain, falls limp as he heavily pants for air.

His tired eyes look up and he tries to gaze upon the selection of pictures of her that are on the wall, but he can't get a good look at them. It's almost like she still haunts him by leaving him like this, unable to even look at her.

Barton surrenders and lets his head slump to the floor, letting himself suffer as he lies here. He would no longer care if he died right here, if it were not for his mission. But, in a matter of days, John Barton will return to his feet and he will disappear again, and the spectre of Mr. Black will return.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York, at a hospital.<strong>

The hospital is now flooding with victims of the Highland building attack. Fortunately, those who were injured on the upper levels of the building during the arrival of The Killers were not caught in the collapse and are in 'critical, but stable' condition, and those who were outside at the time of the building collapse were not injured thanks to the Police forcing them all to move away from the area.

However, there is one patient whose injuries are the most severe. And that is Janet, the ten-year-old girl who was caught inside the building when it partially collapsed, and was found by Mega Man afterwards. And it is she who Mega Man is here to see now.

Mega makes his way to the Intensive Care Unit (or ICU) as the doctors are already at work on trying to treat young Janet. His armor is still sporting noticeable damage and stained with traces of the dust from the building collapse, and on his way to the ICU, his family is communicating with him from home at the lab.

_"You really should come back to the lab, Rock. You may have serious internal injuries,"_ suggests the concerned Dr. Light.

"I'm fine," Mega insists, "Is Kalinka on her way here yet? I think they should check her for any injuries."

_"Rush is sending her over now. She is still very worried about you,"_ Thomas replies.

Roll's voice jumps on the line. _"You really banged-up those Robot Masters out there, Mega! Did you beat those three new bucketheads too?"_

Mega pauses for a moment, reflecting on how brutally he dealt with all three of The Killers back at the Highland building, unaware that Ballade was destroyed by his own explosives. "Yeah, I _took care_ of them alright. They're missing a few parts now. I ran into some... unexpected company there too," he replies, making a vague reference to the appearances of Mr. Black and later ProtoMan.

Mega Man soon arrives to the ICU and sees Janet's worried father pacing the floor. Mega knows that he should cut short his conversation with Dr. Light and Roll. "I've gotta go. If you speak with Kalinka, tell her I'll be with her soon."

After Mega ends the call to his family, he approaches Janet's father. Very nervous deep down inside and unsure what kind of reaction the father will have to seeing him, he calls, "Sir?"

Janet's father looks over to Mega, his eyes sore and red from bawling his eyes out ever since his daughter was retrieved from the wreckage of the building. He steps up to the hero and continues to fret, his hands trembling from the overwhelming worry.  
>He puts his arms around Mega and semi-hugs him, barely shuddering, "Whatever happens... thank you. You did what you could."<p>

Mega Man's fears for the girl's well-being now escalate. If her father is faring this badly, the news must not be good. Or maybe he doesn't know for certain and he is just very concerned for his daughter, and reasonably so. Either way, Mega is very concerned.

Soon, the doctor who just had the chance to work on Janet - a woman of half-Asian decent named Dr. Michelle Aylesworth - makes her way out to see Janet's father, and she is surprised to see Mega Man here. "Mr. Clarke... oh! Mega Man. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Janet's father then steps up to the Doctor and Mega is not far behind him. "Is she going to be alright?" the father asks.

"The good news is, she is going to pull through. But... maybe it's best if I tell you the rest of her prognosis in private," says Dr. Aylesworth.

Janet's father becomes more nervous as he fears whatever news this is. Mega Man gives him a nod, allowing him to receive this news in private.

Mega watches as Dr. Aylesworth leads Janet's father to a more secluded area, so that she could give him the news there. As concerned as Mega is over this poor girl's health, he wants to know how she is faring. He feels bad for doing this, but he boosts the volume of his auditory sensors to try to hear the Doctor's update...

After letting out a sigh, the Doctor says, "Her injuries are so severe that even with today's technology, it would still be too serious of a risk to operate on her. It could take years before she would be ready for the surgery or before our technology could help her... She will have to use a wheelchair for the immediate future. I'm sorry."

Mega Man can overhear the sound of Janet's father taking this devastating news very hard. All good parents do not deserve to have a fate such as this fall upon their children. And while Janet's father is devastated by this, Mega himself also takes this crushingly news hard.

Mega Man begins to shuffle away from here, his head hanging in dismay. It was his responsibility to defend and protect those who would fall into harm at the hands of Dr. Wily, and he failed to save this innocent young girl's life. And now her life could now be forever changed because Mega Man believes he was not fast enough to protect her.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, inside a small clinical examination office at the hospital, Kalinka Cossack is being checked by a doctor for any sign of injuries or stress. Although she has checked out just fine, she is worried about Mega Man because of what happened back at that building. Not only did he not look in the best of shape physically on the news video, but he looked bothered by something much deeper when she saw the look in his eyes.<p>

Just after her examination is over, the door opens and Mega Man enters the exam room, walking past two police officers stationed right outside who were placed here because Kalinka is a high-profile patient.

"R-.. Mega Man!" Kalinka calls, almost letting slip Mega's real name of 'Rock' in public.

"Can I be alone with Miss Cossack for a minute?" Mega asks.

"Yes. But, please vacate the office when you are done. There are still more patients coming in," the doctor replies.

After the Doctor leaves, Mega takes his helmet off and Kalinka walks over to Mega and places her hands on his upper chest, the only part of his body from the neck down that is not sporting damage. "Rock... are you alright?"

Mega looks down at his feet, unable to speak as his emotions begin to hit him. "Kalinka... I failed," he utters, his blue eyes beginning to overflow with tears.

"No. You saved everybody in building," Kalinka says.

"That little girl... she'll never walk again, and it's my fault," Mega now weeps as he begins to go down on his knees, then slumps down into a sitting position, hanging his head down as the tears of eye lubrication start to fall.

As Mega goes down to the floor, Kalinka kneels down beside him and cries with him as she tries to hug him, resting her head beside his. Like Mega was there for her at a time when she needed somebody, Kalinka is now supporting the robot boy she loves by being right here for him, letting him shed the brave face and weep for innocent little Janet.

"It is not your fault, Rock," Kalinka whimpers softly by his ear.

"It is... everything's happening because of my mistakes," Mega sobs.

As Mega Man laments with Kalinka at his side, he does not know how he well ever get over such a tragedy like this. He may never get over it. And it is made so much worse by how the victim was an innocent child who had her whole life ahead of her, now forced to spend that life confined to a wheelchair, possibly forever.

None of this would have happened if Dr. Wily never existed... or at least if ProtoMan and the original six Robot Masters had never been taken from Dr. Light... or maybe if Rock would have never had to have become Mega Man, all of this might never have happened...

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Back at Skull Fortress.**

ProtoMan is lying down on his shabby stolen mattress in the corner of his room here, all alone as he stares at the ceiling, not wishing to be bothered by anyone for any reason. He is still very angst-ridden about how Dr. Wily had reacted to him today, although it should have come to no surprise to Proto after how harsh the old man has been to him lately.

Proto remembered the feeling when Dr. Wily was ready to schlep him aside in favor of his new pride and joy named Bass, and again when he sabotaged his Galaxy Man plan and demoted him the next day. Neither of those felt very good.

Likewise, Proto also remembers when Bass turned on Wily after reprimanding him for not destroying Mega Man, (which of course, was all ProtoMan's doing.) Immediately afterwards, Wily was referring to Proto as _'My Boy' _again. But, after being so easily cast aside once, that term didn't mean much to ProtoMan anymore.  
>He wasn't Wily's boy so much as his favorite weapon in this damn war. And ProtoMan didn't like it anymore!<p>

As Proto sulks, he thinks back on how Thomas Light treated Mega Man and Roll with such respect and love as a father. He even remembers how readily Light was willing to give ProtoMan's systems a proper check-up when Proto was living with them and acting as a mole last Election Day.

ProtoMan still thinks Dr. Light is a bit of a geek and does not quite trust him, and maybe he and the rest of his family throws around the term 'I love you' a little too liberally for Proto's tastes... but, at least Dr. Light showed some care for him... and ProtoMan doesn't get that feeling from Wily.

ProtoMan wanted to be accepted by Dr. Wily, because he is the closest thing to a father figure Proto has. But, Proto truly believes that Dr. Wily seems to only view him as a weapon and not a son, and that he probably does not appreciates him as neither weapon, nor son.

Then, in the middle of his brooding, Stone Man and Hard Man - two of the largest Robot Masters in Wily's army - barge into ProtoMan's room by kicking the door in, and they grab him from his mattress as ElecMan waits outside the door. ProtoMan tries to wrestle himself free from the two behemoths, but to no avail.

"Sorry, ProtoMan," Stone Man says in his deep voice, "But, Dr. Wily said he wants to see you!"

"And I thought he'd take the hint!" Proto replied, "I want to be left alone!"

"Too bad!" Hard Man retorts, "Maybe if you hadn't felt sorry for that blue punk brother of yours, you would be in such a _hard_ spot right now!"

"And maybe if you hadn't treated some of us like slack, maybe this wouldn't be happening!" ElecMan adds.

ProtoMan realized - thanks to Hard Man and ElecMan's hint - that maybe Wily didn't want to have a little chit-chat. Maybe the old man wanted to punish him.

* * *

><p>All the way to Dr. Wily's workshop, ProtoMan continued to struggle to get free, but Hard Man and Stone Man's grips were too strong. Once they arrive, ElecMan opens the door and Dr. Wily himself stands inside with his arms folded behind his back, looking up at ProtoMan with an evil eye.<p>

"I am only going to ask you this once," Wily says, "On two occasions, you left the fortress and spent several hours away... what were you doing?"

ProtoMan stares back at Wily, knowing that is in a really tough spot now. So, he tries in vain to deflect the question. "None of your business!"

"I _order you_ to tell me the truth, ProtoMan!" Wily commands.

Now, Proto begins to worry. He has no choice but to tell him what he was doing, and both times, it was something Wily would likely outrage over. He spent time with Nomad the first night he was out, and the next contacted his brother Mega Man and apologized to him.

Proto does not want to tell Wily about either of these incidents, but now Wily has ordered him to. As much as Wily would probably view Proto's talk with Mega Man to be treason, his desire to protect Nomad and his feelings for her are far too strong to reveal her existence. He cannot sell her out.  
>Maybe if he confesses only that he talked to Mega Man, maybe he will not have to reveal Nomad is still alive.<p>

ProtoMan finally spills, "I contacted my brother! Okay!"

"Oh?" Wily interrogates as he steps closer to Proto, "And, if I may ask... what were you doing contacting your brother?"

Proto begins stressing as holds off his answer as long as he can.

"TELL ME NOW!" Wily yells.

"I... called to apologize to him... for stabbing him in the back," Proto reveals.

Wily's face begins to form that wicked, evil smile of his. "And that is why you walked away from battling him today, is it not?"

"There was a girl still inside!" Proto yells back, "I didn't want to be responsible for her death. I'm not a killer like you are!"

Wily's grin falls into an angry stare. "I see... you think that I am the bad guy... Well, I suppose it's time I show you how bad I really am, ProtoMan!"

Then, Dr. Wily reaches into the right pocket of his lab coat, pulls out a small piece of equipment reminiscent of a thumb drive and begin approaching Proto with it.  
>Once ProtoMan sees what it is, looking like the very same drive Wily had used on Peekaboo the Met several months ago, he freaks and tries to kick at Wily with his red metallic feet.<p>

"HOLD HIM DOWN!" Wily orders the Robot Masters, and ElecMan grabs ProtoMan's legs as Hard Man and Stone Man tighten their grips on his arms.

"You think, you can get away with what you have done to me?" Wily asks in a menacing tone, "Let_ this_ be your answer!"

Dr. Wily accesses a panel in the upper left of ProtoMan's chest armor, then sticks the device into a small port in ProtoMan's partially exposed endoskeleton and presses a small button on the drive. Afterwards, Wily calmly back peddles into his workshop and commands, "Let him go."

As soon as the Robot Masters let ProtoMan go, he falls to the floor making an anguished cringing sound, sound like he is in severe pain.

"Leave us, robots," Wily said in an eerie calm voice.

"Uh- W-what are you going to do, D-dr. Wily?" ElecMan asked timidly.

Wily looked at his robots sideways and rasped, "I said... Leave us!"

ElecMan and the others step back and obey, exiting the workshop and closing the door, leaving Dr. Wily with a suffering ProtoMan. Wily watches with disdain as ProtoMan pulls the device out of his chest. Yet, even after he does, his pain didn't subside.

"What did you do to me?" Proto chokes through the pain.

Wily grinned as he answers, "I have uploaded a pain program into your systems. An improved version of the one I was testing on on that stupid little Met that you so heroically saved."

ProtoMan's painful sounds become more desperate and agonizing. It takes so much to not scream as his body arches and he balls his fists and the pain gets worse.

Wily looms over ProtoMan, like an evil tormentor. "Right now, I'm sure it feels like your entire body is being torn limb from limb, much worse than that stupid Met ever had it when I tested on him. But, any second, it should feel like your entire chest is being crushed and that your ventilation circuits are being smothered. If you were human, you would feel like you're choking."

Seconds later, Proto begins clutching his chest like it had been crushed and begins gasping for air. Although there is no actual damage to his physical form, his pain sensors still react as if it were real.

"It works!" Wily says, almost victoriously, "That will subside shortly and you'll think you're safe."

ProtoMan continues to clutch his chest for nearly a minute as he desperate tries gasping for air, until he slumps down and started taking in deep breaths of air into his respiratory ventilation system through his mouth. The suffocating had stopped. He still felt weak, but it least the pain had stopped... until he felt something all around his body. He frantically looked at himself to see if anything was happening, and while he does not see anything, he feels every single terrifying bit of it.

"Ah! This phase is my favorite!" Wily says with demonic glee, "You should be feeling immense pain any second. You'll feel like your body is on fire, burning to a crisp. But, on the inside, it will feel like all of your circuits will feel like they're being eaten away like you had just been injected with acid!"

ProtoMan gritted his teeth is the burning became stronger and stronger._ "It's just an illusion!"_ he tries thinking to himself, _"Just an illusion!"_

Wily continues looming over ProtoMan and grins, "I admire your strength, ProtoMan! You haven't screamed yet... It's time I change that!"

Wily reaches for another small drive and approaches ProtoMan's body.

"N-no!" Proto cries in horror, "No!"

"Yes!" Wily hisses as he slaps away ProtoMan's shaking hand and inserts the drive into his chest like he did the first.

Within seconds, ProtoMan feels something else in addition to the burns. He now felt like he was being electrocuted and stabbed with a hundred spears all at once. Proto could no longer contain the agony and screams. The screaming could be heard even beyond the walls of the workshop.

"Nooooooo!" ProtoMan cries, "P-please... Dr. Wily... make it stop!"

Wily stands above Proto and watches him suffer, much like his own father used to do when he would beat young Albert within an inch of his life. He stoops down closer to ProtoMan's shivering body. "You want this to stop?"

"... _please!_" Proto weeps painfully, "I can't... take this... anymore!"

"Listen to me very carefully, boy!" Wily instructs, "I have had enough of you not having the titanium balls to blast your bastard brother to pieces. We failed tonight because of _you_! Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes!" ProtoMan whines.

"You will _NEVER _walk away from a battle with Mega Man again! And there is _no more_ trying to win him over to our side!" Wily warns, "And if you dare do anything that would help your brother or any member of Thomas Light's little family again, you will suffer a far greater pain than the one you are feeling now. And I will never stop hurting you!"

"B-but... "

Wily yells, "Mega Man will DIE! They will ALL DIE! And there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

Wily turns around and leaves ProtoMan to suffer in ungodly pain. ProtoMan reaches a trembling hand out to his master.

"Wait!" he weakly calls, "Please... help m-me!"

Wily stands in silence for a moment, keeping his back turned to ProtoMan. He then looks over to his desk and begins eyeing another small drive that would remove the pain programs, pondering whether or not to stop ProtoMan's suffering. But, in Wily's evil twisted mind, what ProtoMan did today was betrayal and that he deserved any second of this.

Dr. Wily then begins walking away again and leaves the workshop, leaving his own co-creation - the only family that this sore excuse for a man has left, the closest thing to a son he will ever have - behind to suffer a fate that he does not deserve.

"No!" ProtoMan yells, "Please don't leave me like this!... _NOOOOOOOOOOOO!_"

ProtoMan's last call was more like a scream, one that could be heard echoing in the corridors as Dr. Wily continues walking away from his workshop, no longer showing the evil glee earlier, nor the unbridled rage he is known for. His face now shows no emotion, not even the slightest sign of remorse.

But, inside, the whisper in his head congratulates him on committing such a vile and cowardly act... _"Good... make him pay."_

* * *

><p><strong>Over two hours later...<strong>

The rickety door to Wily's workshop opens from the outside. It was Cut Man and GutsMan, who were sent by Dr. Wily to get ProtoMan out of his workshop.

The Robot Masters enter the dank workshop and fall silent as they see their comrade ProtoMan shivering in a fetal position on the cold metal floor. His yellow scarf was now off his neck and he was clutching it in his hands, and his face appears to be wet. His body overheated due to the stress, and it caused his synthetic skin to sweat.

The Robot Masters look at each other, almost in disbelief at this sight, and they approach ProtoMan cautiously.

"Uh... ProtoMan? You okay?" GutsMan called.

ProtoMan dos not respond and continues to twitch on the floor as he clutches his scarf, taking in brief gasps of air because his body is in such shock.

Cut Man looks over to Dr. Wily's workshop desk and finds the mini drive meant to cure the pain. The one that Wily himself elected not to administer to ProtoMan before he left.

Cut Man kneels down and inserts the device into ProtoMan's chest, but unfortunately, Dr. Wily had it programmed to work slowly.

"ProtoMan must've made Dr. Wily _really _mad this time," Cut Man stated, sounding fearful.

ProtoMan began to move a little bit more now as his body was slowly being cured. He tried speaking, but no words came out. He was in a state of both physical _and_ emotional shock. He barely made strained moans which ended almost as quickly as they started.

GutsMan then picks ProtoMan's limp body up and removes him from the workshop. Magnet Man was the first Robot Master waiting outside, and upon seeing Proto, his eyes look concerned. And if he did not have a face shield and had a mouth instead, it would have hung open, stunned at the sight.

As GutsMan carries ProtoMan away, other nearby Robot Masters stare in shock at the sight, even ElecMan, who at first was antagonizing ProtoMan, but soon became disturbed by what followed.  
>These Robot Masters may not be as emotionally advanced as ProtoMan or Mega Man and Roll, but they still know a surreal sight when they see one, and here it was. ProtoMan - Dr. Wily's right hand robot - being carried away in the large arms of GutsMan after hours of torture.<p>

* * *

><p>GutsMan puts ProtoMan down right outside his quarters where Cut Man and Magnet Man then help Proto inside and place him back on top of his shabby mattress. The trio are at a loss for words and don't know what to say, so they leave him be.<br>In fact, the gesture made by these three is more significant almost than anything Dr. Wily has done for ProtoMan since this war started.

As The Robot Masters leave, ProtoMan stares up at the ceiling, his jaw chattering as he continues to shudder. Seconds later, ProtoMan can no longer contain his emotions and becomes a blubbering mess. He would be producing tears right now under his black visor, but he has already spent much of the night crying while he was being tortured and his eye lubrication system ran dry.

After Wily left him to suffer, Proto must have spent the better part of the last hour weeping to himself. At least he thinks it was an hour. The pain was so unbearable, it could have been many hours for all he knew.

But, it wasn't just the pain from the pain programs alone that caused this reaction. The fact that Dr. Wily - the closest thing to a father he has - would torture him in cold blood like this and so callously ignore his calls for help hurts ProtoMan much deeper than the pain programs ever could.

With all of his confidence and bravado gone, Proto clutches the yellow scarf in his hands and openly sobs, deeply traumatized by what he just experienced... and wounded by what his so-called father did to him tonight. It could very well scar him for life.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Dr. Wily himself makes his way through the halls of Skull Fortress, his presence now sparking more intimidation than ever had before yesterday. All the robots here heard ProtoMan's screams well through the night, and know that if their creator would punish <em>ProtoMan<em> so severely, any one of them could be the recipient of the same treatment one day if they were to anger the mad scientist so badly.

A slight scowl on Wily's face remains as he continues to visualize ProtoMan, his right hand robot and the closest thing to family Albert had, laying there in the workshop, in horrible pain and begging him to stop what he was doing... and he imagines what he must have looked like as he continued to suffer.

Any doubts that had entered in Wily's mind, and remorse he may have had disappeared as quickly as it came into it. Albert had justified his cold-blooded torture of Proto because of how he had the gall to go behind his back and open a dialogue with Mega Man, and today walking away from battle with him.  
>Siding with Mega Man in any way was a cardinal sin in the sadistic eyes of the evil Dr. Wily, because Mega Man is his sworn enemy.<p>

And as he tortured ProtoMan, Wily had help from the whisper in his head. It was the whisper that convinced him to finally give ProtoMan the punishment that it felt he deserved. And that whisper continues to influence him right now as he walks past the worrisome Robot Masters...

_"Look at them... they all fear you... they all respect you now... they are better soldiers... this will serve you well in the upcoming battle. Now, Albert... spread that fear throughout the world... make them all worship you... make them suffer like you made your turncoat ProtoMan did... show no remorse."_

As he continues travelling through the halls, Dr. Wily begins speaking to himself, repeating, "No Remorse... No Remorse."

Wily finally reaches the rear exit in back of the fortress leading to the Project G-2 construction zone, and before him stands the massive Project G-2 itself which is now beginning to take shape in a much more defined form as the layers of its triple-reinforced titanium armor is applied to its chassis.  
>It still is nowhere near as titanic as the peacekeeping robot Gamma was, but this easily dwarfs anything Dr. Wily has ever created, even the massive Robo-Spider he used to drain the Northeastern United States of its electricity supply in early 20X2.<p>

Dr. Wily sees all of the secondary worker robots hard at work, joined by several construction robots, whose bodies adorned with yellow and black armor and wearing construction hats (not to be confused with the hardhats that Mets wear.) The lead construction robot - or the would-be contractor - stands by and monitors the progress made by the other robots.

Dr. Wily approaches this lead construction robot and speaks to him. "How is it coming along?"

"Everything is going smoothly, Dr. Wily," the construction robot replies in his gruff voice, "The project is at 75 percent completion, but the rest should be simple. The only thing that remains after that is weapons testing."

Wily begins rubbing his hands together, "And when will it be ready for deployment?"

"As soon as two weeks, Dr. Wily," The robot says.

"Good! Then, I suggest you get back to work, I wouldn't want to be late for the big debut," Wily says, wickedly.

Wily takes a few steps forward and stares at his monstrous creation of terror before him. He is sure that _this_ is the instrument that will kill Mega Man and end the war, crowning Albert Wily as the supreme ruler of the world.

And when it is finished, Project G-2 will be what changes a great many things in this war... either for the better, or for the worse...

"No remorse!" Wily smiles as he stares up at Project G-2... "No remorse!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_And on the most grim note possible, Episode 10 is finally over. Clearly, everybody has it pretty bad going into Episode 11, even Tiesel and Mr. Black. I wanted the set up a sense of gloominess going into the next episode with all of these bad things happening, and Project G-2 finishing construction.  
>And, I am going to be honest, I am afraid of earning the ire of some of you after posting this chapter, because I know all of you ProtoMan fans are probably not happy with his outcome here.<em>

_Episode 11 will be the Year Three finale, and I want to inform you that unlike all the other episodes thus far, there will most likely be no interlude chapter before the start of Episode 11, because it is so closely tied to this episode... and Project G-2 will finally be fully revealed and unleashed onto the world.  
>Episode 11 will most likely debut in February, though I can't guarantee that.<em>

_I __want to thank all of those who were kind enough to leave reviews and comments, including lalalei, DestinyZX/Jose, Gancena, PinkCrystals, LittleKunai, WindGoddes Rune, MegaManV, Akainokami, SkyDayBreak, ChristianSoldier5, Z'dska, and those of you who left reviews anonymously._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, and if you catch any typos, continuity errors or any more production notes I didn't erase before publishing this chapter, please let me know as soon as possible._


	113. Episode 11: Things Change

_**Note to readers: Just to ensure that there is no confusion, there is no interlude between Episodes 10 and 11 this time. These early chapters may have an interlude feel to them, but they are connected to the main story.  
>So, let's begin Episode 11.<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>EPISODE 11: Things Change.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>September 20X3...<strong>

**War is Hell.**

**These are dark times for most of the key players in the ongoing War for Everlasting Peace, and that cloud of darkness has even spread to harm others who were caught in its crosshairs.**

**After being bothered by his own doubts in himself and his admitted apprehension of the threat Bass poses, Mega Man has recently had to face one of his worst fears during the last Wily attack when an innocent child was trapped inside a partially collapsed building with the hero, becoming paralyzed as a result. And Mega Man is placing blame on himself after he failed to rescue her in time, which has only made his outlook more bleak.**

**And on the other side of the Light family, ProtoMan is facing his own set of severe hardships, far worse than his little brother's. Following his refusal to do battle with his brother Mega Man, Dr. Wily took it upon himself to install a pain program in ProtoMan's systems and left him to suffer.**

**Even others who have involved themselves in the war are now beginning to suffer, including Tiesel Bonne who is now having his life dictated by the mysterious Conduit. Even the masked terror known as Mr. Black is feeling the pressures of this war eating away at him, experiencing haunting thoughts of the woman who was once in his life.**

**But, one player in the ongoing war appears to have the deck stacked in his favor. And that is Dr. Wily himself, who despite his own setbacks following a string of failures is now on the cusp of beginning his greatest chance at world domination yet as 'Project G-2' is nearing final completion. And when it is unleashed, it will be the harbinger of change in the world in which we live.**

**The wheels of change continue to turn, and they are about to produce their most significant results yet... and the status quo will soon be forever broken...  
>For better or for worse...<strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 11, Chapter 1: Dark Times<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>La Guardia Airport, New York.<br>Nearly ten hours after the Highland Industries building collapse.**

Under cover of night, without a single spying eye in sight and not much time left before a large rain storm comes in, a private plane awaits here on the tarmac ready to whisk away Kalinka Cossack back home to Russia, already loaded with her personal belongings that were recovered from the other jet that was attacked this morning by the team of Enker, Punk and Ballade - otherwise known as The Killers - at JFK Airport.

After hearing about what happened today, her father Dr. Mikhail Cossack desperately wants to have her brought home. He had arranged for her to return home earlier today, but the aforementioned Killers attack took place and they kidnapped Kalinka, taking her to the Highland building where Mega Man successfully rescued her... yet, the Defender of the Human Race failed to rescue another innocent bystander before the building partially came down on top of him thanks to the well-places exploding capsules that once belonged to Ballade.

Mega Man and Kalinka - wearing a blue rain jacket - arrive together on the back of Rush, and Mega is here to make sure that Kalinka gets out of here safely... although, that plan did not work out so well last time. Mega hopes that a repeat of today's kidnapping does not happen again.  
>Kalinka does not want to go home right now, and Mega does not want her to go either, but Dr. Cossack insisted she come home.<p>

As Mega, Kalinka and Rush land, a pair of Dr. Cossack's guardian robots approach them. These two are the only guardian robots the Russian Scientist has remaining, because the four who accompanied Kalinka on her trip to America were dispatched by Mr. Black two days ago, and destroyed earlier today when The Killers attacked the first plane that was sent to retrieve Kalinka.

"Miss Cossack, please come with us immediately," says one of the Guardian bots.

"I have to say goodbye to my friend first," Kalinka replies as she holds Mega Man's left arm.

"We must leave _now_, Miss Cossack. Dr. Cossack urgently requests your presence," The other guardian insists.

Kalinka becomes firm and in a louder voice commands them, "I do not leave until I say goodbye to Mega Man! Father can wait! ... And do not watch us. We want privacy!"

The guardian bots look at each other baffled, then back to Kalinka. "If you insist, Miss Cossack," one of them says before they begin walking back to the private jet.

Now, Mega Man and Kalinka are alone with each other again, for the most part at least. And unlike the other times the had moments like this, Kalinka knows for sure how Mega feels for her now and he knows how she feels about him. But, unlike those times, this is a painful moment for them both, because they have to leave each other for now while Mega is hurting.

"Kalinka... I'm so sorry about everything," Mega bemoans silently as he longs into Kalinka's eyes.

"Don't be sorry, Rock. What happened, it is not your fault," Kalinka says in a near whimper, reaching up and placing her hands on either of his face, "Your eyes... they are full of sadness."

Mega Man says nothing in response at first, his head now hanging down. "I've just got a lot of hurt bundled up inside," he croaks.

"Please, Rock, do not let yourself slip away like I did," Kalinka pleas, making reference to her own severe bout of depression, "It is dark and lonely place sometime, but you must know that you have so many who hold you dear... me too."

As Kalinka's last words end in a shivering sigh, fighting back her own sadness, the first drops of rain begin landing on Mega and Kalinka.

"It's starting to rain. You had better go," Mega says, sounding distant.

"I do not care about rain. All I care about is you, Rock," Kalinka says as she hugs her love and he hugs her back, and the rain drops begin falling a bit more numerous now.

As the rain slowly becomes a steady shower, soaking Kalinka's wavy blonde hair and dripping off Mega's armor, neither one of them can let go of one another. They do not care about the weather, or the impatiently waiting guardian bots nearby. All Mega Man and Kalinka care about right now are each other.

As they keep each other in their embrace, the shower begins to become a downpour, now drenching both of them and sagging Kalinka's hair. The temperature in the air also begins to become colder and Rush begins barking, wanting to get out of this rain.

"I know you suffer, Rock. I wish I could take your pain and sadness away, like you did with me," Kalinka now weeps, because it hurts her seeing her sweet boy feeling so bad.

Mega pulls himself away from Kalinka just a little bit to look into her wet eyes again. He chokes, "It's going to be a lot harder without you here with me. But, as long as we keep each other in our hearts... maybe we we can both feel better,"

Mega's voice trails off as his and Kalinka's rain-soaked lips touch each other's again, kissing briefly before their foreheads rest on one another's, keeping their eyes shut as the sound of the falling rain surrounds them, keeping themselves as warm as they can in each other's arms.

"I will _never_ leave your heart, my angel. I will love you forever," Kalinka cries softly.

"I'll love you forever too, Kalinka," Mega Man replies in a voice that is becoming more strained as his emotions get to him. And then the two young soul mates plant another kiss on one another's lips.

Mega and Kalinka privately wish they could embrace each other in their affection like this forever, even if Mega's kissing is a bit novice. Knowing that they are about to be temporarily torn apart saddens them both, but particularly Mega Man because he could use Kalinka's reassuring presence. She makes him feel normal again.

A few seconds later, Kalinka hears the voice of a guardian bot calling. "Miss Cossack, we must leave now if we are to outrun the precipitation."

Mega adds, "It's okay to go. You'll get sick if you stay out here much longer."

Mega Man and Kalinka nearly break their embrace and look across from each other again, their faces soaked and dripping with rain, neither of them able to discern the tears from the rain. Now, only their wet hands are holding onto each other.

"Rock... please do not give up," Kalinka whimpers, "You promise me."

"I... I promise," Mega barely promises, then plants a soft kiss on Kalinka's forehead.

Eventually, their hands slip from one another's and Mega escorts Kalinka back to the private jet where the guardians are waiting, still with their backs turned. As Kalinka begins walking up the stairs, the guardian bots then follow her up, leaving Mega Man standing with Rush at the bottom of the stair case on the tarmac.

Afterwards, Kalinka stands at the open door as the staircase begins to retract. She lifts her right hand up and barely gives Mega a wave, more tears leaking from her eyes and running down her already wet face.

Mega does the same, barely putting his hand to and becoming overcome with sadness as he watches the door close, sealing Kalinka inside the jet as it prepares to take off.

As the jet runs down the runway, Mega stares at it until it takes off, flying off into the pouring horizon, taking Kalinka back home where she will be safe... but, that will leave Mega without her at a time her could use her loving companionship more than ever.

Afterwards, Mega hangs his head down, becoming anguished that maybe the only element of his life that was stable in the past few days has just left him. Rush, whimpers as he nuzzles up to his master and best friend, who is once again feeling the heartache of what this difficult day has put him through.

Mega Man wishes that all of this pain, sadness and suffering would just stop, for him and his family and everybody else too. But, he fears that this hardship is here to linger for a long time now, and it may only get worse before it gets any better.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter, at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush come home and after drying off the rain from their bodies as much as they can, Mega heads right for bed. He wants this miserable day over with, and hopes nothing _else_ will go wrong before he recharges for the night.

On his way to his room, he hears another rumble of thunder up in the sky, and mind dwells on how insistent Dr. Cossack was on getting Kalinka out of New York and back to Russia. While the reasonable side of him believes the man was simply worried about the welfare of his daughter and wanted her home and safe, the doubts in his mind make him wonder if Dr. Cossack wanted her out of here because the danger that always surrounds Mega himself.  
>Mega Man wonders if it is safe for anybody to be around him anymore. The events of the past week only make Mega believe that maybe that is true.<p>

As he drudges through the hallway leading to his bedroom, he hears the worried bleeps of Peekaboo coming from Roll's room. Since Boo scares easily, he really doesn't like thunderstorms, and after the big scare he had this week when Mr. Black entered the lab and attacked Dr. Light, he is more fearful of things than usual.

Mega then hears Roll comforting her Met baby after he lets out his worried bleeps. "It'll be okay, Boo. The storm doesn't want to hurt anybody. It'll be going away really soon."

Boo beeps again, asking why the storm had to come here.

"Because everybody's flowers were thirsty and they needed a drink," Roll explains, using an innocent playful logic instead of the actual basis of how weather works.

Peekaboo bleeps that the flowers here it the lab already had a drink of water other day.

Roll giggles, "It's not just ours, Boo. Everybody's flowers needed a drink, and a _really_ big one!"

Mega Man barely forces out a brief smile when he hears Roll comforting her Met, being a good caretaker that she wants to be. Mega knows it must be challenging for her because she still wants to fight Wily right beside him, yet adopting Peekaboo has made her put her priorities in a whole new order.  
>Because of the traumatic experience Boo had during his earliest days of life when he was taken from a Met production facility by Dr. Wily and later had pain programs 'tested' on him, his case is very delicate one. But, Roll has really done the best job she can taking care of the little guy, and it makes Mega especially proud of her. Or, even prouder than he already was following her brave actions in the past two-plus years.<p>

He hopes that he can keep them, and the rest of his family, and Kalinka safe... safe from the kind of horror that poor Janet Clarke - the 10-year-old girl who was paralyzed this morning in the aftermath of the Highland building attack - had to face this morning... and keep them safe from the horrors that Dr. Wily will unleash on the world in the future.

Haunted again by everything that has gone wrong, Mega makes his way to his bedroom to recharge. But, before he does, Roll steps out of her bedroom with her long blonde hair down out of its usual ponytail, wearing her red bathrobe and cradling Peekaboo in her arms, swaddled like a baby in his blue blanket.

Boo bleeps, which translates in English to _Hi, Uncle Mega!_

"Hey, bud. You feeling better?" Mega in a tired tone, patting Boo on his blanket-covered head.

"He's feeling a little better now that his Mama's here, even with this big storm outside," Roll says, snuggling Peekaboo in her arms.

Mega's smile disappears and Roll notices how bad her brother's demeanor is. "Mega, you look terrible," she says, as Boo looks up at Uncle Mega with concern too.

"It's been a long few days," Mega says, underscoring just how much of a harrowing roller coaster it has been as he makes his way to his room.

Roll tries to speak to her brother again. "Mega, about what happened today-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Mega interrupts as he heads into his room.

"It wasn't your fault," Roll continues anyway.

But, Mega Man replies no further and heads into his room, leaving Roll feeling helpless again, much like she did when Mega was suffering depression after ProtoMan had betrayed them last year.

Boo looks up beeps to Roll, asking if Uncle Mega is okay.

"He's had a really bad day today, Boo," Roll replies sadly.

Peekaboo innocently bleeps, asking if he's sad because Miss Kalinka had to leave.

"Yeah, but, it's more than just that," Roll sighs.

* * *

><p><strong>In the middle of the night.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.**

After dragging himself to the bedroom area, the man once known as John Barton lies in a heap, bed-ridden and nearly immobile from the injuries sustained in the severe fall he took escaping the collapse at the Highland building earlier today, wherein he landed on top of a parked van and would have broken his back if it were not for the body armor he was wearing.

Tonight is proving to be very difficult, as he tries to rest in near total darkness. The pain from injuries taken today - as well as the lingering pain from the bullet grazing wound from last week - are preventing him from sleeping, but whenever he does fall asleep, he is haunted by his bad dreams again. He ends up going back _there_ again, and _she_ still casts a haunting presence over him.

Even Barton/Mr. Black himself is beginning to question his recent actions. During the earliest strikes, he was sent out by The Conduit to 'interview' potential subjects like Professor Henson, Tina McIntyre and André Rozhenko, and he did as he was told to do, and nothing more... except for blanking Rozhenko's mind, which was something Mr. Black did on his own, and enjoyed doing.  
>While BartonMr. Black still had some reservations about what he was doing, he was told to do many of those things, and he justified it with his great mission.

But, his most recent actions have been his and his alone, without prodding from The Conduit. Stealing Mitchell Deacon's keycard to Dr. Light's lab, then invading said lab and attacking the famed scientist while copying classified data and scaring everybody inside was perhaps taking things too far.  
>Dr. Light was not his target, neither was Kalinka Cossack or any of the small robots inside the lab that night.<p>

Barton began to be haunted by _her_ when he first began performing deeds that were sinister, like Mindcracking The Professor and Tina, and later became worse as his actions became more crude like when he attempted to manipulate Officer Wersching into cooperating with him and using her brother's whereabouts to coax her.

But, as his actions have become more his doing than The Conduit's, the haunting_ her _and the nightmares about that horrible place have become more frequent. But, they have never been as bad as they have been the past two nights... he could hear her and feel her... and he could do nothing to stop it.

In the middle of his painful stupor, Mr. Black's phone linked to The Conduit begins to ring beside him. He reaches for the phone and barely manages to raise it up to his ear.

"What, Goddammit?" Mr. Black barely answers in a grumpy pained murmur.

_"You are still alive. And miserable as ever, I take it,"_ The garbled voice of The Conduit says.

"The 'alive' part all you need to know," Mr. Black mutters.

_"But, there are things that _you_ need to know. The target is alive,"_ The Conduit states.

"I figured that out for myself already," a moody Mr. Black deflects.

_"That is not all. There were victims in the collapse. No fatalities, but some injuries were serious, the worst being a ten-year-old female who is no paralyzed after being caught in the collapse."_

Mr. Black remains silent as he takes in that report. Again, this feels like his actions have spurred an unneccessary result. Barton can then feel the an overwhelming presence pressuring him, as if _she_ were here to haunt him again.

"Anything else?" Mr. Black gravels.

_"I need to know when, or if, you will be on your feet again,"_ The Conduit says.

"Soon enough," Mr. Black replies.

_"And the data from Light's lab?"_

"Don't screw me; I don't screw you," Mr. Black replies (and lies) before terminating the call.

As he hears the tolling bell from the grandfather clock elsewhere in the hideout, Mr. Black stares at the ceiling, which he cannot see anyway because of the darkness of the room, he still feels her presence within him. Even though he does not hear her, his thoughts can imagine her voice well enough...

_"Why, John?"_

There was no way Mr. Black, or John Barton, could sleep now, not with this on his mind and with the strange feeling that _she_ is here and looking down on him with shame. Even if he_ does_ carry out this "mission" soon, that may not be enough to pull him out of the darkness he now finds himself trapped within.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>At a hospital close to Manhattan.**

After a night where Mega Man could not manage to get much rest thanks to his onboard memory replaying the moments from yesterday, he arrives to the same hospital he visited nearly 24 hours ago to visit the person he was here for at the same time, being led by Dr. Edelstein, a human female doctor who is the hospital administrator.

As Mega makes his way through the hospital, he gets the usual reaction he typically gets from starstruck humans when he appears in public, albeit a little more calm and controlled reaction than the usual excitable reaction he would receive on the street. As he walks past them, some of the humans nearby wonder why he is acting so stoic right now. But, if they all knew why, they would understand.

Mega Man finally arrives to the intensive care ward of the hospital to pay a visit to an important little somebody named Janet. But, as he arrives, he sees both of her parents looking so wrought with sadness and grief as they stand outside her room. Even though he knows her father holds no resentment towards him, and hopes her mother does not either, he is still nervous and unsure how to handle himself with two grieving parents.

"I will ask them if they think she is ready for a visitor," Dr. Edelstein says before approaching Janet's parents. And Mega remains behind and watches nervously and distraught over having to bare witness to such a sad sight as two loving parents being forced to live their worst fear.

"There is somebody here who wants to check-up on your daughter," the administrator says to the parents.

The parents look over to see Mega Man and the mother makes a b-line for the hero. Even though her eyes were already red from crying, she breaks down again as she embraces the robot who so selflessly ensured their daughter's survival. The father also joins his wife, putting a hand on Mega's back as he is still overcome with the same distraught grief he had yesterday when receiving the news.

"Thank you so much for saving our little baby!" The mother weeps.

"I did what I could," Mega replies, but instantly feels terrible for having said it, because he believes the girl could have been saved before that building collapsed. "I wish I could have done better. This would never have happened."

"But, she's still alive," the mom says through her weeps, "We'll get through this, no matter what happens."

The father adds, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have the chance."

Although these two parents are devastated by what happened to their daughter, they are grateful that they still have her, and it would never have been possible were it not for Mega Man. But, while the sentiments from Janet's parents are relieving to him, Mega still feels that he could have prevented their daughter from living her life like this. But, the hardest part might be seeing her for the first time since yesterday, and seeing the result of her injuries.

* * *

><p>Mega Man makes his way into young Janet's room and finds the innocent victim lying in her hospital bed, covered in a blanket and with a durable brace on her neck which is also connected to her head (a non-intrusive version of a halo brace) and with her whole upper torso encased in a cast. Yesterday, her whole body was covered in dust, but now that she was clean, Mega could now see that her hair was actually mild brunette and her skin tone was light.<p>

Even seeing her like this heartbreaking for Mega Man, and it bothers him more than any other serious injury a human has suffered in this war, even the casualties that occurred during the Gamma operation (more of which were military officers who bravely threw themselves into the battles.) None of those feel like they were necessarily Mega's fault, not like he feels this one was.

Because she cannot move her head, Janet's eyes scan to her left to see who has entered her room. But, when she sees the robot that rescued her, her face lights up like a Christmas Tree as she takes in a smiling gasp.

"Mega Man!" She calls in a weak and soft tone, both heartbreaking because of her physical condition and wonderful because of how excited she was to see him.

Mega smiles kindly as he stands by the girl's side. "Hey, Kiddo! I really wanted to come visit and check up on you."

"Really?" Janet says in the same sweet tone.

Mega nods.

"Is Kalinka here too?" Janet asks in a near-whisper, remembering to keep Mega's special friendship with Kalinka a secret.

Mega nearly gets a bashful look on his face and quietly replies, "No. She had to head home. But, she's doing okay."

"When I was under all the rubble at Daddy's work, I heard you talking to somebody... Was it ProtoMan?" Janet asks.

"Yeah. It was," Mega replies.

"Did you zap him?" she asks.

Mega Man pauses for a moment, "... No. He retreated so I could pull you out of there."

"But, he works with Dr. Wily," a puzzled Janet says.

"He still does... but, I believe there is more good in him than any of us think," Mega comments before adding, "I hope so, at least."

Mega changes the subject away from his brother and continues speaking with his new little friend. "The doctors here say you've been quite a trooper through all this."

"I was really scared... I thought I was gonna die. I still can't move... Mom and Daddy were crying about it... I've never seen him cry before," Janet says.

"That's 'cause he cares about you, kiddo," Mega says.

Janet smiles again. "I felt a little better knowing you were there. I knew you'd save me."

"I wasn't gonna leave until I got you out of there," Mega assures.

Then, Janet looks over to Mega Man with just her eyes, and asks him a very poignant question. "Are the doctors gonna be able to fix me? I'm a gonna move again?"

That question hits Mega like a ton of bricks. Knowing what he knows, (that there is nothing the doctors can do for her right now that would not be a risk to her life,) this is the hardest question that he has ever had to answer. He does not have the willpower to tell her the blunt truth about her health, but he cannot bring himself to tell her a sugar-coated lie as if this is just a big boo-boo that will go away on its own.  
>Instead, Mega does what he can and answers it in a way that he knows is the best way, because he will follow through with it, even if he has to do it himself.<p>

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you can move again. I promise you, Janet," Mega chokes, just barely containing his emotions, placing his right blue hand over her little human hand.

"If you say so... I guess it's really gonna happen," she says, still able to wear a smile on her face, so bravely.

Mega looks down upon this innocent girl, still showing hope much like so many of the human lives he has touch both directly and indirectly. And all of the raw emotion welling up in Mega's heart nearly drives him to tears (and his eyes almost begin leaking eye lubrication, but he manages to stay strong for this brave girl.)  
>Mega hopes that he can make a difference in her life like he has all the others, and that he can ensure that the monster who calls himself Dr. Wily will not get away with this, or anything else.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

A dejected Mega Man returns home again, feeling emotionally drained and distraught from seeing poor Janet in the hospital. All the way back here, Mega had replayed the entire scenario in his archive memory several times over again, thinking how he could have dealt with The Killers faster, how he could have handled Mr. Black being there, and even how quickly he could have reached her when the building began to collapse and how he dug through the rubble to reach the girl.

It greatly disturbs Mega Man knowing that there may have existed the chance where he could have handled things differently if certain threats were not present. This could haunt him worse than any other hardship he has ever had to face. And what Mega fears now is that the longer this war goes on, the hardships will get worse, and possibly become deeply personal like it did when Doc was taken from them.

Being the Defender of the Human Race is only becoming much more difficult, and it appears things will only get worse before they get any better. And Mega does not know how much longer he will be able to handle this job without another tragedy taking place... or before he cannot take it anymore.

Mega begins heading up to his place of solitude on the roof of the lab, but before he goes too far, he gets contacted by Dr. Light with some interesting news. _"Rock, please come to the lab. Brain Bot is on the line and he says he has some news you will want to hear."_

Mega Man feels a slight sense of much-needed relief coming over him as he hastily heads for the lab. At last, there may be some good news involving the plan to counteract Bass' uncanny defenses, at least he hopes...

When, Mega reaches the lab, he sees the face of Brain Bot on the lab computer screens as he speaks to Dr. Light, still wearing his white lab coat over his green armor and with his black-rimmed glasses built into his helmet (even though a robot like him has no need for them.)

_"Greetings, Mega Man, my old friend!"_ Brain Bot says on the screen.

"Brain, we could use some good news right about now," Mega says as he now stands beside his stout father Thomas.

_"And it is good news I have, Mega Man. After conducting countless hours of tests and research on our samples of Quadirium meteorite fragments as well as plasma dispersal, rocket propulsion and physical combat typically used in Wily attacks, I may have finally created a way to counteract Bass's shielding and to hopefully defeat him in future battles."_

"Great! But, why did it take so long to make it?" Mega asks.

Brain Bot put his green hand on his chin and recalls, _"Ah, yes. It took a more substantial period of time to devise this method due to the unpredictability of Quadirium. And, many of my early theories proved to be unsuccessful because of it. Given my expertise on the matter, it was very... difficult to accept. Please forgive me, my friend."_

"That's okay, Brain. But, what does this thing do?" Mega Man inquires.

_"Well, to put it simply, using the plans for yourself and Rush that Dr. Light had so generously offered to me, I have devised a way to give you the same advantage that Bass utilizes with his wolf companion Treble. It is an armor adapter that can be installed into your systems as well as Rush's, and when used, Rush's body will be able to transform into a secondary layer of armor as well as utilize a new weapon capability."_

Brain Bot sends the data to Dr. Light and it appears on the lab computer's secondary screen right beside the main screen. _"The primary attack feature of this armor adapter is a something that some of my assistants has dubbed 'The Power Fist.' This upgrade will be installed into your Right arm, Mega Man, which will also you to fire your right fist from your arm like you would a plasma blast with the use of Rush's adapted systems. You arm will will have a plasma pulse generator inside, and when it reaches it's target, it will create the shock that should take down Bass' deflector shield."_

Brain Bot continues with an unsure shrug. _"But, these upgrades are so significant that it requires precision work, and I would prefer to install them personally.I would like you and Rush to pay me a visit to my lab in California as soon as you can. But, you may have to spend the night over, because the installation process could take time. Most notably Rush's."_

"Great. We'll be right over this afternoon," Mega replies. Then he turns to look down at Rush... "Sorry, boy."

Rush's eyes go wide and he makes a gulp sound. He doesn't like the idea of Brain Bot tinkering around with his systems, because the last time he did, he had wheels on the bottom of his paws... and it was a very disruptive experience.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>California Science Center.  
>San Fransisco, California.<strong>

In his large lab area located underground, very secure and well-fortified to protect it from any Wily attacks, Brain Bot is already busy installing Rush's upgrades for this new adapter ability that he and Mega Man will soon share. The robodog has been temporarily shut down and pieces of his red and white armor were temporarily removed as Brain Bot installed new parts into his body that will make this adaptation work.

Mega Man watches on as the ultra-intelligent robot works on Rush, but his mood is still bogged down by all the other things that have gone on. He feels heartsick because Kalinka is back in Russia, mournful after visiting Janet this morning, and worried about the worsening threats from Dr. Wily, as well as Bass.

The only hope that he has right now are that maybe ProtoMan does have enough good inside him to come home one day, and that he will see his love Kalinka again soon rather than later. (Because after all the moments they shared this week, they feel bonded by their hearts now.)  
>Also, the adapter Brain Bot has created for him and Rush also shines another ray of hope upon a very gloomy time in the hero's life. And he needs all the hope he can get.<p>

"So, is this adapter _certain_ to work well against Bass?" Mega asks.

Without looking up from his installation work, Brain Bot answers, "This method was proven the most successful of all the tests I conducted. However, I suggest you and Rush test the capabilities of the adapter's power first before using it in an actual battle."

"Okay," Mega answers briefly.

As Brain Bot works, he asks, "I sincerely hope I am not intruding, but, are you feeling alright, Mega Man?"

Mega replies in a downtrodden tone, "I'm okay."

"But, you seem glum today. Is there a short in your emotion processing systems? If so, I can repair them during your upgrade if you wish," Brain Bot offers.

"No, it's not that, Brain," Mega says, coming clean about his troubles, "It's been a rough few months. Very rough. And yesterday when Wily attacked and sent out his three goons... things went wrong. And feel like it was partly my fault."

"I find the concept of you being to blame for _anything_ to be difficult to accept," Brain Bot says matter-of-factly, "You are the most excellent robot in the world. A true shining example of the best of our kind."

"You're not the first person since yesterday who has told me that," Mega says.

"Certainly because it is the truth, my friend." Brain Bot says.

Mega Man sighs, "If I didn't have the help, things would have gone worse. Proto actually left the battle so I could save a little girl from dying... he actually helped me."

That causes Brain Bot to stop his work and gaze up to Mega with a genuinely surprised face. "_ProtoMan_? Fascinating!"

Mega barely gets out a smile and says, "I've always believed there was goodness in him. He's been showing it a little bit more lately."

"If this is the case, this is splendid!" Brain Bot says, now turning back to upgrading Rush, "Granted, I do not have the plans to ProtoMan's design, but I can only assume that his morality programming is not too dissimilar to yours and Roll's! If you get the chance, you should thank him. It would be the right thing to do."

"... yeah." Mega muses as he stares to the shiny floors of Brain Bot's lab.

Maybe Brain Bot is right and he should call out to his brother when he gets the time. Because little does Mega Man know, his older brother could use somebody right now... because he is in shambles, emotionally.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The next day.<br>Skull Fortress.****

Just two days after being subjected to horrible torture, ProtoMan is still in his quarters, a place that he has not stepped foot outside of since that horrible night. Keeping his yellow scarf clutched in his right hand as he sits on the stolen mattress, staring at the floor.

He is still very badly shaken-up after what Dr. Wily did to him, shaken so badly that he does not feel the same anymore. In fact, ever since Wily personally installed the worst of the pain programs into his systems, Proto has felt like that a part of him is missing.  
>He no longer feels any confidence or bravery, not even the slightest hint of anger at things that would have normally made him angry. All that remains are all the negative emotions like sadness, doubt, and most of all, fear.<br>It is like Wily somehow found a way to rip parts of what made ProtoMan strong and only left anything that would lessen him.

From a personality standpoint, ProtoMan feels like less of a warrior than almost all the Robot Masters, no longer one to fall out of line like he always did and now terrified of what his evil co-creator will do to him next. Proto is now what Dr. Wily has always secretly desired from him: He is obedient and weak. Somebody who Wily can easily hold under his thumb and dominate just like all the other robots in his army.

As Proto stares the floor through his black visor, still feeling shattered over the treatment he received from Wily, he tries to figure out how Wily could have stooped to such a low level... but after seeing what he has done lately - using a less-brutal version of the pain program on the Met (Peekaboo), planning on wiping Nomad's memory core before she fled, and putting a new memory core into a rebuilt Dark Mans body - Proto might have a better understanding how this man could have carried out such an evil act.  
>But, he still does not understand why Wily could have done this to him, and it only makes Proto's remaining emotional scars all the more painful.<p>

The only reassurance that ProtoMan feels out of all this is the knowledge that he did the right thing by not telling his master about Nomad's existance. After taking the abuse from Wily, he is relieved that Nomad will not be the recipient of the same horrors that he had to endure. But he continues to fear that one day Dr. Wily may yet learn of her, and he fears more for what may happen to her much more than he fears about what might happen to Proto himself.

In the middle of his lonely and empty sulk, ProtoMan receives an interesting contact out of the blue on his forearm communicator. It is so surprising he has to look at his forearm to see if it is really true, and it sure is...  
>it is his brother Mega Man calling <em>him<em> instead of the other way around like it usually is.

Proto presses down one of the yellow keys on his left forearm and hears the message sent by Mega, which he recorded in advance right before he sent it.

_"Proto, it's your brother. I needed to tell you something... I'm really glad you stepped aside and let me save the girl at the building the other day... I shouldn't have aimed my blaster at you so quickly. I should have thanked you more than I did."  
><em>After a pause to collect his thoughts, Mega Man adds, _"I was thinking maybe we should have that big talk we've always wanted to have, in person. And for real this time. Whenever you can convince Wily to let you step out, maybe we can meet up."_

Proto appears to be very surprised behind his visor, even shocked that his brother would be the one to extend the olive branch to him and at a time when he desperately needs it. But, after a few seconds of surprise, Proto's expression quickly nosedives into utter fear once again.  
>The reason why is because yesterday, Dr. Wily had communicated an order to directly ProtoMan to report any further communications from Mega Man that he receives in the future. And because he just received a communication from him, ProtoMan had to report it.<p>

ProtoMan puts his helmeted head in his heads and frets severely. He can try to hold himself back from telling Wily about this call for as long as he can, but sooner or later, Proto will have no choice but to follow Dr. Wily's orders to the letter, or face more rounds of severe punishment at his master's hands.

The old ProtoMan would have found a way around it all, perhaps by telling Wily about the call but lying about the context of it. But, the current fear-stricken ProtoMan - robbed of his confidence, courage and inner strength - is scared of disobeying his co-creator and facing more torture at his hands...

ProtoMan_ must_ obey the word of Dr. Wily... at all costs.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Episode 11 has finally begun! Sorry you had to wait.  
>I can tell you that this could be the biggest episode of the Defender series yet, at least in terms of its length. There are currently 12 chapters planned (although that number could change), and there are some very big moments spread throughout them. And as the opening text says, "The status Quo will soon be forever broken." So, get ready.<br>It will be a big episode, and that means that there might be a small gap between the posting of some of the chapters. But, don't worry. They are coming._

_I thought about adding a scene at the beginning with Mega and Kalinka at the lab before she left, but it might have caused the scene at La Guardia to look redundant. _

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos missed, production notes or continuity errors that are big enough to take the ram out of the ramma-lamma-ding-dong (it's an ancient music reference before any of our time and I can't believe I just made it. That's what happens what you listen to the oldies station growing up.) Please PM me before I can think of another old reference... btw, no I am not as old as that reference I made._


	114. Going for the Heart

_**Episode 11, Chapter 2: Going for the Heart.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Against his better judgment, ProtoMan heads for Dr. Wily's command center deep within the evil and dank fortress, about to report to the mad scientist the contact he received from Mega Man last night. Proto tried to hold off telling Wily about this call for as long as he could, and did hold off because he feared what could happen to Mega if Wily learned about it, or what could happen to Proto himself. But, after a sleepless night and fear of what could happen if he failed to follow Wily's orders again, he could not hold off any further.

ProtoMan is scared to not tell Wily about the call and is just as scared _to_ tell him. Another effect of the traumatic abuse Wily administered upon him.  
>Proto's fear of Wily is now so bad that he follows his orders more out of pure fear rather than an obligation to follow his word thanks to his pre-programmed obediance to Wily.<p>

ProtoMan eventually reaches the command center, sealed off by a pair of titanium double doors. But, before he could walk in, he freezes and becomes tense... and for the first time in his life, he knocks at the door.  
>This is how broken ProtoMan has become. When before he would come and go wherever and whenever he pleased, now he is too scared <em>not<em> to knock at the door of his domineering overlord.

The doors open and Dr. Wily emerges, standing before his prototype who he so viciously tortured with the pain program just a few days ago. And the evil monster grins when he sees what has become of him. "So, you have finally learned how to knock at the door?"

Proto nods, not saying anything and looking worried, looking nothing like the robot he used to be now that his personality traits have been seemingly taken from him and his state of mind stricken with fear.

Wily briefly chuckles, then returns to his command center, which ProtoMan is reluctant to enter by himself. This is until Wily says, "Come in, Proto. I insist."

ProtoMan apprehensively steps inside, standing right by the open doors, which close soon after he steps inside, sealing him in here with the same repulsive creature that hurt him so harshly.

Wily sits down in his swivel chair stationed right in front of the massive computer station in the room and he spins around to face Proto. "So, Proto, You _must_ be here for a reason. Are you not?" he asks, still with that rotten grin on his face.

Proto hesitantly speaks, his voice weak and inferior, not even sounding like he has the same cadence or tone to his voice he always had until being tortured. "My brother contacted me... he said he... wants to have a talk with me."

"A_ talk_, you say?" loudly asks a skeptical Dr. Wily of ProtoMan as he gets up from his chair and steps towards Proto, "Like a '_please take me_ _back_,_ little brother' _kind of talk?"

"No!" ProtoMan quickly responds and puts his hands up, afraid of his master as he back peddles away until his back hit the wall, "He said that he wants to have a talk with me in public. That's all."

Wily snickers, "You are afraid, ProtoMan. Afraid that I am about to order you to do something horrible to your own brother, aren't you?"

ProtoMan remains silent, but the fearful look in his eyes remains covered by his visor.

Wily only continues to grin, "I am not going to ask you to destroy or kill Mega Man today. No, you can have your little meeting with your brother, ProtoMan... but, I will decide what your side of the conversation will sound like."

ProtoMan only gets more apprehensive as Wily lays his orders out, "You will be meeting with Mega Man to tell him that you want nothing more to do with him and that your 'special brother relationship' is over!"

Proto frets, 'No, Dr. Wily! Please! He's my br-"

"SILENCE!" Wily yells, then leans towards ProtoMan's face, making them almost nose-to-nose and staring through his visor. "You will do what I tell you. And do not even think about dropping any hints that you are acting under my orders. _That_ will be considered an act of betrayal... and you should know by now what happens what any robot betrays me."

"I-I'll do what you say, Dr. Wily," ProtoMan nearly whimpers.

Wily's eerie smile returns. He likes what he sees in the new scared and obedient ProtoMan. "Do you remember what I said to Thomas two years and five months ago? Respect and fear are one in the same. And it pleases me to know that you finally... _respect_ me!"

Proto desperately tries to not shudder in his master's presents, and Wily snickers again, getting sickening delight out of seeing ProtoMan squirm like this.

Wily orders, "Contact Mega Man back and tell him to be at Central Park at 10:00 PM for your little _talk_. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

Wily walks away and sits back down in the swivel chair, then he spins around to look back at ProtoMan who is still standing in the same spot he has stood since he entered. Wily makes a 'shoo-shoo' gesture with his left hand, telling him to leave, and hesitant to stay in his evil master's presence any longer, Proto quickly makes his way out of the command center room's double doors.

Wily swivels his chair around and presses a button on the command console before him. "Centaur Man. Come in," he calls.

A video feed of the green, four-hoofed champion of the utterly disastrous Robot Championship Tournament of 20X3 appears on the largest screen in the room. _"Yes, Dr. Wily?"_

"ProtoMan will be leaving Skull Fortress for a brief amount of time. I want you to follow him and bring an audio receiver so that I can watch what he does. Use your cloaking power so you won't be detected. Mega Man will be nearby, but _do not_ attack unless I order you. Just monitor everything that goes on and report back to me."

_"Reconnaissance work? Such duties are beneath a CHAMPION such as myself!"_

"You will do as I say, or face the same fate ProtoMan did!" Dr. Wily snaps.

After a submitting groan, Centaur Man submits, _"Yes, Dr. Wily. I will follow him and eavesdrop as ordered."_

The image of Centaur Man flashed off as the communication was cut and Albert leans back in his chair, stroking his bushy gray moustache and looking proud of himself for his evil deeds. And as he does, his thoughts drift to a robot whom he views as much stronger than any other robot he had ever built: Bass, the 'ultimate' creation (or at least the only one that came closest to deserving the title.)

Secretly, he wishes Bass had never left him. But, he had the gall to threaten him after he was the one who failed to destroy Mega Man and conspired against him to free Roll... or _was he?_

Dr. Wily deeply ponders to himself... What if Bass _was_ telling the truth when he proclaimed his innocence? What if Mega Man beat him because _he had help from within_?

A frown forms on Wily's face as he leans forward in his chair to reach for a communicator that was left lying on the table, now covered in a layer of dust because Albert hasn't so much as touched this device in months. This device is colored black, gold and purple, -Bass' colors - and is a direct connection to contacting the robot warrior. Ever since Bass left, Wily has had no desire to use it until now.

"Bass," he speaks into the communicator, "This is Dr. Wily. Respond."

There was silence on the other end. Albert had no idea whether or not Bass even got the communication.

"Bass, this is _your creator_, Dr. Wily. I won't to have a peaceful discussion with you. Respond!"

Again, no response, and Dr. Wily's frown becomes more pronounced. "There is more to this than meets the eye..."

* * *

><p><strong>At a public library in New York.<strong>

Bree Recotta is following up on any leads there may be in the Mr. Black investigation, but instead of searching on the internet at the TV station or her home, (because both places may be tapped by the F.B.I. for all she knows) she is going to use a public computer station here at the local library to see what she can dig up.

Despite the F.B.I.'s strong suggestion that she keep her nose out of this case, Bree has continued her attempt to follow up on this out of her own curiosity. Also, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something to the Mr. Black case that could be huge when uncovered.

The reporter quietly pulls up a chair and uses the computer's browser to begin her search, and the first thing that comes to her mind was searching for a motive, specifically revenge or vengeance. She had not considered either of those possibilities before, but after hearing about the break-in at Dr. Light's lab and the aftermath of the Highland building attack, it made the most sense.  
>But, if Bree's suspicion is correct, it still does not explain why the masked terror would be blaming Mega Man for whatever has happened. (However, considering that this man may be a basket case, Bree wouldn't underestimate the possibility of his mind just snapping and blaming anybody in sight.)<p>

She begins looking into Dr. Wily attacks that took place during the first full year of the war, from the initial attack in Times Square to the seizing of Gamma (a night that Recotta herself has very bad memories of because of her own involvement in it.) It seems like personal revenge or vengeance would make the most sense as a motive if Mr. Black was injured or somebody he knew was permanently injured or killed.

After looking up the results, Recotta concludes that the attacks and battles with the most injuries and deaths were the first Wily attack in Times Square, Gamma's long path of destruction which mostly took the lives of many pilots and soldiers, as well as the Robosaur Park situation that occurred in-between.  
>The names of those who died were are easy to find, particularly the names of all the brave human men and women who so valiantly fought Gamma, and the twenty-two victims from Times Square, the most notable being the poor woman who was the first deceased victim taken from the crater in the street, the one who made the horror of it all hit home after the image of her covered in a white sheet being carried away was shown on every newscast and every newspaper at some point after the tragedy.<p>

And out of curiosity, Bree delves deeper into the stories of those who had passed and those who still lived. But, there was one case that caught Bree's attention. She found one particular female victim who appeared to be missing pieces of information, most notably any trace of her husband, even though it made mention of her being married at the time and the husband being injured severely with a broken neck and a coma.

"This is damn peculiar," Bree quietly says to herself, maintaining the quiet inside the library. If her hunch is correct, there is no telling how dangerous this unofficial assignment could really be.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black (or John Barton) is finally back on his feet, although he is still physically hindered and badly sore and stiff from his injuries. But, the physical pain he feels now is manageable compared to the guilt that has been heaped upon him by these haunting feelings he has had lately. And after learning about what happened at the highland building the other day, that guilt feels just that much heavier now.<p>

He feels the need to somehow make amends for what he has done lately, and for a few things he has yet to do. And with tomorrow being _her_ day, he does not want these feelings to plague the importance of this it. Her day is as important to him as it is... or was, to her.

Dressed in all black clothing (which should come as no surprise,) Barton makes his way towards the set of double doors at the far end of his warehouse hideout, which is where he built the shrine to her. He would have waited until tomorrow to see her again because tomorrow is her day, but he had to see her now... and maybe here would be a good place to start atoning for his sins.

John pushes the doors open, and steps inside, seeing hardly anything because the room is shrouded in darkness. "Lights on," he orders.

The room illuminates and reveals all the mementos that once belonged to the woman in Barton's dreams. Then, a puff of the perfume she used to wear disperses from an automated dispenser, further making her presence felt is it hits John's nose.  
>He wanted to create the illusion that she was somehow still here, even though she so far away.<p>

John's face remains neutral as he his eyes scan across the shrine, catching the sight of every picture with her on it and the few pieces of her jewelery that he still had. There were some good memories with these mementos.

Even trying to think of the good times digs up bad memories, including one that comes to mind when John sees an image of her that Barton himself happened to be in, along with John's father. And John remembers the day he was with his father when he was out fishing, years before the war for Everlasting Peace began... it was last day his father was alive...

_"Hot dammit. It's another one of those robot fish," John's father said as he reeled in a robotic fish, took it off his line and threw it back into the water. "Before you know it, those tin can fish will be all over the river and you won't be able to get a good one thanks to those two weirdos in New York," the senior Barton muttered, making reference to Doctors Light and Wily.  
>Thomas and Albert actually where the scientists who created this line of robo fish to keep the underwater environment of the western half of the globe as clean as possible.<em>

_John's father was a veteran in the last war that was ever fought on Earth (before the War for Everlasting Peace began) and was in his early sixties at the time, but one would not think that when looking at him. Even though his hair was already grayed and his eyes were squinty, his face did not show much age and he was still in good strong shape, more than able to do heavy work in his yard. His voice was rugged yet kind and had a slight southern drawl which John does not have the slightest trace of.  
><em>_On this day, the Senior Barton looked tired, which he just dismissed as the aftereffects of waking up very early lately. Still, it was uncharacteristic of him._

_"You should take a break, Pops. You've already caught enough for dinner," John suggested._

_"I don't quit 'till that sun goes down, son. I've still got a good thirty minutes," Mr. Barton said undiscouraged, "But, you could tell me what your plans are with your young lady friend."_

_John smiled when his father referred to her as his 'Young Lady Friend' and not a girlfriend, because he found her to be just that. A lady.  
>"I'm gonna marry her next weekend, that's what my plans are. I'm hoping The Bureau won't change plans on giving me my much-deserved half-a-day off. But, being one of their new Junior G-Men, who knows."<em>

_"I assume I'm still invited," Mr. Barton probed as he threw his fishing line back out into the lake._

_"Provided you don't sing in the band, of course you are," John said._

_Father and son enjoyed a laugh. Then, Mr. Barton said, "Just some advice. With a lady like her, you better treat her right. Don't make the same mistakes I made... If I had the chance to go back and fix it, I would. I'd change everything, except for bringing you into the world."_

_John comments, "If we have any children, I just hope they can live in a peaceful world and they don't have to worry about the threat of open warfare like your generation did."_

_"You're still worried about terrorism making a comeback," Mr. Barton acutely assesses._

_"You never know. That's why I'm in The Bureau," John said, dreading the possibility of terrorism as he stared ahead at the large lake before him._

_"I don't think you have to worry about that, Johnny," Mr. Barton said, his voice now sounding more tired and his eyes becoming heavy._

_Then, his line snagged and the spool of wire begins unspooling like crazy. As John watched, he chuckled, "Whoa! Looks like you caught a big robot fish this time! You better reel 'im in!"_

_The line continues to fly off his father's fishing line, until the whole rod was snatched right out of his hands and pulled into the lake. And as John watched the rod yanked away, he knew something was not right, because his father, being the strong man he still was, never lost a fishing rod in his whole life._

_John looked over in time to see his father collapsing and falling on his side. John jumped at his father's side called into his ear, scared out of his mind... then, he put his fingers on his father's neck and felt no pulse. His heart had stopped beating._

_"No! NO!" John freaked as he ripped his father's shirt open and began administering C.P.R. "Don't you die on me, Dad! Don't you die on me, damn you!"_

_John desperately worked on his father while simultaneously fumbling with his mobile phone and summoning medical assistance with a few screen presses. John put his phone down and began using all of his strength to press down on his father's chest as he continues C.P.R._

_But, unfortunately, it was already too late. He would be clinically dead mere minutes later due to cardiac arrest. He simply passed out on his feet and his heart stopped beating. He experienced no pain as he slipped out of this world. He left peacefully, but sadly left his son and his soon-to-be daughter-in-law days before they were to be married..._

Mr. Black stares at the image, the emotion on his face stoic and stone-faced, doing a good job of covering up the emotional wound that was just re-opened. His eyes then travel up to her beautiful white wedding dress - the centerpiece of the collection - and as he stares at it, he can almost feel her arms wrapping around him now when she so sadly sighed into his ear...

_"Oh, John... I'm so sorry."_

_"I'll be alright... I've still got you," John said in response that day as he did his best to bury his emotions._

And in a cruel twist of fate, he has neither one of them now. Mr. Black stands before the wedding dress and rubs his left ring finger with his right hand fingers. A band of gold should be there right now, but, instead it is placed beside her wedding ring, almost symbolic way of memorializing the man he used to be.

The tolling of the grandfather clock nearby snaps him out of his drifting flashbacks, just like it did the other morning.

"Lights off," Mr. Black says as he turns around and leaves the shrine.

The shrine's room goes dark again and Mr. Black still feels uncleansed after briefly mourning his past in the center of _her_ shrine. He will try again, and will visit her in personal... just not as Mr. Black. She wouldn't want that.  
>And tomorrow is important because it is her day... her birthday.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Central Park, Manhattan.**

It is nighttime now, a few minutes after Ten O'Clock, and Mega Man is seated on a park bench with Transport Item #2 nearby, waiting for his brother ProtoMan to arrive.  
>It has been two days since Mega's upgrades for the new adaptation feature he now shares with Rush, but the physical appearances of both of them are no different than it was before. Just a few crucial enhancements were made on the inside underneath their armor to make the new feature work.<p>

While Mega Man is relieved to finally have a potential tactical advantage over Bass and Treble, he dreads the next attack that will inevitably be launched by Dr. Wily, fearing that what happened to poor Janet could happen to somebody else, especially if that next attack involves this 'Project G-2' that ProtoMan mentioned, something that Mega hopes his brother will shed some light on when he arrives.

Mega continues to be down on himself over what happened on that horrible day just a few blocks from here. Even after his family and Kalinka have tried telling him that what happened was not his fault, he still cannot shake the feeling that he failed. And he fears that he will fail again one day, possibly soon if Wily's threats continue to get any bigger.

Mega starts to become anxious after waiting for his brother to arrive. Because even being here at Central Park brings back some uncomfortable memories. It was here where he stopped Roll from engaging her own personal quest of vengeance to avenge Doc's death, which was the worst week of their lives.  
>This was also the same place where Mega and ProtoMan had their first real heart-to-heart talk with one another on the week of Governor Deacon's election, but it was while ProtoMan was serving as a mole, and Mega does not know to this day how much of Proto's words were truths or lies. And even after some of the progress they have made since that day, Mega doesn't know if the old wounds caused by Proto's betrayal will be reopened or patched up.<p>

But, part of the reason why Mega was so anxious is how late Proto's response came and how brief it was. His response was a curt non-audio communication that simply read, _"Central Park, 10 PM sharp." _Now, here it is, after Ten O'Clock and no sign of Proto.  
>Mega's growing skepticism wonders if it is yet another trap, and his growing worry makes him wonder if Wily somehow found out and got to him and stopped him. But, unfortunately for him, he was about to have something worse happen any minute.<p>

Mega Man hears the sound of a hovering vehicle approaching and looks upwards to see another one of the plain-looking shuttles about to land.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, inside the shuttle as it lands, ProtoMan fearfully dreads what he is about to do right now. Any hope of having a brother relationship may be flushed and ProtoMan himself is the one being forced to do it.<br>Dr. Wily had given him a 'pick Your poison' ultimatum by doing this. Either he follows Wily's orders and severs his ties with his brother, or he disobeys and has to face more punishment, which is likely more terrifying torture.

Proto puts his helmeted head in his hands as he leans on the controls, and is so stressed about what he is about to do that he feels something inside of him that resembles human malaise. If he were human, he would be sick to his stomach right about now due to all the nerves, fear, sadness and depression he feels right now. But, he has no choice but to go through with it...

But, maybe he didn't have to... maybe he could still find a way around this and just lie to Wily that he had done all of these things. The fear of further punishment scares him, but maybe he could convince Wily that he had done what he told him. That way he would not have to do this to his own brother.  
>He could still somebody in his life who treats him like... family.<p>

And then, all those hopes come crashing down...

Proto receives an internal comm-link contact from Dr. Wily back at the fortress, and because it was a direct communication sent directly to Proto's neural net, only ProtoMan himself can hear it. _"Are you there yet, ProtoMan?"_

Proto tenses up when he hears Wily's voice. "Yes," he croaks in a weary voice.

_"Good boy! I will giving you some... _instructions_ on how you should craft your side of the conversation with Mega Man. And as you can guess, this is not going to be a wonder heart-to-heart love fest. I want to hurt him without firing a single blast or throwing so much as one punch... break his little blue heart!"_

ProtoMan's hands tremble in fear of what he has to do now. And with Wily ordering him to speak how he wants him to, he shudders at what horrible things Wily will instruct him to say.  
>The old ProtoMan would still find a way out of this, but the Proto of now is too frightened to defy his master. And he does not know why he is now so afraid of everything now, unless Dr. Wily really did remove the proactive parts of his personality. It is the only theory that makes sense.<p>

_"Don't make it look forced. Make sure it's convincing. And I order you to keep your communication line open one-way so that I may listen in on the conversation and make sure you don't betray me again! And in case you do, a cloaked Centaur Man is nearby and will be watching you."_

Proto clasps his hands together just to get them to stop shaking. He has a job to do now.

* * *

><p>Back outside, Mega continues staring at the shuttle until he could spot the shuttle's rear entrance door opening, followed by the slight of ProtoMan walking out and approaching him with his yellow scarf flapping around in the Autumn breeze. Mega Man then stands up from the park bench and begins walking towards his older brother<p>

As the brothers approach each other, neither one are aware of the other's emotional state. Mega feels tense and unsure of himself, yet hopeful of the goodness he believes is inside his brother. But, ProtoMan is now overcome with terror that he indignantly tries to hide deep within. The circuits in his legs and fingers are tingling and he doesn't know if it is just his nerves getting to him, or perhaps a side effect of the advanced pain program Wily used on him.

Finally, the two brothers stop, now standing across from each other, neither one able to break the silence first. Mega stares into his older brother's visor, and Proto manages to hide his fear and weariness best he can.  
>Proto will hate himself for what he is about to do, but Wily gave him no choice...<p>

_"Remember what I told you to say, ProtoMan,"_ the voice of Wily eerily says in Proto's head on the comm-link.

Behind his visor, ProtoMan's eyes squeeze themselves shut as he forces himself to deliver the first 'line' given to him by Dr. Wily. "... It's over."

Mega Man's eyes become ridden confusion, not knowing what Proto could mean by it's over. Maybe he means he has finally severed ties with Dr. Wily, or maybe Wily has finally surrendered. And of course there was one possibly interpretation Mega considered that he hopes is not true...

"What do you mean,_ it's over_?" Mega asks, concerned.

"You and me... We're through," Proto replies, swinging his arms to the sides in a horizontal slashing movement.

A shocked Mega Man struggles to find the right words. "Over? But, you said-"

"I said _it's over_!" ProtoMan interrupts loudly, now facing his brother directly. He pauses for a moment as Wily feeds him his next line, and it is such a petty one which Proto has difficulty even uttering. "Did that building collapse... crack your audio circuits or something?"

Mega Man was in disbelief seeing his brother behaving like this and he tries to get answers. "A few days ago you were _apologizing_ for lying to me, and the next day you were helping me save that little girl! Now you're acting like _this_?"

_"Summon all the frustrations you have ever had with your brother, even ones you might still have, and let them out... and tell him how you can't stand him first!"_ commands Dr. Wily with sickening delight in his voice.

Under Dr. Wily's command, Proto tries to summon what little anger he has left and tries to dig up all the grievances he may still have with his brother. But, with this command, he finds himself able to vent about things he did not previously allowed himself to do when around Mega Man, or anybody...

"You may be my brother... but, sometimes I can't stand you! That's why!" Proto lashes out, not venomously, but frustratingly hurt and a little bitter, "You think it's fun to be me! It isn't! I'm sick of waking up every day just to be ridiculed over how much _better _you are than me! For years you and our sister get all the adulation and respect and friends... and love... WHY COULDN'T I GET ANY OF THAT?"

Mega Man's emotions now begin getting the better of him, growing agitated with his older brother's strange behavior, and also feeling sorry for how his brother feels. "What brought this up? I think you owe me that much."

Without provocation from Dr. Wily, ProtoMan snaps, "I don't owe anybody! I'm the one who should be owed, Rock! You know what I've done to help save our sister, your little Russian girl and even you by trying to stop that ion bomb from blowing until Wily fled the scene. I even walked away from battle and let you save that human girl the other day, and what thanks do I get?"

ProtoMan begins pacing around, still afraid, but also allowing himself to vent his pent-up frustrations he has bottled inside for a while. "I've tried to listen to this little conscience in my head that tells me what the right thing to do really is, and I have to get my self in trouble with Wily for it... and it wasn't worth it."

Now Mega Man falls quiet, becoming remorseful for his older brother's plight. "I'm sorry... I didn't know how bad you hurt."

"An apology from you isn't going to make anything any better," Proto bitterly spits, "I don't like your creator, I don't like the idiots you're sworn to protect and I hate what you stand for! Every time I see you, it's just a reminder of everything I'll never be... I hate _you_ for it. Things would have been a lot better if... if you were _dead._"

Proto is deeply torn apart by what he just said and immediately regrets having said it to begin with... and what really disturbs him is that he said it under his own volition, without Dr. Wily telling him what to say.

Meanwhile, Mega Man's heart is now wounded once again after hearing Proto's bitter words. What hurts the most is that even in their most heated of battles, ProtoMan never told Mega that he hated him, let alone say that he would be better of if his own brother were dead.  
>It's like the ProtoMan who he had come to know in the past few months was gone and he was somebody else altogether.<p>

Looking distraught, Proto turns and walks away to his shuttle, just wishing this painful night can just end. "Goodbye, Rock..."

Mega however walks after him, fighting back his emotions. "Don't you walk away from me! When you felt bad for blasting that ion bomb in Times Square, I could tell you wanted a family to love you! You're just going to throw that away now?"

"Maybe I do want a family, but no family wants _me_!" Proto says, so distraught that he almost breaks down, and he just barely managed to keep his voice strong enough to not show his brother how bad he really is doing.

"Proto, you could have a family. All you have to do is walk away from Wily!" Mega calls, desperately trying to get through to Proto.

Again Dr. Wily's voice creeps into ProtoMan's head. _"Tell him you will _never_ leave me. _I_ am the only family you will ever have!"_

Proto winces at being forced to repeat Wily's line, but he says it anyway. "I'm never going to leave Dr. Wily... he's... the only family I'll ever have."

"No, Proto!" Mega Man fires back desperately, "Wily is not family! He is nothing to you!"

_"Now, keep walking away," _Wily orders.

A sullen ProtoMan hangs his head down and begins walking away. But, even after having to take his brothers hurtful comments, Mega Man does not let his brother go without one last attempt to bring him back. He catches up with his brother and grabs his shoulder, but Proto quickly shoves his brother's hand off.

"Leave me alone..." Proto weakly sulks, surrendering all hope and continues walking back to the shuttle.

"Was everything you ever told me just another lie?" Mega calls, his voice struggling to stay composed, "Did you ever want to be loved, or are you too selfish to think about anybody but yourself?"

Proto stops dead in his tracks, now feeling the opposite end of what it is like to be wounded like how he had just wounded his brother. He looks back over his shoulder, seeing how deeply hurt his little brother is and wishes he could be allowed to drop this charade Wily has forced him to put on and say he is sorry... but the fear of more punishment keeps him in line.

Mega Man balls his fists and can feel his eyes beginning to water again. "You might hate me and my family for who are and what we stand for... but, no matter what we went through, I never forgot that you were my brother!"  
>Mega's voice finally falters as he punctuates, "I always loved you!"<p>

After hearing his younger brother's raw and saddening confession, Proto could have felt the rug pulling out from under himself from an emotional standpoint. Again.  
>Unable to take any more of this, ProtoMan turns his back on his brother and walks back onboard the shuttle he rode in on. And he clutches his yellow scarf in his right hand the whole time.<p>

As the shuttle takes off, Mega Man slumps to his knees and begins to silently break down, punching the grass with his left fist. What his brother did to him tonight hurt worse than any physical injury he had ever sustained, and not only reopens the old wounds from last year, but pours salt in them as well.

He doesn't know what Wily said or did to make him change his tune so harshly, or if this was of Proto's own accord (which mostly wasn't), but something bad must have happened to make Proto react this way.

But, after all the doubts and the heartache he has had to endure in recent weeks, this could very well be the crushing blow to Mega Man's spirit. After everything that has gone so wrong lately, mainly since The Killers arrived, Mega did not need _this_ one top of it all.

Mega breaks down and weeps after having his heart hurt like this. His greatest wish was to have his family complete at last. But, now all he is left with is more hurt.

After spending nearly a minute in tears, Mega quickly buries as much of his emotions as he can. Now was not the time to break down. He can mourn for the life he may never get to have when he gets home, where he can be alone. Maybe then, he can let go of his emotions and let it all out. And nobody will be able to see him when he is at his low point.

After wiping away the eye lubrication from his eyes, Mega Man picks himself and walks back to the park bench where he sat earlier, standing atop of Item #2. He then takes off in the opposite direction of his brother and heads back to the lab. Heartbroken again.

* * *

><p>As ProtoMan's shuttle begins to hover away on autopilot, ProtoMan walks off to the rear of the shuttle and slumps himself down to the floor, emotionally crushed by what he just had to do and wounded deeper than he would have been if Wily had tortured him again. What makes it worse is how he allowed his own bitterness to show and spew out the hurtful things that he said when he was in a moment of despair.<p>

Dr. Wily's voice comes from Proto's left forearm now. _"Well... that went so much better than I would have expected. I personally enjoyed the part where you said that things would have been so much better were Mega Man dead. Because it is so true!"_

In a near whimper, Proto shudders, "Why? Why did I have to do this?"

_"Your brother is a bad influence on you, ProtoMan. it is time to rectify that,"_ Wily replies with satisfaction noticable in his voice,_ "Now, get back to the fortress immediately, and be thankful you do not have another round of _testing_ to participate in."_

Without saying another word in response, Proto remains sitting in the corner of his shuttle, emotionally shattered again by his dictatorial master, and by what he has forced him to do to his own brother tonight.

"What have I done?" Proto sighs in pain to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Skull Fortress.<strong>

After Dr. Wily disconnects with the distraught ProtoMan, once again succeeding at crushing the spirit of the only son he has, he contacts Centaur Man back in New York via a holographic communicator (which he insisted on the Robot Champion bringing with him solely for the purposes of this report.)  
>Once the communication begins, a translucent purple image of Centaur Man's body appears before Dr. Wily.<p>

"Centaur Man. Tell me what you saw," Dr. Wily orders with delight.

Centaur Man lets out a hearty laugh. "I have never seen Mega Man look as pathetic as he did tonight. And the same can be said of ProtoMan for that matter."

"Forget ProtoMan! Just tell me how Mega Man reacted!" Wily orders, twitching his fingers in anticipation.

_"Er- I must admit I am not much of an actor, but I will try to recreate Mega Man's reaction, like the champion that I am,"_ Centaur Man says, before taking a dramatic stance on all four of his hooves and holding his right hand out.  
>And in the hammiest performance imaginable, Centaur Man recites, <em>"Was everything you ever told me just another lie? Did you ever want to be loved, or are you too selfish to think about anybody but yourself? "You might hate me and my family for who are and what we stand for. Bur, no matter what we went through, I never forgot that you were my brother! ... I always loved you."<em>

Although he already heard the audio from ProtoMan's communicator staying open, Dr. Wily breaks out in howling laughter, partially from Centaur Man's overacting, but mainly from the knowledge that not only did he further punish ProtoMan for his betrayal, but he had the chance to figuratively plunge the dagger deep into Mega Man's heart and twist it. And it is Albert's desire to keep twisting that dagger until Mega Man's heart can bleed no more.

_"That is not even the most humorous part, Dr. Wily. When ProtoMan left, Mega Man fell to his knees and appeared to be openly lamenting," _Centaur Man reports, then lets out another laugh.

"He was crying!" Wily scoffs. "_WAAAH!_ My brother left me! Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" he then mocks in a whiny voice before breaking out in laughter again.

In the middle of Centaur Man's laugh, his hologram looks to his side after he hears something back in Central Park, most likely the Police overhearing his hammy acting and closing in on him. _"I must depart Dr. Wily. My presence may have been compromised,"_ he says as his hologram begins to fade and he triggers his cloaking device.

"Avoid combat and return to the fortress," Wily says and he ends the communication.

Albert leans back in his chair, quite satisfied of himself after the hurt he has caused to others this week. He has delighted in the kind of acts that most normal sane human beings would shudder at the mere thought of perpetrating, and he does not plan on stopping his string of cruelty and terror until he wins control of the world. And if that happens, he may never stop and instead take his quest of causing pain on a global scale.

And as if his mood could get any more rotten and delighted at the same time, he is about to get some news that could be the beginning of the end of this war...

_"Dr. Wily, you might want to come out to the rear of the fortress. The outer hull of The Project is complete,"_ reports the lead construction bot from out back of the fortress.

"Splendid! I will be out to inspect your work momentarily," Wily says, rubbing his hands together as he leaves the command center.

* * *

><p>Albert then makes his way to the construction zone out back of the fortress and the same construction robot who reported to him a minutes ago now stands at the rear entrance, waiting to show off to their master the many weeks of hard work of he and his crew to their master.<p>

"The interior still needs more work, and then there is weapon installation and testing to undergo. But, we expect you will be pleased with the result, Dr. Wily," says the lead construction robot, whose rotund yellow and black armor is scratched and dented from the tireless work he and his cohorts have done.

"I better, or I might test the weapons on the least reliable members of your team," Wily threatens, still wearing the smile on his face as some of the construction robots' metallic legs begin to shake.

When Albert steps out, he looks up and sees the full glory of the project his his dreams, and which will soon be in everybody else's nightmares... the project that eighty percent of the money that Wily managed to swindle out of Vick-Tek's pocketbook when he pulled the wool over the then anger-clouded Marcus Vickers to create Bass.  
>Albert was nearly going for broke this time, and it appears that it may well be a wise investment.<p>

While it is not the second coming of Gamma, Project G-2 is another massive mech machine in the same vein as the fallen 'Peacekeeping Robot,' with dark purple armor the same shade as the exterior of Skull Fortress, it's chassis hunched forward with two massive arms directly connected to an even more massive steamroller pin at the forefront of it, and behind it are two huge tires that are treaded with extra large bolts that are each the size of an SUV vehicle from the early twenty-first century.  
>And at the top of this Mad monstrosity is a large head, large enough on the inside to serve as a command bridge, and on the outside, sporting a pair of angry eyes above a square silver jaw. And Also with a large saw mohawk standing up the head, no too dissimilar to Punk's, but with the pointed blades pointed outward ahead of whatever stands in it's path.<p>

This massive machine is about as wide as Skull Fortress is, and height-wise it stands even taller than the fortress, a mere few stories shorter than many tall buildings in the United States.  
>This machine is not as colossal as Gamma was, this war machine is the next <em>worst<em> thing, and could almost be viewed as a 'cousin' of the peacekeeping robot. A cousin from hell, and spawned by a monster named Dr. Albert W. Wily.

Dr. Wily begins letting about an sinister laugh ad his grinds his teeth and the wicked visions of destruction dance in his head. "Yes! Project G-2 is nearly complete. You will need a name, yes! G-2... G is for Grinder... my Mad Grinder!"

Dr. Wily's laughter becomes loud and howling again as he holds his arms outstretched and basks in the glory of his newest - and possibly greatest - instrument of terror. And the worst news is, The Mad Grinder is but a_ part_ of the horrible plan Dr. Wily has in store.

The Mad Grinder and Dr. Wily's latest plan will be what changes the war for everlasting peace... for better or for worse...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Finally, the Mad Grinder has debuted, and as you can see, he is clearly going to be presented as he appeared in the Mega Man 7 prologue cinematic (where he was massive and stood about as tall as buildings, before he looked at the camera and burned us through the screen!) That means, he will not suddenly shrink down to 1/8 of it's original size. This is the real deal!_

_I must admit, the reason we did not get a greater description of what Project G-2 really looked like at an earlier point was because I had not yet decided if it would be the Mad Grinder or Dr. Wily's Iron Golem from the Game Boy Mega Man 4. I went with Mad Grinder because I visualized it more than any of the other titanic robots from the earlier games, and it is more well known.  
>Originally, I imagined G-2 as being a massive block-like vehicle, resembling the Planet Devastators from the Star Wars "Dark Empire" comic book series. But, I scrapped that idea because I wanted to use a design from the Mega Man universe that had not yet been used in Defender.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment, and if you see any typos, leftover production notes or continuity errors that so bad they would make dividing by zero look as minor as "1 + 1 = 1" in comparison, please PM me._


	115. Hitting Rock Bottom

_**Episode 11, Chapter 3: Hitting Rock Bottom.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>Skull Fortress.**

Just hours after ProtoMan was forced to sever ties with his brother, possibly forever, he sat here sulking in his room with his visored helmet off. He had chucked it into the wall in a hurtful outburst. The helmet was fine, but the wall now had a new dent in it right next to the many fist-bashings that ProtoMan had previously put there (back when he had more aggression inside of him. Which he lacks a great deal of now after Wily took it from him.)

Right now, ProtoMan continues staring at the old newspaper front page that he had ripped out, the same front page that screamed the headline _"ProtoMan turns on Wily"_ in bold font with the picture of him and Mega Man standing side by side. The newspaper clipping was getting aged and had become wrinkly and yellowed in the months that have passed since Election Week last year, but the memory is still vivid in Proto's mind.  
>He didn't know he had the chance of a lifetime until it was far too late.<p>

As much as Proto's warrior half still wanted to somehow prove he is better than his brother at least once, the humane side desired to finally establish the bond he always wanted with him.

As he thinks about Mega, his painful admission still rings in his head like a gong._ "I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_ And now it is given deeper impact by Mega's sorrowful confession made left night,_ "I never forgot you were my brother! ... I always loved you!"_

Those memories and this picture are all he has left of his dream of ever being with his brother in a real family capacity. And when thinking back to those days, he recalls how his brother's idea of a family and being welcomed into one sounded pretty corny back then. But, right now Proto would give almost anything to have that, because the thought felt good to Proto right now.  
>It would be so much better than having a creator that tortures him and ridicules everybody around before sending his few friends off on suicide missions (like Drill Man, which he fortunately survived with a little of ProtoMan's help.)<p>

When Proto's thoughts drift to Drill Man's horrible predicament that he faced the night Wily had ordered him to sacrifice himself for the sake of this war, and Proto is glad he was able to help him as much as he did. Whatever he is doing now, it must be better than what Proto is going through now.

Then, he thinks to his wandering friend Nomad. Again, so relieved that Wily never learned she is still alive, and he hopes the old monster never does, for her sake (and ProtoMan's own.)  
>In fact, one of the few things that has helped Proto get through the past few days is knowing that Nomad is out there and the hope that he will see her again. He wishes that he could be with her so they could comfort each other though their own personal difficulties... and he has been getting funny feelings when thinking about her lately, much like how Mega felt about Kalinka when they first met. It started off as a platonic love, but Proto can't shake the feeling it is blossoming into something so much more than that.<p>

There is a knock at the door and Proto puts the newspaper clipping away and gets up from his shabby bed to grab his visored helmet back on his head. Then, he opens the door to see GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man standing outside.

"Hey, ProtoMan, it's us!" GutsMan announces.

"So, how're you feeling?" Magnet Man asks.

ProtoMan takes a moment to respond for a chance to find the right words, "... Terrible... empty... How 'bout you?"

Magnet Man awkwardly answers, "We're fine, Proto."

"You wanna go out and blast stuff?" Cut Man offers.

"No. I don't feel up to it. Thanks anyways," a despondent ProtoMan responds.

"Uh, okay. Maybe, you'll change your mind later," GutsMan says awkwardly.

The trio begins to leave, concerned about _their_ commanding officer's state of mind. What stood out the most is Proto saying 'thanks' because he hardly gives any such sentiments.

Proto watches the only few robots left that he considers as friends leaving him and he feels worse. All three of them may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer (with GutsMan in particular having a lesser I.Q. than an ancient Colecovision,) but these three were warming up to him in recent weeks and could trust them with the Nomad secret. Now he feels like is is letting them down too, or maybe even putting them at risk because he gets along with them.

But, if they knew about the attempt at repairing the damage Proto did to his relationship and his reaction to how badly last night went, they might think less of him because their own hatred of Mega. And these feelings only slip Proto deeper into the muck he been sinking into in since Wily hurt him.

All he can do is dream that maybe one day things will get better, maybe... because aside from his feelings, ProtoMan's dreams are about all he has right now.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Roll steps outside with her Met Peekaboo, holding his hand at the end of his extension arm as they go get the mail from the mailbox. Boo is beginning to feel better than he did a few days ago after baring witness to the frightening break-in here at home. But, he still scares easier than he did before that scary night and he worries about it happening again, so Roll is taking extra care of him until he gets all the way back to normal again.

When Roll reaches the extra-large mail box, (the box is extra-large because of the inflow of fan mail the famous family receives on a frequent basis,) she begins pulling out several pieces of mail and begins handing some to Boo.

"When we're done, we'll take these inside the house. And don't worry, I'll be right behind you," Roll assures, "Then, maybe we can play with Rush and Eddie if you want."

Boo bleeps as he carries the batch of mail in his hand, standing close to his Mommy.

Roll grabs the remaining letters, carrying a stack in each hand, and spots a letter from Kalinka Cossack at the top of the stack in her right hand.

"If anything can make Mega feel better, it's her," Roll says to herself, hoping the letter from Kalinka can pull her brother out of the depressing slump he has been in since last week. But, she is oblivious to what happened last night and how bad his mood slip really has become.

"Okay, let's go inside, Boo," Roll says.

Boo bleeps as he walks back towards the lab with Roll walking right behind him.. until she stops and turns around, looking at her surroundings as she gets an unsettling feeling. Ever since The Killers attacked the auto plant Detroit, Roll has had the strange feeling that something - or someone - is following her when she leaves the lab, even if it is to step outside for a brief time. That night was the first time she had seen Bass since the night he took her to Skull Fortress against her will.

After several uncomfortable seconds of Roll looking around for any sign of anybody strange, Peekaboo beeps to get her attention as he runs back up to her because he doesn't want to go by himself.

"Oh... sorry, Boo," a distracted Roll says, "Uh, let's go inside."

As Roll and Peekaboo walk back inside, Roll looks over her shoulder one more time, but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. But, it doesn't make her feel any less strange about this feeling.

* * *

><p>After they bring the mail inside, Roll and Boo enter the lab with letters for Dr. Light. "Here's the mail, Dr. Light."<p>

"Why thank you, sweetheart," Thomas says as he takes a break from his ongoing work to collect his mail.

"Mega got another letter from Russia. You know what that means," Roll smiles. Her smile then falls into a look of concern. "Maybe that'll make him feel a _little_ better, at least

Upon hearing the mention of Mega Man and his ongoing depression, Thomas looks concerned. "Have you had the chance to speak with your brother today, Roll?"

"No. Not since last night," Roll shrugs, "All I know is he went out last night. And ever since, he's either been on the roof or locked in his room. I'm really starting to worry about him."

"As am I," Thomas says, "I wish Rock would just realize that not every operation is guaranteed to go flawlessly and that what happened to that poor girl was not his fault."

Rush enters the lab, his head bowed down slightly. Roll kneels down in front of him and speaks to him. "Hey, Rush. Where's Mega Man?"

Rush lets out a despondent huff and leans his head to the side. His own mood is down because he has tried to spend time with mega Man all day, but he has kept him away.

"I'm gonna go talk to him and find out what's going on," Roll says as she leaves and heads for Mega's room.

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Thomas asks, "He may not want to talk."

"He never does, not to me anyway. But, I'm not leaving until he does this time, "Roll replies as she makes her way to speak with her brother, headstrong as always.

Peekaboo follows his Mommy as she goes, but Roll stops and turns around to face him. Because of the subject matter of the talk she is about to have with her brother, she does not want to have the little guy around to hear about some of these things.

Roll kneels down to comes closer to her little Met, "Peekaboo, maybe you should stay here with Dr. Light while I talk to Mega.

Boo blinks his big round eyes and beeps, asking why.

"This is something that Uncle Mega and I need to talk about alone. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few minutes," Roll assures, patting Boo on the top of his yellow hardhat with the blue plus sign cross on the front.

* * *

><p>Without his helmet on, a morose Mega Man now sits alone at the foot of the bed in his room, depressed over last night's heartbreaking meeting with ProtoMan, as well as everything that has gone wrong in the past week.<br>All of the curtains are closed, filling much of Mega's room in darkness save for the illumination from outside peering through the window shades, which is an eerily symbolic of his mood and outlook on his life at the current moment.

His emotions have bounced back and forth from sadness to frustration and anger. But now, Mega Man has sunk into a deep depression, avoiding contact with everybody all day long. When his robodog Rush wanted his master to play with him this morning, Mega declined. When Dr. Light asked if he was okay, Mega avoided him, and he managed to avoid any contact with Roll or anybody else here.

He wants to be left alone because he does not want to be asked if he is alright anymore. He does not want to lie and claim that he is 'fine' when he really is not.

He also does not want those around him to know about the meeting with ProtoMan last night. He does not know how to explain it to his family if they ask, and he does not even know how he is going to handle this, if there is any way to handle it.

What makes this so crushing for Mega is that he was so sure that ProtoMan was so close to turning his back on evil for real. Maybe he really was, and then Wily was on to him and make sure he stopped... in fact, his brother was not acting like himself last night either.  
>If Wily's treatment of Peekaboo is any indication, Mega knows that the man (using that term very loosely) is capable of spine-tinglingly terrifying things, and maybe there is a chance that Wily may have forcefully made his brother change his mind on things.<p>

Mega reaches under his bed and grabs a complete news paper which is dated the day before Election Day 20X2. It's a copy of the same edition that ProtoMan ripped the front page from. Same picture; same headline.  
>Mega Man had kept the full paper himself, but has never looked at it until now because of how bad those few days turned out to be. But, now this paper is the only thing that remains of a dream that may never come true now.<p>

Mega then hears a knock on his door... _"Mega? It's me, Roll. Can I come in? I've got mail for you."_

Mega Man became uncomfortable the moment he heard his sister's voice outside, and he does not want to talk with her about this,because he typically feels uncomfortable discussing his personal feelings with her, especially when it comes to the matter of their brother ProtoMan, because he believes she hates ProtoMan with a passion, (and she has given every indication that she does.)  
>The fact that he avoided contact with her and Dr. Light and Rush this morning is probably why she is here. He still feels bad about shutting her out like this, but he still is not comfortable discussing this subject.<p>

"Just leave it at the door. I'll get it later," Mega replies, hoping his sister will leave so he does not have to talk to anybody.

_"Come on, Mega. I'm not leaving until you come out,"_ Roll says from outside, sounding miffed at her brother's refusal to come out and talk.

Mega takes the newspaper he was holding and slides it back under the bed. "Fine. I'll be right there," he replies, sounding depressed as he stands to his feet.

Mega reaches the door and opens it, seeing Roll standing right outside. She could tell by the dimly lit room that her brother's mood was on the decline again, much like was almost a year ago.

"Dr. Light says you've been holed up in here almost all day and he hasn't been able to talk to you," Roll says.

"Yeah... I'm really not feeling good today," Mega replies.

Roll knew what he meant by 'not feeling good,' but she had something that she hopes will cheer him up. "Well, I've got something that'll make you feel better. You got another letter from Kalinka," Roll cheerfully announces, holding up the letter.

The mere mention of Kalinka Cossack would usually boost Mega Man's mood, but he is in such an emotional gully that even _she_ does not perk him up. Even then, he is sure the content of Kalinka's letter will likely be a repeat of the same sentiment everyone else has about the Highland tragedy not being his fault.

"Do you want to talk?" Roll asks sweetly

"No," Mega replies downtrodden.

"You've been like this a lot lately, Mega," Roll responds, "We're worried about you."

Mega Man remains silent.

Roll asks again, "Are you _sure_ you don't want to-"

"_I'm sure_, Roll," Mega interrupts.

Roll folds her arms and looks down at her red feet. "Why is it you'll talk to Dr. Light, but you won't talk to me? Is it because I'm a girl-bot?" Roll asks.

"No, of course not," Mega replies.

"It's how I feel about ProtoMan, isn't it?" Roll presses.

Mega remains silent, refusing the answer and Roll lets out a sigh of her own.

"I'm kind of tired of being left out when you're suffering, Mega," Roll adds, her tone sharper, "I'm your sister. I want to help you!"

At the end of his rope, Mega grows very tired of being told the same sentiments over and over again and he lashes out. "You can't help me! Can't anybody take a hint? I'm unhappy, okay? I don't want to talk about anything right now. So, _please_, leave me alone!"

Roll stares back at her brother in shock as her mouth hangs open ever so slightly. Mega has _never_ yelled at her before, and she has never seen him flip-out like this. But, knowing that he just blow up at her - his own sister - crushes Roll and lower lip begins to tremble when she tries to speak and she can feel her eyes getting wet.

"I just wanted to see you smile again, Mega, just like you used to! Is that too much to ask?" Roll replied with a shaky voice, barely holding in a sob, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone now... I'll never talk to you again!"

As Roll walks away, Mega looks up and listens to the sound of her trailing footsteps and her voice sniveling as she tries to hold in her sadness, followed by the sound of her bedroom door being slammed shut. Mega now realizes how badly he hurt her feelings when he snapped at her like that, and he feels terrible.  
>He didn't mean to react like that. Not like <em>that<em>, to his own sister.

After taking a moment to cool himself down, Mega straightens himself out and goes after Roll, stepping into the main hallway, approaching her door and knocking on it. "Roll... Please... open the door. I'm sorry," Mega pleas as his own voice was now starting to waver.

Roll remained behind her door and does not respond.

Mega's own eyes to water as he begins speaking in a pleading tone. "Roll, I really mean it. I'm really sorry. I never should have yelled at you. I didn't mean to. All these bad things that are happening are starting to get to me..." Mega's voice breaks and he cannot finish his sentence because he is so distraught.

A few seconds later, Roll opens the door and steps out of her room to stand across from Mega in the middle of the hall, her own saddened blue eyes overflowing with eye lubrication tears like her brother's  
>Roll could plainly seen and hear a horrible pain which she's never seen in her brother before, even in his darkest hours.<p>

"You know I love you, right?" Mega asks, failing to hold his emotions in as he holds his sister by her shoulders.

Roll simply hugs Mega in response and he does the same to her. "Yeah, I know you do," she weeps back, "We just wanna help you, that's all."

"I know," Mega weeps, "You guys were right... I need help."

As Roll hugs her brother and hopes to begin mending his emotional wounds, one man elsewhere in New York is tending to a wound that will never heal.

* * *

><p><strong>That afternoon.<strong>  
><strong>Elsewhere in New York.<strong>

It is a bright and sunny day as Mr. Black's modified A.I.-controlled car drives him to where the woman who would be his wife now resides. It has been a year since he has seen her, on her last birthday. And it was just as difficult then, and what makes this meeting so difficult for Mr. Black is not that she was forever scarred by what happened to her... it is that she is dead.  
>And that cold truth is only re-affirmed as Mr. Black (or for today, John Barton) drives past the entrance gates that reads <em>Bliss of Heaven Cemetary.<em>

Although they lived in Virginia, it was New York where the couple had decided to make their new home ... but, she would die here before she had the chance to live here. And that thought festers in Mr. Black's mind... it was a mistake to even _be here_ on that day... and he remembers what it was like to be_ there._

John was always faithful to her and never hurt her, physically or mentally. Yet, John feels like he is not welcome here. That dread makes John briefly consider turning around and leaving. Even being here on her birthday and arriving in his very recognizable car poses a greater risk to compromising himself, because the F.B.I is probably watching. But, he had to be here for her today, no matter the risk.

Eventually, the car comes to a stop just before a grave site atop a small hill, among one of the best views on the whole cemetary lot. And with the weather being so nice today, it makes this experience even more painful for John... because she would have loved this weather were she still alive.  
>There are over twenty others buried up here in separate graves alongside hers, and in John's mind, those people would have considered themselves lucky to rest alongside such a woman like her.<p>

John felt horrible because he was not here on the day she was buried... and that is because he was in a coma, and almost died with her.

Barton takes a moment to collect himself, trying to find the strength to do this. Finally, he steps out of the car, wearing a three-piece suit and tie, - all black - and solemnly makes his way up the hill, carrying a white rose with a long stem in his hand.

His eyes stare at her tombstone as he comes closer, finally coming to a stop right in front of it, where he can clearly read her name engraved on the front... _Tonya Coupe-Barton._

John's face appears to remain stoic as always, but there was a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he gets on his knees before Tonya's grave, leaving the white rose on the grass directly in front of the tombstone baring her name. The color of said rose bares significance as well, partly because white was her favorite color.

In fact, John's and Tonya's color inversions were very symbolic. She was an African-American woman who liked to wear white and was a sweethearted, positive woman; John is a caucasian who always tended to wear black, and was more of a pessimist, and his dour mood progressively got worse which caused him to create the Mindcracker out of fear of terrorism returning to the world.

The same color/skin tone inversion applied when they had played chess together. John always used the ebony pieces; Tonya used the white pieces. But, another symbolic annotation of Tonya's love of the color white spoke volumes of her marriage to John...

"You always were the light that shined through my darkness," John mourns, placing his left hand on the tombstone, now wearing the gold wedding band on his left finger again. This is traditionally the only day he wears it after she died.

John still has the glooming feeling that he is being haunted by Tonya, even more now that she is just six feet below him. He feels that he needs to attempt to apologize for what he has done, and what he will soon do. He knows that he needs to be careful with his words, because F.B.I. surveillance and agents are probably all over the place.

John bows his head (as much as he can bow it given his surgically repaired spine, which explains the scars on his neck and throat) and his eyes squeeze themselves shut as he painfully strains, "I am so sorry, Tonya. I should have never kept the secrets that I kept from you... I should have told you the kind of man I had become. I was afraid I would lose you... but, that happened regardless."

John places his left hand atop his wife's tombstone and mourns. "If only I could have changed everything, I would have. None of this would ever have happened. Everything would have remained perfect just like we wanted it."

_John's mind drifts off again and this time, he remembers the day they were married inside a quaint church with guests and family gathered as witnesses. With all the heartache Barton still reeled from following his father's death, he still had his soul mate right in front of him. The woman he thought would be here with him forever._

_"Do you, Antonia Barton, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part, as long as you both shall live?" asked the Minister at the church that day._

_"I do," her soft voice, dressed in her beautiful white wedding dress, gazing into John's eyes._

_"And do you, Jonathan Barton, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and his health, till death do you part, as long as you both shall live?"_

_"I do," John replied, joined by his friend Rahm Cotto - follow agent at the F.B.I. - standing bEside him serving as the best man. John's father was supposed to be the Best Man, but he died just six days earlier, and was just buried the day before the wedding._

_"Then, in the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Man and Wife. You may now kiss the Bride," the Minister proclaimed._

_John and Tonya came together and kissed, and everybody gathered here rejoiced. It was the ray of brightness John needed in his life and he was happy to have his new wife... and just over two years later, she was dead._

_Afterwards, John Barton became consumed with his darkness, and it charred his soul **Black**__..._

A toll of the bells at the nearby church brings John back to the here and now as he opens his eyes. Instead of being a civil servant who served his country and did what he felt was best for protecting it, he now resorts to wearing a mask to terrorize others on his mission of death.  
>All because the love of his life now lies in a grave many years.<p>

"It should have been _me_ who died... _I_ was the unethical monster; you were innocent... You were too good for this world," John says in a stoical lament as the bell continues to toll, "If only I could have saved you..."

John's attention is momentarily grabbed by the sound of an approaching car at the bottom of this small hill, and he looks down to see if it is perhaps an F.B.I. spy... but, much to his controlled shock, he sees the news reporter Bree Recotta sitting in the passenger seat as her husband drives, (as she needed a wheelman that did not drag anybody at the station into trouble if the feds were still watching.)  
>Bree's eyes are covered by sunglasses and her head turned slightly away from him, but turned just enough where she could still glance at him behind her sunglasses.<p>

Once he sees her, Barton knows this spells trouble. It all started when strange behavior when they crossed each other's paths at Yankee Stadium after the Wily Attack earlier this year, then later a picture she took of him that night appeared on one of her reports about the Mr. Black crimes.  
>Now, she was here near his beloved <em>Tonya's grave<em>, on _Tonya's birthday_... this is not just a coincidence. She really _is_ on to him. How she figured it out, Barton does not know (but The Conduit warned him that she would be trouble for them, and that appears to be an accurate assessment.)

John realizes he has to leave Tonya, and now that he may be much more exposed than he thought, time is of the essence. But, he had to give his final sentiments to Tonya, because she has to come first before anything else. He feels he owes her that respect.

"I know you're not proud of what I have become... and neither am I. But, it will all be over soon, and I just hope when that day comes, you can finally rest, Tonya. You are in a paradise that I'm sure I will never see... because of what I've done. I'm sorry," John sulks.

Then, Barton stands up from his wife's grave feeling empty inside as he looks down upon the tombstone one more time. He then turns and walks towards his car and can feel his unadulterated fury beginning to manifest itself again as his fists become balled and his eyes take on a dark gaze. He was slowly becoming Mr. Black again, and falling to his deepest, darkest depths.

First the nosey reporter sticks her nose into his mission, and now the F.B.I. will surely be following him to his hideout in the hopes of arresting him. It was probably Cotto's idea. And all of them had the gall to interrupt his time with poor sweet Tonya, and that only enrages Mr. Black even more.

"Engine ignite!" Mr. Black growls as he enters his illegally modified car. "Assuming direct control," he states, taking direct control of driving instead of leaving the A.I. to drive.

As Mr. Black leaves in his black car, another pair of civilian-looking two door sedans begin following while keeping their distance from him. These are the tails from the F.B.I. that he was suspecting.

"We have Barton in our sights," says the robot driver of one of the F.B.I. cars.

_"He'll try to shake you off. Just stay on him or we've lost him again. We have to find out where he's operating,"_ replies the voice of Cotto, who sounds distressed. And that stress is stemming from Barton's sudden departure when Bree Recotta had shown up...

Mr. Black, meanwhile, speeds down the streets, not showing any regard for speed limits or the safety of the other drivers on the rood (some of which recognize the car already and promptly veer out of his way.) His grip on the steering wheel becomes so tight that his knuckles change color, and his rage continues to boil over.

"Why the hell weren't you there for her then? You were supposed to keep her safe, you bastard!" Mr. Black growls to himself and he drives like a maniac, and strangely sounding like his words are aimed towards Mega Man, (or maybe even to himself.)

As Mr. Black's face begins turning red, his rage-filled eyes look into the driver's side rear view mirror and he sees the F.B.I. tails still on him. Normally, he would just use his onboard jamming equipment to blind the street camera and make a getaway. But, now he had two cars tailing him, well behind several other motorists and it is broad daylight.

Mr. Black decides disregard the concerns of anybody else in the immediate area, even those in nearby buildings and businesses, and use the full force of the onboard jamming equipment in the car.

"Activate all jamming sequences in five seconds," Mr. Black says.

Five seconds later, Mr. Black slams on the gas and zooms ahead and the car broadcasts a pulse that blanks not only the street cams within a two mile radius, but also all forms of communication and wireless internet connections within the radius.  
>And if that were not enough, Mr. Black drops one of his chaff grenades out his windshield, this one strong enough not only to temporarily disable robots around, but to disable vehicles nearby too.<p>

Once the grenade goes off, causing a shower of fiber-optic strands to fall around the area like snow flurries, the robot drivers twitch in their seats and their circuits scramble, causing them to lose control of their cars and veer off the road as their human agent passengers desperately try to regain control of the vehicles.

And Mr. Black gets away again, retreating to his hideout and full of uncontrollable rage, maybe the most he has had since he lost Tonya. Soon, his rage will result in something more severe than he has ever done, and it could be his final undoing.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that Evening.<br>Back at Dr. Light's lab.**

Mega Man heads for the lab and preparing for the talk he is about to have with Dr. Light, still not wearing his blue helmet, letting his bushy brown hair show. After what happened earlier, Dr. Light told his son that it was imperative to discuss what is wrong with him tonight, and to do it together as a family. That meant including Roll on this dialogue.

Mega is dreading this moment. He usually felt better about things after talking things out with Dr. Light, but now it felt different because of the seriousness of Mega's situation. It will also feel awkward with Roll present if (or when) the subject turns to ProtoMan, considering how much she admittedly despises him.  
>Also made worse by how this is the worst depression Mega has ever had, even worse than the one he slid into after what took place on Election Day when ProtoMan stabbed him in the back the first time.<p>

This depression is only made worse by recent times yielding a string of unfortunate events that only continued to get worse. Whenever something good would happen (like seeing Kalinka again,) it would be followed by something very bad shortly after (like any time The Killers appeared) and it has gotten so bad that Mega feels he cannot be happy anymore. It's like fate itself is conspiring against him.

Mega eventually enters the family room and sees his creator/father Dr. Light sitting next to Roll on the couch. Once the Good Doctor saw his son approaching, he offers a seat. "You may sit down if you want, Rock."

"I'm fine standing," Mega replies, anxiously glancing at Roll because of her presence here. He does not know how she will react to any of this.

Thomas maintains, "Don't be afraid to let your sister join us. We are a family. Anything you have to say to me, you can say it in front of Roll."

Mega nods. "This is very different for me. But, if it will help..." he says, leaving his sentence incomplete.

Mega wasn't quite ready for his sister to be a part of this, provided the subject of the conversation ends up going the ProtoMan route, but he can accept her being here. After what happened today, she needs to know as much as their father does.

"Why are you feeling this way, Rock?" Thomas asks, leaning forward on the couch, "Is it what happened to that poor little girl last week?"

Mega Man remained silent for a second. "She's part of the reason. I can't shake the feeling that I wasn't fast enough to save her."

"But, you_ did_ save her, Rock," Thomas points out.

"Not from living the rest of her life in a wheelchair, I didn't. I feel like I failed her," Mega bemoans, "I'm supposed to defend all the innocent humans and robots in this world and prevent things like that from ever happening to them. Every time I hear that emergency signal now, I get scared... I'm afraid I'm going to lose somebody I care about, or somebody I've never even met before. And Wily is always going to laugh and get away with everything."

Mega's blue shoulders sag and he bows his head down when he brings up the name of Albert Wily. "I volunteered to be built into what I am because I thought I could stop him... after this, I'm starting to feel like... maybe I can't."

"I understand how you feel, Rock. But, there are many other heroes have met similar circumstances, just ask any fireman or police officer. As tragic as it was, you were up against insurmountable odds that day and any other human or robot in your place would have failed to get her out alive." Thomas says, punctuating the most important fact, "Because you were there, you gave that child a chance to live."

Mega looks down at his prominent feet, remaining silent as he considers his father's words. Maybe he was right and Mega couldn't prevent what happened to Janet and that there was nothing more he could have done to reduce her injuries, given the circumstances.

But, after a long stretch of Mega's silence, Thomas probes another question. "But, that alone is not the only thing bothering you, is it?"

"No..." Mega admits taking a moment to prepare himself for what he is about to reveal, "Last night when I went out... I met with my brother in Central Park."

Dr. Light and Roll are surprised and concerned to hear this detail. They knew Mega had gone out last night, but did not know that not only did he talk to ProtoMan, but they spoke in person.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Roll asks.

"I didn't know how you would react," Mega explains.

"You never had to hide it from us, Rock. We would have understood," Dr. Light says.

Mega begins to become uncomfortable as he begins recalling the encounter with his brother. "With all the good things he's been doing lately, I was hoping he would... leave Wily, maybe. But... it went really bad instead."

"How bad?" Roll asks.

"He sounded like he was jealous of what kind of life I had compared to his, and he got in trouble with Wily when he left the battle so I could find that poor girl," Mega says, doing his best to keep his emotions in check because it is so difficult to even recollect about what happened last night.  
>"He said... that he hates me... and things would have been better if I was dead... I've never heard him say that before."<p>

Thomas looks to be saddened at his first son's behavior, once again doing something that would only hurt his second son Rock. But, after hearing of her bad brother's latest wounding of her good brother's heart, Roll felt a fury welling up deep inside. Mega's description of the conversation only reaffirms for view of ProtoMan as an evil self-centered creep, even after the few things he has done that would make him look good. After hearing about this, her hatred for him runs even deeper now.

"I knew I was right. There is no good in him! Can't you see that?" Roll states.

"Roll, please, calm down," Thomas says.

Roll stands up and counters, "I can't stay calm! Everybody keeps telling me how great ProtoMan is, but all he does is..." Roll's voice breaks-up, "He keeps hurting us over and over again."

Roll takes a moment to settle down and takes her seat next to her father again. "I'm sorry," she sighs sadly.

"I understand why you hate Proto, Roll," Mega says, "All you have ever seen is the worst in him. Dr. Light and I have a different view of him because we've seen him when he wasn't at his worst."

"He is under Albert Wily's control," Thomas says, "Many of the things he does may not be his own choice."

Mega looks distressed as he looks down at the floor again. "He sounded serious last night, at least I think he did... I don't think he's ever coming home. All I ever wanted was for him to... by my brother and nothing else."

Mega's emotions begin to overcome him now, and he turns away from his family members in an attempt to hide the eye lubrication escaping his eyes.

Roll is the first to stand up to hug her brother from behind and Thomas is soon to follow, both of them rallying around to show him that he is still loved here.

"It's gonna be okay, Mega," Roll tries to assure, "As long as we have each other, we're still a complete family even without him."

"I just want everything to be normal again," Mega admits in a weep. Then, he barely adds, "... I don't want to fight anymore."

At this moment, Dr. Light is concerned with his son's feelings and emotional health more than anything else, but he cannot help but be deeply troubled by Mega's last few words. Even in his darkest times, Mega Man's fighting spirit had never wavered, until now.  
>This war and the horrors of it may have hit Mega Man harder than anybody realized.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, at the Recotta residence.<strong>

A black F.B.I. car pulls up in the driveway and Agent Cotto steps out, still wearing a black and white suit. The agent in charge in the investigation of his former friend Mr. Black/John Barton was here to oversee the stake out at the cemetary today, and as he suspected, Barton showed up.

But, Barton's abrupt departure and his rage-filled outburst, which caused a blackout of all communications in the surrounding area earlier today, may have been avoided if Bree Recotta had not intervened. Because of this, Cotto's usually calm demeanor is non-existant, and instead, he is uptight and irritated, not just with Bree's constant interference, but the pressures put on him by this investigation as a whole.  
>And Cotto is going to take care of the problem with Recotta once and for all (he hopes.)<p>

Cotto gives an order to another agent seated in the driver's seat beside him. "If she gives us any trouble, we slap the warrants on them. You know what to do."

Afterward, the agent exits the car and walks up the sidewalk until he reaches the couple's door, where he rings the door bell, and a few seconds later pounds on the door. Growing impatient after not getting an immediate answer, he rings the doorbell a second time.

Eventually, Bree opens the door standing with her husband Max behind her. Judging by the look in the agent's eyes, she knows she made a mistake going to that grave, but she only added more proof to her own theory about the origins of Mr. Black.

"What were you doing at the cemetary?" Cotto interrogates, sounding perturbed, "And don't tell me you were visiting a loved one, because our records show that neither of you have any relatives buried there."

Bree folds her arms and replies, "I had suspicion about something."

"Well, your _suspicion_ may have compromised our investigation," Cotto says.

"It's the man I spoke to it Yankee Stadium, isn't it?" Bree probes.

"It's none of your business until the investigation is over!" Cotto loudly counters.

Bree wanted to mount a counter argument to Cotto, but it is a hard one to make. This is a top-secret Federal matter, and she is trying to find out confidential details, even if just for her own curiosity.

The agent continues, "Knowing you, you probably took photos or video while on the cemetary grounds, and I want you to surrender it over to me or I will issue a search warrant and get it the hard way. And furthermore, you will both be placed in jail for interfering in a federal investigation which could potentially put public safety in jeopardy. So, hand it over."

After a moment of compromised (and irritated) silence, Bree reaches into her pants pocket and hands Cotto her mobile phone. The agent then takes it and searches her video and photograph folders. And once he finds any media taken at the cemetary, he promptly deletes said media.

"You too," Cotto says to Bree's husband, who then submits his phone and Cotto searches, yet find no data that was taken from the cemetary.

After relinquishing their phones back to them, Cotto warns, "Don't intervene in this investigation again, or you'll be handled. It's your last warning."

The F.B.I. agent makes his exit from the Recotta property, leaving the married couple to bicker amongst themselves.

"You didn't tell me we were almost gonna get arrested because of this," Max mutters.

"Sorry. It won't happen again," Bree mutters back.

"Not with me around, it won't," Max utters in response.

* * *

><p><strong>Later, back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Now dressed in red shorts and a white shirt for bed, Roll finishes writing an entry in her diary and puts it away in her drawer. Tears escape her eyes afterwards, because her brother/hero/best friend in such bad shape emotionally is tearing her apart.

Peekaboo has sat right here in his mommy's lap as she wrote, and when he sees his Mommy shed tears, he becomes concerned, letting out sad bleeps to ask her why she is crying.

"Uncle Mega's heart is broken. That's why he's been so sad lately," Roll mopes as she wipes away the tears from her cheeks.

Peekaboo pouts as he beeps again, asking if Uncle Mega's heart can be fixed.

"I hope so, Boo. He doesn't deserve to suffer like this," Roll replies as another line of tears run down her face.

Seeing his mommy so sad and knowing his Uncle Mega is sad makes Boo sad too, and his extension arm wrapped around Roll's waist to hug her, and his sweet innocent mind hopes that the power of a hug would make her feel better. His own eyes begin to become wet and he begins to cry for his family.

"Aww, it'll be okay, boo," Roll coos as she cradles her Met in her arms and wipes his tears away, "Let's hope the sunshine will make tomorrow a better day, okay?"

Boo beeps again as Roll gives him a kiss in the center of his face, right where his nose would be (if a Met like him had a nose) and sets him down on her bad, tucking him in by wrapping him up in his blanket. "I just have to close the curtains and we can get some sleep."

Afterwards, Roll walks over to her window and pulls off her green ponytail holder, letting her long blonde hair flow behind her. She is about to pull her curtains closed... when she has that feeling that she is being watched again. She looks out her window and sees the nearby trees with their leaves rustling when a slight breeze flows through. At least it_ looked_ like a breeze.

Her eyes scan the area from left to right, not seeing anything else to strange. But, she can't shake this strange, vulnerable feeling. And it creeps her out, so much the she does not even feel secure inside her own hoe right now.

Peekaboo bleeps from behind Roll, noticing that she is acting like this again. His beeps become worried as he asks her if somebody is out there, like the bad man (Dr. Wily,) or the scary man with the mask (Mr. Black.)

Roll closes her curtains quickly and turns around to Boo to calm him down. "Don't worry, Boo. Everything's okay. I just thought I saw something outside. Hey... if it makes you feel better, I could get Rush to be our guard dog tonight. Would you like that?"

Peekaboo bleeps and nods.

Roll walks to her door, but Boo follows her, still wrapped in his blanket as it drags across the floor. Roll pokes her head out the door and lets out a whistle to call for Rush.

A few seconds later, she sees Rush sprinting his way to her room through the hallway and kneels down and pets Rush's head when he arrives.

"Hey, boy!" she asks, "You wanna sleep next to my bed tonight?"

Rush cocks his head, looking puzzled that Roll would make this request.

"Well, Boo and I want you to be our guard dog tonight..." Roll requests, her voice now with slight hint of concern, "We'd really feel better if you were here. Please?"

Boo then bloops to Rush, asking the same thing.

Rush barks twice and nods, agreeing to stay with Roll and Boo to make them feel more secure.

"Thank you, Rush. You're a good boy," Roll replies, sounding relieved. to have an extra layer of security just in case.

Rush walks into the room and Roll picks Peekaboo back up and tucks him to bed, lying down right next to him. And as she cuddles her Met in her arms, she looks to her side and watches Rush marching on all fours, scanning the area from left to right and keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious. If something was wrong, Rush could let out a call that would awaken Roll and warn Mega Man.  
>As he scans, he has a tough guy look on his face. Rush was keeping guard for her just like she asked, and he wasn't about to let anybody harm he or Boo.<p>

"Say 'thank you' to Rush, Boo-Boo," Roll whispers to her Met.

Peekaboo bleeps that exact sentiment to Rush, who gives a brave and rugged grunt as he continues marching across the room.

As Roll puts the covers over herself and Boo, she wonders what the future may hold for family... and just as importantly, if she is being watched, and if _Bass_ is the one watching her.  
>After Peekaboo lets himself sleep into recharge mode and his eyes close as he goes to sleep for the night, Roll allows herself to do the same, not letting go of her Met.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Meanwhile, at Skull Fortress.<strong>**

While so many of the other major players in the ongoing war are going through a difficult time in their lives, things are only looking better and better for the evil Dr. Wily, who now stands on one of the fortress' upper levels, staring out a window peering out back to the sight of the massive Project G-2, now known as The Mad Grinder.

The construction robots are now finishing up the interior work on The Grinder as those outside the colossal machine are making preparations for weapons installation, and if estimates are correct, the Mad Grinder may very well be completed and ready for deployment by next week at the earliest.

"Yes, my robots! Finish my greatest instrument of destruction!" Wily says from behind the glass, even though the construction robots cannot hear him from back here,) "Once it is finished, all that remains is weapons testing... and then... it's showtime!"

But, interrupting Albert's pre-emptive victory is his realization on the questionable state of his grand robot army, mainly his lack of a second in command. Ballade is gone, The Killers as a unit failed, and ProtoMan is a traitor to the army who no longer deserves the post.

"But, I need a right hand robot," Wily says to himself, crossing his arms and running his fingers through his bushy moustache.

Then, the little whisper that dwells in his head chimes in... _"There is only one who can take that mantle at this time... the one who you built to take the spot..."_

"Bass," Wily says, half in response to his voice in his head.

He grabs Bass' built-in communicator from his lab coat and hails him again. "Bass! This is Dr. Wily, the man who built you. Respond!"

Just like last night, there is no answer from Bass.

"Respond! Now!" Dr. Wily barks into the communicator, the veins in his neck beginning to swell.

Still nothing.

Dr. Wily grows further frustrated by Bass' lack of a response, and even more so because of the theories that have entered Albert's thoughts lately. Bass' departure just becomes more troublesome the more he thinks about it, especially when considering how much ProtoMan had to gain by Bass failing to finish off Mega Man and his subsequent departure from the robot army.

Maybe it is his ongoing anger regarding ProtoMan's refusal to fight Mega Man in Manhattan that is making him think this way. Or maybe Bass was telling the truth when he claimed that there must have been other forces at play in his failure to kill Mega Man... maybe it was _ProtoMan_ who was behind it.  
>If that is true, that is a <em>much<em> more serious act of betrayal, worse than refusal to battle.

Dr. Wily's wrinkled eyelids narrow when the mere thought of ProtoMan's betrayal running deeper than he may have thought. But, instead of pressing ProtoMan on the matter right this instant, Albert temporarily dismisses this though and focuses on his future plans with The Mad Grinder.  
>And getting a hold of Bass so he can hear <em>his side<em> of the story.

"Bass, I want you to respond to my calls now! I have some..._ business_ to discuss with you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I hope the tone will change and be a little bit less depressing with the next chapter, because there have been a lot of sad and depressing things in the past three chapters. More than usual.  
>The scene where Mega finally talks to Dr. Light and Roll (the 'Family Therapy Session' as I've nicknamed it) took a long time to write because the dialogue felt stilted and wonky at first, then later it still didn't look right. Now, I got it as good as it could go. I hope.<br>And yes, if the title looked familiar to you, I decided it fit better here than in the last episode._

_It was almost gong to be a Nintendo Entertainment System or an Atari 2600 that GutsMan's intelligence was equated to instead of the Colecovision, but that would have been unfair to do that to the NES and the Atari. But, the Colecovision is a known console from the early days too. (Maybe I should have picked on the Fairchild Channel F instead. Nobody cared about that one.)_

_Also Mr. Black saying "Assuming direct control"... you can guess where that line originated from. (Sheppard. Wrex.)_

_And just to be clear, the name Tonya is short for Antonia. I didn't make an error there. (Got you there, didn' I? :P)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, production notes or continuity errors that are so bad even adamantium couldn't penetrate them (but an edit could,) please PM me.  
>(Humor! Isn't it nice to have a teeny tiny little bit of humor, even if it is just in the notes?)<em>


	116. Warming up for a Repeat Performance

_**Episode 11, Chapter 4: Warming Up for a Repeat Performance**_

* * *

><p><strong>Nearly one week later.<br>Skull Fortress.**

Very early in the pre-dawn hours in the badlands, Project G-2, The Mad Grinder, is now fully constructed, fitted with all of its weapons and systems, and it still looms over everybody behind the fortress like a still sleeping giant that one would not want to awaken. Even Skull Fortress' exterior itself is not as tall as the Mad Grinder is.

The last steps before The Grinder's deployment are next, and they are the testing of the weapons and the onboard systems, and Dr. Wily is here to begin this process, inside the Mad Grinder's head where the machine's 'main bridge' is located. This idea was very similar to the one used with Gamma.

During Gamma's deployment, Dr. Wily was never onboard the massive peacekeeping robot, replaced by a robot duplicate which was destroyed when the former peacekeeping robot had exploded. This time, however, Albert will personally get to 'enjoy' using his new toy with his own hands, because he will be pulling out all the stops when this massive instrument of destruction.  
>Albert is confident that beyond the shadow of a doubt, the Mad Grinder will be the instrument of destruction that wins him the world, <span>even if it kills him.<span>

Wily sits down at the controls inside the Mad Grinder's 'head bridge,' nearly brimming with wretched anticipation as his hands hover over the various panels, buttons, switches and levers at his disposal. Beside him is an empty seat which would have belonged to ProtoMan had he not betrayed him, or maybe Ballade would have sat here had he not chosen to defy Dr. Wily and destroy himself.

Albert briefly glances at the empty seat and it nearly ruins his cheerfully evil mood just thinking about who that seat was reserved for. But, if Wily is lucky, he will find the suitable replacement for that spot soon enough. He cannot afford to dwell on that right now, because he has an instrument of destruction to tend to.

"This is Dr. Wily! Power up all systems!" he commands to the crew of Robot Masters stationed onboard.

A few moments later, all of The Mad Grinder's systems come online and every station and control on the bridge become full of life, and a noticable hum from the Grinder's internal power core is heard from within as it powers up the entire beast of a creation.  
>The Mad Grinder beast was no longer just a dream project jotted down and several plans and blueprints. The beast was now a reality, and will soon become everybody's nightmare.<p>

Albert guffaws with glee and he interlocks his fingers and bends them backwards to crack his knuckles. "Let's see baby take his first steps!" he exclaims as he grabs the primary movement controls and moves the momentum control forward slightly...

Underneath the massive construction partition, The Mad Grinder moves forward with its rear studded tires and front steamroller taking it right to the edge of of the wall as several worker robots begin running and fleeing for their lives. Then the massive robotic tank begins to move in reverse to put itself back into place.

The grin on Wily's face nearly stretches from ear to ear as he imagines what kind of terror he will create with this new weapon. The only thing stopping him from testing the weapons here and now is the damage it could cause to the fortress while it is tucked away under the partition.

Wily begins a communication by opening a channel on the onboard communication relay. "Attention all robots! Begin preparations for weapons testing on the double! I want my Mad Grinder ready for deployment as soon as possible!"

_"Yes, Dr. Wily!"_ replies the voice of Ice Man.

Even though the time to strike with this magnificent weapon will not come tonight, Albert wants to begin settling in a general disturbance into the heart of the public, and even Mega Man himself. And after hearing about the young girl who was crippled in the attack in Manhattan, he wants to do it by attempting to recreate one of Mega Man's darkest hours by staging the exact same attack plan he used in his last attack: Bury Mega Man inside a building (and make sure it works this time.)

It was redundant and relatively pointless to use resources on an admittedly old plot, but nobody would dare suggest that to Dr. Wily and get away with it unscathed.

Regardless of what happens in the forthcoming battle, Wily plans on this being the first domino to fall, seemingly small, but a slow but sure crumbling of the confidence of the Human Race and Robotkind. His plan will start of slow and subtle and grow as it progresses into the fall of this continent after the deployment of the Mad Grinder, and then when his army becomes an empire, it will cause the complete fall of any form of resistance when they are overwhelmed and striken with fear.

Wily re-opens the communication. "Belay that order! There is a change in plans. Begin preparations for combat deployment and meet me in the Hangar Bay. I want to send the entire North American continent into a panic."

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly afterwards.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

After receiving a heads-up from Dr. Light, Mega Man arrives to the lab to watch a ranting video from Dr. Wily that was just issued to the world. The hero has tried to mentally and emotionally recover from the effects when happened just over a week ago, but Proto's sudden change of heart and the fate of Janet from the building collapse still lingers inside of Mega like an injury that will not heal. An injury to the heart.

He visited little Janet in the hospital again in the past week, where she will soon begin her rehabilitation once she recovers enough. She is still in good enough spirits, and that glimmer of hope allows Mega to heal from that devastating day himself.  
>But, thinking about ProtoMan only causes the figurative wound in Mega's heart to reopen every time he does. In the days that have passed since Proto lashed out at him, Mega has tried to convince himself that maybe, somehow, ProtoMan was rejecting him because of Wily's influence and not from a genuine part of himself. And if that idea is correct, that only makes Mega more bitter towards that sick monster Wily, and even seeing the disgusting face of Dr. Wily on the screen in front of him only angers Mega further.<p>

Roll races behind her brother to see the Wily video as well, (and Peekaboo was left to play with Rush in Roll's room because she did not want the little Met to see Wily's face, as it would only scare him if he saw that monster again.)

The pre-recorded image of Dr. Wily appears on both of the labs twin computer screens and he speaks._ "Greetings, my future slaves, it has been much too long since I have had the chance to speak with you on a more personal basis. Being the _oh, so benevolent_ dictator that I am, I would like to take this opportunity to give everybody within the sound of my voice a fair warning. A fair warning that in a matter of hours, my next attack will be taking place. Now, where it will take place..." _Wily grins,_ "That is for _me_ to know, and for _you_ to find out!"_

Wily closes this video with a comment to his hated rival._ "And to my dear enemy Mega Man. Your brother ProtoMan wanted me to give you a message: don't be late.' And I concur. I would hate for you to miss out on all the fun! Ta'ta for now!"_

Of course, ProtoMan's "message" did not come from Proto at all, and was just another Dr. Wily manipulation in the hopes of fanning the tension Mega Man has for his brother.

Dr. Light turns to his children to confer with them on this situation. "Obviously, Albert is using the tension between Blues and the both of you to fan the flames of the forthcoming battle."

"What about the threat he just made? Is the entire continent supposed to wait on pins and needles until he shows up?" Roll asks.

"Being the terrorist that Albert is now, that is precisly what he wants," Thosmas says, sounding regretful again about the kind of person his former busines partner has become.

"We've all got to be ready for him," Mega replies, noticeably without quite the same strong resolve when about to face a battle, but slightly restless instead. "We need to call President Henry and assure him I'll be ready to move out at the first sign of an attack."

"Right," Dr. Light confirms, "I'll scramble the Robo Commandoes and Rescue Squad for immediate deployment."

Roll looks over to her brother with concern. He is still right down to business again after being so down in the dumps last week, but she can't help but get the feeling that he still hasn't fully recovered from the shock of the events of two weeks ago.

"Are you okay?" Roll asks.

"I've been better, but I can't let my own issues get in the way of my duty right now. I can't let what happened to Janet to happen to anybody else," Mega replies.

As Mega turns away to prepare himself for battle, Roll follows him and asks her a question that is foremost on her mind. "What about ProtoMan?"

"... I'll have to deal with him if things come to that," Mega sighs wearily.

"And if _Bass_ shows up again?" Roll presses.

"I'll use the new adapter Brain Bot built into Rush and my system. I just hope it will really work on him," Mega replies.

Roll heads back to her room and her voice trails, "I hope it works too."

As his sister leaves the lab, Mega Man barely overhears her concern about Bass, and Mega himself is still concerned about the threat that the deadly (and potentially homicidal) robot warrior still poses. Even though he has tested the new Rush Adapter, he does not yet know if it will work as well as Brain Bot's tests said it would. And if it doesn't,_ everybody_ may be doomed.

But, Mega Man still lingers on the issue of ProtoMan's involvement in the battle. He does not want to fight him anymore, and he hopes that ProtoMan feels the same despite his anger towards him. But, he may have no choice but to enter combat with him again, and the result could be a very bad one, and that concerns Mega Man as much as - if not more than - the threat of Bass showing up again.

* * *

><p><strong>At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Following his near meltdown he experienced on his deceased wife Tonya's birthday, Mr. Black/John Barton has calmed down and is busy refitting his A.I. car with the SkyCar parts that were ripped from Mitchell Deacon's personal Skycar weeks ago.  
>The engine has already been replaced and the booster turbines are lying on a table awaiting to be wired to the car itself. But, there is still the issue of connecting the engine to the automated servos for the pedals and steering whee, which are already tied to the onboard A.I."<p>

While Mr. Black hangs inside the Driver's side door of his car and begins work on connecting the car's A.I. to the new parts, the A.I. itself begins broadcasting a warning tone to Mr. Black, warning that this upgrade could be harmful to it's systems. The A.I. was not exactly self-aware, but had enough intelligence to know when its programs are being tinkered with.

"Stay quiet unless there is a critical or fatal error! You always issue that warning when I make an upgrade, and every upgrade I've ever made has never posed a real threat," Mr. Black barks back.

The A.I. ceases broadcasting the warning tone and remains quiet, allowing Mr. Black to resume his work on the car's upgrade.

As Mr. Black continues wiring the car with the SkyCar parts, his mind begins to drift away back to another memory he had with Tonya... it was a few days after he somehow managed to acquire from the Bureau the very same A.I. that is now onboard this car...

_"I've got a surprise for you, babe," John said as he guided his bride out front of their new house in Virginia._

_"I hope it's a help guide file on the game of chess," Tonya replied._

_"No, I'm not about to take it that easy on you just yet. But, I've got something that should suffice," John grinned, pulling out the key chain to the couple's new sedan, purchased a few short months before this day._

_The sedan had an entirely red paint red paint job and looked sleek, certainly much nicer than an ordinary run-of-the-mill sedan... and in a twist of tragic irony, this was the same car John Barton would use many months later, with an all Black paint job when he became somebody else._

_"I know our car isn't exactly a SkyCar like the rich snobs have. But, I don't know any car - flying or otherwise - that can do what ours can do now,"_

_Tonya watched with a questionable gaze as John confidently looked at their sedan and gives it a command. "Start."_

_The sedan then ignited the engine on it's own, without the need for a key._

_"Rev the engine," John commands, and the car does as he says, giving the engine a slight revving up._

_"Driver and passenger door open, so that your owners can take a drive," John commanded, and the two front doors of the red sedan open as per his command._

_Tonya looked taken aback, and a bit wary about how their car ended up like this. "Wait a second. Cars can't do this, even the new flying SkyCars."_

_"Normal cars can't; Ours can," John says, almost smugly._

_"So... this is what you've been doing in the garage after you come home?" Tonya asked._

_"I am a man who knows who to get the most out of technology," John indirectly confirmed, "And you can thank the A.I that The Bureau threw out."_

_Tonya assumed, "You put The F.B.I.'s old computer into_ our car_, didn't you?"_

_"... Maybe," John indirectly confirms again._

_Tonya always had a strange feeling about how and why her husband had managed to acquire this A.I., and this only made that feeling even more unusual "And they just _let you_ take it?"_

_Picking up on Tonya's discomfort, John tries to smooth her over. "Honey, I told you before, the Bureau was just gonna throw the old A.I. out for a new system the two scientists in New York built. And since all of the data from the data was wiped, it was just gonna go to waste in some federal scrap heap. So, it was better off with me anyway. I gave it a home."_

_Tonya shook her head. "I hope your story about them _allowing you_ to take it is true."_

_"I really don't think The Bureau even cares that I have the old A.I. as long as the data was all wiped, which it was," John pointed out._

_"If this is the kind of thing you're doing with the F.B.I.'s old computer, I wonder what kind of thing you do with tech when you're at work," Tonya probes._

_John hesitates to answer, because the very thing he was making at work would be the very thing that would later lead to his furious resignation: The Mindcracker. And John suspected that if it was as unsettling as his friend Cotto thought it was, maybe it was best not to bring it up to his wife._

_"All I can say about that is it's something that could keep the world safe for all time," John replied vaguely, burying his ethics in favor of his abominable creation..._

Mr. Black snaps out of his flashback when he hears the phone ringing again, The Conduit once again requesting his services. A scowl comes upon his face as he pulls himself out of the car to answer the phone.

"Yeah," he answers.

_"My sources have just learned that Dr. Wily has made a vague warning about a potential attack taking place later today. You will be expected to move out at the first sighting of anything out of the ordinary," _The Conduit says.

"I have only_ just_ begun upgrading my vehicle with the parts from Deacon's car," Mr. Black reports, becoming irritated.

_"This delay is inexcusable. You have had two weeks to make the installation,"_ The Conduit chastises.

Mr. Black boils over, "Oh, forgive me! I've only been recuperating from nearly getting myself killed two times in one week, It's difficult to make a major upgrade when you can hardly move! I've got an idea... Why don't you appoint your new errand boy to take my place for today's assignment! Surely, that's what you want to do."

_"That sounds like a good plan, and considering you are withholding Dr. Light's data, I will go with it. Good day to you, Mr. Black,"_ The Conduit says briefly before cutting the call.

Mr. Black sneers as his domineering employer has managed to get the last word in once again. He fears that maybe The Conduit may replace him on a more permanent basis, but he is sure that he/she/it doesn't have the guts to count on anybody else but him when the time comes to end the mission.  
>And it will come, in the close, <em>close<em> future.

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Bonne Ship Gesselchaft.<strong>

Donning mostly pink and black clothing as she often does and still wearing her outrageous pointy pseudo flip hairstyle, the petite Tron Bonne makes her way through the corridors of the family ship in search of her older brother. After hearing about the troubling news about another Dr. Wily attack, without any real warning where this attack will take place, she wants to warn her brother about it.

Servbot #1 follows her on her way, wearing a very concerned look on his yellow marshmallow-shaped face. "Dr. Wily isn't coming to attack the Gesselchaft, is he, Miss Bonne?" he asks in his cute wittle voice.

"I hope not, #1... er- I mean, _of course not_, #1" Tron answers, changing her response so she doesn't scare her little Servbot companion.

After making her way to the recreational deck on the ship, Tron finds her older brother taking the time to get their younger brother Bon Bonne used to the inner workings his his Kresiel mech suit, which just two weeks ago nearly killed everybody onboard when the boy got a little to excited with his new 'toy.'  
>Previously, Tiesel acted like he could not be bothered with the idea of taking care of his little brother. But, now he is taking the time that he said he was going to.<p>

In fact, even since Tiesel Bonne told his sister he was changing his ways two weeks ago, he has been doing just that! He has even stopped 'liberating' property from customers (which had become a nasty habbit of his lately), even going so far as to return things that he had previously taken to their rightful owners in the middle of the night. This is a move that could make many of those pesky lawsuit threats go away.

Perhaps Tiesel is doing all these upstanding things because he has finally seen the error of his way and is becoming a better person... or more likely, he is trying to build up some good karma so that his problems with The Conduit will magically go away on their own.

Whatever the reason, this change has not gone unnoticed by his sister Tron, who has watched her older brother's behavior change closely in the past week. And she is certain there has to be a reason for it.

After making the necessary calibrations on Bon's suit, (another task he is performing to lighten the workload on his sister,) he asks, "Okay, Bon. How do you like your new suit now?"

Inside the suit, Bon hoists up the extra long arms high into the air and enthusiastically replies, "Babu! Babu!"

"Great, little buddy! Tomorrow if I have the time, your sis and I will maybe teach you some new words," Tiesel says.

"Babu!" Bon peeps, clapping the big hands on his mech suit together, making a loud _KLUNK, KLUNK_ sound.

"Yes, besides _that_ word," Tiesel confirms.

Tron steps forward and in an even cuter voice than her normal one, she peeps to her baby brother, "Hey, Cutie-pie! I need to speak to Tiesel for a few minutes outside, so play with the Servbots until we get back."

"Babu!" Bon giggles as his mech suit reaches down and picks Servbot #1 up from the floor and tucks him under one of the suit's arms, and begins running around the room with him.

This causes #1 to panic and wail, "Please hurry back, Miss Bonne!"

"BaBUUUUU!" Bon laughs as he 'flies' Servbot #1 around like he was a toy (which at his young mind, he thinks #1_ is_ a toy.)

"Tiesel, there's something I've got to tell you!" Tron says, "That horrible Dr. Wily just warned that he's going to start another attack today, but he won't say where it will be. The last time he picked some random building and look what happened. What if he comes here?"

"I don't think we have to worry about Dr. Wily launching an attack on _one little ship_ like ours, Tron," Tiesel replies.

Tron just looks up with her concerned eyes, and that alone manages to convince Tiesel to change his mind. (He doesn't know how she does it, but she always manages to strong-arm him with just a look.)

"Well... maybe it's better to be safe than sorry. Let's make sure the best Servbot pilots are on the bridge with me when it's time to move," Tiesel relents, "I'll just go to my cabin and shut down the business for the day and head to the bridge shortly."

Before Tiesel could leave, Tron makes a comment about his recent actions. "You sure have changed lately. You're not even the same Tiesel anymore."

Tiesel turns around and flashes a ridiculous grin, "When I said I was changing my way, I meant it, little sis!"

Tron replies with another of her skeptical smirks, getting the feeling that while he is acting better now, he is probably just kissing up for something later. "If you say so, Tiesel."

Tron and Tiesel then hear the voice of Servbot #1 crying out, "Miss Bonne! I think I'm in need of assistance!"

This is followed by the sound of Bon peeping "BABU!" followed by a loud crash.

"Oh, no! Ronald B. Bonne, you better not be throwing around my little #1 in there or it's no more suit time for you!" she barks as she races back into the recreational room.

* * *

><p>Tiesel makes his way to his room to shut down the phone board for the day because the Gesselchaft will be on the move due to the impending Wily threat. As he arrives he hears a call coming in and decides to shoo them away.<p>

"Sorry, we're not open right now because of the Wily threat," Tiesel answers.

_"But, your services are required nonetheless,"_ states the distorted voice of The Conduit on the other end.

Tiesel nearly gasps and feels his heart dropping to his feet.

The Conduit continues, _"Mr. Black is still alive, but he will be unavailable for the next operation. Therefore, you have been given the task of filling his shoes for today, which means you will be the one who has to carry out some of his tasks."_

Tiesel's large hand hold the phone begins trembling as he stammers, 'W-w-what do I have to do?"

_"Firstly, you need a alias name so that you can be identified without compromising your identity. My primary associate's choice was Mr. Black. I would strongly recommend you pick an alias that is equally as easy to remember."_

Tiesel fumbles, "Er. I don't know... Mr. T?"

_"No, Tiesel, that title is already taken,"_ The Conduit replies, _"I already have an asset who uses the letter 'T' in their alias. And I am sure she would be displeased that anybody would take her title."_

"Er, I'm sorry, Conduit."

_"Because you cannot decide on a nickname of your own, one will be given to you. Your codename will now be... Mr. Endo. Unless you have a better suggestion."_

"Uh... fine, whatever you say. But, what do I have to do?" Tiesel (or Mr. Endo) asks)

_"Fortunately, for your sake, you do not have to perform some tasks that you may find particularly dangerous. Due to an agreement I have with Mr. Black, there are certain tasks that only he will carry out. For today, here are your orders, and listen to me very carefully..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, at Skull Fortress.<strong>

The Robot Masters and all the robots in Wily's army are gathered here in the hangar bay as they await to hear who will be deployed in this spur-of-the-moment operation that Dr. Wily just hatched only a few hours earlier. And the madman himself now stands atop a parked Skull Tank, barking into a megaphone that echoes through the entire bay.

"Now hear this! We are going to have an encore performance of our previous operation, except we will be doing things much different this time around, and we will not have our robots having any last minute attacks of conscience either!" Wily proclaims, making reference to the fallen Ballade, "We brought half of a building down in Manhattan last time we struck, but now we will attempt to bring a whole building down! And to do that, I will need robots with explosive firepower! Bomb Man, Crash Man and Napalm Man will be planting their explosives all over the building."

The trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man look over towards ProtoMan, expecting a quip from him. Usually, this would be the part where he would make a snarky remark like, _'haven't we already done this twice before? And failed twice too?'_  
>But, instead, Proto sits by himself in the back of the hangar bay, acting nothing like he used to staring at the floor and remaining silent, unable to shake the horrible memories of being tortured that night. He looks like he is broken on the inside.<p>

The booming voice of Wily continues, "We will lure Mega Man inside by taking the ground battle to the inside after the explosives have been planted. And then... BOOM!"

Wily's shourt startles many of the robots gathered here, including ProtoMan, still in a weakened state of mind.

"Even if Mega Man survives, I doubt that Thomas will be able to repair him in time for our biggest plan yet!" Wily concludes, eluding to The Mad Grinder outside the fortress.  
>"And even though you have continued to fail me on many occasions, I will also need more Robot Masters to stall Mega Man and the local authorities , that means you Dust Man, Skull Man, Stone Man and... GutsMan, Cut Man, Magnet Man, because you three <em>insist<em> on working together. More of you will be selected before we move out."

Dr. Wily then grins, "Any questions?"

ProtoMan continues to remain silent, but is glad that he does not have to take part in this mission. He still worries because his brother will be in serious danger, (and so will Roll, because she will probably involve herself in the battle like she always does,) but surely they will find a way to survive this one.

"What about _you_, ProtoMan?" Wily calls into the bullhorn, pointing his aged finger directly at him, "Because you will be a part of this operation too, whether you like it or not."

Every eye in the hangar bay (or in some cases, every visual circuit) now turns to ProtoMan, who uncomfortably squirms in the back of the hangar. "Um... I don't have anything to add, Dr. Wily," he croaks, sounding so weak and vulnerable.

Wily grins, "I _order you_ to come to me and lend your expertise on how we can succeed today."

Proto looks more uncomfortable now as he forces himself to get to his feet and shamble towards his awaiting master. He can almost feel the stares from all the other robots all around him as his makes his way to Dr. Wily and everyone standing in front of him steps aside to clear the path, almost looking like a titanium parting of the sea.

When Proto reaches the tank where Wily now stands, he reluctantly says, "Because the entire country has been warned, you might want to strike on a location that is not a prime city, like New York, L.A., Dallas, Chicago, Detroit... even then, the police and the military are gonna be prepared for us, so we need to bring along a lot of back-up so we don't get ourselves killed. But, since you're trying to lure... my brother... you will need to draw him away from our back-up while our back-up draws everybody else from us."

Proto paused when mentioning Mega Man because it was so difficult for Proto to bring his brother up because of what he had to do to Mega (and to himself) last week in Central Park.

"Anything else?" Wily asks.

Proto sighs, "We need to travel on our way there and on our way back here, so maybe we can keep them off our back."

Into the bullhorn (likely just to embarrass ProtoMan), Wily belts, "Good idea, ProtoMan. I'm glad _I_ thought of it! To those of you whose names were called, prepare to deploy. And I want good SkullCopter and SkullJet pilots controlling these vehicles to provide back-up!"

After being degraded by Wily again, now in front of all the other robots here, ProtoMan sulks away to get out of here, now forced to prepare himself for a battle when he no longer has any heart for it... and he fears what will happen when he crosses paths with his brother in the field."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

As the world watches on with apprehension as they wait to learn when and where Dr. Wily's next attack will take place, so does Mega Man as he stares at a map displaying the readiness of the United states along with the Canadian provinces and that of Mexico.  
>Like the rest of the world, he fears what could happen today, and whose life could end up permanently changed because of it... or worse, <em>ended<em> because of it. And once again, the doubts that crept their way into his mind so badly in recent months have found their way back to the forefront.

He also wonders if the threat Dr. Wily teased in his rambling video is really the Project G-2 that Proto told him about before their forced parting of the ways last week. If it is every bit as bad as he was led to belive, this could prove to be just as big of a problem as Gamma was, if not worse, because this is a Wily creation.

But, even with the looming threat and his lingering doubts, Mega Man's thoughts still linger on what happened with ProtoMan the other night, and the prospect of having to fight him again today, which if Wily is to be believed, the two brothers will be forced to do battle again.

Mega's attention is suddenly bright back to the current dilemma when he hears the sharp ping on the monitor before him, showing activity coming out of the badlands where Skull Fortress is located.

"There he is," Mega says to Dr. Light right beside him.

"There is a larger amount of activity around him, that would indicate more than just one of his Skullkers are present," Thomas says.

"Do you think it's big enough to be a giant mech?" Mega asks, remembering what his brother told him about what Wily is building out behind his fortress.

Thomas replies, "It doesn't look like it. That would generate a larger trace on the radar. These are personal flying craft providing an escort, and a sizeable one at that. All we have to do is find out where he is heading."

As Mega Man and Dr. Light watch the screen, they see the Wily radar blips heading north-northeast at a faster pace than normal, clearing Arizona in less than a minute. "Wherever he's going, he's in a hurry," Mega says.

"You had better head out now so he does not get the chance to carry out whatever it is he plans on doing," Thomas suggests.

Mega heads out and contacts his sister in the house next door to the lab. "It's time to go, Roll. If you're coming along, that is."

_"I'll be right out. I've just got to tell Boo I'm going out... I hope he won't get scared without me here,"_ Roll replies.

Before Mega Man and Rush exit the lab, Mega turns to face his father, to which Thomas says. "Please try to forget what happened last week when you're out there."

Mega nods back, then runs out of the lab alongside Rush, racing straight out to the garage area. The heroic duo run past the vehicles parked in the garage until they reach the front exterior of the lab complex.

"Remember how we trained on the new adapter, Rush. If we see _You-Know-Who_, we use it and take the fight to him before he knows what hits him," Mega says.

Rush barks as he quickly transforms into jet mode, and Mega leaps from the ground and lands on his back as they jet away into the bright blue sky to being their attempt to intercept Wily before he ruins or ends any more lives. The thought of having the fight his own brother enters Mega's mind again, but if he does have to fight him, it will not be Proto's choice in the matter. It will be Dr. Wily's choice... and if Wily has his way, it will mean serious trouble.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Finally, the first battle of the episode is about to take place in the next chapter. (It was originally going to start in this chapter and carry over into the next, but it is better suited to have an entire chapter devoted to it.) It doesn't make for the most interesting of chapters, but it does set everything up.  
>I'm sorry if the title was not that great. It was the best I could come up with that tied into the story.<em>

_I hope the idea of Dr. Wily doing the same attack he did in the last episode doesn't sound too redundant. I wanted Wily to realize that he had found a way inside Mega's head so-to-speak, first by separating him from ProtoMan and trying to recreate the building collapse attack in the hopes of making him scared that somebody else would get hurt. (We'll see Mega's reaction when he learns exactly what Wily is doing in the next chapter.)_

_Did anybody get the 'Mr. T.' reference? I couldn't help myself. (Also, did you notice there is a third asset to The Conduit's stable? Who it is, we'll find out in the future.)_

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, continuity errors or any production notes left behind that are so embarrassing it would (NOTE: insert witty goofy joke here) please PM me.  
>(btw, that note you just saw was placed there intentionally. You don't need to send a PM about that one.)<em>


	117. Tipping the Dominoes

_**Episode 11, Chapter 5: Tipping the Dominoes.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Billings, Montana.<strong>

A pair of Dr. Wily's Skullkers arrive to the designated attack site along with several SkullCopters as escorts and a squadron of SkullJets to provide additional air support. The roar of the Skulljets flying by is so loud that it causes several windows on the nearby buildings to shake and crackle.

One of the Skullkers comes to a stop over the Shelleton Hotel, the tallest building in this relatively small cityscape, and the Robot Masters assigned to the explosives duty leap out, landing on the roof and begin racing inside, all three of them wearing extra capacity packs on their backs to increase the amount of explosives each one can generate.

Once inside the hotel, Crash Man and Napalm Man begin scaring away the visitors and employees out of their rooms and the hallways and send them all running for their lives, and the Robot Masters waste no time placing their Crash Bombs and Napalm Bombs while Bomb Man begins hurling away his new timer-based Hyper Bombs (which still includes wick sticking out of the top if he wants to do things the old fashioned way.)

Unlike when The Killer Ballade placed his explosive capsules on the middle to lower floors of the Highland building in New York (because that was all he could manage by himself), these three Robot Masters are rings as much of the building as they can to comply with Dr. Wily's plan to possibly bring the whole building down.

After Bomb Man places the last necessary Hyper Bomb on this floor, he calls to Dr. Wily in his duck-like voice, "We've got our first floor rigged to go, Dr. Wily!"

_"Don't waste time! Get to rigging the explosives on the other floors before Mega Man gets here!" _Wily yells.

In his southern military soldier-like drawl, Napalm Man suggests, "Gentlemen, I suggest we split up and cover more ground. We can cause maximum damage that way."

Bomb Man calls to Napalm Man, "Good idea. Napalm Man, you go plant your bombs on the middle floors; Crash Man, you do the lower floors."

Napalm Man replies, "Covering the middle floors now, Bomb Man, Sir!" Before using his built-in tank tread feet to head for his destination.

Crash Man approaches Bomb Man and barks, "Hey, why are you bossin' us around?"

"I was built before you, so I've got seniority. Let's get to work," Bomb Man quacks.

Crash Man shakes his head and runs for the nearest elevator. "Whatever you say..._ boss!_"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in the skies above the central United States.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush are soaring towards Wily and his robots at full throttle, while Roll is a ways behind them on her SkyCycle. And thanks to Dr. Light monitoring the situation back home at the lab, they know exactly where Wily's attack is taking place.

_"They seem to have stopped in Billings, Montana. They came in so quickly that the local authorities have not been able to scramble fast enough to repel them. And even then, Wily has so much back-up that they cannon even begin to mount a defence,"_ Thomas reports.

A woeful Mega Man responds, "We're close to Montana now. I hope we get there before the worst happens."

Realizing how out of character his son sounded just then, Dr. Light picks up on it. "What did you just say, Rock."

"I mean... we'll get there on time," Mega tries again. Once again, he is plagued by his doubts in himself, which have now been made even worse by what has happened since the Manhattan attack, and on top of that, he is still troubled by how he will have to fight ProtoMan again.  
>All he can do is hope these doubts subside when the time comes to do battle.<p>

"Roll, how close are you?" Mega calls.

_"I'm just crossing over into Minnesota. Sorry it took so long, but it took a little while to convince Boo to let me leave,"_ Roll replies.

Mega says, "Wily's already in Billings and he's attacking. Put that SkyCycle of yours in overdrive, but be sure to fly low to avoid getting hit by his air support. Wily might not have any regard for life and property, but his back-up can't fly between buildings that are that close together for too long. I'll see you there."

_"So much for not starting the fight without me,"_ Roll muses.

Mega firmly retorts, "People's lives are at stake. We can't afford to wait."

_"I was just joking, Mega! Lighten up!"_ Roll fires back.

"Roll... I'm sorry. I'm just concerned about Wily and what he's doing there," Mega insists.

"And ProtoMan," Roll adds.

It was difficult to accept, but Roll is right. Mega is distraught about having to fight ProtoMan again just as much as he is worried about what Wily will do today. And those worries are about to become much worse...

_"Rock, Roll, you are going to want to hear this,"_ Thomas calls.

"What's happened?" Mega asks.

_"Wily just sent in Bomb Man and two of his explosive-based Robot Masters into the hotel in Billings. It appears he wants to do the same thing here as he did to the Highland building last week."_

Mega Man's face becomes etched with serious concern. It was bad enough having to live with what happened to Janet in the last attack; it would be far worse if more people have to face the same fate (or worse) in a repeat of the same attack.

"Rush, I don't know if you can go any faster, but make it happen!" Mega orders.

Rush barks and tries to increase power to his thrusters to maximum, hoping to reach the hotel before Wily attempts to blow it up.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, just outside Billings city limits.<strong>

On his hoverboard, Tiesel Bonne (alias: Mr. Endo) flies his way towards the scene of the ongoing attack, clad entirely in camouflage (which is a worthless effort, because he is standing against the blue sky and normal buildings, making him clearly visible. Perhaps a better wardrobe choice would have helped.)  
>He comes to a stop on the roof of the first building he finds and he is overwhelmed by what he is about to embark into, including Wily's vehicles doing battle with police and helicopters and the first waves of the military. Perhaps this is all a little too much for him to handle.<p>

"Why am I doing this?" he blathers through his mask as he stares at the sight of Dr. Wily's various vehicles in the air, "Why in the name of God in Heaven himself am I doing this?"

As if his day was not already bizarre, he then receives a call on his pocket phone. "What?"

He then hears a familiar cutie-pie voice roaring at him though the phone which is connected to his main line back at the Gesselchaft. _"TIESEL! What are you DOING leaving the Gesselchaft!"_

"Sorry, Tron. I really am. But, there's something I've gotta do out here! It's, uh, pretty important!"

_"Are you seriously trying to do your superhero antics again? You're not Mega Man, Tiesel!"_

Tiesel then sees that he has an incoming call from The Conduit on the same phone. Tiesel tries shooing his little sister off the line. "Tron I've gotta go, I'll call when I'm available, assuming I'm alive at the time. Bye!"

Tron's voice shrieks until it gets cut off, "Don't you dare hang-"

"Yes!" a panic-stricken Tiesel answers.

The Conduit's voice replies, _"Are you in Billings yet, Mr. Endo?"_

"Yes... I don't think I can do this. There's no way I can make it past all these helicopters and jets that Wily has all over the place. And then there's his robots all over the place. And then there's the police everywhere. _And_ Mega Man's not even here yet!"

_"You are going to make it past the outer threats to get inside that building and you will do what I told you to do. Need I remind you of what actions I will take if you abandon my operation?"_ The Conduit says, vaguely threatening Tiesel with evidence of his involvement in The Conduit's illegal operation find it's way into the hands of the authorities.

After a moment of stunned silence, and a gulp for good measure, Tiesel utters, "I see your point! I'll let you know when I get inside... if I survive."

Tiesel disconnects and stares at the hotel in the distance, lying down on his stomach atop the hoverboard and clutching the manual operational control in his hands. With on press of a button a support belt wraps itself around his body to help secure him to the board itself.

"This was a bad idea!" He bemoans to himself before sending the hoverboard into full speed, zooming towards the hotel as fast as he can, screaming his lungs out all the way there.

Tiesel and his hoverboard zip past the other buildings and swerve their way out of the path of a SkullCopter looming overhead as it is too busy battling the Police chopper nearby.  
>When the hotel is close enough, Tiesel puts his head flat down on the head of the hoverboard and puts his arms over his head, bracing himself for the crash he is about to take through the crackled window. And he continues to scream.<p>

Tiesel and the hoverboard crashes through the window and lands with a loud thud in the abandoned hallway. After Tiesel and his board come to a complete stop, he looks up and lets out a brief cough, shocked that he is still alive.

Tiesel raises the phone to his face and calls The Conduit, and in a weary voice, warbles, "I'm inside."

* * *

><p>Back in Billings, The police tries to mount an offensive to fend off Wily's forces, but the presence of the SkullCopters, SkullJets and even more Robot Masters outside make it very difficult for them to do anything. Even air support from friendly helicopters and jets that have been scrambled out here cannot mount a strong defense because of the presence of Wily's air support.<p>

Meanwhile, several scared human and robots begin running out into the streets as the Robot Masters menace them. This sight is all too familiar, looking much like the last attack that took place at the building in New York during Wily's last attack.

And down on the streets, watching all of this unfold is ProtoMan, not getting himself involved in the activity and not willing to do anything to prevent what is about to happen.  
>He had been in the middle of many attacks like this one as an active participant and even when he was on the outs with Dr. Wily, he would still put forth his best effort. The thrill of the battle made ProtoMan feel alive then.<br>Now, he felt no inspiration to do so much as_ move_ as the battle erupted all around him.

Proto mourns for his old self, the ProtoMan who would have rallied to troops (whether the other robots liked him or not) and get the job done to the best of his ability, and all without causing so much as one casualty or even serious human injury in the process.

_"ProtoMan!"_ barks the voice of Dr. Wily on ProtoMan's forearm communicator, startling him.

"Y-yes, Dr. Wily?" a shaken Proto replies.

_"We are about to have some very important company arriving in the form of your brother. I order you to fight him and to show no remorse. Cheat, scratch and backfight your way to victory.. or else!"_

ProtoMan could feel his circuits chill over. After ripping his own heart out by so harshly turning on his brother, now he is being forced to enter battle with him and fight as dirty as Wily wants him to.  
>Proto doesn't want to, but he has no choice because he knows that if he doesn't, Wily will hurt him again.<p>

ProtoMan reluctantly arms his plasma cannon, and bites back his fear as much as he can so that he will stand a chance at fighting his brother. Proto can feel his internal regenerator (or robot's equivalent of the heart) working faster now, extremely overcome with fear, nerves and regret.  
>He doesn't know how he is going to do this, but he has to.<p>

_"Prepare yourselves, robots! Mega Man is almost here with his stupid mutt-bot! Attack him as soon as you see the slightest trace of his blue carcass!"_

* * *

><p>"There they all are, outside the hotel!" Mega calls to Rush as they approach the city, "Swoop down and let's get them out of here!"<p>

The Skull Jets pick them up first and attempt to shoot them down, But, Mega fires off two powerful blasts at two of the incoming fighters, causing them to veer out of control and eventually crash into patches of open land outside the city.

Then, as Rush takes a sharp nosedive to the ground, the Robot Masters down below begin firing all of their weapons and projectiles up towards Mega and Rush, and Mega recognizes some of the bright flashes of plasma as those of ProtoMan's.

Mega Man opens fire on the way down, blasting down Spark Man and Plant Man as Rush continues to evade their fire. But, even as he aims at the other Robot Masters around, his primary focus is on ProtoMan.

"Draw him inside the hotel! I want him buried alive!" Dr. Wily orders, and the Robot Masters begin racing inside as he ordered, with ProtoMan sluggishly following.

Mega Man and Rush reach ground level and deal with Wind Man, who was hanging behind too long to try to provide cover for his cohorts. He attempts to use his wind attack, but Mega blast him down for his troubles.

Mega then races past the fleeing innocents and crashes himself through the front glass window to begin battling the Robot Masters inside the main lobby area, as ProtoMan watches on, still shaken.  
>And little does Mega realize, but he and Rush are about to fall into Wily's death trap. Or more accurately, the death trap is about to fall <em>onto them<em>.

* * *

><p>On the floors above the battle, the three explosives Robot Masters continue planting their bombs inside the building, but they have little time left to get the job done.<p>

_"Attention! Plant whatever explosives you have left and pull out of that building! Mega Man is here and I want to detonate the entire stockpile on top of him!"_ calls the voice of Dr. Wily.

_"Sir, yes, sir, Dr. Wily!"_ replies Napalm Man.

_"Roger that!"_ Bomb Man quacks.

Crash Man is on the second floor, just one above where the battle has now spilling into. "I'm right above the lobby, Dr. Wily. I think I can plant the rest of these Crash Bomb down there and really get 'im good!"

_"Fine, Crash Man. Plant your remaining Crash Bombs and get out of there before I detonate them,"_ Wily permits.

"With pleasure!" Crash Man replies as he runs into the nearest stairwell and leaps downstairs to plant the rest of the explosives.

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Rush continue battling the Robot Masters in the lobby of the hotel, first firing a blast into the open 'duct' atop Dust Man's head, which causes the duct to explode and knock the Robot Master out on the floor.<br>Skull Man then tries to fire upon Mega with his own blaster, but Mega jukes to the side to save himself and fire back at the Robot Master. But, the skeletal Robot Master deploys his rotating Skull Shields around his body and they block the plasma shot, and the little skulls that absorb the shot then drop to the floor all burnt up

Meanwhile, as Mega Man battles the Robot Masters, ProtoMan continues to train his blaster at his brother, but unlike his old self, he now has difficulty even _firing_ it at him. The fear conflicting with his emotions toward his brother is now crippling him at a time he cannot afford such a setback.

"Come on, Proto! Blast him!" Cut Man urges.

Under the pressure of his fellow robots and the fear of what Wily will do if he does not fight, ProtoMan fires off at shot at Mega Man, but it misses him. And the blast was so badly aimed that Mega Man did not even avoid it or even know he had been shot at until after the fact.  
>It was perhaps the worst attempt at a blast that ProtoMan had ever fired in his life.<p>

"What is with you, ProtoMan?" Magnet Man calls.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't hit him!" Proto nearly mumbles.

"Don't worry, ProtoMan. I've got 'im!" GutsMan calls, ripping the hotel front desk out of the floor and hurling it at Mega Man.

Mega Man looks over his shoulder and sees the front desk flying in his direction, and he cannot turn himself around in time to blast it or evade it before it collides with him and pins him down to the floor.

GutsMan celebrates, pumping his large yellow fists in the air. "HA HA! I got the blue dweeb!"

"Eh-heh! Now it's time to _CUT_ HIM DOWN TO SIZE!" Cut Man clamors, using one of his favorite (and overused) phrases.

"_Why_ do you keep using that phrase?" Magnet Man asks Cut Man, abruptly, "You're _always_ saying you're going to cut Mega Man down to size!"

Cut Man and GutsMan look at each other, completely baffled that Magnet Man would say this. Cut Man replies, "That's because I'm going to _Cut_ him down to size! And I'm going to use my sheers to do it!"

"Not today, you're not!" yells the voice of Roll, who runs inside the hotel with her small buzz saw inside her utility arm primed and ready.

Upon seeing the ladybot who earlier this year threw Cut Man's own scissors back at him (and they landed in a place he would rather not have been hit) and who later this year defeated Top Man (by hitting him in an_ even worse_ place to be struck), Cut Man yelps and begins running away and taking cover behind GutsMan.

"Keep that crazy woman away from me!" he panics.

"I'll deal with her for ya', Cut Man! She won't be too much of a problem, just like her coward blue brother," GutsMan proclaims... before he is struck twice in the cest by Mega Man's blaster.

Meanwhile, Rush is helping Mega pull the desk off of himself so he can return to the battle. "If you mess with my family, Gutsy, you mess with me!" he shouts, firing off another blast that knocks GutsMan down to the floor.  
>"And we're not cowards," Mega punctuates.<p>

As Skull Man tries to attack Mega Man again, Mega fires repeated blasts that obliterate Skull Man's rotating skull shields and finally manages to strike him twice in the chest. And once his defences are down, Rush leaps for Skull Man and bites him, (because his armor is somewhat similar to a skeleton, and skeletons are supposed to be made of bones. So, naturally, Rush wanted a bite.)

Once Cut Man realizes he no longer has any cover now that GutsMan is down, he freaks out again, now running behind Magnet Man for protection as Roll continues to race towards him. "Keep her away from me and I'll do anything you want! I'll even _cut_ your food for you!" Cut Man cowers.

"Pipe down just a second, will ya?" Magnet Man mutters as he lines up Roll for a shot and fires off a Magnet Missile towards her.

Roll barely manages to avoid getting hit when she comes to a stop in mid-run, and the magnet is drawn to a tipped file cabinet from what used to be the front desk. But, the force of the explosion shoves Roll off her feet and down to the floor and if it were not for the fallen file cabinet, Roll would have been doomed.

Mega Man races for Magnet Man to help his sister out before the Robot Master could harm her, but ProtoMan is the only one between them.

ProtoMan has watched on helplessly, looking more like a shocked bystander than an active participant in the battle. Remembering Dr. Wily's orders to fight Mega Man or else, he panics when he considers that if this operation fails Wily could blame him for it, and with that would come more painful 'experimentation.'

Proto then suddenly lunges for his younger brother and tackles him before he could deal with Magnet Man and the two begin scrapping on the floor. However, because his heart is not in the fight, his attempts at offense is very weak, not even trying to hurt Mega Man, but weakly trying to pin him down, to which Mega takes total advantage of, quickly regaining his vertical base and gaining the upper hand on Proto.

"Why do we have to do this, Proto?" Mega Man barks as he shoves his brother off of him.

"Because, you're... my enemy," Proto replies as he aims his blaster at Mega, sounding very unsure of himself and not believing a word he says.

After this, Mega gets angry, finally becoming fed up with his older brother's (supposed) staunch allegiance to Dr. Wily, and letting his already-ravaged emotions get the better of him again, Mega decides that if he cannot talk some sence into his brother, he has no choice but to knock it into him the hard way.

"I don't want to fight you, but I have no choice!" Mega shouts as he runs for Proto.

ProtoMan tries firing another blast at him, but again he misses horribly and Mega tackles him and plows him through another plate-glass window in front of the hotel, taking the fight back outside into the street.  
>Once Mega takes over, the scrap goes all Mega Man's way, with the hero punching his brother repeatedly in the stomach.<p>

"Stop doing this to us, Proto! Get away from this monster, or I'm gonna have to blast you right here!" Mega yells.

"Wait! Stop!" Proto cries out, as he puts his arms up to shield his face, "Please... stop!"

Mega Man freezes cold when he hears his brother pleading for mercy to stop hurting him, sounding so weak and vulnerable. Mega had _never_ heard ProtoMan sound like this before, until now. He even looks weak, cowering to an enemy, when ProtoMan always took too much pride in ever letting himself look weak.

Mega compassion kicks in and he stops attacking his brother immediately and looks upon him with remorse. "What's wrong with you?"

In a near whimper, Proto mutters, "I can't! I can't do this anymore!" ...

* * *

><p>Back inside, Magnet Man uses this lull in fighting and the sudden absence of Mega Man to get the upper hand on his battle with Roll. And Cut Man begins feeling a boost in his confidence because his foe is at a disadvantage.<p>

"Eh-heh! Now we can make paper dolls out of her!" Cut Man wheezes wickedly, using _another_ overused phrase of his.

"You might want to take cover again, preferably elsewhere other than behind my back," Magnet Man suggests, "When I use my magnetism power, you'll be drawn to it too."

Cut Man gulps, "Er- Whatever you say!"

As Cut Man scurries away and tries to gather the rest of his fallen Robot Masters, Rush races to Roll to help her and she makes it back to her feet and stands ready to fight again, this time with her dog at her side. "Is that all you've got, you big Robo-goon?"

"No!" Magnet Man replies simply as he begins powering up his large 'U-shaped magnet ornament on his forehead. The Robot Master then balls his fists and his eyes turn a frightening red as he begins using his magnetic powers.

As the magnetic pull becomes stronger, various items as small as paperclips and as large as full file cabinets are be pulled in Magnet Man's direction. And because Roll and Rush themselves are made from metallic elements, they too get pulled in his direction.

Rush begins jetting himself in the opposite direction and Roll grabs onto a desk for safety, but even the desk itself gets pulled along with her. Eventually, there is nothing that can save her from getting pulled to Magnet Man's location.  
>Once Roll and the desk she clings on to reaches Magnet Man, he powers down his magnetic pull and grabs Roll by her collar.<p>

"I'm not exactly a womanizer like ElecMan is, and ever since I got my new personality I'm not one to hit a lady. But, since you're my boss' enemy and mine as well, I think I'll have to make an exception!" Magnet Man threatens.

"I'm not worried about hitting _you_, Magnet boy!" Roll grunts as she sneakily switches her utility arm over to the dreaded frying pan mode and whacks him upside his head with it.

Magnet Man staggers around on spaghetti legs like a drunk man, until Roll whacks him again, this time damaging the magnet ornament on his forehead, and knocking him and his circuits out.

He was out cold now and he fell to the floor in a heap... the only problem now was that Roll's pan was stuck to the magnet on Magnet Man's head and he pulls her down with him. Roll tries pulling the frying pan off his head, but the magnet is still pulsating with leftover power, and she cannot get it unstuck.

"Oh, _great_!" Roll groans.

Seeing that Roll's fighting ability is hindered now that she is stuck on Magnet Man's magnet, Cut Man is now full of bravado and moseys his way over to Roll as he pulls the scissors of the top of his head.

"Look who's the weak fighter now, Girly Bot! Eh-heh! Eh-heh! Now I'm going to get back at you for _cutting_ my hinder! Without your arm full of house item and just your feet, you don't stand a chance against me!" Cut Man taunts, juggling his pair of cutters in his hands from right to left and back again.

When Cut Man is close enough, Roll tries throwing a kick, but Cut Man backs off. "Try me, you orange goofball! I can still beat you even with just my feet!"

Rush jumps between Cut Man and Roll to defend her, snarling up at Cut Man and showing his teeth.

"Wait a minute! Now it's two against one! This is unfair!" Cut Man complains. "But, I'll get you to _cut_ it out! Fellas! Wakes up and come help me!"

After Cut Man calls to the Robot Masters, they begin to stagger to their feet, coming out of the cover that Cut Man and barely managed to put them behind before Magnet Man used his magnetic pull powers. Some of them are still badly damaged and try to escape, but other are still able to fight.

"This is not good!" Roll bemoans as she continues trying to pull her frying pan apart from magnet Man's head.

Rush gulps as he looks around at the Robot Masters rising and lets out a bark to Mega Man, who is still busy with ProtoMan outside.

Meanwhile, as all of this chaos went on around him, Crash Man has snuck around placing the remaining Crash Bombs in each corner of the lobby floor. Once the wave of magnetic pull died down after Roll whacked him with the frying pan, Crash Man raced to plant the last of the Crash Bombs

And after he does plant the last explosive, he calls Dr. Wily again. "It's all done, Dr. Wily. This place is ready to go sky high!"

* * *

><p>As he receives the update from Crash Man, Dr. Wily watches on from above in the primary Skullker and becomes angered when he sees that ProtoMan let the battle with Mega Man spill <em>outside<em> the hotel instead of keeping him contained inside where he would have been crushed by the building when the time comes to detonate.  
>But, he also sees that Rush and Roll are still inside... and that evil old face of his twists into a grin as he decides their fates in a nanosecond.<p>

"Attention Robot Masters, evacuate the building now! Detonation in thirty seconds!" he calls.

* * *

><p>Tiesel makes his way through the hotel, trying to find an elevator or a stairwell so he can get downstairs and do what The Conduit told him to do, even though he is now having serious second thoughts which are only made worse with each crashing and blasting sound he hears from downstairs and outside.<br>But, what he finds on his way makes him wish he had never signed up for this to begin with...

"Bombs!" he shudders when he sees some of Crash Man's Crash Bombs implanted into the wall at a structural point in the building.

Feeling like his heart is about to stop working for a moment, Tiesel grabs the phone and freaks, "There are bombs here!"

_"Dr. Wily is rigging the building to explode again like he did the Highland Industries building Manhattan. You may not have very much time,"_ The Conduit says.

"You didn't tell me that whole place was gonna blow up!" Tiesel whines as he begins running away from the placed bombs.

_"Wily's threat was vague, it was difficult to discern what he would do next. You need to remain calm. You know what to do from this point on."_

At that moment, all the bombs in the building detonate, creating a frighteningly loud booming roar and Tiesel falls to his feet. But, after he does, he can feel the entire building beginning to lurch, like it is going to come down any minute.

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Tiesel wails as he gets up and runs for his life heading for the same window he arrived through and holding his hoverboard out in front of him. Once he reaches the window, the board takes off and he barely makes it on top of it and flees for his life.  
>Even though his involvement in this was an absolute disaster (he did not even do what he was sent here for), at least he escaped with his life. The robots who are caught on the lower floor aren't as lucky to have a quick escape...<p>

* * *

><p>As Tiesel Bonne was too busy trying to pull himself out of danger, Cut Man was starting to become confident again as his fellow Robot Masters were getting to their feet, save for Magnet Man (who was still knocked out) and Dust Man (who was too damaged to fight right now.)<br>And Roll was still trying to pull her frying pan free as Rush stood as her only defence.

But, when Wily's order had come in, all the Robot Masters looked panicked and began to run away. But, the order was sent out as a direct internal comm link communication that Wily's robots only hear in their own heads, and that Roll did not hear.  
>But, Roll knew that even though she was out of danger from them, she and Rush might be in an even worse situation any second.<p>

"Rush, get out of here now!" she urgently calls to Rush in the seconds before the bombs went off.

Rush gives back a panicked bark in confusion.

Roll insists, "Just go! I'll be right out after-"

**BOOM!**

Roll can see the bright fireballs from the planted Crash Bombs nearby and feels the whole building rumbling as dust begins to rain down.  
>"RUSH, GO!" she shouts, entering a command in her utility arm to detach the frying pan from her arm. She is mad at herself that she didn't think of this sooner, but she had forgotten about the threat that was posed to this building while she was in the thick of the combat.<p>

Once she is disconnected, Roll begins running for her life to the outside, but the dilemma only gets worse and everything begins trembling more violently. And as Rush makes it out, she sees things getting darker all around her... the building is collapsing, and she will be buried in it any second... and she is still too far away from the door...

After all the close calls, Roll has the frightening moment where realizes there is no way she going to make it out... in a matter of nanoseconds she fears about how Mega and Dr. Light will do if she does not survive this, and she worries about Boo and who will take care of him and how heartbroken he will be without his mommy...

Then, the ceiling above her begins to cave in and come down towards her... and she felt her whole body being pinned down to the floor as everything suddenly became blindingly bright all around her, and her body slowly went limp as she felt weight on top of her, like all of her energy was being drained... but it did not feel like building materials falling on top of her... it felt like a metal body above her...

"Stay down!" urgently called a very familiar voice into her ears... and when her energy is nearly depleted, Roll passes out.

* * *

><p>Back outside, Mega Man had heard Rush's barks and had turned his attention away from ProtoMan to head back inside, but the detonation of the bombs was so intense that it violently knocked standing everybody outside to the ground as glass from the broken windows rained down upon them.<p>

As Mega regains his composure, he looks up and becomes paralyzed with fear as he watches every floor from the top of the building fall down to the bottom, leaving only the outer structure of the building remaining standing.

Mega sees Rush fly out just in the nick of time... but Roll never made it out.

"ROOOOOOLLLLLLLL!" Mega cries out loud, running into the wall of dust that suddenly encapsulates the scene

ProtoMan also watches on horrified, his eyes wide as he stares ahead at the crumbled building from behind his visor. He could only barely see his brother through the dust cloud all around them as he desperately tries to dig into the debris now stuffed on the bottom floors.

Then, ProtoMan can hear the voice of Dr. Wily on his communicator again. _"Do it, ProtoMan! Blast Mega Man to bits!"_

As he watches his little brother try to save his sister, ProtoMan hesitates. "I can't! My sister's in there," Proto shudders.

Dr. Wily yells back, _"DO IT, I COMMAND YOU!"_

Too scared of the pain and the threat of death, and no longer having any backbone after Wily seemingly removed it from him, Proto forces himself to continue fighting his brother, even though he knows it is the wrong thing to do.

Instead of using his blaster to attack Mega Man, Proto lunges for his brother and takes him down to the ground cracking the concrete sidewalk below them when they hit it. A panic-stricken Mega Man tries to fight himself off of his brother so he can get to his poor sister.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Mega Man yells with fear and fury in his voice, "That's _our sister_ in there!"

Mega Man punches Proto in the jaw and knocks him off, but in his rage, Mega Man now violently struggles with his own brother. "YOU'RE CHOOSING WILY OVER YOUR OWN FAMILY?" he yells.

"I have to!" Proto nearly whimpers.

Mega Man threatens, "If my sister dies..." But he never finished his threat, turning back around to try to unbury his sister.

* * *

><p>Back at the lab, Dr. Light is overwhelmed with fear as well, because he just had to watch an entire building collapse on top of his only daughter.<p>

He also head screamed Roll's name when he watched the events in Montana and began scrambling to get the Robo Rescue Squad to that building now.

Fortunately, Eddie was given the task of keeping Peekaboo busy by playing with him while Roll was away, so the Met is unaware of this. If he saw this, he would be screaming beeps right now.

Communicating with the Robo Rescue Squad, Thomas orders, "Get your best units on the hotel and get my daughter out of there. I don't care how difficult it is. Just do it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the wreckage of the hotel.<strong>

Underneath the rubble massed on the inside of what used to be the lobby, a shift begins to take place from deep within and it continues to expand until a 'hill' forms in the rubble heap.

This is all thanks to the power of a quadirium-powered deflector shield bubble strong enough to provide protection from debris like this, and to push it away. And deep inside this expanded 'bubble' of quadirium shielding is Bass, who was in his merged form with Treble. He had raced into the lobby like a bolt of lightning when the building began to collapse and pinned Roll down to protect her.

As Bass stands tall, surrounded by his powerful quadirium (or Bassinium in his case) shielding bubble, he looks down and sees Roll's fallen body lying flat on her front side.

Bass kneels down and turns her around so that her body faces up and he stares at her for several seconds.  
>Her blonde hair is dirty with chunks of rubble in it, her face was slightly dusty and her outfit was torn. But, she was undamaged, and her perfect beautiful face and physical form were not harmed in the slightest, even her skin remains unblemished. Roll is not awake, however, and Bass becomes concerned about her.<p>

"Roll!" Bass called with a pang of worry, "Speak to me!"

After Roll does not move, let alone respond, Bass puts his head close to her torso, listening for any sign of life with his advanced audio sensors. He hears all of her inner systems working, including her internal regulator, (or heart) but they are running on minimal power.  
>After grabbing her left forearm, Bass checks her energy readout and sees that she has been completely drained and is running on emergency reserve power. But, this is nothing life-threatening. All she needs is a recharging, and she will be fine.<p>

"She's okay," Bass says to himself after a beat, "The power of my Bassinium shield must have been too much for her systems to handle on their own."

Bass finds himself staring down at Roll, the object of his undying attraction from the day he first saw her. His eyes study her face, all the way down her body. He wanted to study every curve and nuance she had and memorize every bit.  
>He then lightly strokes the side of her dusty face, which even with the slight smattering of dust on it is the most beautiful sight he has ever known.<p>

"I finally have you, my queen," he says silently, "I will take you with me, and reign of power over the world will commence."

Bass scoops Roll's limp body into his arms and prepares to blast his way out from under the rubble and take her with him, and nobody could stop him from doing so. But, Bass stops when he remembers something that Roll herself had told him when he had first taken her to be his own several months ago... she told him that it was wrong to take somebody against their will. (And the first time he took her a few months ago, she was no very pleased with him.)

And not only did Roll's words get to him, but he also assesses that it would be difficult for her to take care of her when he currently has no easy way of repairing her if she has any internal damage.

Speaking again, Bass says, "I need to return her to Thomas Light. He can heal her and she can be with her family... then, maybe she will think better of me."

Bass looks down upon Roll's face again and he feels his emotions begin stirring deep inside. He cannot fight the urge any longer to do something he has dreamed of doing, and he brushes aside some of her teased blonde bangs and leans into her face... and he gently kisses her on her forehead.

Bass's circuits tingle when he plants his lips upon her soft skin. It was thrilling. It was what he had dreamed about ever since he first touched her skin. And in Bass' mind, he _will_ have the change to kiss her again.

"You will be my queen one day. And that day is coming very soon," Bass says as he prepares to remove Roll from this rubble pile and return her to her family.

* * *

><p>Underneath the cloud of dust that now surrounds what's left of the hotel, Mega Man desperately tries to dig though the rubble as several members of the Robo Rescue Squad race to the scene and join him.<p>

"No, Roll! Please be alive!" Mega Man whines on the verge of sobbing.

Nearby, the Robot Masters have already escaped to the safety of the Skullkers above, but ProtoMan lies in a heap on the ground, emotionally broken and unable to fight. But, the fear of Dr. Wily's threat lingers in his mind and he tries to aim his blaster at his brother again... But, he just can't do it.

"ProtoMan! Are you still alive?" Wily calls.

"Yeah.. I can't do it, Dr. Wily. Please don't make me!" Proto nearly weeps.

The voice of Dr. Wily barks back, _"We are about to leave in one minute! And you had better blast him that time comes, ProtoMan, or I will use the torture programs on you myself! SLOWLY!"_

Now becoming paralyzed with fear, ProtoMan raises his trembling blaster arm at Mega again and tries to line up a shot. It feels so wrong on every level to do this, mainly when his sister is buried underneath all the rubble. But, in his weakened state of mind, Proto yields to Wily's orders.

But, then, a bright shot of purple plasma emerges from the rubble and shoots skyward, so bright and powerful that it cuts through the massive dust cloud wafting into the sky.  
>Once Mega Man sees the purple blast he freezes again, recognizing it right away as the same shade of Quadirium-powered plasma used by Bass.<p>

"Everybody, back up!" Mega calls.

"What?" replies a confused Robo Rescue Squad member.

"Trust me, we're in real trouble now!" Mega replies, "Rush, be ready to use the adapter!"

Another blast blows a wall clean through the front exterior wall of the already wrecked hotel and seconds later, Bass - still in merged form with Treble - hovers through the hole he just made, carrying a limp Roll in his arms. The Rescue team begins backing away from the powerful robot warrior as he hovers his way down to the surface, until he is face to face with Mega Man again.

Mega Man stares into Bass's dark red eyes, with his plasma cannon fully armed and ready to fight, with Rush standing beside him and ready to jump into battle and use the new adapter that Brain Bot built into them.  
>As focused as Mega is for Bass (a far cry from the scared state he was in when he saw him a few weeks ago), Mega still has a fear of Bass' presence in the back of his mind. And he is very concerned for Roll's health much more than h is about battling his enemy.<p>

Meanwhile, ProtoMan remains kneeling on the ground and watches in stunned silence. Although it should come as no surprise that Bass has saved Roll (because he does have an unhealthy obsession with her, after all), he is still taken aback that he selflessly helped her. And not to mention grateful.

After several tense seconds, Bass offers possession of Roll over to Mega Man, holding her out for Mega to take back. "As much as I hate you, I had no choice but to intervene."

"My sister... is she..." Mega begins to ask, afraid to finish the question.

Bass answers, "She is alive, but her energy is low. Take her back to your creator, he will be able to repair her easily. I did her no harm."

Mega Man reaches out with his arms and Bass gentle hands Roll over to her brother. As Mega now takes Roll in his arms, he almost loses control of his emotions. Never had Mega Man felt so relieved to hold another life in his hands than that of Roll's at this very moment (aside from when he saved Kalinka from The Killers a few weeks ago in Manhattan.) He was so afraid he had lost his only little sister for real this time, but now she is safe... thanks to _Bass_ of all robots.

"Bass... Thank you," Mega graciously says.

"Just make sure she learns who saved her," Bass states firmly.

Bass de-merges with Treble and the two robots separate into two separate units again, and Treble transforms into jet mode as Bass steps atop of him and prepares to leave. And as he looks down, he sees ProtoMan staring up at him.

"Hello again, _Big Brother._ I've noticed you have grown even weaker since we last met. How unfortunate," Bass taunts with a grin.

ProtoMan frowns as Bass begins to leave. Inside, Bass' insult hurt him, when in the past it would not have phased him in the slightest. It was just another wound Proto now has to bear with him.  
>The only solace Proto takes is looking over and seeing Mega Man holding Roll in his arms and knowing that his sister - even though she hates his guts too - will be okay.<p>

_"ProtoMan! Was that Bass I just saw?"_ an enthused Dr. Wily calls.

"Yeah. It was," ProtoMan nervously replies.

_"Get back onboard the Skullker now. We are leaving this city before we get nuked out of orbit!"_ Dr. Wily barks.

With Wily's order, ProtoMan now feels alleviated that he no longer has to attack his brother. It is like a weight of a thousand tons was just taken off his chest and he eased himself out of his stressful state.

After glancing at Mega Man who was still holding Roll in his arms, ProtoMan begins running away towards the Skullker that awaits him just at the edge of the dust cloud in the streets.

Mega Man looks over his shoulder and watches as his older brother run away without so much as an apology. He feels bitter towards him for what he did here today by having the gall to fight him while their sister's life was in danger. But, as mad as he still may be, there was something about Proto that struck him pretty hard too.

Proto was not acting like himself at all. He did not even sound like he did when they had their falling out last week. He looked so weak and ineffectual, and the sound in his voice when he said that he had to fight him sounded bothersome to Mega.

As mad as Mega Man is at his brother, he can't help but get back that sense that maybe Wily has done something to him that made him change so suddenly.

The sound of the wailing sirens brings Mega's focus back to Roll's well-being as she lies in his arms, and Rush looks up and whimpers.

"We've got to get her home to the lab and fast. Double-time it back to New York, Rush," Mega Man.

As Rush transforms, the Robo Rescue Squad and various members of the Montana emergency unit race to the scene, along with the Billings Police Captain, who along with the humans nearby, are now wearing masks to prevent inhalation of the dust. "You go ahead and head out, Mega Man. Wily is about to have every aircraft in the region going after him and we don't think there are any victims still inside, thank God, but we've got things from here."

"Thank you," Mega says as he steps on Rush's back, "I'm sorry all this happened."

"Yeah... this one's gonna put a hole in the state's wallet, that's for sure. But we can rebuild the place. At least everybody's okay."

"Almost everybody," Mega points out, holding his sister in his arms as Rush begins to jet them back home so Roll can be repaired.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_**"I'll CUT you down to size!"** Cut Man used that particular line on the cartoon show all the time. But, I decided to use it here and have Magnet Man call him out on his overuse of it. (To be fair, GutsMan's overuse of "Blue Dweeb" and "Mega Twerp" or far more prevalent.)_

_Not much else to say about this chapter, other than I had to make up a name for the hotel, because I don't want to depict an actual building be attacked and mostly destroyed._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos, production notes or continuity errors so it would **CUT** US ALL DOWN TO SIZE, please PM me. Don't worry. Roll will be healthy again in the next chapter._

_(And where are Enker and Punk?)_


	118. Getting Back Together

_**Episode**** 11, Chapter 6: Getting Back Together.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

As the entire Light family of robots are gathered in the lab, Dr. Light hunches over the lab's work table where Roll now lies, still unconscious from the encounter with Bass and his Bassinium shielding inadvertently exhausting her power. He quickly connects the power regulator directly to Roll's utility arm to feed her energy more directly, without having to pour the juice from an energy can into her mouth.

Meanwhile, poor Peekaboo is being held in Mega's arms and looks upon his sleeping Mommy's body, looking like he is about to cry. When Uncle Mega and Roll came back home, he had come running into the lab expecting everything to be normal, but he was shocked and horrified to see his Uncle Mega carrying Roll in his arms and was scared that she was... like Doc now.

A worried Boo bleeps up to Dr. Light with his lower lip poking out, asking if Mommy's going to wake up again.

"Don't worry, little one. Roll just needs to regain her energy. She should be up any second," Thomas replies, sounding confident, but still worried about his daughter having any exposure to Bass' powerful Bassinium/Quadirium when she lacks the protection that Mega Man has with his body armor.

When her energy begins to rise, Roll finally awakens and she tries to sit-up, still feeling light-headed from her energy drainage and putting a hand to her forehead.

"Where am I?" she asks in a tired voice.

Dr. Light holds on to his daughter to help her sit up. "You're back home, Roll."

Seeing that his mommy is alive and unharmed, Boo bleeps to her.

Roll looks up and holds her arms out. "Aw, Boo!" she calls, still sounding tired.

Boo jumps from Mega Man's arms and into Roll's before he could be handed to her, letting out a little beep as he lands in her arms. And he is so relieved and elated to see his mommy alive that he wraps his extension arm around her waist several times.  
>Even Eddie, Beat and Rush are happy to see that Roll is okay<p>

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Boo. I was just asleep, but I'm okay now," Roll coos as she cuddles her Met into her arms.

"This might sound like an inconvenience to you, but I want to run a full diagnostic on your systems after... well, what took place today," Thomas says.

Roll then looks up to Mega and Dr. Light. "What happened back there? All I remember is trying to run out of the building before it collapsed."

Mega begins to explain, "The bombs Wily planted went off and all the floors caved in. Thankfully, everybody escaped and nobody was badly hurt... And..."

Mega looks towards Dr. Light and asks, "Should _you_ tell her the rest, or should I?"

As Mega Man and Dr. Light decide how to explain how Roll made it out alive (and who was responsible for it), Roll looks at her father and brother, left confused about what happened.

"_What_ happened?" a puzzled Roll asks again.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After fleeing the city of Billings, Dr. Wily's caravan of Skullkers, SkullCopters and Skull Jets were followed by aircraft from the Montana police and the local chapters of the National Guard. But, thanks to the strategy ProtoMan was forced to give Wily, the mad scientist and his escort made it back to Skull Fortress unscathed, save for a few downed secondary craft back in Billings.

Now, Dr. Wily paces the floor of his command center back and forth in a straight line, angry that Mega Man and Roll both survived the building collapse, which rendered the entire plan useless. But, foremost on his mind is the surprising appearance of Bass in Montana.

"What was he doing there?" Wily rants to himself, "Why didn't he kill Mega Man? Why hasn't he responded!"

Dr. Wily grabs the Bass communicator out of his lab coat pocket and tries to hail him again. "Bass, I know you are out there. Respond to me now! That is a direct order!"

And once again, Bass does not answer his creator, leaving Wily to growl in frustration as he nearly breaks the communicator in his hands with a hard grip on it. Things were was bad enough that ProtoMan had the gall not to fight Mega Man weeks ago, but now Bass is directly contradicting direct orders given to him (which he can do, unlike other robots under Wily's command, thanks to his unshackled directives system.)

Seconds later, ProtoMan arrives to the command center, and even though the doors are open already, ProtoMan feels the need to knock at the outside for his master's permission to enter.

Without even giving Proto the courtesy to walk inside the room, Dr. Wily turns around and barks, "What was Bass doing there?"

Startled, ProtoMan answers, "I think he was there to save my sister from being crushed."

"Of course, he was!" Dr. Wily barks, throwing his hand upwards in annoyance, "He is the most obsessed robot I have ever seen! Did he even _try_ to attack Mega Man?"

Proto answers, 'No. He just handed my sister back to him and left..."

"And all you could do was stand there and do nothing?" Dr. Wily chastises.

"He's too strong!" Proto weakly insists, making an admission that he would have never made if he were the old ProtoMan. But, with his new weakened personality, he is too emotionally weak to be proud of himself anymore.

"And your brother is too strong for you too, right?" Wily snaps.

Proto hangs his head down in shame, his reduced confidence also convincing him that Mega Man is also better than he is (something else he would never admit openly, no matter how he feels about his brother.)  
>"I tried to fight him... I failed."<p>

Dr. Wily walks up to ProtoMan and sticks his finger in his face, growling, "I have about had it with this endless string of failures! I thought that disciplining you would make you learn your lesson, but you _still_ continue to disappoint me at every turn!"

Proto begins begging off from Wily, afraid he is about to fall victim to more horrifying torture. "Please, Dr. Wily, I tried to fight him, but he was too fast."

Dr. Wily scowls upon ProtoMan for several tense seconds, until he snaps, "You will be sitting out the next operation, because you will be too busy working on the Mad Grinder's construction crew for the rest of its building process. And then, you may sit out all operations altogether, because you will be too busy monitoring Mad Grinder's power core."

Wily yells, "I am about to take the world unleash my Mad Grinder upon it, and I am not losing the biggest operation of this war because of _your_ incompetence!"

"Yes, Dr. Wily," ProtoMan whimpers.

"How pathetic you have become," Wily sneers, dissatisfied with seeing ProtoMan's weak demeanor. He then orders, "Get out of my face and report to the construction area behind the fortress."

ProtoMan obeys and repeats, "Yes, Dr. Wily," and his way out of the command center, feeling a sense of relief that he does not have to be tortured tonight, but feeling hurt by his masters degrading comments.

As Proto hurriedly makes his out down to the back of the fortress, he can feel his entire life descending into a downward spiral. He has been forced to cut ties with everything he holds dear, his inner strength non-existent, and Dr. Wily kicking him down to the lowest possible level in his army: a lowly construction robot for the Mad Grinder.

Proto can only hope that it doe not get much worse than this... but, it still could.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>**

Tiesel Bonne returns home to his family's ship, completely worn out from his near-death experience in Montana just less than a half-hour ago. As his hoverboard lands in the ship's hangar, his body still lays flat on his stomach atop the board, still panting for breath while wearing a portable breathing mask to feed him oxygen after flying at high altitudes for so long.

Tiesel pulls his camouflage mask off and rests his bulky chin on the head of the hoverboard. After enduring such a harrowing experience, he could use a rest... but, a certain girl who he is related to is not about to let that happen after he just up and left like this.

"TIESELTON R. BONNE!" shrieks the shrill yell of Tron as she reaches the garage area.

"... Oh, God!" Tiesel groans.

Tron stomps her way towards Tiesel as he tries to pick himself up off the floor, and immediately he begins to weasel his way out of recieving a verbal beat down. "Tron, I know you're mad. But, I can explain."

Tron steamrolls over his attempt to reason with her. "Dr. Wily made a threat to the world and instead of staying on the ship and protecting us, you just up and leave the ship and go on your heroic escapade and leave your own sister and our helpless little brother behind as you go to Montana and we have to watch in horror as we see an entire building fall on top of you... HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?"

"Well, uh... I wanted to make a difference? I was just, uh, trying to help!" Tiesel shrugs with a goofy smile coming across his big square jaw.

Tron's frown is a clear indication that she not about to just drop it. "First you try to be Mega Man, then you get mad at Mega Man, and now you're trying to help him and put yourself in danger. What if Dr. Wily saw you and shot you down? What if the police think you're working with Wily and arrest you."

Tron looks troubled when something crosses her mind... "You're _not_ working for Wily, are you?"

"No! Of course I'm not! Are you kidding?" Tiesel emphatically replies.

"I'm not the only one who's not happy with you," Tron says, then turns to the side and calls, "Bring in the monitor!"

A group of Tron's Servbots heft in the view screen monitor and play a message that was just recorded minutes ago by the Bonne sibling's parents, Don Juan and Bonnie Bonne, who are on extended vacation this week in Millan.

"Oh, crap," Tiesel shudders.

_"Tieselton, my boy, I am so ashamed of you,"_ Don Juan says in his pre-taped message.

_"Your poor sister just told me that you left the Gesselchaft when that heathen Dr. Wily could have attacked anywhere. How many times do I have to tell you, that you have to stay onboard the ship if it being threatened,"_ Bonnie scolds.

"But, he was never threatened the ship, mother," Tiesel pleads his case, even though it is a recording he's speaking to.

_"And don't talk back to me, I'm your mother, Tiesel,"_ says the recorded message, as she was expecting him to say something in response, _"We aren't going to tolerate this kind of behavior."_

_"You are being put on administrative leave of the business for one week, and you will stay onboard the ship until otherwise noted,"_ Don Juan says.

_"And you will instead be devoting all of your time instead to taking care of your little brother so that your sister can fill in for you,"_ Bonnie says.

The video turns off, and Tron stands with her arms crossed. "Well?" she says.

Tiesel bemoans as his shoulders sag, accepting his punishment. "Fine... as long as I'm not on... _that_ duty."

"Oh, you're on it, alright," Tron reaffirms with a frown.

Tron groans and shakes his head as he shambles off. At this point he doesn't know what's worse, working under The Conduit or having to deal with certain members of his family. The young man cannot get a break to save his life.  
>And to make matters worse, Tron trails him all the way back to his room and chews his ear off as the Servbots heft the monitor out of the garage area. Servbot #1 doesn't join his fellow Servbots and instead follows his Momma.<p>

"We're getting pretty tired of you pulling your heroics, Tieselton," Tron frowns, "Your behavior is very erratic. Maybe we should get you on some medicine that will balance your medulla oblongata."

"There's nothing wrong with my medulla oblongata, Tron," Tiesel says.

"Well, _something's_ not right with you. One minute, you're a completely different person from who you used to be, then you're running out and pulling your super hero routine again, trying to be Mega Man," Tron continues to lecture.

"Believe me, I don't want to be like your robotic boy toy," Tiesel glazes his eyes as he makes his way to his room.

Getting more stern, Tron stomps and warns, "Don't you go talking bad about Mega Man, Tiesel, don't you dare! If he saved us all from a burning building one day, would you still be such a meanie to him?"

"At this point, it depends on what mood I'm in at the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to clean myself up so I can tend to... diapers!" Tiesel complains as he storms away and prepares for his week of misery.

Tron turns around and huffs with her arms folded. She then kneels down to face her little Servbot and gives him an order. "#1, the instant we come across a M.R.I. machine, let me know. I want to run some extensive tests on Tiesel as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with Tiesel? Is he sick, Miss Bonne?" asks the cute little voice of Servbot #1 as a concerned expression appears on his bright yellow face.

"I still think his medulla oblongata is scrambled," Tron says, "That has to be the only logical explanation for his behavior."

But, if she only knew what was really going on...

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Late that night.<br>Dr. Light's lab.******

Instead of going to bed for the night, Mega Man searches Dr. Light's archives for anything he can find about ProtoMan. After seeing his brother so obsessed with battling him earlier today and with how vulnerable he looked, Mega is extremely concerned about him and his well-being.

His behavior only adds more validity to his and Dr. Light's belief that ProtoMan might not be making all of his own decisions, but that Dr. Wily might be forcing him to do the things he has done for the past week.

After seeing how prideful and abrasive ProtoMan's personality has been in the past, a personality that would never blindly kowtow to Dr. Wily, Mega's unsettling feeling that maybe Dr. Wily might be abusing ProtoMan begins to resurface.

The disturbing thought of his own brother being hurt by Wily alone makes Mega Man wince and he tries to purge any such terrifying thoughts from his mind as soon as they enter. But, he can't ignore the very real possibility that it may very well be happening and that Mega is powerless to stop it.

As Mega tries to bury those disturbing thoughts, he finds a piece of footage from Dr. Light's project archives, one that Thomas never showed to Mega or Roll in it's entirety. It is the video that Dr. Light shot of ProtoMan's first moment alive from nearly three years ago.

Dr. Light has never showed his children the entire video because he was afraid that the sight of the complications ProtoMan suffered from during his 'birth' would be too horrifying for Rock and Roll to see. But, Mega felt the need to see it after seeing what has happened to his brother.

The video begins playing on one of the lab's central computer station screens, with the sight of ProtoMan lying flat on a work table without his helmet on and a less durable version of his grey and red armor. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily were also standing in the frame.

_"January 13th, 20X1, 9:39 PM... Dr. Thomas Light speaking, joined by Dr. Albert Wily. Activation of the humanoid robot prototype, Codename:... ProtoMan, is about to take place."_

Dr. Light had always told Mega Man that Dr. Wily was the one who wanted to name ProtoMan 'ProtoMan' and that he hated Dr. Light's choice of the name 'Blues.'  
>It baffles Mega that his father could ever work with somebody like him. Dr. Light has always said that Wily was not the same monster he is today, but, Mega doubts it.<p>

Shortly thereafter, Mega watches the sight of Dr. Wily powering up ProtoMan and step out of frame with Dr. Light, then seconds later watches Proto open his eyes and slowly sitting up from the table and taking his first steps as he looks around.

In the clip, Proto overheard the sounds of Doctors Light and Wily speaking nearby and looked over to face them and tilted his head._ "Who are you?"_

_"I am Dr. Light, and beside me is Dr. Wily."_

_"Hello. My name is Blues,"_ ProtoMan replied, his slight smile noticable in the video.

Hearing that piece alone is saddening to Mega Man, because on his first day alive, he accepted his birth name of 'blues,' but now ProtoMan refuses to be called that name.

Mega Man continues watches as his brother looks around the lab, looking like a stranger in a strange land, who then asked his creators in a lonely tone, _"Am I the only robot of my kind?"_

_"For now, yes. Don't worry, my boy, you will have plenty of brothers and sisters very soon,"_ said Dr. Wily.

_"A brother? ... I'd like to have a little brother,"_ Proto barely smiled.

What comes next is something that Mega Man had never seen before, and he braced himself for the worst. Seconds later, he noticed Proto wincing and looking at his left hand like something was wrong with it. And a few seconds later, the look on Proto's face looked more agonized and he then fell to his knees and grabbed the cranium of his head.  
>When a concerned Dr. Light and a selfishly worried Dr. Wily tried to help him, Proto just shoved them both away and yelled, <em>"Get away from me!"<em>

Grabbing his craniums agin, Proto ran out of camera range and Dr. Wily and Light went after him. Then, Mega could hear loud bashing sounds on the video, followed by Dr. Light frantically shouting, _"NO! You'll hurt him with that."_

_"He's going to kill us both! I have to use it!"_ he heard Wily shriek

_"I _won't_ let you harm him!"_ Light grunted as it sounded like he was struggling with Wily.

Then, Mega Man could hear a louder, more horrifying crash on the video, and everything went silent. _"Oh, no! ... Blues! It's Dr. Light! Can you hear me?"_

"That was the best night of my life... and the worst night all at once," says the heavy-hearted voice of the real Dr. Light from behind Mega Man.

Mega turns around and stammers at first when he realizes his father was right there. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want me to see this... but, I had to see it."

"I understand," Thomas says as he approaches his son and takes a seat next to him. "You're still having difficulty with what happened last week between you, aren't you?"

A weary Mega sighs as he puts his head into his right hands. "I've got this bad feeling... I think Wily is hurting him. When we got into another battle at that building today, he wasn't himself. He cowered and he sounded so weak. He wasn't..._ ProtoMan_ anymore."

Dr. Light nearly gets a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thinks of Albert Wily possibly abusing his lost son. "Albert cannot control him the same way he can many of his other robots due to his more free-willed programming... so, his alternative would be to..."

Thomas' eyes close and he shakes his head to try to rid his mind of the terrifying thought. "If your suspicion is correct, we have to get him back before Wily can do this again."

"I don't know how we're going to do it," Mega says.

"You have made it into his fortress before," Thomas says.

Mega falls silent, looking despondent. "It never gets easier. His attacks are getting worse and I'm making bigger mistakes."

Thomas pauses for a moment and states, "I am becoming concerned with your fading confidence in yourself, Rock."

Mega sighs again, "I'm sorry... I know I shouldn't be feeling this way, but... after today, I don't know if I'm right for this job anymore."

Thomas's eyes become larger, concerned after seeing his son's confidence slip even further. "Why do you say that? Everybody made it out fine today, and your sister was unharmed."

Mega retorts, "But, she almost got crushed in that building. If it wasn't for Bass showing up, she _would_ have been, because I was too busy outside dealing with Proto. I shouldn't have let her come along."

"Speaking of Roll, I just had the chance to speak with her before she rested for the evening... she is considering opening a dialogue with Bass."

Mega Man's utterly stunned face speaks volumes. "She's _what_?"

"She said she wanted to thank him for saving her, and that maybe he is not as bad as we think," Thomas says.

"Oh, he's as bad as we think he is, alright... Are you sure she didn't burn out a neural circuit back in Montana today?" Mega asks.

"No, she is in perfect health. But, she still wants to get some answers from him. Maybe there is hope for him too," Dr. Light adds.

"It would take a miracle to save _him_," Mega says.

"I think we have all learned that miracles can happen," Thomas states.

"I hope that's still true," Mega sighs while staring at the video of ProtoMan's first day replaying again, restarted to the point where he was taking his first steps and speaking his first words...

_"Hello. My name is Blues."_

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Meanwhile, at a New York Police Precinct.<strong>****

Heavily shackled in a reinforced holding room, Magnet Man now sits by his lonesome, the U-shaped magnet twisted out of shape and sporting a noticeable dent on his head thanks to Roll's frying pan, and his body banged up and covered in the remnants of dust from the building collapse in Billings yesterday.

The Robot Master is miserable because he is scheduled to have his memory core scanned tomorrow morning for any intel about Dr. Wily, his plans or Skull Fortress that can be extracted from it.  
>The procedure was delayed until the morning because Dr. Light had insisted that he would be the one who performs this procedure, because he even though Magnet Man is one of the bag guys (or bad bots) he does not wish for the Robot Master to have any permanent damage inflicted on him by accident. (And he also may not trust some of the human officers and scientists to not take advantage of Magnet Man because of his allegiance with Dr. Wily.)<p>

In the middle of his sulking, Magnet Man is alarmed when he hears the sudden sound of a strong crushing and pounding sound, and looks over his shoulder to see the wall behind him being bashed in, like two big fists were trying to punch through it.  
>Then, he sees one half of a familiar pair of shears cutting their way through the bashed wall, carving a slit right down the middle. Then, a big yellow fist rips through it and the big blue jaw of GutsMan pokes through the gaping hole that now exists, with the rest of his head covered in an ill-fitting knit cap.<p>

"Pssst. Hey, Magnet! We came to get you out!" Gutsy whispers.

"Does Dr. Wily know you're here?" Magnet Man asks.

"He didn't endorse the idea. But, we came here anyway. Now let's get outta here before these stupid cops find out we're here," GutsMan whispers.

An alarm klaxxon blares all through the police precinct to sound the intruder alert. Magnet Man shrugs, "It looks like you've already got their attention."

GutsMan pries open the hole in the titanium wall with his hands to make it a big gaping maw, fully revealing himself wearing the black human clothing that is too small for him, and Cut Man standing right next to him, also wearing black cloths and ski mask with his cutters sticking out of the top.

"Come on, Magnet Man! Let's _cut_ the rug!" Cut Man urges.

"Cutting the rug is _dancing_, Cut Man!" Magnet Man says as he climbs out of the hole in the wall and begins running away with his two buddies...

Meanwhile, the human Police Officers and Policebots scramble to intercept the escaping Robot Masters, but the trio are already well on their way as they leap into a stolen van and make a break for it down the street... revealing the massive tear in the rear of GutsMan's trousers, exposing his red titanium rear-end.

* * *

><p><em>"Calling all units. This is Captain Tallarico. The Robot Master Magnet Man was just broken out from the 67th Street precinct with the help of at least two other Wily controlled robots. They are heading west in a white van. Deal with them with extreme prejudice if necessary."<em>

Several Police cruisers receive the Captain's call and begin racing through the streets of New York City in the search for the Robot Master trio,

Eventually, one team finds the white van parked in the middle of a street about five miles from the station. The human officer and the Policebot inside the cruiser step and approach the van with caution.

"I detect no lifeforms inside the van," says PoliceBot MH-77.

"Then, they're on foot. Call the station and update them," says the human officer.

Mh-77 reports back, "This is Policebot MH-77 calling HQ. The vehicle the suspects escaped in has been found, but there is no sign of them in the immediate area."

_"Search the area and don't waste any time. We'll have units on your position at any minute. Do not lose them!"_ orders the stern voice of Captain Tallarico.

* * *

><p>But, underneath the street, the Robot Master trio make their way though the sewers.<p>

"It might not _smell_ like the best option, but it's the only one we've got. We won't be down here long, though, because we stashed a shuttle a couple of blocks away," Cut Man says.

GutsMan adds, "Wily said if we wanted to bust you out, we'd have to do it on our own. Or else we woulda had Quick Man down here with us."

"You got me outta that dump, and for that, I'm grateful, fellas," Magnet Man says, "Why didn't ProtoMan come along?"

"He's _really_ in Wily's doghouse now. He's got him workin' on the big bad robots behind the fortress now," GutsMan says.

"Something's wrong with Proto. Ever since Wily punished him like he did, he's never been the same," Cut Man says.

"Guys... we better be on our best behavior. 'Cause if Dr. Wily could do that to Proto, he could do the same to any of us down the line," Magnet Man warns.

The trio stops for a moment and looks across at one another, concerned about what the future may hold, and quickly head out again so the Police do not catch them.

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Days later.<br>Central Park.******

With Mega Man and Rush watching her back, along with several police officers surrounding the perimeter just to be safe, Roll is expecting to meet with Bass, wearing her red skirt and a black and white sweater. She had issued an open communication to Bass to meet her here so they could have the chance to speak.

Mega Man already has an uncomfortable feeling just being here because of Bass showing up, but this is where he had his painful conversation with ProtoMan last week. As much as he loves his hometown of New York, he is not fond of coming to Central Park because of the bad memories he has acquired here.

_"We're ready to ready to attack the subject if he falls out of line, Mega Man,"_ states the voice of Policebot QN-60, who has been repaired from his encounter with Mr. Black weeks ago.

"Okay, everyone. Be ready to strike and don't even bother waiting for my command if he tries anything," Mega calls back.

Roll sighs over how over-protective her brother is being tonight. "Isn't this a little bit too much?"

"This is _Bass_ we're dealing with," Mega stresses, "Are you _sure_ you even want to do this, Roll?"

"I'm sure, Mega. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't thank him for saving me... and I want to talk some sense into him. I just hope he'll listen," Roll answers.

A wary Mega Man adds, "I doubt he'll listen. I'm just concerned about how he'll react. I don't trust him for a second."

"I can see," Roll sighs as she looks up into the black sky. And as she waits for Bass' arrival, she muses.

"I'm afraid poor Boo is scared something is gonna happen to me any time I leave the lab after what happened the other day... Mega, am I a bad caretaker?"

"Huh? No, of course not," Mega replies.

"I feel like I am," Roll pouts as she sits down on a bench, "All I want to do is make Boo feel less timid, but whenever we make progress, something happens that scares him again. And every time it does, I'm afraid he only gets _worse_ and not better."

"Those things are not your fault, sis," Mega says as he steps up to Roll.

Roll recalls, "I was so close to helping you when you went to rescue Kalinka from those three robocreeps. But, when Peekaboo looked up at me with those big eyes of his and begged me to stay, I couldn't leave... and when we went to Montana the other day, I felt like horrible for leaving him."

Roll's eyes begin tearing-up as she continues, and she turns her head so her brother doesn't see her cry. "I'm supposed to be you're partner in these battles, but, it's getting harder to do that when I have a little Met at home who needs me."

Mega Man sits down next to Roll and Rush nuzzles his face up to her. "Don't feel bad. I've been having some of the same feelings lately too," Mega says, "I've been afraid that if I don't make it one day, I'd leave you guys behind to live in a horrible world... and that Kalinka would be crushed. And after after getting to know her and much I mean to her, I'm afraid she will... that she would never recover from my death, if it happened."  
>Mega made reference to Kalinka's serious depression she had after her mother had died, and his fear that if he does not survive this war, it could destroy her.<p>

Roll pets Rush as she laments, "As much as I like fighting these battles out here with you, I wish we didn't have to fight Wily anymore."

"Nobody wishes for that more than me, Roll," Mega says, mournfully, "It would be nice to not live in fear of another tragedy happening to us or anybody. The world would be such a better place without war... like it was supposed to have been."

Roll smiles as her tears drip from her cheeks. "Boo would feel a lot better then. So would Dr. Light. We all would."

Mega's thoughts then drift back to his ever-growing doubts in himself and his future as the Defender of the Human Race, and he utters, "Maybe... sometimes biggest heroes are the ones who can put down the sword."

Roll's wet eyes look up with concern over her brother's comment, which came out of left field and sounded nothing like he would ever say. "What did you say?

Realizing what he just said, Mega shakes it off. "Forget I just said that."

_"Get ready, Mega Man. The subject is approaching from the south," _Sixty reports.

Mega, Roll and Rush look up and spot Bass arriving, riding on the back of Treble and soon landing in the middle of the green grass.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mega asks, as Rush lightly barks offering to join too.

"No... I'll be okay," Roll insists and he wipes away the tears from her face.

"We'll be ready just in case," Mega says, staring at his arch-enemy from across the way...

Bass turns to Treble and orders him. "I know the area is surrounded, but stay here, Treble. None of them stand a chance if they try anything."

Treble snarls as Bass and Roll now walk toward each other...

Roll walks over to Bass, who is just as dark and mysterious as he always is, yet strangely attractive. Inside, she feels strange about this. Roll hopes that Bass has turned a new leaf, but she cannot forget that Dr. Wily was his creator. And if her suspicions about these feelings about being watched recently are coming from Bass, she has all the reason to be wary of him.

Bass and Roll stop a feet across from each other, and he breaks the awkward silence. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Thank you," Roll replies.

Bass says, "I saw to it that you were returned home because of what you told me about others making their own decisions... I figured it would be your wish to return to your creator."

Another awkward moment of silence passes until Roll bluntly asks him, "Have you been spying on me?"

"Spying would not be the right word," Bass clarifies, "I have watched over you. Checking if you were alright."

"So, you've been hanging around my home? That is an invasion of my privacy, Bass," Roll states with a hint of anger in her voice.

Bass looks regretful, "I did not know that you valued your privacy. I should apologize. But, I have studied some of your emotions during that time and I noticed you were sad. Why, I did not know..."

Bass's dark red eyes narrow as he looks across at Mega Man in the distance. "I heard _him_ yelling at you on that day you were sad... I could have killed him for it."

After seeing some of the dark side of Bass's attitude, Roll tries to explain and cool down this situation. "My brother has had a very hard time recently."

"That gives him no reason to blame you for his troubles," Bass calmly presses as he stares daggers at Mega Man.

"Mega said he was sorry, and he meant it, okay?" Roll insists, "He just made a mistake, and everything is fine between us now."

"If you insist," Bass yields.

"Why were you watching me?", asks Roll, looking squarely into Bass' eyes

The look in Bass' eyes was sincere when he answered Roll's question. "Ever since I first saw you, I knew you were something special. In a world where I find nothing to be radiant, you are beautiful. I wanted to protect you from any attackers... even Wily's. I will not allow him or anybody to harm you, even after the day comes when I defeat Mega Man in battle... which I expect should not affect us."

"Whoa, wait a nanosecond!" Roll backs off, "Did you say _us_?"

Bass replies, "What's wrong with that?"

"Bass, there is no _us_ here," Roll insists.

Bass looks disappointed. "I had thought that after I had left Wily, we could be... an item, as the humans say."

In the distance, Mega Man glazes his eyes when he hears about Bass' fantasy life with his sister. "Oh, brother," he groans.

Meanwhile, Roll looks uncomfortable. "Bass... I know that you like me, and I'm flattered, but, I don't- I mean, I don't think want to be with you. I hardly even _know_ you, and you tried to kill my own brother. That's... _bad_ for a relationship, isn't it?"

Bass looks downwards at the grass, not responding and looking stoic, but not full of rage like Mega Man and others were afraid he would.

"I'm sorry, Bass," Roll says, being as polite as she can, "I'm grateful for what you did for me in that building, really. But, I don't think... that you're ready yet."

Bass continues staring down, not speaking.

"Thank you for helping me back there. I really mean it," Roll says, then turns to walk away... but Bass reaches out and grabs her right hand, causing Roll to spin around in shock and let out a small gasp.

Mega Man arms his plasma buster, ready to fire upon Bass if he even thinks about hurting his sister, and all the hidden policebots and snipers around take aim at Bass and prepare to fire at a moment's notice.

But, Bass does not react negatively. Instead, he gently squeezes Roll's hand and rubs it with his left. "Regardless how you feel, and regardless of what your or others might think, I will never hurt you. And should you find yourself in danger again, I will be there to save you, Roll."

Roll gazes into Bass' eyes with awe, half intimidated by his presence, but also enthralled with him. Despite what he has done and how naturally intimidating he is, there was something captivated about Bass and Roll knows it.

Bass lets Roll's fingers slip out of his hands. "I hope that one day your opinion of me will change."

Roll stares back at him as he turns and rejoins Treble to leave, and Mega and Rush catch up with her. "Roll? Are you ready to go home?"

Roll rubs the hand that Bass had just held so softly as she gazes up at his figure trailing off into the sky. "Yeah... Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>****

Mr. Black paces the floor of his study room, dressed in his protective armor and black clothing ready to move out. On a radio receiver that interceptions the top secret Police feeds, he had heard about the heavy presence of police gathered at Central Park, and was ready to head out at any moment. (And no mention of Mega Man was made, therefore, he was oblivious to the fact that Mega and Roll were even there.)

Then, the call comes in, _"All units, pull out. Situation is normal, potential hostile did not attack and has left the area."_

The frown on Mr. Black's face becomes more pronounced and he balls his fists, growing frustrated that his mission is not over and that his target is still living.

This mission may have already been over if he had not been grounded by The Conduit for so long, and that is partially due to the intrusive reporting of Bree Recotta.  
>As The Conduit told him, she would be a problem for them if she stuck her nose in their business... a problem that may need to be<em> removed.<em>

"That woman knows too much... I need to change that," Mr. Black gravels to himself as he steps toward the chessboard table, reaching for the Mindcracker device which is placed next to the chessboard. He was ready to use this terrible device on Bree to ensure she will never interfere in his affairs again.

But, right before he could grab the device, a sudden thought of his wife Tonya enters his mind... like she was scalding him... _**"NO, JOHN!"**_

Barton stops dead in his tracks and his body runs cold. It was like Tonya had come back from the grave and grabbed him by his wrist.

He instantly breaks out into a cold sweat and his nerves begin to tingle in shock as he stares at the mindcracker and tries to battle his inner conscience. His inner darkness wants him to use the mind cracker on Bree and wipe any memory of Mr. Black's existence from it; but he knows that if his beloved wife were still here, she would not want him to stoop this low. Not again

_... "This is how you honor me?"..._

John's hand drops to his side and his breathing begins to become labored as he continues to struggle with whatever conscience he has left. His eyes continue to stare blankly at the Mindcracker... the device that changed his life forever... if it were not for this device costing him his career, he would have never been _there_...

A flood of horrible memories come to him a matter of seconds, and he remembers what it was like to be_ there_ again... he could memorize the horrifying sensation of feeling Tonya's hand... her cold dead hand...

Barton suddenly shakes himself out of his trance and backs away from the Mindcracker, gasping for breath. He cannot bring himself to attack Bree Recotta afterall, and the haunting feeling of Tonya slips away again.

Bree may be on to him and the F.B.I may getting closer with every day that passes. Mr. Black is very close to being compromised, and he feels like he has to do whatever he can do to avoid being captured. But, if he can just evade capture for just a few more days, or weeks, he might be able to complete this mission at last.

And even the most crippling of presences from his wife will not stop him when that day comes... the only thing that might have a chance to stop him may very well be death itself.

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour after his meeting with Roll, Bass and Treble are standing alone on a rooftop elsewhere in New York, and the super robot warrior is frustrated because of how the meeting with his queen did not go as he had expected.<p>

"I don't understand it," Bass complains loudly, "I saved her from dying and performing a noble act, and she _still_ refuses to be my queen."

Treble growls with disapproval.

"She said... that I was not ready yet," Bass ponders as he stares down at the city below him, "What did she mean by_ not ready_?"

Bass thinks to himself for a moment. But, thanks to being the understudy of Dr. Wily and the mad scientist's designing of Bass' neural net, Bass has a bizarre way of thinking, and he comes up with a baffling conclusion...

"Perhaps she thinks I'm too weak," Bass says, "Maybe I need to have more power... and the only way to get that is from... Wily."

The disdain in Bass' voice is noticable when mentioning Dr. Wily's name, for he has not forgotten how the mad scientist treated him after his encounter with Mega Man.  
>Bass was well aware of the frequent attempts that Dr. Wily has made to contact him, but he eventually shut his communicator off because he had no desire to hear Wily's voice. And because he had no directives to follow his orders, he was not forced to reply.<p>

He feels especially wronged after learning that ProtoMan turned on him and helped Mega Man defeat him (but, just barely) after their encounter at Skull Fortress this year.  
>And since he had the gall to betray Bass, ProtoMan must have helped Roll escape from the fortress too.<p>

But, given his obsession with trying to win over Roll, he seriously considers calling Wily back. Not for the purpose of aligning himself with Wily, but so that he could get more power, both physically and status-wise, making his mere presence among these weakling humans and inferior robots more imposing.

"He obviously wishes to speak with me," Bass says, "Maybe we should grant him his request... there are some _interesting_ things he will want to know."

Bass makes reference to ProtoMan's secret that he conspired to defeat Bass, and he could use that to remove ProtoMan as a threat entirely. And with Proto's situation being so bad already, it could not come at a worse time.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Dead asleep in his workshop, Dr. Wily's body is hunched over a work table with his head lying flat on his left arm. He was working on designing his next project and a pen was still barely clutched in his right hand.

The project he was working on was the same robot design he began sketching during one of his rage fits a few weeks ago after the failure of The Killers operation at the Detroit auto factory. Albert almost threw the design out as Project G-2/Mad Grinder began to take form in recent days, but instead of scrapping a potentially useful design, Albert decided to expand upon it.

Suddenly, Cut Man bursts into the workshop and shook Dr. Wily awake.

Albert was angry about being rudely awakened and shrieked, "What do you want?!"

"It's Bass, Dr. Wily! He's here at Skull Fortress!" Cut Man panics.

Wily's eyebrows rise. "He's _here_?... let him in," Wily said, standing up and rubbing his eyes to wake himself up.

"Are you serious?!" Cut Man asked.

"Yes, _I am_ serious," Albert emphasizes, "We have something to discuss."

Before he could leave, Wily pauses and thought to himself. "Cut Man, I want you to do something for me... _please_."

Satisfied to hear Wily say the word 'please', Cut Man obliges. "What is that, Dr. Wily?"

"Get one of the BattonTons and set it to spy mode," Wily replies, "I want to record this for posterity ."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Bass and Treble land inside of Dr. Wily's hangar bay, the same hangar where Bass himself nearly killed Mega Man, and would have killed him if someone (ProtoMan) had not assisted Mega to victory.<p>

Not much had changed here since they left, except for the massive construction area out behind the fortress, which wasn't here last time. Obviously, Wily was about to launch something very big (literally) soon.

Bass warned Treble, "Be ready for anything."

Treble lets out a low growl to catch his master's attention. Bass looks up and in the distance can see Hard Man, Elec Man and Crystal Man approaching, providing escort for Dr. Wily, who was just putting his white lab coat back on.

"Bass!" Wily calls, "I've wanted to speak with you."

"So, I have noticed," Bass replies, making a vague mention to the obsessive hails Wily has made to him in recent weeks.

Dr. Wily and his entourage step closer to Bass and Treble, with the Robot Masters standing in front of him as protection. Meanwhile, Cut Man and GutsMan peeks around the corner of the entrance to the hangar bay and eavesdrop on the meeting.

"Bass? What's he doin' here?" GutsMan whispers.

"Dr. Wily wants to speak with him. I don't like seeing him again. He gives me the willies more than those two-timing Killers did," Cut Man replies is a whisper.

"Proto ain't gonna like this," GutsMan says.

"He doesn't like much of anything these days," Cut Man groans...

Dr. Wily waves off the Robot Master entourage, who step aside as the the old man approaches Bass. "There is something important I need to tell you. I don't do this often, so you may consider this a privilege."

Wily steps right in front of his creation now, and then_ this_ comes out of his mouth... "I'm sorry," Wily says, actually sounding _sincere_, "I apologize for the way I treated you when you battled Mega Man. Sometimes, I overreact."

Cut Man and GutsMan look at each other with shocked big eyes, amazed that Wily actually said he was sorry for _anything_, even taking blame for something for the first time since they have known his (and it is for something that actually was not really his fault.)

Bass shows no change in emotion and his streaked face is just as stoic as ever. Internally, however, Bass is both surprised and puzzled by Wily's words.

"You... are something special," Wily continues, "You are my greatest weapon. I hope you can forgive me, Bass."

Bass barely smiled out of the right side of his mouth, because unlike ProtoMan, Bass takes great pride in his ability as a machine, as a weapon of mass destruction, and he feels this way because Wily had made sure that Bass is blind to most of the world.  
>But, with his free will, Bass could eventually learn to view himself as less of a weapon, (that is, if he was around somebody who was not a poisonous influence on him.)<p>

Bass says, "Before I would pardon you of your stubbornness, you must know something. I work for myself now; not you."

Dr. Wily is disappointed, and lets out a ragged sigh. "Please, my boy. Just give me one last chance."

"I was falsely accused of sabotage. I think _You_ should give _me_ a chance to explain myself," Bass states, "And if you truly desire to have me back in your army, I will _consider_ joining you... on a _temporary_ basis."

Wily listens as Bass explains his side of the story. "Plead your case."

"I did _not_ have anything to do with the shut down of Skull Fortress' security systems on the night Mega Man and I did battle. Nor did I assist Roll escape here... although you _were_ ready to hurt her, and that is something I will never allow.  
>When Mega Man entered the fortress, I discovered him and was about to destroy him. He was no match for me... he was <em>defeated<em>!" Bass spat with vigor and a clenched left fist.

"Then, he managed to steal my power, something that _you_ said he could not do to me," Bass says as his voice gets angrier.

Wily anxiously shrugs, "Er- let's say I have finally fixed that problem and will be more than willing to install it into your systems."

Bass recalls as he and Treble walk towards the exact area of the hangar bay where they were defeated earlier this year, "When Mega Man used my own power against me, I thought I had seen another firing at me as well, but I wasn't sure. And as I lay here in this hangar bay, I thought I heard someone _else_ here with us. Again, I did not know for certain because my systems were experiencing a power overload... and besides Roll, there only could have been one other robot here that night who would have wanted Mega Man to remain alive."

The wheels are turning in Wily's head as he begins piecing all this together. Bass' argument made sense, but... it couldn't be... even given his recent behavior, ProtoMan could not have done _this_...

Bass turns around and stares at Dr. Wily with his red eyes. "Then, many weeks later, I overheard ProtoMan having a conversation with Mega Man on the night I attacked him in the city the humans call _Chicago_... he said that he helped Mega Man defeat me, and was responsible for everything! ProtoMan betrayed me... and he betrayed you!"

Dr. Wily's eyes become huge when he processes this shocking revelation. ProtoMan truly has been working against him for the sake of protecting his siblings.

The Robot Masters who accompanied Wily here each have a unique reaction. Hard Man is stunned, Crystal Man becomes angered, and Elec Man becomes frustrated, recalling when Proto had always had it in for him ever since the Electrical Robot Master tried to hit on his sister.  
>"I should have known it from day one," Elec Man mutters.<p>

Meanwhile, GutsMan and Cut Man's mouths hang open, in complete shock after hearing about this. The robot who they and Magnet Man had come to respect more than even Wily was really working with the blue dweeb.

Wily begins talking to himself, trying to convince himself that Bass' accusation is not true, "He is just insolent and rebellious... he wouldn't dare cross that line,"

"I am telling you the truth, Dr. Wily," Bass insists as he and Treble step back over to Wily, "As I said before, I would not turn on you without good reason, not unless I believed you were wrong... and other than bringing harm to Roll, I could not disagree with anything you had had planned."

_"He is telling the truth... ProtoMan is Thomas Light's creation, not yours,"_ says the whisper in Wily's head.

As Dr. Wily begins to believe that Bass' claim as a truth, his aged face begins to form an angry scowl and he whispers, "That little red _bastard_! He's been working against me longer than I thought! I could go strip his parts with my bare hands right now!"

Dr. Wily's face is red at this point, his forehead vein pulsating as he begins contemplating how far he takes ProtoMan's punishment this time... but, instead of going to punish ProtoMan with more pain programs, he sees the battonton flapping nearby and he decides to punish Proto in a way that is more personal than that, but equally as cruel.

_"Yes. Crush his heart!"_ the whisper says.

Dr. Wily looks up and grabs Bass by his arms, even causing Bass to become apprehensive at first.

"I am so sorry, my boy!" he says... then draws him into big fatherly hug. He probably does not even mean the sentiment, and is only doing this solely for the purpose of hurting ProtoMan.

Bass does not return the hug at first, but he is surprised. He learned something from Roll: the importance of family. And the only family Bass has is Dr. Wily himself.

Bass slowly raises his left arm and places it on Wily's back, semi-hugging him, ironically following Roll's example on how important family must be (but, showing that feeling to the wrong person in Dr. Wily.) But, Bass' facial expression remains stone cold, not outwardly showing any affection for his creator, if he even has any at all.

And the BattonTon Dr. Wily had requested to record the moment hovers nearby in cover, recording the hug between Dr. Wily and Bass.

* * *

><p>In his quarters, ProtoMan has had trouble sleeping tonight, and he often has ever since Wily tortured him that horrible night. He has not been getting much recharge time because he is afraid to sleep for too long if Wily would need him.<p>

He was asleep now though. But, this was an odd dream. ProtoMan thought he heard robots running around in a panic outside, and then he thought he could hear the feint sound of Bass' voice and references to him.

ProtoMan is awakened by the sound of a BattonTon squealing as it flaps over him. Half-awake, he mutters, "How did you get in here?"

The BattonTon turned and faced the titanium wall in Proto's quarters and begins projecting an image from it's mouth, displaying it on the wall itself... it was the recorded footage of Bass' return.

Proto looks at the images from behind his visor and sits straight upon his mattress upon recognizing Bass and his surroundings. Then, Proto sees Dr. Wily enter the picture with a small escort of Robot Masters nearby.  
>He becomes confused and scared because Bass knew the secret that Proto had helped Mega Man defeat him, and if Wily found out... there is no telling what he might do.<p>

Then, ProtoMan could hear the audio coming from the Battonton's mouth... _"I_ _am so sorry, my boy!"_ he hears Wily say.

A simple apology: something Dr. Wily never had the time of day for when it came to ProtoMan. Wily had even called Bass 'My boy' again, something he used to refer to Proto as when he was on better terms with him.

But, then Proto saw something that was the ultimate hurt, something more painful than any pain Wily had inflicted on him... Proto saw Dr. Wily hug Bass like a son.  
>ProtoMan never received a hug like that or anything like it from Wily. He never felt like a son to Dr. Wily, just a tool. A weapon, and not even a good one anymore.<p>

ProtoMan's titanium heart was figuratively ripped out of his chest when he saw the same type of love that he himself had wanted from him and was forbidden from getting from his original family with Mega Man and Dr. Light.  
>After feeling so wounded , ProtoMan's fists ball-up in his hands as what little anger he has left begins to build inside of him.<p>

"NO!" he screams as he grabs the BattonTon and then throws it into the same wall and watched it break into pieces.

After his outburst, Proto was too wounded to be angry anymore, he becomes overwhelmed with sadness again and breaks down crying as he slumps his body back down into bed. He pulled his helmet off and dropped it onto the floor and began sobbing uncontrollably into his hands.

The old ProtoMan would have mocked someone for acting like this a few months ago, crying like a little baby over something like love. But, in a cruel twist of irony, that is exactly what ProtoMan is doing right now.

Crying because his master his hurt him again, so much worse than he could have possibly imagined.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Tron's comments about saving the family from a burning reference is a slight callback to Episode 3, when Mega saved the daughter of one of William Cochran's anti-Robot demonstrators, which immediately changed the man's opinion on Mega and robots in general.  
>(btw, William is still around too... unfortunately. We just haven't seen him lately.)<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment. If you see any typos I missed, notes I left behind or any continuity errors that are so bad that they would make the Leaning Tower of Pisa tip over, please PM me._


	119. Operation: Badlands Strike

**_Episode 11, Chapter 7: _Operation: Badlands Strike.**

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>****

The morning after receiving the cruelest form of emotional punishment from Dr. Wily, ProtoMan is here in the construction area out back, forced to work with the worker robots preparing The Mad Grinder for the giant machine's first round of weapons testing. And Proto's heart is not in his assignment, not caring anymore.

After witnessing Dr. Wily embracing Bass like a son last night, ProtoMan's very will has been completely shattered. Were it not for his fear of Wily hurting him again, ProtoMan would have stayed in his bed all day, or even for whole days at a time.

Once upon a time, ProtoMan was the greatest robot in Wily's army and was proud of himself. not afraid to stick it to the big bad Dr. Wily whenever he wished; Today, ProtoMan is on the lowest level of Dr. Wily's robot army, a lowly worker robot whose sole job is to maintain the old man's latest technological terror, a shell of who he used to be, stripped of his dignity and his pride.  
>And as if things could not possibly get any worse, they are about to do just that...<p>

While ProtoMan handles a crate of plasma powered weapon batteries to be loaded onboard the Mad Grinder, he feels a sudden shove right behind him and knocks him over, crashing against the side of The Mad Grinder's massive front steamroller wheel. There is only one robot here who is strong enough to shove anybody that hard.

"YOU DOUBLE-CROSSIN' NO GOOD TRAITOR!" GutsMan bellows.

ProtoMan looks up to see GutsMan stomping towards him along with Cut Man and the repaired Magnet Man.

"You've been helping that Mega Twerp behind our backs!" GutsMan yells as he grabs the fallen ProtoMan with both of his hands.

"You told us we were your crew, ProtoMan!" Magnet Man indignantly growls with angry eyes.

ProtoMan tries to struggle his way out of GutsMan's double fisted grip, but the massive Robot Master takes Proto and throws him back down on the ground so hard that it cracks the dry badlands surface beneath him.

GutsMan puts his big right foot on Proto's chest to pin him down as the other two members of the trio look down upon him with disgust.

"We thought you were one of us, ProtoMan! But, you've been undermining us all by helping that tin can brother of yours!"

ProtoMan realizes that Bass must have told Wily about the night he helped Roll escape and Mega survive the battle with Bass, and the other must have heard about it all.

"I'm sorry!" Proto desperately coughs.

"_Sorry_ isn't going to _CUT IT _anymore, Proto-traitor!" Cut Man puns as the shears atop his orange head open and close.

"Maybe Metal Man was right about you after all. You're more Dr. Light's robot than you are one of us!" Magnet Man accuses.

"You you know what we Robot Masters do to Dr. Light's robots, don't we? YOU RED RODENT!" GutsMan yells as he rears back both of his fists ready to bring them down on ProtoMan, who tries to feebly block his head with his arms.

"HALT!" yells the voice of Dr. Wily nearby, and everybody in the hangar bay turns to face him. "We can't go killing each other when I am just hours away from ruling the world now, can we?"

"But he's been helping that no good Blue Dweeb!" GutsMan complains.

"I know he has," Wily grins, "He has already paid for it, and he _continues_ to pay for it as we speak. Now, get back to your duties, or you will all be next!"

"Argh! Say the magic word, or we ain't budgin'!" GutsMan barks.

Bass then enters the construction area alongside Treble, which sends many of the construction robots running for their lives out of fear of the deadly robot warrior.

"I have a better offer," Bass says, "You three leave as Dr. Wily says... and you won't have to be destroyed."

Cut Man stammers, "Uh, when you put it that way, I think we'll leave now!"

"Yeah, uh, we've got some things to do," Magnet Man babbles.

GutsMan doesn't leave at first, sneering down at ProtoMan and wishing he could bash him like he would his brother. But, he doesn't want no trouble with Bass either.

Bass powers up his Bassinium-powered blaster and aims aims it at GutsMan. "Doctor's orders, GutsMan."

GutsMan finally steps off of ProtoMan's chest and walks away, letting his fear do the talking.

As The Robot Master trio makes a hasty retreat, Bass approaches the Mad Grinder, glancing down at ProtoMan and not even offering him a hand to get back up before he steps inside. But, even Bass notices that ProtoMan's demeanor change is worse then the last time they saw each other, but he thinks that it is inspired by his presence, much it was with Mega Man when they crossed paths in Detroit.

Bass smirks much like how Proto used to when he looks down upon him like he was a piece of refuse. "You're weaker than I thought."

Bass and Treble step inside the entrance port of the Mad Grinder and Dr. Wily stops right in front of ProtoMan, and the two stare at each other, with Proto's eyes becoming ridden with sadness and fear behind his visor.

"Get back on your feet at once!" Wily orders.

ProtoMan quickly stands up again, sure not to disobey his master's orders. "I'm sorry, Dr. Wily."

"You know that Bass is back on a permanent basis, don't you?" Wily quizes Proto.

The old ProtoMan would have made a snide remark in response, like 'You made that point clear last night.' But, instead, Proto meekly utters, "Yes, Dr. Wily."

"He will be serving as my right hand robot in my new robot empire. An honor you will never have again after what you have done," Wily says. "What a pity."

ProtoMan only hangs his head down, too weak and broken to say anything more.

Wily sneers with disgust and walks onboard the Mad Grinder, leaving Proto alone and in an even worse spot than he was even this morning when he saw the heartbreaking video of Dr. Wily hugging Bass like he was a son. Not only is Proto here at the bottom totem pole here and not only has Dr. Wily taken Bass back into the fold, and not only has he burned his bridge with his brother Mega Man, but now, he has even lost the few friends he had left here.

ProtoMan's whole world has completely fallen apart, and if he has not yet hit the bottom of the barrel, then he soon will.

_"Attention! Everybody in the construction area had best get onboard the Mad Grinder or get out of dodge! Weapons testing is about to begin!"_ yells the voice of Dr. Wily on a loudspeaker.

The construction robots begin fleeing from the area, but ProtoMan steps onboard through The Grinder's entrance hatch so that he can assume his lowly duty of monitoring the massive machine's power core and make sure it does not overheat.

How the mighty have fallen.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily steps on to the 'bridge' area inside the head of the Mad Grinder where Bass and Treble now await along with several Robot Masters assuming the control stations.<p>

"Were it not for you, Bass, my Mad Grinder may not have existed," Albert says with a gleeful grin, "The majority of the money I received from that incompetent fool Marcus Vickers went into this."

"It _looks_ like an intimidating weapon, but I have yet to see if it is every bit as powerful as you say it is," Bass replies.

"Oh, you will see for yourself in a matter of minutes," Wily grins with anticipation.

"You may use this machine to make the weakling humans fall to your feet however you see fit. But, only _I_ shall bring you Mega Man's head," Bass proclaims

"And you will be _the only one_ who will have that privilege, Bass... assuming he does not defeat you again," Wily says, adding a shot of skepticism as if to light a fire under Bass.

"Without ProtoMan or anybody else around to help him, Mega Man will never defeat me in battle," Bass guarantees, balling his right fist.

Dr. Wily rubs his aged hands together as he approaches the primary control panel in front of bridge and as he sits down at his seat, Bass remains stands next to him alongside Treble, not sitting down in the seat to Wily's right.

"Bass, sit down. That is the seat assigned to my right hand robot. And that is what you are," Wily says.

"As you wish, Dr. Wily," Bass replies, taking his seat next to Dr. Wily at the control panel, finally taking his rightful place at Wily's right hand.

Dr. Wily's sinister smile becomes more pronounced as Bass takes his seat next to him because everything is falling into place now like never before. He had a 'first officer' who he could trust (for the most part, at least), and he had his ultimate weapon in The Mad Grinder.  
>Now it was time to see how this new ultimate weapon worked, and watch as more dominoes begin to topple.<p>

"All systems go! Full power to Mad Grinder's systems! Weapon testing is about to commence!" he shouts.

A loud hum is now heard inside of the Mad Grinder as the machine powers all of its systems. The sound is coming from the ion-powered reactor deep inside the machine which ProtoMan has now been given the duty of maintaining.

"Now, lower the eastern wall of the construction zone," Dr. Wily orders...

Outside, the curtain directly in front of the Mad Grinder drops, clearing the path for it to lock on to the targets set up in the badlands, which are composed of cobbled-together hulk of wrecked robot and vehicle parts and scrap metal, each of them standing twenty feet tall.

"Testing rapid-fire turbo plasma bolt cannons... now!" Wily announces as his fingers run over the controls to target some of the target hulks and fire the first weapon of the test...

Several multi-barreled plasma bolt chain guns emerge from Mad Grinder's arms and shoulders and begin firing several rounds of custom-built plasma bolts the some of the target hulks. The power of the guns and the nature of these plasma bolts are much more deadly than the kind used by the police and the military, and they tear two of the targeting hulks to shreds, leaving tracers streaks pink plasma energy in their wake.

"Good! GOOD!" Wily approves, "Now, testing the onboard missiles!"

The Mad Grinder then stands taller and arms a multi-capacity scud missile launcher in it's chest and fires two missiles at two of the other target, and they too deal some serious damage to the hulks.

Wily begins snickering. "Testing Particle beams!"

The Mad Grinder produces two sets of cannons from it's back which re-position themselves over it's shoulders and fires off two stead streams of purple-colored energy at the already damaged targets, but leaving one remaining hulk left standing. The only one left intentionally untouched so far.

Wily grins wider now, "Now... testing plasma orb!"

The nozzle 'mouth' of Mad Grinder begins glowing white and fires off a ball of white-hot pure plasma energy just larger than the size of an average human. The orb reaches the last standing targeting hulk and not only turns it into a melting puddle, but also turns the surrounding patch of barren land into a burned crater.

Dr. Wily's eye's become wide as they stare at the crater where the last target once stood and his grin becomes the widest it ever has, so wide that it hurts. Albert had visions of Mega Man and all those who dare stand in his way being burned alive and dying a slow death after being struck by the plasma orb.  
>At last, Dr. Wily knew he had the ultimate weapon that along with Bass would wipe out all of his opposition.<p>

"Yes! My Mad Grinder is ready to take the world!" Wily says as he begins howling with laughter, punching in one more command into the controls.

And as Wily laughs, Mad Grinder begins spitting fire from it's nozzle mouth, looking like a hellish creation, made at the hands of a true demon named Albert Wily.

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Later that night.<br>Dr. Light's lab.******

To ensure that everything is more secure at home now, Dr. Light is showing the little robots Peekaboo, Eddie and Beat the enhancements he has made to the lab's security systems since it was invaded by Mr. Black.  
>"And I saw to it that our failsafe locks were overhauled along with our keycard system. So, it would be much more difficult for anybody to attack our home from now on."<p>

Peekaboo bleeps up to Dr. Light as the Good Doctor holds him in his arms, asking him if that means the bad man Wily and the scary man in the mask are never coming back.

"I don't think we have to worry about them coming here anymore, little one," Thomas assures.

"Great! I don't think I want to see anymore unwelcome visitors like that again," Eddie chimes in.

"Beat!" Beat chirps.

The group then hears the sound of Roll's feet on the floor as she returns to the lab, wearing a beige jumpsuit with long sleeves, a very different outfit than what she has ever worn before.

Dr. Light turns around and asks his daughter, "What do you think of the combat suit that Morris developed, Roll?"

"Well, it's comfortable, but... I'm not too sure about beige," Roll replies with an exasperated crooked smirk on her face, "Couldn't you have told Morris to make it red? Or maybe like the one Kambei Misawa wore in Dragon Force? That one was cool!"

"I can have Morris create one in a new color, but it might not be ready for another week," Thomas says, "Until then, I hope you can with with beige, or at least until your standard jumpsuit is repaired. You managed to tear all the other ones you have in combat lately," Thomas says, making reference to how many times Roll's cream yellow and red wardrobe has not held up in recent battles.

Mega Man enters the lab and upon seeing his sister's current outfit, Mega asks teasingly, "Hey, sis. Who's your tailor? You look like you just walked off the set of a Sci-Fi movie."

"Gee. Thanks, Mega," Roll glazes her eyes before she retrieves Peekaboo from Dr. Light. "What do you think, Boo? Don't you think red or yellow would look better?"

Boo smiles and bleeps that his mommy still looks great.

Roll barely smiles back. "Thanks, Boo! It means a lot more coming from you," she says, giving Boo an Eskimo Kiss where his nose would be (if he had one), and the little Met closes his big eyes and giggles.

Everybody's attention is suddenly turned when an important call comes in on Dr. Light's computer station and the Presidential seal appears on both of the computer's monitors.

"This is Dr. Thomas Light here," The Good Doctor responds.

_"Please hold for The President,"_ replies a voice on the other end.

"What's going on?" Roll asks as puts Peekaboo down on the floor, (and he just as quickly grabs on to her ankle with his extension arm.)

"If The President is calling us directly, it _can't_ be good," Mega Man answers.

Seconds later, President Henry appears on one of the screens, sitting at the desk of the Oval Office in Washington D.C., and although his facial expression remains normal, he has a serious concern on his mind.  
><em>"Mega Man, Dr. Light... I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but a potentially grave situation has arisen and your help is urgently needed."<em>

"What is it, Mr. President?" Dr. Light asks.

_"Our satellites picked up an increased amount of weapons activity coming from Albert Wily's fortress nearly three hours ago, much more than when you compromised the place two years ago,"_ The President answers.

"Did somebody breach Wily's Fortress?" Mega Man asks, thinking at first that maybe Bass may have gone back, possibly to attack Dr. Wily.

_"We had considered that, and we even thought it was you at first. But, we received these images two hours ago that disproved that. And it's not good news for us..."_

The other screen on Dr. Light's computer begins displaying a series of still photographs of an overhead view of Skull Fortress and the large tarped-off construction zone behind it where 'Project G-2 was being built. As the images progress, weapon energy can be seen being fired from the building area and destroying small hulks strewn to in the badlands to the right of the image.

_"It appears he is testing weapon capabilities for whatever it is he's building behind that fortress. We have not seen firepower of this magnitude since we made Gamma. This would make for the most serious threat Wily has posed to us ever since that day, and we don't have very much time left to act now,"_ Henry says.

The seriousness of this threat makes Mega Man bury whatever doubts he has carried in the past several weeks and he mentally toughens himself up for what he now must face. "Just tell me what I've got to do, Mr. President."

_"We are planning a full-on assault on Wily's hideout after sundown, preferable in the middle of the night, assuming this man ever sleeps. We want you to lead a team of commandoes who will fight their way into the fortress and shut down whatever power source he's using to generate his outer defenses so that our bombers can destroy what's hiding behind there."_

Henry then makes it clear,_ "And we're not just going to destroy this thing. We're going to end put an end to this war."_

After a brief pause, Mega Man replies, "I understand. But, Mr. President, if you could, please tell our forces not the destroy the fortress. After we shut down Wily's power grid, I'm going to go get Dr. Wily myself. And I'm going to get my brother out of there too."

Henry nods, _"You've got it."_

Roll leans to her father Dr. Light and perplexingly whispers, "Is Mega serious?"

Thomas whispers back, "Yes, and I endorse it. This is something that has to be done, Roll."

"... If you say so," Roll sighs.

During the exchange between Roll and Dr. Light, the meeting between Mega Man and The President continued. _"We plan to have our squads converge in four hours in Ft. Worth, Texas, then everybody moves out in five. You might want to catch some rest before the strike begins."_

Mega nods, "I don't think I need the rest, Mr. President. There are a few things I need to take care of before I leave... but, I'm ready to end this war. I've been ready to end it ever since it began. And it's time for it end once and for all."

_"I'll drink to that," _The President says,_ "Thank you, Mega Man. And here's hoping that the only thing we have to prepare for after tomorrow morning is a victory celebration."_

President Henry ends the call and the Light family stands around each other in silence, with all eyes on Mega Man. Mega looks up to meet their eyes as well, and barely speaks. "Well... it looks like this _is_ really it."

Mega's family continues to remain silent, grasping how serious the next few hours will truly be for them all and civilization.

"I've gotta go inside the house for a little while. I need some time to myself before this all begins," Mega adds as he begins to slowly walk away.

"I will make sure the Robo Commandoes are prepared to head out in time," Dr. Light says.

"Thanks. I'll need all the help I can get," Mega says, now coming to a stop at the entrance leading back to the house next to the lab taking a moment to think to himself before exiting the lab.  
>He looks like he has a lot on his mind, so much more than he has ever had before with his recent failures, ProtoMan and the possibility that he might be leaving his family and Kalinka behind if he does not make it out of this mission.<p>

Roll's concerned gaze follows her brother, worrying about him like she often does nowadays. But, her attention is grabbed by Peekaboo bleeping up to her at her feet. He asks his mommy if she has to go to the bad man's scary fortress too.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Light looks over to Roll with concern for her well-being now too.

Roll turns to Boo and sits down to pick her Met up and put him in her lap, but she struggles to find the right words. "Boo..."

Boo beeps with sad, worried eyes, saying he doesn't want her to go.

Roll tries responding, "Sweetie... your Uncle Mega needs my-"

"No. She's not," Mega Man suddenly interrupts.

Boo bleeps in surprise and relief, but Roll questions her brother. "But, what about you?"

"I'm gonna have more than enough back-up with me, and we're going to catch Wily when he least expects it. I'll be alright," Mega insists.

Peekaboo bleeps up to his Uncle Mega, saying the bad man is going to be there.

Mega Man kneels down besides Roll and Boo and assures, "That's why I'm going, buddy. I'm going to go get him and put him away forever, so he won't be able to hurt anybody ever again. In fact, if there's anybody's advice I could use, it's yours."

Peekaboo bleeps. _Me?_

Mega nods to Boo.

Boo bleeps that he remembers that ProtoMan had him 'turn off the bad man's fortress' on the night that his Mommy Roll found him and rescued him. He turned it off by cutting a big bunch of wires in a small room with the words _"Security/Surveillance"_ on the door.

Mega smiles upon the little Met. "I guess that's the first place I'll look. Thanks, little guy."

Roll gives Boo a gentle squeeze in her arms. "You're helping Uncle Mega stop the bad man too, Boo!"

Boo still looks worried and beeps again, asking if what happened to his mommy the other day is going to happen to his Uncle Mega. He is scared that it will, or worse, that he might never see his Uncle Mega again.

Roll encourages, "Of course it won't, Boo-Boo. Uncle Mega is really strong. Nobody can beat him."

Mega remains silent and looks uncomfortable in his own skin (both titanium and synthetic skin), because recent times have proven that he is not invincible or without failure. And there_ is_ one who can defeat him... Bass can. And unbeknownst to the Lights, he will be at Skull Fortress as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Four Hours later.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush return to the lab before they head out to Skull Fortress, turning on the minimal lighting to give them some illumination. Mega feeds Rush a double serving of Battery Biscuits and Mega himself chugs down an extra strong Energy Can, his face wincing from the strong taste of its contents

Roll walks in shortly after them, now wearing one of her many _Captain Fallout and the Atom-Smashers_ black t-shirts and red shorts that nearly reach the metallic lower half of her legs, and she stares across at her brother and her dog.

"I'm surprised you're not in bed," Mega comments.

"I can't sleep. Not with all this about to happen," Roll replies in a quiet tone.

After a period of time, Mega reminds. "I still don't want you coming out there, Roll."

"I know," Roll sighs, "I'm kinda glad you talked me out of it."

"_That_ doesn't sound like you," Mega says.

Roll briefly smiles, "I know..." Then, her smile disappears, "I was putting Peekaboo to bed, and after he fell asleep I just stared at him. Just seeing him sleeping reminded me that he's the sweetest, most innocent little being in the world, and I want to protect him... and I was about to leave my little baby to worry about me again until you had me sit this one out."

Mega says in response, "After today, we might not have to worry about that anymore."

Roll informs Mega, "I was only going to come along because I'm worried about you. I know you're still thinking about everything that has happened lately. You've got that look about you."

Mega paused for a moment and admits, "I'd be lying if I said I was going into this battle with a totally clear mind."

"Well, you better clear it out. This is your chance to prove to yourself that you're still the best 'bot around," Roll encourages.

"Do you think I'm not cut out for this hero business anymore?" Mega asks, still doubting himself.

"No. I _know_ you are and everybody does... everybody, except you, Rock," Roll says, sounding sad towards the end of her sentence because it has been so difficult to watch her brother's emotional decline in recent weeks.

Mega Man looks down at his feet and processes what Roll just said, and she was right. The entire world looks up to him as their hero, including those who he has met in his travels like Officer Wersching, whose brother was saved thanks partially to Mega Man finding him; and Kalinka Cossack, who was saved from succumbing to her severe depression because Mega Man gave her a hero to look up to; and Roll views him as her inspiration for aspiring to be more than the domestic household chores robot she was built to be. Even Janet, the little girl who Mega thought he had failed, still believe in him.

But, while billions around the world believe in him, Rock no longer believes in himself like he used to. And the situation with ProtoMan and Roll nearly being trapped in the hotel in Montana only perpetuated those doubts.

"Today, I guess I have to prove it to myself that I am cut out for this," Mega says. But, while he sounds like he is ready to go into this battle ready to finish this destructive conflict, he sounds like he lacks the firm conviction that he used to.

Roll steps up to her brother and tells him. "When you find that monster, just give him an extra hard time for me and Peekaboo... and for Doc."

"I will. I'll be doing it for a lot of people... including my brother," Mega says.

Then, Dr. Light enters the lab, dressed in his black pants and a button shirt (with a sweater vest worn over it, as he often does.) Mega Man and Roll look over, surprised to see their father awake at this early of an hour.

"Dr. Light?" Roll asks.

"I admit, I am having trouble sleeping tonight. I can only guess you both are too," Thomas replies, "And I wanted to see you off before you left, Rock."

"I'm glad you came," Mega says before apprehensively handing a small video chip containing something that he had just recorded on it in the past few hours. "Father... if things don't go well, please give this to Kalinka."

Thomas takes the chips from his son's hand, but he replies, "I think I will let _you_ give it to her yourself after you return home."

"That's the plan, at least," Mega says with a half smile that disappears from his face almost as soon as it appeared.

According to Mega Man's internal chronometer, it is nearly 3:45 AM, almost time for him to leave and meet with the teams in Texas so they can formulate their strategy to strike Skull Fortress.

"It's time for me to go. We've got a war to end," Mega says, still lacking the strong confidence in his voice like he used to have.

Out of the blue, Roll grabs her brother and hugs him. "Remember what I said. You _are_ the best. We _are_ gonna get that monster and end this war forever, and we're _gonna_ do it for everybody who's been hurt and everybody we've lost."

"We will," Mega says, trying to convince himself that this is really the end of the war.

Roll keeps her brother in her tight hug and Thomas approaches them and puts his hand on his son's back, and the Light embrace each other one more time before the beginning of what could be the final battle of this war.

* * *

><p><strong>Military Base.<strong>  
><strong>DallasFort Worth, Texas.**

A massive assemblage of military vehicles (tanks, jets, bombers, Humvees, helicopters and others) are parked and stationed all around the base as the plan to launch the mission now known as _"Operation: Badlands Strike"_ begins to take form.

Mega Man and Rush make their way to a large barracks which has been repurposed for the briefing about to take place inside of it, and Mega looks around to see just how many other robots and humans are about to join him on this mission. The presence of all these military officers and robo commandoes - none of whom have any plans on losing this possible final battle to Dr. Wily - helps boost the blue bomber's spirit.  
>Maybe they <em>can<em> do this.

When Mega Man and Rush walk past the troops gathered here in the meeting area, all of them - both human and robot - stand and salute him as if he were one of their own. It was a measure of gratitude for all that he has done in the war with Dr. Wily since it began.

Mega gives a brief salute back, raising his right hand to his helmeted head and lowering it, and the troops sit back down again, now at ease after receiving the same sentiment themselves.  
>Regardless of the outcome of this battle, this is going to be a strongly unified group going in to this strike.<p>

Mega Man stands at the front of the group of soldiers when a Sargeant with a heavy build and a strong jaw arrives to the room. All the soldiers stand at attention once again at the arrival of a commanding officer.

"At ease, soldiers," the gruff Sargeant orders, "This is the plan for O_peration: Badlands Strike._ These orders come direction the Oval Office, so, listen up and listen good!"

The Sargeant turns to the wall behind him where a projection robot displays the combat plan onto it. The Sargeant begins spitting out the objectives afterwards.  
>"Robo Commandoes! Two of your squads will be joining Mega Man on the first leg of the operation. You'll be boarding two of our high-speed stealth carriers and be dropped off just inside of Skull Fortress' perimeter, right at the maggot's front door. From there you'll muscle your way inside and split into two groups."<p>

Another plan appears on the wall and the Sargeant continues, "Mega Man and a selection of Commandoes will be going in to apprehend Dr. Wily and his friend ProtoMan; the rest of you will be destroying every power source inside of Skull Fortress, mainly the system that powers his security detail."

The projector robot shows an overhead view of Skull Fortress and the construction area behind it. "Pilots! Once the security is shut down, you bombers and fighters, lead by Captain Almeida, will be making a flyover and dropping your payload on whatever the hell this asshole is building behind his fortress! But, because this requires pinpoint accuracy, you will need to fly low and get the hell out quicker than you came in!  
>Once we get confirmation that Mega Man has Wily and ProtoMan in custody, a squad of choppers from our base in Nevada will be performing the cleanup portion of the operation and drop off the scrambler bombs to knock out whatever robots he's got left inside, where our boys 'll recover 'em and get Wily's garbage out of their system... but, Mega Man has given us permission that if he fails to apprehend Wily... he's all ours, <span>by any means necessary<span>!"

The human soldiers all give a loud "HOO-HAH!" at the word that they may get the chance to finish off Dr. Wily themselves. But, Mega is uneasy with the overwillingness of the humans' desire to kill Dr. Wily instead of bringing him to justice, no matter how evil the man is.  
>Maybe it is his prime directive telling him to feel this way, or maybe it is Mega is a very strong sence of justice and morals that his personality has developed with the help of Dr. Light's raising that has instilled this sense into him.<p>

The Sargeant barks, "If everything goes according to plan, this war will finally be over before dawn! Are there any questions, soldiers?"

The Soldiers remain seated, not uttering any questions or raising any hands.

"Good! President Henry and his staff will be watching every move we make from Washington. So, let's get out there and raise hell! Dismissed!" The Sargeant orders.

The human and robot soldiers, Robo Commandoes and Mega Man with Rush begins heading out to make final preparation for this assault, but, Mega feels a renewed since of energy to to finish this war off and ensure that those whose lives were changed or ended are not in vain.  
>But, he wants to ensure it is done right: With Dr. Wily in a jail cell... and ProtoMan back home.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Just after 5:00 AM, Mountain time.<br>The badlands of Arizona.**

It is now less than an hour before sunlight will begin to peer out, but the sky is still pitch black in this part of the United States, giving the courageous group making their way here a tactical advantage in _"Operation: Badlands Strike."_

Far from Skull Fortress, two stealth carriers soar their way towards the badlands, traveling too fast to be detected by radar. At the speed they are flying, they should be within striking distance of Wily's monument of terror in seconds.  
>Well behind these carriers are squads of fighter jets and bombers ready to obliterate The Mad Grinder out of orbit, and maybe even the entirety of Skull Fortress once Wily and ProtoMan are taken out of there (or if these troop have their way, they will take Wily down with it.) And from the northwest, a group of heavily armed helicopters are coming here for the last phase of the operation.<p>

Just a few seconds later, the carriers drop off two massive cube-shaped troop drop transports from their hulls, with their expected landing zone being beyond Skull Fortress' outer security wall. Before the transports land, a burst of electro magnetic energy triggers beneath them, neutralizing the land mines set up in the badlands surface.  
>The cubes land with a loud crash, and the front walls of the drop transports blow off, clearing the path for nearly a hundred Robo Commandoes, Rush and Mega Man to race towards Skull Fortress to apprehend Dr. Wily and ProtoMan, destroy the Mad Grinder and finally end the war for everlasting peace...<p>

There is only one problem... Dr. Wily _anticipated_ something like this after weapons testing... it was what he was hoping for.

Before Mega Man and the others could breach the front entry of Skull Fortress, the entry doors open and a sizable amount of Robot Masters and other Wily Army bots like the remaining Sniper Joes and a pair of Cyclops' run out to battle them.

Mega's eyes grow huge with shock when he sees them racing for him. _How did they know we were coming?_

The forces of good immediately open fire, but the Robot Masters hold up anti-plasma shields to deflect most of their shots as they continue to race towards each other.  
>Seeing that everything has gone wrong, Mega contacts the commanders of this operation back at the base.<p>

"We're facing heavy resistance out here! Wily's robots are fighting us outside the fortress! I don't know how, but, he must have known we were coming," Mega calls.

_"Our fighters are already en route. We have to destroy that thing before Wily can use it."_

"I can get inside and shut down the power. We'll still be able to make the bombing run," Mega suggests as he blasts away a Sniper Joe who didn't have his shield up in time.

_"Then, do it. Just try and get yourself out of there before we drop these scrambler charges."_

"I'm on my way," Mega says. Then, he calls down to Rush, "We're going inside now, Rush. Take us inside the hangar!"

Rush barks loudly and transforms into Jet Mode as Mega Man leaps up, landing on Rush's back and taking out a few of the enemy robots down below.

Mega and Rush quickly find themselves racing for the hangar bay located just behind the eye holes of the front 'Skull' façade of Skull Fortress. With the majority of Robot Masters out here fighting his allies, he knows that he will not have much opposition in his way. All he has to worry about is shutting down the security countermeasures and get ProtoMan out of here and Wily to justice, and this war will be over.

... and before they crossed into the hangar, Mega saw **Bass and Treble** flying right towards them at break-neck speed.

Before Mega Man could call on Rush to use their new adaptor to counteract Bass, Bass jumps from Treble's back and crashes into Mega in mid-air, causing both robot warriors to fall to the ground.  
>Before they could reach it, Bass shoves Mega off with his feet, causing Mega to hit the barren badlands surface hard while Bass lands safely on his feet, wasting no time charging his enemy.<p>

Still shaken from the attack, Mega tries to fire off more plasma shots at Bass, but Bass uses his Bassinium/Quadirium shield to absorb the shots and fire them back at him. Mega just barely flips out of the way just in time.

Meanwhile, Rush tries to fly down and help his friend Mega Man so they can use their new adapters and really take the fight to Bass, but Treble flies right in front of the robo canine, and now there is a stand-off between the two in mid-air.

Rush and Treble snarl and growl at each other for several seconds, until Treble boosts himself straight at Rush, and vise-verse, beginning a scuffle between the robotic wolf and dog as they scratch and bite each other with the same ferocity as their owners are down below.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, squadron of jets and bombers begin heading towards Skull Fortress from the east, ready to proceed on their bombing run as they await the O.K. from Mega Man... an O.K. they are not going to receive unless he is lucky enough to make it past Bass.<p>

This marks the second time Captain Carlos Almeida has lead a group of pilots in an attempted bombing run on Skull Fortress. The first was the day after the first attack in Times Square when the fortress was still under construction. He also attempted to lead a group of fighters to take down Gamma nearly a year later.  
>Both missions were failures because Wily had the upper hand.<p>

When given the task of leading a fleet of pilots to bombard Dr. Wily, this time with a firm plan in place, Almeida jumped at the opportunity, thinking that the third time would be the charm. But, things are not looking too charming right now.

"Is the defense grid down yet?" Captain Almeida radios to base.

_"Negative. Our forces are meeting heavy resistance down on the surface. Mega Man is going in now to shut it down. We've got to give him more time."_

"Tell to get a move on, 'cause he's cutting it close!" Almeida replies, becoming apprehensive as he can see Skull Fortress and the ensuing battle approaching on the horizon.

* * *

><p>Mega Man tries to fight Bass outside the fortress, but the robot warrior caught the hero by such surprise he is already struggling against him, and he cannot use the adaptation with Rush because he is fighting with Treble.<br>What has shaken Mega the most however is that Bass is clearly working for Dr. Wily again, when only a few nights ago, he was saving Roll's life and having a civil conversation with her afterwards.

"What are you doing with Wily?" a shocked Mega shouts over the loud fighting going on all around him.

"We both knew the kind of power we could yield together instead of apart. And now the entire world will see for itself! Starting with you," Bass says as he charges another shot and aims at Mega Man, waiting for the right time to fire.

"Why? You saved my sister, but now you're doing this?" Mega argues.

"I was not about to let my queen die, even at Wily's hands!" Bass counters.

"Why don't you open your eyes, you idiot! If you help Wily take over the world, he's going to kill us all, even Roll!" Mega yells.

"Nobody will harm my queen! And NOBODY INSULTS MY GREATNESS!" Bass growls as he fires off a shot at Mega Man, which Mega barely dives out of the way from.

Mega Man barely regains his composure enough to aim his blaster at Bass again, but he knows his odds of hurting Bass are extremely slim without the Rush adapter or the help from the troops, and they are all too busy in their own battles.

"You know you can't defeat me! You never will! Your fear is too great to allow you to," Bass seethes, "All which you fight for is all for naught!"

In an unorthodox strategy, Mega Man unarms his blaster cannon while the fighting continues all around him and tries to reason with Bass. "Bass, after seeing you save Roll the other day, I know there has to be at least _one_ good bone in your body, and you know somewhere that Wily is not worth fighting with. Just let me get past you so that we can stop him."

"Ah, yes," Bass says, "You want to destroy the Mad Grinder. Dr. Wily suspected as much... a machine like that would be catastrophic if it were released. You can pass."

Mega Man seems surprised and does not know how to react when Bass steps aside and hold his hands outward towards Skull Fortress, clearing the way for Mega to go inside. This all seems like a ploy and Mega considers trying to blast Bass while he has the chance, and then making a break for it.  
>That is until Treble soars down and crashes into Mega by ramming his head into Mega's chest to disorient him before Bass blasts him in the same place where Treble just hit.<p>

"Perhaps I should clarify: I'll let you pass when the realm the humans call hell freezes over!" Bass yells.

Some of the Robo Commandoes elsewhere on the battlefield spot Bass and open fire on him with their weapons, but Bass uses his Bassinium deflector shield to block the plasma bolts and absorb the energy from them before firing a powerful shot at one of the Robo Commandoes.

Rush, whose armor now bares minor scratches from Treble attacking him, tries to soar down to attack Bass, but Bass merely puts his arm up and blocks him, striking the robo dog's jaw to take him down.

After seeing his faithful dog hurt at the hands of this wretched agent of evil, Mega Man feels his aggression surging and unloads several shots on Bass while bull rushing him in an attempt to knock him right in the nose.  
>But, Bass' shield absorbs the shots and when Mega Man is close enough, he punches the hero in his chest with the force of all the energy he had just collected, severely reducing the amount of energy Mega has left.<p>

Bass looms over the fallen Mega Man and frowns. "You have no idea how badly I want to _end you_ right now, but Dr. Wily specifically told me to let you live. He said he did not want you to miss the fireworks."

Mega tries reaching for Bass with his right hand, but Bass walks away with Treble and turns his attention to the fledgling Robo Commandoes.

With Mega and Rush down, the ground troops overwhelmed by the rest of the robot army and the air forces unable to make a strike with Wily's security still online, this battle is already a lost cause, but, in a matter of seconds, it will turn into something... unimaginable.

Bass calls on his communicator, "It's time."

* * *

><p>As the fighters gain ground on Skull Fortress, they receive the call from command they have been waiting for.<br>_"Pilots, we're no longer getting an energy reading from down below. Now deflectors, no jammers. Nothing,"_ The fight commander says on the radios of every pilot in the sky, _"Mega Man must have done it. Get ready for your attack run!"_

"Does he have Wily yet?" Captain Almeida asks.

_"He must be going to get him now. We lost contact with him after he went in. Either way, let's make sure his effort didn't go to waste. Bomb that thing to hell and back!"_

Captain Almeida's fingers tighten around the flight yoke as he commands, "You heard the man. Let's do it. Arm explosive payloads now."

All the fighters and bombers arms their bombs and missiles and begin flying lower as Skull Fortress gets closer now. Their radar is still fully functional and no hostile fire is aimed in their direction. At the direction they are coming from, they will be able to knock off the Mad Grinder without causing major damage to the fortress...

Just before the fighters are within striking range, Dr. Wily's entire defense system comes back on, blinding their radar, and all the outer turrets and missile launchers target them...  
>And then, a nightmarish low robotic groan is heard, and the Mad Grinder rises from the construction area, toppling it like it was cardboard, and as it rises, it now stands taller than the Skull Fortress structure.<p>

The Mad Grinder opens fire upon the fighters with it's secondary and tertiary weapons and begins picking off several of them at a time.

"ABORT!" Captain Almeida shouts, "ALL CRAFT ABOR-..."

And then his bomber gets shredded apart by an energy beam from Mad Grinder's weapons array, turning it into a ball of flame. And several of the other planes in the squadron are torn apart by the same bust of fire.

* * *

><p>And behind the controls of the Mad Grinder, Dr. Wily picks off the targets one by one, even after they no longer pose a threat to him.<p>

_"Yes! Make them all pay and make Mega Man and all the others watch!"_ the whisper hisses in Albert's head.

With a wide grin and big eyes, Wily does just that, howling with insane laughter as he and his automated defenses tear through the remnants of the squadron like they were ants and his Mad Grinder was a magnifying glass.  
>This was no longer defending the fortress; this was ruthless target practice.<p>

"Look at what you've done, Thomas Light! Look at what you've done Mega Man!" Albert shouts...

Meanwhile, ProtoMan sits alone in the Mad Grinder's power core chamber, to scared to look at what is happening and too weak to do anything about it, unable to act because of Wily's order.

* * *

><p>Mega Man watches on helplessly as he lies nearly powerless on the ground, barely able to move as the air support gets torn apart by the Mad Grinder and Skull Fortress' defenses in a matter of seconds, the fighters plummeting to the ground as orange streaks of flame and smoke.<br>He noticed some parachutes slowly falling too... and some of them get caught in the crossfire.

Seeing this bring back horrible memories of the Gamma incident, hundreds of brave humans and robots extinguished within seconds at the might of a hellish giant brandished by Wily and there was nothing Mega Man could do to stop it.

Mega's terrified eyes were so focused on the fate of those up in the sky that he was unaware of the Robo Commandoes being brutalized by the Robot Masters and Bass, who was now merged with Treble.  
>As great as the Robo Commandoes are, they never stood a chance, especially against Bass. The only silver lining here is that human troops were not part of the ground team, or this would have been much worse.<p>

Mega can hear in his head an order from the commander of this operation, urgently _"Attention all surviving team members! Abort mission! Abort! Get away from Skull Fortress!"_

As mortified as he is from the attack and as much as he wants to continue the fight so that those whose lives were lost could be avenged, Mega Man cannot find the willpower to get up. Rush finally arrives and barks to get Mega's attention, and he barely manages to load him on his back and jet him away from here.

Wily's defenses allow him to escape. Dr. Wily wanted Mega Man to survive so that the horror of this attack would stick with him like Janet's paralyzation and Doc's death has.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<strong>  
><strong>Washington D.C.<strong>

As the sun began to rise on the east coast, President Henry and many members of his staff have watched the ongoing progress on _Operation: Badlands Strike_ from the Situation Room. All in a matter of minutes, the mood in this room went from nervousness and hope, to worry, to despair, and now to absolute horror.

Not a word was uttered after the life signs of the entire_ Operation: Badlands Strike_ alliance began to fade away, and these elected and appointed officials now hope, with some praying to whatever higher power they believe in, that at least _one_ participant to survive this terrible operation, not the least of which being Mega Man.

One screen shows the first-person view of the Robo Commando leader as he desperately tries to survive the battle with Wily's robots. The sight of the Mad Grinder rising from behind Skull Fortress could be seen, causing some in the room to gasp.  
>The last thing seen is the sight of Bass in merged form, surrounded in Bassinium energy and blasting him. The screen goes dead immediately after.<p>

Those in the room recognize Bass from his very public battle with Mega at Yankee Stadium this Spring, when Bass made it known that he was really an Albert Wily creation. Bass had disappeared until last week, and it was assumed by those with the loop that he was still a threat but no longer with Dr. Wily.  
>But, this makes it clear that Bass is indeed still working with Wily, and this has just made the predicament worse.<p>

Seconds later, a blue blip appears on the screen showing an overhead radar view of a mock Skull Fortress.

"There's Mega Man. He made it out," Chief of Staff Alan Kravitz reports. Mega had been wearing a signal tracker for the mission so that his life sign could be monitored here.

There is an extremely fleeting moment of relief once word of Mega Man's escape is announced, but, President Henry says nothing in response, and neither does anybody else as they watch the life sign trackers that all the pilots and Robo Commandoes were outfitted with begin to rapidly fade out on the radar screen as they are wiped out by Wily's forces.

Whatever sense of hope there may have been amongst those gathered here in this room quickly unravels into understated devastation. Eventually, the last life sign, a lone surviving human pilot whose plane was shot down by the Mad Grinder, fades out.

Kravitz looks pale-faced as he turns to the staff and reports... "They're all gone."

The room becomes suddenly silence, and even the toughest people are shaken to the core, others devastated. President Henry himself stands up and walks away, trying to handle the overwhelming sadness of what he just layed witness to.

The wheels of change keep turning; the dominoes keep falling.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_There were a few scenes that were originally supposed to take place after the operation at Skull Fortress, but the chapter ran so long that they have all been moved to chapter 8. And because of this, we might get an extra chapter._

_Roll's outfit was mostly based on the Luke Skywalker "Bespin Duel" outfit from The Empire Strikes Back. Why? I don't know, to be honest. But, a few months ago, I did make a sprite of her wearing that outfit and wielding a lightsaber in her utility arm, and it looked pretty good. Maybe that's why I included a similar outfit here.  
>If you're wondering what the jumpsuit Roll wanted to wear is (the one she refers to as a 'Dragon Force' suit), think Kill BillBruce Lee "Game of Death" style jumpsuit._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, leftover notes or continuity errors that would make the Easter Bunny put all his eggs in one basket (oh wait, he already does it anyway), please PM me right away. (Please do not leave these in a review. Thank you.)_


	120. Mega Man No More

_**Episode 11, Chapter 8: Mega Man No More.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

Dr. Light and Roll await for Mega Man to return from Skull Fortress, worried for him because he has not responded to any calls since Rush took him away from Skull Fortress when the retreat order came in. They do not yet know all the disturbing details of what took place there, other than the operation was a complete failure.

"His vital signs are still registering. But, why doesn't he respond?" Thomas asks.

Roll frets as she keeps her hands clasped together in a praying stance as she often does when she is worried. "I knew I should have gone with him. I just knew it."

"No, you should not have, Roll. As far as we know, Albert had something terrible waiting for them there," Thomas replies.

"Like what they were sent there to destroy?" Roll asks, vaguely referring to the thing that was being constructed behind Skull Fortress.

Thomas remains silent, realizing that maybe his daughter's suspicion is correct. Maybe Wily _did_ use this weapon against them.

As Mega Man's signal gets closer, Thomas communicates with Rush. "We're opening the emergency hatch, Rush. Fly in through there."

The round hatch near the roof of the lab opens and seconds later, Rush flies in with Mega Man lying sideways on his back. The robo dog hovers alongside the lab's work table and Roll and Dr. Light try to help their family member on top of it.

When Mega turns over on his back, it does not appear that his damage is severe, but his energy is very low... and his face is wet with eye lubrication.

"Rock! Are you alright?" Thomas calls with terrible concern, shaking his son's body.

"Wily... he killed them," Mega replies as his voice trembles.

A brief hush falls over the lab as Thomas and Roll recognize the weight of the words their loved one just spoke. They can't imagine the horrible sight Mega had to see with his own eyes.

"That thing he's building... it's worse than we thought," Mega struggles to speak.

As Dr. Light connects the energy regulator to Mega Man, Roll tries to talk to her brother, trying to keep her own emotions in check. "It's gonna be okay, Mega. We'll find a way to stop him, just like we always do."

Mega then looks at Roll with his wet eyes and reveals to her something that he dreaded, but she had to know. "Bass... he's still working for Wily."

Once she heard whose side Bass was really on, Roll felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. She so dismayed and shaken at how this could have happened, and she became more sad because as far as she knew, Bass had lied and manipulated her when they talked the other night in Central Park.

"What? ... No!" Roll weakly stammers as she turns and takes a few paces away from her brother as she tries to process this disturbing fact.

"Roll, I still need help aiding Rock and Rush," Thomas calls.

"He said he would never hurt me," Roll barely says as her eyes become wet.

"Roll?" Thomas calls again when he notices his daughter's lamenting.

"He saved my life... He looked like he was really changing," Roll nearly whimpers.

"Roll, please. I need your help," Thomas appears to his daughter again.

Roll tries to snap herself out of it and wipes the tears forming under her eyes so she can return to her brother's side and help her father repair him.

Meanwhile, Mega Man stares up at the lab ceiling where the bright lights shine down on him. He cannot get the fate of all those pilots and robo commandoes out of his mind, especially the humans who perished. The Robo Commandoes were built for combat, and while their loss is hurtful, it is not as devastating as the loss of all the humans who were mercilessly killed.

Those who died were somebody's father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, sister... or brother. They all had lives that they will never live now, leaving behind the family that never would have been abandoned had this war ended two years ago.  
>They were all members of the very human race that Mega Man has vowed to defend.<p>

More tears begin to escape from Mega's eyes as his lip trembles. He feels like he failed them all, just like Janet, just like Doc, and just like everybody else who has died or had their lives forever altered because of this war.

And with Bass, and the Mad Grinder, and the entirety of Dr. Wily's robot army at his side, he might never be able to beat Dr. Wily without countless more tragedies before even more people die first.

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<br>Over an hour after the outcome of _Operation: Badlands Strike._**

Unconfirmed reports have already begun to swirl about sightings of a massive amount of jet fighters being spotted heading towards the Badlands of Arizona and Nevada, and rumors of a pre-emptive strike being made at Skull Fortress are popping up. But, no confirmation has come from Washington until now, when the press was notified that The President would be coming on the air at 10:00 AM for an important announcement.

The President arrives to the Oval Office and takes his seat behind his desk, in front of the picture window viewing the garden outside, and he is receiving an up-to-the-minute report from his Chief of Staff Kravitz.

"We just received a report from the Arizona chapter of the National Guard. They managed to complete the recovery operation without being shot down by Wily's defenses. They were able to recover four human pilots who managed to eject in time. All four were injured, two of which have life-threatening injures, and their prognosis is grim."

President Henry sighs as he runs his hand on his dark-skinned forehead. "Out of one-hundred pilots, only _four_ survived," he muses mournfully.

"With the urgency of this situation, sir, we need to begin formulating our next strategy to destroy that thing as soon as this address is complete," Kravitz says, referring to Wily's Mad Grinder, "As we saw, that machine is fully armed and he could use it at any moment."

Henry nods. "Send Air Force One to get my wife and daughter back here immediately. Raise our security status to _Elevated_ and tell our authorities to be on alert. See to it that all other nations are aware of the threat Wily now poses so they can prepare themselves in the event of an attack."

"I'm on it now, Mr. President," Kravitz says as he leaves the office.

The President remains stone silent as he looks at the opening lines of the speech he is about to give on the transparent teleprompter on the camera in front of him.  
>Even though he was the leader of the country and one of the most important people in the world, <em>The President of the United States feels helpless<em> to stop the threat that is about to be unleashed upon this country, and the world, by Dr. Wily.  
>With his Robot Army, and Bass, <em>and<em> this 'Project G-2' at Dr. Wily's disposal, this might now be a war that is unwinnable. Either resulting in defeat, or open warfare that is far worse than anything seen in the past two and a half years, lasting several years.

"Are you ready to begin your address, Mr. President?" asks the camerabot.

After taking in a steady, deep breath, The President replies, "Yes."

"Sending confirmation to all broadcast outlets now. You will be on the air in thirty seconds, Mr. President," the camerabot says.

Thirty seconds later, President Henry begins speaking to the American People to give them the grim news... "My fellow Americans... it is my unfortunate responsibility to inform you that this nation has suffered a great tragedy this morning. At approximately, 5:09 am, Mountain Time, a large strike team of robo commandoes, pilots from the 201st airborne division and Mega Man himself were a part of a pre-emptive strike at Dr. Albert Wily's Skull Fortress to destroy a machine of mass destruction that Wily had built, and to apprehend Wily himself."

After a very brief pause, and without breaking his look into the camera, President Henry continues, "But, the operation was a failure. And while Mega Man is recovering with Dr. Thomas Light, the majority of the team did not survive the operation."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

At various places throughout the country, many Americans watch The President's address, even in Times Square, New York as the feed is broadcast on the large news screen.  
>Dr. Wily watches the feed from his command center with a wide smile on his face.<p>

_"The threat that Dr. Wily now poses is a serious one, and now is the time for us to be prepared for when this man decides to launch his next attack. Rest assured that if Albert Wily were to launch another attack on American soil, we will be prepared, and we will take action... the forces of evil will never triumph over good, in America or anywhere else in the free world."_

Wily talks back to the screen, "Yes, Mr. President, the forces of evil will _never_ defeat the forces of good... but, I don't recall classifying myself as a force of evil."

As The President's address continues, Wily turns away from it and removes a hand-written note from his lab coat, one that was written during ProtoMan's tenure as the leader of the robot army, when Albert had made the 'mistake' of placing him in charge.

It reads, _"Proto's plan: Invasion of Washington. Dark Man 2/President. Surrendering control."_

Albert had kept these ideas in mind ever since Metal Man (who was acting as a mole to feed him information about ProtoMan while he was in command) had informed him that this was a part of Proto's original plan for the taking of Galaxy Man.  
>As much as Albert hates the idea of giving ProtoMan any credit after how he betrayed him, this plan was too good to pass up. And with Bass and the Mad Grinder available to him, and if he can successfully break Mega Man's spirit, Wily can pull it off.<p>

"The time has come, Mr. President. You are about to be impeached!" Wily smiles and snickers as he crumples the note in his right hand and pounds it into his other hand.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere at Skull Fortress, ProtoMan remains seated just outside the doorway leading to what remains of the Mad Grinder's toppled construction area with his helmeted head is in his hands, distraught with what just took place here a couple of hours ago.<br>Proto is unable to shake the atrocities Wily committed with the Mad Grinder just a couple of hours earlier. He feels responsible for it somehow, even though he did nothing but watch the reactor.

All of Dr. Wily's acts are so much more evil and deplorable to ProtoMan now that he knows what it is like to be on the wrong side of his master's wrath, and he fears what Wily will do next... and what he could do to his brother or sister, even their dog or that poor Met that Proto helped escape from here.

ProtoMan finally stands up and leaves this door frame and hastily begins heading back to his quarters, hoping he does not come across Wily or any of the Robot Masters who now hate him. He just wants to make it through this day without any trouble.

On his way, Proto crosses paths with Headless Joe who was carrying his detached head under his right arm. He was on his way outside the fortress to work on fine tuning the Mad Grinder per the order of Dr. Wily.

When he sees Proto, Headless Joe stops dead in his tracks and looks alerted and panicked as he literally holds his head in his hands and holds it up to look around to see if there is anybody else nearby who could see this. Obviously, he had heard about how Proto had helped Mega Man like the others.

"I guess you hate me now too?" Proto asks of who he thought was his only friend left here, with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Headless Joe rotates his detached head from right to left as he continues looking around. He then points upward and puts his head up nears his shoulders, making a cutting gesture with his finger, indicating he could lose his head... even though he already has.  
>It looks like he doesn't hate Proto, but he is just scared that Dr. Wily or the others will see him with Proto and give him a hard time or punish him.<p>

Proto nods. "Okay. Get out of here and keep yourself out of trouble," he says, understanding Joe's situation.

Headless Joe gives a brief wave with one of his hands before putting his head back under his arm and running off, still following Proto's word like he was his leader, because Proto was (and has proven he still is) the only one here who shows any sort of care about him, always appointing him to work alongside him and trying to have Wily and the other worker bots to have Joe's head put back on, while Dr. Wily has viewed Headless Joe as a non-priority in his army.

Proto watches his only remaining friend he has left here running off, hoping that he stays safe and doesn't find himself on the wrong side of Wily's ire, and then he continues heading for his quarters.

ProtoMan can see some of the Robot Masters hanging around as he continues to head for his quarters, and he does not want to gain their attention, especially if his former friends the Robot Master Trio are around. So, Proto picks up speed as he walks in the hopes that he will be ignored.  
>Then, he hears a familiar and unpleasant voice from behind him. One that he thought had been shut-up weeks ago in Manhattan...<p>

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" loudly called the voice of Punk, one of The Killers.

ProtoMan feels nervous now, because if there was one person he did not want bothering him, besides Dr. Wily and Bass and the Robot Master Trio, it was Punk, whose attitude is more abrasive than acidic sandpaper, and is even more deadly.  
>ProtoMan begins walking even faster now, but he could hear Punk's footsteps gaining on him.<p>

Punk then catches up with Proto by jumping over his head and landing right in front of him, blacking his path and forcing Proto to com to a complete stop. "Oh, come on, ProtoBoy! You always talked the big talk before! Let's see how tough you really are now after Wily made you his whipping boy!"

"Leave me alone!" Proto says, sounding like the intimidated child standing in front of the big bad schoolyard bully, all because of his weakened emotional state.

"Oh, sure, I'll leave you alone!" Punk shrugs, before shoving Proto down to the floor, causing all of the nearby Robot Masters to laugh at him. They might hate Punk for pushing them all around, but, after learning about ProtoMan helping Mega Man, they are less fond of him than they are of Punk.

While ProtoMan is down, Punk grabs his yellow scarf and yanks it off, which causes Proto to gasp and return to his feet, trying to take the scarf back. It may just be a scarf, but it was _his scarf_ and it was one of the very few things he had left that he cherished.

"Give it back!" Proto cries out.

Punk only holds Proto's scarf higher above his head, taunting him with it. "If you want the scarf so bad, why don't you come get it? Here it is!"

Punk hoots as Proto continues to feebly grab his scarf back, and the Robot Masters nearby are entertained as they keep laughing at ProtoMan.

After tormenting him with his scarf, Punk shoves ProtoMan back down with his free hand and stands over him.

"Come to think of it, I don't want your stupid scarf anyway. Scarfs are for scared little pansy boys like you! Loser!" Punk mocks, throwing Proto's scarf back in his face.

Punk walks away as the Robot Masters continue laughing. He then turns around and raises his fists in the air and proclaims himself, "BEST IN THE WORLD!"

Proto sits back up, and listens to all the Robot Masters laughing at him after Punk made an embarrassment out of him. This humiliation only opened the wound on his heart again that Wily had put there.  
>The old Proto would have made them all shut-up and make them respect him. But, thanks to his missing confidence and bravery, Proto felt pathetic just sitting here and feels powerless to do anything but accept that he is a failure.<p>

He silently pouts as he puts his scarf back on when the voice of Dr. Wily booms through Skull Fortress' loudspeakers, scaring Proto when he hears it. _"ProtoMan! I don't see you near the Mad Grinder! Get back to work and make sure it is ready to move out! ON THE DOUBLE!"_

ProtoMan turns around and begins running back towards the construction area, not wanting to make his master angry with him anymore. And on his way, it hits him just how bad things have gone.

His life was in shambles, he was forced to forever shun his brother and the rest of his relatives, and he now had a target on his back. Every day was another experience of fear, humiliation and sadness, and Proto can't take it anymore.

But, in mid-run, Proto receives a non-audio ping on his communicator. And it was not from anybody here, or Mega Man, or Dr. Light... it was his dear friend Nomad. And it was an emergency, which meant that she must be having a relapse of the pain in her head, thanks to Wily's botched programming.

Proto comes to a full stop and tries to sneak away to a closet or another small area so that he could contact her back. But, before he could, Proto remembers that he can't do that, because Wily would surely pick up the outgoing call. And that meant Wily would only punish him even more, and he would learn of Nomad's existence. And there is no telling what he would do to her.

Proto begins having a conflict deep down inside. He knows that he has to respond to Nomad because she needs him, and if he doesn't help her soon enough, she will no longer be able to fight the urge to destroy to make the head pain go away, which will likely expose her existence to Dr. Wily.  
>But, he is too afraid to defy Wily and do anything to help her, even it it means Nomad being exposed and caught. Because he is scared of Dr. Wily.<p>

It finally hits Proto like a ton of bricks that because of his fear, he cannot do anything to help the closest friend he has, the one he cares about the most, and that she might have something terrible happen to her now. And it will be his fault for not acting...

And he breaks down crying behind his visor, letting out quiet body-shaking sobs, mourning like he has already lost his Nomad. She is such a precious, special being whom nobody else in this world cares for except for ProtoMan himself, and he can't even keep her safe anymore.

After weeping to himself for nearly a minute, Proto remembers he has to get to work on the Mad Grinder or Wily is going to punish him regardless. He tries to regain his composure as he picks himself up, but the idea of anything happening to Nomad when he could have done something to stop it is too haunting to let go.

As he walks back to the Mad Grinder's wrecked construction area, he speaks to his forearm as if he was speaking to Nomad. "Please don't leave me too! ... You're all I have left."

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

Mr. Black had staved off sleep for several days to finish the final tweaks needed to make his car fully compatible with the SkyCar parts ripped from Governor Deacon's car, and his work is finally complete. With the SkyCar parts integrated into the car itself, it can easily switch from standard tire-based travel to flight mode when the situation calls for it, making extractions much easier.

Now, Mr. Black is here with all of his blinds and shutters closes to block out the light from outside as he loads many of his weapons into the trunk, including the shotgun that he modified with the items he took from the Vick-Tek storage facility earlier this year, and assault rifle which he also modded with upgrades to convert it into a Phased Plasma Rifle in the 40 watt range.

Mr. Black is pulling out off the stops, preparing for all out war the next time he heads out. And with his mindset, the odd are that there will be no turning back next time.  
>Even with his conscience attacks and haunting feeling, Mr. Black cannot allow anything - even Tonya - to stop him from completing this mission. He either consummates this mission at long last, or he will fall trying, either in apprehension or dead.<p>

After the pieces of his artillery are loaded into the car, Mr. Black returns to the study room, passing his trench coat, mask and armor. After staving off sleep for extremely long periods of time, the man is so fatigued and dead tired that he looks like a living zombie. Large pools of purple are under his eyes and his face is covered in stubble.

He continues to fight off the exhaustion for as long as he can, because he was afraid his mind would take him back_ there_ again. He still felt like Tonya was trying to stop him from doing what he was about to do, much like what happened days ago when he was about to use the Mindcracker to make Bree Recotta turn her attention away from him.

He does not even reach his chair before his body gives up and slowly drops to his knees, then on to his side, and then lies flat on the floor. His body can no longer fight off the fatigue, despite his resistance.

He tries to stave off any bad thoughts by thinking about Tonya again so that his mind will not take him back _there_ again. But, the first thing that comes to his mind was one of the lowest points in his life in the weeks before he lost her...

_It was over a week since John had resigned from the F.B.I. under a cloud of controversy when they learned about his use and creation of the unethical Mindcracker device, and this was also the night after he used the device on his friend Cotto to learn that it was he who spearheaded the investigation that led to Barton's departure._

_Now that some time had passed since he used the device on his friend, John was experiencing an attack of conscience, one that he did not have before this because his anger had blinded him.  
>Even though the device worked on Cotto and he would not remember the device being used on him, John himself will remember it, and it would surely haunt him... unless something worse happened later in life.<em>

_The main reason he felt so bad was because Tonya always thought he was a better man than how he has conducted himself recently. And his father must have looked down on him with shame. He never would have done what John did. He never would have developed something like the Mindcracker either.  
>Barton felt terrible because he was not as good of a man as he wanted to be. He was letting his paranoia and his increasingly darker outlook on life change him for the worse instead of enjoying life while it was good.<em>

_It was late on this night that Tonya had come around the corner, wearing her silken white sleeping gown and looking like a heavenly figure, when she spotted John sitting in his study chair, in front of the chess board where a game was ongoing. (A game where Tonya was gaining an advantage after learning so much knowledge of how the game was played.) _

_John looked like something was bothering him. While she knew about his quitting the F.B.I., he had been mum on the details of what exactly happened._

_"What's wrong, baby?" Tonya asks, tilting her head with concern._

_John avoided the subject of Cotto entirely and skirted around the issue. "I'm just... stressed after what happened at the Bureau. Maybe I shouldn't have quit."_

_Tonya remained silent for a moment. She had a feeling that there was a little more to his departure than he had let on. He had told her that there was a dispute between him and the F.B.I., but never told her exactly what it was about. And he couldn't tell her because of the confidential nature of his job.  
>She suspected that maybe it was because of how he had gotten his hands on the A.I. for their car. (But, if she knew what it was really about, her reaction might have been very different.)<em>

_But, however he wound up out of the F.B.I., she still supported her man. He always treated her like she was the only woman in the world and when he said he loved her, she could tell he meant it. She was not about to let him down now... even if she was unaware of what he did to their friend Cotto._

_Tonya walked around the study chair and put her arms around John's shoulders and he reached up to feel them. It felt so good to know that he still had a friend, yet it was tormenting because he was keeping these dark secrets inside.  
>He wanted to leave here and literally run away from his problems in the hopes that they could never catch up with him. Maybe then, he could put it all behind him and start over.<em>

_Sounding so defeated, a tone he has not had in his voice since his father died, John suggested, "I was thinking about starting a private security firm with some of the guys who used serve at the Bureau. Maybe we could move up north and set it up there. You can be closer to your family."_

_"Wherever our lives take us, you know you've got my support. I love you," Tonya said softly into his ear._

_"Thanks," Barton softly replied, still feeling terrible about what he did._

_Tonya leaned around the chair and kissed John briefly. "Come up to bed, babe."_

_And as Tonya walked away, she reached over to the chess board and moved her white Queen ahead to spaces on the Chess Board, defeating one of John's pawns, and placing her at a supreme advantage over John in the game, nearly guaranteeing victory._

_Barton looked up at his wife, baffled that she had just made that move so suddenly. And __all he saw was her looking back at him with a sly grin on her face. Before going up to their bedroom, she spoke and used a nickname she had given John because of his fondness of one color... "Your move, Mr. Black."_

As John Barton now sleeps, too weak to wake up, his mind is finally at rest, allowing him to dream as clearly as he wants. Tonya appears in all of his dreams, and he feels normal again as he loses himself in his own memories... and the chess board sits next him, all of the pieces still in the same place they have been since the night Tonya made that last move.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<br>Early that afternoon.**

Now that the damage to he and Rush has been repaired, Mega Man sits in the corner of the lab with his helmet off, unable to get the horrible sight of all those pilots being shot down by the Mad Grinder earlier this morning out of his cybernetic mind. Even after receiving the updated report that a few of those pilot have managed to survive, it does not make Mega feel any better, considering all the others did not survive.

He also cannot get Bass out of his mind, especially how dominating he was when fighting him. If Dr. Wily had not restricted Bass from killing him, he would have done it.  
>Maybe if he had merged with Rush right out of the gate, Mega would have been ready for Bass and Treble and beaten them. Then, he could have made it inside and shut down Wily's defenses.<br>The war would have been over... it _should_ have been over. But, the war is not over, and so many more people and robots are gone because of it. And Mega Man feels responsible for it all.

_"I have already won!"_ Mega Man remembers Wily proclaiming in the past. It did not come to fruition on that night, but this time it may actually happen with the Mad Grinder at his disposal, _and_ Bass.

Mega then recalls Bass' proclamation this morning._ "You know you can't defeat me! You never will! ... All which you fight for is all for naught!"_

Normally when facing odds like these, and given the horrific tragedy that he witnessed, Mega Man would have been more motivated to stop Wily once and for all. But, everything went so badly today that Mega's doubts in himself are worse than they have ever been, and every last bit of optimism has been drained.  
>He feels powerless and that the prospect of defeating Bass seems impossible. He doesn't even believe he can stop Wily without another tragedy taking place... or that he can even stop Wily at all.<p>

For the first time in his life, Rock Light's spirit and will to fight have been overwhelmed by the pressures of this war... and they might just become broken, never to be mended again.

As Mega slips deeper into his doubts, Dr. Light scans satellite images that show the full might of the Mad Grinder. "That Mech that Wily built is unquestionably powerful, and I am sure it is well-fortified. But, it can be stopped. Of that much, I am certain."

Roll comments with dismay, "It looks like a mutant version of Gamma!"

Thomas adds, "I'm sure that is where he got the inspiration from. We should call President Henry and form a strategy for the next strike against it. That mech needs to be neutralized before he can use it again."

Dr. Light and Roll could not help but notice the uncharacteristic silence coming from Mega over in the corner, who would normally be at the forefront of trying to put a stop to Wily. They both look and see Mega seated with his head hanging down, almost in shame.

"You should get some rest, Rock," Thomas suggests, "You might be needed at any moment to launch another attack on Wily's new machine."

Mega barely registers his father's words, because he has become lost dwelling in his doubts. And the taunts of Dr. Wily and Bass still replay in his head over and over along with the horrible sight of every single jet in the sky being shot down by Wily's new killing machine.

_"You can't defeat me! You never will!" ... "I have already won!"_

At his lowest point emotionally, Mega barely mumbles, "I can't beat them."

"What did you say?" Dr. Light asks, unable to comprehend what Mega said. But, with her enhanced hearing abilities, Roll could hear her brother, and she looks concerned.

"I... I can't," Mega mutters incoherently as he stares at the lab floor.

"Rock, I cannot understand what you are saying," Thomas says, now facing his son. Roll doesn't say anything because she hopes that somehow, she did not just hear he brother say what she thought he did.

Mega shudders, "I can't stop them... I'm going to fail."

As Roll watches on as her brother is emotionally collapsing, Dr. Light tries to encourage him again. "That's not true, Rock! Wily only got lucky. We have beaten him every other time before, and we can again."

At his lowest point, Mega grieve, "More people are going die and become crippled... I can't handle any more of that on my conscience, especially if it's one of us it happens to."

Then, after a beat of silence, Mega Man utters the words he thought he would never say... "I can't do this anymore."

Dr. Light and Roll stand in stunned silence, but Roll is particularly crushed by this, staring at her brother with widened eyes.

Mega Man stands up and looks at his father with defeated, broken, sad eyes. He asks, "Dr. Light... are you able to build a new robot warrior in time to fight Wily?"

Before Dr. Light could answer, Roll steps between them. "No, Mega! You can't quit! You're the Defender of the Human Race!"

"But, I don't want to be anymore... I can't have anybody dying because of me," Mega laments as his voice begins to break, "I don't want to be Mega Man anymore. I just want to be Rock again."

After hearing her brother's shocking works, Roll stares at her brother with shock and sadness, and her eyes begin welling-up with eye lubrication tears again. "But... you are everybody's hero... you're _my_ hero!" she pleas as he voice breaks up.

Unable to handle this anymore, Roll runs out of the lab in tears, leaving Mega and Dr. Light standing across from one another.

"I know this is a shock, Dr. Light, but, please tell me we can build a replacement... I can't this anymore," Mega sighs as tears begin leaking from his eyes.

"As much as I question your decision... If this is what you wish," Thomas sighs, "Then, I will see what I can do."

Mega says nothing more in response, now questioning his own decision to retire as Mega Man, even feeling deep inside that he might have just made a mistake. But, he is afraid that he has does try to fight another battle, somebody else will have life-altering injuries or die. It is best left to those who don't make mistakes like him, or so his doubts are telling him.

* * *

><p>Roll runs outside to the back yard of the lab, tears streaming down her face, until she reaches Doc's resting place under his favorite tree. She slumps to her knees and begins openly sobbing, emotionally shattered and heartbroken over everything that has happened today.<p>

She almost lost her brother when Wily unleashed his giant Mad Grinder during the operation that was meant to destroy it, she learned Bass was still with Dr. Wily, and the worst of all was watching her brother, her hero, giving up on being humanity's only hope against Dr. Wily.

It crushed her to have to witness her brother's downward spiral, and it hurt even more knowing that without the Defender of the Human Race, the world will eventually fall into Dr. Wily's hands. All will have been for nothing and all those whose lives were lost- including Doc's - will have been lost in vain.

"No! God, no! It can't end like this," Roll blubbers into her hands, sitting in front of Doc's tree.

Nearly a minute later, Peekaboo comes running out to the back yard, heading straight for Roll. He had heard his Mommy crying and he came all the way out here by himself to see what was wrong with her.

Peekaboo bleeps with worry when he reaches Roll, asking why she is so sad.

Roll wipes away the tears and tries to stay strong for Boo, but she cannot control the strain in her choked voice. "I'm just really sad right now, Boo-Boo. Things are just... not looking so good right now," she says, choosing her words carefully so her Met does not get scared.

Peekaboo pouts and beeps with worry, asking if they are going to be okay.

Roll does not know how to answer her Met, and she cannot bring herself to lie and say that everything will be, not when her brother is so quickly giving up the mantle of Mega Man. "I hope so," she replies as more tears begin to fall from her eyes.

When he sees his Mommy crying, Boo pops out his extension arm and he hugs Roll as he snuggles up with her.

In the middle of her crying, Roll notices something she had previously missed. She sits down on the grass and picks Peekaboo up in her arms. "Boo, Did you come all the way out here from my room all by yourself?"

Boo bleeps once, saying that he did.

"And you weren't scared?" Roll asks.

Boo beeps that it was a little scary walking down the big hallways alone, but he was worried about his mommy more.

Roll smiles though her tears, "Aw! Bless your little heart! You're becoming a brave little Met just like I knew you would!"

Boo bleeps in surprise.

"Uh-huh! And I'm so proud of you," Roll cheers.

As she hugs Peekaboo and he hugs her, Roll's happiness is dashed when she thinks back to her brother's severe depression. It will not matter how brave Peekaboo becomes if there is no Mega Man around to stop Dr. Wily. And she might not be able to protect her Met or the rest of her family from Wily either.

But, even though her brother has lost faith in himself, Roll still hopes against all that Mega is only too grief-stricken to realize the ramifications of his decision right now and that maybe the spark of hope will be rekindled in him, much like how he was able to give hope to others like Kalinka, the Wersching siblings, Janet the little girl, and so many others.  
>And if there was hope for a little Met with a very timid personality to become more confident in himself, there is still hope for her brother to pull through this.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After spending more time working on the Mad Grinder, ProtoMan was finally relieved of his duty and returns to his quarters, emotionally drained and tired from this horrible day.  
>He is more concerned about Nomad because her calls had suddenly stopped nearly a half-hour ago, and now Proto was fearing the worst, and that it was all his fault.<p>

Defeated and emotionally torn down, all Proto could do was is lie down and recharge so that this day can end... only to await the next horrible day that surely awaits him tomorrow.

But, before he went to bed, he felt the need to do something that might make him feel better. So, he lifts up his mattress to look for the newspaper headline which featured himself and Mega Man from last Election Day again, so that he can lose himself in the memory of that day... but, when he searches for the clipping, it was gone.

Proto begins to worry. He knew he left that clipping here under his bed and there is _no way_ it could have become lost. He then begins looking all over his quarters, but there is no sign of it anywhere.

"Looking for something, ProtoMan?" asks the voice of Dr. Wily just outside the room.

A startled Proto turns around and sees Dr. Wily standing in the door frame, staring back at him with displeased eyes. "Was it a clipping from a newspaper which featured a smiling picture of you and Mega Man with the headline _'ProtoMan turns on Wily'_ on it? Maybe I can help you find it," he says.

Albert then removes a small tube from his lab coat and unscrews the cap. He then turns it upside down and dumps out the ashes of what used to be Proto's newspaper clipping.

ProtoMan watches as the ashes all to the floor, followed by Wily kicked them away, adding further insult to injury.

Wily stares at Proto again, frowning, "You liked keeping secrets from me, Proto. And given what I have learned about you, I suspect the 'Turns on Wily' part may have been wishful thinking!"

Proto nearly whimpers, "I only wanted to have my brother in my life."

Wily's frown becomes harsher. "Are you _crying_?"

"No, Dr. Wily. I'm sorry," Proto chokes, hanging his head down so Wily won't see him suffering.

Dr. Wily shakes his head, disgusted with seeing such weakness out of Proto any further. He reaches into his lab coat again and pulls out a small drive... just like the one he used to torture Proto with weeks ago.

Once he sees it, ProtoMan gets down on his knees before Wily, letting his fear conquer him. He begs, "Please, don't hurt me again, Dr. Wily! I haven't done anything wrong since we went to New York, and I've done everything you've told me! I don't want to hurt any more!"

"This is _not_ a pain program, Proto," Wily says, "This is your confidence, your aggression and your courage. Everything that made you ProtoMan. You might have noticed they were missing."

Proto looks up at Dr. Wily, almost surprised as Wily explains, "When I disciplined you for failing to battle Mega Man in New York, the pain program included a worm that erased all of your proactive emotions and abilities and left only the negative ones, which explains why you have become so weak lately. If you want to be the old ProtoMan again, all you have to do is insert this into the access port under your chest armor, just like before."

ProtoMan slowly stands up again, staring at the drive stick in Wily's hands. As much as Proto wants to believe Wily on that stick holding the aspects of his personality that made him _ProtoMan_, he does not trust Wily all the way and wants to know why he is giving him this chance to be whole again now, after doing everything he could to crush him since the last attack in Manhattan.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks.

Wily replies, "My conquest of the world is about to begin in a matter of mere hours. I want every member of my army to be at their strongest, including you."

Proto asks again, "But, why have you been hurting me?"

"I think the answer to_ that_ is quite obvious, Proto," Wily answers, "When I learned you were helping your brother, I didn't like that. And I saw to it that you got your receipt. Everything outside of that was simply... for the lack of a better phrase, tough love."

"Love?" Proto responds loudly, "You call this _love_? You hate me!"

"I do not hate you, Proto," Wily claims, "But, you have been my biggest disappointment. And you deserved to be punished for your actions. I am still mad as hell with you... but, if you were not my first humanoid creation, I would not be giving you this chance."  
>Wily holds up the drive before Proto and adds, "I am on the verge of the beginning of my conquest of civilization, and I need all the hands I can get if I am to win this world. And whatever feelings that exist between us will not matter within the next few hours. So you have two choices... either you use this and become the old ProtoMan again, or you remain the way you are. Broken and pathetic."<p>

After nervously considering his options, ProtoMan cautiously takes the stick from Wily. With a shaky voice, Proto asks, "How do I know that isn't just another pain program?"

Dr. Wily grins, "Because you've got the message: I am in charge... I own you! You serve only _me_! And Mega Man is your enemy, and you will _never_ help him... you have no family! Do you understand that?"

Proto pauses for a moment, feeling his emotions overcoming him again, wanting to cry again for having to accept this grim reality. He slowly nods and whimpers, "Yes, Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily smiles, "Good boy. Now, I expect you to use that drive on yourself and be ready to move inside an hour. We are using the plan you had originally laid out for an invasion of Washington D.C."

"Galaxy Man was a crucial part of that plan. How are we gonna do this without him?" Proto asks, his voice unable to hide how emotionally broken he is.

"My Mad Grinder, Bass and the full brunt of my army will more than suffice," Dr. Wily answers, "We are deploying the full might of our resources and launching an all-out invasion! Even if they see us coming, they will not be able to stop us. And neither will Mega Man!"

Dr. Wily steps inside Proto's quarters and stands close to him. "And assuming you do use that drive to restore your old personality, you may want to jog your memory core and remember a time when I told you that you would one day have to decide between taking a life for the sake of accomplishing my goal, or being a coward and not doing so..."

Wily leans close to Proto's face and mutters, "I suggest you grow that courage back, because the time for you to make that decision may be closer than you think. And it will be your last chance to _ever_ amount to anything in my eyes"

ProtoMan nearly shudders as Wily says this before turning and leaving him by his lonesome, holding the drive in his hands and not knowing what to do next. Using his enhanced audio circuits, he could hear that Wily was not sticking around to wait for his decision. He was already on his way.

Proto stares at the drive, becoming afraid again because despite what Dr. Wily told him, he does not trust him. How does he know this isn't a drive that could reprogram his entire directives system, or wipe his memory core.

He can't do it, because he is still too scared, and he slumps back down to the floor, nearly hugging his legs as his emotions get to him again. There is no hope for Proto now. He is forever doomed to be a shattered and scared shell of who he used to be...  
>until he received another urgent contact from Nomad.<p>

Proto's self-pity immediately ceases and he focuses on Nomad's call. He feels better knowing she is still alive, but her calls are still urgent and she still needs help. She needs _him._

Once Proto knows how badly Nomad needs his help, his feelings for Nomad in his heart supersedes all the other negative feelings inside. He had to find some sort of way to help his friend... and that drive Wily handed him might be the only way to do it.

Proto opens the access panel on his upper chest armor and exposes the expansion port underneath where the previous drive that contained the pain program was used. He is still afraid to use this drive on himself, but if it really is going to restore his personality, he has to use it.  
>It is the only way he can be brave enough to help poor Nomad.<p>

After taking a deep breath into his mouth, Proto inserts the drive into his chest and it begins to work. Proto is still weak and afraid at first, but seconds later, all of those feelings begin to subside as he feels something inside he has not felt in many weeks... confidence, bravery, and courage.

Immediately after regaining these emotions and traits, Proto begins formulating a plan in his mind on how he could find a way around Wily to get to Nomad, even if it is just a communication.

ProtoMan begins reflecting on himself and who he has become since Wily tortured him so cruelly. At first, his thoughts are still plagued with his scared, weak thoughts...

_Why did Dr. Wily hurt me? ... I've always been his boy... why does he hate me? ... He's going to use Bass and that Mad Grinder to take over the world, and he's going to kill my brother and Roll and that Met... and my Nomad... and I can't stop him..._

As his positive emotions begin to return, his thoughts change...

_He hurt me because he blamed me for what happened in Manhattan. But, the mission was already lost because of his stupid Killers... Why can't he see that Mega Man would have been an asset to his stupid army? Why doesn't he just leave Nomad alone... I'm sure I can convince him to leave her be, and as for my family, maybe he can just imprison them if they don't want to join us..._

As he continued to introspect, ProtoMan felt the last piece of his personality returning to him: his anger.

_**How dare that stupid old man try and hurt** **ME****, the best damn fighter he has! Doesn't he know who I am? I'M PROTOMAN! ... It was his own fault that damn Killers operation was a failure! Not Mine!... If Wily wants the world and Bass at his side, he can have them...** **Wily might not let me help my brother and sister,** **But, nobody is going to take my girl from me!**** NOBODY! HE'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST!"**_

ProtoMan finally could see what he had become, and was sick of it! He is not some weak little victim who was going to be abused and laughed at; he is going to take back his respect. And he will not let that old man or any robot in this army put one finger on Nomad!

ProtoMan bolts to his feet and begins letting out his pent-up anger by punching the hell out of the closest titanium wall. He begins letting out a yell as he keeps throwing lefts and rights, bashing the wall until it is nearly caved in.  
>Even then, he doesn't stop. Proto throws roundhouse kicks into the wall, now making it look like a massive cannonball had just been shot into it.<p>

Finally, he stops after all of his tension is let out. He doesn't feel weak or pathetic anymore. The real ProtoMan is back... and he is mad as hell.

ProtoMan yanked the drive from his chest after his full personality is restored and crushes it in his hand, and he felt like letting out his frustrations on Wily by going out after him and giving him a piece of his mind. But, before Proto could step out, he still felt that pang of fear deep down inside.  
>The kind of fear Wily instilled inside of him does not just go away instantly, even with a sudden boost of confidence and anger.<p>

But, when Proto gets another contact from Nomad on his forearm, he remembers what his top priority is right now, and it is her. He must... he will find a way to help Nomad. He does not know how he is going to do it, but he will.

"Hang in there, girl. I'm gonna help you... somehow," Proto says silently.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_The next chapter will be an important one. We already know that The Mad Grinder is going to be unleashed, but we will also finally get the most important piece of the Mr. Black puzzle, and we will how (or if) Mega Man can snap out of his depression on time to stop this._

_The title of this chapter comes from the legendary story arc and cover from The Amazing Spider-Man ("Spider-Man no more"). I almost changed the title, because Proto's return to form was just as big.  
>This chapter would have been online sooner, but the scene where Mega decides to retire was agonizing for me to write because it had to feel right and not phony and cheesy, and I did not want to make Mega look like a coward, but rather a shell-shocked hero who might have reached the end of his rope.<em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos or production notes left behind, or any continuity errors that are about as much of a contradiction as Jumbo Shrimp, please send me a PM right away._


	121. The Invasion Begins

_**Note from the author (4/18/13):  
><strong>_I'm sorry for not getting the chapter online yet, but it's been difficult to figure it out. And other things have bogged me down and taken my time away from it. There is a chance it might still be online this weekend, but it is more likely that it will be online next week.__

__The new chapter is still coming, it's just running a little late.__

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 11, Chapter 9: The Invasion Begins.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<br>Late that afternoon.**

All of Dr. Wily's Skullkers, Skull Carriers and SkullCopters - fly out of the 'eyes' of the Skull decoration in front of the fortress, and fly around back where the Mad Grinder now stands, ready to be let loose into the world.  
>All of these craft were outfitted with specially built magnetic pull beams (or tractor beams), and they will be airlifting the Mad Grinder from here to Washington D.C. at a much faster pace than if it were to travel on the ground.<p>

To stack the odds against his enemies even further, Dr. Wily has ordered that each Skull Carrier be loaded with a SkullTank to be deployed after The Mad Grinder is dropped off. And the entire assortment of SkullJets will be providing air support.  
>And all the Robot Masters will be boarding the Mad Grinder and the shuttles to throw the full might of Wily's army at the defences, who will not stand a chance an invasion force like this. Especially with Mega Man out of the way.<p>

Behind the fortress, all the Robot Masters along with the surviving Killers, Punk and Enker, make their way to the Mad Grinder, with Bass and Treble leading the way alongside Dr. Wily.  
>Each of them board the Mad Grinder single file, while some of the Robot Masters split off from the main group and stand to the side, awaiting to board a Skullker or Skull Carrier.<p>

And bringing up the rear, waiting by the back entrance of the fortress is ProtoMan, who watches Dr. Wily as he is about to step onboard the Mad Grinder with Bass. Nomad has been consistently contacting Proto in the past hour, and he has to get some sort of contact out to her, but hopefully one that Wily will not be able to notice between here and the Mad Grinder.

He hides himself in the corner of the corridor, keeping his back turned to the security cameras that are nearby, and manages to send off a brief non-verbal communication to Nomad. It translates to, _'I hear you. Stay calm.'_

Once the hail is sent, Proto stares at Dr. Wily, seeing if he has noticed what he just did. But, Wily does not act out of the ordinary, and it appears he did not receive any notification of it.

Once Dr. Wily steps onboard the Mad Grinder with Bass right behind him, Proto lets out a sigh of relief, hoping that Nomad got his message and that she will be okay. Seconds later, Proto straightens his stance and begins striding out to the Mad Grinder.

The other Robot Masters spot ProtoMan coming and give him angry stares, but Proto pays them no mind and keeps his sights straight ahead and he walks past all of them.

Once he reaches the mammoth Mad Grinder, ProtoMan takes it upon himself to cut into the line of Robot Masters and walks right inside the Mad Grinder, much like would before Wily tortured him.

"Who do you think you are cutting in line, you traitor?" loudly complains Ice Man

"ProtoMan, that's who," Proto replies, not turning around making his way towards the bridge, bypassing his assigned duty of sitting in the reactor and leaving a group of grumbling Robot Masters in his wake.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily arrives to the bridge with Bass and Treble, along with some of the Robot Masters who take their seats behind the primary controls, where Wily and Bass will be seated shortly.<p>

"Tell the others to pick up the pace! I want this Mad Grinder in the air so I can hit Washington before all of those political putzes have their dinner!" Wily shouts.

Cut Man does the honors of calling down to his fellow Robot Masters and begins, "Alright, you guys. Dr. Wily says you better hurry up and get onboard so we get to Washington and... _CUT THE DEFICIT_!"

"I'd give_ real_ money if he'd stop using puns," Magnet Man mutters to GutsMan.

Bass stands up and loudly warns, "This isn't the time to play around and make jokes, you! We are about to enter the battle that will forever shift the balance of power in our favor. And I won't tolerate any of..."

Bass stops in mid-sentence when ProtoMan walks onto the bridge. Every robot eye here then turns to him, and save for Dr. Wily's, they are all full of ire for the Red Raider. Particularly Bass' dark red eyes.

Proto makes his way to the last available seat in the back near the door to the bridge, sits down and casually folds his arms, never breaking his stare towards Dr. Wily and Bass.

"Proto! What a pleasant surprise to see you here," Dr. Wily says as he turns around to face ProtoMan.

Bass and Treble take two steps forward as the Robot Masters here stare at Proto. "What are _you_ doing _here_?"

For the first time in weeks, ProtoMan puts on a cocky smirk just like he used to, and he nonchalantly replies, "You can't have a world domination plot without me. I think we all know that by now."

"Your presence is not desired here!" Bass nearly shouts.

"Yeah! You're supposed to be watchin' the reactor thing downstairs, you Red Rodent!" GutsMan piles on, trying to squeeze his large body out of his cramped station.

"Don't start a fight here, boys. We have more important things to do tonight," Dr. Wily orders as he stands up and approaches Proto, walking right past Bass and Treble.

"I assume you've accepted what we discussed earlier, ProtoMan. You know who is in charge?" Wily asks.

Proto smiles, "Of course! But, since we're being honest here... even though we're on the same page again, I'm not too fond of you either, after what you've done to me."

Dr. Wily tries to talk, "Your punishment was-"

"And while we're still being honest," Proto interrupts, looking towards Cut Man, Magnet Man and GutsMan and adds, "I thought you were my friends, but even _I_ can make an error in judgment once in a while. So, you three can kiss my ass."

The Robot Master Trio looks agitated at Proto as he then looks at Bass. "And as for you... I hate your guts. And you're gonna be beaten one day... and if you don't stay the hell away from my sister, I hope that I'm the one that beats you before my brother does."

Bass' eyes narrow and Treble snarls.

Now that he has agitated everybody on the bridge, Proto look back up to Dr. Wily and grins. "Outside of that, everything's just fine... _Dr. Wily_."

Dr. Wily cracks the knuckles on his hands as he states, "Well, that's good to know, Proto. But, I'm afraid that because of your frequent acts of betrayal, you are still demoted to buck private, and you will have to return to your duty of monitoring the reactor core."

"Of course, I expected to be booted back down to the reactor room. After all, I'm in the dog house. But, given my reputation, maybe I'm not the one who can be trusted around the most crucial piece of equipment on this thing," Proto vaguely (and manipulatively) warns, "I might, you know, _blow it up_ to help my brother. And as we all know, we can't have that."

Dr. Wily's nostrils flare as he looks at Proto and the return of his arrogant and abrasive attitude. The drive to restore his personality worked alright, and the old ProtoMan was back. But, this was also a different Proto than what he was used to.  
>He was much angrier and more bitter than he ever used to be... and maybe he has enough motivation to do what he says he is going to do.<p>

"On second thought, I think your presence will be needed close to me, Proto. Where at least I can watch you," Wily says.

Bass threatens, "And if you try anything, I'll be right there to put an end to you before you even blink."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Proto says as he lounges back and puts his feet up on the console in front of him, abrasive as ever.

The first phase of Proto's plan is complete: get onboard and manage to sneak a message to Nomad without Wily noticing. Now, all he had to do is find a way to contact her again. He didn't know how he was going to it, and despite his confidence, he still had that lingering intimidation of Dr. Wily and the threat of being tortured again.  
>But, he had to reach Nomad somehow... she is all he has left.<p>

In the meantime, he watches Wily and Bass having a hushed conversation at the Mad Grinder's primary controls...

"Why are we letting him on the bridge?" Bass asks in a near whisper, sounding angered.

"Trust me, Bass... I know what I am doing," Dr. Wily whispers back, confidently.

"He will betray us if you let him," Bass warns.

"Even if I let him... he won't," Wily grins.

_"All Robots are onboard, Dr. Wily,"_ reports Enker, the other surviving member of The Killers.

"All pilots in charge of air vehicles, activate tractor beams and move us out. Take us to The White House!" Wily orders...

Outside, all the Skullkers, Skull Carriers and SkullCopters hover above and around The Mad Grinder and fire off the bright purple tractor beams they now have equipped, and they all begin to move in formation, taking the Mad Grinder - who weighs several _tons_ - up into the air with them.

As The Mad Grinder moves out with it's escort, the remaining SkullJets fly out of Skull Fortress to provide additional escort (not like the Grinder needs any more protection), and the majority of Wily's army heads out to Washington D.C. to begin their invasion.

And if Mega Man does not return soon, this night will be known as the night Albert Wily's domination of the world began.

* * *

><p><strong>At a federal radar complex in Kansas.<strong>

A stout engineer in his mid-50's with a toilet seat haircut in seated in front of a radar station overlooking the United States slurps from his cup of coffee as he watches the screen. All around him are other engineers watching other radar screens, and they are on elevated awareness because of the threat from Dr. Wily after what happened this morning.

The balding engineer nearly chokes on his coffee when he sees a _massive_ blip on the radar, coming from Skull Fortress and heading east-northeast. Something much bigger than he was expecting, and moving fast.

Staring at the screen with huge eyes and his jaw hanging open, he reaches for his phone and frantically calls 'upstairs' to his commander. "Commander, we've got a huge blip coming out of the Wily Badlands, Multiple signals, including one that's as big as a building."

_"I'm on my way down,"_ the Commander calls back from the upper level of the complex.

Meanwhile, other radar tech workers huddle around this station and watch with trepidation as the large blip makes it's way to the east. The Commander arrives and jostles his way through the gathered worked here until he sees the radar screen.

"That's the thing our people died trying to destroy this morning! How the hell did that bastard Wily get it airborne?" the Command huffs.

The room remains silent as now everybody here is gathered around this station.

"What is this thing's estimated trajectory?" The Commander asks.

The balding engineer calculates the path that Wily's convoy is taking, and the result clearly show they are heading for Washington D.C., and the entire room falls silent.

After several seconds of stunned, fearful silence, the radar tech mumbles, "I think we'd better call The President."

* * *

><p><strong>The White House.<br>Soon after.**

After receiving word that Dr. Wily and his Mad Grinder are headed this way and that the mad man is sending a lot of company with him, staff members and Secret Service officers frantically attempt to complete tasks to protect The President and those who are still gathered here.  
>Key members of President Henry's defense staff are in the process of ensuring that all crucial confidential data and files stored on the White House servers are duplicated and sent to the F.B.I. in Langley before they destroy them to ensure Wily does not get his hands on any of it.<p>

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Kravitz is racing to find President Henry and his family so they can get to safety in the underground bunker, where they should be safe from Wily and his robots.  
>The last he heard, The President was still in the Oval Office itself coordinating a defense strategy for Wily's forces when they arrive.<p>

When Kravitz arrives to the office, the wooden double doors are wide open and key staff members are bustling in and out as President Henry speaks with his Secretary of Defense in person, as well as other key officials in the Military via video conference.

"We need to have every vehicle and soldier we have at out disposal to try to hold that thing off until Mega Man can get here. We need all the time we can get," Henry states.

"Mr. President, the invasion force Wily is bringing to Washington is so imposing, we might need God himself on the frontline to keep him at bay," the Secretary of Defense says.

"Well, if God's not too busy, you might want to get him on the phone right about now," Henry says, half-joking with gallows humor, half-serious, "Let's get to work before it's too late."

The staffers leave the Oval Office and Kravitz walks in. "Mr. President, we need to get downstairs, and we need to get down there_ now_. Every second we wait puts your life at grater risk," he stresses.

"I'm afraid of what the public's reaction will be if they see their President hiding in a bunker," Henry muses.

"Sir, the image we should try to avoid is the sight of The President of the United States having The White House collapsing on him," Kravitz urges.

"I'm not going down there until I place one last call," Henry replies, "Get Dr. Light on the line. We need Mega Man."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

The Lights watch on in worry and fear as images of Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder is airlifted via tractor beams by the Skullkers, Skull Carriers and SkullCopters appear on the lab's monitors. However, there is one member of the family who is conspicuous by his absence: Mega Man.

Peekaboo watches with wide eyes and becomes scared as he clutches on with his extension arm to his Mommy Roll as she cradles him in her arms. He bleeps up to her, asking if they are coming here.

"No, Boo. They're not coming here. They're going to a place where all the people in nice suits live, including Mr. President, the man who we've met before," Roll replies.

Peekaboo bleeps to ask if the suit in the suits are going to be safe.

Roll pauses. "I don't know yet, baby," she barely replies.

The lab's console gives a signal that a top priority call is coming in from The White House. Dr. Light slowly approaches the computer and answers it, feeling a grim put inside his stomach.

After opting to accept the communication on audio-only (meaning that he can see The President will not be able to see them, Thomas answers, "Dr. Light here."

_"Please hold for The President," _says the assistant on the line.

The Presidential seal appears on screen and The President can then be heard. _"Dr. Light, I'm sure you are aware of the present threat to Washington. What is Mega Man's status right now?"_

Thomas could not tell The President the truth of the matter, that Mega Man had just effectively retired from being the Defender of the Human Race, a duty that this President himself had appointed to him. Instead, Thomas forces himself to tell a lie.  
>"Mega Man is.. not fully repaired, Mr. President. The operation this morning took a great deal out of him."<p>

_"As soon as he's ready, please tell him that we need him now more than ever."_

"I will, Mr. President. I just hope he's ready soon enough," a weary-looking Dr. Light replies.

After the call ends, Dr. Light shambles away to his work desk where the earliest plans for this new robot warrior were being written before this attack started. As he puts the palm of his right hand on his forehead, the good doctor looks deeply bothered by what is about to take place and how broken his son Mega Man has become, and what he fears Wily is still doing to ProtoMan.

Roll puts Peekaboo down on the floor and says, "Boo, go with Eddie and Beat into the house. I need to talk with Dr. Light."

Boo beep with worry, asking his Mommy if she and Uncle Mega are going to fight that big scary monster (the Mad Grinder.)

Roll sighs, "Boo... I don't know what's going to happen. Just go with them and I'll be right out."

Boo turns and leaves with Eddie as Beat flies above them, and Roll approaches her father with concern. "Dr. Light, are you okay?"

Dr. Light laments, "I fear the war is about to end, and not in the way we had hoped."

After hearing this defeated attitude now even affecting her father, a man whose optimism is usually undying, can no longer hide her frustration. "Are we seriously just gonna let this happen?"

"It's not up to me, Roll. Your brother's spirit has been broken. I was going to build another robot defender, but I was not expecting Wily to launch an attack so soon," Dr. Light says, "If only I had the resources, maybe this would not be happening."

"Well, it's not gonna happen! I'm not about to stand around and let this monster take our world away from us!" Roll declares with great fire in her voice, and she begins to storm off.

"No, Roll!" Thomas pleads, reaching to stop her, "There is no way you can stop this by yourself."

Roll spins around and flares, "Somebody has to!"

Dr. Light lets out a worried sigh. "If only your brother had not been so hard on himself... if I only had the time to build a new robot warrior, we would not have to worry."

"Come on, Dr. Light! As much as you want to see the two of us safe, even you have to realize that Mega can't quit right now," Roll stresses, "He's the only one who can stop them."

Dr. Light lets out a regretful sigh. "You're right... if I only had the time to build a new robot warrior, we would not have to worry." Thomas looks to Roll and tells her, "We need to do whatever we can to get Rock to be Mega Man one more time."

"That's what I'm gonna do," Roll says firmly, turns and storming out of the lab and off to the house.

* * *

><p><strong>Washington D.C.<strong>

The sun begins to set on the Nation's Capital, about to come under attack from a force it has never seen before as the caravan airlifting The Mad Grinder nears their destination. A large assemblage of military back-up has already gathered around the National Mall to hopefully fend off Wily and his seemingly endless amount of back-up.

Inside the Mad Grinder, Dr. Wily can see the heavy activity up ahead. Dealing with them will not be a problem with the full brunt of his invasion force at his disposal, and Dr. Wily nearly guffaws at the pitiful effort they are about to give trying to stop him.  
>But, there is one particular signal that Wily was expecting to see, but has yet to find...<p>

"I don't see any sign of Mega Man around," Wily says, "Where the hell is he?"

Looking out the window which looks out through the 'eyes' of the Mad Grinder, Bass cycles through his multiple vision modes for any sign of Mega Man in case he is using the stealth suit, but he does not see him anywhere. "He's not here."

ProtoMan watches on, concerned with why his brother is not here, because that does not sound like the Rock he has always known. Whatever is wrong, it must be serious, because Mega would always be around to stop Wily no matter what happened to him.

Wily huffs, "Too much of a coward to show up for his own final battle! Forget him! I am not about to wait around for the blue wonder to show up! We begin our full attack now!"

Outside the Mad Grinder, the caravan begins flying lower to drop off the Grinder in the middle of the street, and when it lands, it crushes everything below it, and begins rolling forward, smashing and flattening everything in it's path, decimating vehicles even as big as a semi like they were made out of tin foil.  
>All the aerial vehicles that were helping transport this big monster of machine here were now flying around the Mad Grinder as it leads the way to the National Mall, where the Capital Building can barely be seen from here.<p>

* * *

><p>Many levels under the White House, President Henry arrives to underground bunker with the key members of the Government who were still here, all flanked by members of the Secret Service. It should be safe from Dr. Wily's forces down here, because the only way to open the secure door now is for President Henry himself to take a retinal scan. And now that The President himself is down here, it should be impossible for Wily to gain easy access.<p>

The President's wife and daughter are also down here, safe from the threat of Wily. The President's daughter - late in her teenage years and who was actually starting her first week of college in Charlotte, North Carolina when she was brought back here for her safety - rushes to her father's side and they hug.

"They're not coming down here are they?" she asks, frightened at what is about to take place.

"No, sweetheart, we're safe down here," Just stay with your mom and the agents. I've got work to do down here."

As The President's daughter leaves, Henry heads for the underground Situation Room where the staff is gathered

"How close are they?" The President asks as he makes his way towards General of the Army.

"They've hit the ground nearly five miles to the north, crossing the border from Central Maryland to Northwest and moving fast," reports the general, "When is Mega Man coming here?"

The President answers, "He's not coming here just yet. Dr. Light said this morning took more out of him than we thought. But, he'll be here... I'm certain."

"And in the meantime, I suggest we throw everything we have at this beast. 'Cause that's what it's going to take to hold this bastard off," The General says.

The Secretary of Defense powers down his phone and reports, "I just got off the phone with the National Guard. They have every troop, weapon and vehicle on the east coast heading here right now. Even the local Police the CTU are sending whatever they can."

Henry nods as he apprehensively orders, "Hit them with everything we've got... and God help us all."

* * *

><p>As the Mad Grinder approaches the White House, The Military begins their attempt to counter the invaders. The first wave is a wave of jet fighters which are entirely composed of A.I. controlled jets, not piloted by humans or actual robots and had not had much flight time because the military still trust human pilots the most.<p>

The A.I. jets swoop in and fire a round of missiles in the direction of the Mad Grinder and fire their guns, but the Mad Grinder fires it's particle cannons in response, and the group of aerial vehicles providing protection for the Mad Grinder fire their weapon. The massive string of response fire shoots out off the missiles in the sky and all the A.I. controlled jets.

After that first wave is disposed of, the second wave of the defense comes in, consisting of a larger squadron of jets and heavily armed military choppers, joined by battalion of tanks with human and robot troops on the ground.  
>But, once again, Wily has a way to easily pick them off.<p>

The Mad Grinder's escort of Skullkers, SkullCopters and SkullJets begin to split off and engage the incoming hostiles. And also, several exit hatches on the Mad Grinder's hell open and almost all the Robot Masters who were onboard leap out and race for the barrage on the ground, all carrying energy shields on their arms to protect themselves from their enemies' weapons.  
>To back the Robot Masters up, the Skull Carriers land and deploy Skull Tanks, and even even more Robot Masters run out with them.<p>

The Mad Grinder itself once again fires upon the incoming enemies, focusing much of it's firepower on the military ground forces to clear the path for the Robot Masters to breach.

One of the heat seeking missiles from the Mad Grinder destroys a tank on the surface, and another blows a military helicopter out of the sky. The military tries to fire their own heavy firepower at the Mad Grinder, but much of it is shot down before it could strike the colossal tank.

A few of the heavy rounds do manage to strike the Mad Grinder, but they leave no more than some black scoring marks on it's extremely tough hull, no damage that could prove to be a problem later on. The Grinder fires back by shooting more enemy vehicles down with it's particle cannons and plasma bolt guns.

Down on the ground, the Robot Masters and Skull Tanks take the fight heavily to the human and robot soldiers and police gathered on the ground, and the Wily forces have the decisive advantage in this side of the battle too.  
>Quick Man scatters around and tries to sabotage the opposition's weapons and ground vehicles while Bright Man uses his bright flash to blind nearby soldiers. But, that causes a brief dispute between the Robot Masters.<p>

"HEY! Give me some heads-up when you're going to use that stupid flash!" Quick Man blathers very quickly, annoyed by Bright Man so liberally using a power that can cripple Quick Man's quick speed like the late Flash Man's flash stopper did over two years ago when Mega Man used it on him.

"Sorry, Quick Man. But, you've gotta be faster than the speed of light to outrun the Bright Flash. Huh-huh!" Bright Man chuckles as he continues to use his power to blind some of the Military forces.

Meanwhile, GutsMan runs for a tank and twists it's missile launcher into a knot. Then, just after the human operator of the tank just barely escapes with his life, GutsMan picks the tank up over his head and throws it into the air where an A.I. jet collides with it, destroying both.

As massive as the opposition is, Dr. Wily's army is slowly but surely ripping through them like their defenses were made out of wet tissue paper. But, things are about to become even worse for the forces of good.

* * *

><p>Inside the Mad Grinder, Dr. Wily turns to Bass with a smile on his face and says, "Bass, my boy, I think the public needs to know that you have made your grand return. Feel free to re-introduce yourself to them all, and to our enemy!"<p>

"As you wish, Doctor," Bass bows.

The emergency exit hatch on the roof of the Mad Grinder's head opens and Bass and Treble prepare to leap out of it. But, not before Bass gives a venomous stare at ProtoMan who is still seated in the back of the room.

Proto just grins and gives him a sarcastic wave with his left hand. Bass then sneers and leaps through the exit hatch with Treble to begin combat outside.

* * *

><p>Bass and Treble emerge from the top of the Mad Grinder's head, just to the right of the massive saw Mohawk in the center of it's crown. The sound of the battle taking place all around him is so much more ferocious and loud out here than it is inside.<p>

"The sounds of war... they sound so good. So glorious," an enthralled Bass says, "The only sound that is better is the still calm of defeat in the seconds before certain victory!"

Bass commands, "Treble, merge!"

Treble howls as he and his master leap from the top of the Mad Grinder's head and begin to merge in mid-air and the jewels in Bass' chest and helmet begin glowing a bright purple again.

Once Bass and Treble are fully merged, Bass swoops down and begins firing at the dwindling military and police forces, targeting whatever and whoever is unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. And once he joins the fray, the odds are now severely stacked against the humans and robots who are trying in vain to protect The White House from an attack.

The humans and robots on the ground train their weapons at Bass and open fire, but he only absorbs the energy from their shots with his deflector shield and fires I back at them, hurting humans and destroying some robot soldiers in the process.

With the majority of the opposing forces defeated, and those left slowly being taken out, Wily's Mad Grinder steamrolls towards the White House, toppling over and crushing everything in it's path including trees and destroyed vehicles as it approaches Pennsylvania Avenue before finally coming to a stop in the White House lawn.

The image is more frightening than that of Gamma standing over the Statue of Liberty in New York two years ago. Dr. Wily's evil Mad Grinder now looms over the The White House, as Dr. Wily's hands of evil tyranny was about to crush democracy with one swift stroke.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Locked away in his bedroom and unaware of what is going on in Washington D.C., Mega Man broods by his lonesome, mourning for those whose lives were lost and ruined by this war and also allowing himself to become completely swallowed by his doubts.  
>But, he still questions his decision to retire as Mega Man because of the impact he has had on people, including the love of his life Kalinka Cossack. And if he knew about what was going at The White House right now, those second thoughts might be much heavier on his conscience.<p>

There is a pounding at Mega's door. _"Mega! It's your sister. Open this door right now!"_

"If this is about my decision to not be Mega Man anymore... I'm sorry, Roll," Mega replies, sounding morose and depressed as he refers to 'Mega Man' like he was somebody other than Rock Light.

Suddenly, the door is kicked open by Roll, which startles Mega Man. Roll steps inside and walks right in front of her sullen brother. She loudly "You're gonna hear what I have to say whether you want to or not! Do you have _any idea_ of what's going on right now?"

Before Mega could even speak, Roll loudly continues, "I'll tell you what's going on! Right Now, Wily is bringing that big tank of his along with his whole army to Washington, and the army and the police are getting torn apart! They won't stand a chance against Wily! They need you! ... _We_ need you!"

"I... can't do it, Roll," Mega says in a defeated tone.

"Dammit, Mega, stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Roll snaps, "Everything that's happened isn't your fault. It's Wily's! All of it!"

"But, it all still happened!" Mega loudly replies, "It wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to stop all of this from happening and stop this war. But, I couldn't!"

A gloomy Mega Man continues, "If I tried to fight him, I would only cause more people to die... I can't live with that anymore."

Roll stares at her brother, too frustrated to be upset right now, and flabbergasted at his unwillingness to stand up and fight for what's right like he has every other time he has had to combat Dr. Wily.

"So, that's it? You're picking _right now _to quit on us?!" Roll now yells.

Mega remains silent, his head hanging down.

"If you're afraid of people dying, what do you think Wily's doing to everybody in Washington right now?" Roll now asks in a tone that is not as loud, "What do you think he's going to do when he takes over the world?"

Roll's argument strikes a chord within Mega Man, because she is right. The death toll will be so much worse without civilization's best hope is not there to stop Wily.

"You're just going to give up and let him do this?" Roll asks in a quieter, sad tone. "You're going to let him take away your own family too? And Kalinka? Is this what we all mean to you?"  
>Roll's voice now begins to break and quiver as her sadness begins to get the better of her, "All those people who died... including my little baby Doc... they all died for <em>nothing<em>?!"

Mega tries to reply, but he cannot find the words. His sense of doing what is right and his fear and doubts are at odd within him and his sister's words dig deep into his heart and soul.  
>Roll was right about everything, but Mega still cannot overcome his fear of failure.<p>

"You really have given up," Roll mutters in disbelief as she watches her brother submit like this. Having seen enough of this, her temper reaches its limit and she snaps, "How dare you!"

Roll begins shoving her brother and he back peddles. "Roll! Stop!" he complains as he backs up against the wall, scared to see his sister acting up like this on him.

Roll begins hitting her brother's chest, forcing him to put his arms up to block her. She shouts, "You're letting him get away with it all! HOW DARE YOU!"

At the peak of Roll's frustration, she does something that she thought she would never do, and could never do... out of desperation to snap him out of this depression and vent her frustrations... Roll slaps her own brother in his face.

Mega reels from being slapped by his own sister, and he stands totally still and in shock from what she just did... but, internally, that slap shook him to the core much deeper than anything else Roll had said.

As a tear falls from her eyes, Roll stops and stares at her broken brother, feeling both regretful and justified at her conduct. "I'm sorry I did that, Mega... but, if you stand by and let Wily do this to the world... I'll never forgive you."

An weeping Roll turns around and leaves, letting Mega Man stand alone as he processes everything that just happened, and every word of his sister's. But, it was being slapped in the fact by his own sister that served as the last kick start to snap his mindset out of the mire it had been sunken into for weeks now.

He was wrong to give up like he did. He took the job of Defender of the Human Race for a reason: to give hope to and protect the innocent, and to keep the world safe from evil to the best of his ability.  
>If he really did quit on them now, there would not be a human or robot who could stop Dr. Wily, even Roll, Bass or ProtoMan. Mega Man knew that he was humankind's and robotkind's best hope, and he needs them as much as they need him.<p>

Then, he thinks of those he cares about the most, the family he has here at home. Even poor Doc. And ProtoMan. And Kalinka, who has a picture on Mega's nightstand which Mega gazes at as he reflects.

He loves them all - even Proto - so much that the idea of Wily or anybody else bringing harm to them makes Mega want to stand up and do whatever it take to protect them, even if it means sacrificing his own life.

Right now, the lives of his family and those who Mega has promised to defend are in danger, and the honor of those who have fallen - including Doc - is at risk of being tarnished. And Mega Man knows deep down inside that he cannot let either of those come to be a reality... but, these feelings alone are not enough to reignite his will to fight evil.  
>He had to relieve the memories of this war all over again, and see what Wily is doing right now with his own eyes.<p>

* * *

><p>Mega Man enters the lab a few minutes later, walking with a purpose and wearing a deadly serious expression, looking nothing like the emotionally shattered boy he had become recently. Roll's and Dr. Light's heads turn to face him and notice the change in his demeanor.<p>

Without saying a word to his family, Mega heads straight for the lab's computer and stops when he sees the video of the Mad Grinder in all it's horrifying glory standing behind the White House.  
>This frightening sight shakes Mega Man to the core even deeper, because it hurts to see the very liberty and freedom that he fights for at risk of being destroyed by a psychopath tyrant like Dr. Wily.<p>

But, that alone was not enough for Mega to see. He had to go back to the beginning and remember why he fights, and who he is fighting for. Mega shuts off the live shot of Washington D.C. and begins digging through the lab's archives of all the horrible acts Dr. Wily has committed in the past three years.

"What did you do, Roll?" Thomas mutters to his daughter.

Not wanting to reveal to her father how tense her meeting with Mega really became, she awkwardly answers, "I, uh... let him know how mad I was."

On both of the lab's computer screens, the pictures and descriptions of ProtoMan's kidnapping nearly three years ago appear, and soon visuals and information relating to all of Wily's other atrocious acts in the past three years, and so do the images of all the people whose lives were ended or changed as a result of his actions.  
>And Mega Man stares at the screens, almost as still as a statue, not blinking his eyes.<p>

Roll does not know what to make of her brother's strange behavior. "What is he doing?"

"He is reminding himself why he fights. And who he is doing this for," Thomas replies.

Roll whispers to herself, so silent she can barely be heard. "I guess he had to see it for himself."

The past accounts of all the major attacks and battles of this war continue to appear on the lab's computer, and Mega Man stares at all of them. And with each account and picture he sees, the memories return to Mega's mind.

He can still hear poor Janet's voice when she told him she could not move. He now accepts that he did what he could to save her, and this was all Wily's doing.

His mind goes back to this morning and he still had the horrible sight of all those pilots being shot down fresh in his mind. Not As horrible as it was to see those pilots die, it was not his fault; it was all the fault of Dr. Wily!

But, two particular points in the history of this war appear on the screens: The attack on Times Square and Doc's death.

Mega Man pauses the flow of information at that point and stares at the two screens, because these two moments are the ones that have hurt the worst. Roll lets out a short gasp when she sees Doc on the screen and Mega Man can feel all of his emotions surging within him as the horrible memories begin flooding into his mind.

He can still hear Roll's screaming sobs in his mind when he remembers the day that brave little Met died, and the helpless feeling he had when he knew it was too late to save his sister's little companion.

Mega can still vividly remember watching the aftermath of the Wily attack on the television and becoming horrified that such an tragedy could take place in this world.  
>It was the events of that day that would spur him to volunteer to become Mega Man and protect the world from Dr. Wily.<p>

These two moments were the ones that still hurt the most. And it is tragedies like these that Mega Man ensured he would try to prevent. And it is these tragedies that are driving Mega Man to bury these doubts forever and to stand up and fight for those who still live, and to honor those who have fallen.

"Dr. Light..." Mega says, "Cancel your plans on that new robot warrior we talked about. And tell The President I'll be on my way shortly. I've still got work to do."

Thomas smiles and balls his fist. "That sounds good to me, son."

As Dr. Light leaves to contact The White House, Mega Man swaps the feed on the dual monitors back over to the live feed of the attack on Washington D.C. and he stares as the re-ignited spirit burns deep within him. Roll steps up to her brother and barely squeaks, "Mega... about what happened earlier, I'm Sorr-"

"Don't be sorry, Roll," Mega interrupts, "You were right... I needed to be woken up."

Mega turns around and emphatically tells his sister, "If anybody should be apologize, it's me. I shouldn't have let all this get me down like it did."

Mega Man turns back to the lab screens and looks at the carnage taking place in Washington, and with a strong resolve which he has not had in months, he states, "I can't let this happen... I will _not_ let this happen!"

* * *

><p><strong>At Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

After spending nearly four hours asleep, Mr. Black/John Barton continues to lay unconscious on the floor, flat on his back. This is perhaps the longest sleep he has had in many months because his tormented mind has not been haunted by memories of his past.  
>It is like Tonya was allowing him to sleep now.<p>

And as Barton sleeps, his mind finally allows himself to dream again, forgetting all about the horrible circumstance that he has been forced to live with. But, soon, his mind takes him somewhere else... it felt like a normal dream, but in his mind, Barton knew he was back_ there_ again... but, unlike all the other times, it started out peacefully, and Tonya was there with him... it was the final minutes of her life... on that horrible day...

* * *

><p>It was April 15th, 20X1.<br>John and Tonya had just recently put their house in Virginia on the market and chose to move to New York, deciding that this was the best place to start the private security firm that he had discussed with Tonya.

It would be good to move here because Tonya had family in Northern Pennsylvania, and she could be closer to them now. John had no family left that he cared about, and without the F.B.I. to hold him down anymore, he did not have to stay near Washington D.C. anymore.

But, John was still bothered by what he did to his friend Cotto and had considered going to him and telling him what he did to make amends. But, knowing Cotto and how by-the-book he is, Barton knew that he might use it against him and throw him in jail, and that was not an option.  
>Instead, John chose to run from his problems and create a new life, vowing to himself that he would never let himself make the same mistakes he had back them. He was even considering destroying the Mindcracker as well when he got home... but, he would never get that chance...<p>

John and Tonya were on an underground subway train that was about to head into Manhattan, through Times Square, before returning to the station. They had just made the decision to move into house somewhere outside the city, about a county away from where Dr. Thomas Light's lab was.  
>Everything seemed so normal that day... they seemed normal for a lot of people that day...<p>

"So, does this mean you get to take me to broadway shows instead of giving me Chess lessons?" Tonya asks.

"Maybe," John replies.

"Speaking of, I think I'm about to beat you in our game at home," Tonya smiled mischievously, "And if what you've taught me is on the money, all I need to do is move my Queen ahead a few squares, and I win."

"How do you know you're about to win?" John smugly asks, covering up the fact that Tonya indeed does have him beaten in their game.

"Because you don't look as confident as you usually do... _Mr. Black_," Tonya grinned back.

John just stared at Tonya because she looked so beautiful. Even as she confidently grinned over her looming chess match victory, John knew that deep down inside that this woman had such a good soul.  
>Barton felt terrible though, because after what he had done lately, she was too good a woman to be with somebody who was on a slippery slope like him.<p>

As he stared at Tonya in his dream, Barton could feel his own essence inside his past self and was mentally trying to get the power to get away from here, to keep Tonya alive even if it means he dies instead.  
>But, he couldn't stop it. Barton was trapped inside his old form and was forced to relieve what came next all over again... every excruciating moment.<p>

Suddenly, the lights on the train began to flicker. Those onboard, including John and Tonya, did not think much of it as anything more then a minor inconvenience.

Then, the subway train come to a sudden stop in mid-travel, because the power had surged so badly that it locked the emergency breaks down, violently jerking many passengers - including John - from their seats. Some passengers were thrown so hard they crashed into the door that divides this car from the next one ahead.

To make matters worse, all of the lighting - including emergency lights - shorted out when the train received the sudden surge of electricity, and nobody can see.

Over the sound of the pained groans and panic of the more scared passengers, Former Agent Barton's voice rang out, "Whoever's got a flashlight, I suggest you use it."

Barton tries to move his shoulder as he returned to his feet because he landed very hard on it. Soon, he saw a series of lights shining from the passengers who were still standing.

"Tonya? Are you alright?" he called, among the calls of others on the train.

"I'm here!" a shaken Tonya had replied, holding up her phone and using a mode that could turn the screen into a light.

John staggered his way over to his wife's side and helped her back to her feet, asking "Are you hurt?"

"I'll be alright," she replied, sore from falling hard to the floor of the train car.

"Don't worry, baby. We're gettin' out of here," Barton assured in a hushed tone.

"Om, my God!" a passenger cried on the far end of the train, "There's a boy up here who isn't moving!"

Tonya nudged John to help because of his medical knowledge. "Go help him."

"I'm not leaving you until we get off this damn train," John said as he held his wife close.

Tonya looked up and urged, "I'll be fine... just go."

John looked down and even in this darkness he could still make out the features of her beautiful face. His heart did not want to leave her because she meant the world to him. But, she insisted on him helping the victim, and he did not want to let her down.

"I'll be back," John said, quickly leaning towards her and planting a kiss on her lips, which she reciprocates.

And then, John Barton made the biggest mistake of his life... he did as Tonya said and walked away from her. If he had not, he might not have survived, but what followed would likely have never happened...

John made his way towards the body of an African American teenager, who must have been seventeen. His head was up against the door to the next car at an unnatural angle.

Barton kneeled down and placed his hand delicately on the young man's neck and felt no pulse. "It's too late for him," John reported solemnly. The kid was dead.

Those around became shocked and devastated. "What do we do now?"

"Contact his family," John says, feeling his pants pockets and finding a wallet. Once he opens it, he finds the young man's ID. His name was Terrell Rose... and he was the younger brother of New York Police Officer Ash Rose, the bodyguard of Captain Talia Tallarico.

"We've got to get the hell off this damn train," Barton said as he placed the wallet back into the late young man's pocket.

"Shouldn't we wait for the police or somebody to rescue us?" a scared passenger asks.

"I'm sure as hell not sticking around," John replied...

And then, a frightening sound was suddenly heard from above that startled everybody onboard... it sounded like an explosion.

For John Barton, it was like time had come to a crawl. His greatest fear was that one day terrorism would one day become a reality again, and he tried to warn his former bosses at the F.B.I. about it. It was that fear that led him to create the Mindcracker and become the somewhat paranoid man he was becoming.

Once he heard the explosion, he just knew... "Oh, God... It's really happening," he muttered.

Just as soon as he he heard the explosion, he got up and began running back to Tonya, who was seated in the same area where he left her...

John shouted her name and reached out for her with his left hand which still bore the wedding ring she give him in their cerimony...

He was oblivious to the loud rumble that was going on above him... and just before he could reach her, everything caved in on top of him.

He was pushed down to the floor when what must have been the roof of the train had crashed into his head. Afterwards, he could not feel the lower half of his body, and could just barely feel the upper half, which was hardly working anymore with his left extremities nearly unresponsive.  
>His own neck was just broken, and he had severe spinal damage.<p>

His hearing was now muffled and his senses dulled because of his injuries, but he could barely hear the screams of those around him... he could not hear Tonya's among them.  
>He could barely comprehend anything anyway, because his brain had just been concussed from taking a sharp blow to the head.<p>

With whatever strength he could muster, he used his one working arm and barely pulled himself out of the rubble above him and towards where his wife was sitting.

Barton could not lift his head because of his neck injury, and it was too dark to see anyway, but he was sure he could still smell the slight hint of the perfume Tonya had on.

He let out a long moaning "Tonnnnyaaaaa" in a ragged voice, sounding like a zombie as he crawled towards her. Even in his injured state, he was determined to get her out of here.

When, he could crawl no more, he reached out with his right hand... and he felt a feminine hand, which was limp and lifeless... as he tried pulling on the hand, he felt a diamond encrusted wedding ring slipping from the hand's fingers and into his hand.

John could no longer move... partially because of his injuries and mainly because of the horrifying reality. Even though he did not see it with his own eyes, he knew that was Tonya's hand he felt, and that it was her ring that he held in his hands...  
>He had just lost the woman which he held dear to him...<p>

And, meanwhile, up above the crushed subway train... Times Square had just become a disaster area... the first attack of Dr. Wily had just taken place, and the rubble that used to consist of the intersection in the middle of the street was what had just fallen on the train carrying John and Tonya.

Then, Mr. Black could feel himself trying to break out of his sleep to escape this nightmare... and as he did, he could hear a high-pitched howling laugh coming from above him. It was Dr. Wily's.

* * *

><p>The John Barton of today, Mr. Black, woke up screaming and gasping for air. This may have been the worst dream he ever had that took him back there to that subway car because it was an exact memory of that day when he lost his beloved Tonya.<p>

But, as he gasps for air, he can still hear the laughter of Dr. Wily, and it was coming from the media observation room. Mr. Black returns to his feet and storms off, not knowing what to expect because of the jolt his mind and heart had just endured.

When he turns the corner to the observation room, Mr. Black sees Wily's laughing face on almost all the monitors places all around the small room. He then uses the controls to replay the last few minutes of footage recorded on one of these screens and watches the mad scientists ranting video he had just broadcast.

_"Good Evening, citizens of the world! I am broadcasting live from Washington D.C., the capital of United States of America, soon to be under the exclusive control of myself. And I am broadcasting from the bridge of my latest creation: The Mad Grinder. And we are in the process of launching my greatest plan of all: the invasion of Washington!"_

Mr. Black looks to his right and sees a live video on several of the monitors beside him showing the massive Mad Grinder as it stands directly behind the White House, towering over it and all other buildings in the area, even the Washington Monument.

Wily's voice draws Mr. Black's attention back to him. _"Now, of course, your inferior pea-brains might be thinking that I am going to destroy the White House. But, nothing could be further from the truth! Within the hour, I will be having a meeting with The President of the United States, where he will be surrendering control of this country over to me! And if he fails to do so, then... let us say that his fate will not turn out for the better!  
>And to my dear friend Mega Man, I dare you to try to stop me this time! The majority of my entire army is waiting for you, and they would love for you to bring your friends and family too so they won't be left out! I dare you, or anybody else, to stop me from conquering the world!"<em>

Dr. Wily's old grin only grows wider as he stares into the camera. _"And to all my future slaves, the world as you have always known it is about to change. You will be given two options. Either learn to accept me as your new ruler and appreciate your new way of life... or you will end up like all those who died in Times Square on day one. Make your choice well. My world only has so much room for decent burials."_

Mr. Black slams his right fist down on the pause button of the controls and he stares at the frozen picture of Dr. Wily, and every muscle in his entire body becomes still as he does.

The mere sight of this man... knowing that he is still alive... openly mocking the death of his sweet Tonya like she was nothing... _daring him_ to come stop him... all of it makes Mr. Black boil with rage, and his eyes blaze with a burning hatred almost inhumanly possible.

"He tasks me... and I shall have him," Mr. Black silently utters the quote from Moby Dick as he stares at Dr. Wily's face...

Mega Man is not the target and he never was. He was just a potential threat to Mr. Black completing his mission to kill the real target... Dr. Albert W. Wily.

Mr. Black, John Barton, wants Albert Wily dead to avenge his beloved Tonya's death, one of the first people to die at Wily's hands... and he wants him dead more than anybody else on the face of the planet. And not only does Mr. Black want Wily's head, but so does somebody else...

Mr. Black's phone to The Conduit begins ringing and he grabs it. "Here," Mr. Black gravels quietly.

_"I'm sure you are aware of what is happening in Washington right now?"_ the distorted voice of The Conduit asks.

"Every bit of it," Mr. Black replies.

_"Wily's presence is a hindrance to my future plans. No matter how impossible the situation might be, I trust you to take care of this, just as we agreed."_

Mr. Black continues staring at Dr. Wily's laughing face on the screen before him, feeling the evil rising within himself as his pictures the most horrific things possible happening to this madman... "He'll be dead before sunrise... and if he is lucky enough to survive, I will chase him through the fires of Hell before I give him up."

_"Good. Get it done,"_ The Conduit says before ending the call.

We now know that both Mr. Black and The Conduit want Dr. Wily dead. The Conduit wants him out of the way for his/her/its own selfish and mysterious reasons; Mr. Black wants vengeance for Tonya. And nothing will get in his way... even Mega Man.

And now the stage is set for the most important battle in the War For Everlasting Peace... the wheels of change keep turning... and the dominoes continue to fall.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I did not know whether to end the chapter on Mr. Black's big reveal or the Mega Man scene, because they are both important and huge. But, I ultimately chose Mr. Black's scene because it served for the best way to end the chapter, with the shocking reveal and the reveal of an unexpected ally as well.  
>I did not want to end the chapter on an OC, because it I don't like the idea of a story that does not involve the main characters taking presidence. But, this was a huge moment.<em>

_And, in case you were wondering, Mr. Black's reveal is not a saving throw or something that was made up on the spot. This was in the cards from the moment I introduced the character, and every act that made him look like the enemy of Mega Man was a Red Herring.  
>Yes, I admit, Mr. Black's origin was retconned into the special edition of Episode 1, because the character was not created until after the original version was done. But those of you who picked up on all the subtle hints left ever since then (especially a certain reviewer who noticed the mention of the woman covered in white as she was removed from Times Square), your insight served you well. :)<em>

_I almost removed the part where Roll slapped Mega because it felt too harsh, especially given how much love there is in the Light family. But, given the heat of the emotion of the scene, that anvil needed to be dropped to snap Mega Man out of it._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment, and if you see any typos or production notes left behind, or any continuity errors that they could drive Metallica to give up heavy metal and start singing Celine Dion cover songs, please PM me. (And please try not to leave them in reviews.)  
>Replies might be a little later than usual.<em>

_btw, if you want a picture in your mind on who the radar technician looks like, just look up Clint Howard._


	122. The Wily Administration

_**My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the Boston terror crisis and their families. I hope that they can all find peace in this difficult time.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 11, Chapter 10: The Wily Administration.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

After forcing himself to remember why he fights, for justice and to protect those who cannot fight this battle for themselves, Mega Man feels ready take on Dr. Wily's army, Bass, and that forsaken Mad Grinder of his.  
>In fact, Mega's fighting spirit is so re-energized that as he looks at the sight of the Mad Grinder looming over The White House, he is not about to wait a second longer.<p>

"I'm putting a stop to this right now!" Mega Man says with a deadly series tone in his voice. But, as Mega goes to leave, Dr. Light steps in his son's path and stops him.

"No! Wait, Rock! That is the entirety of Wily's army you are about to head into. No one robot - even you - can beat those kind of odds alone," Thomas pleads.

"Every second we waste, they're only fortifying their positions. We need to stop them now!" Mega insists as he tries to step around his father again.

"We _will_ stop them, Rock," Thomas assures, "But, we need more helping hands to break through that kind of defense."

Even Roll steps in to prevent her brother from rushing headstrong into this fire. "He's right, Mega. Even if all of us were out there with you, we'd still need a lot more help."

Mega Man calms himself down enough to listen to reason. But, he still plans on hitting Wily's forces hard, and much harder than ever before.

"Okay, I'll wait... but, we better get President Henry on the line. If we're hitting Wily hard, we're hitting him with everything we have," Mega says.

As Dr. Light returns to the lab computer, Mega turns back around and stares once again at the sight of The Mad Grinder standing over the White House with all of Wily's other vehicles flying around and shooting down military and police aircraft, and it only sticks deeper in his craw even more.  
>Where earlier the idea of him getting involved had intimidated him because of the chance of another tragedy that he would be unable to stop, it now bothers him that he is not able to rush in and pulverize this threat.<p>

One of the screens then shows an image of President Henry in the underground bunker several stories below the White House, surrounded by a few of his most trusted staff members.

_"Mega Man, it's good to see you back on your feet again."_

"Are you safe where you are now, Sir?" Mega asks.

_"It would take a lot for Wily to find out how to get down here, and even more to breach our security. So, we'll be fine,"_ Henry answers.

"A feel a lot better knowing that. But, right now, we all need to form an attack plan," Mega Man states, 'I know this might sound like a tall order, but we need to gather everybody we can and have them gather in D.C., because it's the only way we can stop them."

_"No order is too tall for me to protect this country,"_ Henry says.

"I hope not. Because it's going to take a big one to stand against Wily this time," Mega says.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

Still too young to grasp the concept of what is going on in the world, Bon Bonne watches the holo-wall television screen in the recreation area of his family's ship and giggles at the sight of the Mad Grinder as it looms over The White House.

"Babu!" he chirps and smiles as he points at the screen, thinking that Dr. Wily's terrifying object of death and destruction is really just a giant toy.

Tron walks over to her little brother and scoops him up into her arms, trying to shield him from this. "No, Bon, that's not a toy. Let's put you to bed. Your little mind is too impressionable to be exposed to this."

As Tron walks away to put her little brother to his bedroom area, she looks over her shoulder and sees the terrifying sight of Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder on the screen. It scares her to see how close Dr. Wily has come to winning the world this time. And it is possible that tonight, it may happen with the seizing of America.

The cutie pie voice of Servbot #1 calls up to Tron as he follows her along with a group of other Servbots. "Miss Bonne, is Dr. Wily going to win?"

Tron replies, "No, #1. Mega Man is still out there. He'll save us all."

"I don't know if he can stop that big scary robot this time," adds Servbot #59.

"If I had built you earlier, you would have seen Mega Man blow up a robot even bigger than that one," Tron says, referring to Gamma, "He'll stop this one too. He has to."

Tron takes Bon to the upper levels where the bedrooms are located, and on the way there, she walks past the quarters of her older brother Tiesel. She looks in and sees Tiesel sitting alone, not wearing a pair of his gimmicky contact lens, so the real appearance of his eyes are exposed. He is quietly keeping up on the developments taking place in the attack at Washington.

The two siblings exchange a glance between each other.

"We need to move the ship out of American territory, in case... you know... the worst happens," Tiesel says.

"Okay, fine... Are you thinking of being a hero again tonight?" Tron asks.

"I wish I could be," Tiesel muses.

Tron's lips purse and retorts, "You have responsibilities here. You need to leave it to Mega Man."

"If he can stop Wily this time," Tiesel adds, feeling the foreboding of the ongoing invasion of D.C.

Tron becomes frustrated, "Do you _want_ Mega Man to fail, Tiesel?"

"Not tonight, I don't," Tiesel admits.

Tron looks pouty, still feeling perplexed by her brother's strange behavior before she continues heading for Bon's bedroom to put him to bed. So does not know what he is thinking (or _if_ he is thinking, sometimes.)

"Babuuu!" Bon calls, in the same tone one would say _Goodnight_ in.

"Goodnight, Bon," Tiesel replies, then lets out a miserable sigh as he sees the images from Washington appearing on his desk monitor, wishing he could do something - anything - to try and stop Wily from attacking.

Being a member of The Conduit's network, we now know that Tiesel was really sent out to spy on (and possibly even sabotage) the effects of Dr. Wily. And despite the lingering bitterness Tiesel still carries for Mega Man after the hero saw fit to disband Tiesel's knock-off "Mega Crew" gang earlier this year, they both shared the same mutual dislike for Wily and do not want to see the world fall into that man's hands.

He wants to head out to Washington and do something to stop this, even secretly hoping that his boss The Conduit will give him a set of orders to head there and help the good guys out, because despite his hard-headed ways, Tiesel is still on the right side of this war... at least he thinks he still is.  
>He <em>hopes<em> he still is.

The phone system in Tiesel's room begins ringing and Tiesel bolts out of his chair and closes his door, then he answers the call. "Yes?"

_"I assume you are aware of the attack on The White House,"_ the distorted voice of The Conduit states.

"I think even a person who doesn't have any of the five basic senses knows what's going on in Washington right now," Tiesel replies.

_"As much as you may want to involve yourself in the ongoing situation in Washington, you will not be needed. I have things under control."_

"I assume that Mr. Black is going after Wily," Tiesel depressingly says.

_"That is the plan."_

"He could always use a little help, you know," Tiesel suggests, attempting to build his case, "How can he possibly get past a whole army of robots and stop Wily all by himself. Even Mega Man isn't showing up yet!"

_"My primary asset will be just fine. You would only wind up getting yourself in trouble. And if you get yourself apprehended, you would only be a threat to my future plans."_

"But, Wily is winning right now! The fate of the whole world is in the balance and I_ want_ to do something about this," Tiesel argues.

_"Your sense of sense of patriotism is admirable, Mr. Endo," _The Conduit says, referring to Tiesel by the codename given to him,_ "But, your involvement in this would only become problematic for all of us. I__n fact, you should be viewing this as good news. If Mr. Black indeed does carry out the mission to kill Dr. Wily... I might no longer require your services, and you will be 'let off the hook,' as you would put it."_

Tiesel's eyes become wider and his feels a strange chill traveling inside of his body. He wanted to be let go from The Conduit's employ so that he and his siblings would be safe from being caught up in this.

Tiesel stammers, 'W-when you say you would no longer require my service, does that mean-"

_"That means I let you go and you continue living your life the way you were begging to be allowed to do last month. You would be free, and so long as you would agree not to conspire against me - not so much as saying a word about my existence to anybody, even your closest family - then, the evidence of your involvement in these operations will never wind up in the wrong hands."_

Tiesel falls silent as he digests this relieving bit of good news. If The Conduit is to be believed, then this is what he wanted.

_"I have to monitor this situation closer. Whatever differences between yourself and Mr. Black that may exist, I think it would be in your best interest to actively root for his success."_

The sound of the call cutting off crackles in Tiesel's ears and sits here at his desk, now hoping not only that Mega Man and the military can find a way to destroy the Mad Grinder and beat back the Robot Masters. But, also that Mr. Black can reach Wily before Mega Man does.  
>Because, then, Tiesel is off the hook... <em>if<em> The Conduit is to be believed.

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Somewhere in Utah.<strong>****

The air is tense with fear and worry everywhere tonight as the rest of the world has become gripped with terror as they watch Dr. Wily's invasion of Washington D.C. and occupation of the White House.

With other Wily attacks, even the Earth-shaking Gamma attack and other of his most sinister plots, the public at large has not had their confidence shaken like it has been right now. They never let Wily's attempts to terrorize sway their belief that the world would not fall into his hands because Mega Man was here, and even on their darkest hours, they believed there was no way this monster could ever win.

But, with Wily invading Washington and having the Mad Grinder standing guard over the White House, that confidence has been shaken to the core. Many cities all across the United States are quickly becoming ghost towns. Those who are still not at home are either in a public place and cannot tear themselves away from the sight of the attack, or they are en route back to their homes...  
>This makes it easier and yet more difficult for one lone robot who is travelling in the shadows.<p>

Still wearing the grey sweat suit she took a few months ago after escaping Skull Fortress, Nomad runs in a stagger though the empty alleys between buildings. Her running is off-kilter because she is still suffering from the pain in her head, which has only become more persistent as the day progressed.

She has tried to fight it off and hoping that ProtoMan (her only friend in the world) will answer her calls and find her. The brief message she received from ProtoMan earlier managed to stave off the pain for a little while, but, the pain never fully went away and now it has relapsed back to the agonizing levels she was experiencing earlier.  
>And with that pain, Nomad feels the urge to destroy things, because the pain seems to diminish when she experiences extreme emotions, whether they be passive or aggressive.<p>

Nomad begins climbing up a ladder bolted into the side of a nearby building and making her way up the roof. As she climbs, she gives in to her aggressive feelings and rips each rung off the ladder and throws them away where they break through windows and scare a nearby stray cat, causing the critter to run for the hills.  
>With each bit of destruction she causes, Nomad can feel the pain in her head barely ebbing away. But, it is not enough to get rid of it all, and it resurges within seconds.<p>

Once she reaches the roof and gets done stripping the ladder of all of its rungs, Nomad collapses in a heap atop the roof surface and grabs her head as her face winces. The pain has become to much for her to stand on her own power anymore and she becomes scared.  
>And the only one who she trusts to help her is ProtoMan.<p>

Nomad pulls up the left sleeve of her sweat suit top and attempts to contact ProtoMan again, for the twentieth time tonight. In a non-audio message, she signals that she needs help and the pain is getting worse.  
>She then sits in a ball and hugs her legs as she rocks back and forth, but, soon she cannot even handle that any more and clutches the sides of her head, suffering as she hopes her friend can help her.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The White House.<strong>**

In Washington, Wily's army takes down the rest of the opposing forces outside by either disabling them or disposing of them in a fatal manner, and all of Wily's vehicles and aircraft begin to patrol the area around the White House where The Mad Grinder still stands.

Bass and Treble separate from each other and lead the charge of Robot Masters as they march towards the White House. Regardless of their feelings towards Bass or even each other, the Robots in Wily's army march behind Bass in solidarity.

This is a group that is more unified than ever before, because they are determined to finally end this war and become the victors.

Bass calls up to Dr. Wily on his communicator. "The outer defenses are finished off, Dr. Wily. We could use an easy way inside this _White House_."

_"Certainly, my boy! Let me use my key!"_ Wily responds.

The Mad Grinder begins to reposition it's body and swiftly bows it's torso down and literally chops through the rear entrance of the White House with the massive saw mohawk atop it's head.  
>And when the Grinder stands back up, the White House is left with a massive chunk ripped out of the exterior, compromising it enough to be easily infiltrated.<p>

Wily then orders from the Mad Grinder with a mighty roar,_ "Now, my robots... **CHARGE!**"_

Bass, the Robot Masters and all the other robots who are on the ground with them let out a combined yell as they begin storming the damaged White House, running directly for the massive chunk torn out of the outside...

* * *

><p>Inside the rear lobby of the White House, the remaining military soldiers and robots as well as Secret Service agents and robots stand ready with weapons drawn at the massive gash in structure where the rear entrance used to be.<p>

The humans break out in a tense sweat and grip their weapons a little tighter when they hear the sound of the yelling robot army stomping their way. The odds were against them more than they could have imaged, but they had to stand their ground and keep The President safe, at all costs.

Before the Wily robots even entered the White House, A Hyper Bomb, a pair of Napalm capsules and Crash Bombs come flying though the massive chasm in the wall and land on the floor in front of them, sending the agents running for their lives before they detonate, the powerful concussion of the joint explosives catapulting their bodies flying across the hallway.

Bass, Treble and the other Wily robots then breach the White House wall and begin pouring inside like a herd of stampeding bulls, dealing with any opposition standing in their way, and able to protect themselves with their portable shields  
>Quick Man's Quick Boomerang knocks a Secret Service bot in the head; A crystal attack from Crystal Man takes down a human agent by colliding with his stomach; A stone from Stone Man knocks down a military bot and ElecMan shocks a human soldier with his electrical power.<p>

Air Man and Wind Man use their combined wind powers to blow away the majority of the opposition, and then GutsMan races through like a train, yelling as he plows into them.

Soon, all the Secret Service an soldiers gathered here are destroyed or incapacitated, all the robots clear out, making way for Dr. Wily and ProtoMan, who enter through the destroyed remains of the rear entrance and walk down the battle-scarred hallway.

Dr. Wily is all smiles as his eyes look around at all the portraits and statues of all the past Presidents, including Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan, Obama and those who have served since them.

"I could get used to living in a place like this. Only after we take down the portraits off all these _lesser_ world leaders and replace them all with portraits of me!" Wily proclaims, "And perhaps, we could build a moat to keep at bay all who don't belong, and have it guarded by a giant green robo dragon!... But, this would only be my vacation home. When you control an entire world, you need a permanent residence much bigger and more well-fortified than this antiquated dump!"

Wily reaches Bass who stands in the middle of the hall, and who is still glaring hateful stares at Proto. "Good work, my boy! And the same goes for all of you robots!" Wily says, "But, we still have work to do. There should be an underground bunker where I am sure our intrepid President is hiding. Bass, use you vision modes and see if you can lead us there."

"Yes, Dr. Wily," Bass replies, giving ProtoMan a long angry stare. And likewise, Proto begins his own stare down with bass behind his visor.

Bass turns around and his eyes turn green, switching his vision mode to an x-ray type of mode that allows him to see through walls and discover any hidden locations or pathways that may be nearby, even well-fortified ones.  
>Soon, he finds an elevator far off that leads to location many stories down, but the level is hidden is so deep in the ground that Bass cannot see it.<p>

"I can see it. There is an elevator on this level that will take us there. But, given how paranoid the humans with their security, it is likely locked off," Bass says.

"I already know what to do," Wily says as GutsMan brings him a Secret Service robot. The mad doctor then pries open the Secret Service robot's head plat over his right cranium and begins manually reprogramming him.  
>Wily would know how to do it, because this was one of the last robot designs he worked on with Dr. Light before the two had their violent parting of the ways.<p>

"They tried to change the internal wiring and block it with security protocols to block the automatic re-programmer, I see. They underestimated _this_ genius," Wily compliments himself as he fiddles with the wiring of the robot's cranial circuits and plugs them into a device that is no bigger than the palm of his hand. This allows him to manually re-write the robot's programming code to obey only Dr. Wily.

Once the process is complete and Dr. Wily has cracked the robot's code, he speaks to him. "How do we use the elevator to the underground bunker?"

The Secret Service robot replies, "Only President Henry or a human Secret Service agent can gain access to the emergency elevator by using a Secret Service I.D. card. Only President Henry himself can gain access to the bunker during a security alert via using the retinal scanner."

"That's all I needed to know," Wily says as he puts the hacking device back in his lab coat pocket. "Lead me to the elevator, Bass!"

'Follow me, " Bass answers.

Bass, Treble and Dr. Wily begin to follow Bass and many of the robot Masters follow them, and so does ProtoMan. But, before they could get too far, Dr. stops them.

"Not you, Proto," he says, "Bass, Dark Man and I have this just fine. Enker, you shall come with us. The rest of you, either get to work on reprogramming these robots and fortify this place and be ready for Mega Man when he shows up."

ProtoMan stays behind as Wily, Bass, Treble, Dark Man 2 and Enker head for the elevator leading underground and many of the Robot Masters split up with some making their way through the White House, and others heading back outside to prepare for the next battle and Mega Man's imminent arrival.

With Wily and Bass out of here, Proto realizes that now would be the perfect opportunity for him to contact Nomad, who has tried communicating with him twice since the Mad Grinder arrived here. He couldn't respond to her while he was around Wily, but now he could sneak away and contact here while he had the chance.

Once the majority of the Robot Masters are gone, or are too preoccupied with other things, Proto begins sneaking off to the east wing of the White House to call Nomad in private.

But, Proto's rival Punk was standing nearby and was keeping an eye on him. Once Proto begins heading off, Punk begins to trail him, looking to take advantage of him because he thinks he is still weak.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<strong>

With Beat the robo bird flying alongside him, Peekaboo runs to his mommy Roll's room, afraid that his mommy is going to leave with Uncle Mega to go fight the big scary creature the bad man created.

When he reaches his mommy's room, he sees that she is now donning the beige combat outfit she wore yesterday, and he becomes concerned, thinking that this means she is going to leave.

Roll could hear the sound of her little Met's footsteps on the carpet and looks down at him, looking deeply regretful because of what she is about to do in the name of protecting the world tonight.

Peekaboo bleeps up to Roll, asking if she is leaving with Uncle Mega.

Roll crouches down before her little Met and awkwardly answers, "I don't really _want_ to go, Boo. But Uncle Mega is gonna need all the help he can get."

Boo steps up to his mommy with a worried face and beeps that he doesn't want her to go.

Roll tries to assure him, "I know you don't sweetie. But, I'll be okay."

Peekaboo looks very worried now, bleeping that she said that the last time and she almost became gone like Doc is.

"Boo, I know you're worried about me. But, everything is going to be okay," Roll attempts to assure him, "We'll have Rush and Beat here to help us out."

"Beat, Beat!" chirps Beat.

But, Peekaboo is still not convinced that something horrible is going to happen there at the big White House. He bleeps up to her, saying that if she stays home where it's safe, he'll be extra good.

Now Roll's heart is torn. She feels she has to help out in the upcoming battle, but she doesn't want her Met to be scared that she could die. There is a chance that some might not make it back home tonight, possibly even Mega Man and Roll. And if it is her, Roll fears what could happen to Boo without her here.  
>But, Roll is also afraid of what could happen if she is needed in the heat of the moment to assist with a crucial task and she is not there to answer the call. She would never be able to live with herself if she was needed, but something horrible happened because she wasn't there.<p>

Then, Dr. Light's voice speaks from Roll's forearm communicator. _"Roll, we only have ten minutes before you have to head out. I'm not sure if your involvement is the best idea, but I thought you should know."_

Roll is about to respond to her father, but Peekaboo lets out a squeaking beep and grabs onto Roll's arm with his extension arm hand, pleading with his mommy not to go. Roll looks down again to see eye lubrication leaking from Boo's big sad eyes as his mouth trembles.

Roll pouts too and scoops her Met into her arms, and Boo wraps his arm around her. Roll then wipes away the tears from Boo's face and coos, "I wish I could stay home and be with you. You know I do, because I love you so much. But, the reason why I go out and fight Dr. Wily is because he wants to hurt everybody in the world, and we have to stop him."

Roll then feels her own tears welling up and wipes them away as she tells Peekaboo, "There are a lot of Mommies and Daddies out there who are about to go fight this battle with us too, and their Mets and children don't want them to leave either. But, we're all fighting so that you and Dr. Light and Miss Kalinka and everybody else doesn't have to live in a world controlled by Dr. Wily.  
>If we don't stop him... there won't be a beautiful world to take care of anymore, and we'll lose everybody we love. But, if we can stop him tonight, maybe we'll make him go away and he'll never bother us again."<p>

Roll gives Peekaboo a little squeeze in her arms and she assures him, "Now do you understand why we fight him?"

Boo is still upset and tears leak from his eyes, but he nods and barely bleeps that he understands.

"It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too, and so is Uncle Mega," Roll admits as she wipes away her tears and Boo's, "But, I promise I'm coming back home tonight. And I'll be alive and well. And I think everything is going to be a lot better once we get through this."

Boo bleeps. _Really?_

Roll assures as she hugs Boo a little tighter, "Yeah. We're the good guys. And we all love each other too much for Wily to ever win."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at The White House.<strong>

Bass leads Dr. Wily, Enker, Treble and Dark Man 2 to the hidden emergency freight elevator which is located just about halfway between the west wing and the Oval Office itself. It is blocked by a case loaded with books and not visible with the naked human eye, but Bass can see right through the decoy shelf and rips it down with his strength, revealing the elevator behind it.

Still using his enhanced vision, Bass can barely see how deep this elevator goes. "This will take us ten stories underground. I'm sure I can see a large room, that is well built. But, this elevator is locked off by the security systems, and it would be nearly impossible to penetrate the room any other way because it is layered with several layers of premium grade titanium. Even _my_ powers cannot get us through in time"

"Don't worry about that, Bass. Thank to our reprogrammed civil servant, I already have a plan," Dr. Wily assures as he removes as a keycard he stole from a fallen Secret Service agent who was knocked out cold after being thrown into a wall by Wind Man's wind attack.

Wily swipes the card through the card reader built into the elevator controls, unlocking it and summoning the elevator up.

"Well played, Dr. Wily. But, how do we breach the door once we are down there? We require The President's retina to gain access to the bunker, and he is locked inside."

"Again, I have a plan. You should trust your creator," Wily chuckles.

"You should learn to trust _me._ You would have never been betrayed by ProtoMan... I would have never given him the chance," Bass replies.

Bass turns his head towards Wily and warns again, "You should not have let ProtoMan out of your sight. After subjecting him to discipline and seeing his attitude, he is surely going to find a way to take advantage of you."

"As I said, I do not worry about him," Dr. Wily assures, "He will not fall out of line."

As the elevator arrives and Wily's motley crew steps inside, Bass frowns, still unwilling to trust ProtoMan. "If you insist."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

After Roll and Peekaboo return to the main lab, Mega Man is preparing to head out to The White House to launch a counter attack to drive back Wily's forces, destroy the Mad Grinder and (if they are lucky) defeat Bass, who is just as deadly as the Mad Grinder itself.

As Mega requested, he and The President are coordinating and gathering the single largest cavalcade of fighters to assemble in over fifty years. Nearly every member of every chapter of the United States National Guard are en route to Washington, as are the heavy weapons divisions of any and all counter-terrorism agency in the country, including the F.B.I. and any Police precincts near the D.C. area.  
>Even the Canadian military is scrambling out squads of jet bombers in the hopes of destroying the Mad Grinder.<p>

And this massive group will be spearheaded by Mega Man, the robot who has the hopes of an entire world resting on his shoulders now more than ever.

It is all or nothing tonight. Either we save the world, or we fail and everything is gradually lost to Dr. Wily.

Mega Man and Dr. Light have an open communication to the underground bunker below The White House where President Henry and those with him are staying. They are all organizing the attack strategy with The White House's key military and defense leaders, keeping in contact with all the key personnel from each branch of the military and domestic defense forces to manage how much aid needs to be allocated to this operation.

Right now, Mega Man is looking to his own backyard of New York for any possible support, talking with New York Police Chief Montgomery Toombs in the hopes that maybe they can send some back-up

"Chief, we're about to hit Wily's army in Washington and take back the White House. We could use as much back-up as we can get on the ground," Mega requests.

_"For you, Laddy, I'll give you much of the force as you want!"_ Toombs replies enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Chief. We could use a few extra PoliceBots on the ground, plus an extra chopper or two to fight Wily's air forces," Mega requests.

_"We'll send some 'em over when you give the word. Plus, I'll see if I can throw in a surprise for that goat-head Wily while I'm at it,"_ Toombs says.

"Thanks, send them out as soon as you can. We don't have much time," Mega says.

However, at the end of the call with the Chief, the planning session is interrupted when The President learns he is about to have some unwelcome guests...

_"Mr. President, they've compromised the elevator and are heading down here now! Wily, Bass, his wolf and two other robots," _reports a rapidly stressing Kravitz.

_"Take Cover!"_ yells the Secretary of Defense, a former military solider himself, grabbing a spare handgun from an agent and taking aim at the door.

Peekaboo give a concerned bleep up to his mommy, asking why is everybody so scared now.

"You might want to look away for a little while, Boo," Roll replies.

Boo's eyes get wide and he hides under his hardhat so he won't see what is about to happen. But. on the lab's dual screen, Mega Man and his family are about to bear witness to the frightening sight about to take place.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the White House.<strong>

The elevator reaches the underground level where another group of Secret Service robots are awaiting in a corridor leading to the sealed-off bunker. But, the robots with Wily make quick work of them all.

Plasma bolts are fired off in the evil group's direction, but Enker catches them with his mirror staff while Bass quickly blasts the majority of the Secret Service bots. Enker then fires back the collected plasma energy at the remaining robot and knocks him down, allowing Wily and company to press forward.

But, then several laser turrets protrude from the walls and ceiling and open fire at Wily's group, but Bass uses his Bassinium shielding to block all the shots and protect Dr. Wily from them. Then, the Wily robots pick off each one of the turrets until they are destroyed.

The group walks up to the sealed off door and Wily spots the small panel next to the door. "Hmmmm. Manipulating a retinal scanner is going to be very tricky... for a lesser being."

Dr. Wily turns to Dark Man 2 and commands, "Your predecessor's holographic technology was not as advanced as yours. Now it time to put yours to the test."

Dark Man 2 approaches the door of the bunker and kneels before the retinal scanner, and he uses his holographic projector encased inside the dome head of his to create a very specific hologram of a human eye.

The retinal scanner scans the holographic eye, and almost inexplicably, it accepts it as President Henry's own retina, unsealing the door and giving Dr. Wily easy access to The President!

* * *

><p>"Oh, my God! They just broke past the door!" a shocked Secret Service agent exclaims.<p>

"Hit 'em with everything you've got, Goddammit!" The Secretary of Defense shouts.

The President and his family take cover as the Secret Service agents and robots draw their weapons and attempt to protect them as the ultra-thick door to the bunker opens. But, Bass and the others immediately open fire and quickly defeat them, dispatching the Secret Service robots and injuring the human agents, taking down The President's only remaining line of defense, leaving nothing left nearby to protect him from Dr. Wily.

Wily enters the bunker and grins as he begins approaching The President and his family, folding his arms behind his lab coat clad back. "It is an honor to meet you at long last, Mr. President," he greets, "But, I'll have you know that I never voted for you, or anybody else for that matter. I never was one who liked the idea of democracy, as you can guess."

The President and everybody else in the bunker remain silent, all of them staring at Wily, who snickers, "You must be wondering how easily we were able to enter your so-called protective bunker. Well, if you had the chance to review the security footage from the Civil Defense Tower earlier this year, you would know that I have the capabilities to manipulate reality. Dark Man 2, show them."

Dark Man 2 then uses his holographic projector to morph into an exact physical duplicate of President Henry as he stands next to Dr. Wily.

"You should be careful whose hands you shake at your rallies, Mr. President. You never know which one of your so-called constituents Is really Dark Man!" Dr. Wily says, "And with my latest revisions of Dark Man's holographic projectors, he can replicate every inch of anybody he comes in contact with. Yes, including your retinas."

The President remains crouched down as his scared wife and daughter clutch on to him, and Dr. Wily's grey brows furrow and he tilts his head. "Well, for a man who likes to give long and glorious speeches, you aren't saying very much. Isn't this the part where you are supposed to ask me what I want with you?"

"It's obvious what you want," Henry says with defiance, "But, you'll never achieve it, no matter how many of these giant death tanks you build."

Wily begins to snicker again with a sinister glee. "Oh, I _will_ get what I want, Mr. President. And _you_ are going to get it for me! And if you don't..."

Wily then makes a pointing motion towards the President and Dark Man 2 approaches, reverting his appearance to its standard form and transforming his left arm into a canon, aiming it towards The President, specifically his daughter.

The remaining staff cabinet members here become frightened, some of them about to leap forward to intervene but stopping themselves before they could. With Dr. Wily, they know he is capable of anything, and could have Dark Man 2 open fire upon The President and his family at any second.  
>And with Bass and Enker here with Wily, there is no way they would survive an onslaught from them.<p>

Meanwhile, President Henry's daughter becomes panic ridden as her parents try to shield her from a potential attack.

Wily snickers as his grin goes from ear to ear. "Now that you know how serious I am, Mr. President, I think are you should be more willing to do as I say."

"Whatever it is you want, just please keep my family's life out of this!" Henry pleads, trying to maintain his composure as much as he can.

"You involved your family the moment you decided to fight me and appoint Thomas Light's bastard creation Mega Man to be the great Defender of the Human Race!" Dr. Wily counters, "And because you chose your side, we are going to play a game with life itself. Either you come with me and help me gain a much deserved advantage in the last stage of this war, or your precious daughter pay for it _with her life_!"

President Henry's daughter clings onto her father, crying and scared out of her mind. And her mother, The First Lady, begs her husband in despair, "Don't let him take our baby!"

"What is your choice, Mr. Henry? The voting public, or your beautiful daughter. Who's life mean more to you right now?" Wily asks in a shout voice, giving The President the worst kind of ultimatum anybody could face.

The air in the room is thick with fear among all the staff members who watch with dismay, and The President's heart pounds in his chest as he break out in a hot sweat as he is now faced with the impossible choice: having to protect his daughter's innocent life or the security of the United States citizens.

Under normal circumstances, the obvious choice would be protecting his only daughter without a shadow of a doubt, but Wily had just made it clear that the lives of everybody could be in jeopardy if he refused to play along.  
>But, given this is Albert Wily, this is all likely just a trap and that everybody's lives will be equally jeopardized, and that there is no "right decision" here.<p>

Just barely managing to keep his mind focused enough to think and considers a third option: trying to stall Wily long enough until Mega Man and the cavalry arrive.

President Henry stands up and asks, "Exactly what are you trying to get from me?"

Wily smiles and answers vaguely, "That's for me to know and for you to find out, isn't it, Mr. President? And I suggest you make your choice fast. Lives are at stake, and you only get one chance!"

After taking a moment to collect himself and mentally prepare for what he about to do, President Henry stands up and then turn to his wife and daughter, holding them close.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you," he says quietly to them, "I have to go. I'm sorry.

Overwhelmed with fear and grief, The President's daughter clutches on to her father and weeps, "No, Daddy!"

The First Lady even tries to speak. "Please, Keith..." She, then becomes too choked to continue speaking.

"I'm going to be okay. I know what I'm doing," The President utters, pulling a small computer tablet and a stylus pen from his jacket pocket (items he is always sure to carry, and this time they are more crucial than ever) and quickly scribbling a something into the screen while it is on scratchpad mode.

Chief-of-Staff Kravitz makes his way over to Henry and keeps an eye on Dark Man 2, who still has his weapon trained on The President and his family, and then aims it at The Chief of Staff when he approaches.

"That is close enough, human," Dark Man warns.

Kravitz stops and puts his hands up, but he still tries to speak with The President. "Mr. President, this is Dr. Wily we're dealing with. If you compromise to him in any way, you could be putting-"

"I know what I'm doing," The President interrupts as he step over to his Chief of Staff, "You just do what has to be done from this point on."

The President then grabs Kravitz' arm and places the computer tablet into his hand, giving him a subtle wink of his eye. And The Chief of Staff knows at that point that the Commander-in-Chief must be up to something. Something that would hopefully undercut Wily, even if it would come at a great risk to him.

The President then gives his Wife and Daughter a hug, which could possibly turn out to be their last embrace. And he then begins walking towards Dr. Wily, who is still wearing an evil sinister smile on his face.

The President turns about halfway to face everybody who was down here in the bunker with him, and he speaks to his staff who each have a wide array of emotions as they looks back at him. "It has been an honor serving with all of you."

All The President's staff feel a grim sense of finality setting in after their leader speaks to them, almost as if this may have been a final farewell.

Dark Man 2 and Enker then grab The President by either of his arms and begin taking him away. Those in the room almost try to leap into action to save free him, but Bass and Treble stand ahead of the crows and menace them.

"No time to waste... Keith! We have business to discuss!" Dr. Wily loudly says, before turn to everybody else in the bunker "And I would suggest that none of you follow us. Bad things could happen!"

Once The President is taken out into the corridor leading to the bunker, Dark Man uses the controls to close the ultra thick bunker door to isolate everybody inside. But, the Secretary of Defense, Secret Service agents who are healthy enough to stand and a few others try to re-open the door, but they fail.  
>Dark Man had once again used holographic version of President Henry's retina to seal everybody inside the bunker, leaving them with no way out.<p>

"That bastard Wily locked us inside! We can't reach The President," an agent utters in anger.

A near hush falls over the room and only the subdued weeps of his family and others down here can be heard. Meanwhile, The Chief of Staff looks down at the note written on into the computer pad screen.  
>It reads, <em>"I'm not giving him what he wants. I'm stalling him. Protect my family. <span>Get Mega Man. A.S.A.P.<span>"_

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>****

Mega Man, Roll, Dr. Light and all those in the lab watched in horror as the sight of The President is taken away by Dr. Wily and his robots played on the Lab's dual screens. It was all the more frightening because there is no telling what Wily wants The President, or what they are going to do with him.

The image then shows Kravitz racing up to the camera that was stationed and begins to speak to it. _"Doctor, Mega Man, I don't know if this connection is still live or if you saw any of what just happened, but we need you, now more than ever."_

"I'm on my way now. Tell everybody to hurry up and get to Washington fast. Every second wasted, The President's life is in more danger!" Mega replies, once again with the firm and unwavering resolve that he was known for before his confidence had crashed.

He assures everyone still at The White House bunker, "We'll get him back, and we're gonna destroy that thing Wily brought with him. In the meantime, call in every resource you can, because we're gonna need it."

Mega Man bolts out of the lab with Rush running alongside him, ready to begin the biggest battle (in terms of scope and importance) of his life. But, before he goes, Eddie pops his top open and fires off an Energy Can at Mega.

"Incoming!" Eddie calls.

Mega catches the can with his right hand and quickly replies, "Thank you."

After Mega leaves the lab, Roll does not follow him right away. Instead, she kneels down next to Peekaboo to say goodbye to him... hopefully not for the last time.

"I've gotta go stop the bad guys now," she says.

Boo replies with two worried bleeps. _Okay._

Roll still has a difficult time leaving her little Met behind, but she feels that she has to join this fight because of the dire circumstances. She picks Boo up in her arms and gives him one more hug before she leaves, and Boo does the same with his extension arm.

Dr. Light approaches and kneels down beside them to put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this, Roll?"

Roll looks down at Boo, who is so worried about everything going on in this world right now as he looks up at her, and she replies, "Yeah. I'm sure. I'm fighting to protect the ones I love the most. So we can live in a world without fear."

Peekaboo's lip trembles and he nestles up against his mommy, bleeping a sentiment he gives her every day, but it means so much more tonight: _I love you, Mommy._

"I love you too, Peekaboo. And I always will. I promise, " Roll coos, "And I'm coming home too... you'll see. Everything will be alright."

* * *

><p>In the skies above New York and with Beat flying beside her, Roll rides her SkyCycle on the way to Washington D.C., still feeling the nerves of the battle she is about to take place in and with her family in her heart.<p>

They see Mega Man and Rush flying up ahead and they catch up with him.

"BEAT!" Beat calls to Mega.

Mega Man looks over to them and Rush barks back. "Are you sure you want to do this, Roll?"

"We've only got one chance. I'm with you," Roll replies.

"Then, you better drink up," Mega says holding the energy can Eddie tossed him before he left.

"But, don't you need it?" Roll asks.

"I'll be fine. Trust me," Mega insists.

Roll feels bad taking her brother's energy can. But, if he insists on her taking it, she had better follow his instinct. "SkyCycle, autopilot," she orders, and the SkyCycle begins flying on its own as she reaches for the Energy Can and grabs it from Mega Man.

Roll ingests the liquid and her face scrunches up, reacting to the incredibly strong cough syrup like taste. This must be the extra-strong blend of the Energy Juice. "Yuck! This strong stuff better be as good as you say it is."

Mega barely smiles back, "Sorry. It was the only one Eddie gave me."

After the aftertaste goes away, Roll grabs the handlebars of her SkyCycle and resumes control. She asks, "You think we're going to make it through this one?"

"We have to," Mega replies. "Don't even think about defeat right now, Roll. You're going to make it back home, and so are as many of our allies as possible."

"Aren't you forgetting about yourself?" Roll asks.

"I'm working on that," Mega replies.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at The White House.<strong>

As all this goes on ProtoMan continued to sneak off to a more secluded area of the White House. An area which should not be crawling with Robot Masters right now.  
>Once Proto can reach a good enough hiding spot, he can finally call Nomad and hopefully talk her into calming down. He would try to flee to be with her, but given the current circumstance, that would be impossible. (And, he does not want to anger Wily into taking extreme measures on him again.)<p>

Finally, he reaches an abandoned office off to the east wing of the White House which still had the door slightly ajar, but had no sign of human life inside. This is the perfect place to hide away and contact Nomad alone, without Wily watching him. And he better do it fast before Wily finds a way to hack into the surveillance system.

But, before ProtoMan could sneak inside, he felt his scarf being yanked off his neck again, and he turns himself around to see Punk holding the scarf in his hands again.

"Trying to find a place to hide and suck your thumb, ProtoBoy?" Punk mocks and he swings Proto's yellow scarf in his hand, taunting him with it.

Seeing how Punk does not yet realize that he is dealing with the old ProtoMan again, Proto decides to play a head game with Punk and lure him into a false sense of security. So, he begins acting scared and cowers on his knees in front of The Killer and begging.  
>"Please, Punk, just give me the scarf back. I need it."<p>

Punk scoffs, "The big bad ProtoMan can't fight without his little yellow scarf! What a coward!"

"I don't want any trouble with you. I just need my scarf," Proto pleas, keeping up his act.

"If you want it so bad..." Punk waves the scarf above his ahead like he did earlier, "Why don't you come take it from me, little boy!"

Proto then drops the scared boy charade and smirks, "You asked for it!"

ProtoMan instantly draws his blaster and fires a powerful shot into Punk's mid-section which knocks The Killer down to the carpeted floor. Proto leaps back to his feet to snatch his scarf away from Punk, but Punk gets back to his feet and draws two Punk Blades from his side and brandishes them in a threatening manner.

"So, you think you're a tough guy again, huh? Your robo-balls must have grown back!" Punk taunts.

"Give me the scarf back, Punk. Or, I'll take it from you... after I blast your arm off!" ProtoMan warns.

Punk yells back, "I'm not exactly in a giving mood anymore! Dr. Wily better not have a problem his top lieutenant getting his head chopped off by the best robot in the world!"

Punk chucks the Punk Blades at ProtoMan, who dodges the first one, and barely dodges the second as it scrapes the side of his torso, leaving a deep scratch in his grey armor. But, Proto runs across the hall, leaps and throws a jump kick right into Punk's chest, right below his 'jaw' and knocks him back down.

Proto storms for Punk to grab his scarf back, but Punk bolts back up and tackles him up against a wall, crackling it and almost putting both of them through it. With his left arm - the same arm now holding Proto's scarf - Punk tries to deliver a hard forearm strike, which Proto blocks it. But, Punk uses all of his strength to try to push his arm closer to Proto to puncture his neck with one of the large silver spikes on his wrist.

"You're gonna be needing this snot rag of yours to wipe up your oil in a few seconds, loser!" Punk threatens.

"You don't know who the hell you're dealing with, do you?" Proto retorts, then jumps up as he keeps his grip on Punks arm and shoves him off with his feet, which sends Punk staggering backwards into the wall across the way.

Just as soon as he hits the wall, Punk throws another Punk blade at Proto, which Proto rolls out of the way of, then fires a blast that goes right into Punk's mouth area. The shot completely destroys his voice box and once again shutting him up. And as Punk staggers around trying to get his voice to work again, Proto blasts Punk in the head, leaving a large black burn mark on Punk's forehead. The shot does not kill The Killer and does not do any damage to his memory core, but it scrambles his circuits.

Proto kneels down and snatches the scarf from Punk's twitching fingers and places it back around his neck where it rightfully belongs, and he looks down upon Punk's fallen and damaged body.

"Now who's the best?" he scoffs.

Afterwards, Proto walks into the office in the middle of the hall and looks around to make sure no other robots from the Wily army have come here after the fight the just erupted in the hallway. And once he sees no other trace of life, ProtoMan closes the door and holds up his left forearm, entering Nomad's communication frequency to contact her.

"Hey, girl," he calls in a soft and caring voice, "It's Proto. Are you there? Ping me back once if you are."

A few seconds later, Proto receives the response contact from Nomad. It made him feel relieved knowing that Nomad was still alive and healthy enough to send a response to him. Now all he had to do was calm her down and make sure she does not do anything that would expose her existence to Wily.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Utah.<strong>

Nomad now lies on her right side atop the same roof she stopped on minutes ago, her body trembling and her eyes squeezed shut with eye lubrication leaking from them as the pain in her head is now worse.  
>And her unfinished skeletal right hands now pulsating with built-up energy, storing it for a major Shockwave attack. If she used it, it would be so devastating that it could blow this whole building down.<p>

The sound of ProtoMan's voice is now the only thing holding her back from firing off her Shockwave attack. And without him physically here to comfort her, it could take a major speech to calm her with positive emotions.

_"I know you're hurting right now, and you want to take the first thing you can see and destroy it. But, please listen to me. You don't want to do that. Bad things will happen if you do," _Proto says. After a pause, he adds,_ " I know you feeling like you're all alone. But, you're not... __You're always going to have me."_

Nomad's wet eyes open as she hears ProtoMan's assurance that he would always be here for her, and the aggressive desire to destroy something with his shockwave attack begins to diminish.  
>The pain does not subside enough for her to ignore it and her eyes squeeze shut again, wanting it all to go away.<p>

_"I want to come and see you, but, I can't make it right now. I'm kind of busy with something. But, I promise, I'm going to come see you as soon as I can, and we can spend more time together. Until, then I just want you to use your memory and think about all the good times we've had together, and just know that wherever you are, I'll be there for you soon."_

Nomad's nervous trembles begin to subside slightly and the pain ebbs down as she hears Proto's promise that he will come be with her again. As she jogs her memory core to think to the meetings they have together, and how warm and welcoming he was to her.  
>But, her shockwave arm is still charged because the pain remains in her head. She still considers letting off the attack to make the pain go away, but Proto told her not to.<br>If he said it is bad, then it must be. She had to fight off these aggressive feelings long enough and find a good place emotionally.

Then, Proto adds,_ "Just remember, whenever you get like this... this is kinda strange for me, 'cause I've never said anything like this before. But, when it comes to you, I mean it... but, you've got a bot here who loves you very much."_

Nomad's thin eyes spring open and she gasps. While she may have had incomplete programming due to Dr. Wily's botched uploading, she still knows what these wonder feelings are that she is experiencing.  
>She knows what<em> love<em> is.

At last, Nomad can feel the pain begin to subside, only sensing the lingering traces that remain. And she powers down her Shockwave pulse generator inside her right hand.

Nomad pants heavily as she tries to regulate her internal systems back to normal after all that suffering and she wraps her arms around herself like she is hugging herself as she thinks about ProtoMan, dwelling on the kind words he just spoke to her.

_"Hey... I've gotta go now. If anything I said is working and you're feeling better. Ping me again,"_ Proto says.

Nomad continues to breathe the air into her ventilation system and enters a brief communication into her arm. It did work. Everything ProtoMan did to help her worked.  
>And to keep her mind at ease, she continues to use her internal memory to remember the times she had with Proto when they were together. She does not feel alone anymore. She knows she has a friend who loves her. And for now, that is all she could have possibly wanted.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back at The White House.<strong>

"Great. I'll see you soon, okay?" Proto says right before ending the communication with Nomad.

After helping his friend Nomad, ProtoMan feels an inner peace of mind, the kind that he has felt only when helping her. These are the only times in his life when he ever done anything that would be considered noble, but it felt good when he did, and it felt very good to tell her how much he cares for her.  
>Helping Nomad feels so more rewarding than any battle he has been in with Wily.<p>

When his thoughts revert to Wily, Proto realizes that he has to get back to 'work', and he needs to create some sort of excuse for why Punk is going to be sitting the rest of this operation out.

Proto steps out of the little office he sought shelter in the make the call, sees that Punk is still sprawled in the middle of the hall and twitching after being blasted in the mouth. Then, he steps over the fallen Killer to head back for the area where he split from the main group when Wily and Bass ditched him.

Several minutes pass as Proto walks through the halls of the White House under siege, occasionally passing some Robot Masters who are busy carrying away some of the dispatched Secret Service robots so they can be reprogrammed to serve Dr. Wily.  
>And those Robot Masters that Proto walks past all tend to give Proto an untrusting or dirty look when he crosses them. But, Proto ignores them.<p>

But, nearly a minute later, Proto turns a corner and sees the group of Dr. Wily, Bass, Treble and Dark Man 2. And in the center of the pack with Dark Man's weapon arm aimed at his back is The President of the United States himself, forced to walk alongside Dr. Wily, and not looking very happy about it either.

Proto could not believe his eyes. Not only did Wily steal his original plan, but the mad doctor's revised version of said plan is _working_ so far.

"How nice of you to wait for us, Proto," Wily greets, still wearing that victorious grin, "I am about to talk turkey with the leader of the country. You may join us now if you want."

"I missed the suspicion and hateful stares so much, why wouldn't I?" Proto jokes as he begins walking beside Wily's group. Proto also adds, nonchalantly, "By the way, Punk is in the East Wing. He's gonna need somebody to pick him up, because he won't be joining us for the rest of the operation,"

Bass grabs Proto by his shoulder and nearly spins him around, barking in his face, "What did you do?!"

"Don't go pointing the finger just yet, Banana Head," Proto replies, making a quip about Bass' abstract helmet design, "Punk decided to get cute and attack me while I was scoping the place. So... I dealt with him."

Wily frowns, "Is this the truth, ProtoMan?"

Despite the intimidation Proto feels with Wily's interrogation, Proto just gives a sly smirk back. "Would _I_ lie?"

Wily eyes narrow as he becomes perturbed with Proto's old attitude returning, and he begins to regret giving him the chance to re-upload his proactive elements of his personality. Wily can see that Proto is clearly toying with he and Bass, intentionally casting a shadow of doubt and mistrust over the operation, possibly just to be abrasive and stick it right back to them.

Wily gives a stifled grunt back and proceeds ahead, with President Henry being nudged along by Dark Man. And in the middle of the walk, The President turns the questions to Dr. Wily.

"If you wanted me so badly, all you had to do was drag me out of there. Why make me chose between the public and my daughter?"

"I wanted to see you make a choice," Wily responds, "Despite your oath to protect the citizens, you still chose the life most dear to you. That should make what I need you for all the more easy for these human sheep to accept."

"You enjoy seeing people suffer in any way possible, don't you?" President Henry asks with disdain.

"I don't just enjoy it, _Keith._ It turns me on!" Wily replies, wearing that sinister grin on his face.

ProtoMan adds in a quick groan under his breath, "That's the last time I want to hear about _you_ being turned on."

* * *

><p>The group eventually reaches the famous Oval Office itself, and Dr. Wily lays his eyes on the big chair where The President usually sits. Albert then gets a gleam in his eyes and makes a cocky stride behind the desk and sits down in The President's chair, and placing his hands on top of the desk.<p>

"I could get used to sitting in this chair, Keith! Every king needs a throne," Wily says, almost in a taunting manner.

"You haven't exactly earned the right to sit in it," President Henry says with disgust.

Bass approaches The President and menaces him. "You are in no position to talk down to Dr. Wily! We have more power than you do, human!"

Wily smiles, "He's right, you know. Soon, I will be the supreme ruler of the world. That's a title that outranks 'President.' You should be a little more respectful."

The President tries to keep Wily's attention and stall a little more until Mega Man arrives. "What did you want me for?"

Dr. Wily reaches into his lab coat pocket and removes a wrinkled sheet of folded paper, tossing it on the desk towards The President. "Firstly, would you be open to reading that on the air?"

President Henry cautiously picks the paper up and opens it. And what he sees is a 'resignation letter' that was hand-written by Dr. Wily for The President to read to the American public.  
>In this 'resignation', Henry would also surrender control of the United States over to Wily and would urge the citizens to surrender themselves over to the madman in order to avoid a certain death.<p>

Henry flings the wrinkled paper back onto the desk, refusing to read the letter like Wily wants. "I'm not interested in reading this dreck."

Albert shrugs his shoulders. "A most unfortunate decision. But, there is another more important matter that you can help me with. And you do not have an option to refuse this one..."

Wily leans on the desk with his forearms and looks directly up at President Henry with his beady evil eyes. "You are the most powerful official in this country... for a little while longer, at least... therefore, you must have access to the country's emergency arsenal of defense measures. Specifically, the nuclear defenses."

The President's blood runs cold when Wily insinuates that he wants to get his hands on _nuclear weapons_. This man is dangerous enough as it is. If he had nuclear capabilities, he would potentially become unstoppable.  
>The President tries to keep calm and show no visible sign of stress as he stares down Wily. But, using his enhanced vision, Bass can see that just opposite is true.<p>

"His heart rate is elevated," Bass reports.

Wily grins again, "Ah! So they _do_ exist!"

The President tries to deflect, "There are no nuclear weapons on American soil-"

"I know, since the peace treaty of fifty-four years ago, all nuclear weapons are stored secretly in another U.N.-friendly country where they are kept safe from people like me," Wily interrupts, "But, I know you can gain access to them in the event of an extreme emergency. And the invasion of Washington D.C. is quite the emergency, I'd say. What I want you to do is simple. Request an emergency nuclear strike on The White House and tell them it is the only way to stop me."

Again, President Henry tries to stall him and talk him out of doing such a horrifying act. "You're going to eradicate well over a million innocent lives, and you're going to nuke yourself out of orbit too! You're insane!"

Dr. Wily then frowns and stands out of the chairs, about to snap after being called 'insane,' the easiest way to get the man to go berserk.  
>"I am going to refrain from doing something rash, Mr. President, because I need your cooperation. Don't call me that again!" he seethes, pointing a finger at him, and so so enraged the his hands are shaking as his face turns red.<p>

Wily continues, "All I need is your authorization - be it a code, a password, a retinal scan, OR WHATEVER - to call a strike on this city! And you need not worry about me falling victim to the weapons! I have the means to disable them before they hit!"

Realizing how bad this situation, President Henry tries to do what he can to stall some more. "There is no way the U.N. or anybody else will bite on that, even if you use your Dark Man robot. I was in a conference with Dr. Light and Mega Man when you broke into the bunker, and they will spread the word that it is not me. You have already failed, Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily frowns, pondering. "So, I take it... your answer is _no_?"

After a film of sweat appears on his brow, The President swallows hard. But, he remains defiant in the face of evil, no matter the overwhelming situation. "On behalf of everybody in the world... the answer is no!"

Wily's frown becomes more pronounced, not happy with The President's refusal to help. "Again... a most unfortunate decision, Mr. President."

Elec Man's voice rings out on Wily's communicator._ "Dr. Wily, Mega Man is here, and he's got a ton of back-up with him!"_

When he hears the news that Mega Man has finally arrived, Dr. Wily refrains from doing anything to The President and simply gives Dark Man 2 an instruction. "Take The President away, Dark Man. Make sure he gets a good view of the show until he is needed again!"

As Dark Man 2 grabs President Henry and takes him away, Wily continues issuing orders. "Bass, Treble, get out there! You know what to do!"

Bass nods and sprints out of the Oval Office with Treble, and ProtoMan is about to follow him out.

"Not you, Proto!" Wily orders, "You are staying with me so that you won't interfere with your brother's imminent demise."

Proto comes to a sudden stop and reluctantly steps back inside to stand with Wily, who by now is looking out the picture window and can barely see several small specs in the sky heading this way. And he knows that flying among them is Mega Man, the one being who has been a thorn in his side for far too long.

"The real game is about to begin!" Wily says to himself, ready to forever do away his enemies with one fell swoop and take the United States as his own. And then, take the entire world soon after.

The wheels of change keep turning... The dominoes keep falling...

The battle about to take place will be the biggest ever... and the biggest change is about to take place. Tonight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I'm sorry about this chapter being so late. It was challenging to write, what I had planned was not quite working so I had to alter some scenes, and other things in real life were getting in the way._

_I decided that it would be best for the story if the cliffhanger was here and that the big huge battle would begin in the next chapter. As a result, the battle scenes originally planned for this chapter have been moved over to chapter 11, so it is going to be the a huge one. And the chapter is almost all battle oriented... (help me!)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review/comment. And if you see any typos or notes, incomplete/fractured sentences, or continuity errors that are so bad that even Conan O'Brien wouldn't try to defend it in his Fan Corrections segment, please PM me._


	123. Decision Time

**A heads-up from the author:  
>This chapter is a huge one. Even after trimming it down and cutting some things, it is over 17,000 words long. This is because I had moved scenes originally designed to end chapter 10 over to this chapter.<br>I'm sorry if this sounds too daunting, I never thought this chapter would get this big. But, I would appreciate if you stick with it.  
>You don't want to miss it...<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Episode 11, Chapter 11: Decision Time.<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Moscow, Russia.<strong>

Even as it approaches Four O'clock in the morning, Kalinka Cossack watches the ongoing events in Washington D.C. from the safety of her dormitory at college.  
>She has followed it all day long, so much that it has hindered her studies. And despite potentially earth-changing consequences this situation may have over in America, the one matter foremost on Kalinka's mind is her love, Mega Man.<p>

Ever since learning of the failed attack on Skull Fortress, she has worried about him all day. Several times, she almost called Dr. Light's lab to check on him, but she had decided against it, because maybe, Mega had much more important matters on his mind, like how he was going to stop this horrifying mechanical abomination that is now standing above The White House.

When she hears the anchor on the Russian news feed announcing that Mega Man and a massive convoy were on their way to D.C. to counter Wily's forces, Kalinka could feel her heart skipping a beat and her body tingling with apprehension. While she is sure that Mega can beat Wily and all of his forces (he _is_ Mega Man, after all), she worries for Rock, the boy who she loves so dearly. From here she can only hope that he pulls through without getting hurt.

Kalinka bows her blonde-locked head down and clasps her hands. "Please let my angel return home alive. Please let me see him again," she whispers in her native Russian.

* * *

><p><strong>Washington D.C.<strong>

As Mega Man, Rush and Roll fly into battle, they can already spot the Mad Grinder as it stands in the North Lawn of the White House, tallers than any other building in the District. They also catch the sight of Wily's many flying craft providing air support, and even though they can't see them very well, the Lights know that almost every single member of Wily's robot army is up ahead (including Bass), all waiting to do battle.

Neither of the two Light siblings fully grasped just how difficult this challenge will be until seeing it a mere few city blocks away from them with their own eyes. But, flying alongside Mega, Roll and Rush on this night are hundreds of members of the recruited allied forces, including fighter jets, helicopters and troop carriers loaded with human and robot troops and police officers. And on the ground, several heavily armored police van armed with large mortar cannons race toward the city to do battle.

Even with all this help, it will still be a challenge to defeat Wily's army and the Mad Grinder, save President Henry, retrieve ProtoMan_ and_ apprehend Wily all in one go of it.

"At least it's not as big as Gamma," Roll comments on the massive machine that Wily has stationed over the White House.

"But, we have to treat it like it was just as deadly," Mega Man replies, "If you have to fight, deal with the Robot Masters you handle. I'll take that Grinder tank and Bass when the time comes."

"I think I can talk Bass out of what he's doing," Roll ponders.

"No, you can't," Mega replies, "He's evil and he needs to be stopped."

"And what about _your_ brother?" Roll asks, still refusing to acknowledge ProtoMan as a brother, "You always say there's hope for him."

"Proto's a different story. He's being used by Wily. Proto's not always the nicest robot in the world, but there _is_ good in him, I know it," Mega insists.

Both Light siblings remain silent for a moment afterwards. Mega does not see how Roll could have any hope for a psychotic robot like Bass, and Roll is still flustered that Mega does not see that ProtoMan is a total creep after all the times he has hurt him.

As the Light siblings approach Washington, Mega Man uses his forearm communicator to call the reinforcements. "Everybody, report in and get ready."

A flight leader responds,_ "Mega Man, this is Red Leader. All wings have reported in and are ready for combat."_

_"And is this Scotsman!" _chimes in a rambunctious voice in Mega's ear, belonging to Chief Montgomery Toombs.

"Chief?! What are you doing here?" a surprised Mega Man asks.

_"We're fightin' to save the world, and I gotcha covered, laddy! There was no way I was gonna miss this one! Besides, I told ya' I had a surprise in store for those gremlins, and the surprise is me!"_

"Okay! Let's do this! Let's put an end to this war!" Mega Man calls, "Full speed ahead!"

With Mega Man's command, he, Rush, Roll and all the allied forces press on toward the White House, about to enter the battle of a lifetime. And one the other side of the battle, Wily's forces prepare to fight back...

* * *

><p>On the roof of the White Hose, Bass and Treble now stand, eyeing Mega Man as he approaches and waiting for the right time to strike. And he also sees the object of his affection Roll flying right next to him.<p>

"This will be a day long remembered. It shall see the end of Mega Man and Roll shall take her place as my queen... and we shall rule the world," Bass says, staring ahead at the impending battle with his dark red eyes.

* * *

><p><em>"Attention all of my robots, DESTROY OUR ENEMIES!"<em> commands the voice of Dr. Wily, yelling into the communicator's of every one of his robots gathered here.

All of Wily's flying vehicles and SkullTanks turn and arm their weapons as they head for the allied forces, and the many Robot Masters now stands at the ready as they guard the perimeter of the White House lawn, looking to prevent Mega Man or any of their enemies from making it past them.

Moments later, the first shots of the battle begins as Wily's Skullkers and SkullCopters open fire upon the heroes. Roll and many of the fighting craft evade getting hit while the troop carriers take their shots to receive minor damage on their hull. Mega Man begins firing plasma blasts at the Wily ships in retaliation, and so do the fighter jets and helicopters next to him. Their shots manage to take down one of the SkullCopters, forcing the Sniper Joe who was piloting it to jump out for his life.

Once the SkullJets soar in and open fire, the U.S. fighter jets do the same and break off from the main group, and the dogfighting in mid-air begins, turning the no-fly zone above Washington into an open war zone.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the armored police vans speed for the SkullTanks and open fire on them, managing to take out one of the Skulltanks out before they fire back. And the troop transports manage to handle taking the firepower from Wily's vehicles long enough to land with a loud thud inside the White House borders. The doors drop open and hundred and human and robot troops and Police bots race out and open fire on any Wily force that moves.

As the heroes begin their first push towards the White House, several of the Robot Masters - especially the stronger ones like GutsMan, Stone Man, Hard Man and even Air Man - begin racing ahead as well to do battle with the ground forces and the projectile-based Robot Masters stay back and try to pick their enemies off with their weapons.

Meanwhile, Bright Man is using his bright flash to momentarily blind those around him. To conserve energy and to prevent himself from accidentally blinding his fellow Robot Masters, Bright Man is using weaker flashes and the strategy appears to be working.

As some of the troops and robot allies fall from the Bright Flash, Roll swoops down towards him on her SkyCycle, slipping on a pair of Anti-Bright-Flash sunglasses over her eyes as she does. Once she is low enough, she switches her utility arm over to Handy-Dandy Cake Mixer mode and strikes Bright Man upside his bulb with it. But, it does not shatter on contact like it used to.

As Roll flies past Bright Man, he turns around and loudly gloats, "That trick won't work anymore, Girly Bot. My Bright Flash has been rebuilt to protect it from breaking. You're going have to be brighter then that to beat me now! Ha-Ha!"

At the peak of Bright Man's gloating, Beat flies down and tries to peck at the Robot Master's bulb with his beak.

"Hey! Get away from me, you stupid bird!" Bright Man yells as he tries to swat away Beat.

He then uses his Bright Flash, but Beat closes his eyes shut and chirps, "BEAT-BEAT!"

With Beat's call, Roll pulls a quick turn and makes another pass at Bright Man, who is now distracted by Beat, and she switches her utility arm over to plumber's snake mode, firing it off at the Robot Master. The Plumber's snake lassoes itself around Bright Man's big ankles, tying both of his legs together, and when Roll's SkyCycle flies past him again, Bright Man gets tripped and pulled away, and he wails as he gets taken up into the air behind Roll's SkyCycle.

"This isn't fair! Let me go!" Bright Man whines.

"Okay! You asked for it!" Roll complies as she takes her SkyCyle higher and flies over the armored Police vans.

Roll then disengages the plumber's snake and literally drops the screaming Bright Man off from fifty feet in the air, until he lands on his rotund belly armor, damaging some of the solar panels on his chest. But, his Bright Flash bulb is still intact... that is until the police van he landed right next to crushes it under its metallic tires.

Without his bulb, Bright Man is rendered worthless and he becomes dizzy with crossed eyes. He staggers to his feet and tries to run away as the Police and troops fires plasma bolts upon his back.

* * *

><p>On his way down to the surface to deal with the Robot Masters, Mega Man fires several blasts at any Wily hostile he comes across to help ease the workload on everybody else. Before he could reaches the ground, however, he encounters the former Gyro Man, who is using the large blades on his back to fly with.<p>

"You're not goin' down there tonight, Mega Jerk. But, you_ are_ goin' DOWN!" Gyro Man taunts.

"Don't speak to soon!" Mega replies, leaping from Rush's back as Gyro Man flings two smaller sets of Gyro Blades at him, which narrowly miss both Mega and Rush.

Mega soars over Gyro Man's head and touches his back, copying his Gyro Blade weapon, which disables the blades on his back and sends the Robot Master falling to the ground. And in a twist of irony, he lands right on top of the Sniper Joe who leapt from the downed SkullCopter

"Thanks, Gyro. I'll be needing those!" Mega calls down after landing back on Rush.

Mega Man wastes no time continuing the fight, aiming his buster cannon at an approaching SkullJet and firing a copied Gyro Blade at it. The quadruple blade gets wedged in one of the jet's turbine engines and causes it to nosedive out of control.

"Let's split up, Rush. We can take down more bad guys that way!" Mega calls.

Rush barks back and begins jetting downwards towards the best Robot Master he can fight as Mega Man jumps off his back and head down too, lunging for an enemy SkullCopter and grabbing on to its landing legs and firing off a blast into its rear propeller to cripple it...

Meanwhile, Rush has chosen the massive Hard Man to pick a fight with. Rush flies past the barrel-shaped Robot Master who tries to grab him his thick sausage-sized fingers.

"Get back here, you little runt! I'm gonna smack you so silly, you'll end up in Indiana!" Hard Man threatens in his strained voice.

Rush turns around and jets straight for Hard Man so fast he does not know what is coming. And the robo dog strikes Hard Man in his weak spot, dead center of his face, the only area of his whole body that is not made of out heavy titanium.

The hit from Rush knocks Hard Man silly for a moment, and when he regains his composure, he aims his arm at Rush and fires his Hard Fast at the robo dog. "Take this, you robo flea bag!"

The Hard Fist chases Rush as he flies away. But, Rush manages to lead it directly for a Skull Tank on the ground, where it plugs up the tank's cannon. And when the Skull Tank tries to fires again, the shot backfires, destroying the whole tank because the Hard Fist was wedged in the cannon.

"UH-OH! Dr. Wily's gonna be mad!" Hard Man bemoans.

* * *

><p>Back up in the sky, Mega then swings himself off the SkullCopter that he blasted as it begins to spin out of the control and leaps for a passing Skullker, shattering its front windows, blasting the Sniper Joes pilot with a stun blast and ripping the controls out with his bare hands before jumping off and sending that craft down too.<p>

Mega Man then lands on the ground in the sea of human and robots allies and he cries out, "COME ON! WE CAN DO THIS!"

With Mega Man's call, the ground forces charge ahead, with even more passion and energy with the Defender of the Human Race himself leading them into the heat of the battle. And waiting for them are even more Robot Masters, large self-operating walker tanks and Cyclopses, but the heroes rush in anyway, all charged with the task of ensuring that Mega Man and all the others do not make it inside the White House, and that they get destroyed trying.

* * *

><p>With ProtoMan leaning on a wall nearby, Dr. Wily watches the battle from inside the Oval Office, not happy to see his forces take losses so quickly at the hands of Mega Man. But, his confidence has still not been shaken.<p>

He has more than enough weapons to win this battle in just The Mad Grinder and Bass alone, and he is confident that they will win him this battle should his robot army fall. After all, Mega Man and his friends are all weaklings in comparison to The Mad Grinder and Bass, and their feeble attempt to win back the world will be forever remembered as the night Dr. Wily won the world. That much, he is sure of.

And the man has more trick up his sleeve, one of which involves the most powerful man in the country.

"Dark Man, return to the Oval Office," Wily barks on a pocket communicator.

_"On my way. A group of reprogrammed Secret Service bots are with The President now,"_ Dark Man replies.

"Good. We will _need_ them later," Wily says.

Wily's response catches ProtoMan's attention. "What exactly are you going to do with The President if you're only gonna use Dark Man to copy his appearance?"

"Stick around, and you will see," Wily replies in a semi-hushed tone. One that makes ProtoMan feel unsettled.

"You're not..._ seriously_ going there, are you?" Proto asks.

Dr. Wily steps right into Proto's personal space and hisses, "I am Dr. Albert W. Wily! I can do whatever I want to _whomeve_r I want! And _you_ can attest to that!"

Proto feels intimidated by Wily again when he menaces him. Not quite as badly as it was when his confidence was missing, but, it is still there.

"Tonight, my enemies will be crushed! And those that remain will fall at my feet!" Wily nearly spits, "And if_ you_ cross me again, you can consider yourself in that group." Wily begins to grin, "But, I take it you wouldn't make that same mistake again... would you?"

Proto calmly answers with a straight face, "Well... I think you made your point the first time."

Wily barely chuckles as he returns behind the desk, "Good! Soon, the whole world will learn to respect me like you have!"

Wily then turns to face ProtoMan again, and with that same wretched smile, he adds, "Speaking of 'going there,' ProtoMan, tonight may be the night for you to make that very important decision of yours that we discussed."

ProtoMan can feel his circuits chill. This meant that tonight, he may be forced to choose between breaking his code to never kill a defenseless or weak enemy, or take a life in the name of Dr. Wily's quest for world domination.

"Not to The President," Proto replies, sounding half like an outright refusal, and half like a plea to not cross that line with Henry.

Wily still smiles. "No, not The President... but, _somebody_. It depends on how things turn out."

Dark Man 2 returns, using his standard red-armored form, and Albert turns to face him. "We have an address to make to the viewing public, do we not?"

Dark Man 2 uses his holographic projectors inside his domed head to morph himself into President Henry again, and replies with a nasty smile, "Yes, we do."

As The imposter President takes the seat behind the real President's desk, two reprogrammed Secret Service robots drag in the Camerabot who usually broadcasts Presidential addresses to the broadcast networks and leave his standing in front of the Presidential desk where Dr. Wily now stands alongside the fake President.

"Mr. President? What are you doing standing with Dr. Wily?" asks the camerabot, unaware of what is really going on.

"Because tonight is the dawn of a new era," The "President" says, wearing a phony smile, "Prepare to broadcast an address to the entire country."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Light is monitoring the ongoing battle, trying to help his children in whatever way he can, and giving them a second pair of eyes watching over them. Nearby, watching the proceedings down on the floor are Eddie and Peekaboo, who is mostly worried about Roll, but also for his Uncle Mega, Rush and Beat.

Boo bleeps up to Dr. Light, asking if his mommy is alright.

"She's doing just fine, little one. In fact, she is helping out quite immeasurably," Thomas says, not showing his own worries about Mega and Roll's involvement in the battle.

An alarm sounds on the lab computer's control panel, indicating that there is something occurring that may need looking into. Thomas brings this alert up on the lab's other screen and sees a live feed from Channel 7, where they are claiming that The President is about to address the nation.

"This does not look right," Thomas comments to himself when he sees this strange occurrence.

_"And now, The President of the United States,"_ announces the voice on the television. Followed by the visual of the fake President Henry (as played by Dark Man 2) sitting at the Presidential desk as the battle is seen in the picture window behind him.

Intentionally sounding stilted and stressed to enhance the illusion Dr. Wily wants, The "President" begins to speak. _"My fellow Americans... As you are well aware, Washington has come under attack from Dr. Wily's army, and he has broken into the White House, where his robot army have defeated my Secret Service agents and reprogrammed almost all robots that serve here. As we speak, our forces along with Mega Man are outside fighting Dr. Wily and his robots in an attempt to save me and destroy the Mad Grinder, but..."_

After a pause, The "President" continues,_ "Roughly twenty minutes ago, Dr. Wily broke into my underground bunker and threatened the life of my precious daughter if I did not comply with his wishes. And I regret to inform you... to save my only daughter's life, I had no choice but to follow Dr. Wily orders. It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I am stepping down as President of the United States and surrender control of the United States over to Dr. Albert W. Wily, bypassing the 25th amendment process. Dr. Wily is heretofore known as President Albert W. Wily, effective immediately."_

The "President" concludes,_ "I deeply regret this decision."_

Seeing how strange President Henry is acting, Dr. Light uses a scanner on his lab computer station to analyze the live feed coming from the White House, and after a few seconds, the equipment can detect that this voice coming from The President is robotic, not a voice coming from real human organs. And it can also notice that the heat signature on the screen does not match a human's at all, but rather, Dark Man's silhouette.

After noticing this Dr. Light begins recording this feed to the lab's hard drive, and he contacts Mega Man. "Rock, Wily's Dark Man robot just went on the air taking President Henry's form again. Albert is having his fake President resign and hand power over to him."

_"I'm not surprised,"_ Mega replies in the middle of the ongoing battle, _"Now that he has control of the airwaves, he is trying to terrorize even more people."_

Dr. Wily then enters the frame on the screen, standing over The "President's" shoulder. _"I'll take it from here, Keith!"_

Seeing The Bad Man on the screen causes poor Peekaboo to bleep in fear and hide under his hardhat.

"We had best hurry this up, Rock. We might have a general panic setting in within a matter of minutes if we don't show the public that The real President is still in power," Thomas stresses.

_"Keep me informed!"_ Mega replies as the sound of an explosion is heard. An explosion which he just caused blasting another SkullJet down.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at The White House.<strong>

Surrounded by Secret Service robots that were reprogrammed by Wily, a helpless President Henry stares at a television screen wall, watching his Doppelganger addressing the world and claiming to give up the reigns of the country over to Dr. Wily, who now speaks.

_"If I may have your attention, my slaves, both American and wherever else in the world you are watching! For two years and five months, I have told all of you that I will become supreme ruler of the world, and that you will inevitably bow at my feet. __You are all weak and obviously cannot fight for yourself, therefore, you should have fallen after my first attack. Yet, you resist me at every turn!_

_Instead of accepting your place as my slaves, you appoint Mega Man to stand up and fight for you. You even turn to the so-called genius Dr. Thomas Light to embrace his technology to help you break free from every set of shackles I have attempted to place you in. And because of this, __when I tried my best to strike fear into your hearts, you never cowered and surrendered to me like you should have. You had the gall to stand up to **me!**"_

Dr. Wily leans closer to the camera and grins,_ "But, tonight ... I am going to break your will and take away all which you hold dear, including everything and everybody who makes you feel safer. I think it is time for you to be afraid of the kind of power I now yield!"_

President Henry then feels the hands of his Secret Service robots grabbing him by his arms and forcibly removing him from the room.

In a last-ditch effort to try to get his robots to respond to his orders, he states, "Let me go right now! I order you!"

But, the reprogrammed robots ignore Henry's orders and continue carrying him away to a nearby elevator.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Dr. Wily continues,_ "Tonight, I will destroy your Blue and Cyan hero named Mega Man. But, before I do that... you shall bear witness to the last moments on Earth of your friend President Henry, who will not be joining us for the rest of his life!"_

Dr. Light gasps and shudders when Wily announces this horrible news. That fear only becomes worse when he sees Wily cutting the live shot to a security camera view of the third floor of the White House, and the sight of the real President Henry exiting an elevator along with his own Secret Service robots.

Thomas runs a scan of the image again, and sees this is not Dark Man's holographic illusion of President Henry; this is the real one.

Thomas calls over his shoulder to Eddie and Peekaboo (who is still hiding under his hardhat.) "It would be best if the two of you leave the room for now. I don't want you to see this."

* * *

><p><strong>Back outside the White House.<strong>

As all of this has transpired, the open warfare continued as Dr. Wily's robot army does battle with Mega Man, Roll, Rush and all the others. Things are so hectic that it is easy to lose focus on who is where, who is still standing and who is arriving to the scene.

Roll has soared around the battlefield with Beat, playing a risky game of cat-and-mouse to draw the attention of one of the Skullkers in the Sky, barely missing the lasers it fires in their direction. And not only is she drawing the shuttle's firepower away from good guys, but she is also luring it into the line of fire from a hot Scotsman riding an NYPD chopper nearby.

As Roll and Beat fly by, the Skullker gets struck with one of Chief Toombs' rockets, turning the shuttle into a falling fireball until it lands in the Potomac river.

Holding his smoking Rocket launcher in his arms, Toombs hollers, "TAKE THAT, YA' STINKIN' GREMLIN! NOBODY KIDNAPS A PRESIDENT ON MY WATCH!" He then gives a thumbs up to Roll, "GOOD GOIN', LASS! LET'S GO BAG US ANOTHER!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, an entire wing of A.I.-Controlled jets arrive from an aircraft carrier stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, and they lock on to Wily's Mad Grinder, arming their entire payload of missiles. The blast would be so devastating that there is no way Wily's machine would not sport some serious damage as a result.<p>

The A.I. Jets simultaneously fire their payload at The Mad Grinder (twenty missiles total) and within a matter of seconds, they all strike the left side of the massive machine, including the head, arm and torso areas. But, they leave very little damage, nothing more than minor burnings and indentations of the hull.

The A.I. Wing of jets is then tailed by a group of SkullCopters and a Skullker that fire upon them, taking out some of the jets and forcing the surviving ones to break formation and take evasive action.

* * *

><p>Mega Man is busy dealing with the Wily robots in his path, narrowly avoiding being smacked by Stone Man by dropping down to the ground and kicking his hand away. Mega then touches the arm Stone Man tried to punch him with to copy his stone creation power.<p>

As Stone Man continues to try to swat Mega Man away, Ice Man lines the hero up for a blast of his Ice Slasher beam and fires it, only for Mega to catapult himself off Stone Man's own body to evade being struck by the beam, which instead freezes Stone Man, leaving the large robot helpless as he gets struck with concussion shots from the police vans.

Mega hits the grass again and begins to dash straight for Ice Man, baseball sliding under him, which causes the Robot Master to jump in the air to avoid being collided into. Mega bolts back to his feet and grabs Ice Man's left arm to copy his power too, blasting the Eskimo-clothed Robot Master in the chest before turning to face a massive twenty-foot tall walker tank named a Dachon, which walks with two "chicken" legs and fires laser beams from an orb in it's chassis.

Mega Man runs and jumps out of the way of the walker's blasts and fires a sustained shot from the copied Ice Slasher at the orb, coating it in a thick layer of ice to prevent it from firing anymore, also blocking its only means of vision, which causes the walker to blindly staggering around.

Standing across from Mega now is the Robot Master trio of Cut Man, GutsMan and Magnet Man, ready to do a number on him.

"I'll hit him with the Magnet Missiles first," Magnet Man declares.

"HEY! I wanna smash the Blue Dweeb first!" GutsMan complains.

"No! I want to slice Mega Man to ribbons first!" Cut Man protests.

"I won the last card game, so I go first!" Magnet Man barks, then fires two magnet missiles from his arm cannon.

Mega Man hears the sound of the projectiles being fired at him and fires back with the Ice Slasher, freezing both missiles and rendering them harmless. Mega then quickly switches over to his Plasma cannon and fires at Magnet Man to take him down.

"_Cut_ it out, you no good cheater!" Cut Man yells, pulling the rolling cutters off the top of his head and hurling them in Mega Man's direction, then firing more cutters in Mega's direction with his arm blaster.

Mega Man switches over to Stone Man's copied power, and fires boulders from his plasma cannon that smash all of Cut Man's cutters, then just as quickly fires a plasma blast at Cut Man, hitting him squarely in his chest.

"That's it, you blue tick!" GutsMan growls, "I'm gonna crush you once and fer' all!"

Gusty plants his large yellow hands into the asphalt and pulls up a large chunk of the road itself out of the ground and throws it at Mega Man, only for Mega to blast the large hunk of flying debris with a powerful shot to reduce it to a bunch of small rocks by the time it reaches him.

GutsMan then rips another chunk of asphalt out of the ground around him, but Mega Man races up and throws a dropkick which lands dead-center on _GutsMan's big red hinder_, sending him falling on his face. As he rebounds from literally kicking GutsMan's Ass, Mega springs over to the dazed Cut Man to copy his Rolling Cutter power.

When GutsMan returns to his feet, he is steaming mad. "Now I'm really gonna bash your circuits in, you blue runt!"

GutsMan grabs one of the smoldering Skull Tanks, hoisting it over his head to throw it at Mega Man.

"Hey, Gutsy!" Mega calls, "Look at _this_!"

Mega fires the cutters near GutsMan's feet and they slice their way around him, and as Gutsy watches the cutters slicing around him, he feels freezing cold on his hands and looks up to see Mega Man using the ice slasher to freeze the SkullTank to his hands.

"Oh, no!" GutsMan bemoans as the ground gives way beneath him, dropping him down hard with the weight of the SkullTank making his drop even harder.

After GutsMan is defeated, Dr. Light contacts Mega Man again, and Mega can tell by the urgency in his father's voice that things had just taken a turn for the worst... _"Rock, The real President Henry has just been brought in front of a camera by his own Secret Service robots... they are about to Execute him!"_

Mega Man could feel the horror the came with his father's words. All of a sudden, stopping Dr. Wily and the Mad Grinder is secondary to saving the life of The President before it's too late!

He is so shaken by this news that he almost get struck by Knight Man's mace ball as he hurls it at him, just barely ducking it in time and blasting the former Robot Championship Tournament combatant to defeat him, and immediately begins racing for the White House, ignoring any other threats around him aside from whatever was in his way.

As he runs, he receives an emergency call from the FBI about the ongoing emergency with The President. _"Mega Man, this is Agent Paul Allen, FBI. If you aware of President Henry's situation, I beg you, please find a way inside The White House. He's on the third floor, by the central elevator. Uploading the coordinates to you now,"_ Agent Allen says, frantically relaying the information to Mega as quick as possible.

Mega receives the White House schematics directly through the communication and uses his cybernetic mind to find the fastest way to get to the third floor to save The President. And with Wily's defenses beginning to fall apart, there are no Robot Masters close by to defend the front door, leaving Mega Man a straight shot up to the White House...

That is, until he gets tackled by Bass, who leapt from the White House roof and crash-landed into him, with Treble jumping down beside him. The two robot warriors begin tussling in the grass of the south lawn on front of the White House, with Bass trying to beat his rival, and Mega just trying to get away so he can save The President's life. And with Rush elsewhere dealing with other Robot Masters, Mega cannot yet use the new Rush Adapter to counter Bass and Treble's merged form.

With his foe pinned to the ground, Bass tries to pound Mega's face in with a hard punch and Mega just barely shifts out of his way to avoid, plunging Bass' fist deep into the soil.

"Tonight, you shall meet your ultimate demise!" Bass threatens as he rips his fist out of the ground to try to punch him again.

But, in Bass' blind rage to destroy Mega, he literally kept his guard down by not charging his Bassinium shield, and it was long enough for Mega to capitalize on it by firing a plasma blast into his side torso.

Mega barely knocks the stunned Bass away and tries to bolt for the White House again, only to have a growling Treble standing in his way.

"Nice doggy," Mega says, switching to the Ice Slasher and firing it at Treble who darts out of dodge. This gives Mega a chance to races up to the White House.

Mega Man leaps up into the air, high enough to reach a window on the third floor where The President is, but before he could come close, he gets blasted in the back by Bass in mid-air, sending Mega falling to the stone steps of the White House.

No sooner does Mega Man land does Bass grab him, pulling him back to his feet. He then carries him in a bearhug, ramming Mega's back right into one of the tall pillars out front of the entrance area, nearly splitting it in half from the force of the collision.

_"Bass, keep Mega Man out of the White House at all costs!"_ orders the voice of Dr. Wily in Bass' internal communicator.

Bass then throws Mega Man as far away from the White House as he can, using the extra strength from his Bassinium/Quadirium jewel fragments in his chest and helmet to add more throwing power. And Mega Man lands out in the middle of the south lawn, further away from saving President Henry.

In a last-ditch effort to save him, he forms a strategy to call on the help he has using his open channel communication. If he can't get inside, he'll overwhelm Wily's forces by trying to send everybody inside. "Attention! The President's life is in immanent danger! He's on the third floor of the White House! I'm unable to make it inside! All available hands find a way inside now!"

Bass fires another strong blast of purple-colored energy at Mega Man which Mega Man avoids by the skin of his titanium teeth, then barely dodges a second blast from Bass which came in quick succession.

"Rush, I could use a hand!" Mega calls on his canine.

Several Robo troops and PoliceBots begin racing towards the White House, far away enough from the Mega Man/Bass confrontation that they may be able to sneak in. But, Bass hears the sound of their footsteps through the sound of the open warfare and charges a powerful blast and fires it at them, completely destroying some of the robots.

Mega Man tries to make a break for the White House while Bass has his attention turned away, but Treble races up and tramples Mega.

The Robo wolf snarls and claws, but Mega is not in the mood anymore. "I'd hate to do this, but, you're in my way!"

Mega grabs Treble and throws him off himself, trying to get up again, only to be kicked in the chest hard by Bass.

"I don't like it when somebody attacks my pet! Especially you!" Bass warns.

As the two robots are standing off, the forces are turning their attention toward the White House, which allows Wily's robot army to get the jump on them. Thing could not possibly get any worse from here unless a last-minute miracle were to happen.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the White House.<strong>

A group of eight reprogrammed Secret Service bots drag The President out into the hall by his arms until they stop right in front of one of the security cameras mounted near the ceiling. This is what Wily wanted him for. For the world to see the President of the United States surrendering control over to him and then broadcast his execution. It would be Wily's sick way to trying to show the world that he has all the power now, and that this horrible act on this night is the first bullet to the jugular of the hopes of an entire world.

"Down on your knees, Human President," orders one of the reprogrammed robots, not even remembering what The President's name was thanks to his new programming.

Despite the horrible fate that awaits him, President Henry is remaining calm, almost like he has accepted what is about to happen. Hedoes not try to fight, because he knows he would not stand a chance against eight robots, and slowly drops to his knees, facing away from them and towards the security camera

His true fear is with his wife and daughter and the American people, afraid that they will be demoralized if they see this and living under Wily's dictatorship.

The clock strikes nine O'clock, and so begins the first toll of the bell... and elevator leading to the floor makes a _ding_ sound, indicating that there is an arrival. Each of the reprogrammed Secret Service bots turn their attention towards it. Not yet considering this is a potential threat...

And at the second toll of the bell, the elevator doors open... and Mr. Black emerges from it, decked in his dark grey trench coat, his black mask and armors, and carrying a high-powered weapon over either shoulder: a phased plasma rifle in his right hand; and modified shotgun in his left.

Even President Henry looks to his left and sees the masked former FBI agent approaching, and he does not know what to make of this.

The reprogrammed Secret Service bots also stare at the approaching Mr. Black with confusion. They were programmed to acknowledge the Lights and their allies as hostiles. But, not Mr. Black.

As Mr. Black stalks his way towards the would-be execution scene, his eyes scan each of the robots and lastly The President himself from behind the goggles built into his black mask, making a preliminary assessment... and then, it was time.

"Mr. President... Get down," Barton states.

The President hits the desk, dropping flat to the floor and putting his arms over his head as the reprogrammed robots now take aim at Mr. Black. But, the former FBI agent opens fire on them first, tearing through their armor like they were tin cans. Several shots from the rifle turning one robot into swiss cheese, and a blast from the shotgun ripping the head clean off another robot.

Some of the plasma bolt rounds from the reprogrammed robots hit Barton on the chest and legs, but the thick armor under his black clothing block them and protect him from being wounded or feeling the effects of full-grade weaponized plasma entering his body. And Mr. Black now stands over The President as he continues to mow down the reprogrammed robots, dwindling their numbers until they are almost nothing.

President Henry remains in cover, feeling small robot parts and splashes of oil landing on his as Mr. Black tears through the them. Until the gunfire stops.

He looks up and sees that all eight of the reprogrammed robots have been taken down by Mr. Black. He freezes when Mr. Black turns to face him, still thinking that this masked man is a potential threat.

But, Mr. Black puts the plasma rifle under his left arm and then offers a gloved hand to The President, offering to help him up.

"We don't have much time, sir," Agent Barton says, "You need to leave."

After being surprised to see the second most dangerous man in the world offer to_ help_ him, President Henry grabs Mr. Black's hand and is pulled back to his feet. Mr. Black wastes no time and grabs onto The President and leads him to the elevator.

"It won't take Wily long to send reinforcements after you. I'm getting you away from here," Barton says, stuffing a small tracer into the President's handkerchief pocket on his jacket, "Head for the west wing emergency exit. I've already taken care of any potential threats along the way. My car will be waiting for you, and once you get inside, it will take you to Langley. I'll ensure you have trustworthy back-up to escort you."

As they reach the elevator and The President steps inside, he turns to Mr. Black and asks. "Why are you helping me? You're not even a federal agent anymore."

After pressing the _'level 1'_ key on the elevator controls, Barton replies, "I never stopped being a patriot, sir. And we've always had the the same enemy."

The elevator dings again and the doors close, taking The President back down to the ground level, meanwhile Mr. Black turns back and hears the shrieking voice of Dr. Wily bellowing through the halls. "_Attention all robots inside the White House! Bring The President back to me, and find that masked pest and TAKE HIM OUT!"_

Still holding his shotgun in his left hand and the plasma rifle under his left arm, Mr. Black pulls up the sleeve on his trenchcoat to reveal a sophisticated piece of radio technology, able to tap into any radio or robot frequency in the world. And there is one robot he is very interested in calling right now...

* * *

><p><strong>Outside The White House.<strong>

The scrap between Mega Man and Bass continues on the South Lawn, right by the front entrance. While Mega Man is trading blasts with Bass in battle, he is also frightened because he still has not received word about The President, unaware of what just took place.

"Dr. Light! Anybody! What happened to President Henry?" Mega urgently asks on the open channel of his communicator.

_"He's escaped,"_ Dr. Light answers.

Mega Man looks surprised, and even Bass (who could hear the conversation with his super-powered hearing) looks stunned and he momentarily stops fighting, as does Mega.

When Dr. Light tries to respond, the communication becomes garbled. _"It was that Mr. Black character who broke into- &*^$!...-&%^$*~"_

Another voice from Mega's arm is heard, belonging to Mr. Black himself. _"Mega Man. A pleasure to speak with you again."_

There is now a lull in combat between Mega Man and Bass, and Rush reaches Mega's side, growling and staring across at the snarling Treble. Mega responds to the shocking communication from Mr. Black with an accusatory tone, "How did you find my frequency? What have you done with The President?"

_"Thanks to the files I copied from your creator, I know everything there is to know about you, including your frequency,"_ Mr. Black responds,_ "Now, listen good. President Henry__ will be at the emergency exit at the west wing in two minutes. My car will take him out of here, but Mr. Henry needs protection."_

Bass uses his enhanced hearing to intercept Mr. Black's intel, secretly sending a signal to Dr. Wily to relay The President's location.

"If you're telling me the truth, I would do it. But, I've got my hands full. I do know who can help," Mega says.

_"Fine. I'll be busy headhunting inside,"_ Mr. Black says before ending the hacked communication.

This now ends up leaving Mega Man and Rush standing off from Bass and Treble and the massive battle goes on all around them. Mega knows The President's best chance for a quick escape is with Roll, who can get him out on her own without Mr. Black's help. But, he also risks exposing her presence to Bass, someone who Mega does not want his sister to cross paths with.

He has to keep Bass busy for a little while longer, and if there was ever a time to see if the new Rush Adapter works as well as Brain Bot says it does, now is the time.

Mega taunts, "If you were the greatest robot alive, you would have already beaten me by now."

"You are going to call on Roll to save the President, aren't you? Bass asks.

"If you want her, you're going to have to get through me first!" Mega proclaims assertively, "And I dare you to use that merge ability of yours to try and do it!"

"Consider your death certificate signed! Roll will be my queen, and nobody will ever stop me from having her!" Bass yells as the forehead and chest jewels begin to glow again, jumping up into the air with Treble, both of them beginning to merge.

"Rush! Merge!" Mega commands, also jumping into the air with Rush jumping right behind him.

In mid-air, Rush's body begins to change shape, transforming himself into some piece of extra armor which slips on over Mega Man's torso and arms. Rush's jet engines slide into the armor pieces that were previously his legs, forming two 'wings' placed high on Mega's back. Mega Man's own internal parts begin to change and alter underneath his armor as he merges with Rush, combining their powers to make them stronger than they were apart.

Once Bass' own merge is complete and he levitates over the White House lawn, he looks across and his eyes become wide with shock when he sees that his arch nemesis now has his own merged power with his pet companion.

Using this break before the real battle between Mega Man and Bass begins, Mega contacts Roll. "Sis, get to the White House west emergency exit. The President is alive and he's going to be there."

_"Gotcha,"_ Roll replies, _"Good work, Mega."_

"It wasn't me. I'll explain later," Mega replies, still staring across rom Bass.

"Let's see you try and go after my sister after I beat you at your own game!" Mega taunts.

Bass yells back, "YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME!"

Bass is the first to throw the first volley, firing several powerful blasts in Mega's direction in rapid succession. Mega Man uses the Rush jets on his back to propel him out of the way of the shots and bolt directly at Bass to enter close quarters combat.

Mega begins throwing all sorts of punches and kicks at Bass as they levitate in mid air, looking like something out of a Saturday Morning Anime show, and Bass does his best to block them all. Bass maneuvers himself to kick Mega Man away with his feet as Treble's jets fire to push himself away to get some room to prepare for his next attack.

Treble's jets kick in full drive now and Bass soars directly for Mega Man at break-neck speed, looking to knock him out with a flying kick. But, Mega uses Rush's jets to shoot himself up and out of Bass's way, sending Bass flying at nothing but a tree, which he tips over upon striking it.

Mega Man taunts again, "It looks like you're not so great after all, Bass!"

Bass spins back around to face Mega Man and loudly seethes in rage, switching his blaster over to rapid fire mode, spraying several smaller blasts of purple plasma which would be almost impossible to evade.

Mega Man uses his left blaster arm to generate a transparent yellow plasma shield (a new feature built to use with the Rush Adapter) and holds it in front of himself to protect himself from being hit by the blasts.

"You're not the only bot who has a shield now," Mega says, making a jab at Bass' own deflector shield power.

Bass stares back at Mega Man with fury in his red eyes. With Mega's new Rush Adapter, Bass finally has a robot who truly_ is_ his equal in terms of power. And for the first time in his short life, he does not know how he can defeat his opponent.

* * *

><p>By the emergency exit of the White House west wing, President Henry makes it outside, but Mr. Black's car is not awaiting him like he said it would, leaving The President exposed to a possible attack. But, Roll arrives on her SkyCycle shortly thereafter, landing right next to The President.<p>

"Mega Man sent me to get you, Sir," Roll says, "It's pretty hot out here, so get onboard."

Before President Henry could get on the SkyCycle, Beat loudly chirps "BEAT!", alarming The President and Roll to the group of reprogrammed Secret Service robots and Sniper Joes racing towards tem, aiming their weapons and opening fire.

Roll, Beat and President Henry drop to the ground and hide behind the SkyCycle to protect them from the plasma bolts and blasts, and while they are not hit from the enemy fire, Roll's SkyCycle takes serious damage.

"There's no way we're gonna be able to get away now!" Roll complains, "Just stay behind me, Mr. President. I'll fight them off myself!"

As the Wily robots begin to advance on Roll and The President, the sound of a roaring engine is heard approaching, followed by bright lights shining on the Joes and the reprogrammed Secret Service. The Wily robots look toward the point of origin of these bright lights just in time to see that they are the headlights of Mr. Black's A.I.-controlled car. And by the time they take aim on the car, it is too late for them, as Mr. Black's car swerves directly into all the Wily robots, using its entire left side to plow them all down.

Roll and The President watch on as Beat chirps "Beat?" with confusion, wondering why the big bad guy in the mask is now helping them.

The A.I. controlled car pulls up next to Roll and The President, opening both of its right side doors, allowing them all to get inside.

Roll and Beat are not so sure about this, and The President is also still skeptical about trusting Mr. Black. When they see the fallen Wily robots beginning to return to their feet, Roll knows that accepting this offer is better than standing here.

"Come on!" Roll calls, making a break for Mr. Black's car along with President Henry and Beat.

The group climbs inside, with President Henry in the back with Beat, and Roll crawling into the driver's seat.

"It's okay, Mr. President. I've got the wheel..." Roll assures, just before seeing the car doors close, the gear shift adjusting, the steering wheel beginning to turn and the engine revving up, _all by themselves._ A message then appears on the dashboard console: _Buckle your seatbelts, please._

"... I _think_ I've got the wheel," Roll meekly completes her sentence.

The A.I. car then speeds off as the reprogrammed Secret Service and Sniper Joes begin firing on it. But, the A.I. car switches over to SkyCar mode, with two jet thrusters protruding between the rear brake lights and spitting out bright blue flames,. The car then begins flying into the air, soaring over the trees around the White House and jetting off to Langley, Virginia to drop off the President at the FBI

The President is safe and the firm grip Dr. Wily had on Washington is beginning to slip. But, he has not quite lost it yet. And while all hell is breaking loose outside the White House, even more hell is breaking loose inside.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black returns to the main floor of the White House, still carrying the modified shotgun and plasma rifle in his hands when he comes across another group of reprogrammed Secret Service robots. The robots take aim at Mr. Black and open fire open fire on him, but his armor takes all the hits, and the masked terror returns fire on them with both of his high-powered weapons, mowing them all down.<p>

After they are taken care of, Mr. Black storms ahead, his clothing now tattered, and the armor on his body sporting indentation and small burns, all from taking the brunt of the plasma bolt shots during his vengeance-fueled rampage.

Now that word has gotten out that there is an active threat to Dr. Wily inside the White House, even Robot Masters begin racing in to deal with him. But, since Mr. Black is 'only a human', they severely underestimate him.

The ninja Robot Master Shadow Man races into the hallway blocking Mr. Black's path.

"Your road ends here, human!" Shadow Man says, taking a fighting stance and pulling off the Shadow Blade ornament from his forehead, and with a slight-of-hand movement, reveals that he is holding two blades. As Mr. Black aims his weapons at Shadow Man, the Robot Master flings the blades at Mr. Black. The first blade barely misses Mr. Black's side, slicing into his damaged trench coat, and he just barely avoids the other blade which was aimed for his head, as it shatters the right goggle in his mask and scrapes through the mask and cuts Mr. Black's skin.

Mr. Black fires upon Shadow Man, but the agile Robot Master darts out of the way and throws another Shadow blade which cuts deep into the plasma rifle, severely damaging it and rendering it worthless.

The masked man drops the broken rifle and tries to charge head-on for Shadow Man, a move that proves to be unsuccessful when Shadow Man rams his fist into Mr. Black's chest armor, then tripping him to the floor with a sweeping kick.

While Mr. Black lay prone on the floor, he removes a scrambler grenade from his burning trench coat and throws it ahead, and when it goes up, Shadow Man becomes severely disoriented, giving the masked man the perfect change to blast him with the shotgun and take him out.

After the three Robot Masters are defeated, Mr. Black carries on ahead, ignoring the destroyed plasma rifle and ripping the damaged right goggle from his mask, revealing his eye and the blood coming from the cut on his face. It was becoming hard for Barton to breathe now because of the damage done to the chest armor he wears over his black shirt, but he storms ahead. Nothing matters but avenging his beloved Tonya.

Soon, he can see the doors to the Oval Office up ahead, all he needs to do is get through those doors and Wily is all his. And he can hear Wily's voice on the loudspeaker, yelling, _"Bomb Man, get in here and finish this masked fool out!"_

As he hears Dr. Wily's roaring voice, Mr. Black finds a hidden power utility box hidden behind a portrait of The Washington Monument as it was built generations ago. He rips the painting down and exposes the power box as Wily rambles,_ "I don't know who you think you are, but for interfering with my plans, my robots are going to tear you limb from limb just like they will Mega Man!"_

From his pants pocket, Mr. Black pulls out a power spike - an object designed to overload circuit breakers - and stabs it into the exposed power box. The spike surges electricity through the White House until it bursts, blowing all the fuses inside and bathing the entire building in darkness for several seconds until the emergency generator lights come on, thereby cutting off Wily's control from within.

Mr. Black marches ahead, and he sees Bomb Man - the robot whose actions directly led to Tonya's death on that train in Times Square - running in and blocking his path to gaining vengeance for his beloved Tonya.

"Orders are orders, human!" Bomb Man says, hurling the black bomb in his hands towards Mr. Black, automatically timed to detonate when it reaches him.

Mr. Black holds his left arm out, using a tuner on his forearm device to defuse the bomb's detonator before it reaches him, and the round bomb lands in front of Mr. Black, becoming no more harmful than a large bowling ball.

"How did he do that?!" Bomb Man stammers and he opens the compartment on his round belly to pull out another bomb stored inside.

Mr. Black runs ahead and fires a round of shots from the shotgun, striking the bombs in Bomb Man's stomach and causing them to explode with a huge fireball created by the combined explosives which blows apart Bomb Man's body. Mr. Black is nearly knocked off his feet from the concussion and the shrapnel bouncing off his already pounded armor, but he manages to remain standing and carries on.

And he makes his final approach towards the Oval Office, he comes across the detached upper torso of Bomb Man lying in the middle of the hallway. Mr. Black stops, tightly clutching the shotgun in his hands as he considers giving the fallen Robot Master a shot that would be fatal.

"Ar-re y-you g-g-going to desss-troy me-e? Bomb Man's voice stutters, his speech systems damaged after taking the brunt of all his bombs.

Mr. Black looks down upon Bomb Man and replies, "... No. You just a tool used by a man. You're not guilty; the man is."

Mr. Black walks on, mercifully sparing Bomb Man's life. And he unmercifully adds, "I _am_ going to kill the man. And nobody is going to stop me."

* * *

><p>Inside the Oval Office, Dr. Wily begins to freak out. Not only is his army beginning to falter and not only is Mega Man able to stand toe-to-toe with Bass with his new upgrade, but this one lone human is also rampaging his way towards him, and the only things separating him from this masked psychopath are the reinforced doors to this office. And ProtoMan.<p>

"How can _one human_ do this?!" Wily growls in rage.

"I told you. It's that Mr. Black guy, the same one we've heard about on the news," ProtoMan says.

"I thought he was on_ our_ side!" Wily fumes.

"Guess not," Proto replies.

Wily and Proto then hear the sound of the mechanisms inside the secure doors to the office. Mr. Black is using his last remaining hack spike to power the doors so he can open them.

"Time to go," ProtoMan says, tugging at Wily's arm, only for Albert to snatch it away.

"This is MY White House now!" Wily barks, "And I'm not bowing in defeat any more!"

"You saw what this guys just did out there. If we stay here, he's gonna kill you!" Proto urges, purely out of whatever slight shred of loyalty he has left. (And he does not want to be blamed for failing another operation.)

Dr. Wily knew that he was in a very bad spot now. He does not want to abandon the Oval Office, because he does not want to show any sign of weakness, especially to a human who is not even half the threat Mega Man is. But, this is not an ordinary human. At least Mega Man wants him in jail; This Mr. Black wants Wily _dead._

"We can escape to the Grinder. There's no way he can get inside that thing," Proto suggests.

Wily grins and the wheels begin to spin in his demented mind. "This is a good idea. Let's go."

As the mechanisms inside the doors to the Oval Office begin to work louder as they begin to unlock, Proto blasts out the picture window to the garden and grabs Wily to whisk him away to the Mad Grinder before his siblings or the allied forces could notice them.

Seconds later, the door slowly opens and Mr. Black barges his way inside, clutching his shotgun ready to blow away the man who took Tonya from this world. But, that man is not here anymore. Barton looks around the Presidential office, looking in every closet and potential hiding place, until his exposed right eye catches the sight of the picture window looking like it had just been blasted away with a plasma weapon.

"You're not getting away from me, you son of a bitch!" he lowly growls as he storms for the blown out window, looking to chase after Wily no matter what lengths he has to travel, no matter what (or who) he has to cut down to get him.

* * *

><p>As the open warfare in the air and on the ground rages on outside the White House, the battle between Mega Man and Bass also continues, and it is more intense than ever now that they are equally matched.<p>

The two robots continue trading fire upon each other with their plasma cannons, and Bass blocks everything coming his way with his Bassinium deflector shield wrapped all around his body and Mega uses the plasma shield to block Bass' shots.

Growing frustrated, Bass jets directly at Mega Man again to tackle him, and Mega jets towards Bass, and the two robots grapple in mid air like two bulls locking horns.

"Good luck trying to take my power, Mega Man! Dr. Wily has ensured that my power cannot be stolen by contact anymore!" Bass says.

"I don't need to take your power to beat you now!" Mega strongly responds.

Bass' Bassinium/Quadirium jewels glow brightly to give him more strength to overpower Mega Man, but with Mega so close to his enemy, he manages to give Bass a head-butt right between the eyes. Bass gets knocked back by the attack, and the hit was so strong that it left a small tear in his tan synthetic skin, exposing the silver endoskeleton on the bridge of his nose.

Mega Man takes another chance to rub it in, "I don't think you're doing your master Wily proud by getting your titanium tail handed to you!"

Bass fumes with rage, having enough of being insulted and bested by his hated rival. His left hand reappears and he begins charging his blaster arm with his Bassinium power, ready to punch his enemy with a jolt powerful enough to disable Mega's new little shield and cripple him, allowing Bass to deliver the fatal blow that will forever crown him as the king of all robots.

Mega sees this and decides, "It's time to use our ace, Rush. Let's hope it works."

Bass stares at his hated enemy with evil in his red eyes and shouts, "YOU WILL **DIIIIIIIIE!**" before jetting himself towards Mega at full speed.

Mega Man balls his left fist which is now glowing with bright yellow plasma power and aims his left arm at Bass, firing _his entire forearm and clinched fist_ at him!

Just a second later, Mega's super powered adapter fist collides with Bass, emitted an extremely powerful surge of plasma that breaches his deflector shield and strikes his chest, knocking him down to the grass and causing his merge with Treble to begin malfunctioning. Bass is in disbelief, looking down at the power gauge on his left arm, only to see it draining and flickering out.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Bass roars in fury.

Mega's forearm returns to him and reattaches itself to the rest of his arm as he charges another punch. "You're about to have your first loss handed to you! That's what!"

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Bass yells in denial, "You cannot defeat me! I am more powerful than any other being on this planet! Even Wily!"

Bass returns to his feet and when he cannot get Treble's jets to work properly, he begins dashing towards Mega Man on foot and letting out a loud warrior's yell. Mega Man responds by firing the Rush Adapter power fist at Bass one more time, and with no more deflector shield to protect him, Bass is exposed to the full brunt of the fist shot when it collides with his chest, just missing the large jewel in the center.

Bass' body violently jerks straight down and he lies on his back, dazed and almost powerless. And Mega Man stares down at his toughest rival yet, a rival he has finally managed to defeat on his own and decisively, and takes a brief moment to internally take his long-awaited victory. Now that Bass is out of the way and the President is saved, the biggest threat left remaining is Dr. Wily himself.

When Mega Man lands on his feet and stands over Bass' fallen body, the enemy robot warrior angrily croaks, "Why... can't I... destroy you?"

"Because, you're on the wrong side of this war," Mega replies, giving the same answer he gave ironically enough to ProtoMan nearly two years ago in the aftermath of the Gamma attack.

"No... I am on the right side," Bass argues, "All life on this planet exists to one day be dominated by a leader."

Mega counter-argues, "We all want to live free and in peace, both humans and robots. And we will all fight to protect that peace from being shattered by those like you and Wily. That's something you and Wily will never learn."

* * *

><p>As he returns to the safety of the Mad Grinder along with ProtoMan, Dr. Wily looks down at the sight of the ongoing battle, appalled at what he sees taking place. This was supposed to be a crushing victory, but things have not exactly turned out the way Albert wanted them to.<p>

"How could this happen? What more do I need to stop these pests?!" Wily flusters.

"How about a ten-foot tall Mummy robot?" ProtoMan jokingly suggests, "That could strike fear into the hearts of people. You could even have him kidnap Evelyn Raye while he's at it!"

Wily flips out on Proto, yelling, "ENOUGH OF THE JOKES!"

Intimidated on the inside and trying not to show it, Proto flatly replies, "Fine."

Dr. Wily plumps down into the seat in front of the Mad Grinder's controls and begins running his hands over them, entering commands.

"It's time to use this war machine the way I always intended!" Wily growls in fury.

* * *

><p>The Mad Grinder begins to move, aiming it's colossal upper torso and head downward at the White House and priming it's arsenal of weapons. It then fires both of the particle cannons built into the Grinder's shoulders directly into the White House's oval office where Mr. Black just was, completely obliterating it and turning it into a fireball.<p>

Inside the office, Mr. Black attempted to make a run for it once he saw the Mad Grinder prime it's weapons, but he disappeared in the massive explosion.

The Grinder then turns itself around, pressing forward as it's giant steamroller wheel crushes everything in it's path, and firing on all the aircraft in the air that is not his own, spraying a steady steam of particle laser fire, heat-seeking missiles and plasma bolts all over the sky. And several of the allied helicopters and jets get shot down, and the firepower from those that try to fire back are no match for the Grinder's extremely tough armor.

The Mad Grinder surges ahead towards fallen helicopters where the robo co-pilots are desperately trying to remove their human pilots and gunners before they all get flattened. Eventually, the robots manage to free the humans and flee for their lives, but some of the less unfortunate robots who were already damaged could not escape getting crushed under the Mad Grinder's massive front wheel.

Meanwhile, after seeing how dangerous this thing really is, Mega Man decides to do what is best for everybody on the team. He sends a contact to all the allied forces still standing and calls, "This is Mega Man, everybody leave the area. I'll take care of the Mad Grinder! Just save yourselves!"

* * *

><p>On the bridge of the Mad Grinder, Wily sees all the remaining forces beginning to flee, and on one of the monitors showing an external view, he sees Mega Man left standing over the fallen Bass. And as Albert stares at the sight of Mega Man, he can hear the evil little whisper in his head again...<p>

_"He is the only one you need to kill. Kill Mega Man, and all the world will fall into your hands. They will have no hope. No Hero. No chance to escape their doom... KILL MEGA MAN!"_

Wily's hands run over the controls and targets Mega Man, and the sadistic smile in his face returns, growing so wide it hurts him to make it. "Yes! come and meet your end, Mega Man!"

ProtoMan watches on as his demented co-creator begins his mission to kill his only brother. He wants deep down to stop him from doing it, even if it means jumping out and trying to do battle with Mega to take him back to Skull Fortress to be reprogrammed. But, he cannot do it. Even with his positive and aggressive emotions back, he is still intimidated in Dr. Wily's presence.

* * *

><p>As all the allied forces begin to flee the area, Mega Man stares up at the massive Mad Grinder as it slowly begins to turn around to face him. And he can hear the coughing chuckle of Bass behind him.<p>

"You may have defeated me. But, you will not defeat Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder," Bass coughs as he slowly begins to return to his feet, clutching his damaged chest with his right hand.

"What makes you so certain?" Mega asks, keeping his back turned to Bass.

"The Mad Grinder is powered by the same Bassinium that powers me!" Bass reveals.

Mega turns around in stunned silence with wide eyes.

"I am only powered by two single fragments of the meteor. The Mad Grinder's power core is powered by the rest of it!" Bass announces.

Mega Man proclaims, "I can still stop it, no matter how much power it has!"

Bass back peddles and laughs. "No... you can't! You will die!"

As Bass runs away, Mega Man looks back up towards the Mad Grinder as it begins to face him, feeling more challenged by this machine than he ever was by Gamma.

"This is gonna be a lot tougher than we thought, boy," Mega says to Rush, who is still merged with him.

* * *

><p>Onboard the Mad Grinder, ProtoMan is aghast after hearing Bass' reveal that the Mad Grinder was really being powered by the remainder of the meteor they picked up near Hawaii last year.<p>

"You never told me that the power core was really that meteor!" Proto protests.

"You were demoted then, ProtoMan. There are a lot of things you don't know! But, you're about to learn one of them!" Wily forbiddingly says with that evil smile as he presses the Mad Grinder forward.

* * *

><p>As The Mad Grinder turns to face Mega Man, the hero tries to fly himself further away to draw the Grinder's attention away from the escaping allied force and the White House. With his left arm, Mega recharges the plasma shield and holds it out before himself to block the barrage of fire he is about to take.<p>

"I don't how we're gonna do this, Rush. But, we have to destroy this thing and get Wily," Mega says.

When Mega Man is fully exposed the it's weapons, the Mad Grinder open fire on him with the shoulder-mounted particle beams, which Mega barely manages to block with the plasma shield.

"We can't hold this kind of firepower off long. Let's try to get in hard and fast, and ram that power fist of ours down that thing's throat!" Mega says to Rush.

Still holding off the particle cannons with the plasma shield, Rush's jets fire up and sends Mega darting straight towards the Mad Grinder. He will have only a split second to switch over from shield mode to power punch mode, and he might end up taking a hit because of it. But, if that is what has to be done to stop Wily, than so be it.

But, when Mega gets close enough, The Mad Grinder begins to fire a deadly ball of white hot plasma from it's 'mouth' area, and Mega Man just barely pulls himself out of the way of what would have been an instant death.

As he flies over the Mad Grinder's head to prepare another pass, the machine's secondary weapons begin firing on him again, with Mega barely getting the plasma shield in front of himself to stop the shots from hitting him.

But, in a an extremely bad turn of events, Rush's power is running dangerously low from having to ensure this entire battle and the fight with Bass. The Rush Adapter mode will be useless if Rush's own energy is weak. It would take away from Mega Man's own energy at this point to replenish him. But, with how dangerous the Mad Grinder's weapons truly are, Mega would rather give Rush the help he needs to escape.

"Rush, take us down between those buildings over there and disengage!" Mega commands.

Mega flies down Pennsylvania Avenue as he continues blocking shots from the Mad Grinder until he manages to take cover behind a coffee shop building nearby. Once in hiding, Rush un-merges from Mega Man and returns to his standard canine form, and he looks tired and weak. Mega Man removes Rush's red helmet piece and then opens a panel on his own blaster arm, removing a spare energy chip that should help refill Rush's energy enough for him to escape.

Mega places the chip inside a secondary port in Rush's exposed cranial systems and places the helmet back on his head. Rush perks up again immediately, but Mega Man urges, "I want you to find a place to hide while I take care of this."

Rush whimpers in worry, afraid something will happen to his master.

"I'll be okay. I can't risk anything happening to you," Mega says as he pets Rush's head, "If I need you to get me out of here, I'll contact you."

Mega can hear the sound of the Mad Grinder heading this way, and he knows it's time to fight like he never has before.

"Go, hide!" Mega says and he leaps up to and emergency fire exit of this building.

Rush flies away, despite his wish not to, forced to leave Mega Man behind and alone to fight Wily's Mad Grinder with no help...

Mega Man reaches the roof of the building and hides behind a large air condition engine, peaking around the corner to see the Mad Grinder rolling it's way up Pennsylvania Ave, crushing any trees, cars and parking meters in it's path.

_"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Mega Man!"_ calls the voice of Dr. Wily on a loudspeaker, _"Come and meet your doom!"_

Mega Man tries to jog his mind for any possible strategy to stop the Mad Grinder. After learning about the Bassinium/Quadirium from Brain Bot, he knows that even the most powerful weapons might not be able to leave anything more than a dent on this thing. He looks around the corner of the air-condition unit in the hopes of finding some structural weakness or an entry hatch to use to get inside.

But, Mega spent too much time looking around the corner and was sighted by the Mad Grinder which fires a white hot plasma orb in his direction. Mega just barely leaps out of the way, jumping from one rooftop to the other across the street and avoid being hit by the ball of plasma, which melts the air condition unit he was just standing behind.

Mega Man fires off a powerful plasma blast at the Mad Grinder, but it ricochets off like it was a rubber ball. And the Mad Grinder returns fire with it's plasma bolts and particle cannons in Mega's direction as he jumps between buildings, and he just barely avoids getting clipped by them as he races under cover of a rooftop terrace restaurant, which was long since evacuated when word of the Mad Grinder's impending arrival to Washington D.C. was issued.

But, the Mad Grinder's weapons keep firing and completely tear the restaurant apart and causes it to collapse, with Mega Man barely escaping being buried by the rubble as he continues to search for an adequate place to take cover from this beast of a machine.

"I've got to avoid getting hit with that plasma ball! It'll melt me in seconds," Mega utters to himself as he dashes across the roof.

Mega Man soon reaches the edge of the roof and leaps down to the intersection, waiting for the Mad Grinder to push it's way closer, giving him the chance to break inside through that entry door. The situation is so tense that Mega can feel his internal regulator (or robot heart) working harder as he remains in cover, and he can hear that giant monster of death churning it's way towards him and he hides right around the corner of the last building before the next street begins... followed by the sound it makes when firing off another plasma orb and the white light it generates, heading right for him!

Mega jumps back up to grab on to a fire escape ladder as the entire area he was just hiding behind melts away in a puddle of brick, glass and mortar. Now his best hope is to quit the hiding act and try to get the jump on the Grinder.

When he returns to the roof, Mega crawls on his stomach along the edge as low as he can, keeping himself hidden behind the ledge until he hears the Grinder right next to him. And when he peeks over the ledge, he waits for the Mad Grinder to move it's way past him to give him a clear chance at leaping behind it.

When the Grinder passes, Mega Man looks over and sees what could be his lucky break: an entrance door located in the rear, between the two massive studded tires. Now that he sees his opportunity, Mega jumps over the ledge and drops straight down on the giant robot.

But, the moment he reaches the entry door and tries to touch it, he gets surged with a powerful jolt of energy created by some sort of anti-intruder mechanism Wily must have installed into this thing, sending Mega's body flying backwards and crashing on the pavement.

The Mad Grinder turns itself around hard, crashing through a building on the way and begins steamrolling towards the helpless Mega Man, who is stunned after being shocked. And the round mouth area of the Mad Grinder's head begins glowing white as it charges another plasma orb.

Mega Man tries to reallocate his remaining energy so he can get back up and save his life, but he is still stunned from that security system and his movements are slowed,

Right before the Mad Grinder fires off the next plasma orb shot, a double shot of rockets strikes the left side of it's head, throwing the plasma orb shot off-target and burning a hole clean through one of the buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was fired from Chief Toombs, who ordered his remaining two NYPD Choppers to turn around and try to help Mega Man out.

"DON'T NOBODY LEAVE UNTIL MEGA MAN BRINGS THAT THING DOWN!" Toombs shrieks as he tries to reload his trusty rocket launcher.

Before he could have the chance to fire again, however, the Mad Grinder fires off two rockets at Toombs' helicopter, which strike the rotator blades and the pilots seat, destroying the robo pilot and sending the vehicle crashing in the middle of the street.

The Chief is violently thrown from the helicopter right before it lands and his body flops out into the street, and Mega Man struggles to get up and race to help his friend out of danger.

When Mega reaches the Chief, he picks him up off the ground and calls up to the other Police helicopter, "You have to get The Chief out of here! He's hurt!"

"No, man!" Toombs strains, unable to even stand with a badly sprained ankle, wrist and elbow and bruising ribs, "I ain't goin' nowhere!"

"You've got to take care of your family, and you're a friend. I'm not letting you die. Sorry, Chief!" Mega calls.

Mega grabs the Chief by the back of his holster belt and the back of his flak jacket and hurls him into the air over ten feet into the other Police chopper which had lowered to pick him up, and the Chief lands in the arms of the other Policebots onboard. Now, all Mega had to worry about was the Mad Grinder...

but, before he could turn around, he was shot several times in the back by the Grinder's plasma bolt cannons. And unlike standard plasma bolt guns, these cannons are strong enough for the bolts to shred into his armor like a knife through butter, wounding him and causing his oil to spurt from the holes in his back.

Mega yells in agony and falls to his knees as the firing stops. He arms his plasma cannon and tries to turn around to fire on it. And when he turns, the Grinder's plasma bolt cannons fire upon him again, riddling his chest with bolts that penetrate his internal systems.

As Mega tries to stagger away, Dr. Wily does not stop his ruthless attack on Mega, firing more plasma bolts into his body until he fells to the ground in a puddle of his own oil.

Mega shudders in horrible pain and his hands tremble, but he does not stop trying to fight for humanity and robotkind. He barely pulls himself back up, gasping for air to enter his damaged ventilation system and with his own oil splattered on his face, he meekly aims his plasma buster upwards at the Mad Grinder.

* * *

><p>In the Mad Grinder, ProtoMan was forced to watch in horror as his brother was cut down by the Mad Grinder's weapons, and he becomes more scared for his brother's well being when he sees him try to get up again.<p>

_No, Rock! Stay down! He'll kill you if you don't!, _Proto thinks to himself, to horrified to speak out loud.

And Dr. Wily stares at the sight of a wounded, severely injured Mega Man barely standing up and aiming his blaster at the Grinder. And Albert smiles, barely speaking in a low evil sneer, "Fighting 'till the last breath... how noble!"

Wily runs his hands over the controls for the heat seeking missiles and hears the whisper in his head... _"Kill Mega Man! Kill Mega Man!"_

"Let's see you get up from this you bastard!" Wily hisses as he presses the 'fire' key.

* * *

><p>The Mad Grinder fires off it's last remaining missile that soars directly towards Mega Man, whose eyes widen in shock when he sees it. His first reaction is to move out of the way, but the shock to his wounded systems was too great, the pain was too horrible.<p>

The missile strikes Mega Man in his chest, exploding on contact and destroying his chest armor, leaving a massive gapping hole right where his internal regulator is. The concussion knocks Mega Man backwards even further, and his severely damaged body lands with a guttural crash, emitting sparks as he skids on the pavement.

Mega Man stared up at the black sky, his vision severely flickering and feeling his life draining from him. It was nearly impossibly to breathe now, because his ventilation system was nearly destroyed, and his internal regulator was gushing with oil as it let out a brief surge of energy to compensate for the severe damage, and it jolts his memory core, causing fragmented bits of his memories to flash before his eyes.

Despite his best effort to get back up so he could have the world one more time _and_ save his brother, he could not move anymore... he could not fight anymore.

Barely wheezing in what air he could, and feeling the horrible pain from his grave injuries... Mega Man slowly slips out of consciousness and his eyes close.

* * *

><p>Back up on the bridge of the Mad Grinder, ProtoMan stares down at the sight of his severely damaged brother Mega Man, laying on the verge of death.<p>

And Dr. Wily sits there at the controls, laughing and proud of himself for finally being able to hold the life of his hated rival in the palm of his hands. He feels exhilarated at the idea that finally, after all the plots and creations that Mega Man thwarted, the Mad Grinder is the one that he could not stop. The one that will bring his life to an end.

Dr. Wily locks on to Mega Man's limp, bleeding body and prepares one more plasma orb shot. He wants to completely disintegrate him, leaving absolutely nothing behind to survive. But, instead of firing right away, Dr. Wily leans back in his seat and revels in this moment.

"I have waited for this for two years, five months, one week and 2 days," Wily says in an eerie calm, "That is far too long of a wait. But, it was worth every damn second of it!"

Wily begins smiling again, taking great pleasure in what he sees. In that same disturbingly calm tone, he continues, "I would hate to pull the trigger on him too soon... I am enjoying watching him suffer. If only I had thought to bring a Battonton to record this, I could relieve this memory _forever! _But, alas... all good things must come to an end."

Knowing that time is of the essence, ProtoMan begins pleading with Dr. Wily to spare his brother's life. "Dr. Wily, please don't do this. I know my brother has been a pain in the ass ever since we first met him. But, we can take care of this another way. I can take him in myself. If we have to, we can reprogram him. But, please... don't kill my brother."

Dr. Wily looks over to ProtoMan, and he replies, "I am not killing your brother, Proto... you are!"

Proto stares across at Wily, mortified at what he just heard. "... What?!" he shudders.

"I told you that tonight you would have to make the decision whether or not to take a life in the name of my glorious quest," Wily says, "And what better time than now!"

Wily begins to stand out of his seat behind the controls and looks down upon Proto, "You have always chosen your brother's best interests over my own, ProtoMan. And now, you will have to make that decision for the last time! I suggest you make the right decision!"

Becoming overwhelmed with fear about his brother's life, ProtoMan responds, "I can't! Please don't make me do this!"

Wily grins, "I had anticipated this. Override: Gamma-Tango-Zero."

After Dr. Wily says this mysterious override code, ProtoMan could feel all his confidence and aggressiveness being regressed. And the fear he lived with for weeks after he was tortured was back, stronger then it ever was before.

"When you restored your confidence, you also installed a program that would grant me the ability to temporarily restore your fear when you got out of line," Wily explains, "Now, you will kill your brother and live up to your potential to win me the world... or so help me, I will hurt you every day of your miserable life, WORSE THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HURT BEFORE!"

As ProtoMan begins shivering with fear, frightened over what he is about to do, Dr. Wily leans towards him, and in a low hissing voice, he adds... "I _order you_ to kill Mega Man!"

Now, ProtoMan is completely powerless to resist. Not only had he had the fear instilled into him again, but he now has no choice but to commit the act of murder on his own brother on Dr. Wily's order.

Proto's trembling hand begins to move towards the controls, but internally, he tries to fight it off. Wily said these effects were only temporary, if he could only hold off long enough, he could find a way to prevent his brother from being killed, even if it meant Proto suffering for the rest of his life. It is not even the order of Wily that is forcing him to do this, but the overwhelming fear of being tortured forever that is forcing his hand.

Dr. Wily then forcefully grabs Proto's left arm and pulls it towards the controls, forcing him to make the worst decision of his life.

ProtoMan begins to cycle through his memory core, trying to remember the few good times he had with his brother before he is forced to kill him.

The first thing that enters his mind was the time when he had his first conversation with Mega in Central Park, a tainted memory because that was also the day he planted the scrambler chip that almost killed him back then. He remembers a part of the talk they had, when Mega asked him, _"Why was it so easy for you to fight me? You almost killed me several times."_

_"I never wanted to kill you, Rock. You have no idea how many times I had to convince Wily to _not_ kill you..."_

_Look at me now. I'm about to kill my only brother! All because I'm too scared of Wily... but, I shouldn't be! He's just an old human; I'm the first robot of my kind! I don't deserve this... neither does Rock._

ProtoMan remembers the talk he and Mega had after Proto's own actions nearly led to Wily's giant ion bomb wiping out all of Times Square. And Mega's question cuts deeper now than ever before...

_"Why don't you just turn on Wily? And I mean _for real_."_

_"I can't."_

_"Can't, or won't?"_

_"... More like 'not allowed'."_

_I was scared even back then. And I didn't even know it... why can't I just fight it?_

_"Don't you want people to care about you? To appreciate you? Don't you want to be loved?"_

_Yes! I do. I finally know what it feels like after that poor Nomad lady__bot entered my life. But, I want to know what it's like to be a part of a real family!_

_"Proto... you've always got a brother to confide in. If you ever have any problems... come talk to me. It doesn't have to be the lab, it can be anywhere. You might be on the wrong side of this war, but I still care about you."_

Behind his visor, Proto's eyes begin welling up with tears as he now stares at his shaking hand hovering over the 'fire' key. He had the chance to have a complete family, and he never took it.  
>And now, it's too late.<p>

Meanwhile, Dr. Wily looks down with that evil smile on his old face. The idea of using fear to keep this kind of control over ProtoMan was an ingenious one. Now, he could have Mega Man killed, and give ProtoMan his final punishment by making him kill his own brother, forcing him to accept that he was Albert Wily's and Albert Wily's alone.

But, Albert made one little mistake along the way... When he programmed the drive that he used to torture ProtoMan with, not only did he program it erase his confidence, but it also accidently erased Proto's pre-programmed obedience to Wily's orders.

ProtoMan's trembling hand hovers over the 'fire' key, still desperately trying to fight off the fear. And even though his aggressive emotions have been drowned out by fear, he can feel them trying to break free...

_I can't let him take my brother... I can't! But, the old man's going to hurt me bad if I try. There has to be a way to get out of this!_

ProtoMan now remembers his last talk with Mega a few weeks ago, when Wily forced him to cut ties with him.

_"No matter what we went through, I never forgot that you were my brother!... I always loved you!"_

_My brother loves me... He always did, even when nobody else gave a damn. And this is how I'm going to repay him?_

ProtoMan's positive emotions and his feelings for his brother begins to surge inside him again, and the fear that Wily had re-instilled into him is not strong enough to fight them all. And those positive emotions break through when the owrds Proto has been haunted by the most in the past year ring in hishead again...

_"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

_I always have too... and Wily wouldn't let me. But, I don't need to do what he tells me anymore... I've never felt like this before... his word doesn't mean what it used too..._

The last thought that enters ProtoMan's mind is not that of Mega Man, but the visual of Nomad, when she was at her most vulnerable, and that wonder feeling he had when he first hugged her. He has to break free. Not just for Mega Man, but for her too. After being a witness (and a first-person subject) to all of the horrors that Dr. Wily had committed, it was time to put his foot down.

_No matter what Wily does to me, I can't let him take my brother or my best friend away from me... I won't!_

The trembling in ProtoMan's hand begins to stop as his confidence and aggression begins to beat down his fear.

"What are you waiting for? KILL HIM!" Wily shouts.

**"NO!"** ProtoMan shouts back.

He switches over to blaster mode and fires off a power shot into the controls, crippling the Mad Grinder's weapons. And Dr. Wily is livid, his face turning blood-red in rage.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he shrieks, "YOU RUINED IT! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING, YOU INSOLENT RED BASTARD!"

Wily then slaps Proto across the face, so hard the it hurts his own hand. He then yells, "WHO THE HELL'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!"

With ProtoMan's fears slipping away, and becoming overflowing with anger after being slapped, Proto bolts out of his seat and grabs Dr. Wily by the lapels of his lab coat and pink shirt...

As Dr. Wily gasps in panic, ProtoMan tells Dr. Wily who's side he is on...

**"NOT YOURS!"**

Dr. Wily's eyes become wide with sheer panic and then ProtoMan throws him away like the piece of garbage that he is, sending his body flying across the bridge until at smacks up against the door to the bridge itself. Dr. Wily then falls to the floor unconscious, with a trace of blood trickling from his forehead.

ProtoMan stood in stunned silence for a fleeting moment, feeling so strange after doing that to Wily. He was the only father figure he had, and now he had forever thrown it all away. But, he did not matter as much as the life of Mega Man down on the street below. And after tonight, it never would. But, before he could save his brother, ProtoMan had to take care of this Mad Grinder monstrosity, so that Wily could never use it again.

ProtoMan turns to the Mad Grinder's controls as they crackle with electricity after being hit by his blast. He finds the controls for the power core loaded with the remnants of the Quadirium meteorite, and enters a command to overload it with power, much like how Gamma was destroyed. Hopefully, it will destroy both the Mad Grinder and the remaining fragments of the meteorite that powers it, leaving Wily without either of them.

With his aggressive proactive emotions flowing through him so strongly, Proto does not even think of the consequences of blatantly sabotaging Wily's machine like this. But, he does not care anymore. He knows where the line is drawn, and he is not about to let this madman cross it anymore.

After entering the command, the bridge blares with alarm sirens, warning that a power core meltdown in immanent, and Proto wastes no time racing to the ladder to the emergency hatch in the Mad Grinder's head.  
>But, before he climbs up, he looks back to Dr. Wily's fallen body and he feels at-odds.<p>

As much as he cannot allow himself to let the old man kill his brother and commit acts of atrocity on those he cares about, Proto also feels like he can't just leave him here to die either.

With great reluctance, ProtoMan approaches Dr. Wily's body and scoops him over his shoulder, removing him from the Mad Grinder as he climbs up the ladder to the outside.

* * *

><p>After exiting the Mad Grinder's emergency exit hatch right beside it's massive metal Mohawk, ProtoMan leaps from the Grinder's head and lands on the rooftop nearby, then races across two more rooftops before dropping Wily off where he should be far enough away from the force of the explosion.<p>

ProtoMan stands up and looks down at Wily, feeling so strange about what he is about to do. But, he could take no more of this life. He had to do this for his own sake.

"Goodbye, old man," Proto sighs before leaping away to save his brother.

No sooner does ProtoMan leap away does Bass return, un-merged from Treble and still clutching his chest from the damage Mega Man gave him earlier. And he stares at ProtoMan with great anger.

"What have you done?!" he seethes.

_"Dr. Wily! ProtoMan! Bass! The Mad Grinder's goin' nuts. What's happened?"_ calls the panicked voice of ElecMan on the ground.

Bass replies, "This is Bass. Dr. Wily is injured and the Grinder is about to fall! Abort the mission."

_"What about ProtoMan? Is he still able to fight?"_ ElecMan asks.

"FORGET PROTOMAN! We leave now!" Bass snaps as he takes Dr. Wily in his arms and begins to leave.

* * *

><p>ProtoMan leaps down to the pavement and runs towards his fallen brother Mega Man who now has Rush standing over him, the poor robo dog whimpering as he tries to get his master to move.<p>

Once he sees ProtoMan running over, Rush angrily snarls at Proto, ready to lunge on him if he tries to hurt Mega Man.

Proto stops and puts his hands up. "I'm not gonna hurt him. I'm here to help."

Rush's angry snarl quickly drops into a sad pout as he starts whining, and he wants Mega Man to get better so badly that he forgets trying to doubt Proto and lets him approach.

And as Proto reaches Mega's side, only now does he realize how badly his brother's condition really is. He is lying on his back with his own oil leaking from all over his body with a gaping hole in his chest armor. He can hear him trying to breathe, but all he hears is a strained wheeze. It might already be too late.

Proto kneels down at Mega's side and calls, "Rock! It's your big brother. Answer me."

Mega Man does not move or respond and continues unconsciously inhaling what little air he can.

Proto grabs Mega's oil-stained left arm and checks his power meter, and it is running dangerously low and slowing fading. And with all the oil loss, possible damage to his internal regulator and unable to ventilate properly, he could overheat and/or cease generating power.

"We've got to get him back to Light's lab," Proto says as he scoops his dying brother up in his arms, "Get us back there as fast as you can. That thing back there is about to blow!"

Rush transforms into jet mode and Proto steps on Rush's back in time to see all the remaining Wily carriers and Robot Masters flying away and running for their lives. He looks back and sees the Mad Grinder beginning to glow a bright translucent purple as the power core full of Quadirium begins to overload.

Proto shouts, "Rush, step on it!"

Rush backs and takes off with ProtoMan and Mega Man onboard, soaring away from Washington D.C... and a few seconds later, the Mad Grinder explodes in a bright ball of purple energy that completely eradicates all the buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue, shatters every single window within a five-mile radius and causing damage the surface several buildings in central D.C., including the White House.

And just like that, the Mad grinder was gone, completely reduced to a pile of melting hunks of scrap metal. The operation to take over the world was a complete failure and ProtoMan had betrayed and abandoned Dr. Wily, unable to take the abuse and the atrocities anymore.

Things changed here tonight. And they changed for the better.

But, despite all this, the dominoes have not stopped falling... Mega Man's life remains in serious jeopardy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Yes, it has finally happened._

_A lot of you have waited for this moment for a long time, and now it has finally happened. ProtoMan has turned on Dr. Wily._

_This is not bowing to any fan pressure or pandering to anybody who has requested for this moment to come over the past nearly two years. This is something that I had planned all along, (maybe not every detail leading up to this was planned. But, the idea of ProtoMan turning on Dr. Wily as a whole is something I have had in the cards for a while.)  
>And for those of you who might have your doubts Proto's turned, all I can say is please give me a chance here. Proto still has a story to tell and it's not all sunshine and rainbows.<em>

_I hope that in this moment of elation that you don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you caught any typos, incomplete/fractured sentences, or any continuity errors that are so significant that your jaw would drop to the floor and bounce back up, please PM me.  
>Due to the massive size of this chapter, I understand if you cannot leave a review right away.<em>


	124. Darkest Before Dawn

_**Episode 11, Chapter 12: Darkest Before Dawn.**_

* * *

><p><strong>FBI Headquarters.<strong>  
><strong>Langley, Virginia.<strong>

A flood of Federal Agents and FBI Robots come rushing out of parking garage of the F.B.I. headquarters, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Black's car which is carrying President Henry. Among them is Agent Cotto who is leading the pack to the outside, along with Special Agent in Charge, Paul Allen, who had been out of commission for several weeks following an intense brawl with Mr. Black, which Allen lost.

"There they are!" calls an agent who is pointing to the sky where two car headlights can be spotted in mid-air.

Some agents here are ready to draw their weapons at a second's notice if something is up. But, after being in contact with Roll who is inside the car too, the agents are sure The President is in fact safe and that this is not a trap by Barton.

The A.I.-Powered car touches the pavement and comes to a stop, its surface is damaged from being shot and colliding with Wily's robots during the battle,opening the doors to allow the passengers to get out. The agents scurry to the car and help President Henry out, then quickly whisk him inside where it's safe. The President was already taken away almost as soon as he arrived.  
>Meanwhile, Roll exits the car and Beat flies out right next to her, and Mr. Black's car speeds off before the agents could close in on it.<p>

"Let it go. We'll try to trace its movement on street cams," Allen says.

Nearby, Beat chirps ("Beat-Beat!") to Roll, who looks over her shoulder to see the faint traces of a bright purple glow coming from D.C.

"What's that glow?" Roll asks, pointing to it.

Several of the agents who aren't tending to President Henry turn their own attention to the glow in the sky and Cotto grabs his satellite phone. "To anybody within the sound of my voice: This is Cotto, FBI. We have President Henry alive and safe. What just happened in D.C.?"

Several agonizing seconds pass as the glow in D.C. begins to fade out, and nothing is heard on the radio but the sound of static. Until, finally, there is a response, partially muffed in static...

_"This is recon chopper 13 heading out of Washington. Target has been destroyed. Wily and his robots are in full retreat,"_ states the voice of a Policebot.

There are a few cheers among the human agents, but more relieved sighs than anything. Dr. Wily had come closer than he ever had before, and a lot of good men, woman and robots sacrificed their health and their lives to fight him off.  
>And with Wily assumed to still be at large, this is more of a bittersweet victory.<p>

"I'll inform The President. Let's start scrambling any spare hands up the beltway to help them out," Agent Allen says.

Roll smiles with relief and she steps away from the agents so she can call Mega Man on her utility arm. "Great job, Mega. I knew you could do it!"

But. there was no response from Mega Man on the other end.

"Come in, Mega... that Grinder thing couldn't have taken that much out of you," Roll calls again.

Again, no answer. And Roll becomes extremely concerned as she calls Dr. Light back home at the lab. "Dr. Light. Is Mega okay?"

There is a pause before Dr. Light eventually answers with great worry in his voice,_ "Roll, you need to return to the lab as soon as you can."_

"Why? What happened to my brother?" Roll asks urgently.

After a pause, a shaken Dr. Light replies, _"His vital signs took a sharp drop shortly before Wily's Mad Grinder was destroyed... and they are fading. He must have been hurt in the battle. Rush is returning him to the lab now... it would be best if you were here."_

Roll stands in stunned silence, holding her right arm with her left hand and trying to keep her emotions in check. Her brother's life is in danger and she doesn't know how she is going to get back to New York, because her SkyCycle is back in D.C. and damaged. And using Beat to carry her back is totally unfeasible.

Roll stands alone with a woeful Beat hovering next to her while all the FBI agents begin to re-enter their headquarters. But, Agent Cotto approaches her.

"We would like you to come inside. President Henry wants to give you his personal thanks," the Agent says.

"Uh... yeah, sure," a worried sick Roll replies as she shuffles inside with Beat flying right behind her.

"Are you alright?" Cotto asks.

Roll nearly stammers, "Uh... something really bad just happened... maybe President Henry can help."

* * *

><p>Once inside, Roll is lead to President Henry, who has already begun coordinating with the agents. "My wife, Daughter and staff are all still trapped inside that bunker. Are they alright?"<p>

"We still have contact with the bunker, Mr. President. We just informed them that you are alive and well," replies Agent Allen, "Crews will be on their way to free them shortly. Once the situation in D.C. is under control, we'll require your presence to unlock the system with the retina scanner."

"Let me know when we're moving out. Also, we should begin deploying crew to aid anybody who was injured or hurt, including getting the power back on," The President says.

"Yes, sir," Allen nods before leaving to tend to other duties.

The President sees Roll and approaches her with the same winning smile that helped win two elections. "Thank you for watching my back out there, young lady."

Despite The President's compliment, Roll is still deeply shaken and looks worried, and Henry notices. "What's wrong?"

"Mr. President, sir... I need to go home. My brother... he's... not doing good," Roll stammers on the verge of tears.

Realizing that Mega Man is in serious danger, The President turns to Agent Cotto and orders, "I need one of your agency helicopters so she can get back to New York quickly."

"Yes, sir," Cotto obeys.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Roll croaks, almost too rattled by her worries for Mega Man,

Agent Cotto leads her out immediately, and Roll hopes she can make it back home in time to be with her brother... before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Dr. Light stands in front of the computer in the lab and stares the screens in his lab, watching Mega Man's life signs slipping more with every second that ticks by.

It was only a few short minutes ago that The Mad Grinder was destroyed and the President was saved along with the future of the entire United States. And while the citizens of the world are just now receiving word that Wily has been stopped , that is not even on Thomas' mind right now.  
>All he cares about is not losing any more members of his family of robots as casualties of this war.<p>

According to Dr. Light's computer, Mega's and Rush's signals are coming closer to the New York area, likely just Rush bringing Mega back because he cannot travel on his own.

Thomas tries contacting Mega Man in the hopes that he will respond."Rock, it's your father. If you can hear me, please respond."

Again, there was no response, and a message appears on Thomas' screen that reads _'communication failed.'_

Dr. Light closes his eyes and exhales with worry. After receiving no word back from his son, Thomas's mind begins to consider the chances that his worst fear of losing one of his children might become a reality tonight.  
>Dr. Light shakes his head, trying to get any such thoughts out of his mind and attempts to keep his optimism (and his emotions) in check. Thomas clings his hopes on the fact that Mega's vital life signs - although they are not very strong - are still indicating that he is alive, and if Mega is still alive, that can give him a fighting chance to live. Something that poor Doc never had by the time he returned to the lab.<p>

"No. I am not losing my children to this war... I already lost Blues. I can't lose Rock and Roll," Thomas says.

Thomas looks at the screens and continues to watch as the combines signals of Mega Man and Rush make their final approach to the lab. When they are within five miles of the lab, Dr Light enters the command to open the emergency hatch near the roof of the lab for Rush to easily fly himself in so Mega could be repaired right away.

Thomas stares up at the open hatch, trying to prepare himself for what he is about to see. He has had to perform extensive repairs on Mega before, so seeing his son in physical dire straits is nothing new for him But, Dr. Light fears that he is about to see his son in worse shape than ever before...

But, _nothing_ can quite prepare him for what else his eyes are about to see.

Thomas can hear the sound of Rush's jets approaching, and then he can see the orange glow created by the flame of his jets as they reach the lab... but, as Rush flies in, he sees ProtoMan standing on Rush's back, carrying the damaged body of Mega Man in his arms.

Thomas nearly gasps when he sees his first robot son helping younger robot son inside. He can only hope that this is what he had always hoped for, that ProtoMan had finally turned.

"Please. Help him," Proto says as he steps off Rush's back, dropping all the past tension he has had for The Good Doctor for the sake of his little brother's welfare.

"Place him on the table," Thomas instructs.

Proto steps over to the silver work table and lays his brother's damaged body atop of it. For a fleeting moment, Thomas becomes frozen in shock as he looks down at his son's mangled armor as the oil drips from the 'wounds', and he hears the faint wheezes he makes as his destroyed ventilator tries in vain to work.

Dr. Light snaps himself out of his brief spell and grabs the cable connected to the emergency power regulator and tries to plug it into the direct panel on Mega's left arm. But, the outlet was splattered with Mega's lost oil, and Thomas was forced to use his own lab coat to sop it up.

"How did this happen to him?" Dr. Light asks.

Proto barely replies, "Wily shot him up with the weapons on The Mad Grinder. He was gonna kill him... he tried to force me to pull the trigger."  
>After pausing to collect his emotions, Proto concludes, "I couldn't do it... I just couldn't."<p>

Dr. Light glances back to his oldest son before beginning work on younger son, and Mega's words are ringing true after all. "Your brother always said there was goodness inside you. He never gave up hope on you. Even in recent times."

Proto nods and barely speaks, "That's good to know."

Proto looks down at his hands and chest, which are stained with Mega Man's oil, and the sight shakes Proto right down to the pit of his heart.  
>And Dr. Light's comments do nothing to ease things, either, because Proto stood by and served as Wily's right hand for so long and was never allowed to leave him until now. And the end result is being forced to watch his only brother's life slip away before his very eyes.<p>

Dr. Light begins running a scan on Mega Man's body to assess how bad the damage really is. The results appearing on the lab screens seconds later and Dr. Light becomes overcome with woe.

"His internal regulator is severely damaged," Thomas reports, his voice almost shuddering, "His ventilation system is completely destroyed. He's losing too much internal oil and it's causing his systems to shut down.

Before Thomas can plug the emergency energy regulator into his son's arm, Mega's body suddenly jerks for a brief second before coming to rest again.

Proto speaks, "His body has been freaking out like that ever since I picked him up. Why does he keep doing that?"

After looking at Mega Man's damage report on the lab computer, he has an answer. "It's his internal regulator. His heart. It is trying to compensate for the loss of energy to boost his systems. But, in the state he's in, it risks damaging his memory core. It's like constant electrical surges in a power grid. It's only a matter of time before..."

Dr. Light couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence... he could not bring himself to say that if Mega's memory core takes too many jolts like this, it could cause permanent damage to his core, erasing parts of his very essence... or all of it.  
>If that were to happen, even if Dr. Light would completely repair Mega's body, Mega Man would for all extends and purposes be dead.<p>

Dr. Light stands in place as the horrifying thoughts of Mega dying race thought his mind until ProtoMan speaks to grab his attention back to the here and now. "Hey! What can we do to save him?"

Thomas replies, "I need to take his regulator offline and have him connected to the back-up regulator to keep him alive while I try to repair the damage."

Dr. Light picks up a laser cutter and uses it to cut off the frontal part of Mega Man's mangled torso armor. Within seconds, Dr. Light cuts through and pulls it off, fully exposing Mega's severely damaged robotic organs and systems. Even his metallic endoskeleton is sporting serious damage thanks to Wily's weapons.

Thomas plugs the mobile regulator system into Mega's arm and then inserts a secondary tube into the same arm, which will provide more oil to his body, even though it will not last at the rate he is losing it.  
>Once done with that, Thomas quickly focuses on Mega's damaged heart, shutting it down and removing it from his body.<p>

"I have another internal regulator here, but they need to be fully charged before they are installed," Thomas says.

"Why?" Proto asks.

Dr. Light replies as he continues to urgently prepare, "With the damage Rock has, he needs to have a constant stream of power going into his system to keep him alive, and emergency generator will only last so long before it needs to be recharged. And it is dangerous to try to install an uncharged heart regulator into a living body. It would be a severe shock to the system...and with the jolts Rock's memory core has already taken, it would likely be fatal."

Proto knows that there is only one option here, and decides to take it in a split second. "Take mine," Proto says, solemn and serious.

Dr. Light looks over to ProtoMan with concern. "Removing yours could be a serious risk to you as-"

"I don't give a damn!" Proto interrupts, "Just do it."

Dr. Light feels worrisome over this, because he does not want to place the lives of both of his sons in jeopardy. But with Mega's life slipping through his fingers as it is, Thomas knew that this was the only way to save him on such short notice.

"I'm going to have to shut you down for a while," Dr. Light says.

"That's fine by me," Proto says, lying down on the lab floor because there was no second work table ready for him to lie on.

Thomas kneels down and opens an access panel on ProtoMan's left arm and prepares to shut him down so he can attempt to work the miracle of a lifetime.

"Whatever happens... thank you, my son," Thomas says.

"Don't thank me yet," Proto replies, "Thank me when my little brother is back on his feet."

Dr. Light entered the command that would shut ProtoMan down. And within seconds, he could feel his world slipping away from him, and his whole body began to stop working as his eyes closes behind his visor.  
>And then, everything was dark. Proto couldn't react in the slightest way as the last vestiges life began to slip from him as his systems began to shut down.<p>

This was not like going to sleep for a recharge. This was like slipping into nothingness. And ProtoMan was a little intimidated by it at first, because he does not know if he will wake up again.  
>He doesn't know if this idea will even work and his brother will survive. And he doesn't know who will take care of his Nomad friend if he doesn't make it.<p>

But, seconds later, every thought in Proto's mind disappeared and he felt himself slip away as he completed shut down...

* * *

><p><strong>Bethesda, Maryland.<strong>

In this suburb of Washington D.C., the streets are nearly empty as citizens in the area have yet to return to the city after the invasion of the Mad Grinder.  
>This allows Mr. Black's A.I.-powered sedan the perfect opportunity to drive to its intended destination, coming to a stop at a seemingly random manhole cover somewhere on the south side of the city.<p>

A few seconds after the car stops here, the man hole cover is lifted up from underneath. And a battered and bruised Mr. Black pulls himself out from the hole in the ground.  
>Being a former FBI Agent, he was aware of the Oval Office's emergency escape hatch in The President's closet and used it when the Mad Grinder fired upon the White House. Afterwards, he made his way through the emergency underground tunnel which had long since been sealed off, (but, not anymore after the use of Mr. Black's remaining explosives.)<p>

After completely stepping out of the manhole, Barton sheds his tattered trench coat and the armor worn over his black shirt, as well as pulling his blood-stained mask halfway off his head, allowing himself to take in deep normal breaths into his mouth after having his chest constricted by the damaged armor for so long.

Barton throws the trench coat and amor in the back seat along with his modified shotgun, then gets in the driver's seat and pulls off his mask completely.

"Return to the hideout. Drive discretely and pick up speed only when being pursued," he coughs.

The car obeys and begins driving as Barton pulls his Mr. Black mask entirely off, then grabs a first aid kit in the glove box beside him to deal with the cut near his right eye.

As he continues to catch his breath, Mr. Black switches on the radio scanner that picks up top secret radio transmissions from the police and federal radio waves.

_"This is O'Brian at the CIA,"_ says a female voice on the radio, _"The situation in D.C. is under control. All security measures have been taken out and are in immediate need of repair, and the power is still out. But, extra police forces from Maryland and Virginia are in place. No more casualties reported and all hostiles have fled or already been terminated during the battle."_

_"This is Allen at FBI. FEMA crews are en route to D.C. to deal with any emergency situations that arise. Is there any sign of Agent Barton in the area?"_

Mr. Black listens with interest as he treats the incision on his face.

_"We haven't found your former agent, alive or dead. We have found some traces of human blood in the halls of the first floor, but as for the Oval Office, nothing."_

_"Then, he's still alive and found a way out before Wily fired on the White House. We need to check every emergency tunnel out of there, even the ones no longer in service," _Allen says.

_"And what about Mega Man? We can't lose him,"_ the CIA officer asks.

This catches Barton's attention and he stares at the radio, waiting to learn what _did_ happen back in Washington.

_"We haven't heard. The President had us fly Dr. Light's girl back to his lab as soon as he found out how bad he was damaged. The recon helicopter actually saw ProtoMan flying him out before the Mad Grinder blew. But, nobody from Light's lab has told us anything since... we're assuming the worst."_

As the Federal chatter continues, Barton ignores it and begins dwelling in his thoughts again, particularly that Mega Man may be on death's door (if he hasn't died already.)  
>And it is made worse knowing that Dr. Wily is still on the loose. He may have gotten away with another murder, just like he did Tonya.<p>

If Mega Man were to die, that would leave the responsibility of dealing with Wily in the hands of Mr. Black, temporarily at least. That would be acceptable, but it would be much harder trying to get to the bastard without his attention occupied by Mega Man.

But, even with his blind thirst for vengeance, Barton still acknowledges what this potential tragedy could mean to the world and its citizens.

The people of today's world have endured a lot since this war with Wily began, and it is mainly because Mega Man has been here to keep them safe. There is no telling how they would react if Mega Man were to die while Dr. Wily is still at large.  
>It could be so devastating that the world could become overwhelmed with fear, giving Wily an ample chance to take the world for all his own.<p>

"Don't you die yet," Barton gravels.

And as his car drives him away, Mr. Black slips away into the night of the darkest night of this war yet.

* * *

><p><strong>Nearly an hour later.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

ProtoMan feels alive again when he is powered back up, and all of his thoughts begin returning to him.

That felt strange, losing his whole essence like that. But, he still could not see, because he did not have the strength to open his eyelids yet, let alone move. But, he could sense his systems running an internal diagnostic upon coming back online.

Afterwards, he can feel his senses returning to him and begins to open his eyes from behind his black visor. He does not know how much time has passed, but things felt a little different.  
>Firstly, he was now lying on a table instead of the floor. Obviously, Dr. light must have had Proto moved here. And his body felt the same, but a little strange for some reason, like his heart had just been swaped out and replaced with another one... and that reminds him.<p>

_Rock!_

ProtoMan's eyes begin to focus and he sees that the grey cloud looming over him was really Dr. Light. Proto wants to know about his brother's condition, and Light's face does not look very relieved.

"What happened?" Proto asks.

Before Dr. Light could answer, Proto could hear a faint feminine whimper over to his side. Then, he looks to his left and sees Roll weeping at an unconscious Mega Man's side as he lies flat on the table, his frontal armor missing along with his blue helmet, a breather mask attached to his face and several machines connected to him to supply him with energy and oil.  
>Rush whimpers and pouts on the floor somewhere under the table as well.<p>

ProtoMan begins to sit up as he stares at his brother's body, fearing the worst has happened. "Is he..."

"No," a glum Dr. Light answers, "He is still alive. But, his damage is much worse than I thought. After I installed your regulator in his body, his ventilation system completely stopped working. He's now breathing with the help of an external respirator. Keeping him online put him at risk of taking further damage, and in his state I could not take that chance."

After a sigh, Thomas continued, "So, I had to shut him down until I can finish repairing him... but, with all the damage that has already been done... it is still not guaranteed he's going to pull through."  
>Dr. Light's emotions began to get the better of him at the end of his sentence, his eyes watering and his voice faltering.<p>

ProtoMan never took his gaze off of Mega Man's near-lifeless body as Dr. Light described how badly he is truly hurt. And he now sits up from the second work table and begins to stand as his body adjusts to his new internal regulator/heart.  
>He glances down at his chest briefly, noticing that his grey chest plate was still in place. Light must have an a much easier time working on him than Mega Man, obviously.<p>

Proto begins to slowly approach the table carrying his brother, never taking his stare from him. When he is close enough, however, Roll looks up with her tear-soaked eyes and gives him an angry look.

"I hope you're happy now," she spits.

"Roll, right now need to focus our thoughts on Rock's health more than anything," Dr. Light says, trying to calm his emotionally distraught daughter, "Remember what I told you: it was ProtoMan who gave his regulator so that Rock could have a chance to live."

As the tears keep flowing from her eyes, Roll sneers, "How do we know he's not about to stab us in the back again?"

Proto answers solemnly, "Because, I was the one who destroyed the Mad Grinder."

A hush falls in the lab and all eyes, even those of Rush's from down on the floor, are now on ProtoMan after his shocking revelation.

"And it's no trick this time," Proto explains, "Wily put everything he had into that thing, including most of that Vickers guy's money he made off with. He couldn't afford to have the Mad Grinder destroyed, and if he did, he'd bust the mother of all gourds."  
>Proto adds, "He tried to make <em>me<em> be the one to kill Rock... but, I couldn't kill my brother.

Roll still argues, "But, you had no problem wishing him dead, did you? Now, you've almost got what you wanted!"  
>Roll's sadness overcomes her as she holds her brother's left hand, and she weeps, "How could you hate my brother?"<p>

Proto sighs with sorrow when Roll's stinging words reminds him of that night when Wily forced him to sever his ties with his brother and say the harshest things possible. It hurts worse knowing that some of those things - like saying things would have been better if Mega Man were dead - were things that Proto said on his own, when he was in an emotionally dark place.

It takes Proto some time to summon the courage to tell them the real reason he did that. After he's ready, Proto admits, "Wily's been treating me like dirt ever since he made Bass... one night, he even tortured me for hours."

Dr. Light winces when he learns how true Mega's suspicion of how Proto was being treated really was.

"When I met Rock in Central Park a few weeks ago, Wily made set the whole thing up and told me to say certain things just to hurt him. But, I was so distraught and bitter about everything, I went off Wily's script... I said things I wish I could've taken back," Proto concludes, regretful over everything that happened that night.

"So, I guess he's been torturing you ever since he ran off with you two and a half years ago, huh?" Roll asks in an accusatory tone, her voice still trembling from being upset.

Instead of using Wily's control over him as an excuse, Proto shoulders the responsibility directly. "No. I'm not proud of the bot I used to be... Not anymore. I was one of the bad guys, and I didn't know it until later. I wish things could have been different."

Dr. Light is understanding of ProtoMan's situation and accepting that Proto has changed for the better, and for real now. When he was living here last year, he never sounded regretful and this deeply scarred by Wily's actions and for his own. But, now he is.  
>Roll, on the other hand, looks at her oldest brother with a skeptical stare at her lip continues to quiver. Ever since she has known ProtoMan, she has grown to mistrust and hate him. Even after learning of his sacrifice to save Mega's life, it will take something mightily convincing to change her view on ProtoMan.<p>

Dr. Light speaks, "I know you both may not want to leave the lab, but, I need to begin extensive repair work on your brother's systems. It would be best if I were alone while performing this operation. It might be upsetting for you to see."

ProtoMan, Roll and Rush appear to understand, but they all feel conflicted. While hey know they have to leave the area so Dr. Light can do his work, they are all afraid that they may never see Mega Man alive again.

Before she leaves from her chair, Roll clasps her hands in front of her tear-soaked face and prays with her eyes closed, trying so hard to not weep.

Meanwhile, Rush uses his power to extend his four legs to stand taller, tall enough to look over the edge of the table to see his master one more time, and he whimpers so sadly as he sees Mega Man like this. Rush doesn't want him to die. He can't lose his master now.

After Roll is done praying, she opens her eyes, only for a new flow of tears to escape them. After she wipes the tears from her face and unclasps her hands, she runs her right hand through Mega's bushy hair and leans toward him, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I'm not gonna let Wily get away with this," she chokes, "I love you so much!"

Roll final gets up from her chair and begins leaving with Rush, who by now had returned to normal height. Both of them shamble off, weeping and devastated already by having to see Mega Man like this, and fearing that their time with him may be running out.

ProtoMan stares at his little bother's body and cannot bring himself to leave yet. After seeing Roll speaking to Rock life he could hear her, Proto feels the need to get something off his chest now, before he will not have the chance to anymore.

"Can I have a moment with him?" Proto asks.

"You may. But, please, try not to be too long," Thomas agrees.

As ProtoMan approaches Mega Man's table, Roll stops and turns around to keep an eye on her older brother. Deep down, her bitterness towards ProtoMan is so strong, she feels he shouldn't be allowed even _this much_ time with Mega.  
>But, Dr. Light said now was not the time for negative thoughts... and Proto did give Mega at least a slim shot at surviving. <em>Maybe<em> he should be allowed to speak to Mega too, _if_ he is telling the truth.

After looking down upon his fallen brother for a few seconds, Proto reaches up to his own head, and begins pulling off his visored red helmet, fully exposing his blue eyes and his entire face, including his combed brown hair, which was the exact opposite of his messy Rock has always maintained his.  
>If this is it for Rock, ProtoMan wanted to look on his brother with his own eyes, not through his visor.<p>

Dr. Light looked upon his oldest soon, seeing his face for the first time since the tumultuous night he was born in over two and a half years, and he looked exactly the same as he did when he took his first steps alive.  
>Having all three of his robotic children here under peaceful circumstances was what Thomas has always hoped for. But, tragically, it might be the last time it ever happens.<p>

Proto begins speaking to his little brother in an easy, soft tone. "Hey, bro... it's your big brother. I've got some good news for you: I'm through with Wily. And I really mean it this time... no more tricks. No more hurt feelings. No more of us fighting. We can be brothers now."

Proto manages to contain his emotions when speaking to his brother, but it only becomes more difficult. "I remember that day when you told me you always wanted a real brother relationship with me... I could never get that out of my head.  
>I never admitted it, but ... I always wanted to have the same relationship with you too. But, I had the wrong idea. I thought I could make you switch sides. But, after seeing what kind of jerk Wily really was and getting a taste of what doing the right thing feels like... I was the one who should've turned a long time ago."<p>

The hardest part for Proto was coming up next. Trying to apologize to a brother who may never hear him again. "I know I hurt your feelings pretty bad a few weeks ago... and I'm sorry I said all those things. I didn't mean any of it. if I could take it all back, I would."

... I don't want you to die... I don't hate you, I never did... I love you, little brother."

ProtoMan's eyes begin to leak with eye lubrication as he allows himself to weep for his brother.

Dr. Light begins silently weeping as well, touched by seeing how much goodness their truly is inside his older son.

And Roll watches on too, her eyes still wet with her own tears. She could not believe what she was seeing when she saw ProtoMan crying over Mega. And according to Dr. Light, robots could not fake crying when their emotions got to them, unlike how good human actors can.  
>What she was seeing was real and not an act. ProtoMan is telling the truth.<p>

As Dr. Light wipes away the tears from his face with his sleeves, he places his hand on Proto's shoulder. He chokes, "I need begin operating on him as soon as I can."

Proto understood and he placed his red helmet back over his head. It felt strange, almost a little embarrassing to cry like that. But, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop his eyes from leaking tears. And it didn't matter, because this is his little brother he was crying over.  
>It was okay to weep tonight. If there was one time to let him know how he really felt, it was now.<p>

Unable to say another word, because it would have made him weep again, ProtoMan walks away and heads outside to the corridor leading to the lab. After he leave, Roll turns back to look at her brother one more time, and the tears leak from her eyes again.  
>If she could, she would stay at his side forever. But, knowing her father has to begin the operation, she too begins walking away.<p>

Once Proto, Roll and Rush leave the lab, Thomas takes in a deep breath and lets out a sigh as he grabs his repair tools and looks upon his dying son Mega Man. This is going to be the most difficult night of his life.

"There has to be one more miracle left in this old body of mine, Rock. And I intend to find it in time to save you," Thomas speaks.

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later.<strong>

We see Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg at the channel 7 news desk, where the top story of the night is no longer that America almost fell into Dr. Wily's hands, or that President Henry was almost lost. But, that the Defender of the Human Race is now on death's door.

_"You are watching WNYC Eyewitness News' continuing coverage. I'm Trish Falkenburg."_

_"And I'm Kirk Trujillo. It has been an hour since the intense siege of Washington D.C. ended. Dr. Wily has been stopped and President Keith Henry is alive and safe, and the White House staff and The President's family have been freed from the underground bunker.  
>But, we now have confirmed that Mega Man is struggling to stay alive after being severely injured during the battle he bravely fought alongside several members of the military and even members of the New York Police Department.<br>We will give a complete recap of the events in Washington D.C. shortly, but first we take you live to our own Bree Recotta, who is standing outside Dr. Light's lab."_

We then see Bree standing across from the famous lab, where a candlelight vigil is beginning to gather here. The Police have had to set up a barricade to keep them are enough away from the lab.  
>Those gathered here are humans of all walks of life and even robots, many of them are holding candles or lighters, many of the humans here are crying, especially those who are children.<p>

Even Drill Man - a former Dr. Wily Robot Master who famously was saved and reformed by Roll at the ill-fated Civil Defense Tower - is here, and he looks beside himself with grief as he holds a candle with one of his new hands.  
>Even though Mega Man had previously been his enemy during his Wily days, Drill Man's new programming allowed him to accept Mega Man as a friend, one who had been very gracious to the Robot Master even after all the times they did battle.<p>

_"The scene here at Dr. Light's lab is very somber and perhaps the most somber that this journalist has ever been around. Since we arrived here, the street leading to the lab has been closed, but more and more visors - both humans and robots - continue to make their way here to be a part of this vigil, all hoping our Defender will still be with us when the sun rises in the morning._

_We tried to reach Members of the Light Family for comment, but no additional comment has been made since a press release was issued through Governor Deacon's office that confirmed that Mega Man was severely damaged and was in critical condition."_

Keeping her own personal respect for Mega Man in check, Bree maintains her professionalism as she continues, _"At this point, all we can do is hope that whatever has happened to Mega Man tonight, it is something that he can recover from, just like we have seen him do for over two years now. Mega Man is not just our protector; he means something to a lot of us, this journalist included.  
>He gave us a ray of sunshine in the darkest time in our generation after the Times Square attack of 20X1. He stands for everything that is good and just in this world.<br>And even though he is only a robot, he is one of the purest souls I have ever had the opportunity of meeting. In a phrase: he's so human."_

Kirk's voice speaks soon after. _"Bree, if we may interrupt, but we are about to go to a live address from President Keith Henry, who is alive and well, coming to us from an undisclosed location. Let's go to The President."_

The Presidential Seal appears, and seconds later we see The Real President Henry sitting in an office (which is really inside the Capital Building, under heavy guard.)

_"My fellow Americans, and citizens of the world... before I begin, I want to assure you that the 'President Henry' you saw earlier tonight, who claimed to surrender control to Dr. Wily was nothing more than an illusion created by one of Wily's robots. At no point during this evening did I or any member of the U.S. government surrender any type of control over to Wily. We plan on proving this to you in the coming days."_

* * *

><p><strong>At The Governor's Mansion.<strong>  
><strong>Albany, New York.<strong>

Instead of going to bed, Governor Mitchell Deacon has remained here in his office all night to keep up on the developments in Washington ever since the Wily invasion started. Now, he watches the address by The President along with the rest of the world.

_"I also assure you that even though Dr. Wily managed to avoid capture once again. our democracy is still safe. Our forces destroyed Wily's abominable Mad Grinder machine, and his forces have retreated. The threat is over.  
>And, as improbable as it looked, the masked man known as Mr. Black also helped when he helped rescue me from the Secret Service robots who were reprogrammed to serve Wily. And while I appreciate the gesture, that does not forgive all the actions he has allegedly committed since last April, and our investigators are still going to pursue him with the goal of keeping a rogue like him off the streets."<em>

Governor Deacon shakes his head. He cannot seem to accept that somebody who is as dangerous as Mr. Black could suddenly be viewed as a hero in all this. And this is a man who committed acts that were vile such as breaking into Dr. Light's lab and stealing his files, and as insulting as stealing Deacon's own SkyCar and stripping it of its parts.

No matter what Mr. Black did to help The President, and even if he really is on the right side of this war, Governor Deacon is not too fond of him, and if he has to bring the masked terror down himself, than he will...  
>but, that could prove difficult.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>At a Bar in southern Virginia.<strong>

Even though this establishment should have closed an hour ago, the bar remained open (keeping the alcohol serving limit to one per customer) and allowed people stressed out by tonight's frightening events to relax here.  
>The President's address plays on the screens behind the bar and all the patrons watch...<p>

_"But, now, our concern is with Mega Man, who so bravely and selflessly battled and defeated Dr. Wily's force into submission. Mega Man was seriously hurt at the end of the battle, and is currently undergoing extensive repairs. We do not know yet if he will recover from the damage inflicted upon him by Dr. Wily."_

Those here at the bar become concerned with Mega Man's health... except for one lone human with short blonde hair, wearing a white dress shirt... William Cochran, noted human supremacist.

William scoffs. "So what? The Blue abomination is busted. Just build another one... Goddamn robot."

After taking a swig from his beer, William notices that all the other patrons, and the human bartender,_ and_ the robot bartender are all staring at him now, some of them staring very angrily.  
>And some of these people do not look like the kind of humans one would want to start a fight with.<p>

So, like the coward that he is, William quickly reaches for his wallet, throws some money on the bar. (More money than he owed, because he wanted to get the heck out of here), and quickly makes a b-line for the front door as some of the humans give him some nasty stares.

As William makes a hasty retreat, a gruff biker dude with a leather vest and arms covered in tattoos barks the perfect advice for him... "Get lost, asshole!"

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

The mood on the ship is very sullen as the Bonnes have kept up with the ongoing news regarding the fallout of the failed Wily attack on The White House, and now as they watch the Presidential Address with the rest of the world.

Tron's eyes are red from all the crying ever since the news of Mega Man's health, but she cannot tear herself away from the non-stop news coverage of the ongoing situation.  
>Even as Servbot #1 sleeps in her lap and several damp facial tissues used to soak up the tears lay at her feet, she has her pocket computer tablet and continuously refreshes the social media websites for any possible updates that might be coming out of New York.<p>

Meanwhile, Tiesel stands by, almost hiding in the frame of the automatic door leading to the television room. His mood is not very good right now either, but more for his own selfish reasons.  
>Dr. Wily got away, Mega Man is almost dead and it looks like Mr. Black is probably in bad shape too. This only means that whatever hopes Tiesel may have had to break free from The Conduit's clutches may have gone down the toilet.<p>

Tiesel's fear is so bad that he is certain that he will be the one left to go after Dr. Wily now... aside from every military in the entire world, whoever else The Conduit his in his/her/their/its network, and whatever robot Dr. Light may build to take Mega Man's place.

The President continues,_ "Tonight, like so many other nights, he gave of himself just to ensure that we would all go on living in freedom.  
>Regardless if you are a person of faith, karma or what-have-you, our prayers should be with Mega Man and the Light family tonight. We needed him in our darkest hours, and now we must give back to Mega Man in his family's darkest hour."<em>

Tron immediately clasps her pink-gloved hands together and bawls, "Oh, please, God, please, don't let Mega Man die! He's going to be my husband one day!"

Unable to handle Tron's weeping anymore (both because he does not want to see his sister cry, and he cannot take her over the top obsession with Mega Man, even at a time like this), Tiesel shambles away to his room on the ship.

"Why couldn't she have had a crush on a boy band," Tiesel groans (silently as to avoid being on the wrong end of Tron's wrath.)

* * *

><p><strong>Moscow, Russia.<strong>

While Tron Bonne is weeping her eyes out over Mega Man, the girl who has a _true_ heart-to-heart bond with the Defender of the Human Race is doing the same. And Kalinka Cossack's emotional state is much more fragile than Tron's.

As the morning sun begins to rise in Russia, Kalinka sits alone in her dormatory room, clutching onto her pillow and sobbing into it as she keeps herself locked inside, emotionally crushed after hearing about Mega Man's dire conditon.

When the news got around that her angel Rock had been seriously hurt and might be near death, she was beside herself with fear and heartache. And now all these hours later, there is still no word on whether or not Mega Man has shown any improvement.

She now tries to pay attention to the Russian news feed airing President Henry's speech (with Russian subtitles below him) during the times she is not crying her heart out, hoping Rock is not ripped from her much too soon like her mother was.

_"If any member of the Light family can hear me now, please get Mega Man back on his feet. Not because of how much his help is valued in the war with Dr. Wily... but, because he is one of our own, as are all of you._  
><em>Goodnight, and God bless you.. God bless Mega Man... and God bless America."<em>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>New York City Police Headquarters.<strong>**

Officer Lynn Wersching is heading into the station parking garage, about to go home to be with her brother Castor, who at one time was a runaway with a severe drug addiction. He was lost until one night Mega Man came across him while he was living underground in the sewer tunnels, and the events of that night led to Castor finally seeking treatment for his problems.  
>Castor got a second chance at life because Mega Man found him.<p>

Lynn's her green-irised eyes are reddened, obviously from crying. Not only is she upset about Mega Man's grave condition, but she had just gotten of the phone with Castor (whose recovery from his addiction recently completed) and he is not taking the news well either.  
>Even with this bad news about Mega Man, the two siblings treasured that they still have each other. Being a sister herself, she cannot imagine how Roll is feeling right now.<p>

Before Lynn reaches her car, she finds Chief Toombs sitting on the hood of his own car and still wearing the uniform he had one while battling in Washington D.C. earlier tonight, holding a flask in his hand and looking morose as he stares off into space (or the ceiling of the garage, in this case.)

"How's yer' kid brother holdin' up?" Toombs asks.

Lynn answers, "He's doing better these days... I thought you would be at home instead of here."

"I'm afraid to leave here, lass," Toombs answers just before taking a swig from his flask, "Our boy put himself in danger just so he could save me. 'Cause I've got a wife and four kids to take care of. He said I was a friend o' his."

"Don't you think you should be at home with your family?" Lynn asks.

"He didn't leave his post... I shouldn't be leavin' mine," Toombs says.

"Chief, I don't think anybody is in the mood to commit any crimes tonight," Lynn says, "I'm going to be with my brother. You should be with your family too. I think that's what Mega Man would want us to do."

Even Toombs eyes begin to tear-up and he looks away from Lynn, too proud to show anybody his own pain. "Your right, Lass," he says, taking one last swig from the flask, "I'm goin' home to be with my cubs. But, I think I'm gonna need a bot to drive me back after finishin' this flask."

"Goodnight, Chief," Lynn says as she walks away.

"Don't know how _good_ it is... but, yeah, you too, kid," Toombs says.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

While Mega Man is being operated on by Dr. Light in the lab, Roll, Rush and ProtoMan are in the corridor between the lab and the house next door. None of them want to stray too far from the lab in case something were to happen to Mega and their help would be needed, but, sitting here and waiting does not make them any less nervous.

ProtoMan sits on the floor with crossed legs, Rush lies on his belly and Roll stands with her arms crossed as she leans against the wall. Even after watching ProtoMan pour his heart out to his brother before Dr. Light had to begin operating on him, Roll is still having trouble accepting her older brother as anything other than one of the bad guys.  
>She doesn't even look directly at him as he sits across from her, creating a very tense vibe in the hall.<p>

Eventually, Proto tries to break the ice by making reference to Roll's new beige combat suit. "Nice outfit. Who's your tailor?"

Roll gives a pouting frown and huffs, turning her head to the side so she does not have to look at Proto.

"Old habits still die hard, huh?" Proto asks.

"I don't feel like talking to you," Roll replies shortly.

"You're gonna have to, eventually," Proto says.

Roll whips her head back to face her brother again and jabs, "I don't_ trust_ you! I never will, either!"

ProtoMan doesn't respond, not even with ne of his witty retorts. Roll was right. After everything he has done, she has good reason to be bitter and untrusting of him.

Roll turns her head to her side again, resisting the natural urge to make another dig at ProtoMan.  
>Deep down she wants to believe that everything she just saw was true and from the heart. But, after all the betrayals and heartache he has caused to her and her family - to Mega Man especially -, Roll cannot trust him and would much rather keep him at arm's length.<p>

Roll gets a call on her utility arm shortly afterwards. It was the bleeps of Peekaboo, asking if he can come see her now. (When Roll got home, she told Boo to stay with Eddie and Beat for a little while, because she did not want him to see how badly his Uncle Mega was hurt.)

"Yeah, you can come out here, Boo. I could use a little friendly company right now," Roll replies.

Afterwards, the hall falls silent again. In addition to her chilliness towards her older brother, Roll has felt haunted by how she blew up on Mega Man earlier tonight, when she literally slapped some sense into him when he had initially refused to go into D.C. to stop Wily.  
>It helped Mega snap out of his depression and make him remember what he was fighting for, but now as Mega's life is in jeopardy just a few hours later, Roll is afraid that one of the last memories she will have of her brother is being angry with him and slapping him.<p>

"Why did I have to do hit him?" Roll sighs to herself as silently as she can.

"Hit who?" ProtoMan asks, overhearing her.

Roll frowns, "It's none of your business."

As turns and leans on her right side, Proto begins to probe anyway. "You didn't... did you?"

Roll only becomes more perturbed with her older brother and does not dignify him with an answer.

"So, you have fights too?" Proto asks.

"Shut-up!" Roll snaps.

"A lot of times, the only thing Wily and I ever did was argue. I didn't know you guys did too. It's kinda comforting to know that," Proto says.

"We don't have all-out war or get punished with torture like you do," Roll snits, "Things got a little heated, that's all."

"I'll say. If you hit somebody, it's heated alright," Proto retorts.

Feeling the need to defend herself, Roll faces her older brother and explains loudly, "Thanks to your great master, this war is still going on, and it's taken it's toll on us! And Mega's taken it the worst! After Wily shot down all those pilots with that Grinder thing this morning, Mega was about to quit fighting forever, because you and Wily tore him apart!"

"It still doesn't explain why you hit him," Proto probes.

Roll sighs and balls her fists, trying her best to keep from starting a fight with ProtoMan right here. "Wily was attacking Washington, and Mega still wasn't up to fighting... I got angry with him... I slapped him, and I wish I didn't."  
>She looks down at ProtoMan and huffs, 'There! Are you happy now!"<p>

"Not really. But, at least you answered my question," Proto replies.

Roll leans on the wall again, folding her arms and looking at the other end of the corridor as she waits for Peekaboo to get here. She would much rather have her loveable baby Peekaboo here to keep her company rather than having to deal with ProtoMan and his snide remarks.

But, Proto begins talking in a more serious tone. "If I were in your shoes, I'd have done the same thing if I saw him acting like that. If, that makes you feel any better. Besides, I don't think I would want to be on your bad side anymore anyway."

"Oh?" Roll replies, putting her hands on her hips, "And why is that? Afraid I'll bust your memory chips?"

"Hey! Easy, sis!" Proto says with that grin of his, putting his hands up to yield to her.

"For the last time, I'm not your s-..." Roll stopped herself.

"Yes, you are," Proto says, more respectfully now. "Don't be hard on yourself. This isn't your fault... I could've stopped this from happening a long time ago and leave that old man."

"Then, why didn't you?" Roll asks.

Proto pauses, then answers solemnly, "... He owned me. I don't think I could've left, even if I wanted to. Whatever he told me to do, I did it... until tonight."

Afterwards, Peekaboo comes running into the corridor with Beat flying beside him. But, when he sees his friend ProtoMan - who saved him from being 'tested on' by Wily and later helped ensure he escaped Skull Fortress - he smiles and lets out an excited bleep and runs towards him.

"Hey!" Proto smiles as he turns to his side and holds his arms out, recognizing Peekaboo as the Met he saved from Dr. Wily's abuse.

Still not trusting her older brother, Roll becomes concerned and tries to keep Boo away from Proto. "No, Boo, don't-"

But, Peekaboo jumps into ProtoMan's arms anyway and wraps his extension arm around him to hug him. Unlike his mommy, he does trust Proto because he helped him. And Proto carries Boo gently and warmly.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, little guy," Proto says, "What happened to your plus-sign? It used to be green and now it's blue."

Peekaboo bleeps that Mommy made it blue, and that makes his color different from every other Met. Mommy said it makes him special like Doc was.

"Really? And what did your Mom name you, again?

_Blee-bee-boo_, Boo replies, then tells Proto that his Mommy Roll is so nice, and he loves her so much.

Proto smiles. Not the usual ProtoMan smirk, but a warm gentle smile he rarely ever wears. "I told you my sister would give you to good home, didn't I?"

Roll watches on as her Met baby and ProtoMan interact with each other. She knew that Proto had helped Boo flee Skull Fortress and kept him safe from Wily, but that was never enough the shake her hatred for Proto, because Peekaboo always sees the good in everybody. (Except for Wily.)  
>But, seeing the two of them together like this finally begins to break through those negative feelings she has always harbored for Proto. They looked like kindred spirits in a sense, maybe because they both know what it is like to have been hurt by Dr. Wily.<p>

This is a side of ProtoMan she has never seen before. Even during the time when he lived here during the Deacon Operation, it always looked awkward or like he was forcing himself to be nice. But, there was none of that in his interacting with Peekaboo.  
>It was the first time in a long time that she saw the goodness that Mega always said there was... maybe he really was right!<p>

Peekaboo bleeps, asking Proto if he left the bad man.

Again, Proto smiles, "Yeah... I don't think I'm ever going back now."

Boo bleeps again, asking if Proto is going to be staying here now.

Proto is at a loss for words. "... I don't know about that," he shrugs his shoulders.

Proto looks up at Roll and realizes that maybe he should let her Met be with her. "I think your Mom wants to hold you for a little bit, little guy."

Roll sits down on the floor and reaches out with her arms as Proto places Peekaboo into them, and Boo now hugs her with his extension arm, bleeping that he was worried about her.

"I'm sorry, Boo-Boo. But, we stopped the bad guys, and I come home just as I promised," Roll says as she begins cradling Peekaboo in her arms, and giving him a little kiss on his cheek, "It was all that love in your little heart that helped us make it home!"

Boo asks Roll where Uncle Mega is.

Roll sighs as she hugs Boo just a little tighter, trying to keep in her sadness as her eyes well up with tears again.

"Dr. Light is fixing him right now. He'll be okay," Roll attempts to assure, "Let's just hope that Doc and the angels are watching over him so he can get better really fast."

ProtoMan remains silent as he watches his little sister cuddling with her Met. Even though Proto doesn't see eye-to-eye with her, it feels good to be around her without having to fight.  
>He felt good knowing that thanks to him, she now has a new little Met companion to take care off. Doc's death and Roll's mourning had always bothered ProtoMan, and seeing that he was able to help her heal that wound makes him feel better about himself. Just like when he helps Nomad.<p>

It felt good to be good. But, Proto stares at the door to Dr. Light's lab and he now hopes that all the good things he has done lately result in his brother's life being saved.

That is when the door opens and Dr. Light walks out. And the eyes of all the robots in the hall look to the good doctor hoping for good news.

"It's done," Thomas says, "He is still offline and I have his systems booting in safe mode. After suffering from the power surges, this is the safest course of action for the sake of his memory core.  
>But, it could take two hours to find out if it worked. The only thing we can do now is wait for him to wake up. If you want to catch some recharge time, you can."<p>

ProtoMan stands up and declares, "I'm not tired. I want to be here when he wakes up."

Roll then stands up with Boo in her arms and also says, "Me too."

Peekaboo bleeps, _Bee-blee. (Me three.)_

Rush, Beat and Eddie also walk up to the Good Doctor. All of them want to be there when Mega Man wakes up too.

A smile barely appears behind Dr. Light's grey beard. "Well, then, it looks like I won't be alone."

* * *

><p><strong>Two hours later.<strong>

At this point, candlelight vigils like this one have gathered at various places all around the world, and so many of the people whose lives Mega Man has touched and changed are amongst them, wishing and hoping that their hero will recover from this like he has every other challenge.

As more details have surfaced about the invasion of D.C. and Mega Man's dilemma, ProtoMan's name has hardly been mentioned. Accounts of Proto being the one who retrieved Mega Man have been merely reported as 'Unconfirmed'. and even though he was the one who destroyed the Mad Grinder and saved the entire country (and the world), he has received no credit for it whatsoever.  
>Mr. Black's involvement has received more attention in the media than ProtoMan's.<p>

The mistrust of ProtoMan has even spread to the news media. After making a huge deal if his "turn" last November, which only turned out to be false, they are not about to make a big deal about this without concrete proof it is true this time.

The crowds outside the lab. have not dissipated. They have only grown in size since the news of Mega Man's condition went public, and the street in front of Dr. Light's lab is now packed with humans and robots, many of them accompanied with their burning candles or lighters.

It is very silent outside, with very little murmuring amongst those gathered. The only sounds heard are the occasional sound of news helicopters flying above to get video of those partaking in the vigil.  
>Those here are gathered in a united group of hope andor prayer, but also sitting on pins and needles as they await any sign from Dr. Light that Mega Man is going to survive.

* * *

><p>Inside the lab, Mega Man's body is still lying flat on the worktable in a state of suspended animation as his systems slowly crawl through their Safe Mode booting process.<br>Meanwhile, the rest of the Light family is gathered around Mega's table and nervously await the results, with Roll sitting closest to Mega (along with a sleeping Peekaboo in her arms), Eddie, Rush and Beat all on the floor in various positions, Dr. Light trying his hardest to stay awake in a chair, and ProtoMan standing against one of the walls, staring at Mega's body.

Despite their growing fatigue, they want to be here when Mega Man wakes up, because he should be coming back online any minute... hopefully.  
>But, if he does not come back online under his own power within the next hour, that chould be serious trouble., meaning the process did not work and there might be critical damage to his memory core...<br>and Mega Man would be dead.

Dr. Light looks up at the round clock with his heavy eyes... 2:24 AM, about fifteen minutes into the window when Mega Man's slow booting process is supposed to be finished and he is supposed to wake up.  
>Instead, Mega lays here, not moving since he shut down after getting cut down by Dr. Wily. And his time is now literally running out, with just over a half hour left remaining before the dreaded worst case scenario becomes a reality.<p>

Dr. Light looks back across the table at his daughter Roll, who is looking back at him with great concern. Roll was hoping that her father could say or do something that could ease the worry felt right now. He had worked so many miracles before... but, he never got the chance to do it in time to save Doc.

"There is still time," Thomas says, trying to assure her, and ProtoMan, and himself, that there is still hope for Mega Man to survive.

ProtoMan remains silent as he stands off to the side, his confidence in his brother's survival beginning to slip away, as is everybody else's. And in this emotional pitfall, Proto takes him mind back to the day of that first conversation in Central park...

_"I've always wanted to have a real brother relationship with you."_

_"You... __you do?!"_

_"All I've ever wanted was for us to be a complete family... so we don't have to fight each other anymore... you have no idea how hard it's been on me to have you as my enemy instead of my big brother."_

_"Wait. We _can_ be brothers! Just give me a chance. It'll take time, but, everything will be back to normal."_

_"It will never be normal, Proto."_

And if that was not bad enough, Proto remembers what he said to Mega just a few weeks ago in the very same park... and it cuts deeper now than ever...

_"An apology from you isn't going to make anything any better... I don't like your creator, I don't like the idiots you're sworn to protect and I hate what you stand for! Every time I see you, it's just a reminder of everything I'll never be... I hate you for it. Things would have been a lot better if... if you were **dead.**"_

ProtoMan hates himself because of what he said, because he didn't leave Wily sooner. If Mega dies here, ProtoMan will just leave this place and never show his face again. Nothing will matter anymore... except for Nomad.  
>He will do whatever he can to find Nomad and protect her at all costs. He would have failed with his little brother, but he would go the extra mile to keep her alive.<p>

But, in the middle of his sorrow, ProtoMan is sure he sees Mega's fingers left hand twitch. He looks directly at his hand and sees no movement... until they twitch again.

"His fingers are twitching," Proto says, pointing at Mega Man.

Roll lets out a gasp an looks at her brother again as Dr. Light begins to stand up and return to his son's side. Not only do Mega Man's fingers move, but his closed eyelids begin twitching too, and Dr. Light announces, "He's coming to!"

Roll lightly shakes Peekaboo to wake him up. "Wake up, Boo! Uncle Mega's waking up!" she coos.

Rush immediately wakes right up and bolts to his feet, waking up Eddie and Beat too to make sure they are awake to see Mega Man come back.

ProtoMan remains standing in the corner, silently hoping the miracle they were all hoping for is about to come true.

Dr. Light puts his hand on Mega's chest, calling, "Rock... please, wake up."

Mega's face begins making slight movements, much like a human's would after slowly waking up from a very long rest... and his eyes open, just barely, and they begin to focus until he clearly sees Dr. Light above him.  
>Dr. Light felt more worried now than he was when trying to repair his son. He is concered that his son will not recognize his own family. And if he doesn't, the damage to his memory core has been done, and Rock is gone.<p>

Seconds later, Mega Man weakly speaks. "... Father?"

"Yes, Rock," Thomas replies, "Do you recognize us?"

Roll stands from her seat, still holding Peekaboo in her arms, and they both look down toward Mega with nervous hope. And Mega looks at them.

"Roll! Boo!" He weakly says.

Rush barks as he extends his legs and peeks over the table, Mega Man barely smiles. "And I'd know that bark anywhere, Rush."

There is a collective sigh of relief between Dr. Light and Roll, while Peekaboo bleeps his Uncle Mega's name, and Beat chirps "Beat! Beat-Beat!"

Eddie just drops to the floor, looking exhausted. "This is too much for a little robot to handle," he says in his elf-like voice.

"What happened? Is the President safe?" Mega asks, sounding tired

"Yeah. I got him out of there myself... sort of," Roll says with a bright smile, making a vague reference to the fact that Mr. Black's had whisked them away, "I think my SkyCycle's totaled."

"Where's Wily?" Mega strains.

"He got away. But, that Grinder of his was destroyed," Roll replies.

Mega looks confused. The last thing he remembers was throwing Chief Toombs onto the other Police helicopter and then being gunned down by the Mad Grinder, and now he learns it was destroyed... but, he has no idea how that was possible, or how _anybody_ could have stopped The Mad Grinder when he couldn't even leave so much as a dent in it.

"How could the Mad Grinder have been destroyed? That thing was powered by the same meteor built into Bass' armor," Mega asks.

Dr. Light glances away from Mega for a fleeting moment, "It is a... very _interesting_ story."

Mega Man becomes confused, think that maybe he might have stopped it but has no memory of it. "... Was it me?"

"No. Your damage was too severe and you were brought back home," Thomas answers.

"Then who destroyed the Mad Grinder?" Mega Man asks...

"It was me, bro," replies a very familiar voice nearby.

Once he hears his brother's voice, Mega's eyes become more alert and awake as he looks over to his left just in time to see ProtoMan walking towards his table.  
>As ProtoMan reaches Mega's side, everybody silently else watches on in awe of the moment that is about to take place, even Roll, who keeps a an eye on Proto, just in case.<p>

Mega tries to sit up, looking slackjawed as he stares at Proto. "You? _You_ did it?" he asks, bewildered at what he heard.

"I overloaded the power core and sent it sky high... I couldn't let my little brother get killed," Proto says, sincerely.

Mega Look looks over to Dr. Light, asking, "It this true?"

Dr. Light nods and answers, "Your brother even donated his own internal regulator to replace yours so you could live."

Mega Man now begins sitting up with the help of Dr. Light helping him sit straight. "But... what about Wily?"

"I'm done with him... forever. For real this time," ProtoMan replies.

Mega begins accepting his brother's answers, without the need the extensively question him. He felt that ProtoMan was telling him the honest truth this time. He really is finished with Dr. Wily.  
>"So... you don't hate me?" Mega asks, "We can finally be real brothers?"<p>

"If you want to, yeah," Proto answers, giving a slight smirking smile.

After taking a moment to accept this impactful news, Mega begins to move himself from the table, but he is still very weak and Roll tries to help her brother up while still carrying Peekaboo under her left arm. And ProtoMan also helps him up too... finally, for real.

With the help of both of his siblings, Mega Man stands straight on both of his feet, directly across from his brother. "You really mean it?" Mega asks.

"Yeah, I do," Proto insists, "I wouldn't have given you my heart if I didn't."

He always believed there really was goodness in his brother's heart, and that feeling was right. He turned on Wily and left his old life behind just to save him. And in the process, he saved the day.

He had always dreamed that one day his brother would come home and get away from Dr. Wily for real, and forever. And seeing that dream coming true causes Mega's emotions begin to swell inside of him.

Mega Man begins to smile brightly for the first time in many weeks. And his eyes begin to leak happy tears... he finally gets to have his brother in his life, not as an enemy, but as family.

Mega finally takes his arms and wraps them around Proto and hugs him tightly, allowing themselves to cry in happiness. And Proto returns the sentiment, doing a better job of containing his emotions. But, he can't stop his own eyes from tearing-up again.  
>They both have wanted this for so long, and now that they have it, they are happier than they could have imagined. And they do not need to say anything or do anything else other than just keep this embrace going, finally cementing their bond as two real brothers.<p>

Dr. Light walks around and wraps his arms around both sons, grateful that his own dream of having all three of his robot children here and together. Even Roll steps over and joins the group embrace while still carrying Peekaboo, who was so happy to see Uncle Mega feeling better and Uncle Proto here too.  
>Rush comes over and nudges his face up against Mega's leg, and Eddie and Beat watch on happily.<p>

At last, after nearly three years of heartache, war and tragedy, the Light family is finally united. And with hope, it will remain that way.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_You might have noticed that we did not have very much Mega Man in this chapter until the last scene where he wakes up. But, you may recall that his presence was felt through almost every scene, and almost every scene revolved around him in one way or another.  
>So, Mega Man was all over this chapter without being featured as much as he normally would.<em>

_The episode is not done yet. The Epilogue chapter is coming up next, and there are some important scenes in it._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you catch any typos, incomplete/fractured sentences or any continuity errors that are so bad Sub-Zero would freeze himself, please PM me right away._


	125. Episode 11 Epilogue: A Second Chance

_**Episode 11 Epilogue: A Second Chance**_

* * *

><p>Just twelve hours ago, the citizens of the world were gripped in terror, and were afraid they were about to lose Mega Man forever. Now, People all over the world are rejoicing, because Wily's biggest plan yet was stopped and Mega Man's life was saved by an unlikely ally. And the world is abuzz over the news...<p>

_"The world is letting out a collective sigh of relief this morning, because even after nearly losing his life to stop Dr. Wily yesterday, Mega Man is indeed still standing_," says Kirk Trujillo.

Trish adds,_ "Our own Bree Recotta filed this report from Dr. Light's lab this morning."_

We then see the recorded piece narrated by Recotta appear on the screen, which begins with several clips of the many vigils that were held all over the world. _"Scenes like this were very common last night, with crowds of people gathered at various places around America and the world, all hoping that their hero Mega Man would survive the grave damage he took last night."_

_"And this was the scene outside of Dr. Light's lab," _Recotta says as we see the massive crowd that stood outside well after midnight,_ "The whole world stopping to take the time to hope and pray that Mega Man would survive. And this was the scene just an hour later..."_

We then see a recorded shot of the moment when Mega Man stepped outside the lab with the help of Roll and ProtoMan on either side and making a thumbs-up gesture with his right hand, and the jubilant reaction of the crowd was one of the loudest reactions of any kind by a crowd of onlookers at any point in history.

Bree continues, _"Once again, our fears of losing our guardian were dashed. And the entire world showed their relief by cheering, both here and abroad. Many were so happy to see Mega Man alive that they were not even aware that ProtoMan - the brother of Mega Man who has served with Dr. Wily for nearly three years - had contributed to the fall of Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder and helped save Mega Man's life, according to Dr. Light. And he was not the only source of unlikely help."_

We then see still frames of Mr. Black's rampage through The White House and saving The President's life. _"Mr. Black, the masked man who has involved himself in this war in some of the most unsavory ways, inexplicably helped save President Keith Henry from being executed on live television. And, despite The President condemning Mr. Black's earlier actions, it seems the general population is more thrilled with _his_ involvement in last night's harrowing battle in Washington D.C. than that of ProtoMan."_

We see various citizens on the street of Manhattan speaking about Mr. Black...

_"Dude, the 'Black' Dude is, like, not doin' things the way to police wants him to. He's gotta do it, like, his own way, man, Wily's not showin' us any, you know, mercy 'n stuff, so he's not gonna, you know, show it to him, either. He's gonna punish him! Yeah!"_ exclaims a hippie white kid wearing dreadlocks and a tie-die shirt, Moccasins and pajama pants... in his bathrobe.

_"I might not like how he does things. But, he saved The President's life. I can't argue with him on that,"_ says an older woman.

_"I don't care what he does at night. If he and Mega Man have worked things out, I just hope they get Wily,"_ says a motorist stuck in traffic.

_"He is a menace to society,"_ says one person who finally seems to think Mr. Black is a problem. Then, he says, _"But, we're in the middle of a war, and we'll take all the help we can get."_

Bree concludes, _"Only time will tell if Mr. Black really trying to help fight Dr. Wily's robot army, or if he has some sort of hidden agenda. But, for today, we can rest a little easier because Dr. Wily been stopped, The President is alive, and Mega Man is still on his feet... and it _appears_ ProtoMan is on our side... __Reporting from Dr. Light's lab outside New York City, Bree Recotta, channel 7 news."_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>**

Mega Man himself is finally getting a chance to relax as Dr. Light's diagnostic equipment scans his memory core for any sign of damage or memory loss. His non-essential systems are running at reduced power to give his body time to recuperate from sustaining his injuries last night and to allow his body time to adjust to all the replacement parts he had transplanted inside him, including ProtoMan's old regulator.

As Mega lies on the same table he was on last night, Dr. Light sits right beside him as he checks the results of the diagnosis as they begin to appear, Rush sits right below the table, and Roll and Peekaboo walk into the lab right beside each other (with Boo carrying a blue balloon in his extension arm hand.)

"You feeling any better, Mega?" Roll asks with a gentle smile.

"I'm getting there," Mega replies, "If only I could be getting on my feet, I'd be doing a lot better."

Peekaboo bleeps up to Roll, saying he wants to see Uncle Mega, (because he can't see him from down on the floor.)

"Sure thing, Boo," Roll says just before she picks Peekaboo up so he can see his Uncle Mega.

Boo beeps to him, and says he wants to give him the balloon, and he sets it down next to Mega, where it is held down by a small weight tied at the end of a string.

Mega smiles, "Thanks, bud. Maybe when I get back on my feet, we can have another soccer game. You can still be the goalie if you want."

"See? You were a great goalie, Boo!" Roll cheers, snuggling Peekaboo in her arms as he bleeps happily.

Mega turns his head to face his father and asks, "Is this the last test?"

"It should be. According to the scan, none of your memories were damaged. And your reflexes and motor skills aren't damaged. I would say you're as good as new," Thomas replies, "Are you certain you haven't forgotten anything?"

"I'm pretty sure," Mega responds.

"What were your first words after you were first brought online?" Dr. Light quizzes.

Mega jogs his memory and remembers, "I said, 'Hi, I'm Rock. Who are you?'"

Roll then grins, "Let's _really_ check that memory. What where you doing exactly twenty hours, twelve minutes and 31 seconds after the ion bomb in Times Square was contained this year?"

Mega almost answers until he remembers when he was doing at that time... He was on in the clouds with Kalinka that night, and she planted the surprise kiss on him.

"Uh... I'd rather, um-" Mega stammers. And if he were a human, he would be blushing.

"I think his memory is just fine, Dr. Light," Roll giggles as she carries Peekaboo in her arms, who is confused because he doesn't know what his Mommy was trying to get Uncle Mega to say. "Come on, Boo. Let's go get some Electrolyte Yogurt."

Peekaboo smiles and lets out a cheering bleep as Roll leaves the lab with her little companion in her arms, and Dr. Light shuts down the scanner on the lab computer. "I still think you should rest for a little while, Rock. Then, you can get back on your feet," Thomas says.

"Okay... where's Proto, anyway?" Mega Man asks.

"I haven't seen much of him since he was here in the lab earlier. But, he hasn't left the premises."

"He's on the roof. It's where I'd want to be if I wasn't feeling good. Check on him," Mega suggests," it's not that I don't trust him. He's probably having some growing pains."

Thomas nods, "Perhaps, I should. It must be difficult for him to adjust to a life way of life so quickly. But, are you sure you don't need any more assistance?"

"I'll be fine, father, as long as Wily doesn't have any more Mad Grinder's showing up tonight," Mega insists.

"Alright, then. But, if you need anything, contact me," Thomas says before he leaves the lab, leaving Mega alone with Rush. Now that he is alone, Mega allows himself to rest, staring at the ceiling and thinks of the emotional roller coaster he has been on in the past few weeks.

It began with his own doubts in himself getting the better of him after the Galaxy Man situation, to barely surviving the onslaught of The Killers, failing to save Janet the young human girl from becoming paralyzed and almost losing Roll when she was trapped in another collapsing building, and the heartache that came when he had the talk with ProtoMan in the park. Then, his doubts became worse when Wily began using The Mad Grinder, and they were so bad he almost quit serving as the Defender of the Human Race...  
>But, now all of those doubts are gone, Wily's nightmare machine is destroyed, and ProtoMan has changed his ways for real. Everything is becoming he had hoped for. His family is complete, and on another continent, he has the girl of his dreams in Kalinka Cossack who he wants to see again.<p>

But, when he remembers Kalinka, he also becomes concerned about her. She must have heard about how bad Mega was hurt and must have been frightened, and he has to tell her he is okay. He would use his forearm communicator, but the only phone lines it can call out to are direct hotlines to the lab and important allies like The White House and Governor Deacon's office.

"Rush, go get the phone, please," Mega calls down below.

Rush barks twice and sprints out of the lab to get the phone.

As he lies here alone, he thinks about Kalinka again, and he worries about her. After learning of how serious her depression was years ago, he has to make sure she is okay. If anything happened to her because of this war, it would tear him apart.

Eventually, Rush sprints back into the lab with a phone clutched in his jaws. He lets out a muffled bark as he stands on his hind legs, and Mega reaches down to get the phone from him. "Thanks, boy... I've got somebody to call on this thing. Maybe you should wait outside for a few minutes. And don't tell anybody, but it's Kalinka I'm calling."

Rush barks (actually giving a wink at Mega to confirm he knows why he wants privacy) and leaves his master be. Mega Man just shakes his head, "Even my own dog teases me."

Mega deals the direct number to Kalinka Cossack's phone, bypassing the butler robot who is set to answer calls at the Cossack Citadel in Russia.

After waiting several tense seconds for an answer, the girl of his dreams answers._ "Rock!"_ she cries immediately.

"Yeah, it's me," Mega replies, "Are you okay?"

_"I am now,"_ Kalinka replies, her voice already shaking from the emotion of hearing her boy's voice alive and well, _"I was so scared I was going to lose you."_

"I was scared too, more than you can believe," Mega admits, "I was afraid of what would have happened to you and my family if Wily had won. But, I think I pulled through because I've still got a job to do... and I need to spend some with you again."

Still crying through the phone, Kalinka lets out a little laugh and confirms in broken English,_ "Are you asking me out on date again?"_

"Yes. I don't know when it will be, but I want to see you real soon," Mega says.

_"I hear Dr. Light worked all night to keep you alive. But, how did you make it out of there?"_ Kalinka asks.

With happiness in his voice, Mega gently replies, "... it was my brother, Kalinka. He risked his life just to save mine. He left Wily to do it."

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end. Obviously this was the first Kalinka had heard of this, and that part of the news must have been left out of the Russian reports too.

_"Oh, Rock... this is so wonderful!"_ Kalinka says, overcome with joyful tears, _"Your family... it is whole now."_

"Yeah... it really is," Mega replies, as the eye lubrication begins welling in his eyes now, "I wish you could have seen it... it it was a dream come true. It felt great to smile again."

* * *

><p>ProtoMan dwells alone on the roof of the lab, just like his brother often does. But, unlike Mega, who usually always stands tall as he overlooks the city, Proto sits with his legs crossed, trying to avoid grabbing the attention of anybody who might pass.<br>The crowd that had gathered out here had long since left, and the worries of last night were now just a memory that Proto would rather not have to live through again... except for the moment he finally mended the fences with his brother. That is a memory he will carry with him forever.

As he looks out at the sight of New York City far off in the distance, he feels so different today then he ever did before. He had spent his entire life being the one starting fights alongside Dr. Wily, bringing terror to this city and many other while never creating very many positive acts... until recently, when he started helping Nomad.

Now, he felt like a different ProtoMan. He felt an inner peace which he had never had before now that he was away from Wily. But, even with how great that all felt, things still don't feel normal for him... he does not even know what _normal_ is quite yet.

Being on the wrong side of this war for so long, Proto does not exactly know how to live like one of the good guys yet. He does not even know if he belongs here at Light's lab yet. It will take time for him to adjust to what it is like to live here and adapt with the Lights after Dr. Wily filled his mind with the belief that they were the enemy.  
>And likewise, it will take time for the Light family (especially Roll) to fully accept ProtoMan after he betrayed them last year. And it could prove just as challenging for the general population to accept ProtoMan as a hero after he actively participated in operations that created terror.<p>

But, even if the Lights all come to embrace him one day, there is still the wound that lingers in Proto's heart created by Dr. Wily treated him. Even after ProtoMan had seen how much of a monster Wily truly is, he is still deeply bothered by how he could do that to him. As much as ProtoMan gave attitude to Wily, he still had some bond with him, and he would have done anything to protect him, even last night when Mr. Black was about to barge into the Oval Office in the White House.

And yet, aside from the time when Wily arranged to get Proto a new yellow scarf, he never seemed to return any of that same sentiment. And even though he has no regrets leaving Wily, he sits here an emotionally hurt robot who is left with more questions than answers about how Wily could do this to him.

"You were my father, Wily," Proto talks to the air, sadly, "Why did you do this to me?"

ProtoMan could feel his sadness getting the better of him again, and he tries so hard to fight it back because he's had enough of being sad. He would rather be the Proto he used to be again, minus all the family feuding and attacking the world stuff. But, the memories of Dr. Wily abusing him so coldly are too much for him to handle.

As Proto sulks, he hears the door leading to the roof opening and he looks over his shoulder to see Dr. Light arriving. Proto quickly turns away from Thomas so that he will not see how upset he was.

"I was wondering where you were," Thomas says," I didn't see you come in though this door."

"I just jumped from the roof of the house to here. It's a lot quicker that way," Proto answers, sounding glum.

With a smile, Thomas adds, "You remind me a lot of your brother. Rock always likes to come up here when he wants to be by himself."

"He's my brother, alright," Proto sighs, taking pride in how similar Mega Man's nuances are similar to his own, but still sounding down because of Wily.

"You look bothered. What's the matter?" Thomas asks.

"Nothing," Proto responds with a lie, not wishing to delve into his feelings.

"That's another trait you share with your siblings: saying that nothing is wrong even when something is," Dr. Light retorts, "And unlike most robots, I know that you and your siblings are capable of telling a lie."

ProtoMan does not admit to his fib to the Good Doctor and looks down at his crossed legs as Dr. Light steps over to his side. "So why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" Thomas asks, "You might feel better if you do. It works when you sister and brother do."

"I don't wanna talk about it right now," Proto mopes, reclusive as always.

"Well, when you feel ready, you can come to me any time," Dr. Light says as he turns to leave.

As Dr. Light walks away, Proto reconsiders his unwillingness to talk to him. Wily had always told Proto not to trust Dr. Light, but when Proto gave his regulator to Mega Man, he trusted his life in the hands of Dr. Light and the man did not take advantage of him.  
>Maybe he's not the one who should be mistrusted. It was just another Wily manipulation.<p>

And if there was any way to smooth things over and get the Lights to trust him, he should start by doing things differently, right now.

"Wait," Proto calls, making Dr. Light stop and turn around again, "... You don't have to go. Maybe I'll talk."

Dr. Light returns to Proto's side and sits down next to him, doing so slowly because of his advancing age. And Thomas waits for ProtoMan to begin, giving him the time he needs to feel more comfortable telling him what is on his mind.

"Wily always told me I couldn't trust you. He always said that it was your fault things went this way. Until last night, I always believed him. I believed him so much that I hated you," Proto admits, "It's difficult for me to just get over all that and start trusting you right away."

"I understand," Dr. Light says, remaining at ProtoMan's side.

After taking a few moments to collect himself, Proto eventually speaks. "I'm having a hard time getting used to this new life. Today is the first day I woke up as a free bot... I didn't have somebody yelling at me, or giving me dirty looks for helping my brother... I didn't have to hear about Wily's newest creation to kill things. When I helped Rock, I did something that felt right, and I felt _appreciated_ for it."

After a pause, Proto adds, "When I was living here last year, ever since seeing you guys be so close with each other... I wanted to know that feeling. I never thought I would know what it felt like, 'cause Wily never... he never..."

Proto becomes too flustered to continue and just hangs his head down. It hurts him to just to remember the kind of ingratitude and hate Wily gave him in the last several months.  
>And Dr. Light puts his hand on Proto's left shoulder as way to comfort him when he really needed it.<p>

Thanks to Dr. Light's assuring presence, Proto collects himself and eventually says, "Nothing I did was ever going to be good enough for him unless I killed my brother... and that wasn't an option for me, and Wily hated me for it. I thought I was his boy. He always told me I was... but, I never was."

Proto's voice grows more silent as he continues, "I feel so useless... I don't even know if I belong here. Everyone's happy with what I did last night, but... they'll never trust me again."

Seeing how despondent Proto sounds, Dr. Light tries to speak to him. "Blues-"

"Please... don't call me that," Proto insists.

"Alright... _Proto._ I can imaging that you are feeling hurt right now because of what Albert did to you. You probably feel awkward because of everything in your life changing so quickly. But, there is something I want you to know, and I hope you remember it when you are not feeling so good about yourself..."

Thomas assures, "You are _my_ boy. And you _always_ have been. And if at any time you need somebody to talk to, I am here for you. And I will never treat you with the cruelty Albert did. I could never do any of the things he did.  
>And after what you did to save your brother's life, <em>I<em> trust you. And you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. It is your home too. You have a family now. You'll be alright."

Proto continues staring down at his crossed legs and his feelings on Dr. Light are beginning to change. He is still having difficulty accepting him as his father, and he feels like he is becoming a big softy after listing to him. But, maybe Light isn't so bad after all. He is certainly not the person Wily made him out to be.  
>"Thanks... Wily never let me speak my mind like you just did. Maybe I'll give this place another shot after all."<p>

Proto turns his head to face Thomas and says, "I guess I'll be inside in a minute. I just want to be up here for a little while longer... I've never had the chance to see the sun setting before, in peace, anyway."

Dr. Light nods and pats Proto's shoulder before he gets up and makes his way back inside. Proto sits by his lonesome again, watching as the sky slowly changes colors. He never thought he would be a sucker for the little sentimental moments like this, but today he allowed himself to be, because it was so serene and beautiful... just like Nomad.

Just thinking about her reminds ProtoMan of his promise to see her again as soon as he got the chance. And maybe tonight would be the best night.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Several hours after being knocked out by his own robot, Dr. Wily begins to wake up as he lies in the shabby mattress in his quarters, sporting a nasty bruise and a dried up scab on his dented balding head.  
>He was still wearing the same clothing he wore last night, aside from his lab coat, which was left crumpled on the floor.<p>

His eyelids hang heavy as they try to open, his head hurts and feels disoriented as trouble remembering anything because the blow he took to the head was so bad, and even after being unconscious for several hours, his body still feels fatigued.

As the lights hit his eyes, it hurts just to see them and he groans with displeasure. And when he reaches up with his hand to feel the bruised area on his head, and the moment he touches it, it hurts, making his headache even worse.

Even now, he has trouble remembering the events of last night, or for that matter, even bits of common knowledge, like who The Current President is. But, he does know that something is not right. He was supposed to be the overlord of the world right this minute, and instead he lying here with a serious head injury.  
>Something is not right here, and Wily wants to find out what it is.<p>

Wily begins to sit up from the bad, and once he gets to his feet, he almost loses his balance and begins to stagger until he hits the wall, the only thing stopping him from falling on his face.  
>Once he gains his balance again, Wily shuffles his way out of his quarters and heads into his fortress.<p>

Even though Albert's memory is still not quite working yet because of the severity of his head injury, he does remember that ProtoMan is not the first robot he would turn to because of what he has done recently. But, Bass can be trusted more. He will go find him and ask what is going on.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in his own room inside Skull Fortress, Bass stands against the wall and stares at a computer tablet the size of his hand. And on the screen are several pictures of Roll that were taken from afar, snapped from Bass' own eye circuits.<p>

Were it not for Mega Man, Bass would have forever assumed the mantle of Most Powerful Robot in the World, and Roll would have taken her place as Bass' queen. Bass is sure (in his strange way of thinking) that there would have been no way Roll could have ever rejected him after taking that kind of power.  
>And after seeing her in combat last night, she has certainly proven how skillful she would be in combat, making her the perfect mate for him. They would be the true owners of the world, and not the weak humans, or Mega Man... not even Dr. Wily.<p>

"I must have you, my queen," Bass says, staring at the pictures of Roll as they appear on the small screen in his hands. "You will be mine, one day."

But, that goal is harder than it ever was before, because of the power Mega Man now yields with his new adapter. Bass becomes angry even _thinking_ about his enemy, because for the first time in his life, he fought an enemy who he could not easily defeat in one fell swoop. And he lost to Mega Man because a play out of his own playbook with the Rush Adapter, similar to the Treble merge mode.

"Mega Man may have defeated us this time, but we will make ourselves stronger, Treble. And Mega Man will fall at my hand. And so will ProtoMan!" Bass says, and Treble gives a low growl of approval.

But, as Bass continues staring at the pictures of Roll, he also considers the potential circumstances of defeating Mega Man in combat the way he wants to. If he kills Mega Man, Roll would resent him for it (and that is an understatement.)  
>"There must be a way I can defeat Mega Man <em>and<em> take Roll at my side," Bass says to himself, "And I will find a way to accomplish both!"

There is a slow pounding at the door, and Bass shuts off the device with Roll's pictures and stashes it away in a hidden compartment in his upper arm armor. He knows it must be Dr. Wily at the door.  
>"Come," he states.<p>

The door opens and Dr. Wily enters, now sporting a bandage on his bald head which he wrapped around it before getting here. "One day, I'm planning on taking over the world. The next thing I know, I'm waking up like this! What the hell happened last night?" he asks, his voice sounding more ragged than normal.

Bass stands up from his leaning position and approaches Dr. Wily. "You are not going be pleased with what your are about to here, Dr. Wily."

"I'm already not pleased as it is! Now, tell me!" Wily grumbles through his headache.

"The Mad Grinder was destroyed during the invasion in Washington D.C." Bass answers.

Wily's eyes begin to narrow as his demented mind begins to piece it all together now. "My Mad Grinder... all of my money... No! All my remaining resources went into the Mad Grinder, and the meteor fragments! Now, it is destroyed!? How could this happen?"

"The Bassinium power core was overloaded and it breached. Nothing could be recovered," Bass explains.

"No!" Wily begins seething, "The Mad Grinder was every bit as powerful as Gamma! How could Mega Man have destroyed it!?"

"_He_ didn't destroy it," Bass says, "ProtoMan did."

Dr. Wily's eyebrows become furrows and his eyes begin to grow big when he hears this shocking news from Bass. "What!?" Wily asks in growl.

"It is the truth, Dr. Wily. I watched it all happen," Bass says, "You had gunned down Mega Man and he was close to death. But, minutes later, The Mad Grinder began to overload with power and ProtoMan escaped. And judging by the injury you took to your head, ProtoMan must have attacked you to save his brother.  
>He chose his familial connection with Mega Man over your desires, Dr. Wily, just like I said he would."<p>

After hearing Bass' description of last night's event's, Dr. Wily begins boiling over with fury, and it is only making his headache more painful than it already was, causing the area where he was hit on his head hurt even worse. Even though he cannot fully remember a thing from last night, he believes Bass' account and accepts it as truth.  
>After all the discipline and fear Wily had taken upon himself to instill upon him, ProtoMan had the gall to defy his order! To save Mega Man! Bass was right about him... Metal Man was right about him... ProtoMan cared for his brother too much, and one day it would be Dr. Wily's undoing. But, he did not anticipate Proto lashing out and attacking him.<p>

_"He values Mega Man over you! He is no better than Thomas Light! You know what to do!"_ says the whisper in Wily's head.

"How DARE that ingrate betray me again! I will make him PAY!" Wily snaps before storming off to ProtoMan's quarters.

Bass follows him out because there was one other very important element that Wily was not aware of.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily continues marching towards ProtoMan's old quarters here and Bass fellows him, trying to tell him about ProtoMan's whereabouts before he gets there and finds out for himself.<p>

"There is a pressing matter about ProtoMan that I should tell you before you reach his quarters," Bass says, calmly.

"You will have plenty of time to tell me after I get done giving him the punishment of a goddamn lifetime!" Wily growls, pulling out a another small drive from his pocket containing the same pain program he used on ProtoMan before, ready to make him pay for the ultimate betrayal.

Dr. Wily finally reaches Proto's room, and kicks the door open with a yell... but there was no ProtoMan to be found. The room was totally empty.

Wily spins around to Bass and snaps, "Where is he?"

"He's gone, Dr. Wily," Bass replies, still calm.

"GONE!? What do you mean _gone_!?" Wily yells.

"He fled the area after the Mad Grinder was destroyed and he took Mega Man with him," Bass explains, "He returned to Dr. Light's lab in New York... he's one of them now."

Dr. Wily's rage suddenly disappears and he becomes silent, the complete opposite of how he was when he got here. "He... he left me?"

Bass nods. "Apparently, he is still at Light's lab, and he is already claiming ProtoMan to be his son. You should have foreseen this, Dr. Wily."

After hearing how much ProtoMan rejected him, completely abandoning his co-creator and getting out of his life, Albert's gaze begins to drift off and the whispers in his head grow suddenly silent.  
>Wily turns around again to look inside Proto's quarters, seeing only his old mattress sitting in the corner, without even the slightest trace left behind that Proto ever lived here.<br>Albert never thought Proto could ever do this and take Dr. Light over him. But, he did.

In the middle of Dr. Wily's dazed spell, Bass begins making his case. "Dr. Wily, now that ProtoMan is no longer a problem for your future plans, I offer my services as ProtoMan's permanent replacement as your right hand robot."

Dr. Wily remains silent and sullen (or to aptly put it, _sad_) as he stares inside ProtoMan's room. Eventually he feels Bass' hand on his shoulder, which catches his attention.

"Dr. Wily?" he asks.

"Huh?" mutters a dazed-looking Wily.

"I want to take ProtoMan's place as your right hand," Bass repeats, "If we work together, the world will be yours, Roll will be mine, and all our enemies will be defeated at last."

"Er... yes, Bass, whatever you say," Wily says, looking like he is not here mentally.

"Are you alright, Dr. Wily?" Bass asks, perplexed by Wily's strange behavior.

"I'll, uh, be just fine, Bass. I just need to... take a rest for a moment," a sullen, mumbling Albert answers, patting Bass on his shoulder armor, "It's been a very bad day. You have been through a great battle, I'm sure. You should recharge."

"I'm fine, Doctor... are you sure you're alright? Because, you certainly aren't behaving normal," Bass asks.

"Yes," Wily drones before shambling away again.

Bass calls, "I will make ProtoMan pay for this. Just tell me how you want him dealt with, and it will be done."

Wily does not respond any further and continues walking away, leaving Bass to wonder what his problem is. And that problem is much deeper than the destruction of the Mad Grinder and the challenge he now faces if he wants to take over the world.  
>This problem is much more personal...<p>

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily drags himself back to the workshop in the fortress, walking past several broken robots who are limping as their parts of their bodies literally fall apart after sustaining damage in the battle in Washington D.C.<br>Albert pays no mind to his injured robots and dwells solely on ProtoMan's betrayal and departure.

After all the efforts to set him straight, including resorting to the extreme punishment he inflicted upon Proto weeks ago, Wily thought that it would all make ProtoMan more loyal to him and make him sever all his ties to Thomas Light and Mega Man forever, making him worthy of his old stature of being the right hand robot and second-in-command of the robot army.  
>Instead, all it did was backfire, and Wily's sick mind cannot seem to accept the fact that what he was doing was wrong and that ProtoMan was better off away from him.<p>

Once he reaches the workshop, the same place where he so viciously tortured ProtoMan with the pain program, Wily closes and locks the rickety door, leaving him alone to mire in his most crushing moment yet.

"He had no right to leave me," he mutters angrily to himself, "He had no right! I was making him a better soldier! He was supposed to have been loyal to me! INSTEAD HE RUNS AWAY TO THOMAS LIGHT!"

Wily snaps, flipping over his work table and sending all the scrap parts that were on top of it onto the floor, creating a loud crash sound. Albert then roars as he picks up his small monitor, "We were supposed to rule the world together! BUT, NOW HE'S ONE OF THEM!"

Wily throws the monitor and it crashes into the wall, completely shattering the screen and turning it into more scrap metal.

"Thomas can't take him! HE WAS _MY_ BOY!" Wily yells, knocking over a rack loaded with tools and equipment, turning his workshop into a disaster area as he continues to rage...  
>until Albert sees himself in the reflection of a mirror, complete with a large crack right down the middle, which distorts his face. And when he sees himself, he stops and stares at himself. It was right here and now that Albert Wily was seeing what he had become when it came to his treatment of ProtoMan...<p>

In his quest to make Proto exclusively loyal to him by using the harshest means possible, Albert Wily had become just like his own father, a man who viciously abused his son until one day that son fought back in a violent way and left him forever... which, in a tragic parallel, is precisely what ProtoMan just did to Albert.  
>It was all Wily's fault that this happened too. If he were a sane man, he would have known that cold-blooded torture of his own son would have crossed a red line. But, Wily's own insanity led him to it.<br>And this hurt him, more than losing the Mad Grinder, and more than being at a severe low point resource-wise since this war began... he lost the closest thing to a son he had.

"He was... my boy..." Albert laments, his wrinkled eyes becoming wet now, "He was _my boy_!"

Albert stumbles backwards until he hits the wall and slumps down to the floor, sitting among the scattered broken remains of the equipment he just smashed, and he begins to weep for the father/son relationship he just lost with Proto. A relationship that was doomed to self-destruction a long time ago.

He always tried to convince himself to never become too attached to his robots like Thomas always did, but eventually he did become attached to Proto. Albert would have never referred to ProtoMan as his boy if he didn't view him as a son.  
>Even when he lost his original scarf over two years ago, it was Albert who ordered a Robot Master to go steal another for him so that he could have it. He did it because ProtoMan was loyal to him back then, so he was loyal to Proto.<p>

Until he let his obsession with defeating Mega Man got the better of him, Wily would allow Proto to try to find a way to bring Mega over to their side, because he knew it was what he wanted, even Wily would have preferred to destroy his enemy.

Even though he would never admit it, probably not even to himself, Albert Wily did view ProtoMan as a son, and there was a little kernel of humanity in his heart that would have allowed him to love him. But, he let this war and his thirst for power take away the only thing that should have meant anything to him.

And it is all his fault, and Albert has nobody else to put to the blame on this time but himself, and he knows it. And Albert is so shocked and devastated by losing ProtoMan that he begins thinking long and hard about what he has done, perhaps for the first time in his life.

"I should have never hurt him," Wily blubbers, "He was my boy!"

He considers that this was his doing, and that ProtoMan left not only because of how he treated him, but of the man he was becoming lately. When he started this war, Albert had initially frowned upon the idea of killing any more people after the Times Square attack, but recently, he began not to care who lived or died because if they were on Mega Man's side, they were his enemy, and his new world would be better off without them.  
>He had even resorted to testing the pain program on a helpless Met robot (Peekaboo), and was about to wipe the memory of the female member of The Killers (Nomad) after her programming was faulty.<p>

But, the worst was all the things he did to ProtoMan, not just physically with the pain program, but the emotional abuse he gave him be making sure he saw Bass return and the warm welcome Wily gave him upon returning... something he never gave Proto himself.

As Albert sits crying in his workshop, he considers that maybe... this was all just a big mistake. He should have never tried to do something as deplorable as what he has done... He thinks that maybe he needs to stop trying to take over the world and stop this...

"... I should have never done this... I'm not a genius... I am a monster... one that needs to be locked away... I need to stop this..."

But, in the middle of his sulking, Albert sees himself in the mirror again, and this time his mood deteriorates back into rage again... "No!" he growls, taking his hands and fiercely wiping away the tears which were on his face.

Wily's mind and train of thought are so deranged and vain that he was never exclusively to blame. There was, and always will be somebody or something else to point to finger at and place the blame on, whether they were guilty or not. And that is the case now.  
>And in Wily's warped mind, while he accepts blame for ProtoMan's departure, it was only <em>partial<em>. There was only other one person to blame for it. And it wasn't Mega Man, it was Thomas Light.

Who else would be responsible for turning ProtoMan against his own creator than him? Once he got a taste for what it was like on the other side, Thomas poisoned Proto's mind to make him believe that it was better to be with them instead of bringing the world to it's knees and making the weakling citizens fall to their knees and worship Wily as a god after all the times they laughed at him.  
>No, Proto didn't just leave on his own account... Thomas must have coaxed him to leave. It had to have been it.<p>

Wily began to have intrusive visualizations depicting these warped thoughts, seeing ProtoMan being taken in my Thomas Light and integrated into his 'family', living their life in their cozy little lab in New York. And in Wily's warped visions, he saw Thomas Light laughing at him while taking ProtoMan to be his own.

"Thomas... You took my job, my whole adult life, away from me... you took my reputation as the world's greatest robotics scientist away from me... and now... YOU HAVE TAKEN **MY BOY** AWAY FROM ME!" a seething Dr. Wily says to the air, balling his aged fists so tightly his nails dig into his palms, "Everything in my adult life has fallen to ruin, because of you, you son of a bitch!"

Wily returns to his feet, and with furious anger he throws his right finger up to point and the sky. And with eyes ablaze, he shrieks, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, THOMAS! YOU ARE GOING TO_ **DIE!**"_

And for nearly an hour, Dr. Wily yelled at the top of his lungs for Dr. Light to die over and over again, until his voice could handle no more. There was no laughing, no proclamations of his desire to take over the world. Just pure unadulterated rage aimed for his former business partner, promising that he will pay for taking ProtoMan away from him.  
>And even with depleted resources, even if he never takes over the world, even if it takes every drop of blood and every last breath... Albert Wily is determined to make it happen.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Somewhere in Utah.**

Wearing a backpack loaded with supplies and robot food on his back, ProtoMan rides over the skies of Utah on Roll's SkyCycle, which was just repaired. Nobody at the lab was aware he had left because they were all asleep, and perhaps he should not have taken his younger sister's ride... but, in Proto's point of view, what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

Maybe he should have told them he was leaving to do this, they might not be suspicious. And even though things are finally beginning to smooth over between them, Roll would probably be the first one to jump on Proto's case about this.  
>Maybe if he told them, maybe Dr. Light could take her in and help her. Maybe he could repair her without having to wipe her memory core clean.<p>

But, at the same time, he couldn't tell them. Nomad's existence was Proto's secret alone, and he did not want any word of her existence getting back to Wily. It was best to keep it this way, for now.

Proto is almost at his destination now, and he can feel something strange... like he's all _mushy and tingly inside_ just thinking of seeing his special friend Nomad again. Whenever he is around her, he feels good and he knows she feels good to be with him too. He wishes he could make her feel normal all the time and never have to feel that horrible pain again.

Finally, Proto reaches the destination - a construction site located well outside of Salt Lake City - and he dismounts the SkyCycle and begins walking around looking for her. "I'm here. You can come out now," he speaks into his forearm communicator.

After searching for her, Proto sees Nomad coming out of the shadows, pulling her grey sweatshirt's hood from her head staring across at him, just to make sure it's not a trick like the kind Proto had warned her about (such as a Dark Man illusion.)

"It's really me," Proto says, pulling his helmet off and exposing his face, "Last night I told you that... you've got a bot here who love you very much... and I really meant it."

Nomad begins stepping over to ProtoMan and he begins approaching her, but very quickly, Nomad begins running toward her friend to embrace him. Proto does not even bother putting his helmet back on and drops it to the ground as he catches Nomad in his arms, and they enter a close, warm, loving hug.

"Things have changed," Proto coos into her left ear, "We're gonna be seeing a lot more of each other now. Which is fine by me, 'cause I love you."

Nomad rests her head on his scarf and closes her eyes, hugging ProtoMan a little tighter after his soothing words. This was her response to Proto's proclamation of love for her. She loves him, too. She feels no pain now; just warmth in her heart for ProtoMan.  
>And as a helmetless ProtoMan bows his head down and pets her long black hair, he now feels better than he ever felt when serving under Dr. Wily. He has finally found the happiness that was missing from his life. He finally has a real relationship with his brother Mega Man, and he holds dear the innocent Nomad in his embrace right now. And he wouldn't trade either for the world.<p>

Proto does not yet know how things are going to go with the Lights now that he is supposedly going to be staying with them now, and he does not know what will happen when Dr. Wily crosses paths with him again. And he doesn't know how long he will be able to keep Nomad safe from Wily should her existence be exposed, or if he should tell Dr. Light.

But, for right now, he feels fine. The hole in his heart has been filled with his brother in his life, a shot at a new relationship with his family, Dr. Wily out f his life, and the girl he loves in his arms. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

The war will continue, and there will be more battles. But, right now on this night, all is well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Finally, after about five months spent in production, Episode 11 is finally complete, and so is "Year Three" of Defender of the Human Race. The good news is, there are still more episodes to come with Year Four, and later, Year Five.  
>Defender is not done yet.<em>

_With that being said, I need a vacation. Really, I need to take a few days to relax. The most recent chapters have taken a lot of time a lot out of me. And also, I never really gave myself the vacation I intended to take back in 2011, (or in 2012 when I used that time to re-write Episode 1). I have been writing this series almost every day since I started, including writing on holidays, birthdays, when I was sick with the flu, hobbled with a sprained back, and when enduring personal issues.  
><em>_I need to take some time to step back and take a breather, and I also need time to set up what I want to do for Year Four._

_Just to be clear, Defender of the Human Race will continue and it's not over yet, and I'm just going on a mini vacation. There will be an interlude to Episode 12 in June (or Early July), and Episode 12 itself will debut in late June/Early July.  
>Stay tuned to the Profile page for updates. Thank you for your patience.<em>

_Thank you very much to all of you have you have read this episode and those past, (as well as those to come), including those who left reviews, including Gancena, Lalalei, DestinyZX, Little Kunai, MegaManV, Tourise, The Mystery Reviewer, ChristianSoldier5, Skydaybreak, Lucky Ryuujin, Thanos6 and those of you who reviewed as guests._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, incomplete/fractured sentences, or continuity errors that are so bad that I would have to come back from my vacation to fix it, please PM me before my flight to The Mysterious Island of Dr. Wily takes off. (I hear it's quite nice there.)_

_See you soon. And Thank You! :)_


	126. Interlude: Countdown to Year Four

**_Interlude: Countdown to Year Four, Part 1._**

* * *

><p><strong>Two days after the destruction of the Mad Grinder...<strong>

We hear eerie, scary music and see nothing but darkness. Then, words appear and a raspy-voiced announce begins speaking the words to us...

_"Coming this Halloween. __Anarchy Productions presents, a Rob Williamson production of a Rob Williamson film, written by Rob Williamson... Evelyn Raye stars in the most spine-tingling movie of her career... 'Hush Little Monster 2: 'Mum' is the Word'."_

In the trailer, we see famed scream queen Evelyn Raye walking a baby carriage into a room at a day care center. _"Mmmmmmm, excuse me. Could you please watch my beautiful little darling until I return from the fashion show,"_ the affected voice of Raye's character says.

The trailer then makes a quick dissolve to a shot of the young female babysitter - a girl who just looks like stereotypical horror movie victim - hearing a low, guttural, _inhuman_ growl coming from the carriage and turning around to face it... then we see her cautiously approach it...

and then, we see two massive alien-like jaws snapping out from the carriage looking like it is about to devour her, and the camera quickly cuts to black as we see the movie's title on the screen.

"'Hush Little Monster 2_ is scarier than the original,' says Ray Rogers of the Detroit Star Ledger. And Stacey Czarniack of the Mile High Tribune says '__Evelyn Raye is at the peak of her horror career'" t_he announcer says as we see clips of Evelyn hamming it up on the screen.

Finally, we see the crib again and the alien jaws now reach out for US and the screen quickly cuts to show the movie's title again in a blood red Times New Roman font and the announcer speaks, _"Hush Little Monster 2: 'Mum' is the word, starring Evelyn Raye. Coming this October to a theatre near you. Rated 'PG-13'."_

... After the trailer for what is sure to be one of the worst movies of 20X3 concludes, we cut away to an endorsed ad for Former New York Governor George Cochran's Presidential Campaign, which (of course) begins with the phrase, _"I'm George Cochran, and I approve this message."_

We see slow motion shots of the Ex-Governor at various early campaign stops he has made as his deep smoky voice narrates over it. _"This November, a new era in our country's history will begin, and I would appreciate having the chance to be the one who leads you into this new era._

_When Super Tuesday voting begins in the coming months, a vote for the Cochran campaign of 20X4 is a vote for an even better future. If I am fortunate enough to serve as The Next President of the United States, I will make this country more secure from the kind for threats posed by Dr. Wily and other, and prevent the kind of attacks that took place here in New York and Washington D.C. from ever happening again._

_With me as your President, I will fulfill the needs of all American the same way the needs of New Yorkers were fulfilled after for eight years. And during my time in office, I will work closely with Dr. Light and Mega Man, and we will strive to bring Dr. Wily to justice once and for all. But, this can only happen if you come out and show your support. You won't regret it. I guarantee it."_

The video freezes on the smiling face of the Ex-Governor as an announcer voice speaks,_ "Paid for by 'Cochran X4'."_

After the screen fades to black at the stroke of Eleven O'clock, the late news begins on Channel 7...

**_"Live, from the first station in New York to broadcast in Super-Definition, it's 7 Eyewitness News! With your anchors Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg, Chief Meteorologist Topper Bernstein, and Exaire Lancaster with Sports."_**

_"Welcome to Channel 7 Eyewitness News. I'm Kirk Trujillo,"_ says Kirk.

_"And, I'm Trish Falkenburg. We'll take you live to New Jersey Stadium for live report on the results of tonight's game in a few minutes, but first, we go to Bree Recotta in the newsroom for a follow-up on this morning's news about Dr. Thomas Light, Mega Man and ProtoMan."_

We then see Bree in the newsroom where correspondents and journalists are seen in the background tending to news stories, or speaking on the phone.

_"Thanks, Kirk and Trish. This morning, just one day after Mega Man was revealed to have been fully repaired from his injuries, Dr. Thomas Light addressed the public speculation over ProtoMan's status after it was learned that he played a major part in the destruction of Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder two nights ago in Washington D.C., confirming that he has once again abandoned Wily and joined his brother Mega Man in the fight against the disgraced scientist, and presumably for real this time.  
>Despite this news, the public at large appears to be having a mixed reaction following his betrayal of Mega Man and Dr. Light on Election Night 20X2. We even asked citizens here in New York what their opinion was, and their reaction was not exactly one-hundred percent favorable."<em>

We first see the hippie kid (the one with the dreadlocks, tie-dye shirt and bathrobe who was saw previously praising Mr. Black) talking about ProtoMan.

_"ProtoDude?"_ says Hippie Kid, _"Man... I don't, like, _know_ yet about him, dude, 'cuz he was, you know, with Wily and all that. And that kinda,... like, makes him like a big question mark dude, n' stuff."_

_"I still don't trust him. This isn't the first time he's saved Mega Man's life, and he turned bad again the next day,"_ says another doubtful citizen.

We then see another citizen, an aging grandmother, who says,_ "I don't like him. I think he's mean."_

_"ProtoMan? That piece of robo **** can go to robo hell, for all I care! Do you remember what he did right down the street at Times Square?" _says a citizen who had some not too kind words to say about Proto.

Bree's narration continues, _"In fact, word of ProtoMan's heroic actions has not spread as fast as Mr. Black's actions, as this citizen would find out..."_

"He_ did?! ... Oh..."_ says the same angry New Yorker after he was told about Proto, _"Well... he better _mean it_ this time, or there's a lotta people here who are gonna give him a knuckle sandwich!"_

Bree continues speaking as we see file footage from last year on Election Week, when ProtoMan was still serving with Dr. Wily and pretending that he had turned good. _"Many of those who still resent ProtoMan remember the events of last year, when ProtoMan had performed a similar action by turning against Dr. Wily and siding with his famous brother Mega Man. But, his true intention then was to deceive the Light family as a part of an Albert Wily plot to replace the world's elected officials with robot duplicates. While it seems the Lights can forgive and forget, the citizens of New York and the world are not as much.  
>According to a nationwide poll, a large amount of respondents still bear resentment toward ProtoMan, at least 29% of them. And a much larger amount of them mistrust ProtoMan 68% to 32%. Clearly, people have not forgotten what happened last year, or any of the events of the war that took place before this week."<em>

We then see Bree in the newsroom again, as she continues speaking_ "__And, Kirk and Trish, unlike his brother, sister and his co-creator, ProtoMan has yet to be given any type of acknowledgement for his actions in Washington, and no Medal of Valor ceremonies are being planned at this time. Despite the lingering resentment from years past, the general population may be able to forgive ProtoMan's past sins one day, but it's likely they will never forget them. Back to you in the studio."_

... In the family room of Dr. Light's house next to the lab, Mega Man watches the news report on the family's television with disappointment. He was not even here to watch the news, but just coming to shut everything down for the night. But, when he heard the report on the public reaction to his brother, he stopped and felt the need to see it for himself.

He feels let down that the same people he protects are seemingly against his brother. But, he can also understand why they feel this way, because just a few short weeks ago, Mega himself had his own doubts about ProtoMan's true stance in the war, ones that were forever put to rest when he gave his own heart to save his brother's life and turned on Wily for real to save the country, and the world.

He hopes that when given time, the citizens will grow to trust ProtoMan and believe that he is telling the truth this time. If Roll - who hated ProtoMan with a passion for years - could accept this change, than everybody can too.

Mega Man switches the television off and heads to the lab, where his father Dr. Light wants to run full diagnostic on his brother, especially his new internal regulator to check if it is not causing any side effects on his systems. Normally, Dr. Light would not be this stringent on making sure his robots were fully healthy, but after hearing how bad of shape Mega himself was in, the good doctor is not taking any chances.

* * *

><p>Shortly after Mega arrives, he sees Dr. Light trying to convince ProtoMan to let him run the diagnostic, and Proto is not too keen on the idea.<p>

"Yeah, well, I don't like having tests run on me. I only allowed you to open me up once, and that was when I had to save Rock," he says.

"Have you ever had so much as a routine check-up on yourself?" Light asks.

After a pause, Proto replies, "... No. Not Really."

"You should consider it for your own good, Proto. As far as you know, you might have serious problem with your systems," Thomas says.

"Maybe later," Proto replies as he brushes Dr. Light off and walks away.

Thomas looks at Proto and shakes his head, because by _'maybe later'_, he knows Proto really meant _'Not any time soon'_.

ProtoMan crosses paths with Mega on his way out. He stops and asks, "Are you feeling alright?"

"A lot better. Thanks," Mega replies, smiling.

"Good. You might want to tell that to _him_. He's really been obsessed giving check-ups after our near-death experiences the other day," Proto advises, "I'll be in the house if you need back-up."

"At _this_ time of night?" Mega asks, stunned at how late his brother is staying up.

"You guys go to bed too early for me. My day is just getting started," Proto grins.

As Proto leaves, Mega walks in and meets with his father, who confesses, "I am concerned about him, Rock. There is no telling what kind of damage that the pain program Albert used on him might have caused. I would have liked to give him a tracking chip like the rest of you have, but he refused that too."

"Maybe you should just give him time to get used to living here," Mega suggests, "He hasn't really gotten to know us all well yet."

"Perhaps you are right. I should give him time to adjust," Thomas relents, "After the other night, I have been a little more protective than usual. I have all my children at home now and I would feel terrible if anything were to happen to any of you. But, hopefully with Wily's abominable Mad Grinder destroyed and ProtoMan home, hopefully it will deter him from fighting this war any longer."

"I hope so too. But, I doubt it," Mega replies.

Thomas tilts his head, "Are you alright, Rock? You still look bothered by something."

Mega sighs, "I just saw something on the news. A lot of the human citizens are still angry with Proto for being with Wily. It's like they don't even _know_ what he did to save them last night. The news hasn't even talked about him as much as that Mr. Black guy."  
>With a hint of anger, Mega asks, "How can they forgive <em>him<em> so quickly and still be mad at my brother after he saved them?"

Thomas shrugs, "I don't know, Rock. But, it may be best if we let the citizens have the chance to get used to this new change too. They have had to live with ProtoMan being on Wily's side for so long just like we have, and it will take some getting used to seeing him with as an ally and friend for a while."

Mega sighs, "I hope you're right about that too."

* * *

><p>ProtoMan makes his way into the same family room where his brother stood just moments ago, beginning his enjoyment of his new life here, which seems easy, because Dr. Light's residence place is a lot more posh than living at Skull Fortress.<p>

"I could get used to living like this," he says to himself sarcastically before he drops himself down on the couch... and because his body is made out of metal, it put a strain on the couch's structure and he could hear something snap inside of it.

"_That_ doesn't sound good," Proto mutters nervously as he grabs a pillow and stuffs it under one of the cushions in an attempt to keep it balanced and hide any evidence that he had just broken it.  
>Even afterwards, Proto looks over his shoulders to make sure none of the other Light family was around to have witnessed his mistake.<p>

After he knows that coast is clear (although he may have to deal with this if anybody finds out it's busted) Proto switches on the TV again. "Let's see what's on this time of night. It sure beats staring at a wall in the old fortress."

Proto sees the news, which is on a sports report for the football game. "Boring," he says.

He changes the channel and sees another news report on another channel discussing next year's Presidential Election. "More boring," Proto deems it.

Proto changes to another channel airing a news talk program, but he sees that the subject on this program is about him and his turning on Wily the other night. Proto stops changing channels and listens to what the people on the show are saying about him.

_"The question is, has ProtoMan really turned his back on Dr. Wily for good, or could this be just another disappointment?"_ says the moderator of the program, _"We begin with Ken Kokopeli, Commentator from the New Jersey Republic Ledger, as well as Mellissa Cooper from the Friends of Robots Society._  
><em>What is your opinion of ProtoMan's turning to good again?"<em>

_"If what Dr. Light said is true - and this man has never lied to us - then, yes, ProtoMan really has changed for the better. He was the one who stopped Dr. Wily in Washington the other night, and he even gave of himself to save Mega Man's life."_

Kokopeli the other panelist interrupts, _"Are you seriously buying this? Do you even remember what he did last year? ProtoMan has been Dr. Wily's right hand puppet ever since this war began, and he betrayed not only Mega Man but everybody else already, and did it with a smile on his face. Do you really think he won't do it again?"_

The Pro-robot human woman counters, _"No, of course he won't. We shouldn't even be having this conversation, because he is not the first reformed Dr. Wily robot. Look at the progress Drill Man has made since he turned good, and how great Galaxy Man is since he was repaired. They way people have reacted to ProtoMan ever the attack in Washington D.C. is not fair."_

_"This isn't just another robot we're talking about here! This is Wily's top lieutenant,"_ says the other commentator, _"ProtoMan fooled us all before, and he's going to fool us all again. And if ProtoMan just so happens to be watching this right now, you're not fooling me, pal!"_

ProtoMan falls silent and his gaze drifts away from the television screen as his thoughts dwell on how the humans are reacting. It felt strange knowning that even after all that he did to help his brother and to save all of them, these humans still hate him. They still think he's with Wily.  
>He is pretty bothered that they continue to associate him with Wily after everything bad that old man did to him (even thought they have no knowledge of it).<p>

The more he sees this, the more he sees that things still are not quite normal for him. Some of the Lights are accepting him like Dr. Light and Peekaboo, but then there's Roll who still has her doubts about him. And there is Mega, who certainly appears that he is happy that Proto is here now, but Proto suspects his brother has been fighting him for so long that he does not know how to adjust to this himself.

Things definitely aren't normal, and they may never be, just like Rock said they wouldn't be when they had their first conversation last year.

Proto just shuts off the Television, drops the remote back on the couch and walks away. "T.V. sucks," he mopes.

As he leaves, Proto sees his brother Mega Man standing there. He must have been here when the talking heads on the T.V. were talking about him, and only makes Proto feel even more awkward.

Mega tries to speak to his brother, "Proto, I'm-"

"Don't want to talk about it. Sorry, bro," Proto replies, not missing a beat as he heads to his bedroom area.

Mega feels powerless to help his brother cope with the reaction he is getting from many of the people, and he feels terrible for him. This change in their life is going to be a difficult one for Proto, and a lot of people too. And were it not for Albert Wily, it all wouldn't be like this.

"I'm sorry too, Proto," Mega says, sadly.

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>****FBI Headquarters.  
><strong>**Langley, Virginia.**

A meeting is being held in the Bureau conference room, and the prime subject is not Dr. Wily, but John Barton. In the meeting are Agent Cotto and Special Agent in Charge Allen, and standing in front of everybody is the Secretary of Defense Willard Jones, who was in the White House underground bunker at the time Dr. Wily attacked. And he is not even here to discuss the Wily attack, but he is here to have a word with how the second most wanted man in the world could have slipped through their fingers.

"How could one man have gotten past all our allied forces _and_ Mega Man and _even_ Wily's robots, then get inside _The White House?! _Not to mention, getting within _breathing distance_ of The President of the United States?!" asks the Attorney General.

"Our satellites picked him up as he come into the D.C. area," Allen says, "But, we had trouble getting a positive I.D. on him until he was already on the ground. When we tries to inform our allies, they were preoccupied with the ongoing battle with Wily's robots."

The Secretary of Defense sternly huffs, "Well, we can consider ourselves lucky that he was looking to save The President. Because, if he wasn't, all your heads would have been on the chopping block right now!"

The agents all around the area seem nervous after being reamed by the Secretary of Defense

"Even though Ex-Agent Barton helped President Henry escape with his life that night, it doesn't mean he is_ truly_ on our side in this war," The Secretary of Defense says.

Agent Cotto chimes in, "Agent Barton has made it very clear that it's Albert Wily that he's-"

"Did I finish my point, Agent?" asks the perturbed Secretary of Defense.

Cotto remains silent and lets the Attorney finish his point, resisting the urge to glaze his eyes.

"As far as we know, he could hold Thomas Light and Mega Man just as responsible for the death of his wife as he does Albert Wily, and his behavior would possibly indicate that. Ex-Agent Barton must be apprehended now, because we now have a population who is romanticizing a masked vigilante who attacked innocent people before what happened this week, even going so far as to break into Thomas Light's lab and attack him," The General says, "I want this man off the streets and in a cell the next time he shows up in public, because I don't want him corrupting the minds of our citizens. So, double your efforts. It doesn't matter how much money you need to fund this operation, The President will grant it to you. Just find him."

After the Secretary of Defense leaves the office with his entourage, Cotto leaves through a separate door and Agent Allen follows him out.

They both get onboard the same elevator and ride back down to the 'bullpen' of the headquarters, and neither man says a word until the senior agent speaks. "I hope you are not letting you past history with Barton cloud your judgment, considering he was your personal friend."

"I'm not," Cotto replies, "He needs to be brought in because he's a danger to society, and himself."

"You would not have been my first choice to lead this investigation. You would have been my last," Allen says, which causes Cotto to turn his head and stare back, "But, you still have time to prove me wrong. Just not very much of it."

"What do you mean?" Agent Cotto asks.

"If you don't have Barton in custody in six months time, you're off the case," Allen says.

"Do you remember how difficult it is to even come close to him, let alone arrest him?' Cotto asks, doing his best to contain his frustration.

"I do. But, it's time now for you to find a way to get close enough to stop him. I'm not about to lose my job over this because the bureau can't apprehend one man. And if I take over, things will have to get ugly," Allen warns, without even looking at Cotto in the eye and keeping his gaze straight ahead as the doors open and he steps out.

Cotto stares at his boss with bitterness as the elevator doors close again, angered that Allen could place such an impossible time limit on him like this. But, now that he has less time than he thought to find his former friend, it makes him want to find him as soon as he can. For both of their sakes.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.**

The man once known as Agent John Barton is sitting in his media observation room, his face now sporting a bandage below his right eye to cover the cut created by Shadow Man's shadow blades during the invasion in Washington D.C.  
>He stares at all the monitors displaying the news reports from around the North American continent, keeping an eye out for any sign of activity regarding Dr. Albert Wily, the man whose actions led to the death of his beloved Tonya.<br>He was so close to achieving his vengeance at the White House, one bullet away from sending that bastard straight to hell. But, he was not fast enough to pull it off, and he has been mentally beating himself up over it ever since.

As Barton stares at the screens, there is one news piece airing on a national evening news broadcast that catches his attention: a report on the sudden - and alarming - popularity of Mr. Black following the White House attack. He could not resist leaning towards the screen to watch the report, muting the audio from all the other monitors so he could hear this one.

_"-But, after he saved the life of President Henry in front of the world on live television, the masked vigilante has undergone a surge in popularity approaching that of Mega Man's,"_ says the grey-haired anchorman as video footage of citizens in America plays, including a few ill-advised guys dressing up in Mr. Black-like outfits (some of whom would later be arrested on sight because they were confused for the wanted vigilante) as well as a vendor in New York City selling shirts out of the back of his car that show cheaply animated cartoon heads of Mega Man and Mr. Black and a caption that says "_Mega Man + Mr. Black: A winning team."_

We then see a pre-taped interview the anchor conducted with a psychologist who has a long curly handlebar moustache. _"Why, in your professional opinion, are people embracing Mr. Black even after the details of his alleged crimes have come out?"_

As he strokes his moustache, the shrink responds, _"It clearly shows that the general population has become emotionally distressed after living in fear for three years. They are now beginning to idolize anybody who stands in the way of Dr. Wily, regardless of their prior history."_

The reporter asks, _"On the other side of the token, why are these same people not embracing ProtoMan after he took action against Wily in a more direct way. Some of them are even rejecting him."_

_"Because, ProtoMan served with Dr. Wily for so long, therefore he is closely associated with him. And he tricked the public once before, so they are less likely to believe him, even if he is telling the truth. He is a fixture of this war, and until now, he has always been on the wrong side, and the psyche of the general population are not as ready to accept him."_

The reporter asks,_ "We have already heard of citizens dressing up like Mr. Black and even some who are becoming vigilantes, much like the group of youths who were doing the same in Mega Man's name this past spring. Should we expect this kind of behavior to rise?"_

_"The longer this war goes on, the more damage it will cause to the general psyche. As much as we appreciate Mega Man, sooner or later, people will want Dr. Wily to be apprehended by any means necessary, even if it means they take matters into their own hands."_

Barton's phone to The Conduit rings, and he answers it shortly afterwards. "Yeah."

_"It appears you are becoming a celebrity,"_ says The Conduit, _"This should have been expected. That is the kind of thing that happens when you save the life of a President."_

"I wasn't about to let him die at Wily's hands," Barton says.

_"You weren't exactly told to save him. You were told to take care of Wily, nothing else. And because you were late, he got away."_

"Again. I was not about to let The President die," Barton states, "And nobody regrets not killing Wily more than me. But, he will be dead soon enough. I guarantee it."

_"I'm counting on that guarantee,"_ The Conduit says, _"I am in the process if forging a plan that will surely cause Wily to fall into our hands, and you will be the main player involved in consummating it... assuming you will give me the data you copied from Dr. Light's lab computer."_

"Of course you're going to get it," Barton lies, "And as for your plan, it would be for the best if you left your little minions out of my way, especially the Bonne boy. I can't guarantee their safety."

_"And I advise you to keep your friendly fire count to nil, Mr. Black. Or else, you can forget the deal, and my 'little minions' will be the ones who remove Wily instead of you," _The Conduit threatens.

Barton remains silent, keeping his rage under control. Eventually, he asks, "What exactly is this plan of yours?"

_"You will find out in due time. But, it will be a major undertaking. We have to get this done before this time next year,"_ The Conduit says.

"Why so soon?" Mr. Black asks.

_"I have plans. That is all you need to know,"_ The Conduit vaguely states.

"Does this mean that when Wily shows his face again, I have to sit on the sidelines? because you want his end to come the way _you_ want it?"

_"Wily's fate will be determined by me should he show up again. But, with this plan, it will not matter when or if he launches another attack. Until then, you will be contacted when your services are needed further."_

The Conduit disconnects and gets the last word on Mr. Black again, leaving the tortured former agent left stewing in his simmering rage. In an effort to try to cool off his rage, he gets up and leaves the media room, simultaneously turning off the multitude of monitors behind him, and he makes his way to the small room he turned into a shrine dedicated to his late wife Tonya.

Once there, Barton commands, "Lights on," and the small room becomes lit up, allowing Barton to see all of the photos scattered across the walls, and the white dress she wore on the day of their wedding. And in front of that dress is a small glass case with the rings they gave each other on that same wedding day.  
>John's ring is the only item in this shrine that belongs exclusively to him. And it is here because in his mind, John Barton is dead; All that remains is rage-fueled avenger with a dark soul and the name "Mr. Black", an allias that was forced to take by The Conduit so he could fit in with the other assets in this organization. (The Conduit was going to saddle him with the alias <em>"Mr. Death",<em> but Barton opted for_ "Mr. Black."_ If he was going to have an alias, it would be Tonya's nickname for him because of his frequent use of the color black.)

The only thing that matters right now is ending Dr. Wily's life by any means necessary. Yet, there is enough of the man he once was still inside to prevent him from crossing the line and doing something he might regret. Killing Wily is important, but not important enough to do something deplorable in the process. Tonya would never forgive him.  
>And he cannot shake the feeling of guilt over the things he has done already in the past two years like aligning himself with this shady mystery person (or thing) The Conduit, and targeting innocent people like the McIntyre family or Professor Henson for interrogation with the Mindcracker, and later even going so far as to break into Dr. Light's lab to copy his files for the sake of this mission.<p>

Barton stares at one picture of his late beloved wife's smiling beautiful face, and he feels ashamed of himself. If Tonya was still here, she would be livid with him because of what he has become since her death. She would not have wanted him to do any of this.

"This is almost over, Tonya. You will be avenged," Barton says aloud, as if he were speaking to her.

As he stares at the pictures of Tonya, he feels it is not enough to ease his own guilty conscience anymore. He feels the need to make some sort of promise to her that he will not become the same kind of monster Dr. Wily himself has become in his quest for vengeance. But, John can't bring himself to make that promise yet.

"... I'm sorry," he whispers as he turns around and walks away again."

* * *

><p><strong>October 20X3.<br>Skull Fortress.**

It has been nearly a month since the destruction of the Mad Grinder in Washington D.C. and Dr. Wily's robot army is in shambles, with very little money left, several robots still living in a state of disrepair and no current plans prepared for the next operation.

Dr. Wily has not been seen very much within the walls of this fortress since the night after the Mad Grinder's destruction either, which was the night he learned of ProtoMan's betrayal and his departure to join Dr. Light. He has been holed up in his workshop most nights with the door closed, never coming out much. And when he is in there, he is either extremely silent, or ranting like a madman, (which of course, he _is_.)

Bass is making his way Skull Fortress on his way to see Wily, still wearing a cold scowl on his tan skinned face. Bass' mood has not been very cheerful lately (which is not saying much, because he is the most miserable robot on the planet.) And it is all tied to his master's recent change of mood that began the day he learned of ProtoMan's betrayal. And tonight, he is looking to get word with his creator.  
>And on his way, he comes across Star Man, who is sporting damage from the Washington D.C. attack which has yet to be fully repaired after a month, and tries to plead his case.<p>

"Hey, Bass! Are you on your way to see Dr. Wily?" Star Man asks, trying to buddy-up to Bass.

"What do you want?" Bass asks coldly and angrily.

"I still have damage from the last fight we were in and it needs to be repaired. My Star Crash hasn't worked since-"

Bass stops and turns to face Star Man, scowling, "Your damage will be repaired when Dr. Wily considers it a priority! Right now, there are more important things you should be worrying about... like what kind of damage you'll be sporting if you don't get away from me!"

A scared Star Man wastes no time turning his titanium tail and running away from the intimidating Super Robot, and Bass turns to continue his trek to discuss matters with Wily.

* * *

><p>In his workshop, Dr. Wily sits in his broken swivel chair like he has for days, rarely leaving and devoting almost all of his time to creating another robot. At his feet are countless sketches and blueprints for designs, some of which are crumpled up because Wily viewed them as flawed.<p>

Even little things as meticulous as designs for limbs and deep inner worker motors have been carefully crafted in these designs. And with designs like these, it could cost about as much to make this one robot as it did to make the Mad Grinder, if not more. But, Wily has become obsessed with completing this project and in his diseased mind, things like time, money and work were not factors anymore.

This design has to be perfect.

This is the same design he jotted down when his temper had reached the boiling point during the period when he had dispatched The Killers into the world. Some of Albert's 'best' ideas have always come to him when he was at his angriest, and when he looked back at this design, he knew that this particular one had to be made a reality.  
>And should this design of robot come to fruition, Wily is convinced that it will be what wins him the world, and it will be what finishes off Mega Man for good. But, this will not be what kills Thomas Light, because if Albert Wily has anything to do with it, he will be the one to do that.<p>

As Wily was slowly jotting down the details of the internal chassis systems for this robot, there was a knock at the door. He knew who it was, and it was not ProtoMan, despite his hopes that it was. (Proto never knocked anyway, so it was foolish for him to have considered it.)

_"Dr. Wily, I request to speak with you,"_ asks Bass, always so cordial when speaking to Dr. Wily, unlike Proto... he was so much better than Proto at manners and respect. But, at the same time Wily misses Proto's attitude, which was more consistent with a rebellious teenage son.  
>He didn't always tell him what he wanted to hear, and only now does he realize that he should have appreciate it...<p>

_"Dr. Wily,"_ Bass repeats.

After dwelling in his thoughts, Wily puts down the pen and answers, "Come."

The door opens and Bass enters, staring across at his creator. "We have spent too much time here at Skull Fortress doing nothing. We should be re-fortifying the army and preparing our next move against Mega Man."

Rubbing his eyes, Dr. Wily states, "I am not ready begin another attack. All our resources are nearly depleted, and my robots are in no shape to be on the attack."

"Then, we need to repair them with what we have and get to work," Bass suggests, "Patch them up with whatever scrap you have."

Wily's face sneers, "I pride myself on making my robots the best they can be. Haphazard work is sloppy, and it would only leave them easier to be defeated by not just Mega Man, but even our weakest of enemies."

"Well, we have to do _something_, or else we are the ones who will look weak!" Bass loudly responds, "I did not return here to look like a weakling."

Without rasing his voice, but becoming annoyed, Wily argues, "How can I get money anymore? The security at banks is more fortified than it was three years ago, and nobody will be foolish enough to give money away anymore like that idiot Vickers did."

Bass replies coldly, "There are ways to get our funding, _and_ robots. These are only humans we are dealing with, and humans are all weak."

"Humans may be the inferior to robots, but they are empowered by Mega Man's existence," Albert says, sounding defeated, "We will never have the power over them like we had on that first day in Times Square. Not unless I can make this design a reality..."  
>Wily frowns, "All I can think about right now is making Thomas Light pay for taking ProtoMan, and pay for it with his life! Even if I do not win the war, I will make him pay for taking ProtoMan if it is the last thing I ever do."<p>

Bass criticizes, "It is very short-sighted to focus your efforts on just one man whose time on this planet is short. You would be better off focusing on making this design of yours a reality."

"There is no way I could ever afford to make this robot now," Wily says with a defeated attitude.

"Again, There are ways," Bass retorts, challenging his master, "You claim to be a genius, therefore you can find out a way to make it happen. I say it's time you prove how intelligent you really are."

Albert looks up at Bass, a little spark of the old Dr. Wily ferocity deep inside becoming rekindled.

"You have not been the same since ProtoMan betrayed you. It's time you get over it and focus what the mission at hand: taking over the world and making ProtoMan and all our enemies fall at your feet," Bass states.

Wily shakes his head, "This war will only continue if I can get this design completed..." And he continues working on his design for this project.

Bass sneers at his creator, "With an attitude like yours, it's no wonder you have been so easily defeated time and again."

Bass storms off, and Dr. Wily stares back at him, now angered by the gall of Bass' comment. But, he does not go after him like he would have before, because he knows that maybe Bass is right. Maybe he has become soft ever since ProtoMan left the Fortress and he let it get the better of him. There is no way he can take over the world when he is spending too much time feeling sorry for himself.

But, he also resisted the urge to blow a gasket on him because he also does not want to repeat the same mistake he made with ProtoMan, and become to forceful and abusive.  
>He already lost one boy; he does not want to lose his other one.<p>

Bass stops and looks back at Dr. Wily with his red eyes, expecting his creator to show his old backbone and rebuke him for what he said. But, instead, Wily just turns back to his sketches and continues working on this great big dream project.  
>Bass frowns with disgust and storms off again, leaving his master behind.<p>

"Pathetic," he whispers under his breath.

* * *

><p><strong>A month later.<br>Thanksgiving.**  
><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man sits on the roof of the lab, his personal place of solitude, and even though it is a little cold, it is not too frigid for him to handle. But, Mega is not feeling as happy as he thought he would on this holiday.

_"Mega, it's time for dinner,"_ Roll calls on their communicators.

"I'll be down in a minute," Mega answers.

_"I know how long your minutes can be, Mega,"_ Roll adds,_ "I'll tell Doris to keep yours warm just in case."_

"Thanks," Mega replies.

_"I know you'd rather have Kalinka here. Don't worry. Maybe she can come over on her next break,"_ Roll says.

"That's what I'm hoping." Mega replies.

Mega and Kalinka were hoping to spend Thanksgiving together during her holiday break, but she was not able to make it here because she had to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at home with her Father.  
>Kalinka was just as disappointed as he was, and she said she would try to spend more time with Mega in the early months of next year when she was on her Spring break.<p>

But, Kalinka's absence is not the only thing bothering Mega, either. It has been two months since the Mad Grinder's destruction, but people are still prepared in case another attack from Dr. Wily would occur. And nobody is more prepared than Mega Man, who always gets a little worrisome when long stretches of time go by without a word from Wily, because that is when he is hatching his worst plans. It never fails.  
>He is certain that whatever is going on in Wily's mind, it can't be good. And he is probably in an even worse mood now that ProtoMan left him.<p>

Mega doesn't want to make his family wait any longer and he steps inside. He might not have the girl he loves here with him tonight, but at least he has his complete family for the first time ever.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Roll is flipping through the channels on the television with Peekaboo nestled up right next to her as they wait for the rest of their family to gather. Roll comes across a special <em>Thanksgiving Throwdown<em> edition of _"Fight Night Sunday Night (on Thursday)"_ is on the television, and the announcers Howard. H. Capetta and The Supreme Intellect are on the screen, and The Intellect dressed like a pilgrim for Thanksgiving. (And his hat is extra large hat to fit his large head.)

_"We're just a few short minutes away from the main event. Vladimir The Krusher Sopinski will be facing Hecto Macho Guerrero for the Mixed Martial Arts Middleweight championship, and-"_

_"Wait one second there, Humanoid Howard!"_ Supreme Intellect interrupts, _"I have an important announcement to make. One that will change not only the future of Fight Night Sunday Night, but of the entire country!"_

_"You're coming out of retirement to reclaim the W.W.W.W.F.W. Championship? Aren't you a little bit old to be in the ring again?"_ Capetta quips.

_"No, Humanoid,"_ says The Intellect, _"Come this time next year, I might not have much time to grace this program with my announcing skills anymore, because as of this moment, I am announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America in 20X4!"_

The Supreme Intellect pulls off his pilgrim hat and puts on a star spangled Uncle Sam hat on his enlarged bald head, and takes off the rest of his pilgrim outfit to reveal a red, white and blue suit with the sleeves ripped off. Meanwhile Howard the announcer watches on in stunned silence with his jaw hanging open.

The Intellect points to the camera and yells, _"It's time we put a wrestler in the White House! And I Want You to vote for me, and we will shock the world even more than when I bench-pressed Gorilla McGavin at GrappleMania 13!"_  
>The Intellect then puts his muscled arm around Howard and says, <em>"So are you voting for me or what, Humanoid?"<em>

It's hard to tell whether Howard is just playing along, or if he is really shocked, but he turns to the camera and bemoans, _"...Oh, my God!"_

Boo bleeps up to his mommy, asking if the man with the big head on television is really going to be 'The New Mister President.'

"I don't think so, Boo-Boo. He's a wrestler, and what they do usually isn't real anyway," Roll replies. Then, she comments, "I don't know about you, but I still think this couch is off-kilter."

ProtoMan just happened to be walking past at the time, and his step slowed for a moment as he overheard his sister. He tried to do some patchwork repairs on the family couch in the middle of the night soon after his weight accidentally damaged it, but it seems Roll still notices something wrong.  
>And if there is anybody who he doesn't want knowing about that, it's her. Given their rocky history, she would probably be ready to believe it was the first clue of betrayal.<p>

"Proto, is this couch broken?" Roll calls.

Proto briefly replies, "Couldn't tell ya', sis," and makes his way to the dinner table to enjoy another aspect of 'normal life' that he is not accustomed to.

Roll becomes a bit rankled with Proto's non-shallant reply. "It was probably him," she says as she picks up Peekaboo into her arms, "If it was, I'm gonna kick..."  
>Roll stops herself because Boo is right here in her arms and he likes Proto because of how he helped him. So, instead she says, "I'll... make him clean all the ovens around here."<p>

Roll and Boo make there way behind ProtoMan to the dinner table where a smaller turkey is placed in the center (because Dr. Light is the only person here who would be capable of eating it), and an assortment of robot-friendly food is being placed around the turkey by Doris the maid and MorRis the butler for the rest of the family. Including a bowl full of Battery Biscuits for Rush.

Boo bleeps in amazement at all the food, and asks Roll if they have to eat all of it.

"No, Boo," Roll giggles, as she puts Boo down into an elevated chair right next to hers, "Just eat what you want until you don't feel like eating anymore."

Proto gets caught by surprise when Beat flies past him and chirps, "Beat-beat!" along the way until he reaches his perch near the corner of the table.

"Shouldn't we teach that bird some new words?" Proto asks.

"Beat is just fine the way he is," Roll replies as she sits down, "Maybe you could get used to not wearing that visor of yours all the time. We know what you look like, so why do you keep wearing it?"

"Because," Proto replies with that smirk as he sits down at the table, "I'm fine just the way I am."

Roll looks back at her oldest brother and shakes her head, slightly irritated that he just countered her own question with he own answer. Even though the two sibling no longer hate each other, there is still some lingering tension and mistrust from Roll, who has had this odd suspicion about what Proto is doing at night, because he sleeps for a good part of the day.

Soon, Mega Man arrives to the dining room, leaving his helmet behind and letting his hair show. And he is followed shortly afterwards by Dr. Light, Rush and Eddie, and they sit at the table as Morris and Doris place the remaining items of food on the table.

"Dinner is served," Morris announces.

"Thank you, Morris," Thomas says, "A splendid job once again."

Morris nods and he and Doris leave the dining room to continue their duties elsewhere in the house. Rush licks his lips as he stars at the bowl of Battery Biscuits, about to devour them all right now.

"Not yet, Rush," Mega says, patting his dog's head.

Meanwhile, ProtoMan asks, "There's something I never got about this Thanksgiving business. Are we supposed to just sit here and eat and that's it?"

Peekaboo also beeps, asking what Thanksgiving really means.

"It's not all about having dinner, son," Dr. Light answers It's a human tradition that goes back centuries. But, to a lot of people - especially this family - it is about being together and being thankful for who and what you have."

"That's right. So, what are you thankful for, Boo?" Roll asks as she looks down upon her little Met.

Peekaboo smiles and bleeps that he is thankful to have his Mommy Roll.

"Aw, thank you, Peekaboo," Roll cheers and sheputs her left arms around her Met.

Boo bleeps that he's also thankful for everybody in his family, and especially Uncle Proto. If Uncle Proto didn't save him from the bad man, he would have never been found by his Mommy.

Proto barely smiles, "Thanks, pal."

Mega Man adds, "I'm thankful for you too, Proto. You saved my life, and you saved the whole world too."

"And I am thankful for you too, for saving Rock. I am thankful to have all of you," Dr. Light says.

Roll (almost begrudgingly) admits, "Since we're all thanking you, Proto... If it weren't for you, I'd have been in real trouble back at Wily's Fortress. So, thanks."

"You're welcome... sis," Proto replies.

Rioll barely nods in response, still a bit irratated by Proto referring to her as 'sis.'

"Then, I guess that means I should say... I'm thankful for you guys taking me in again, even after all I've done," Proto says, feeling awkward at having a sentimental get-together like this, because he is not used to this. "I know it's taking time to get used to me being here, but... I'm glad you're giving me the chance."

Dr. Light nods to his oldest son and says, "Before we begin the feast, we should take a moment to reflect."

As the Lights sit in silence at the table and Roll prays, ProtoMan sits in silence and watches them as he thinks about what Thanksgiving means and who he should be spending it with people you love. And as much as he loves his brother and his new family here, there is one robot who he also cares deeply for.  
>And it seems right to spend time with her tonight too.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>In Utah.**

ProtoMan heads out late at night to find his friend Nomad, who he arranged this meeting with in secret after the rest of his family went to bed for the night. And once again, he is using his sister's SkyCycle without her permission or her knowledge. He knows that one day she will figure out that he is using it, and she will not be pleased.  
>But, when that day comes, it comes. He cannot worry too much about that right now. What matters most to ProtoMan tonight is being with his friend on this day.<p>

Once he arrives to the location where they agreed to meet, he sees a silhouette wearing the same grey sweat suit she took months ago, now with some rips and stains on it after being worn and traveled in for so long. Once she sees that it is really her dear friend ProtoMan, Nomad comes out of cover and the two approach each other again.  
>On the way, she notices the bag that Proto is carrying over his shoulder and stares at it. Sometimes, her friend brings a bag with has some robot food and energy cans inside it. She feels a good feeling, knowing that she can have something to eat and something to replenish her energy if needed.<p>

"Let's sit down. It's Thanksgiving," Proto says, using that soft soothing tone of voice he only uses when he is with Nomad, "It's a human tradition, but a lot of robots celebrate it too, I guess."

The two robots find a place to sit down nearby, right next to each other, and Proto opens the bag he brought with him.

"I've got a lot bigger amount of food than usual. So, you won't have to worry about being hungry for a while, I think," Proto says as he begins pulling out some of the leftover robot food from the Light Family dinner earlier tonight. They weren't going to be eating it, so he might as well make sure he gave it to a bot who needed all the help she can get.

Nomad immediately begins eating the food, scarfing it down quickly as she often does because she is so hungry.

"Take your time. We've got plenty of it," Proto says, putting his arm around his innocent friend.

Afterwards, Nomad feels more at ease as she eats, consuming it at a slowly more normal pace. She also feels naturally more comfortable with ProtoMan here after he embraced her.

As Proto sits here with his friend Nomad, he feels that good warm feeling inside again that he always feels when he is with her. He actually feels more comfortable with her than he does around his most of own family back home in New York sometimes.  
>He knows she is not going to be speculative like Roll is, or perhaps too overprotective and welcoming like Dr. Light is. And she does not care about his past with Wily like a lot of the humans in this world. And they do not have a tumultuous history together like Proto does with Mega.<br>Nomad trusts him and loves him. He is all she has in this big unfriendly world.

As ProtoMan and Nomad spend the rest of the night together, Proto knows that according to his internal chronometer, it is no longer Thanksgiving technically. But, he doesn't care about what time it is here. It's still Thursday somewhere.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Defender of the Human Race is finally back! I'm sorry it took so long, but my vacation was a longer than planned, and it took a while to get myself back into writing shape. (I hope you can forgive me if things still look a little bit rough.)_

_The second half of this interlude will be online later this week or early next week. **E**_**_pisode 12 will debut on August 8th, 2013, Defender Day 2!_**

_And I want to give special thanks to lalalei for her input with Peekaboo's part of the Thanksgiving scene. _

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, un-erased notes, or continuity errors that are so bad that it would knock King Hippo down without making his shorts fall off, please PM me right away._


	127. Interlude: Countdown, part 2

_**Interlude: Countdown to Year Four, part 2.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Christmas Morning 20X3.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

ProtoMan wakes up at an unusually early time for him. When he gained full consciousness, he could hear a bit of cheerful commotion coming from downstairs.  
>Proto surmises that it must be the rest of his family celebrating Christmas, another holiday he has had no real experience with until now. But, at least he has prepared himself for this holiday gathering, even if he still isn't sure how to handle the rest of this new life of his yet.<p>

ProtoMan gets up out of his bed, grabs his helmet and yellow scarf and puts them both on. Then, he looks under his bed and grabs a bunch of boxes, none of them wrapped, and heads downstairs. Even holding these boxes brings back a few bad memories.

A few days ago, Proto ventured out with his family to begin the Christmas shopping for each other, which is a practice Proto didn't quite grasp, because he believes his siblings and creator should not have to _buy_ anything anymore and that the humans should just give them things out of gratefulness for their heroic duty. But, even then, he managed to get more than a few stares and unwelcome looks from people who mistrust him.

Even three months later, these humans still don't trust him, and some of them still hate him. Even those who don't hate him are much more energetic to see the other members of his family, while ProtoMan only receives only a fraction of that respect.  
>At least other robots are more accepting of him and don't give him a hard time. Maybe it's because their programming is not as advanced as his and his siblings, but they believe ProtoMan when he says he has turned good.<p>

Proto tries to shake off these depressing emotions and he leaves the room with his gifts. But, he also left one box behind. One that was not meant for his family. It was meant for the special somebody he would be seeing later tonight...

ProtoMan then leaves his room and heads downstairs carrying the stack of gift boxes for his family, whom he soon sees sitting around a tall pine tree adorned with decorations and lights. He focuses specifically on the sight of Peekaboo looking in wonder at a big red box that is about as big as he is, and it was given to him by Roll.

Peekaboo looks up to his Mommy and bleeps, asking what is inside the box.

"Open it, and you'll find out," Roll smiles.

Boo pops out his extension arm from under his hardhat and unties the big green ribbon on the box with his hand. But the box is still too tall for him to peer inside, so he gently tips it over with his hand and opens it by taking the lid off.  
>Peekaboo then looks inside and reaches into the box, then he lets out a happy bleep as he pulls out a stuffed Teddy Bear with a Met-style hardhat made of soft material, and a blue plus sign like Boo has on his hardhat.<p>

Boo beeps happily as he snuggles up to Roll as he holds his new stuffed bear.

"Merry Christmas, Boo," Roll replies as she hugs her little Met.

ProtoMan could not help but genuinely smile upon seeing this exchange. It makes him feel better seeing that he helped that little Met get away from Skull Fortress, because now he has a good home.

"Good morning, Proto," Dr. Light greets as he holds his mug of morning hot chocolate.

"Hey. Aren't you s'posed to be back at the North Pole or something?" Proto jokes, equating Thomas to Santa Claus with his rotund physique and fluffy light grey hair and beard.

"That's not very funny, Proto," Roll glazes as she cuddles Peekaboo, who is hugging his new little bear.

"Don't worry, Roll. It's quite alright," Thomas says.

Proto enters the room and puts the boxes down on the floor. "Here's your stuff. I just hope the gifts you guys got me were the same price that I paid for yours."

"You didn't wrap them," Roll comments.

"So?" Proto asks.

Roll groans, "You're supposed to to do something with the boxes, either wrap them or put a bow on them."

Being the person he is, ProtoMan just takes one of the discarded ribbons from an opened package and ties it to the box meant for Roll. "I hope that's a good start. Here's yours."

Roll takes the box from her oldest brother as Peekaboo sits in her lap and opens it to reveal... a hot pink sweater. And pink is a color that Roll doesn't really favor and she is not very impressed with proto's choice of gift.  
>But, instead of complaining about it, Roll does her best to be polite. After all, Proto may not know that pink is not a favorite color of hers, so she gives him the benefit of the doubt.<p>

"Thanks, Proto," Roll says, trying to not sound disappointed.

Seeing how badly this is already going, Mega tries to bail his brother out of trouble. "Actually, Proto, red is more Roll's favorite color."

Proto cooks up another fib. "Oh... I knew that. But, they were sold out of red. But, girls like pink, so it's just as good."

"Roll doesn't like pink too much," Mega clarifies.

Proto remains silent for a moment, and Roll shakes her head to confirm Mega's comments as Peekaboo watches on with his big eyes.

"Well... ooops," Proto finally submits.

* * *

><p>Later, after all the presents had been opened and the rest of his family were still enjoying their day, Mega Man stepped away to be by himself for a few moments, looking out at the back yard where Doc the Met's resting place remains right under his favorite tree.<br>But, ProtoMan soon follows his brother over.

"What's wrong with ya', Rock? Isn't this day supposed to make you feel happy and stuff?" Proto asks, "That's what all those stupid songs they played a hundred times over keep telling us, anyway."

"It's been over three months since Wily hit Washington. I'm really worried he's plotting something big." Mega then looks at his brother and asks him, "I'm sorry if I'm digging up bad memories, but... what would Wily do during times like this?"

Proto appears uncomfortable for a moment having to reflect on his days with Dr. Wily. But, he soon answers, "Usually thinking up what the next plan will be, or figuring out how to fund it. And since he blew about everything he had on the Grinder, I'd say he's ripping his hair out trying to create a way to get more money, and he's probably hatching a plot that's bigger than the Grinder."

Mega asks, "Do you think he'll give up?"

ProtoMan grimly answers, "Nope. I don't think he'll ever give up until he's dead."

Mega Man looks away from his brother and out of the window, feeling disheartened. If his brother is right, then this war really isn't over yet. And it will not be until Wily is caught, or as Proto said, until he _is_ dead.

"So, what's wrong with _you_, Proto?" Mega asks.

"Eh?" Proto replies.

"You're not acting right either. You've been awkward ever since Thanksgiving," Mega points out.

"I'm fine," Proto shrugs off.

"I know when you're lying, Proto," Mega retorts, "I think it's a lot easier to tell now. I've got a part of _you_ in _my_ chest now."

Proto partially frowns, "I guess I can't fool you anymore." After letting out a brief sigh, Proto admits, "It's these humans... a lot of them still hate my guts. I thought they'd have a little appreciation, but, I guess not."

"You had the chance to do the interview with Bree Recotta for months so you could tell the public your side of the story, but you declined it," Mega says.

"I'm not doing any interviews. Turning on Wily in front of the entire world is stating my case enough," Proto groans, "Besides, they wouldn't listen to me anyway. But, I don't need their approval."

Proto begins to leave, but he stops and turns back to his brother and asks him an interesting question. "Hey, Rock... is it really true that you're dating that Cossack girl?"

Mega immediately becomes a bit flustered. "I guess Roll told you?"

"Well, you're talking sweet to _somebody_ late at night. Unless you're taking acting lessons," Proto says.

Mega admits, "If you have to know, Kalinka and I are... really good friends."

"But, she's a human," Proto says.

"Yeah, but... I really like her. And she really likes me," Mega replies.

Proto takes in that information and then asks, "So, what did you guys do?"

Mega squints, "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not talking anything, you know... personal," Proto insists, "How did you guys know that you were... together?"

Mega takes a moment to admit, "She kissed me. I didn't even see it coming. But, ... I'd never felt like that before. We both kind of knew we liked each other."

Proto nods, "Okay."

"Why are you asking?" Mega asks, then wonders "Have you found somebody?"

"Me? No," Proto lies, covering up his bond with Nomad, "Just looking for some advice when I find a girl who likes bad bots like myself. But I'd, uh, prefer a robot girl though. No offense."

"I remember you having the hots for human girls the last time you were here," Mega says.

"Yeah, well... things change," Proto replies with that smirk of his.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

While the Light family celebrates this holiday, The Bonnes are celebrating it by themselves again, without their parents anywhere around because they are on their usual Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza/Ramadan/Boxing Day vacation this week.  
>In other words, just like last Christmas... and the one before that... and the one before that.<p>

Even without their parents around, the Bonne siblings still celebrate together with the Servbots and will be exchanging gifts with one another very soon. Before that can begin, Tron is pestering her older brother about her gift.

"So, what did you get me for Christmas, Tiesel?" Tron asks as she follows him around the ship.

"I can't tell you yet. It would ruin the surprise," Tiesel answers.

Tron then begins putting the questions to her brother. "is it a pony?"

"Er, no. I_ can_ tell you that," Tiesel replies.

"Is it a robo pony?" Tron asks.

"No. No pony. Period," Tiesel answers.

"Is it a car?" Tron asks.

"No. You don't even have a driver's license yet. Mom and Dad's attempt to pay the Motor Vehicles Department to get you one failed pretty miserably," Tiesel answers.

Tron already looks disappointed. "Oh, well. I guess I'll have to rely on Mom and Dad to get me both of them on my birthday."

As Tron walks away back to the den room to be with her little brother and the Servbots, Tiesel slaps his hand on his forehead. Tron's last birthday - otherwise known as _"Tron Bonne's Sixteenth Annual Birthday Bash"_ - was stressful enough. He doesn't know if he can handle organizing another one.  
>But, doing so is surly less stressful than having to do shady work for The Conduit.<p>

And speaking of his secret job with the mysterious Conduit, there was an important task he was given not long ago that The Conduit had deemed of vital importance. And Tiesel has to see this task through to completion, even if it means doing so on Christmas Day.

* * *

><p>Tiesel sneaks away to his quarters onboard the ship and closes the door behind him. Afterwards, Tiesel opens a plain-looking box to reveal what looks like a regular desktop computer. But, this computer is much more advanced than a typical consumer computer.<br>This particular unit has been modified by Tiesel to become an advanced workshop to develop programming codes, and built with all the tools to sneak by and compromise even the best of today's firewalls. Essentially, a hacker's computer.

But, this computer is not a Christmas gift, and it is not his. It was specially requested by The Conduit in the weeks after the destruction of Dr. Wily's Mad Grinder in Washington. It took Tiesel some time to salvage and install all the needed parts and programs to build this thing to The Conduit's requested specifications.

Now that this computer system is complete, Tiesel needs to contact The Conduit to inform him/her/it that their order is ready. So, Tiesel powers up his large phone system and dials the number he was given by The Conduit Himself/Herself/Itself months ago.

After several rings, Tiesel doubts that The Conduit will answer. It is Christmas, after all. But, eventually there is an answer.

_"Mr. Endo."_

"The 'package' is ready. It took longer than I'd hoped, but it's all yours," Tiesel says in a hushed tone, afraid that Tron or one of the Servbots might be lurking outside his room.

_"Come to the designated location that was given to you immediately,"_ The Conduit instructs.

"Um... that might be a bit of a challenge to do right this second," a nervous Tiesel says, "Can't I just deliver it to you?"

_"Delivery is a serious risk, but it is possible. Just remember, if the package were to fall into the authorities hands, it could be serious trouble."_

"It'll get there just fine, trust me," Tiesel insists, "Er- it might be a little late, but I'll have it to the spot in time."

_"As you wish. Don't botch this, Mr. Endo,"_ The Conduit warns before ending the call.

Tiesel's large jaw tightens and he begins to break a sweat. Doing all this was the easy part (which is not saying very much). The hard part will be getting it past Tron and the Servbots.

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<strong>

Wearing the hood of her gray sweat suit over her head, Nomad stands by herself as she waits for ProtoMan to arrive, keeping her arms folded across her chest as she tries to keep warm in this cold temperature. With her grey sweat suit in the shabby shape that it is in, it is becoming more difficult for her to keep warm.

When she hears the sound of the green vehicle her friend ProtoMan drives, she looks up and she sees him dismounting the vehicle and carrying a box in his hands. She does not know what to make of this box at first, because he usually brings just his bag containing food for her.

Nomad stares at the box and points to it. Proto replies, "Don't worry. This is just... something special. Maybe we should step inside someplace and get warm. It's pretty cold out here."

All Nomad does in response is nod 'yes' and follows ProtoMan inside a nearby building, which is still under construction...

Once there, Proto looks around, checking to see if there are any surveillance systems around that would potentially catch him and Nomad. When he sees no sign of trouble, he steps inside with Nomad, who is still holding her arms across her chest trying to keep warm.

"Lucky for us, the humans haven't rigged this place for security yet," he says, "We'll be safe here."

Nomad does nothing in response and looks very cold.

"You're still cold, aren't you?" Proto asks.

Nomad nods, and ProtoMan tries to think of some way to keep warm (even though the cold does not bother him much, he is concerned about his friend's well-being), and as he looks around, he finds a pile of construction beams meant for this unfinished building lying in a organized pile. If he can find a way to use his plasma buster to heat a lot of them up without melting them, maybe it will work.  
>And even if they melt... who cares. It's not his problem.<p>

"Give me just a second. I'll get us both warm in no time," Proto says as he arms his arm cannon and begins emitting a weak stream of plasma energy at the beam pile, and soon after they begin to glow orange and become too hot to touch. But, it is good enough to heat the surrounding area.

"Okay, that should keep us warm enough for now. Let's sit down here. We might not have one of those burning logs the humans like, but this does the job," Proto says as he sits down on the floor. And Nomad sits down beside him, sitting so close to Proto that their bodies are touching side-by-side.  
>She still feels cold from being outside for so long, but her friend Proto's trick to heat the beams to make them warm is working and she begins to calm down. And being so close to Proto is also comforting her too.<p>

"Are you feeling better already?" Proto asks.

Nomad barely nods.

"Have you felt okay lately? Any pain in your head?"

Nomad is not sure how to respond, not nodding or shaking her head and looking around uncomfortably. Proto interprets that she must have had some problems lately, and he feels bad because she did not call him.

"Here, I'm sure you're hungry," Proto says, offering some more robot food wafers to Nomad.

Nomad takes them with her left hand (the one which is finished and not left incomplete like her right hand was) and quickly begins eating them, but instead of scarfing them down quickly, she eats at a more calm pace. Maybe it is because Proto is here and she feels more comfortable with him.

Nomad's eyes find the box Proto brought with him again, and she does not know what to make of it. So, as a way of asking him what it is, she points to it with her left hand.

"Oh, this?" Proto asks, smiling, "Today is another one of those holidays. It's called Christmas... or Hanukkah, or Kwanza. Whatever they call it. People are supposed to give gifts to one another. Now, I don't need anything. But, uh... I wanted to give _you_ something," he concludes with his tone becoming softer as he offers her the box.

Nomad slowly takes the box from her friend and does not know what it could be. It didn't feel like it was a box full of more food, but the weight of the box indicates that something in inside it.  
>Nomad then opens the box and looks inside it to find another grey-colored hooded sweatshirt similar to the one she is wearing right now. And as she removes it to study it, she can see a pair of grey sweatpants underneath to go with it.<br>She also removes the pants and sees a pair of dark grey gloves meant for feminine hands, and the right one has a hole cut out of it so she can use her shockwave power if she needs to.

"Your outfit has seen better days," Proto says, "I thought you could use a new one."

In no time, Nomad removes the old hooded sweat suit top, revealing her purple and pale blue armor underneath, and slips the new grey hoodie over her body and begins feeling with her hands how much softer and warmer this one is compared to her old shirt.  
>Nomad then kneels down next to Proto and hugs him tightly him to thank him.<p>

"I'll take that as a 'Thank You', I guess," Proto grins.

After they hold this embrace for a moment, Nomad pulls herself back and the two robots' faces are now so close to one another and they stare into each other's eyes for a long time. There is such a softness in the innocent expression on Nomad's face that shows that she must be having the same feelings for him that he is having for her.

"You are really are beautiful, you know that?" Proto says, running his right hand through her black hair,

Nomad's facial expression does not change, but she blinks her thin eyes a few times. She reaches up to Proto's visored helmet with her left hand and touches the side of his head, running her fingers down to his visor... and then she touches his lips.  
>Proto could feel his emotional sensors surging again. He hasn't felt like this before in his life, and he wants to show her how he feels about her. And there is one very effective way of showing her how he feels, (as his little brother and Kalinka Cossack can attest.)<br>But, Proto hesitates kissing her. Since coming home, he has seen enough of these Hollywood movies with humans where the guy kisses the girl and just like that, they're in love. But, what if it's not that simple? What if she feels afraid to do this?  
>He will just have to give it a shot and hope for the best.<p>

"I'm about to do something. And, I don't want you to get scared. All I'm doing is telling you how much I really love you," Proto says.

After a moment of hesitation from ProtoMan, and Nomad not knowing what it is he is about to do, Proto finally leans forward and kisses her... on her forehead. He wanted to give her one on the lips, and he almost did, but he did not feel comfortable doing that yet because he was afraid she would react negatively.

Nomad blinks her eyes and clearly looks like she is feeling some strong emotions deep inside herself. In response, Nomad moves forward and puts her lips on the center of Proto's helmet, right above his visor. But, because she doesn't not know how to kiss, all she does is place her lips there for a few seconds and pulls back.  
>But, ProtoMan got the message clearly: She feels the same way about him just as much as he does with her.<p>

And then Nomad's lips begin to take a shape they have never taken before... for the first time in her short life, Nomad begins to smile. And she looks so irresistibly adorable, that Proto could begin smiling himself.

Nomad then draws her friend Proto closer to her and hugs him tightly as she rests her head on his chest and Proto holds her close, no longer feeling cold like she did when he first got here.

This was a moment right out of those silly movies. The only thing missing would be one of those mistletoe things hanging above them... and ProtoMan looks and finds... no mistletoe. Proto grins. At least it wasn't completely one of those silly clichéd moments.

_So, this must be what love feels like,_ Proto wonders to himself. And it certainly does feel good.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Back on the Gesselchaft.**

Tiesel Bonne sneaks his way around the ship as he hefts the box containing the supped-up hacker's computer in his grip. Every few steps, he looks around every corner and at every possible hiding place to make sure there are no wayward Servbots or siblings around. Even though his little sister Tron is probably asleep by now and little Bon is too young to rat Tiesel out anyway, he is not about to take the chance.

Once he sneaks his way to the garage bay, he approaches one of the many shipping robots. The artificial intelligence on this thing is so antiquated that it would be an insult to actually refer to this thing as an actual robot. It's more like an old computer that was cobbled together with whatever scrap Tron could find to build it.

Tiesel loads the box onto the backside of this 'robot' and fastens the box on top of it with straps to secure it. He then powers up the 'robot' and enters in the specific address that The Conduit had given to him into the old LCD readout hardwired into the side of the chassis.

"That GPS tracker better not be on the fritz this time or it's my neck, you piece of junk!" Tiesel whispers.

But, before he sends it off, he deletes the delivery manifest on this machine to ensure that nobody onboard the ship will see where he sent this thing when it gets back, and that nobody will trace it back to the Bonne Family.  
>After Tiesel commands the 'robot' to launch, it sputters it's rickety engine as it tries to fly off, but does nothing more than shakes left and right and make a congested sputtering sound.<p>

Tiesel then kicks the 'robot' in frustration. "Get a move on, you scrap heap!"

With that kick, the shipping 'robot' kicks into gear and barely begins to hover above the floor as the rear door of the garage bay opens, and shortly after, it begins heading down to the appointed location. And Tiesel Bonne hopes that it doesn't peter out and crash before it gets there, or he's in deep.

* * *

><p><strong>An hour later.<strong>

It has begun to snow on the streets of New York, and the 'robot' that Tiesel Bonne sent peters its way down to an empty parking garage with smoke puffing out of its backside until it lands.

Afterwards, a female figure wearing a black leather motorcyclist's suit and a motorcycle helmet with the visor down and who is not visible because of the poor lighting in the area makes her way to the Bonne 'robot.' The female's boots making a noticeable 'Clip-Clop' sound as she walks until she reaches the 'robot,' then she kneels down and removes the box from the machine's grip.

After this female looks inside the box and sees Tiesel Bonne's modified computer inside, she reaches for a hidden communication device inside the black glove on her right hand. "The package has arrived. Everything is in order. No traps are noticeable."

_"Good, Miss T," _replies the voice of The Conduit inside her helmet,_ "Take the package in and examine it yourself. After it is fully prepared, we will arrange for Mr. Black to retrieve it. Make sure the proper adjustments are made to the device beforehand."_

"Consider it done," Miss T answers.

Afterwards, she grabs the box with the modified computer and stands up, then begins walking into the shadows with it until she completely disappears.

About a minute later, a police-issue motorcycle which is painted entirely in black (and probably stolen) speeds its out of the shadows with the box loaded on the back and peels off into the night...

And the Bonne family 'robot' barely manages to take off again, with a plume of smoke puffing out of it's engine. It would be a miracle if this thing actually made it back to the Gesselchaft without crashing, but it still returns home anyway.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the roof of his warehouse hideout, Mr. BlackJohn Barton lies on his back as the snow continues to fall on top of him. The reason for this unusual behavior tonight is because he is having an especially bad night. The holiday period is almost as bad for him to handle as the anniversary of the death of Tonya.

Barton pays no mind that his body is chilled, or that small pockets of snow are mounting on him because he has been out here for so long. This is one of the few times he has even left the walls of this hideout since the night he saved President Henry. And to calm himself, all he tries to focus his mind on his Tonya.

But, in recent weeks, he has been bothered by what this big plan The Conduit has in store and how he will eventually factor into it. His worst fear is not even whether or not he will get the chance to kill Wily, but rather if he will be forced to stoop to a level he previously had not stooped to since his mission of vengeance began.

Barton feels his scrambled cell phone to The Conduit vibrating inside his black jacket liner pocket, and those bad feelings of what lays ahead for him only become worse.

He pulls the phone out and answers. "What is it?"

_"The package has arrived,"_ The Conduit says, _"After it is fully checked by one of my other assets, you will retrieve it at a location of my choosing."_

"What will I have to do with this package?" Barton asks.

_"You will be informed at the proper time and place. Happy Holiday, whichever one you observe,"_ The Conduit says before hanging up.

Barton remains stone silent and begins to feel the chills of this weather shaking him to his bones and he stares at the dark sky as the snow continues to fall on him. While he is anticipating finally killing Wily for taking his wife, he is actually dreading what is going to come next, and he fears that Tonya will never forgive him if it is something truly horrible.

* * *

><p><strong>One week later.<strong>  
><strong>New Year's Eve.<strong>  
><strong>Times Square, New York.<strong>

In the minutes before midnight and the end of 20X3, joyous and humans and robots have once again gathered from all across the United States and the world to celebrate the new year at the famous intersection, which was also the same place where Dr. Wily launched his first attack in 20X1.  
>Even though the memory of what took place here on that horrible day will remain on everybody's mind for decades to come, that still does not put a damper on the annual celebration here. In fact, gatherers have only celebrated more vigorously since then, and tonight is no exception.<p>

The Light family is all here tonight, including ProtoMan, who is making a public appearance with his family, which has become rare considering how the population still views him. Ever since Christmas, ProtoMan has been a little bit happier this week than he was in the weeks prior to Christmas, but he is still trying to stay to himself and not get in the limelight so he can avoid eliciting a bad reaction.

In the minutes before midnight, Mega Man steps away to a private room in one of the buildings near the epicenter of the ball-dropping celebration. He wanted to place a call to a very special girl in Russia named Kalinka who is just waking up over in her part of the world.

Using his communicator built into his forearm, Mega calls, "I think I'm alone now, but I've only got a few minutes before heading out. So, was your New Years party exciting over there?"

_"Yes. But, I wish I could have been there with you in New York,"_ Kalinka says, _"You throw big party in the big city. It must be more exciting than ours."_

"I wish I could have been over in Russia, so I could be with _you_," Mega replies, "And, is your English getting better? I'm sure I heard a 'the' in there."

Kalinka laughs, _"Yes, it is! I am starting to get the hang of this, as you say. So... when you finally can to have vacation... do you think, maybe, I could join you?"_

"I wouldn't want to go without you," Mega Man replies, "What would you want to do?"

Kalainka answers so softly, _"We could go ice skating together in Canada. Go on long walk on the beach and watch sunset somewhere beautiful and warm this time of year. What about you?"_

"I'd want to do all thing things I never had the chance to really enjoy with anybody else. I'd like to see the world from a birds-eye view. Or we could take that beach walk you mentioned. And maybe spend the night staring at the stars and wonder what's really out there. There's no one else I would want to spend that kind of time with than you."

_"I love you, Rock,"_ Kalinka says softly.

"I love you too, Kalinka," Mega replies gently.

There is another signal coming in on Mega's communicator, a text-based message from Roll. _"It's almost time, Mega."_

"I've got to go. I'll call you back before bedtime," Mega says.

_"Okay. Have fun!"_ Kalinka says.

Mega Man steps away again and heads outside, soon joined by an escort of PoliceBots. And when he appears again, a large section of the human crowd cheer and scream for their hero and Mega waves to them as he is ushered to a stage near the center of the famous intersection where the controls are to begin the lowering of the large sparkly ball in less then five minutes, and this is where the rest of his family is gathering along with Governor Deacon and Mayor Ray Greene.  
>And because of security concerns, the enter stage has a nearly invisible layer of transparent aluminum glass covering it to prevent anybody from being targeted by any would-be threat.<p>

As he looks at that stage, it sinks in with Mega Man just how much things have changed in one year's time. Governor Deacon was just the Governor-Elect a year ago. Kalinka Cossack and Mega had not even met each other yet. Officer Wersching's brother was still missing and had not gone into drug rehab yet. Bass and Treble were not even alive yet a year ago. Peekaboo has yet to tip toe his way into his Mommy Roll's life.  
>And one year ago, Mega was still trying to recover from the ProtoMan's betrayal on Election Night.<p>

Things _were very_ different back then, not just for him but for a lot of people who have become involved in the war.

Mega Man walks up the stairs to the stage and steps up to meet his entire family. And it is Peekaboo's and Beat's first New Year's celebration, so they are cheerful to be here too. Governor Deacon is the first to approach the hero and offer his hand to shake.

"Thank you for being here, Mega Man. I'm glad you could be join us," Deacon says as Mega shakes his hand.

Mega just nods, not as quick to speak to the Governor now as he once was. Two bad incidents that occurred this year were indirectly Deacon's fault. First was the Civil Defense Tower, which almost led to the extinguishing of countless lives, including Roll who was trapped inside.  
>The second was The Governor's personal emergency keycard to Dr. Light's lab being stolen and used by Mr. Black, who invaded the lab and stole top secret files.<p>

"I'm sorry about what happened this year," The Governor profusely apologizes, "I have already taken the appropriate measures to stop things like this from happening again."

"My family's safety is counting on it, Mr. Governor," Mega flatly replies.

ProtoMan steps over and interrupts, '"Hi, Deacon! It's been a long time. It sounds like you should find some more trustworthy people in that administration of yours."

Deacon grumbles a shot at Proto under his breath, "Your brother should do the same with you," and walks away.

Proto overheard Deacon's little insult and sneers, "Stupid Meatbag."

With only a few minutes until Midnight, Mega Man reaches the front of the stage and begins waving to the crowd along with his family, and when they see the Lights here, they all go bonkers with cheers.

Then, ProtoMan steps up and attempts to give a slight wave to the audience. But, the load roar suddenly dies down to a lesser cheer, completely flattening the mood. In fact, Proto was sure he heard more than a small smattering of humans booing him the moment they saw him.  
>For the first time in history, something actually managed to cause the excitement at a New Year's celebration to die down. And unfortunately, it was ProtoMan.<p>

Once he realizes that his presence is causing a distraction, Proto just steps away behind his family, and the suspicious eyes of The Governor and The Mayor and other top humans up on the stage stare back at him. Mega tries calling Proto back, but The Mayor quickly calls to the crowd in an attempt to get them excited again.  
>"Ninety seconds, everybody!"<p>

The crowd quickly gets re-energized, and Governor Deacon himself steps up to the controls that will begin the lowering of the ball, represented by a big red button that reads "20X4."

And with Deacon's button press, the ball begins to drop at thirty seconds until Midnight and the crowd is loudly cheering. Mega Man however keeps his guard up and looks around for any sign of trouble, mainly Wily.

But, in the final seconds of 20X3, a year which Dr. Wily's schemes were at their worst and most ferocious ever, the ball drops and there was no sign of him, or the Robot Masters, or Bass. Not even a suspicious Battonton.  
>The New Year begins at the stroke of midnight and everything is good. No Wily. No attacks. No Mr. Black. Not even a protest by Governor Cochran's son William. And Mega Man can let out a sigh of relief knowing that his fears of a surprise attack from Wily or another outside force were unfounded.<p>

As his brother and the rest of his family and city officials celebrate the new year, and as the people below him sing and the confetti fall down on top of them, ProtoMan just slinks away from the crowd and stands by his lonesome on the stage. If only he could have managed it, he would have snuck away to see his Nomad again instead of being stared at and doubted again.

Mega Man looks over his shoulder and notices his sullen brother standing away from everybody and brooding in the corner. He feels sorry for him after having to continue going through this, but as he had told him last week, he is going to have to prove how good he is to everybody.  
>Hopefully, this will be the year that the citizens of the world will see how much Proto has really changed. And hopefully the end of the war as well.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

While the rest of world rings in the New Year, Dr. Wily is still obsessing over the same unfinished robot project he has pined over for months. Not only has he obsessed over the tiniest of details, but he has obsessed over the tiniest details of _those_ tiniest details.

The members of the robot army are slowly being repaired from their damage,but much of it was done by either themselves or Headless Joe and not by Dr. Wily, and the repairs are not exactly the greatest. But, there are positives to this slow repair process, because Punk's voice box is still damaged, and he has been forced to keep quiet ever since. Truly, a blessing for every robots who resides at Skull Fortress.

In recent weeks, Dr. Wily had finished every physical detail of this robot and was now resorting to hand-writing the source code for this new robot's Artificial Intelligence. This project is so close to completion, and all Albert has to do is finish this code, however long it takes, and it will be done. And it will be done right.

"Yes... yes," Wily barely whispers to himself as he can hear the whisper in his head telling him what bits of code should go where.

Wily wants to make a robot that will be as free-thinking as Bass and ProtoMan, one that can be easily controlled as well, but without having any pre-programmed loyalty to him like his two other most loyal robots had.  
>ProtoMan's loyalty and obedience to Wily was programmed into him ever since he stole him from Dr. Light (until Wily's pain program removed it), and even Bass has a sliver of programming that makes him the was he is. But, ProtoMan left him and keeping Bass under his control has proven itself problematic.<p>

Perhaps, he could brainwash the new robot from the start of life to accept Wily's way of life and only that... that way, the robot would never argue with Wily's plans, and have no emotional attachments to their enemies on the outside.  
>This would be the perfect robot. This new creation might even be too advanced to even be labeled as just a robot... this could be something more.<p>

Albert erases the bits of programming code he does not like with the eraser on his chewed-on pencil and writes over them, until eventually, the last bits of code are scribbled down, taking up the last of the free space on the coffee stained paper.

And afterwards, Albert stares at the code he just wrote. And he grins, slowly standing from his chair and holding the paper in the air.

"Yes! This is it! My ultimate creation is complete!" Albert begins to rant as he laughs, "I can get revenge on Thomas Light and win the world. It will take time and money... but I can still get money. I'm Albert W. Wily! The ruler of the world! I can have anything I want! And I will take it! ALL OF IT!"

Now that this design is complete, there was one robot with whom he had to speak with first. Bass.

* * *

><p>High atop the top spire of Skull Fortress, Bass stands perched, brooding as he looks out at the barren badlands with Treble standing nearby. He has grown tired of standing around and waiting for Dr. Wily to begin his next plan. He is starting to become as weak as the very humans that he wants to dominate.<br>Bass has not bothered training Robot Masters or doing anything that would assist the robot army since the night he challenged Dr. Wily to stop being weak. The only reason he is even tolerating Wily at this point is so he has a greater chance of getting his revenge on Mega Man and taking Roll as his queen.  
>But, tonight, will be his lucky break.<p>

Bass' eyes sharpen when he sees a pair of single person All-Terrain Vehicles riding towards Skull Fortress, well outside of the perimeter fence. Given their haphazard driving, these are probably stupid humans who are joyriding and are no real threat... but, he wants to send the message home to these pathetic beings that this is no place a weakling human should be, and he aims his blaster arm at them from far off and charges a powerful shot.

Bass fires and the bright ball of purple plasma strikes the ground right next to one of the vehicles, causing it to violently flip over and leaving it to roll over several times until it finally comes to a stop right outside the barrier wall keeping the any trespassers away from Skull Fortress.

The other ATV vehicle races over to the side of the destroyed vehicle and the driver races over to save his crashed friend, who is caught inside the vehicle and too injured to escape on his own.

Bass aims his blaster cannon at them and begins charging another shot. "Thirty seconds," he says, counting down how much time these pathetic humans have left before he shoots them both.

The driver of the other vehicle frantically tries to unfasten his friend from the wreckage of the other vehicle, unaware that a sadistic robot as seconds away from executing them both.

Eventually he gets him out, but his injuries are so bad he can barely move and has to be carried away. But, they only have seconds left before they get blasted by Bass!

"Ten seconds," Bass whispers as he lines both of them up for another shot and almost elects to vaporize them with a blast. But, as Wily once said, fear and respect are one in the same. And it would be better to scare these helpless humans, because they will fear him, and in turn, they will respect him.

Bass fires another charged shot at the humans, this one well clear of their location, but close enough for them to know they are being targeted. The un-injured human puts his wounded friend onto the back seat of the surviving ATV and quickly gets it himself, peeling off to safety.

Bass lowers his arm and powers down, but feels victorious after scaring off the drivers. It was the most entertaining than anything he has done since the failed attack in Washington. It is better than waiting for Dr. Wily to stop feeling sorry for himself and get back to taking over the world.  
>And that's when he gets a contact on his communicator...<p>

_"Bass, wherever you are, meet with me immediately. We have things to discuss,"_ the voice of Dr. Wily says.

Bass remains still for a moment, feeling thrilled over the possibility of battle once again. Then, a satisfied smile comes across his tanned face and he stands. "Let's hear what Dr. Wily has to say, Treble."

* * *

><p>Bass and Treble make their way inside and head for the command center room where he said Dr. Wily would be. When they arrive, Bass can see that Wily is acting like he used to, not sulking or feeling sorry for himself, but with the psychotic excitement that he usually has when he is about to begin his next great plan. But, with more aggressiveness than he had ever seen.<br>What ever he just hatched in his brain, it must be deliciously evil.

Wily's head whips around to Bass and he speaks with a twisted grin, "My design! It is perfect!" Then, he hold up the wrinkled pieces of paper with the robot designs and programming codes scribbled on them. "Everything that has happened, all of my genius, has led to this!"

"And this means?" Bass asks.

"I need the money to make this project a reality, more than I have ever needed But, we will get it, however much it takes, whatever it takes!" Wily blathers, "I must make this project must become a reality!"

Bass folds his arm. "It's about time you finally decided to begin the war again."

"Yes! I will win the war! I will win the world! And Thomas Light will take the full brunt of it all!" Wily exclaims while pointing his finger in the air, "And I will take ProtoMan back!"

Bass' eyes narrow. "What?!"

"Thomas took him from me, and now I want him back with me!" Wily replies, with the same sadistic smile.

"ProtoMan betrayed you, Dr. Wily!" Bass protests, "We need to make him pay for what he has done!"

"Thomas Light and Mega Man corrupted him. They filled his mind with these sympathetic thoughts," Dr. Wily says, "So, I will bring him back and retrain him to accept my way of life..." Wily then stops and begins talking to himself rather than Bass. "Or, maybe that's too harsh. He left me because I was too strict."

Bass angrily says, 'You need to forget ProtoMan, Dr. Wily! _I_ will deal with your enemies while you use your new creation to fight the biggest battles!"

"I appreciate your concern, Bass. And you can deal with Mega Man however you wish. But, I want ProtoMan under my possession again and I am not changing my mind," Wily says.

"If you insist," Bass frowns.

Wily grins and looks at his notes for the new project in his hands. "In the meantime, we must focus on collecting the money to rebuild my robot army and fund my new project. It's time to get the money from every place we can, using every method we know...

I will make this project a reality! I _will_ win this time!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, at an unknown location.<strong>

In a dark and shady place, a shadowy male figure carrying a box in their hands approaches another, a female.

"It's here," says the male figure.

"Show it to me," says the female.

The male opens the box, revealing a jade green sphere settled in the center of it.

The female removes the sphere with both hands and holds it. "How much did this cost?"

"Too much for me," replies the male.

"You will be compensated," assures the female, "I wouldn't have done this myself. This sphere is a major gamble. If it falls into the wrong hands, we're all screwed."

"What about Black? ... Is he still going to be the one to take out Wily?" asks the male.

The female figure, Miss T, replies, "He will, Mr. Wire. And he will also create 'The Program' via the computer Mr. Endo supplied us. And then, we will deal with Black ourselves and get the data he took from Dr. Light's lab, then send it to The Conduit. After Wily and Mr. Black are dealt with, everything else will fall into place..."  
>As Miss T stares at the jade sphere, she wearily adds, "And we better not mess this up."<p>

"What about Mega Man?" asks Mr. Wire.

"If Mr. Black does what he is supposed to do, he will not be a problem.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Before I begin, I must point out that I made an error in the last chapter. It was described that Mr. Black's title of 'Mr. Black" was one given to him by The Conduit. But, this was actually an error, because Tonya was the one who we saw referring to Barton as Mr. Black in a flashback. If you go back to the first interlude chapter, you will see that the error has been fixed. (Barton accepted the title "Mr. Black" when The Conduit wanted him to take an alias.)_

_Not only will Episode 12 be the beginning of Year Four, but it will also be the end of Mr. Black's story arc. So, it is safe to say he will be playing a major part in the proceedings. But, that is all I can say for now. (sorry, folks)  
>Again, it is scheduled to debut on August 8th. Defender Day 2. Unfortunately, I currently have no plans to debut any other stories like I did on that day, but I will try my best to get this new episode debuted on time.<em>

_btw, The Mayor character mentioned here is meant to be the second mayor featured in the Mega Man cartoon show. The guy who was only in the Crime of the Century episode._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, leftover production notes, or continuity errors that are so bad that The Terminator would self-terminate, please PM me. (please try not to leave those reports in a review if you can.)  
>Also, responses to reviews will be later than usual this week.<em>


	128. Episode 12: Fade to Black

_**EPISODE 12: Fade to Black.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The War for Everlasting Peace has entered its fourth year.<strong>

**Peace has settled in for nearly four whole months following Dr. Wily's failed invasion of Washington D.C., and it is all thanks to the heroic efforts of Mega Man and everyone who stepped up to take the fight to the mad scientist, including help from two unlikely sources in Mr. Black - who saved the life of The President of the United States - and ProtoMan, who saved the life of Mega Man and destroyed Dr. Wily's nearly unstoppable Mad Grinder when he forever turned his back on his co-creator.**

**The Light siblings are finally reunited as Dr. Light had always wished, but ProtoMan is still struggling to find his place as much of the human population still resents him for his involvement in the war with Dr. Wily and his earlier betrayal of Mega Man.  
>And Mega Man himself has had concerns about the peace that has settled in being shattered.<strong>** And his worries are with good reason, for plans are already in motion to wreck that peace. And the plans are forged by more than one party.**

**Following the devastation of losing ProtoMan to Dr. Light and the failure of the D.C. invasion, Dr. Wily had spent months locked away as he planned his next great creation of doom. And now this his vision is complete, he has hatched a plan to bring him money he will need to fund this creation.  
>It could take many months to get this robot built, but Wily is determined to make it so, no matter how much money and effort it takes, and no matter how deadly it will be.<strong>

**Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either the Lights or Dr. Wily, the mysterious Conduit has hatching a plan that could change the face of this war completely, if not the entire world. And at the head of The Conduit's plan is Mr. Black, who has had reservations about his involvement in the plan. And his decision on what to do next will bear severe consequences, and he will find himself as a central figure in this over the course of the next forty-eight hours.**

**Your Four of the war will prove to be the most telling year of them all. And it will begin with the darkest day in New York history, in a very literal sense.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 12, Chapter 1: Blackout.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Well outside New York City.<br>One week after New Years Day.**

In the cold dead of night, Mr. Black's A.I.-powered black sedan makes its way to a destination given to him by The Conduit where he will pick up a package that is 'crucial to The Conduit's plans.' As the A.I. drives him there, the man who used to be Federal Agent John Barton dwells on what the future holds as a black gloved hand rubs his jaw covered by his black mask (which has since been repaired since his attempt to assassinate Dr. Wily during the Mad Grinder attack in Washington D.C. months ago.)

Ever since The Conduit first mentioned this grand plan that is in store, Barton has been bothered by what part he will have to play in this plan.  
>Killing Dr. Wily is not a problem for him, regardless of the consequences. But, Barton suspects that this plan will ensnare a lot more people than just Wily. Most likely Governor Mitchell Deacon and even Mega Man could become entangled in this, along with hundreds - if not thousands - of innocents who otherwise would not have become involved had this mission not dragged on and Wily had been dead already.<p>

But, what if that is what The Conduit really wants? Maybe The Conduit is much more sinister than he/she/it is letting on. The Conduit did she that this plan is important, and that Wily's continued existence is a hindrance to that. And he/she/it is persistent in trying to wriggle the files Barton took from Dr. Light's lab as well.  
>The more Barton deals with this mysterious boss of his and the more that the orders thrust upon him are increasingly frustrating and disruptive, The Conduit is looking more and more like somebody who is in their own way just another Dr. Wily in the making.<p>

And the haunting thoughts of his late wife Tonya being disappointed by his actions have only gotten worse when he thinks about what he is about to get himself into. When he started this mission to kill Dr. Wily, he did not want to become a monster like him. But, as more time passed he became more desperate at get vengeance and began taking very desperate measures, like the break in at Dr. Light's lab to acquire the files and learn the weaknesses of any potentially mechanical or robotic threat he may face.  
>And ever since, Barton's conscience has weighed on him heavily. And he fears it is only going to get worse.<p>

Soon, Mr. Black's car pulls up to the predetermined location and he exits, walking down a dark and dank alley as his new dark grey trench coat flows in the cold breeze, waiting for the 'other asset' in The Conduit's network to arrive and deliver the package.

As it turns out, _she_ is already here, her presence given away by the _clip clop_ sound made by her heeled boots. Mr. Black turns around and sees the woman known only by the alias of 'Miss T' approaching him from the other end of this dark alley.

With the help of a voice distortion device, Miss T asks, "Do you like what you see, Mr. Black?"

Angered by the woman's attempted to seduce him, Mr. Black gravels back, "If I was, I would have taken a picture. Now, where's the package?"

Miss T says nothing in response and just leans her body to one side to look over Mr. Black's shoulder, then lifts her motorcycle helmeted head up very slightly. Mr. Black turns around and hears the _'Klank'_ sound unique to robot footsteps and soon sees two robots that bear a passing resemblance to Policebots walking towards him, their armors colored entirely black. One carrying a rifle; the other carrying a box in his hands.

Mr. Black keeps his hands close by his handguns ready to open fire if this is a trap, but Miss T speaks. "No need for weapons, Mr. Black. They are not here to attack you. Unless, of course, you try to attack them. They will take it as an act of betrayal. And so will I."

"Did The Conduit fund the building of your metal friends?" Mr. Black asks.

"The Conduit funded _your_ toys, did he not?" Miss T volleys back.

"I make my own. I don't trust anybody else to do it for me," Mr. Black snipes back as he kneels down to inspect the box. He sees a single computer setting inside the box.

"This is what you will be using to create something vitally important to The Conduit," Miss T says, "Your expertise with technology made you the best candidate for the job."

After inspecting it, Mr. Black stands and says, "Tell your robots to load it into my trunk. I'd prefer to have my hands free in case any of you try anything."

Miss T nods towards the two robots and one of them removes the computer and takes it to the rear of Mr. Black's car just as the trunk opens itself, revealing a small arsenal of weapons in devices stored inside.

After the robots load the computer inside the trunk and closes it, Miss T asks, "Nice guns. Are you planning on killing anybody?"

"Just Albert Wily," Mr. Black replies coldly as he re-enters the black car, "Good day to you, madam."

Miss T stares at Mr. Black as he leaves, waiting until he is far enough to make a call to her employer. "The package is delivered. It was fitted with the tracking devices you requested."

_"It is likely Mr. Black will find them. He always does. But, I have reason to believe we will learn his true location soon, regardless,"_ The Conduit replies.

* * *

><p>As Mr. Black's car rides into the night, he travels a quarter of the way to his hideout, then he utters, "Stop."<p>

The car gradually comes to a stop in the middle of the street, then Mr. Black steps out and approaches the trunk, opening it and removing a power drill. Barton uses the power drill to remove the outer casing from the computer to inspect it.

Then, he grabs a device with a an antenna and uses it to scan the computer itself for any tracking devices, and he finds two of them. One obviously placed atop the disc drive, and one hidden near the venting fan. Mr. Black removes them and tosses them into a trash can.

"Nice try, sweetheart," Mr. Black utters before he continues to make the trip back 'home' to his hideout, where he will dwell until the time comes for him to be let loose into the world again. And that time is coming very soon.

* * *

><p><strong>That morning.<br>****Dr. Light's lab.**

It is the early hours of the morning and the sky shines brightly as Mega Man stands on the roof of the lab and stares out upon the Skyline as he often does. While he things have been peaceful ever since the Mad Grinder attack, Mega Man continues to have a feeling of foreboding danger coming around the corner much like he has before.

Too much time has passed since there has been even the slightest trace of Wily, and Mega fears that it is a matter of time now before he does show up again. And it will probably involve an even more dangerous plot to overthrow the world. And Bass will probably be close behind him, and after being handed a defeat at Mega's hands, he could be deadlier than ever.

In the middle of his thoughts, he hears somebody walking up from behind him, and he is surprised when he hears his brother's voice asking, "So, do you always sit up here like this or what?"

Mega looks over to his right to see ProtoMan standing right beside him. He barely smiles and explains, "Whenever I need time alone to think, I come up here. When I can look at the city from here, it reminds me a little why I fight. My question is, what brings you up this early in the morning?"

"Forgot to drink an E-Tank. Ended up falling out before the end of that football game... or, maybe it was that game that put me to sleep," Proto replies. "So, what's bugging you, Rock? You still worried about... _you-know-who_ showing up again?"

"I've had trouble concentrating lately. I've got a bad feeling that _you-know-who_ is about to show his face again any day," Mega answers, "There's been no sign of him. Not even the Robot Masters or Bass have shown their faces."

Mega's sights sharply focus on the sight of a single plume of smoke rising from the city. Nothing too large or serious, but noticeable with his super visual abilities. He uses his advanced visual circuits to check it and he fears the worst.

"Do you see that?" Mega asks urgently, pointing to the original of he smoke up ahead.

Proto looks and replies, "Yeah. Looks like a flame the fire department can handle. I don't think it's an attack. Trust me, I've been a part of enough of them to know what it's really a threat and when it's not."

Mega lets of a sigh. "I guess you're right."

"Roll's right. You worry too much, bro," Proto says, "Even the smallest things are makin' you jumpy these days. You should've seen yourself at that New Year's thing the other night checking every nook and cranny of the place."

"I can't afford to let him get a foot up on us. We came so close to losing everything. If it weren't for you..."

"You don't need to remind me. I was the big hero that night. But, I've got nothing to show for it. None of these humans seem to give a rat's ass," Proto shrugs.

"Well, you've got a grateful brother here," Mega smiles back, "And Dr. Light feels the same way."

Proto grins, "That's two, at least. It's a shame our sister still hasn't warmed up to me."

"What makes you think that?" Mega asks.

"Trust me. Old habits die hard," Proto answers.

Just a second later, all the street lamps turn on, even though it is morning, and make a strong electrical hum. Then, they all burst.

"The hell was that about?" Proto asks.

Mega Man answers, "I don't know. But, I don't like it!"

_"Rock, ProtoMan. We just got a call from Chief Toombs. All of New York just lost power along with us. It appears to be a blackout that is spreading over the entire region very quickly. He doesn't think it is a Wily attack, but-"_

Before Dr. Light could complete his sentence, Mega Man says, "Tell him I'm on my way! You might want to wake Roll up for this!"

Mega Man begins to sprint back inside and ProtoMan follows. But, he is unsure how big of a problem this really is. "You sure it's not one of the drunks from the New Years celebration the other night?" Proto asks.

"This is too big of an outage to overlook," Mega replies, "There hasn't been an outage this big in the New York area in a hundred years. If you were in my boots, what would you do?"

Proto answers, "Okay, you're right. I'd look into it too."

"Let's head out," Mega says as Rush flies outside through the emergency entrance in the upper section of the lab. Mega then opens the garage door manually because the emergency generators are on the fritz.  
>"Take the land blazer. if we run into trouble, you've got some extra help," he says to Proto, pointing to the orange vehicle with the tank-treads on the bottom.<p>

"That thing? _Hmph!_ Looks like a toy made for a Saturday Morning Cartoon," Proto remarks. before climbing inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Deep in the city.<strong>

The lights are off in the city for the first time since the rampage of Dr. Wily's Robo-Spider, but this is a situation the likes of which has not taken place anywhere in the world in many decades. Not only is the city offline, but the entire state of New York is without power, along with New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and much of New England. This is the largest blackout in American history, possibly even the world.

Lanes are full of wrecked vehicles because of the crashes caused by the dead traffic lights. Businesses have come to a dead standstill and restaurants are trying to get rid of as much food as possible because not only is the power out, many emergency generators are having difficulty operating. And even those that are running on back-up power are soon going to be forced to close shop when the generators run out of energy, at least until the power comes back on. The police are out in full force trying to keep everything under control too, because while things are not exactly easy right now, they will only get worst later as the threat of possible looting and anarchy in the streets could settle in.

And this is too big of an event to be a regular outage. Either this is a power grid infrastructure failure of the worst kind, or something more sinister is at work...

In the middle of the commotion, a human man wearing a dark grey suit with fair skin, thinning red hair and an aged face walks into the lobby of the New York Federal Reserve Bank building carrying a briefcase. He makes his way to the front desk where several security guards are now standing.

Before the human guards can say anything, the man pulls out his badge and ID. "I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. I'm here to inspect the integrity of your vault following the power outage."

"We've still got power, and we're lucky. Back-up generators are still fully functional. But, if you insist on inspecting it yourself, we'll need to see your credentials."

"Sure. Here you go," says the agent, reaching into his blazer and handing a guard his badge holder so they can verify him.

Several moments pass as the guards study the man's ID. They are having difficulty discerning whether it is a real badge or a forgery. So, they will run it into a scanning device to approve his identity. Several tense seconds pass as the agent awaits for his identity to be verified, and a few guards keep a sharp eye on him as a result.

The agent does not show any sign of stress or fear and continues to study his surroundings, paying special attention to the security cameras, seeing how they work...  
>Meanwhile, a shady bulky figure walks in wearing a trench coat and a large Trilby hat. One meant to fit a huge head. And once that figure begins to enter the lobby, the Agent takes notice that he is here.<p>

"How long does it take for you guys to approve my badge number? If this were D.C., I would've been through this by now," the Agent says.

"Why would you need to gain access to the vault during an energy crisis, Agent? You did not arrange this meeting ahead of time," asks one security guard who cautiously begins to approach this agent.

"Well, fortunately for all of you... you won't be awake long enough to find out. Nor will you have the eyesight to see it," says the agent.

At the moment, the shady man in the trench coat rips his outfit off, revealing that he is really Bright Man. Before the security guards could fire on him, Bright Man pulls off his extra-large Trilby and uses his Bright Flash power to blind everyone in the lobby, save for the "agent" who came in before him, whose arm morphs into a blaster cannon and begins firing shots at all the guards.

"You cut it close, Bright Man," the "Agent" says as he morphs and takes his true form as Dark Man 2.

"I couldn't help it, Dark Man. The humans are crowding the streets because the lights just went out," Bright Man says.

As Dark Man two begins dragging the fallen guards behind the desk, he says, "You've been given one job: Get to the server room and make the transfer to the banks in Vegas, Salt Lake and Chicago before anybody notices we were here. Then, get the hell out of here."

"Why don't why take the money ourselves and bring it back to Dr. Wily? There's a lot of it here, even gold," Bright Man asks.

"That is not what Dr. Wily ordered. We send the funds to the accounts, then our brothers take it from there incognito," Dark Man answers as he tosses the fake FBI ID to Bright Man.

"What if Mega Man shows up?" Bright Man asks as he barely catches the ID keycard.

"I'll stall him, preferably permanently. Just make sure that money gets to the three banks so that it can be taken from there. You don't want to disappoint Dr. Wily," Dark Man says as he takes the form of one of the fallen robotic guards.

"Nope. That wouldn't be the brightest thing to do, would it?" Bright Man puns before running of to the basement. Then, he stops, "Uh... where is the sever room?"

"Sub-basement level 2. Get past the guards," Dark Man says, still taking the form of the security robot, then throws Bright Man one of the human guard's ID tag. "You'll be needing that. Hopefully the generators should still have enough power to unlock the door."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Manhattan.<strong>

While the police have their hands full dealing with the blackout, they do have some help with Mega Man, Roll and ProtoMan on the scene, helping out those who have become trapped in wrecked vehicles in the middle of the street. But, as always, ProtoMan's presence is not as welcome as his other siblings, especially that of Mega Man, who the humans are assisting during this cleanup operation.

Mega pries open the door of a crashed car and helps a female citizen out of her wrecked car and into the awaiting arms of medical technicians nearby. "Here you go, ma'am. You'll be safe with the medics."

"Oh, thank you, Mega Man," says the shaken woman.

"Thanks, Mega Man," adds a human medic, "We don't know what we would do without you."

Mega nods and smiles back, "Just doing my job, sir."

As the human medics and medical robots walk away to an awaiting ambulance, they cross ProtoMan who is about to have a word with his brother. The Medicalbots react normally, one even giving Proto a nod in his direction. But, one of the humans hurries up his steps upon seeing Proto, and the other one gives him a weary glance.

As much as he claims the resentment from the humans does not bother him, it does. He doesn't get how Drill Man is so widely accepted by many of the humans after just turning around and not drilling to the center of the Earth, but Proto goes above and beyond the call to save his brother's life and foiling one of Dr. Wily's biggest plans ever, and many of them don't accept him.  
>Proto tries to shake off the empty feelings he now has and join his two siblings up ahead, who are talking with each other.<p>

"You really think that Wily's behind this?" Roll asks her brother.

"He has to be," Mega answers, "This blackout is too big destructive to not be his work."

"But, why would he blackout so much of the country and not launch an attack?" Roll asks.

Mega Man looks over to ProtoMan who had just approached them, looking to see if he has any insight on a possible Wily motive. But, Proto is annoyed by this. "Do I look like a walking Dr. Wily handbook or something?"

"You worked with him, so you know what he's gonna do next!" Roll counters with her voice raising.

"And you think I'm still working with him, don't ya'?" Proto asks.

Roll sneers back, "You better not be!"

"Guys, please," Mega calls, trying to keep his siblings from arguing, "Proto, we just need all the help we can get."

"Fine, fine," Proto replies as he tries to cool down and think of why Wily would try to stage something this big. "My guess is he sent out ElecMan and Spark Man to overload the power grid. And if he went out of his way to create a blackout this big, then it's for a bigger reason. He's not trying to get everybody's guard down for a big attack. He's creating a distraction."

"That makes sense. While we're all dealing with the bigger problem, he's doing something behind our backs while we aren't looking," Mega Man says, "But, what is it?"

ProtoMan replies, "There's only one thing he would be doing: finding a way to get more money. Normally, he'd just send the Robot Masters to barge in and rob the place, but... but, there's no sign of them..." Then he falls silent as he realizes something, then looks over toward his brother.

Mega Man's own eyes begin to become wide when he thinks the same thing his brother is thinking. "The New York reserve building is a few miles from here! And if Wily's behind the blackout, he's finding a way to sneak them in!"

"And there's only one robot who can blend in the most," Roll says.

"Dark Man," ProtoMan adds.

"That's why he didn't storm the city with guns blazing! He's already here!" Mega exclaims just before contacting the police and the Chief. "Chief! Captain Tallarico! This is Mega Man! Please, send as many units as you can to the Federal Reserve building and to any other banks in the area. I think we've got trouble. Wily trouble!"

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York at the Federal Reserve Building.<strong>

Bright Man arrives to the server room, blinding more guards on his way there with his Bright Flash, but not before they could trip the alarm to lock up the entire bank. Now Bright Man races to the security door separating him from the sever room and leaps for the door as it closes, barely managing to stick the fallen human guard's keycard into the keycard reader just as the door locks itself shut.

Bright Man yelps as his rotund body crashes to the floor, and he still has a firm grip on the key card... and he manages to rip the whole card reader out of the wall in the process. But, unfortunately the reader is still fully connected to the security systems and accepts the FBI keycard.

A dazed Bright Man looks up with woe and checks his bulb to see if it is cracked. "I did it!" he babbles.

_"Bright Man! What is going on down there?"_ calls Dark Man from the lobby.

"I got in. It worked. But, the humans triggers the alarm thing," Bright Man answers as he enters the sever room.

_"We don't have time, then. Hurry up and wire those transfers to those banks on the double. And don't mess it up!"_

Bright Man makes his way to through the room, past several tall severs that are connected to various banks, federal reserves and Government bureaus, until he reaches one of the terminals that will allow him to wire money from one bank directly to another.

Bright Man opens a solar panel on his chest armor and removes a hacking device from it, plugs it into the terminal which grants him complete access to it. Afterwards, he enters some commands that breaks into the network for one particular bank in Chicago, Illinois and wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars into an account set up incognito by Dark Man 2 just weeks earlier. And after this one is complete, he will send more money to two other locations in Nevada and Utah.

"I hope this works!" Bright Man blathers.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in Chicago.<br>Navi Bank.**

While the situation in the northeast United States has the country on alert, it is business as usual in many banks around the country, but they are on a heightened awareness level because of the severity of the Northeast blackout. And they are about to receive some unwelcome visitors... and they are in the form of a very large human man who has a very square jaw, and larger than normal hands and feet. And joining him is an old lady who is noticeably larger framed than an elder human female should be, and who is wearing a hat that bares a resemblance to a pair of Rolling Cutters...  
>It can't be GutsMan and Cut Man wearing disguises and masks made of synthetic robot skin. There's no way.<p>

The two Robot Masters make their way to a human teller and begin speaking with him. "Hello, young man! Eh-heh! Eh-heh! I would like to check how much money I have in my account."

The befuddled bank teller asks, "We allow account viewing online. Perhaps you want to make a withdrawal?"

"Oh, yes. I would like to do that, dear. But, I would hate it if one of these young whippersnappers with their hacking devices _cut_ the bottom out from my money bags! Eh-heh! Eh-heh! But, I would need some help getting all of my money out of here."

'Junior' chimes in, "Don't worry, Ma. I'll lug it outta here myself."

"I'll, uh, be back in a moment," the teller says, as he gets up and leaves the station.

Once they are alone, Cut Man ('Ma') elbows 'Junior' in the side and mutters, "Don't get lost in the part, Gutsty."

"Look who's talkin', Grandma!" GutsMan (or 'Junior') teases back.

Cut Man (or 'Ma') uses a hidden communicator inside his glove and calls out to the Wheelman outside, Magnet Man. "Where are you, Magnet?"

_"Waiting outside. Bright Man just sent the money. I know what to do from here. Just try not to destroy anything until I get the cash out. And by the way something, Cut Man."_

"What?"

_"Don't wear old lady dresses anymore. You make an ugly lady,"_ Magnet Man jabs, leaving the Cut Man flustered in his old woman clothing, and his old lady mask...

Meanwhile, the bank teller makes his way to the bank President and addresses a potentially serious concern. "Mr. Hebert, I think we have a problem outside."

"What kind of problem?" asks the head of the bank.

"Take a look outside and look at my station," says the teller, "Something doesn't look right about these two people who just came up to me."

The bank President gets up and takes a look outside his office and sees the rather strange looking pair of 'Ma' and 'Junior', and he can tell right away they look very strange, and a bit too familiar.

"First, there's a massive blackout northeast, now these two show up here. I've seen enough on the news to know what's going on here," he says, "I'll have a RoboTeller go out there and stall them. I'll call the police, and they'll be here any minute."

* * *

><p>Outside the bank, a SkyCar pulls out outside right in front of the ATM machine, and Magnet Man - wearing a disguise of his own with a suit and tie, complete with a fedora to cover the magnet ornament on his head - gets out and makes his way to the machine. But, a human man is standing in his path as he operates the ATM.<p>

"I wasn't expecting this," he angrily says.

Instead of throwing the man into the middle of the street like he wants to, Magnet Man waits for the human to walk away as he finishes his transaction because he does not want to be the one to arouse suspicion. That's what GutsMan and Cut Man (and their intentionally poor costumes are for.)  
>Afterwards, Magnet Man steps up to the ATM and logs in to the account Dr. Wily set up with this bank just days ago. After several seconds of having to look into his account information, Magnet Man sees that the money has indeed been moved from New York to here and he begins to make a withdrawal of every penny he can get.<p>

But, within a few seconds, he can already hear the loud bellowing voice of GutsMan even outside. _"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A FAKE?!"_

"Not now, you dunderhead!" Magnet grumbles.

_"Don't agitate Junior! Cut it out!"_ Cut Man argues.

"If you would stop using your puns, they'd buy your story for a few seconds," Magnet Man snarls as he waits for his withdrawal to begin.

And that is when he hears the wail of several Chicago police vehicles heading this way, most likely summoned here by the bank because of GutsMan and Cut Man. Their arrival is a few minutes too soon for Magnet Man, who anxiously looks over his shoulder as he waits for the cash.

_"THAT DOES IT! I'M GONNA SMASH ALL OF YOU SQUIRTS, OR MY NAME AIN'T GUTSMAN! Er, I mean, Junior!"_ yells Gutsy.

Finally, an envelope carrying hundreds of thousand dollars emerges from the machine just before Magnet Man hears a loud smashing coming from inside, no doubt from GutsMan, followed by the firing of plasma bolts and guns and the buzzing sound made by Cut Man's rolling cutters as he throws them.

"I got the money, get out of there, boys!" Magnet Man says as he runs to the getaway car at the same time the smashed body of a robo bank security guard comes flying through a window and landing right behind the car.

A few seconds later, Guts Man and Cut Man (their costumes now half-ripped-off and their robot heads fully exposed) run out of the bank and get into the car. Or at least, Cut Man does, but Guts Man climbs on top and rides piggyback on the car as it drives away.

The remaining robo guards race out of the bank and open fire on the car trying to shoot them down, but Magnet Man switches over the SkyCar mode and blasts off into the sky to make a getaway from the bank.

* * *

><p><strong>Back inside the New York Federal Reserve.<strong>

While still in SecurityBot disguise, Dark Man 2 keeps a watchful eye on the front door as the first reports from the police begin to come in on the battery-powered radios worn by the human guards he just knocked out, all of which are left sprawled on the floor under the front desk alongside the knocked out Security robot guards who were dispatched.

_"Attention all guards, all units. There is a chance there that Dr. Wily or his robots might be in the area, possibly in the Federal Reserve Bank. Keep your eyes open and report anything that appears to be unusual, and take action if under attack."_

"Bright Man, hurry up! The police are on to us," Dark Man 2 calls.

_"I did it! I sent the money! I'm on my way up!"_

At that moment, Dark Man sees Mega Man, Roll, ProtoMan and Rush about to enter the building at the front doors. "Mega Man is here, and ProtoMan is with him! I'll try to stall them, but make a run for it as soon as you're on ground level."

Mega, Proto, Roll and Rush enter the door and make their way to the front desk where they see the lone security robot, completely unbeknownst that it is Dark Man 2, who keeps his disguise up despite his natural urge to blast the heroes.

"Good morning, Mega Man. Is there anything you need?" he asks.

"Officer, has anything happened here in the past hour since the power outage?" Mega responds.

"The outage caused the silent alarm to act up. We're investigating it now," the 'SecurityBot' replies.

Meanwhile, Rush begins sniffing around, sensing something strange, and Mega notices. "What's the matter, boy. You smell something?"

Knowing that he is in danger of being caught, the Securitybot says, "I think Rush's senses need to be adjusted. There was no trouble here at all."

"Say... Didn't you get the bulletin about a possible Dr. Wily attack taking place at a bank, pal?" asks a skeptical ProtoMan.

"Of course we did, ProtoMan," the SecurityBot replies.

"Then, why aren't there a whole ton of extra guards around here?" Proto grills.

"We have them spread out all over the bank."

Proto grins, "But, you're on heightened alert, aren't you. That means this place should be swarming with guards. Why are you the only one here?"

The 'SecurityBot' appears to grow agitated with ProtoMan's questions. "Why are you here? You are the one who served Dr. Wily!"

"Right," Proto says... then, he forms his plasma buster and blasts the guard dead center in the chest.

Roll freaks out, thinking her older brother just attacked an innocent guard. "Have you fried a circuit or something?! You just blasted a security robot!"

"That's no normal SecurityBot. It's Dark Man!" Mega exclaims, pointing at the fallen guard whose physical form in beginning to short out and reveal Dark Man 2's true form as he attempts to return to his feet.

ProtoMan just grins, "I could tell it was you, Dark, even from the front door." Then, he turns to his little sister, "Sorry for the scare, sis. I couldn't tip him off."

Just then, Bright Man gets out of the express elevator and calls, "I sent to money, Dark Man! Time to- YIKES!"  
>Once he sees Mega Man and the others, he begins to flee while Dark Man tries to cover for him, firing several blasts from his arm cannon. But, the Light siblings evade all of Dark Man's blasts and Mega fires another round of blasts at the Wily robot along with ProtoMan, who fires at his former comrade as well.<p>

The teamwork of both of the Light Brothers is too much for Dark Man to handle as he attempts to fire upon them again, only to be blasted down again, simultaneously by Mega and Proto and keeping him down for the count.

While Mega and Proto are preoccupied with Dark Man 2, Roll on the other hand is focused on Bright Man. "Bright Man's getting away! Let's go get him, Rush!"

Rush barks as he and Roll race after Bright Man as he begins to bolt for a stair case. But, on the way, Bright Man turns around and uses his Bright Flash, trying to blind Roll and Rush with it.  
>Roll and Rush both cover their eyes and go down to the waxed floors of the bank, unable to continue.<p>

"Not too bright, are you, losers! See you later! Hee-hee!" Bright Man taunts before he runs into the stairwell, leaping from railing to railing to try to get distance between himself and the Lights.

Seeing that his sister and dog are down, Mega Man races to their side along with ProtoMan and helps them up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I closed my eyes before he could blind us. But, we've gotta to stop him," Roll replies as Rush barks.

"If we catch him, we can find out how Wily's getting the money. We better hurry up, though," Mega says while helping his companions to their feet.

Mega then races to the stars with Proto and looks up, seeing that Bright Man is almost at the top. "I never thought I would get use out of this, but it's our best option. Rush! Coil!"

Rush barks with all four of his legs rigid and producing a large springboard from his back. Mega Man is the first to leap up, jumping on Rush's back and springing all the way up to the top of the staircase just after Bright Man runs out. Roll follows him up, and then ProtoMan as they begin to pursue Bright Man.

* * *

><p>Mega bursts out of the stairwell and runs after Bright Man, who races to the edge of the federal reserve building and leaps over the fire escape of the next building nearby. But, Mega Man does not lose a step and keeps pace with him, racing up the fire escape stairs after the Robot Master.<p>

On the roof of the Federal Reserve building, Proto Man stops and takes aim with his plasma canon. "We don't have time for this."

"Don't shoot! You might cause that whole stairwell to collapse," Roll argues as she leaps across and climbs, "We're supposed to do this right."

Proto groans. "Always got to make an argument out of it."

Rush races up to Proto's side, and before he could leap after Bright Man, Proto calls, "Rush, do that coil thing again."

Rush comes to a stop and returns to his Rush Coil mode, and ProtoMan then bounces himself off the coil and makes a perfect leap all the way up to the roof of the next building just as Bright Man climbs up there, startling the Robot Master and causing him to tumble to his knees.

"Hey, Bright Man! It's been too long!" Proto grins.

Mega Man and Roll reach the top of the roof along with Rush who jets himself up here, all of them about to apprehend Bright Man who is trying to cower away.

"There's only one of you and there's four of us. Give it up, Bright Man!" Mega threatens.

"I don't like those odds, pal," Proto adds.

"That's what you think, Proto Traitor!" Bright Man spits as he uses his Bright Flash again, and makes a break for it. Mega and the heroes were able to block his flash again but Bright Man is keeping his flash on, which causes them to have to blindly chase him... except for ProtoMan, whose visor protects his eyes from the effects of his flash.

"You forget who you're dealing with these days, don't you, Brighty?" Proto says as he fires off a blast in Bright Man's direction, which hits the Robot Master in the back and knocks him down again. By now, Bright Man's energy is almost depleted and his Bright Flash is too much for him to use anymore, once again giving Mega Man and his siblings the chance to catch up with him.

No longer hindered by Bright Man's flashing, Mega Man makes a dash for Bright Man as he gets up and leaps away again to the next building across. Mega Man follows and leaps after him... and Bass and Treble rise from between the buildings and blasts Mega in mid-jump.

The shot strikes Mega Man in the chest and causes him to fall in the space between the buildings, and Treble jets away to grab Bright Man, whom Bass snatches over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, ProtoMan and Roll are shocked when they see Bass appearing and horrified when they see their brother get shot down. Thinking fast, ProtoMan decides in a nanosecond to save his brother instead of chasing after Bass. And a nanosecond later, there was only one thing Proto could do to save his brother before he could hit the ground... copy his sister's utility arm powers and use them to his advantage.

Proto grabs Roll's left arm and says, "I'll be needing this!"

All of Roll's powers are successfully copied over to ProtoMan and he leaps down between buildings to go after his brother, leaving Roll herself shocked that her own brother had just stolen her own utilities.

As soon as Proto dives after Mega Man, he switches over to Roll's vacuum power and uses the absolute strongest setting (Reverse Tornado Strength) and uses it to slow Mega's fall speed until Proto himself catches up with him. Then, he grabs his brother and puts the vacuum in reverse, using the air coming out of his arm to slow down their fall until they could make a safe landing...

Back on the roof, Roll looks up at Bass, who is leaving with Bright Man flung over his shoulder as he rides on Treble. Bass stares at her with his red eyes, and she stares back with apprehension. She tries to draw something from her utility arm, but it does not work. Thanks to ProtoMan having to copy her abilities, she is now defenseless against the super robot should he try to come after her. The only person standing between them now is Rush, who snarls at Bass.

But, Bass does not come after Roll, despite his desire to. Because Wily told them to get out of there as soon as they could, he carries off Bright Man and heads out of the city, soon followed by a plain shuttle craft which was sent to retrieve Dark Man 2 from the Federal Reserve.

Roll just lets out a sigh of relief as Bass leaves. When he is far away, she looks over the ledge of the building she is standing on to see if her brothers are alright...

Down below, Mega regains his composure as ProtoMan lands on the ground with him.

"You alright, bro?" Proto asks.

Mega Man replies with a question, "What happened to Bright Man and Bass?"

"I think they got away," Proto replies.

Frustrated, Mega Man shoves off ProtoMan's arm and vents. "Why didn't you keep on him? Now, Wily's got more money and we have no idea what he's going to build next!"

Proto retorts, "In case you didn't notice, _little brother_, you were about to become scrap until I saved you! _Again!_"

"That fall wouldn't have killed me. We're supposed to stop Wily and his bots to defend the human race, we can't afford to put ourselves first," Mega fires.

Proto then sneers, "Don't give me that crap! If it was me, or Roll or Light falling, you would've done the same thing I did, and you know it! You know what? You're getting just like these worthless stupid humans you're supposed to protect! Instead of getting a _'Thanks, Proto'_ I got spit on! If this is the kind of gratitude I get for saving you, maybe I'll let you keep falling next time!"

ProtoMan storms off, leaving Mega Man standing there to watch him leave. "Proto!" he calls, but ProtoMan keeps walking away.

Mega looks up to see Roll and Rush looking down from the roof he just fell from, and he shrugs his arms. This day is already off to a bad foot. The region is in the middle of the worst blackout in history, Dr. Wily's robots just got away with untold amounts of money, and his brother is once again angry with him.

As he clutches his chest, still stinging from the hit he took from Bass, Mega sighs, "This is not my lucky day."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.**

While the entire northeast is without power, an unmasked Mr. Black is running the bare essential electronic devices on a back-up generator, including a radio that is relaying the information to the public. And, as he begins inspecting the computer he retrieved this morning, and what it really does, Mr. Black continues to keep an eye on the situation in New York.

_"If you are listening to this broadcast in the northeastern United States via an electric radio, consider yourself one of the lucky few," says the radio news anchor, "Millions of homes are now without power thanks to a power grid failure so devastating that even independent battery-powered generators were shocked and are not responding.  
>Tonight, the entire region will be plunged into darkness, and if that were not enough, speculation is already rampant that this is the work of Dr. Albert Wily. And police in New York, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas are reporting that several banks have either been directly attacked by Dr. Wily's robots, or had mysterious figures making withdrawals of large amounts of money."<em>

Although the news outlets are not yet reporting that this is all Dr. Wily's doing, Barton already suspects that this is the case. After studying the man's methods, Barton knows when Wily is really involved in a crime or not. And this reeks of an Albert Wily heist.

Barton turns his focus back to the monitor connected to the computer he retrieved last night and continues to study it, specifically the program labeled _"Program Creator."  
><em>After studying it for several minutes, it looks like a programing tool to easily create and execute programs. One could create hundreds of different malicious programs and infect the entire internet if they wanted to, enough to cripple almost any country's web structure for weeks or longer.

This creates an unusual sinking feeling in the pit of Barton's stomach. He tried to convince himself that this is only intended to crippled some of Wily's technology to allow a quick and easy invasion of Skull Fortress. But now, Barton cannot shake the sinking feeling that the true intention of this little program is more sinister.

Mr. Black's phone to The Conduit rings and he answers. "Tell your lady friend in the biker helmet to do a better job of placing tracers on things. I'll always find them."

The Conduit responds, _"Just a test to make sure your senses and instincts are still sharp."_

"Sure it was," Mr. Black utters, not believing the lie he was just told.

_"The incident that took place in New York today was the work of Dr. Wily. There were withdrawals made from several banks at various points in the United States at the same time it all took place, each of them nearing a million per. But, this is the perfect opportunity to start our plan. Learn how to work the computer fast. The plan will be executed tomorrow night. Be prepared."_

"What am I preparing myself for?" Mr. Black asks.

_"You will be informed later tonight. I will call you. Be ready to take that call,"_ The Conduit says.

As the call finishes, Barton stares at the screen displaying the _"Program Creator_" program and his conflicted feelings about what The Conduit has in mind only worsen. He has the feeling the Tonya is watching over him, waiting for him to make a decision that means more than any other he has made.

The _blackest_ day in the war for everlasting peace has begun. And it will only get darker.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The date of this posting marks the second anniversary of the debut of the Defender of the Human Race series. AKA, Defender Day 2.  
>For those of you reading early, Chapter 2 will be posted later tonight. And it will be even more intense than the first.<em>

_For those of you who are wondering, this story and the title of this chapter are not related in any way to the story arc in the Mega Man comic books of the same name. I hatched this idea well before I knew about their idea._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, leftover notes, fractured sentences and a continuity error so big that even Kirby couldn't eat it, please PM me right away.  
>Responses to reviews will be late again, because I am busy on chapter 2. Thank you very much in advance for your reviews.<em>


	129. Dark Day, Black Night

_**Episode 12, Chapter 2: Dark Day, Black Night.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

The lab is unusually quiet today thanks to the blackout and Dr. Light has been forced to conserve generator power by running fewer recourses, but he is making an exception and running the lab's systems to re-upload Roll's utility arm powers so she can use her arm again.

"There! You should be back to normal now, Roll," Dr. Light says, unplugging the cables plugged into Roll's utility arm.

"Thanks, Dr. Light," Roll says as Peekaboo stands right next to his mommy as she sits on the worktable, still holding the Met hardhat wearing teddy bear in his extension arm hand.

"You're welcome. But, I wish you both hadn't been so harsh towards ProtoMan. He was only trying to help," Dr. Light says.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad he helped Mega, but Wily's bots still got away," Roll says.

"And it's a lot worse than we thought," Mega Man says as he enters the lab, "I just spoke with Chief Toombs and the FBI, They said over a million dollars was wired from the reserve to three banks in Chicago, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, and each of them had teams of Robot Masters waiting to pick up the money. So, it looks like Wily's not going away any time soon."

"Who knows what he could build now," Roll sighs.

Peekaboo bleeps with concern, asking if the bad man is going to be coming here like the big man is the mask (Mr. Black) did.

"Aw, don't worry about that, Boo. After all the upgrades, we're safe from anything like that ever happening again," she assures as she puts her arm around her Met to calm him down.

But, Dr. Light meanwhile becomes lost in deep thought and concern. The thought of Dr. Wily accumulating more money after sitting dormant for so long has him worried about what he really has up his sleeve.  
>The robots created by Dr. Wily last year were amongst his most fearsome ever - first Bass and Treble, then The Killers and then the Mad Grinder - and each of them almost led to the deaths of his children. There is no telling what kind of destruction his next creation will cause, especially if he gets another substantial boon of cash. And Thomas considers taking some major steps to try and stop this Dr. Wily's next creation before it even starts, like having a spy robot sent over to infiltrate Skull Fortress to see when he is doing, or maybe attempting to launch a another full-on strike on Skull Fortress to stop him.<p>

Thomas is so preoccupied with the threat posed by Dr. Wily that he does not even notice his children were speaking to him...

"Dr. Light? ... Father?" asks the voice of Mega Man, for a second time.

Thomas looks back at Mega Man, Roll, Peekaboo and Rush, all of which are looking at him with concern on their own faces. "Oh... I'm sorry, I was in deep thought. What were your saying?"

Thrown off by his father's unusual distracted spell, Mega answers, "I... was saying that Chief Toombs wants us to investigate and confirm if he was the one behind the blackout, because the police will have their hands full until the power is back on."

"Yes, uh... you should do that right away. It would make sense for Albert to create the blackout, because of how well-laid this plan went," Thomas says.

A concerned Peekaboo beeps to Thomas as he clutches his teddy bear, asking his Grampa if he is okay.

"Oh, you needn't worry about me, little one. I was just preoccupied with something Mega Man had told me," Thomas replies, patting the Met on top of his hardhat.  
>Dr. Light then turns to Mega Man and Roll, adding, "To continue my point, I think it would be best if you apologized to your brother. He looked very upset when he returned."<p>

"I tried talking to him earlier, but he wasn't in the mood. If you really want me to, I'll try again. Maybe he's cooled off," Mega says, agreeing to listen to his father to avoid putting more stress on his shoulders.

As Mega heads off to speak with his brother, Roll asks her father, "Are you sure you're okay, Dr. Light?"

"Yes, I am. If I were not, I would never lie about it," Dr. Light replies.

"It's just that... I've never seen you lock up like that," Roll says, "You were kind of zoned out."

Thomas sighs, "I admit, my thoughts were occupied by what Wily must be planning. I would hate to tell your brother about that because it will only cause him to worry. He has enough on his mind with his job as Mega Man."

"Okay, we'll keep it between you and me," Roll says. Then she puts Peekaboo in her lap and adds, "And you too, Boo."

Peekaboo bleeps in agreement.

But, seconds later, Mega Man returns to the lab looking concerned. "I can't find Proto. I looked in his room and the roof, but he's not there."

Alarmed, Dr. Light tries to contact ProtoMan to find out where he is. "ProtoMan, this is your father. Where are you?"

_"Seeing as how everybody's bagging on me, I decided to get some fresh air and be alone for a while,"_ ProtoMan says, before adding, _"And no, sis, I'm still not plotting with Wily. If you really want to find me, just follow that orange Blazer thing. You'll probably notice it's missing from the garage."_

"Should I go after him?" Mega asks.

Roll immediately answers, "Yes!"

"No," Dr. Light answers just as quickly, "He is probably just looking to have time alone. Maybe we should just leave him be for now."

Mega looks over to Roll, who is suspicious of ProtoMan's actions, then back to Dr. Light, who clearly just wants his first son to get an even chance to be trusted. Mega is conflicted over what he should do, either follow his brother and see what he's doing, or leave him alone.  
>But, just that moment, he gets a communication from Chief Toombs on the blackout situation.<p>

_"Lad, this is the Chief. Id feel a lot better if yoo came over to the power grid before them Feds get here. You know how they like to run the show when they get here."_

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible," Mega replies as he begins to leave the lab with Rush. Before he leave, he turns back to Dr. Light, "Try to get Proto to come back, because I could use his help."

As he begins to head out, Mega turns to Roll who is looking back to him, clearly not happy with how ProtoMan just left here, and Dr. Light's willingness to let him go when as far as they know he might be up to no good. (Even though he is not.)

"Roll, do you want to come along?" Mega offers.

"No. I've had enough of this job for one day," Roll answers, clearly sounding displeased as she scoops Boo up into her arms and heading back to the house.

After she leaves, Mega sighs as he steps on Rush's jet board back and Thomas tries to assure him, "Tensions are just high right now after what's happened today. I'm sure both she and your brother will come down from this tonight."

"I hope so, father. Or else this bad day is just gonna get worse," Mega laments.

Mega Man leaves with Rush, leaving Thomas there by himself, and leaving him to once again ponder about how badly this war may end up going if the Wily attacks continue to get bigger and more deadly.  
>It might require some major steps to prevent it from continuing much longer.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>F.B.I. Headquarters.<br>Langley, Virginia.****

The Bureau is working feverishly along with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as they look into the Blackout situation in the Northeast United States and the Wily bank heists. With all this happening in one day, they didn't need another situation to fall into their laps, but they were about to get one thanks to an extremely lucky break.

Agent Cotto urgently makes his way to the conference room in the middle of a meeting with the high-ranking officers in the FBI and the CIA who are mulling over the blackout and the aftermath.

"The blackout has spread deeper into the New England region and Pennsylvania, and power crews estimate it could take days to repair the damage done to the grid," reports a CIA member.

"And what about Wily? He manages to steal One-point-five-Million dollars right out from under our noses just a few miles from where the blackout started, less then an hour after it happened. I'd say he had something to do with it, "Says Agent Allen from the FBI.

"Mega Man is going to personally investigate the area shortly. But, we're confident Dr. Wily is involved already," says the lead CIA representative, "Let's just hope that your old friend John Barton - or Mr. Black, whatever he wishes to be called - doesn't show has face in the middle of this investigation again. We don't need any unwanted distractions."

Seconds later, Allen catches the sight of Cotto standing right by the door, and the younger agent makes a nod with his head, signaling that he needs to talk with him.

"If you'll excuse me, one of my agents just came across something important," Allen says, leaving the meeting and heading outside the room with Cotto.

"I hope this is important, Cotto. Because we have a blackout on our hands that's bigger than Texas and a massive bank heist, and we're sure Albert Wily is involved in both," Allen says, slightly irritated.

"It is, important," Cotto says, "We may have found Agent Barton."

Allen's irritated expression changes and he becomes very serious. "Where?"

Cotto hands the Special Agent In Charge a computer pad and explains, "During the blackout, one of our satellites picked up a signal from a phone in the old warehouse district in New York. The signal was scrambled and weak, so we couldn't get a precise fix on it, but it was definitely here. And our interviews with the eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen him match up with their accounts of seeing a vehicle that matches his in the same region."

"How sure are that he's there?"

"Very," Cotto answers, "Barton may be extremely cautious at covering his tracks, but even he can make a mistake. This is the mistake we've been waiting for."

Allen hands Cotto the pad back and states, "Let's not move in on him right away. As far as we know, it could be a trap."

"I'm inclined to agree with you. We should pull whatever resources we can and monitor the area for any activity. Considering the blackout, it won't be that difficult to find something showing up."

"Do it," Allen says and watches Cotto as he leaves.

Allen remains standing where he is and stares at the pad Cotto gave him, and his mind is solely set on capturing Mr. Black. After spending several months looking for the second most dangerous man in the country and failing at taking him in himself, they might finally be on the verge of catching him.

It almost seems too good to be true, but he is not about to sleep on this. And he does not care what Cotto says. "Barton's ass is mine."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Elsewhere, in Utah.<strong>**

Near the top of the mountains overlooking Salt Lake City, ProtoMan sits his friend Nomad, the real reason he skipped town for the day. He helps keep her warm from this harsh winter cold and also wants to keep her safe. After hearing that this city was the site of one of the robberies, Proto knows that maybe this isn't the best place for his friend to stay anymore, considering the authorities are searching for anything out of place like robots dressed up as humans.

"Were things a little bit crazy here today? Lot of police cars running around?" Proto asks his friend.

Sitting in a fetal position and hugging her legs, Nomad nods.

"Yeah... Wily's robots were here today. They took a lot of money," Proto says as he puts an arm around Nomad's shoulders, "But, that's all they were after. I'm sure they still don't know about you."

Nomad remains silent, looking over to ProtoMan for a few seconds, then, huddling herself up again to keep warm.

"I think it would be better if I took you out of this city," Proto suggests, "The cops and the Feds are gonna be crawling all over the place. And I don't want them to find you. I can't take you back to New York, 'cause they've got their own problems with the blackout and some human running around in a trench coat. And I don't know what would happen if the rest of my family knew about you."

Proto looks over to Nomad and she looks up at him. "I want to keep you somewhere safe, far enough from Wily, but not too far for me to see you. I'm sure you'd rather be someplace warmer, so you don't have to be in the cold at night. Someplace in the south might work, but probably not Texas. Maybe Florida, or Georgia."

Nomad touches Proto's hand with her unfinished right hand, and Proto's holds Nomad closer to him, trying to keep her warm. Her hand felt cold to the touch, and it only makes Proto's desire to protect her grow, starting with getting her warm.

"How about we sit in my ride? It'll be warming in there than it is out here," he suggests, "Are you ready to ditch this place?""

Nomad nods and she begins to stand up along with Proto, but he gets a call on his communicator from Dr. Light. _"ProtoMan. Where are you?"_

"Still out. Why?" Proto replies.

_"Your help is needed to investigate the power grid and determine whether it was really Dr. Wily or not."_

"It was Wily. It's too perfect of a coincidence to not be his work. Rock's just wasting his time over there," Proto says.

_"Well, regardless, I think you should come home soon. It is getting late, and I think your brother would like to apologize to you for the way he reacted today."_

Proto looks at Nomad again and feels bad because after he finds a place for her to stay, he will have to leave her again. He does not want to do that, because she makes him feel normal more than his own family does.  
>Reluctantly, he replies, "Fine, I'll be back there soon. It's just going to take me a little while to use that big orange kiddie toy you gave me today."<p>

After he cuts off Dr. light, Proto turns to Nomad and offers her a hand. "Let's go, my sweet," he says with that grin.

Nomad holds onto his hand with her unfinished skeletal right hand and they begin walking up the mountain together.

"Just don't fire off that shockwave of yours while I'm holding your hand," Proto jokes as they make their way up to the top where the Land Blazer is parked.

"Believe me, I didn't _choose_ this ride. My sister's is better. But, at least there's enough room for two of us," Proto says as he climbs inside the craft first, then helps Nomad climb in herself and takes her seat right next to ProtoMan as the protective glass windshield lowers and the Blazer takes off.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of travelling, ProtoMan puts the Land Blazer into auto pilot so he can focus his attention on Nomad. "Are you felling any warming now that you're outta that place?"<p>

Nomad nods, still wearing the hood of her sweatshirt over her head as she looks out at the world through the view screen. Her expression does not change much, but in her mind she is enthralled with the sight of everything outside. These cities are so massive and imposing when she is in them, but from up here they are so small.

Unlike when Nomad is on the streets, she feels so much safer up here in this floating orange vehicle her friend ProtoMan is using. Maybe it is because he is with her.

Proto occasionally glances over and longs at her. He feels good when he is with her, and he feels like he can open up with her more than he can to his own family.

"Things are really weird in this life of mine," he says, "I thought things would get better after leaving Wily... well, they are. But, things don't feel right. My brother blew up at me yesterday, my sister still questions me, my fath-... _Thomas_ is trying really hard to warm up to me, maybe a little too warm for me. And these humans... I'm trying to do what_ they_ say is right, and they still hate me.  
>Everything feels really messed up sometimes... 'till I'm with you. You're one of the only robots in the world who understands me."<p>

Proto looks over at her and slowly raises his hand up to her head, and begins to shift the hood off her head, which causes her to sudden jerk her head to looks at him in slight surprise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Uh, is it alright if I take that hood off?" Proto asks, "I think you look better without it covering your head. You shouldn't have to hide such a pretty face when you're with me."

Nomad continues to stare into Proto's visor as he begins to pull the hood off her head to let her black hair to show, fully revealing her amber skin. Proto smiles when he sees her face. "That looks better. But, I really wish you would smile once in a while."

A few seconds later, without breaking her stare, she reaches up to his helmet and begins to pull it off of his head. With ease, ProtoMan begins to take his helmet off and reveal his face to her, something he does not do very often even near his own family.  
>"I guess I don't need to hide anything when I'm with you. You're the only one I feel comfortable taking that thing off around."<p>

A few seconds later, after gazing upon ProtoMan's handsome face and focusing on his smiling mouth, Nomad's lips begin to make slight flinches. Then, her mouth slowly and almost apprehensively begin to curl into a smile, and her expression softens when she does. It is like she realizes for the first time in her life, she feels safe enough to be happy.

An unhelmetted Proto smiles as well. "Now, that's more like it."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Later that evening.<br>Skull Fortress.****

In his workshop, Dr. Wily counts all the money that has robots managed to steal today. "Eight-thousand. Nine-thousand. Another ten-thousand!" he proclaims, taking a small stack of $1000 bills and setting them aside in a much larger stack, which is directly across from a pile of bills that have yet to be counted.

Albert snatches more bills from the pile of uncounted money and continues counting with a smile on his face as Bass stands behind him with a frown on his.

"This will not be enough to build this new robot of yours," Bass says.

"Every bit of money helps make this creation a reality," Wily smiles, "It will take a long time to get the money for just the alloy needed to forge the armor and his skeleton to be as strong as my design specifies, but it will all be worth it."

Bass is annoyed with the idea of having to tediously collect little increments of money for months until Dr. Wily eventually has enough. With a frustrated tone, he asks Dr. Wily, "Why don't you just use the money to repair the rest of your army and find a way to acquire the alloy to forge the titanium ourselves? A more _forceful_ way."

Wily stops counting the money and looks up at Bass, still wearing that sinister smile. "... We could do that... I know just the place to get it." Then, that smile drops, "But, security there is extremely tight. There would be no way I could get in without everything unraveling."

"Unless you let me loose," Bass replies, "The humans' best defenses would only make me flinch."

"But, there is only one of you. And you would be going inside without a strategy. It might be too much of a risk," Wily dismisses as he returns to counting his money.

Bass scowls with dissatisfaction. "But, you would trust ProtoMan, wouldn't you?"

Wily looks into Bass' angry eyes and nervously tries to clarify. "That's, er, not what I meant, Bass. It's just that you go into a battle and try to tackle everything head-on, when Proto would devise a plan..." Wily catches himself. "I mean, you need to better plan for battle-"

"I am not in ProtoMan's shadow!" Bass shouts, "I am superior to him! To say that I am inferior to that turncoat in any way is a slap in my face! I did not come back here for you to disrespect me!"

Bass storms off and Dr. Wily drops the money and goes after him. "Bass, don't you leave!"

"Why should I stay when you still view me as second to ProtoMan?" Bass replies as he continues to storm off.

"You're not lesser than ProtoMan. You're stronger. That's the way I built you," Wily insists.

Bass turns around and angrily asks, "Then why are you trying to get him back? Why are you putting all our efforts into making another robot when _I_ am the best chance you have at killing Mega Man?"

"Because this creation is my greatest chance at defeating all of our enemies in one fell swoop. This robot is the key to my victory and my revenge against Thomas Light, I have seen it! But, regardless how this robot turns out, you are still my right hand robot.  
>And as for ProtoMan... I have to fixe a few mistakes I made with him... I have to get him away from Thomas Light. ProtoMan is <em>my<em> robot, not his! And I want him back!"

Dr. Wily puts a hand on Bass' armored shoulder and forces himself to confess something his pride normally would not let him do, but he does not want to lose another robot. "But, I am more proud of you, Bass, because you never betrayed me like ProtoMan did. And I... I need you here, Bass. And whether you want to admit it or not, you need me, more than you think.  
>If we were to part ways, we would be doing exactly what Thomas wants. Can't you see? He is trying to break us down so that Mega Man can finish us off. Now, are you going to cave in to him, or stay with me and seize the power that comes with taking over the world?"<p>

Bass frowns and looks away from Dr. Wily, considering his words before eventually responding, "Fine... I'll stay."

"Good. Together, we can rule the world and crush Mega Man and Thomas Light forever," Wily smiles again, "But, we will do this right. Are you willing to work with me?"

"Yes," Bass says, "So long as you never forget who your best robot is now, and you accept that Roll will be my queen."

As much as Albert is disgusted with a Thomas Light creation being Bass' 'queen', he accepts it, if only to get Bass to stay. "Yes, fine... as long as you never step out of line like you did before."

"I won't," Bass assures, "What do we have to do?"

"After I am done counting my money, I will be more than happy to divulge you," Albert answers.

"How about to get the Sniper Joe with the disembodied head to the menial tasks, and you divulge me now," Bass says, not in the tone of a question, but a statement.

After thinking about it for a moment, Wily's whisper in his head tries to convince him otherwise. _"Don't let him tell you what to do. You tell him what to do. He is the servant; you are the master."  
><em>But, Albert does not want to lose another close robot, so he forces himself to follow Bass' suggestion. Besides, the boy might have some deliciously good ideas that ProtoMan would never dream of.

"Very well, Bass. Let's discuss our next strategy," Albert smiles.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Late that night.<br>Mr. Black's hideout.****

After staying up all night and using only the essential electronics running on generator power, Mr. Black (or John Barton) has spent all his time trying to master the "Program Creator" program stored on this computer. He has already figured out exactly what this is: a program to create malicious software meant to harm other computers, and possibly even A.I.'s.  
>And all the while, Barton felt his conscience weighing on him more and more, embodied by the same haunting feeling he has while committing acts that are unsavory. He can still feel that terrible feeling deep down like his departed wife Tonya is looking down upon him, disappointed with who he has become.<p>

And with that guilt comes the bad feeling that has mired in his mind and his heart for months, like he is about to take part in something that is more detestable than any act he has ever committed. Whatever The Conduit is up to, it cannot be good, and Mr. Black is beginning to question his stance in his/her/its network.

"Why the hell was I given this task?" he asks himself, "Why not give this to the Bonne kid?"

Barton's attention is broken when receives another call from The Conduit. The call he was told to be ready for. He answers, "What's the plan?"

_"I want you to listen good, Mr. Black, and brace yourself for what is to come. It is important that not one of my assets fail this plan."_

"I'm listening good," Mr. Black says.

_"I have in my possession a Jadous Sphere, one which was lost from Government top secret storehouses five years ago,"_ The Conduit states.

This causes the usually stoic Barton to react with silent shock. When he was still with the FBI, he was well aware of the urgent serach of the missing sphere, of which there were only a few like it in the world. And for good reason... "Those spheres are extremely dangerous if they are used the wrong way."

_"We are well aware,"_ The Conduit states,_ "The sphere is deadly when used in one fashion, and very powerful when used in another. It is something that Albert Wily would very much like to have in his hands, I am certain. And that is where the plan will begin... Wily just stole upwards of a Million-and-a-half dollars in the middle of this blackout, and he is going to spend it... that would be his mistake. Tomorrow night, we will lure him out and arrange a meeting with him to buy the sphere from us."_

At that instant, Mr. Black could feel his stomach almost lurch and his nerves run cold. This is the man he is spent nearly three years trying to kill, and now his employer wants to take the chance at making a deal with him to lure him out.  
>"Are you insane?!" Mr. Black nearly shouts into the phone in fury, "You're going to just give him the damn sphere?!"<p>

_"This strategy has been carefully thought out. We have been waiting for months for the right time to strike. The only reason you were not informed was we were not sure what your reaction would be. We are only using the sphere to get Dr. Wily into the palm of our hands."_

"That's still the worst damn idea anybody could possibly have! With that one sphere, we could bring untold amounts of death and destruction to this world. Even without it, he still killed hundreds of people, and my..."  
>After a moment to collect himself, Mr. Black restates, "Not only would you be putting the sphere in his hands, but you can bet your ass he would bring his robots with him, and Bass<em> alone<em> could wipe us all out."

_"That would be where you come in,"_ The Conduit says, _"You will use the program creator to construct a malicious code - a virus - that will infect any robot within deployment range. After studying how Wily managed to use the public airwaves to hypnotize humans before, it would not be too difficult to spread the code using a similar method. If done right, no robot - regardless of how powerful they are - can possibly fight it off."_

"It's possible to find a way to do that. What kind of virus would I be creating?"

_"One that corrupts a robot's programming, and slowly eats away at their memory core until there is nothing left. At that point, they would shut down... die. And Mr. Black, we need this to look like a freak occurrence and not an organized hit, I want this virus spread throughout the entire country."_

Barton could feel his entire body become chilled with fear when he hears The Conduit's plan. "... what?" he barely utters.

_"It is imperative that you create the virus and find a way to send it out to ensure that all of Wily's defenses will be crippled when we strike. Because this may require you to follow him all the way to Skull Fortress to take back the sphere and to assassinate him. And I want nothing saving Wily's life from reaching it's end. Without his robots, Wily is defenseless."_

"And after Wily's dead, what about all the robots that are still infected? What about a cure for this virus?"

_"You will not be developing a cure. Those who are infected will die and inevitably be replaced. None of them matter,"_ The Conduit answers coldly.

This was worse than Barton had possibly feared. He is being forced to commit a crime so severe that not only would be deplorable, but it would make him one of the worst human beings who ever lived, essentially, making him just as bad as Albert Wily.  
>While Barton has never been a pro-robotkind advocate, (he was forced to shoot the guardian robot at the McIntyre house to ensure his identity was not exposed), this would put <em>all<em> robotic life at risk, including advanced models like Mega Man and the robots in the Light family.  
>Even if Dr. Light or Dr. Cossack could develop a cure for this virus, the damage would have already been done.<p>

Barton falls silent and walks away to the shrine room dedicated to Tonya and he stares at one picture of her, wearing white and smiling gentle into the camera. Once again, he feels her haunting presence hovering over him, almost crippling him now.  
>She would never forgive him if he did this... His late father would never forgive him... Nobody would... John Barton would never forgive <em>himself<em> for committing genocide on an entire race, even if it's just robots.

_Why, John? ... Is this what I mean to you?_

_"Mr. Black. Bury whatever misgivings you may have anD start making that virus,"_ The Conduit orders, _"Everything depends on this."_

Barton becomes agitated, trying to weigh his options as he has a conflict with his thirst for vengeance and his conscience. He wants Wily to die for taking Tonya's life, but no vengeance is worth committing a crime of this level against the entirety of a race. And he knows that Tonya would be ashamed of him. If she were still here, she would have hated him forever for becoming a monster like Dr. Wily.

Only now does Barton's humanity begin to override his hatred for Wily, and it makes him realize that he should not do this, and that he should have never done the things he did to begin with, like breaking into the residences of Professor Henson, Tina McIntyre and even Dr. Light and bringing harm and terror to them.  
>He has to draw the line somewhere, or he will be worse than Wily.<p>

"I have gone above and beyond the call for this mission, and I buried my feelings just I could get a chance to kill Albert Wily. But, this is taking it too far!" Barton says.

_"They are just robots. They are not Humans,"_ says The Conduit.

"This isn't an ant colony we're talking about here! This is an entire race of beings you're asking me to infect with a lethal program," Barton fires back.

_"They are just machines. Despite what that fool Thomas Light says, they are not alive,"_ The Conduit says, before sternly warning,_ "Don't begin to grow a conscience now., Mr. Black. You are my key asset because down to the marrow of your bones, you are a cold hearted man who will lower yourself to any level to accomplish your goal.  
>Just give me an answer... will you create the virus or not?"<em>

Barton emphatically states, "I want Wily dead, that was what you hired me for: To kill the bastard! If you want, I will bronze his head and mount it on your wall. But... under no circumstances will I ever commit genocide on an entire race, even if they are just robots."

After a long pause, The Conduit speaks again._ "... so, that is a no, I take it."_

"If you want this virus so badly, go find somebody else in your network to do it. There are things I refuse to do; committing genocide is one of them," Mr. Black reaffirms, "And just to be clear, the answer is no."

Another long pause happens. _"That is most unfortunate... Agent Barton."_

Barton's whole body freezes in shock when he hears The Conduit refer to him by his real name, a name he had never divulged to anybody after the Times Square attack. He was just "Mr. Black" and nothing more. But, know The Conduit has more knowledge about him than he thought.

_"You have proven you can no longer be trusted. Your services are no longer required," _says The Conduit as the signal on the call begins to become broken up.

Only now does Barton hear the sound of a several SkyCar based vehicles right outside, a sound he had not noticed until right now. Then, several beams of bright light shine through the windows of this hideout, laminating the entire place and Barton's eyes have trouble adjusting to it.

_"I cannot let you live, Agent Barton. I fare thee well,"_ says The Conduit before ending the call for the last time.

At that moment, a hailstorm of bullets and plasma shells rip through the walls of Mr. Black's hideout, and Barton dives for cover as the place is torn apart with shell casings flying through every room.  
>As Barton tries to crawl away, the barrage stops and several of the black-armored robots who accompanied Miss T last night crash through the roof and the walls, all of them carrying high-powered assault rifles and scanning the destroyed hideout for Mr. Black, primed to terminate on sight.<p>

As the ConduitBots search the area, Barton leaps into the armory, but he is spotted by a nearby robot who quickly goes after him. But, once the ConduitBot rounds the corner to the armory room and enters, Barton quickly jams his police-issue Plasma Bolt handgun up into the bot's mouth and fires two round up into his head, completely destroying his processor.

As the ConduitBot falls down, Barton grabs the assault rifle from his arms and begins to head back into his hideout. There was something he had to find, and it was important it didn't end up in The Conduit's hands, even if it meant facing odds like this.

But, as Barton tries to head back, ConduitBots are already swarming the area and the lights from outside still pours in from the hovercrafts outside, exposing Barton's position. The Conduit's robots train their rifles on Barton and open fire with extreme prejudice, barely giving the fallen Agent to take cover behind a wall.

As the deafening sound of gunfire goes off all around him and the shells buzz right past and almost hit, Mr. Black pulls a grenade from his pocket. He only had so much time to grab an explosive from the arsenal instead of a grenade that could cripple robots, because of the sudden nature of the attack, but it would have to do.  
>Barton throws the grenade into the sea of robots now converging on him, and the concussive blast manages to knock many of them off their feet, allowing Barton to come out of cover and try to shot down some of the robots left in his way, and the armor-piercing rounds manage to cause some damage to the ConduitBots, but not enough to take them out.<p>

Before Barton could advance inside, even more ConduitBots crash through the walls and the roof, overwhelming Mr. Black by a 10-to-one margin. Immediately, Barton knows he stands no chance and this battle is lost. He turns around and bolts away, heading towards a staircase leading down to the garage area, grabbing his last grenade from his pants pocket and chucking it behind him as the ConduitBots open fire in his direction.

The grenade detonates as Barton dives over a railing and straight down to the floor below, landing hard on his right side. Meanwhile, the explosion knocks away the Conduit Robots just enough to buy him some time, but the ones who were no effected by the blast keep on pursuing Mr. Black.

Barton tries to block out the pain in his shoulder, which is possibly dislocated from falling on it, and races off to the garage where his car is parked. His only chance of surviving is fleeing this place so he can at least have time to formulate a plan for survival.

"Engine start!" Mr. Black shouts, at the black sedan powers up on its own. Just as Barton tries to open the door, a loud pounding is heard right outside the garage door. These are the Conduit Robots pounding from outside trying to get in, and their arms are beginning to punch through.

Mr. Black tries to open the door with the controls, but thanks to the blackout, there is no power to open it. With no other option, Mr. Black orders, "Jets on! Full speed ahead!"

The black sedan's tires screech as the SkyCar jets fire off behind the car, and it peels off, crashing clean through the garage door and plowing into a Conduit Robot on the way out as it takes off into the sky.  
>The hovercarriers that shone the lights on Mr. Black's hide out begin to turn and pursue him, with more Conduit robots hanging out and opening fire on him. And if that were not enough, the Conduit robot who was rammed by the car is still clinging on to the front end and trying to get to Barton.<p>

But, Mr. Black's car senses that a hostile is onboard and uses its onboard anti-theft security system, sending over 25,000 volts through the car's exterior panels and into the circuits of the Conduit Robot until he falls off.

Barton's car zooms ahead and soon begins to fly low between buildings until it hits the streets and continues to speed away, forcing The Conduit's reinforcements to pursue their target more cautiously.

* * *

><p>Back at the hideout, The ConduitBots begin to search the wrecked remains of the place, and Miss T arrives to the upper level, still clad in her black leather biking suit and helmet. After studying the area, she reports to The Conduit, "Mr. Black got away. He managed to shoot one of the robots dead."<p>

_"Send more units after him. Without my support, Barton will not be able to survive on his own. He will have the police, the FBI and even Mega Man coming him, and I want to reach him before they do. Until then, I want you and a small team to stay there and search the premises. Find that data he copied from Dr. Light's lab. It will be crucial."_

Miss T steps up to a Conduit Robot and tells him, "I want you to take most of your team and find Mr. Black before he gets away. And when you do, terminate him on sight."

The robot nods and begins to leave, along with several of the other Conduit Robots, two of which remove their fallen comrade. Meanwhile, Miss T slowly searches the study room area and sees the computer that she had delivered to Mr. Black last night. A bullet hole is in each side, accidentally fired there by the robots. But, it is still working.

"The computer is damaged. But, it still appears to be in working condition," she reports.

_"When you leave the hideout, take the computer with you and summon Mr. Endo to repair it. Keep looking for the data."_

Miss T looks around the area and removes a long wand instrument from her belt, used to scan the area for any hidden metallic objects. She runs the wand over Mr. Black's tall chair directly across from the chess board, then over the table to the side with the 'Moby Dick' and 'Paradise Lost', then over the Chess Board. There appeared to be nothing hidden in any of them.

Miss T then walks away and finds the shrine room full of Tonya's pictures, some of which had bullet holes in them, and her wedding dress.

"How touching. Even the psychos have a soft spot," Miss T snorts.

Miss T waves her wand instrument over every picture and finds nothing. But, the instrument begins to make a humming sound when she runs it over Tonya's wedding dress. There is something hidden inside the dress.

"Always trust the wife with the goods. Even if she's dead," Miss T says as she puts the wand back on her belt. She then yanks Tonya's wedding dress down and throws it on to the floor, discovering an electronic safe.

She removes an object from her pocket and placing on the safe. The device is a magnetizer, which can wipe out the security codes on modern safes by erasing any hard drives or onboard memory, allowing it to be unlocked.

After the device finishes working, the safe unlocks and Miss T opens it, reaches inside and pulls out a hard drive with a cable on the end. Miss T then plugs the device into her belt and the information on the hard drive begins to display on the inside of her helmet, showing detailed files of robotic designs, finally stopping on Mega Man's own designs.

"I found them. They're stores on a portable hard drive. It looks like he copied everything Light had, including designs for Mega Man," she says.

_"Excellent. Prepare to leave his hideout and remove any evidence that you were there. Then, recover the computer and bring the files to me. Then, I want you to focus all your efforts on finding Barton. His further existence is a threat to everything we've done."_

"He'll be dead as soon as I find him," Miss T says as she removes the hard drive from her belt and leaves the hideout that once belonged to Mr. Black.

This war just took a very unexpected turn. And nobody is safe from the threat it poses. Not Dr. Wily or Mega Man.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Only on Defender Day do you get two updates in the same day. But, I must tell you that the next chapter will not be online as fast, because I need to take a moment to come up for air._

_To some, it might seem silly to make a big deal out of a fanfic, but it means a lot to me, and I have a feeling this story means a little bit of something to some of you too.  
>A give a sincere Thank You everybody who has ever read Defender, or who is just discovering it for the first time. There is plenty more to come. (Here's hoping I still have the willpower to take this to Defender Day 3.)<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or comment. And if you see any production notes I forgot to erase, typos, or continuity errors that are so bad that it would cause Tar, the Mummybot and Lotos to awaken and form the ultimate alliance of goof, please PM me right away.  
>Responses will be late, but I hope to get to all of you this weekend.<em>


	130. The Plot Thickens

_**Episode 12, Chapter 3: The Plot Thickens.**_

* * *

><p><strong>In the middle of the night.<br>Onboard the Gesselchaft.**

As the ship flies somewhere over the Midwestern United States, Tiesel Bonne tries to sleep following a busy day on the ship, trying to deal with the family business while trying to live with his shady underground job with The Conduit.  
>Ever since delivering the modified computer to them last week, his secret side job has been foremost on his mind. Things have been suspiciously quiet ever since, which usually means they are just waiting for him to be called upon again.<p>

But, he is awakened from his slumber by a call on his phone system and he fumbles to answer the device until he finally manages to press the 'answer' button.

"Yeah, Bonne's Salvage 'n stuff," answers Tiesel in a tired voice, failing to get the name of the family business correct.

_"There has been a change in plans, Mr. Endo. Mr. Black is out of the picture,"_ says the distorted voice of The Conduit.

Tiesel's eyes become wide and without the contact lenses on, they clearly show the fear behind those eyes.

_"You have just received a permanent promotion. Be in New York in two hours and retrieve the computer you built. It sustained damage and I want you to repair it."_

Tiesel remains silent, unable to speak. Just when he thought there was a slim chance he could get out of this, he is in really deep.

_"Time is of the essence. I suggest you get here before it runs out. I am not feeling forgiving today,"_ The Conduit warns before finishing the call.

Tiesel continues to remain silent, his eyes not even so mush as blinking for nearly a minute. His eyes then dart over to his clock, seeing that it is the middle of the night, and fearing that he is already late on his task, Tiesel bolts to his feet - still clad in his pajamas - and quickly begins to get dressed in his 'Mr. Endo uniform (which is like his old Mega Crew get-up painted black) and attempts to get out of here before he gets himself in real trouble.

"I should have never taken this job! I should have just kept on going home!" he mutters to himself as he haphazardly throws his clothing on and the protective armor over that. "If I make it through all this, I'll never complain about life as a salvage collector again!"

Tiesel makes his way out into the main corridor of the Gesselchaft and comes across one of Tron's many Servbots - #19 to be precise - who is pulling late night duty on the ship.

"Where are you going Mr. Bonne? It's past your bedtime," the Servbot asks in his squeaky little voice.

Gasping for any kind of explanation, Tiesel babbles, "Ummmmm... we just got a call for, uh, an important pick-up. Yeah, and it's only going to be available... for the next few hours. So, I can't let this go to waste. So, you just go on and keep running the Gesselchaft, and you don't need to tell Miss Bonne about any of this, okay? Please?"

"Okay, Tiesel!" Servbot #19 says, giving Tiesel a salute with his little clamp hand before he walks away to resume his duties on the ship.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Tiesel continues heading to the garage bay and getting onboard a used SkyCycle which the Bonnes and Servbots were able to refurbish after 'liberating it' from a tow truck. The doors slide open and Tiesel takes off into the night to begin the job The Conduit gave him.

"I'm going to regret this. I can feel it!" Tiesel mutters under his helmet.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, back in New York.<strong>

It is almost midnight, and Mega Man is investigating New York City's power grid and electrical infrastructure, searching for signs of foul play at the hands of Dr. Wily and his robot army. The police would be conducting this investigation themselves, but they have their hands full ensuring the streets stay secure tonight.

With Rush next to him using his nose as a flashlight, Mega speaks, "The circuit boards are fried and so are all the electrical wires. And whoever did this knew just where to hit it. And with all the robot footprints everywhere, it's got to be the work of ElecMan and Spark Man."

"Didn't I tell you he was behind this?" says the voice of ProtoMan as he arrives.

Mega turns around, asking, "What took you so long?"

"I needed a lot of time to cool off. Really wasn't in the mood to see anybody, because I only would've gotten angry again," Proto replies, carefully hiding the truth that he had just moved Nomad to a new hiding place in the southeast United States and remained with her for a while.

Mega steps away from the scene and joins ProtoMan, and gets serious for a minute. "I'm sorry I got angry with you today, Proto. I know you were trying to do the right thing. It's just with everything that's happened, I'm afraid Wily's gong to find a way to get ahead."

Proto shrugs, "Don't worry about it. I know what it's like to be in the middle of a war the never ends too. 'Cept I was on the loser's side until now."

Proto's comment bothers Mega Man... _a war that never ends,_ he said.

"Proto... do you really think this war will never end?" Mega asks.

"Nah. It'll end eventually," he replies, "We've just gotta make sure we're the ones standing tall and he's the one who's waving the white flag."

Mega adds solemnly, "And we don't want to lose each other either."

"I'm not planning on checking out any time soon. Are you?" Proto asks with his cool confident demeanor.

"I hope not," Mega replies.

"What's with this _'I hope not'_ business?" Proto snorts, "Do you really think Wily's gonna beat us now that he's gotta deal with _both_ of us?"

"No," Mega responds, "It's just that, I'm afraid of what kind of destruction he will cause the next time he appears. I'm afraid innocent people and robots are going to get hurt, or worse... Like what happened to Janet."

"The little human girl who was trapped in the building last year?" Proto recalls.

"Yeah. She's still unable to move. I don't know if she'll ever be normal... all because of this war," Mega sighs, "You should see her some time."

Proto brushes it off. "She's probably just like all the others."

"No, she's not. Once she heard about what happened at the White House, she accepted you," Mega Man explains, "And she's not the only human who feels this way."

Proto grins, 'Then, I guess not all these human are bad. I can't say the same for the rest of them."

"That's something else that worries me. The way you feel about humans is very unbecoming of a hero," Mega points out.

"It's not my job to be nice to them if they don't like me. It's yours," Proto replies, "How I feel about them is not going to interfere with our job."

"What if Wily puts human lives in danger, even humans who still don't like you yet, and he runs away leaving you to make a choice. What would you do?"

Proto doesn't answer at first, looking at his red feet. "I go after him and you save the humans. It is your job."

"And if I'm not there, and you are the only thing saving those humans from certain death, what do you do?" Mega grills.

Proto doesn't reply and begins to frown. He cannot let go of his aggressive emotions, even when considering saving lives of humans he does not care about, unlike his brother who shows no prejudice.  
>"I'll have to get back with you on that," Proto deflects.<p>

"If you're gonna do this job, you're going to have to choose between life and death. I hope you make the right decision," Mega suggest.

"Wily once told me that I'd have to choose between completing the mission and taking a life... I think I made the right decision in D.C." Proto says.

"I hope you keep making the right decisions. The humans will start to accept you then," Mega says.

_"Guys, are you okay?"_ Roll calls from home.

"We're coming home soon. The blackout was caused by Wily alright," Mega Man replies.

_"We just got a call from the police. Something big just went on uptown,"_ Roll says, _"I think somebody just went after that Mr. Black guy. His hideout was just found and it's in bad shape, but he made a getaway."_

Proto folds his arms, "It's about time somebody went after him. That guy's weird."

Mega is more concerned, "When did this happen?"

_"It wasn't that long ago. The cops said they don't want anybody near the area, even us. The FBI is involved,"_ Roll explains.

"Roll... do you think Wily's behind this too?" Mega asks.

_"It wouldn't surprise me. That old creep will do anything,"_ Roll answers.

"I doubt it," ProtoMan chimes in, "Wily's got bigger fish to fry than a guy in a black mask. Besides, he didn't even know where he was. Besides, he wouldn't have to guts to come back here so soon unless he had something to gain."

Mega adds, "There's nothing we can do from here. We're coming home."

_"Good. Boo will feel safer with you guys at the lab. He's worried about this blackout. If he knew about Mr. Black, he'd be scared."_

Afterwards, Mega Man, Rush and Proto begin to leave, and Proto suggests, "If anybody went after him, it was the police, or somebody inside."

Mega shakes his head. "Proto, you've gotta let this anti-human attitude of your go. The one behind it is probably a lot closer to us than we think."

"I'm serious. Somebody found out where he is and tried to take him out. Think about it. You're the Defender of the Human Rae, but they don't want you to come near the place? Something's up, bro."

As Mega Man stands on Rush's back and begins to jet away, Mega ponders... maybe Proto is right. There might be more to it than the police or the FBI are letting on.

* * *

><p><strong>Mr. Black's hideout.<strong>

After a long trip to get here overnight, Agent Cotto from the FBI arrives in a Federal SkyCar along with other agents. They are riding along in a convoy of several federal vehicles as they approach the site of the wrecked building where Mr. Black/John Barton once called his haunt until his mission's end.

Because of the blackout, the only light shone upon the shot-up warehouse building is from the lighting rigs set up by the police and the federal helicopters that just arrived.  
>From one look of the place, Cotto knew that what happened here was not good. Somebody found John Barton before the FBI or police could. And what makes this even more unsettling is that it was only hours ago that<p>

Once the FBI SkyCar lands, Cotto immediately gets out of his car and approaches the leading police officer on duty, Captain Tallarico, joined by her imposing personal bodyguard Officer Rose.

"What happened here?" Cotto barks over the sound of the helicopters overhead.

"We got calls about a massive firefight in the area. You could hear it from miles away," Officer Rose answers.

"Did any of your units have anything to do with this?" Cotto asks.

Captain Tallarico sternly replies, "No. The department can account for the status of all units at the time."

Cotto counters, "Our technicians reported a noticeable interference in the global satellite reception in this region. Can you explain that?"

"No. But, on of our units that was patrolling in the area experienced radio interference. Aside from that, we couldn't help you, Agent."

"Fine. What else can you tell me?" Cotto asks.

"Witnesses reported seeing flying vehicles in the sky," Tallarico responds, "It might have been Wily again. It would make sense. After Mr. Black saved The President's life, he probably wanted revenge."

Cotto looks up at the warehouse structure itself, the walls and windows riddled with bullet holes. While Dr. Wily is always one for wanton destruction, this did not look like his work.  
>"This wasn't Wily," he says, "Wily robots have never used practical bullet-based guns; his robots always use plasma and special weapons."<p>

He turns to Captain Tallarico and says, "This is now a federal investigation, Captain. Your presence is no longer required here."

"Then, I hope you've got breathing masks," Tallarico warns, "The whole place has been bleached."

"Bleached?" Cotto asks in surprise.

"Bleach and some other chemical. The floors are covered in it. Whoever was here wanted to erase any evidence left behind," Rose says, "It's impossible for a human to breathe in there without a mask. Only robots are permitted inside right now."

"Not anymore," Cotto says, "Somebody get me a breather. I'm going in there."

* * *

><p>Cotto and several FBI robot guards make their way to the top floor of Mr. Black's hideout, which now is doused in bleach all over the place, making the air reek. Were it not for the air mask worn by the agent, he would be choking now.<p>

Most criminals do not use this tactic because crime scene robots can still pick up trace elements that remained after bleached. But, this bleach was mixed with another chemical, and the lethal combination literally erased any clues left behind, making it impossible for anybody to find without their own equipment becoming damaged  
>Cotto's shoes even sizzle with every step.<p>

Cotto first sees the study area frequently used by Barton while he was here. The tall study chair, the table with the books and the chess board are what he looks at first. The choice of books is very telling with Moby Dick and Paradise Lost: John had become obsessed and had lost everything.  
>The chess board was one of the few things left untouched here by the bleach.<p>

As the agent inspects the place even further, he comes across the armory and the media observation room, nether of which Barton could have been able to build or buy on his own. He had to have had a connection to have secured so many weapons and gadgets... and maybe that connection was the one responsible for this.  
>Either they sold Barton out, or they orchestrated this strike.<p>

"Agent Cotto. You should see this, sir," reports one of the FBI robots.

Cotto walks behind the FBI robot to a small room off in the middle of the building, and he feels a chill in his spine, not knowing what he might find in that room. He cannot see inside the room very well, so he removes a hand-sized flashlight from his jacket and looks inside the room to find the shine to Tonya Barton, all of it built by Mr. Black.  
>Once he saw Tonya's shrine, he knew that this<em> is<em> where John Barton was operating all along. And he was in a much more damaged state of mind than he thought.

"Oh, my God," he meekly shudders.

The shrine was now torn apart due to the strike on the hideout. Bullet holes had ripped through the pictures on the wall, Tonya's wedding dress was left on the floor, everything except for the photo-covered walls were covered in bleach, removing any trace of any evidence.

It saddens Agent Cotto to see just how much Tonya's death had destroyed his old friend, and simultaneously seeing how much disrespect was shown to her memory by whoever it was that came through this place.

After regaining his composure, Cotto turns to the FBI robots and orders, "Put out an all points bulletin. Ex-Agent Barton is at large and extremely dangerous. Also, I want every man, woman, child and robot within a ten-mile sweep of this area interviewed on the double. _Somebody_ had to have seen what happened here."

* * *

><p><strong>Early that morning.<br>Outside Skull Fortress.**

A small armored vehicle speeds its way to the barrier wall separating the rest of the world from Dr. Wily. Thanks to a signal emitted from inside the armored car itself, Dr. Wily's defenses cannot pick it up so easy as they usually would.

Once the vehicle arrives the driver brings it to a full stop, kicking up dust from the dry badlands surface and almost crashing it into the barrier. The driver quickly steps out and looks around. He is a human man whose all-black clothing covers his modest build.  
>This man is Mr. Wire, one of The Conduit's assets, and he is here to make a delivery to Dr. Wily: a note from The Conduit.<p>

Mr. Wire's outfit is the least impressive of all The Conduit's helpers, looking like he bought his wardrobe right off the rack at an department store. And when he steps out of the vehicle, he does not look like the most intimidating presence alive, like Mr. Black or Miss T, or even Tiesel would.  
>He is clearly the one who will not be participating in any fighting, but he is affiliated with The Conduit for a reason: He knows how to gather information, some of it before it can even hit the newswire. Hence the alias Mr. Wire.<p>

Mr. Wire stares up at the outer wall and can barely see the top spire of Skull Fortress just beyond. And while some would not be intimidated by the sight, there is a tingle in his spine caused by the mere presence and the knowledge that just behind this wall is where Dr. Wily is.

"I don't get paid enough to do this," he complains.

Mr. Wire removes an envelope from his overcoat, pulls a strip of the back to expose a strip of tape, and sticks it to Skull Fortress' barrier. And he wastes no time and bolting his way back to the craft from which he came and begins to speed off.

"The message is sent. I'm getting out of here before they zap me," Mr. Wire contacts.

_"Good. With any luck, he should find out that he has a message waiting for him before his defenses can shoot you down, provided you get out of there fast enough. I would hate to lose two assets in one day,"_ The Conduit responds.

After the warning, Mr. Wire continuously looks behind him, checking if there are any hostiles on his back as he speeds away from Skull Fortress and to safety. He hopes.

"I definitely need a pay raise," he says after pressing the key on his wrist to end the contact. But, it seems he did not manage to terminate it...

_"Perhaps you should you should talk to yourself about your compensation after you have disconnected,"_ The Conduit sternly says.

"Crap!" Mr. Wire spits as he disconnects.

* * *

><p>Inside<p>

Inside, as he steps into his workshop, Dr. Wily's eyes focus on the fuzzy monitor on the room showing the news and the breaking developments involving the mysterious attack at Mr. Black's hideout in the middle of the blackout that Dr. Wily himself created.

He grins as he puts his white coat on. "Serves the masked fool right for trying to come after me in my finest hour..." Albert frowns, "What _should_ have been my finest hour."

Wily approaches the work table where he constructed so many Robot Masters and picks up the finalized design for his next robot on the table. Not only will he make this a reality with the money, but after listening to Bass' ideas for plans last night, this could be an easier process than he thought. Assuming Bass does not get overzealous or let his lust for Mega Man's Sister Roll get in the way like it has before.

_"You are letting him tell you how to run your plans,"_ The whisper in Wily's head says.

"I have trust in him," Albert says, like he is replying to himself.

_"You trusted ProtoMan, and he still turned on you."_

"It's different with Bass. He will not betray me. He can't. He needs me," Dr. Wily, snaps back.

_"He has left you before. He could do it again. His love for the Light girl could turn him into another enemy. And you need Bass more than he needs you."_

As Albert becomes frustrated and tries to shun the whisper out of his head for once, there is a pounding at the door.

"What is it?" Wily yells back.

Bass enters the workshop and looks frustrated as he reports, "Dr. Wily, a human just approached the fortress and left something outside."

"What?! How did _anybody_ come close to my fortress without being blasted to bits?!" Wily snaps.

"Our security systems couldn't even pick him up until he was already gone," Bass states, "He must have been using a device that threw off our countermeasures. But, I don't know how that's even possible."

Wily frowns. "What did he leave?"

"An envelope. He adhered it to the barrier," Bass answers.

"This is why I wanted the barrier to be electrified! This pissant would have been fried to a crisp," Albert complains. "Have somebody gout there and get it. But, I want it inspected before you bring it in. They might have put hazardous materials in it."

Bass nearly rolls his eyes because of Albert's paranoia, but opts to retrieve the envelope. "I shall do it myself."

"Good. I will be too busy refining our defense systems," Wily complains, "And I want robots to begin planting land mines _outside_ the perimeter! We have had too many unwanted visitors outside lately. Skull Fortress is not a tourist destination!"

"Should I pursue our visitor or not?" Bass inquires.

"Our visitor is but a gnat to me. I have more concerns than men in masks and brazen little thrill seekers who run around my fortress!" Wily answers as he storms off.

"Most unfortunate. I was hoping for target practice," Bass muses.

* * *

><p>Bass and Treble dash to the outside to find the manila envelope adhered to the outer wall. Bass grabs it with his hand and rips it off the wall, scanning it with his eyes as they change color to switch to an alternate vision mode.<p>

"No hazardous materials found," Bass says as he rips the envelope open and spots a plainly written note. Bass cycles through vision modes to find any trance of identifiable traces on the paper like a fingerprint or even a stray eyelash that might have fallen on it, but he cannot find anything.

The note itself read as follows...

_"Attn. Dr. Albert Wily. If you want to win the world, call the number below at approximately Five O'clock. We have business you will want to discuss, and I have the item that will ensure your domination. - The Conduit."_

Below the message is a phone number and Bass stares at the letter for a long time until he calls Dr. Wily. "Master Wily, you are going to want to look at this. I sense it will be of interest to you."

_"What is this 'it' I am supposed to look at?"_ Wily impatiently asks.

"_If_ this person is telling the truth, we may have a new ally," Bass answers.

After a long pause, Dr. Wily eventually replies. _"... Oh? Then, let's see what this person's proposal is!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in New York.<strong>

As the blackout enters its second day, Mr. Black is still in seclusion, sitting his car in the darkness of parking garage of mall with no electricity, trying to avoid being spotted by the Conduit's forces, as well as the FBI, the Police and possibly even Mega Man. His body is sore, his resources are limited to what he has left in the car and he has no allies to help him.

But, he is not running scared from anybody. He is only waiting for the next best chance to kill Dr. Wily and avenge his wife, and now he is also looking for a chance at revenge on The Conduit for betraying him this morning.  
>And if this deal The Conduit is working to make with Wily to sell him the deadly Jadous Sphere is still going to happen, then he has a good chance to finish both of them off tonight. Even if he would fail at taking either of them out, he can at least prevent Wily or The Conduit from holding that sphere.<p>

But, as long as he is alive, The Conduit may get cold feet and hold off the deal. There has to be some way to get his/her/its attention, some sort of weakness in this network.

"The Bonne kid can be intimidated... he doesn't know much. Useless target," Barton mutters to himself, "The motorcycle woman is good. It would be difficult to crack her... but, she would know just as little about this bastard as I do. And it's not enough!"

Barton's fists tighten as he tries to rack his brain for any idea to reach The Conduit. He does not know who or what The Conduit is, or if he/she/it has a weakness to exploit, and now that he is on his own, it puts his mission for vengeance at risk.  
>And that is when he hears something on the radio frequency that picks up top secret communications. It is a very brief call between two parties speaking in code. But, it was just enough for Mr. Black to comprehend...<p>

_"Status of Sky? Over," _says one voice.

_"Generators still offline. Cloud is safe," _answers another.

Mr. Black's eyes sharply look at the radio and narrow. 'Sky' is he secret code word the police uses to describe the Governor's Mansion in Albany, and 'Cloud' is the codename for The Governor himself...

"Deacon!" Barton says to himself, "The Conduit has it in for Deacon. If there was anybody to expose the bastard to, it's him."

Mr. Black uses his car's A.I. core to calculate how much distance there is between here in the Governor's Mansion, and how much police presence there may be, considering the blackout.

"It's time to pay Mitchell Deacon a visit," Mr. Black says, "He will either play along the easy way or the hard way. Either scenario works."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_I do realize this chapter is a little short, but that will not be the case with the next one, which will be much bigger and hopefully more exciting. I did not want to stretch the chapter out too thin and add a lot of unnecessary filler for the sake of making a chapter bigger.  
>Another reason this took so long was that I was not happy with the amount of emphasis there was on the Mr. BlackConduit stuff, because I want this to remain a Mega Man universe story, not something else other than what it was intended to be. But, this is going somewhere big, so fear not.  
>For any readers who might have been dissatisfied with the chapter, I apologize.<em>

_Please don't forgot to leave a review or a comment. If you see any left over notes, duplicate lines, typos or continuity errors, please PM me right away._


	131. The Pursuit

_**Episode 12, Chapter 4: The Pursuit.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Governor's Mansion.<br>Albany, New York.**

Despite the historic blackout continuing into its second day, it is business as usual for Governor Mitchell Deacon as he prepares to leave his mansion, flanked by his personal detail of Bodyguard robots. And by _'business-as-usual,'_ that means managing another difficult problem created by Dr. Wily or other outside forces, and trying to face as much face as his administration can.

Walking beside The Governor is his Chief-Of-Staff Mr. Ranquist who briefing Deacon on the blackout, the Mr. Black situation and the fallout from the Dr. Wily bank heists yesterday.  
>"Both the Police and the FBI were unable to recover any evidence of who struck the warehouse. It may have been Dr. Wily, but we are not ready to confirm that. However, there is no mistake: Mr. Black was hiding there and he had enough weapons and technology in there to bring down half the police force."<p>

"And he's still at large," Deacon responds.

"He escaped the warehouse when the attack took place. And he is probably still in the city," Ranquist, "I suggest after the press conference that you stay in the mansion until we can find him. After he vandalized your car, he may target you again. Only in a more direct way."

"I have a state to run. After all the public relations disasters we've run into lately, I can't afford to run and hide from someone in a mask. My approval ratings have taken enough of a hit as it is, and I need to ensure this situation is not bungled like the Civil Defense Tower, or what took place at Thomas' lab."  
>Deacon asks, "Are there any updates on the bank heists and what caused this blackout?"<p>

Ranquist answers, "Mega Man and the authorities have concluded that Dr. Wily was responsible for both the blackout and the bank heists. The blackout compromised security everywhere, which allowed for better access to the Federal Reserve."

"If this keeps up, I won't have to worry about re-election. I'll be recalled," Deacon remarks.

With two of his security robots on each side, Governor Deacon exits the front doors of the Governor's Mansion and makes his way to his podium in front of a group of waiting reporters and cameraman, all of them waiting for their chance to ask their questions about the ongoing blackout.

"Due to my priorities in dealing with the blackout and other pressing matters that have taken place in the past twenty-four hours, this press conference will only be twenty minutes long," The Governor announces, "Be advised that there is some sensitive information that I cannot divulge with you at this time, in the interest of public safety. You may begin."

The first question comes from none other than Bree Recotta, who asks, "Governor Deacon, can you confirm whether or not Dr. Wily was responsible for the blackout taking place?"

"With help from Mega Man, we have concluded that Dr. Wily was behind the blackout, yes," Deacon answers, "We heard that a pair of his robots snuck past security and attacked our power grid so badly that it would affect the entire region."

Bree presses, "Do you believe he caused the blackout to find an easy way to breach the Federal Reserve Bank?"

"We're certain that was his primary motive behind it, yes. We have installed new generators to power the security at all our banks now, which are back at full strength," Deacon answers.

Before another reporter could ask a question, Bree continues to put Deacon on the spot. "How did Wily's robots get past security so quickly, Governor Deacon? I can imagine it would be very difficult for anybody to gain unwanted entrance without triggering every alarm in sight."

"The authorities are conducting the investigation as we speak. But, their attention is currently divided by the blackout and the situation last night regarding Mr. Black. I'm waiting for answers as well as you, Mrs. Recotta, and I am not pleased that this took place on my watch. Next question."

Other reporters begin asking simple questions related to the Blackout such as when the power will be restored and how much Police and Fire and Rescue responses will take. But, there was a lingering issue that Bree had to ask about.  
>Once she has the chance, she asks, "What can you tell us about what occurred in the warehouse district just after midnight, Governor Deacon. Sources say that Mr. Black was hiding in the building that was attacked."<p>

After a pause to choose his words cautiously, Deacon replies, "I do not believe I am permitted to answer that question at this time, as not all the details are ready for public release."

At that exact moment, the voice of Ranquist calls on Deacon's ear bud._ "Mr. Deacon. Get back inside immediately!"_

Just a second later, all of Deacon's security robots begin to twitch and jerk, their systems corrupted by a signal broadcast from nearby. Then, a small canister of some kind falls from the sky and bursts, puffing out plums of black smoke that envelop the entire front lawn of the Governor's mansion, causing the reporters to panic and try to escape.

Governor Deacon himself is disoriented and begins gagging on the smoke as it get in his lungs. He staggers around in search of the doors to get back inside the mansion as the faint sound of a SkyCar engine somewhere above him is heard, followed by the sound of somebody landing on their feet nearby.  
>Seconds later he feels a strong hand grabbing him by the collar of his jacket.<p>

"Governor Deacon. We need to talk," the gravely voice of Mr. Black says as he drags him on his feet until they head inside...

Meanwhile, Bree Recotta tries to see through the smoke and push her way past the panicking reporters. As she climbs up the stairs, she can see the empty podium, and what looks like a large figure wearing a trench coat. One that looks like Mr. Black, and is about the same size and build of the strange man she saw at Yankee Stadium last year.

Bree holds her breath to prevent inhaling the smoke and tries to climb up the steps of the front section of the mansion entrance to pursue after the figure as it disappears in the smoke.  
>After only a couple more seconds going after the figure, she walks into the door as it slams shut, knocking the reporter down on the top step.<p>

* * *

><p>Those inside the mansion are startled when they see Mr. Black walking through the door with a coughing Mitchell Deacon clutched tightly by his jacket. The few remaining human guards left inside draw their weapons and Mr. Black his handgun at them in response.<p>

"There's no need for alarm," Mr. Black states, "The Governor and I have issues to discuss. But, if any of you try anything... you will regret it."

Deacon coughs, "Do what he says!"

With a nod by Mr. Ranquist, the few guards lower their guards but keep a sharp eye on Mr. Black as he moves on ahead with The Governor in tow.

"I'll let you know when we have finished our conversation," The Masked Terror says as he takes Deacon towards the main office.

As The Governor's staff becomes concerned - some frightened - as they watch their Governor dragged to the office, Chief of Staff Ranquist watches on with disdain, saying nothing but remaining very calm despite the urgency of the situation.  
>He straightens the glasses on his face and calmly tells an aide, "Please call the Police and the FBI. Tell them that Mr. Black is here and holding The Governor hostage. And I suggest you make it quick."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Unaware of the events in Albany, Mega Man is sitting on his bad in his bedroom, looking at a picture of Kalinka Cossack. There were several pictures stored on this digital frame, including some of Kalinka. But, there was one particular image of her that he found stunning, and was drawn to this one the most.

As Mega studies every single nuance of her face... Including every curve. The shape of her lips and her eyes. The waviness of her hair and the fairness of her skin... he remembers the limited time they had together, and how much they enjoyed it.  
>He can still remember the warmth of her skin and what she smelled like when she was last here in the fall when they had their date, all of that data stored in his cybernetic memory.<br>But, more than anything, Mega still remembers the feeling of the kisses they shared and the spike in emotion sensors and internal regulator along with the feeling the sudden flush in her lips and the rushed heartbeat surging from her body. Each kiss was different, but just as memorable.

Seeing her represents the reward awaiting him when all this destructive conflict is over. When he no longer has to be Mega Man and can just be Rock again. When he can live that perfect human life without being on call at a seconds notice to stop a Wily assault.  
>Peace at last.<p>

He wishes they could be together more often, and Kalinka has expressed the same. But, Rock fears that as long as Dr. Wily walks the Earth a free man, Kalinka's safety is always at risk, and so is that of his family.

Rock lets out a long sigh and bows his head down as his brown hair hangs over his eyes. "I wish this war was over."

As he longs for the peace he fights to achieve, Mega gets an emergency call on his communicator, and his internal systems inform him the call is from Chief Toombs. "Uh oh... this isn't good."

Mega Man stands up and presses a yellow key on his forearm to switch the call over to Chief Toombs. "I'm here, Chief. What's the emergency?"

_"We got a big problem, Lad. That Mr. Black fella just showed up at Governor Deacon's Mansion and took him hostage,"_ The Chief replies.

"What?! He saved President Henry's life at the White House. Why is he doing _this_?" Mega asks, grabbing his helmet off his dresser and placing it back over his head.

_"I'm just as confused as you, lad. But, that don't matter anymore right now. We've got to get over there and stop him before he does something he's gonna regret, or before the Feds show up. And I would feel a wee bit better with you over there instead o' them."_

"Okay, I'm on my way. Keep me posted," Mega answers as he bolts out of his bedroom and races for the lab so he can head out to Albany before it is too late.  
>He then makes an urgent call to the lab, "We've got a problem. Mr. Black just took Governor Deacon hostage. Get ready to move out! Rush, be in Jet Mode when you see me!"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In the command center room, Dr. Wily paces back and forth in a straight line as he strokes his cleft chin. It was nearly two hours ago that he received a letter from somebody who named themselves _The Conduit_, offering to help him win the war and claiming that they had the item that would make Wily's victory a reality.  
>And Dr. Wily is seriously considering this mystery offer, and Bass stands by watching his creator take every step, still very weary of the intentions of this proposal.<p>

"Ever since I began this war, nobody has ever offered to help me... until now," Albert says to himself. Then his face scrunches in disgust as he remembers, "Ugh! Except for Otto Raptor during the Robosaur Park operation. But, the less said about that disgusting little man, the better."

"Are you sure you can trust this _Conduit_?" Bass asks with skepticism.

"I ran an extensive search on '_Conduit'_ in my database, and I found nothing. No criminal organizations. No known criminal aliases."

"It could be a trap set up by the humans," Bass says.

"Highly unlikely. If it were a trap, I would have found something on this Conduit. Fabricated information planted by our enemies," Wily deflects, dismissing Bass' suggestion. "No... This is somebody who is not affiliated with the authorities or Thomas Light. And they want to talk."

Bass takes a few steps forward, standing directly in Dr. Wily's pacing path. "Don't let you thirst for victory lead you into a trap."

Dr. Wily frowns and stares across at Bass, annoyed that he is constantly trying to sway him from arranging this meeting. He nearly begins arguing when a buzzer begins to make noise on Wily's main command console and the mad scientist sees what it is about.

The large screens covering the command console that were once showing a holographic blue map of the world begin to show feeds from a situation taking place at The Governor's Mansion in New York.

"Somebody had the gall to attack New York without telling me?!" Wily scoffs.

He then sees the headline text from a national news feed, which reads, _"Vigilante Mr. Black takes Governor Mitchell Deacon hostage. Mega Man on the scene."_

"_Oooooh!_ The masked fool _and_ Mega Man here! This should be fun to watch!" Wily grins as he takes his seat in front of the console as Bass stands behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Governor's Mansion.<strong>

Mega Man arrives to the area along with ProtoMan and Roll and they race to the police frontline, where several human and robot officers are standing with their weapons at the ready, along with snipers stationed on every rooftop and dogs and Robo K-9's ready to storm inside at any second.  
>Once there, they see Chief Toombs having a heated conversation with Captain Tallarico, arguing over how they are going to handle Mr. Black's threat.<p>

"I'm telling you, we need to barge in there with full force and catch him by surprise," Tallarico argues.

"An' you'll be puttin' Deacon's life in danger! He said he's got a motion tracker. How do we know he won't pull the trigger on 'im the moment he sees us barging in?!" Toombs argues.

"How do you know he won't kill Governor Deacon if we wait too long?" Tallarico counters.

ProtoMan watches on and chortles to Mega Man. "Hoo boy! Did we come here to wrangle Mr. Black or these two?"

"Now's not the time, Proto," Mega says.

"Come on, Rock. Nothing wrong with some gallows humor," Proto chides.

Meanwhile, Tallarico's bodyguard Officer Rose turns to his commanding Officers and informs them, "Chief. Captain. Mega Man is here."

The two senior officers turn their attention to the Light siblings, and Toombs welcomes them while Tallarico is more reserved. "Thanks for coming here. We could use the spare hands," Toombs says as he approaches Mega.

"Was anybody hurt?" Mega Man asks.

The Chief explains, "Nothin' serious. Just a bunch of coughing journalists and glitched robots. We're pretty sure Deacon's okay inside."

"All that matters is that The Governor gets out alive, and Mr. Black is taken down. By any means necessary," Tallarico adds as she stares at the plans for the operation to retrieve Deacon.

ProtoMan chimes in, "Then, what the hell are you people all standing around for? Why aren't you going in already?"

Tallarico gives ProtoMan a scrutinizing stare which Proto picks up on.

"Don't bother, lady. I'll take the words right out of your mouth," Proto sneers, "I wouldn't know about protecting anybody, because I used to work for Dr. Wily and I can't be trusted. Right?"

"This is a delicate operation! If we make a mistake, Governor Deacon will die! This is about saving lives," Tallarico frowns, before muttering, "You wouldn't know anything about _that_ either, traitor."

"You know, robots can hear you humans when you whisper," Proto smirks.

"Please, everybody calm down," Mega Man interjects himself, "Right now we need to focus on getting Governor Deacon out alive."

"We need decide on a course of action. And every second we waste, it puts The Governor's life in greater danger," Tallarico states.

Toombs says, "The Captain here wants ta' go in there with guns blazin'. I'd usually like that idea meself, but it's too dangerous. If we kill Mr. Black, we lose the chance to interrogate 'im. An' who knows what that loony-toon 'll do to Deacon if we barge in."

"I realize that, Chief. But, if we overwhelm Mr. Black, he won't be able to do anything. And I have a hunch he's not going to try anything on Deacon. He needs him, and why, I don't know." Tallarico argues.

"Well, why don't we ask our lad Mega Man? He's faced his share life 'n death situations," Toombs suggests.

Put on the spot, Mega Man processes his options for a minute. Despite his lingering hard feelings towards Mitchell Deacon over his bizarre decision-making in the construction of that tower, the incident which led to the break-in at the lab and the harshness shown to Proto at the New Year's Eve celebration, Mega Man still has a job to do. And he does not want to see any harm brought to Deacon, despite their recent history.

"We know Mr. Black is dangerous, and if we go in too fast, it _will_ put Governor Deacon's life in jeopardy," Mega concludes, "But, we shouldn't just wait for him to leave. He's got that mind hacking device."

"We could try to sneak in," Roll suggests.

"Not gonna work," ProtoMan adds not so subtly, "They said he's got a motion tracker. He'd see us before we'd get close."

Mega Man adds, "It would work. I could have used the stealth suit, but it's back at the lab. And by the time we'd get back, who knows what could take place."

"Uh-oh... it looks like it ain't up ta' us anymore," Toombs says, nodding toward the convoy of black FBI vehicles that just arrived.

Agents Allen and Cotto step out of their car, joined by several agents and FBI robots. "Stand your officers down, Chief. This is a Federal matter. We'll take it from here," Allen states.

"Wait a second. Couldn't you guys use the extra help?" Mega Man asks.

"With all due respect, Mega Man, This is best left to us," Cotto insists, "I'm sorry."

"So, you're just gonna go inside that place with guns blazing, when you guys know he's got enough tools on him to stun every bot you've got, blind every one of you humans, and hot-ass car to get him out of here?" Proto then chortles, "Sounds like a lousy plan."

"This matter does not exactly concern you. I strongly recommend you not get involved," Allen says,

"Sure, slick. Whatever you say," Proto replies with that smirk of his, before confidently adding, "By the way... about those little toys he uses on everybody. Have you ever thought of using his gadgets against him? I mean, he created all this stuff on your dime, right? Wouldn't you have a way to do a little reserve engineering? I've been around scientists all my life and they're doing stuff like this all the time."

Cotto and Allen share a glance in each other's direction and confer in private. Cotto utters, "When we searched the video archive of the Cold Steel incident three years ago, Barton was the only human who was not visibly showing the effects of the hypnotic signal. He was wearing the ear buds he created to filter intrusive audio. If he is wearing them now, we might be able to crack them from out here and reserve their effects. He would at least be dazed by it."

ProtoMan interrupts from behind them, "And, if you can stun him long enough, my sibs and I can fly right inside and nab him. And your pal Deacon gets out in one piece."

Wearing a stiff face, Allen orders his agents, "Let's get the transceiver out here now."

"You can say _'You're Welcome'_ any time, you know," ProtoMan smugly adds.

After a brief glance back towards Proto, Allen and Cotto turn to their new priority without saying a word. Captain Tallarico turns away as well, focusing on whatever part her officers will play in this. Only Chief Toombs gives Proto an approving nod, showing that whatever bad history he might have had with Proto back in the Wily days, he is slowly making it clear who's side he is on today.

Mega Man steps over to Proto along with Roll, and he comments, "I can see why Wily made you his go-to bot for planning missions."

"Combat Pragmatist," Proto grins, "But, as for this little plan, I was just winging it. After hearing all the bickering, _somebody_ had to come up with an idea."

Roll's eyes narrow as she says, "So, in other words, you' re just throwing something in the air to see if it will stick. Do you even _care_ if Governor Deacon gets out of there?"

"Not particularly," Proto admits in a matter-of-fact tone as he walks off to see if his idea will work. "But, you've gotta admit, if it's a bad idea, it's the best bad idea anybody here has thrown out so far."

Roll shighs and turns to Mega. "Can you believe him?! One day, that attitude of his is gonna get him in real trouble. I just hope we're nowhere around to get caught in it."

Mega says, "In his defense, he is right. It might be Deacon's only chance at survival."

Roll sighs and shakes her hand as she folds her arms. "I don't believe it. My good brother has finally fried his circuits."

As Roll walks away, Mega says, "I wish you would let go of these hard feelings."

"Old habits die hard," Roll replies without turning around.

* * *

><p>Inside, Governor Deacon is held captive in his own office, sitting in front of his own desk as Mr. Black paces around him, making sure The Governor does not try to leave. But, Deacon attempts to be diplomatic with the most dangerous man in New York, even though he is in such a compromising situation.<p>

"I hope you know that you cannot accomplish whatever it is you're here for. The Mansion is surrounded. If you try to hurt me to get it, the police will swarm in here like bees, and so will Mega Man, I'm sure."

"Fortunately for you, Mr. Deacon, I'm not here for any other reason other than to have a word with you," Mr. Black says, "I believe you can help me with a crucial matter. And in return, I will be able to help you. You and I have the same problem."

"You want money," Deacon accuses, "Or perhaps you want immunity for the crimes you committed now that Wily drove you from your secret base."

Mr. Black stops walks around Deacon's chair and now stands directly before him. "It was not Wily who shot up that warehouse this morning. But, I have a lead on who did. And this is someone who wants to bring you and I down."

Deacon looks up into the dark inlets of Mr. Black's mask, not changing his expression and keeping his cool. And under that mask, Barton senses that if The Governor knows who he is alluding to, he is doing a good job hiding his true reaction. And like all politicians, he is very good at putting on a good face.

"Have you received any threat of any kind lately, Mr. Deacon?" Mr. Black begins to interrogate.

"Yes. Right now," Deacon replies defiantly.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Mr. Governor," Mr. Black says in a more gravely tone.

"I'm the Governor of New York! I get threat reports every morning with breakfast," Deacon answers.

Growing tired of Deacon's deflective answers, Mr. Black cracks the knuckles on his gloved hands in an attempt to subliminally intimidate him. "Maybe I should be more direct... have you received any kind of threats from a person using an alias known as 'The Conduit?'"

Deacon's suddenly looks directly into Mr. Black's eyepieces, not saying anything and with a slightly different look on his face after this question. And Mr. Black picks up on the slight chance in body language.  
>"For the public safety's best interest, I am not at liberty to answer questions about any threats that may come into this office," Deacon says with a slightly different tone.<p>

"The only person's safety you should be concerned about is your own, Mr. Deacon," Mr. Black warns.

"Are you threatening me?" Deacon asks with anger.

"I'm not; The Conduit is. Now, tell me what you know," Mr. Black interrogates. "And if you care about the safety of your citizens, you had best tell me everything, because a great deal of destruction is about to take place inside of your city. Destruction the likes of which politicians like you will not be able to repair."

Governor Deacon rubs his temples. "You don't understand, do you? Even if there is a _Conduit_, I cannot divulge anything because I want to prevent that destruction from happening. And _you_ would be the last person I would talk to, behind only Dr. Albert Wily."

"You are denying it, but it is obvious to me that you _have_ heard of The Conduit. You need to tell me what kind of threats have been made on you, whatever the nature of them may have been. I am offering you the chance to bring The Conduit down and prevent very bad things from happening. You saw what I did to save the life of President Henry and that I am hunting Albert Wily. That should be all the proof you need to prove whose side I am really on."

Deacon almost chortles, "And I am supposed to trust you? After you attacked my press conference, took me hostage and attacked innocent people, you expect me to trust you?"

"I'm the only thing standing in the way of you becoming a victim," Mr. Black replies.

"The FBI briefed me on you. I know that you were once a proud federal agent, but now your state of mind and fractured because of what happened when this war began," Deacon says, using his way with words to try to convince Mr. Black that this is his own fault and to end this.  
>"I am sorry about what happened to you, I really am, and I want to bring Wily to justice as well. But, you have taken this too far."<p>

Mr. Black stares down at Deacon, who continues to talk him down.

"Look at yourself. You have resorted to becoming a vigilante and you caused harm to those who did not deserve this, including Tina McIntyre. An innocent teenage girl," Deacon says, "You need to stop this and leave it to those whose job it is to bring Wily in... You need to let your wife rest in peace."

Mr. Black becomes enraged when Governor Deacon invokes Tonya's memory and he snaps, grabbing Deacon by his throat and pulling him out of the chair. "Don't you mention her in vain!" he rasps.

"Please, think about what you're doing!" Deacon begs off.

"We tried to do this the easy way, Governor Deacon. But, you've pissed me off one too many times," Mr. Black gravels as he reaches into his trench coat and removes the Mindcracker from it. "I would have preferred not to use this, but you forced my hand."

"NO! SOMEBODY HELP!" Deacon shouts as he attempts to fight Barton off.

* * *

><p>Outside, the police can hear the panicked screams of Governor Deacon and begin to scramble as Captain Tallarico shouts, "GO NOW! MOVE IN!"<p>

Roll is shocked and gasps. ProtoMan is not terribly bothered by Deacon's situation just itching to get into the action. But, Mega Man makes up his mind in a nanosecond.  
>"They're not gonna make it in time. I'm going in! Rush, move in fast!"<p>

Nobody tries to stop the hero as Rush takes off and bolts directly for the mansion with Mega Man, who charges up a shot powerful enough to breach the outer wall of the Governor's mansion to give him immediate access to Deacon's office.  
>In just a matter of seconds, Mega reaches the Mansion and fires off his shot, blasting a hole clean through the roof.<p>

"That transceiver better be ready, or else you're all fired!" Allen barks.

"It's ready," Agent Cotto confirms as a group of technicians and agents right beside him handle a relatively small piece of equipment, where if used correctly, can turn some of Mr. Black's gadgets against him just long enough.

"Punch it!" Allen orders.

* * *

><p>The blast from Mega Man draws Mr. Black's attention before he could insert the Mindcracker into Deacon's ear, and just a few seconds later, he can hear a shrieking interference in the two ear bud relievers he has fitted into both of his ears and the horrific sound disorients him.<br>To get the noise to stop, Barton grabs the wire that connects the ear buds to a small pack on his belt and rips it out.

Mega Man jumps through the hole he just blasted into the ceiling along with Rush and Barton pulls the Governor out of his chair and holds his body in front of his as Mega Man jumps down through the hole and aims his blaster at him.

"Mega Man. I was not expecting to see you," Mr. Black says, placing the mindcracker back into his pocket and drawing his plasma bolt gun and pointing it straight at the Defender.

"This is over, Agent Barton! Give it up!" Mega Man warns loudly.

"No. This is not over yet. But, it soon will be," Mr. Black states cryptically.

"What does that mean?" Mega asks, still firmly keeping his blaster aimed at Mr. Black, trying to get a good trick shot without hurting Deacon.

"You'll soon find out," Mr. Black replies as a loud engine noise is heard coming from behind him.

The engine was from Mr. Black's car, which crashes through the picture window at such an angle that Mr. Black can make a hasty escape. Mr. Black shoves Deacon towards Mega Man, forcing Mega to catch him as Barton quickly dives in his car.  
>The A.I. car begins to fly off and the authorities begin to open fire, but aside from minor surface damage, it does nothing to slow Mr. Black down.<p>

"I'm fine, just go get him! He's dangerous," a rattled Deacon says.

"We're going after him. Stay here where it's safe," Mega Man replies as he and Rush fly through the empty space that used to be the window and give chase after Mr. Black.  
>And he is joined by Roll on her SkyCycle and ProtoMan in the Land Blazer, along with every available unit from the New York Police and the Federal Government, commencing the largest pursuit to take place in years.<p>

* * *

><p>Mr. Black's modified car now sports some bullet holes and a broken set of passenger windshields as it speeds through the air, disobeying all Skyway laws and trying to shake off Mega Man, ProtoMan, Roll, the NYPD, and the FBI. A task easier said than done.<p>

Not far behind the vigilante is Mega Man and Rush, with several other pursuers trailing him. "Keep on him, Rush. This guy's been on the loose for too long!"

Rush barks as he keeps up with Mr. Black's car, and ProtoMan contacts Mega Man. _"I don't want to get in another argument, Rock, so let's get this straight. If you get blasted out of the sky again, you want me to just leave you behind, even if you land in a river full of sharks?"_ Proto asks in a jab, recalling their earlier argument yesterday at the Federal Reserve Bank.

"This guy's dangerous, Proto. If I go down, don't worry about me. If anything, it should just motivate you to go after Mr. Black even more," Mega Man answers.

_"I don't need much motivation. I've been itchin' for some fun ever since this blackout began, and this is my chance,"_ Proto smugly replies.

Roll adds, _"If you guys don't get this creep, I will! After breaking our home and scaring my Peekaboo, he's got a frying pan with his name on it!"_

"Whatever you guys do, don't hurt him too badly. We need to bring him in alive," Mega says.

_"Gotcha, bro,"_ Proto says.

_"I can't promise I won't knock him out,"_ Roll replies.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black continues to race ahead, frequently looking in the rear view mirrors and the dashboard computer to see Mega Man and Rush gaining on him. He would have preferred not to do this, but he has no choice but to fight the Defender of the Human Race himself.<br>He has come too far in his mission of vengeance to allow himself to get captured now, not without putting up a fight.

As Mr. Black drives the car himself, he orders the A.I., "Arm all countermeasures."

Once more, Mr. Black stares at the reflection in the mirror, at Mega Man directly. He knows that outrunning Mega Man will prove to be challenging, but he will not allow himself to surrender until he knows he cannot continue this anymore.  
>He must keep on fighting for his beloved Tonya, or this will all have been for nothing.<p>

"If you're going to catch me, you're going to earn it!" Barton gravels, tightening the grip on his steering wheel.

* * *

><p>The Black car's SkyCar engines ignite as it soars over the Hudson River, racing towards a pair of bridges and lowering itself down to pass underneath of them, skimming the water below. Mega Man, however, matches Mr. Black's move and trails him without losing a beat, while the other pursuers fly over the bridges right behind him.<p>

Barton sees that his attempt to slow down Mega Man failed and he swoops back into the Skyway, swerving into the path of oncoming SkyCar drivers.  
>But, again Mega Man stays on him and Rush moves clear of the SkyCar drivers as they veer out of Mr. Black's path, and his siblings are not too far behind. Meanwhile, the Police and FBI are beginning to change their flight pattern to lessen the chance of civilian casualties and fly at a higher altitude usually reserved for emergencies like this.<p>

After speeding past the panicking Skyway drivers, Mr. Black drops his car down low to street level once he reaches land again and speeds away on the pavement. And Mega Man keeps on him, and even managing to gain on him now that Mr. Black was forced to slow down to get out of the way of the other drivers. But, because of the congestion in the street, Mega cannot open fire on Mr. Black as easily down here on the ground out of fear of hitting an innocent bystander.

"If I want to catch him, I'm gonna have to get up-close and personal! Cover me back there," Mega says as he and Rush begin to advance on Mr. Black's car.

* * *

><p>Barton looks in the rear view mirrors and sees how much Mega Man is gaining on him, and he knows it is time for even more drastic measures.<p>

"Drive, full speed. Use countermeasures when needed," Mr. Black instructs the car as it begins to drive for him. He then reaches in the back and grabs the shotgun he took from the Vick-Tek storage facility.

"This is most unfortunate," Barton utters, now forced to take deadly action of the Defender of the Human Race himself.

* * *

><p>Barton opens the driver's side door and hangs out of it, grabbing onto a handle right above the door with his left hand and carrying the shotgun in the right, taking aim on Mega Man with it and opening fire. But, Rush managed to move himself and Mega Man out of the way.<p>

Mega Man kneels down on Rush's back and takes aim at Mr. Black with his plasma cannon. He warns, "I don't want to blast you, Agent Barton. But, if you don't stop, you won't leave me any choice!"

Mr. Black ignores Mega's warning and fires off another round in his direction, which Mega dodges. Mega Man then fires his own blast, looking to hit Mr. Black's car in the hopes of crippling it, but the car switches lanes and gets out of the way.  
>Mr. Black and Mega proceed to trade shots with each other and fail to hit their intended targets as Roll and ProtoMan try to get closer to the action.<p>

"Proto, how about you use the land blazer to get closer. It can provide cover and get me the chance to hit this creep with my frying pan," Roll says as she drives the SkyCycle.

"That isn't the brightest idea. Once you get close enough, he'll shoot you the moment you reach him," Proto responds.

Roll fires back, "Not if I'm fast enough!" And she takes off straight ahead and prepares to take down Mr. Black herself.

"How did Rock keep her under control for all those years?" Proto mutters to himself as he tries to advance on this fight to try and keep both of his siblings from getting injured...

As Barton's black car speeds away, Barton himself leans back inside to reload the shotgun and Roll flies overhead, barely missing her chance at nailing the vigilante in the head with her utility arm frying pan. And seeing his sister's close-quarters interference cause Mega Man to focus more on her than the threat down below.

"What are you doing, Roll?! You're going to get yourself shot!" Mega shouts.

"I know what I'm doing. I said I was going to knock him out for what he did to us, and I'm going to do just that," Roll yells back as she swings around for another pass.

However, as she turns, an alarm from the SkyCycle's console grabs Roll's attention, and she looks down to see the 'low fuel' light flashing urgently.

"What?! How did I run out of fuel?!" she blurts to herself, her attention now divided between the status of her vehicle and setting herself up for another pass at Mr. Black, who is beginning to hang his body out of the door again carrying the plasma shotgun in hand.

Roll puts her SkyCycle in full throttle, knowing that she might get one shot at this and zooms towards Mr. Black at full speed, and Mega Man can only watch on. But, as Barton sees her coming his way, he lurches himself back inside the car and barks, "Close door!"

Roll flies down and begins to take a swipe with her frying pan just as the black car's car door closes, causing her to miss entirely. She flies back around to join both of her brothers, where she gets chastised.

"You're lucky you weren't hit!" Mega Man says.

"I want to know who drained my SkyCycle tank! It's almost empty!" Roll complains.

"Now's not the time to worry about that, Roll. We've got to to focus on catching Mr. Black!" Mega retorts.

Meanwhile ProtoMan remains unusually silent, not like his usually sly self. Perhaps it is because of how frequently he used Roll's SkyCycle to visit Nomad in the middle of the night.

Back on the surface, a squad of police cruisers speed in from the left and Mr. Black's car pulls a hard right to enter the next street which is one way. This would be a crazy move, but Barton is luring them right where he wants them.

"Deploy oil slick," Mr. Black orders. And as the car roars ahead, it begins spitting out a spritz of black oil onto the asphalt below.

The police cruisers speed over the oil patch in the street and begin to veer out of control until they completely wipeout and crash into nearby buildings. But, Mega Man, Roll and ProtoMan come around the bend and keep after Mr. Black, while several Police SkyCars keep on him while ground-based cars take an alternate turn to avoid crashing and the chase continues.

* * *

><p>After managing to avoid sliding in the oil slick, Captain Tallarico's police cruiser remains close on the tail of Mr. Black's car, and the Police Captain herself is preparing to take some serious measures.<p>

"Stay on his ass. I'm ending this now," she orders as she loads a rifle and begins sticking her body out of the passenger side window.

"Ma'am, this is only putting your own life in danger," Rose protests.

"That's an order, Officer!" Tallarico says, now sliding herself outside the window and taking aim at her target...

Mr. Black's car continues to speed through the traffic as he hangs out of the driver's door, paying attention to Mega Man and the Lights more than any other threat. When he sees one police cruiser speeding his way with Captain Tallarico herself about to open fire on him, Barton focuses on her instead and deals with her accordingly.

After waiting for her to line up a shot, he orders the A.I., "Hard turn left."

The car turns as Tallarico fires, and the bullet destroys the left tail light, causing the Captain to curse as she reloads the rifle...

Barton remains calm as he reloads the plasmas hotgun. "Deploy surge trap. Fire at one second," he commands...

The A.I. controlled car drops a hockey-puck sized surge trap (the same object that crippled a group of Dr. Cossack's escort robots in 20X3) and it remains sitting on the road until Captain Tallarico's car drives over it. The surge trap emits a strong shock right underneath the cruiser, totally crippling the car's engine and onboard systems.

Officer Rose tries in vain to regain control of the car, but his best efforts are worthless and the car begins to lose speed as other cruisers and FBI zoom past them and the Light siblings zoom overhead.

"Dammit! What the hell?!" Tallarico snaps as she slaps the hood of their car. "Go after him!"

"I can't! The car's dead!" Rose replies as the cruiser slowly crawls to a halt.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Roll looks at her fuel meter in frustration as it winds down. "I can't stay with you. I'll be lucky if I have enough to make it back home."<p>

"Just go, sis. We'll get him," Mega says.

"Sorry," Roll says as she turns her Sky Cycle out of the way and head back home, leaving only Mega and ProtoMan.

"And I thought _you_ were fierce in combat," Proto snorts, "I'll give her this: He's lucky she didn't take him down, though."

"Don't tell her, Proto, but I feel a lot better with her away from this battle. This man is too dangerous to predict," Mega admits. "Proto, I'm going to distract him. Take aim on his jets and disable them."

"Since I've been on your side, I've noticed my accuracy is even better than it used to be, so I've got this," Proto quips from the Land Blazer.

"Good. It's time to finish this!" Mega Man exclaims.

Mega and Rush speed ahead directly at Mr. Black's car, about to board it and end the chase. When he notices Mega Man approaching, Barton pulls himself out of the car through the driver's side door and climbs to the roof with shotgun at the ready.

"Don't even try it!" Barton yells, training the shotgun at Mega Man as Rush slows down to keep up pace with him. "If you or anybody tries to stop me, I will shoot you down!"

"You have to stop this, Agent Barton!" Mega Man calls back. "What you are doing is wrong!"

"No. I'm right! You're wrong!" Barton shouts, gripping his shotgun harder.

But, before this stand-off could take a violent turn, ProtoMan uses the mounted guns on the Land Blazer to shoot out the Sky Car engines in back of Mr. Black's car. The sudden jolt nearly sends Mr. Black falling off the car, but he barely regains his balance.

When he sees Mega Man trying to jet for him, Barton fires off several shots from the shotgun towards Mega and ProtoMan, which both barely miss.

Once the magazine is spent, Barton climbs back into the car as it begins to peter down to the ground with smoke coming out of the SkyCar ports. He barks, "Switch to ground mode. Security system on!"

Mega Man and Rush jet towards the car and Mega leaps off to bust into Mr. Black's car before this chase can go on any further. Yet, once he touches it, his body is shocked with a powerful voltage shock which makes his blue metallic body shake violently until he falls off and tumbles to the pavement.

Up above, ProtoMan is angered and he takes the pursuit to Mr. Black to get back at his fallen brother. "Now, you've pissed me off, you masked schmuck!"

ProtoMan lowers the altitude of the Land Blazer and begins chasing Mr. Black closely, opening fire on the car with all the weapons he has. Mr. Black's car tries to evade Proto's onslaught and takes a few more hits to the rear, shattering the back window, and blowing out both of the back tires... but, they are special re-inflating tires, and they re-inflate as soon as they get blasted.  
>(When rebuilding this car, Barton was prepared for anything.)<p>

"Who is this guy? Houdini?" Proto sneers to himself.

As Proto opens fire again, he also does damage to the nearby buildings as both he and Mr. Black swerve onto another road, and he takes down a light post, and his missed shots blow out windows nearby, causing bystanders to duck for their lives.

"There's a massive car chase going on, you idiots! You morons should have already been in cover!" Proto complains.

* * *

><p>Mega Man tries to get back to his feet as several police and FBI cars bolt past him in pursuit of Mr. Black, and Rush tries to pull him up with his front legs while standing on his hind legs.<p>

"That shock from that car... I need more energy," Mega groans as he tries to get up again.

"BEAT-BEAT!" chirps Beat the bird, who was trailing the Lights as the chase proceeded. The bird lowers himself down from the sky and carries an energy can in his little talon feet, and places it right beside Mega Man.

Mega Man takes the can and ingests it, replenishing his energy back to 100% capacity. "Thanks, Beat!. Now, it's time to bring this lunatic to justice!"

Rush transforms into Jet mode again and Mega jumps onboard as he flies off, now with Beat soaring right beside them.

* * *

><p>The chase between ProtoMan and Mr. Black continues, and this battle is only getting more violent. Inside his car, Mr. Black gets angry when he grabs one of his last grenades. "Get off my ass, damn you!"<p>

Barton powers the grenade and throws it outside his shattered window, out into the street at the Land Blazer. The grenade detonates near the orange vehicle, almost tipping it on its side, but ProtoMan succeeds at keeping the Land Blazer upright to continue the chase, despite the minor damage on its side.

"You underestimated me, masked man!" Proto exclaims as he accelerates again.

As the chase continues, Mega Man and Rush return as they hover down to ground level. And now that Mr. Black's car is damaged, it gives Mega the perfect chance to end this dangerous pursuit. All it takes is one clean shot to the inside of that car and should be enough to power it down.

"Back up, Proto. I've got this," Mega Man calls.

"You're back?! ... I forgot. Never count you out. You've always got an energy can up your sleeve," Proto quips as he slows the Land Blazer down, allowing Mega and Rush to lower to his level. "He's yours."

As Mr. Black's car speeds ahead and he sits in the back seat as he reloads his shotgun with the sound of police sirens not far away, he looks up to see Mega Man gaining on him again.  
>"Don't make me do this," he mutters, about to take aim at the Defender again.<p>

But, before he could open fire, Mega Man shoots a blast directly through the broken windshield, a move Barton had not anticipated. Barton ducks out of the way of getting hit, but leaves the dashboard exposed to absorb the full shot, strong enough to cripple the onboard A.I.

"No! Dammit!" Mr. Black shouts as he climbs back to the driver's seat and urgently jerks the steering wheel and stomps on the gas pedals. "Assuming direct control! ... Return power to my controls!"

But, the A.I. is no longer functioning and everything begins to die out as the engine flutters, sending his car out of control as it speeds towards a College campus. And the worst news is, several students are sitting outside trying to catch a glimpse of the chase, despite their better judgment. And it appears that decision has just put their lives in jeopardy...

"Oh, no! All those students are going to get run over!" Mega Man gasps, "I don't have any Ice Slasher energy left, or else I would have frozen his tires. We've got to think fast."

"Blast a hole in the street," Proto casually states.

"What?!"

"It might cause damage, but, it least you'll stop this guy and prevent anybody from getting hit. It'll work, even if we've gotta pay for the hole in the asphalt," Proto says.

After mulling over this idea from his brother, Mega frowns. It is potentially dangerous to Mr. Black, who must be healthy enough for questioning, and it would cause unnecessary damage to New York property. But, a drastic such as this one might be worth it.  
>"If it saves the students' lives, it will be worth the damage," Mega Man replies as he powers up his plasma cannon.<p>

Mega aims and fires two powerful blasts directly in Mr. Black's path leaving two holes in the road that are matched up to where his tires may tread. If this works, it should cause Mr. Black's car to become trapped in the holes in the road and bring him to a stop...

As Barton's car speeds towards the college, the students realize that he is headed directly for them and they begin to make a mad dash for the hills. Inside, Barton continues attempting to regain control of the car as the A.I. fixes and starts.

"Stop, damn you!" he yells as he jerks the wheel around and bashes the controls.

Eventually, the car hits the two craters in the road, causing his car to get stuck in it. Once Barton realizes he has crashed, he attempts in vain to put the car into reverse and it does not move. And to ensure the vigilante agent will not escape, ProtoMan parks the Land Blazer right behind his car.

Barton looks around as Mega Man and Rush land in front of his car, taking aim on him. And nearly a hundred Federal and police vehicles - including vans, cars, and helicopters - speed towards him, blocking every possible path of escape.  
>Agents and Officers begin piling out and training their guns on Barton's car, ready to attack if he forces their hand.<p>

"Agent Barton, you're surrounded! Step out of the car and get down on your knees!" barks Agent Allen on a megaphone.

Mr. Black's eyes scan the scene and tries to find a way to escape. He does not stance a chance at surviving a shootout, so there has to be another option.  
>He could use the scrambling device to deal with the robots, but the humans wouldn't be effected, and he would be stopped before he would get very far. If he tried to destroy the car and himself with it, he would only rob himself his vengeance.<p>

"Get out of the car and surrender yourself now, Barton!" Allen yells.

"Don't make this difficult, Agent," Mega Man adds, "You need to stop this now!"

Barton looks all around at every possible hostile - Mega Man, ProtoMan, the FBI, the police and even the news helicopters up above - and knows deep inside that he cannot make it out of here this time.  
>He has been caught, and this mission is over.<p>

With reluctance, Barton opens the door of the crashed car and steps out... with the plasma bolt gun in his right hand. That action alone causes everybody to train their weapons on his even more, and the sound of several guns are heard cocking and loading, and several red laser sightings appear on Barton's masked head and torso.

"Drop the gun and surrender!" Allen yells.

For a moment, Barton stares directly into Mega Man's eyes, not aiming his gun, just holding it. And internally, Mega can sense that Barton had just made up his mind on something. Like he knew nobody was going to take that shot at him, but he knew he could not win.

With hundreds of weapons aimed at him, Mr. Black/John Barton begins to kneel down and gently put his plasma bolt handgun down on the pavement, then shoves it away. He then takes his hands and places them behind his head.

As soon as he surrenders, the FBI and police begins running towards him, keeping their guns aimed at him. One heavily armed FBI officer removes a pair of hand cuffs as two other officers grabs Barton's arms and hold them behind his back to be cuffed.  
>Another agent then pull the black mask off Barton's head, exposing his face for everybody to see, and soon to the entire world.<p>

"Agent Barton. You are under arrest," Agent Allen says, "In the interest of public safety, your Miranda Rights are not applicable."

Barton remains stone silent, almost emotionless as he is pulled to his feet and taken away by the FBI. Mega Man stares at him as he is dragged away. This whole ordeal felt so strange to the hero. There were no open cheers among these officers, especially the FBI agents. Just a few calls of a good job by Agent Allen and they were quickly on their way.  
>This did not feel much like a victory as much as the completion of a long and difficult job. He wonders if the reaction will be the same when he finally catches Dr. Wily... if he gets him before this war gets worse.<p>

Meanwhile, ProtoMan couldn't be happier and slaps his sibling on his back. "Well! That was fun! I can see why you do this hero stuff, bro!"

"It's not always as fun as it looks," a reserved Mega says. "Let's go home. I'm sure Roll isn't going to be happy about her fuel problem."

Proto remembers how angry his sister was and utters to himself, "Uh-oh."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

As the capture of Mr. Black plays out before him, Dr. Wily clips his hands slowly with a smile on his face. "Bravo, Mega Man! _Bravo!_ One less target to get in my way when I destroy you!"

Crash Man races into the Command Center and announces, "Dr. Wily, the Robot Masters are ready to head out and buy the materials you wanted."

Dr. Wily barks, "There has been a change in plans, Crash Man. Tell them to wait. Their services may be needed elsewhere tonight."

"I'll tell 'em," Crash Man replies as he leaves.

Bass approaches with a frown on his streaked face. "You_ are_ considering this mystery offer, aren't you?"

"An opportunity of this importance does not come along every day, Bass," Wily states. "What harm could one phone call do?"

"This _one phone call_ could crumble our army," Bass grimly retorts as he leaves Wily behind to let that warning percolate in his mind.

Albert then grabs that note from this Conduit and read it again._ If you want to win the world,_ _call the number below at approximately Five O'clock... I have the item that will ensure your domination._

Wily spins around in his chair. "What is this _item_ you speak of, friend? And how soon are you willing to give it to me?"

As Dr. Wily is lured by the promise of possessing power the likes of which even he has never held before, he is also falling into the trap that Bass warned him about. And as the blackout continues, things will only grow darker before the day is done.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Now that Mr. Black has finally been caught, what will happen next and what implications will it have? Stay tuned!_

_The line about "This bad idea is the best bad idea we have" is a reference to Argo. __And the oil slick is straight from Spy Hunter._

_Please remember to leave a review or comment. And if you see any typos, notes, fractured scenes and continuity errors that are so bad that even Spider-Man's Spider Sense couldn't see it coming, please PM me right way. (And, no. "Meself" was not a typo.)_


	132. The Black of Night Approaches

_**Episode 12, Chapter 5: The Black of Night Approaches.**_

* * *

><p><em>"This is an MMN News Special Report. I'm Scott Williams," <em>states the grey-haired national anchor. _"For those of you just joining us, a major news story has taken place. After nearly two years on the run, the masked vigilante known as Mr. Black was captured following a car chase that spanned several miles in New York. This came only an hour after a press conference held by New York Governor Mitchell Deacon was attacked by Mr. Black, and The Governor was taken hostage inside the Governor's Mansion.  
>Mega Man made a daring rescue attempt that saved the Governor's life and began the chase that lasted nearly twenty minutes until Mr. Black was stopped and captured. And all this played out in the midst of the largest single blackout in the history of the United States, which has entered its second day<br>The best news to come out of this is that Governor Deacon was not hurt and no lives were lost during the pursuit. ."_

We see news helicopter footage of the capture of Mr. Black, following news crew footage of an unmasked Mr. Black being taken in to the New York Police precinct as numerous reporters crowd the station and flashes from their cameras go off all over the scene.

The anchor states, _"We can now reveal that Mr. Black's true identity is John Barton, a former FBI agent who was discharged for developing an illegal mind control device, one that he has since used on victims he interrogated. MMN News is still looking into a possible motive Barton may have had that would have led him down the path of a vigilante. But, the FBI is keeping any such notes classified until a later date."_

We then see the news anchor joined by an older man with a handlebar moustache at the anchor desk._ "We are now joined by Professional Psychiatrist Dr. Ulrich Heimerdinger who will offer his opinion on the Mr. Black story. Doctor, we have already seen pockets of citizens who think that Mr. Black should not have been arrested after what he did to save the life of The President last year. Is there a chance that the minority of Mr. Black supporters could cause a backlash against those who captured him, even Mega Man?"_

Stroking his pronounced handlebar moustache, Dr. Heimerdinger replies, _"For a brief period, we should expect to see a certain select few be upset about this, like those uninformed of the danger Mr. Black posed and who only saw him save The President. But, as time goes, after Dr. Wily is arrested, those supporters will soon forget about Mr. Black because he is not in the public eye, and this will not be a problem."_

_"As we said before, none of us know what made this former federal agent into what he became, but what do you think caused this man to choose this path?"_ asks the news anchor.

The shrink stops touching his moustache and states,_ "There are many different scenarios that may have caused this to take place. Either this man suffered from a chemical imbalance in the brain which caused him to begin acting out with violence, much like Dr. Wily may have. Or perhaps he is acting out his own heroic fantasy like we saw last year where average citizens were dressing up like Mega Man.  
><em>_Or, the most tragic scenario, he could have suffered a tragedy in his life caused by the way with Dr. Wily, either to his own health or to somebody he cared about."_

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

Tiesel frantically works on the computer tower, which now sports a bullet hole on each of its two broad sides. The oldest Bonne sibling has the film of sweat on his forehead as he tries to repair the damage done to the computer, knowing that he has little time to get this all done, and may have to take part in a dangerous operation tonight, and somehow find a way to get past Tron and her Servbots.  
>And furthermore, he is unaware of the news involving Mr. Black.<p>

"I should have said _no_ that night. If I could go back in time, I would have said _no_," Tiesel says to himself. His feelings begin to turn from anxious to anger as he seethes, "This is all Mega Man's fault. If he had just accepted our help and let me help him, there is no way I could have ended up working for a criminal! If I ever make it through this, I'm going to pound that little blue loser into a puddle of melted titanium goo!"

After completing the latest fix attempt, Tiesel puts his tools down and begins to test the wireless signal output, the essential piece that would be able to transmit the virus program into a robot's programming directly. There is no guarantee the method will work at all, but it is the only chance they have of getting this virus to work under such a short amount of time.

He enters text and a hyperlink to a photograph into a messaging box on the computer and sends it to his personal phone by using the wireless signal amplifier to have any devices inside of five feet receive it.  
>After thirty seconds of nervous waiting, the phone receives the message and a picture of Tiesel himself, Tron and Bon, and several of the Servbots.<p>

Tiesel lets out a ragged sigh. Trying to transmit a virus program from the computer to the neural net of a Robot Master will be much more of a challenge. There is no guarantee it will work on the first try, but the transmitter _does_ work, and Tiesel can _make it_ work.

In a moment of egotistical pride, Tiesel barely grins. "Even if it never gets written in the history books, I will have played the biggest part in stopping Wily and his moronic robots. Mega Man won't get _that_ honor! It will be me!"

The voice of his little sister Tron barks on the Gesselchaft's loudspeakers, _"Tiesel! Where are you?"_

The sudden call causes the older Bonne to nearly jump out of his seat and yelp. Finally, he regains his composure and darts to the intercom to answer Tron. "Yes! Yes! I'm here, what?"

_"Get down here! You have to see this!"_ Tron replies.

"I'm kind of busy right now, Tron," Tiesel replies.

_"GET DOWN HERE NOW!" _Tron yells into the speaker.

Tiesel stammers, "Okay! On my way!" And he flees his room, and on the way, he fears the worst. Maybe she learned about what he was doing the other night to deliver the altered computer in the dead of night. Or maybe she suspected something was wrong with the crummy delivery "robot" he used to sent the computer out.

Tiesel answers, "Be right there." Then, he begins to travel down the halls to where Tron is now, taking a large gulp on the way.

* * *

><p>Tiesel arrives to the recreational room where Tron is with several of her Servbots while Bon is off in the corner, still wearing the Kresiel mech outfit, playing with his toys as they begin to break from the power his the suit's strength. And on the room's holographic television screen are the news reports from New York.<p>

Tron approaches Tiesel and drags him over by his arm. "Tiesel, you've got to see this. Have you heard?"

"What happened. What am I looking at?" Tiesel complains.

"Mega Man and the police just captured that mean Mr. Black," Tron says with her big green eyes.

"What?!" Tiesel nearly yelps as his eyes turn to the screen and sees the sight of an unmasked Mr. Black being taken to the police station.

"I know! Isn't it great news?" Tron smiles, "Now we don't have to worry about him anymore."

Once Tiesel's mind registers the circumstances of this news, his jaw drops and he inhales a long, shallow gasp...  
>If Mr. Black is now captured, this means Tiesel has now gotten a 'promotion,' becoming The Conduit's top asset. And that means Tiesel is in even bigger trouble than he already was, and now he might never be able to get himself out of this deal with The Conduit.<br>And if he screws up, that means he could wind up like Mr. Black: In jail!

And as he realizes all this, Tiesel becomes weak and his contact-lensed eyes begin to cross... and he feints, dropping to the floor with a crash.

Tron becomes startled and gasps. "Servbots! Get Tiesel to the medical room and wake him up. The news was so exciting, I think he passed out in joy."

"Off we go, Miss Bonne!" Servbot #1 replies with a salute, then he and several of his Servbots brothers pick up Tiesel's big body and carry him away.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>**

Mega Man, Rush, ProtoMan and Beat return home to the lab after the intense pursuit and capture of Mr. Black, but Proto is not looking forward to the kind of reaction his sister is going to have after her SkyCycle ran out of fuel. And sure enough, once they reach the garage area they see Roll lying underneath her SkyCycle propped up on a mechanical elevator, inspecting it for any sign of damage to the fuel tank area.

And at her side is Peekaboo, helping Roll by holding a flashlight with his extension arm. When he hears Uncle Mega and Uncle Proto arrive, he lets out happy bleeps.

Roll comes out from underneath the propped-up Skycycle with the sleeves on her yellow and red shirt pulled up. "Did you get him?"

"We got him," Mega Man announces.

"Great!" Roll replies as scoops Peekaboo up. "Did you hear that, Boo? We put the masked man away! Now we don't have to worry about him anymore."

Peekaboo bleeps, sounding relived. Then, he thanks Uncle Mega and Uncle Proto.

Mega Man says, "Sure, pal. I think we can all sleep a little easier now that he's gone."

ProtoMan sees this as his chance to make a quick getaway inside before she could grill him about it, so as begins to head inside with an extra urgency in his step.

"Wait just a minute!" Roll calls, standing up from the SkyCycle, looking peeved. She gently sets Peekaboo back down on the ground and says, "Boo, cover your ears for a minute."

Boo's eyes get big, wondering why his mommy is so loud with Uncle Proto, and he hides under his hardhat.

Roll folds her arms and sternly continues, "I've been checking the SkyCycle ever since I got back, and there's no leaks in the fuel tanks and no damage. And the only way I could have lost that much fuel was if I was driving it, and there's _no way_ I could have used that much fuel since I last filled it. So, I want to know who's been using it behind my back?"

Roll awaits her answer and her stare is aimed directly at ProtoMan, completely absolving Mega Man of any guilt whatsoever. Proto himself slowly begins to turn around, wracking his memory banks to hatch the perfect excuse for why Roll ran out of fuel, because he does not want to tell them about his trips to see Nomad.  
>And by mere coincidence, Proto comes up with just the lie. And thanks to being so savvy to the news, it he knows the perfect fictional alibi. Recently, there was a sabotage of a great amount of the fuel used in Sky-based vehicles, and it was the cause of quite a few accidents in recent weeks.<br>It was the perfect story.

"Sis. Didn't you hear about the big scandal with the Propulsion fuel?" he asks, sounding as straight as an arrow.

"What are you talking about?" Roll asks with skepticism.

Proto explains with a matter-of-fact tone, "A big amount of Sky Fuel was watered down by a bunch of scammers recently. A lot of the humans had problems with they Sky Cars too. Look it up, it was all over the news. You probably got a bad tank yourself. Should be fine now, they straightened it all out. You should refuel that Cycle after the power's back on. I'll be inside if you guys need me."

As ProtoMan goes inside, Mega Man and Roll exchange a glance. "Is he telling the truth?" she asks.

Mega replies, "About the fuel sabotage: Yes. About what happened to your fuel? ... I have my doubts."

"Now you see why I can't get rid of those old feelings yet," Roll huffs, "If he's been using my SkyCycle behind my back, I'm gonna blast him myself, even if I have to hot wire a plasma cannon to my utility arm."

"Please don't blast anybody until I've had a chance to rest. It's been a busy day," Mega says as he heads inside.

"Don't worry, Mega. If I need to beat him up, I'd like to have you as a witness to back up my story," Roll replies in a pseudo joking way.

Mega Man glazes his eyes. And as he walks away, he mutters, "I don't know what's harder, dealing with the bad guys, or keeping my siblings under control."

Afterwards, Peekaboo comes out from under his hardhat and bleeps, asking his mommy why she wants to blast Uncle Proto.

"I was just kidding, Boo. I'm not _really_ gonna zap Proto," Roll assures... She then whispers to herself, "Unless he's been doing things behind our backs."

* * *

><p>Once inside the lab, Mega Man removes his helmet and lets out a long sigh, relieved from completing the task of apprehending Mr. Black. He can hear the footsteps of his father Dr. Light approaching nearby, stopping his work on trying to return power to the Northeast United States.<p>

"Congratulations are in order, Rock," Thomas says, smiling behind his grey beard. "You did great today."

"We both did it," Mega confesses, "Proto had the idea to stop Mr. Black, and I saw it through. It sounded dangerous, because innocent humans were in jeopardy, and if it didn't work... somebody could have died. I almost didn't do it, but it was the best chance we had."

"But, in the end, it was your decision. You saved everybody," Dr. Light says.

Mega takes a moment to reflect upon his life as the Defender of the Human Race, and he looks somewhat pensive. "I guess this is what it feels like to capture one of the bad guys," he says, "After going three years without capturing Wily, I didn't know if we would ever catch anybody."

"Well, this is as good of a catch as you can start with," Thomas says.

"Yeah. And there's still one more bad guy left to catch. Then, we can finally put this war behind us," Mega Man comments.

But, while Dr. Wily remains the biggest threat to the world, there are more malicious people in this world. And they are all Mr. Black's former associates  
>And only he knows of their existence.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Sometime later.<br>New York Police Precinct****

Agents Allen and Cotto make their way to the holding room where the man they once knew as John Barton is now being held, and an anxious Chief Toombs is following them, trying to find a way to get inside that interrogation.

"You Feds are usin' the station, the least you could do is let us in on what's going on our interrogation room," Toombs says.

"This is a federal manner, Chief. The only reason why we are using your station is because I don't feel like waiting until we get back to Langley to begin the interrogation."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but this Mr. Black has made enemies outta a bunch of us since he showed up here," Toombs says angrily.

Cotto steps between the two, "Gentlemen, please. Chief, if you don't do anything that would compromise our interview, you could be permitted to enter. But, only if we trust you to behave."

"Oi. Than, I'll be the boy scout for a few minutes, at least," Toombs says as he and the FBI proceed to the holding room.

Allen frowns. "Don't overstep your boundaries, or you will be detained. And this whole department will be reported."

The agents and the Chief reach the interrogation room, which is surrounded by several FBI robots, all of whom step forward and state, "Identification required, gentlemen."

Allen and Cotto produce their badges, and Allen states, "Chief Toombs on the New York Police Department will be joining us for the time being. You may grant him temporary access to this room."

After scanning the badges of the agents and The Chief, one of the robots says, "Identification verified. You can proceed."

The three men proceed inside the interrogation room and they see the unmasked Mr. Black/John Barton siting at a metal table underneath the lone light in the room, which makes his eyes look like pools of black shadow.  
>Barton's right wrist is handcuffed to a rod on the side of the table, and the table is mended to the floor, thus making any type of escape from here nearly impossible.<p>

Barton looks up at his visitors with an brisk stare, not changing his expression in the slightest. And Allen is the first one to begin the interrogation, place his arms atop the opposite end of the table and looking down upon Barton with a stern face.

"Let's make this easy, Barton. Tell us everything, starting with why you began running around in a costume and hacking into their brains with that abominable device of yours."

Mr. Black says nothing, staring ahead. "I am not going to talk to you."

"Don't force our hand, Barton," Allen warns.

"Or you'll do what? Torture me? Use my unethical Mindhacker on me?" Barton asks, "Because of the Human Rights laws that were passed several years ago - the same laws that got me fired in the first place - there is nothing you can do to coerce me."

Toombs begins the Bad Cop approach, "Maybe you'd like ta' have a word with a bunch of my boys 'n girls here. They remember what you did to 'em."

"Again, a worthless threat," Barton says, "Even if any of you tried, there is no amount of pain you can inflict upon me that can make me tell you. And I have nothing left to lose. You are both wasting your time."

Allen's temper is getting the better of him, because Barton clearly beating all of them in this interrogation. He knows they can't and won't use harsh methods to get him to talk, and he is too calm for a man who is facing life in prison.  
>Before the senior agent's anger could erupt, Cotto intervenes. "I'll handle this."<p>

The former friend of Barton sits down in a chair on the opposite of the fallen agent and tries to reach him with reason. "We already know why you're doing this, John. I understand you're trying to avenge Tonya, and I'm not here to debate you on anything you've done. We just want to know if there is anything you can tell us... especially, if you had any accomplices since Tonya died."

Barton's face never chances and he remains silent as he stares into the eyes of his former friend. "I am not talking to you, either. I'm not talking at all until my request is met."

"What if we're not in the mood ta' listen ta' your request?" asks Toombs, growing more agitated by the second.

"Then, you should prepare to live with the consequences. It would a shame if you would be to blame for what is about to happen," Mr. Black says calmly with no emotion showing.

Allen leans on the table again and barks, "_What_ is about to happen, Barton?! Tell us!"

Mr. Black remains calm, not flinching. "Only when I am granted my request."

Cotto pus his hand up to keep Allen at bay. "What do you want, John?"

Barton replies, "I will not talk directly to the three of you, or anybody else. Except for one... I'll talk to Mega Man. He's the only one who can be trusted. That is all."

"_And_ a pardon from The President," Allen assumes.

"No. My fate has already been decided," Barton says, "I suggest you find a way to get Mega Man here now. The implications of what I know are more important than you realize. More important than killing Albert Wily."

Toombs and Allen begin to leave the interrogation room while Cotto lingers. Looking back at his former friend and seeing that same emotionless face, and a controlled rage behind those eyes. Eventually, he leaves Barton behind, looking disturbed after seeing just how far gone his old friend is.

"I have one question," Barton suddenly asks.

Everybody stops and faces him.

"The warehouse. Did they find the safe? The one behind Tonya's dress," Barton asks.

"Yes. It was empty," Cotto replies, chosing not to tell him about how the shrine to Tonya was ransacked.

Barton briefly looks down at the table, acknowledging that the hard drive containing the files copied from Dr. Light's lab have been taken and are now in The Conduit's hands. He then looks back to Cotto, Toombs and Allen.  
>"Don't waste time getting Mega Man to this station. We have a very serious problem on our hands."<p>

It takes a moment for Cotto for piece this all together, but he figures it out on his own. "The files you copied from Dr. Light's lab. That's what was in that safe, wasn't it?"

Mr. Black rasps, "Like I said, get Mega Man here. Now."

Allen, Cotto and Toombs leave the interrogation room, and once outside, Allen grumbles. "He's stalling. He knows a lot more than we thought. You better pray he does talk when Mega Man gets here, or we'll all be learning how to say _'Hail Wily'_ in German."

As Allen storms off, Cotto takes Chief Toombs aside and says, "Chief, please arrange for Mega Man to meet us here at the precinct as soon as possible. It is of extreme importance."

"Aye. I'll go an' get 'im," Toombs answers as he leaves.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

It is now 1:56 PM in the badlands, which would make it about 5:00 PM on the east, almost time to make the call to The Conduit. And Dr. Wily is in his command center room, standing by a stolen telephone that was jury-rigged to a landline and he contemplating whether or not to make that call.

Wily rarely used a telephone here, because he knows that the chances of this call being tapped are very high, seeing that every security agency in the world may be wiretapping Skull Fortress for any sign of activity. But, even if anybody learned about this and tries to stop him, Albert is prepared for do whatever it takes to get his hands on whatever this thing is that this Conduit is offering him. The risk is well worth it if will be what wins him the war.

Albert stares at the hands on his old watch as every second slowly ticks off, and his is annoyed. "Why can't time move faster?"

Albert hears the door open and Bass walks into the room, looming over Dr. Wily's shoulder.

"Are you here to call my judgment into question again, Bass?" Albert asks.

"No. I know I cannot change your mind. I'm here to watch your back," Bass replies.

Wily says nothing and stares at the seconds wind down, leaving about a minute now until he can make that call that will forever change the face of this war, if The Conduit is telling the truth.

He then grabs the phone off the hook and begins dialing the number The Conduit gave into the keypad, ut before he finished, Bass interrupts him.

"Don't yet your thirst for victory lead us all into our doom," he warns.

Again, Wily does not answer Bass as the watch strikes 5:00, and he completes dialing the number to The Conduit by the press of the '0' key. Afterwards, Albert can hear the dial tone in his ear several times and he impatiently waits for a response.  
>After the twentieth ring, Wily begins to become frustrated as Bass stands by, refraining from encouraging his creator to end the call.<p>

Then, there is an answer from a distorted voice. _"This is The Conduit."_

Albert states, "Greetings, Conduit. I am Dr. Albert Wily."

_"Yes, Dr. Wily. It is a pleasure to speak with you at last."_

"One of your little henchmen made a visit to my fortress and left me a message. A message that states that you want to give me something that could tip the balance of power in my favor."

_"Indeed, I do possess the very item which you want. And it will tip the balance of power."_

Albert nearly salivates at the thought of what this mysterious item could possibly be now that The Conduit is tantalizing him like this. "Just tell me," he requests with an evil grin.

_"The item I possess is the Jadous Sphere. There are only two like it in the world, and how it came into my ownership is something I would rather not discuss. But, I assure you it is genuine, and very powerful. And when you know what kind of power it yields, you will know exactly why you want it."_

Dr. Wily immediately turns to his large computer terminal and begins searching for anything related to this 'Jadous Sphere' to see if what he is being told is true. Several results begin to appear on the screen, showing images of the dark green sphere and descriptions of it.  
>And all the while, The Conduit continues explaining the sphere's value to Wily...<p>

_"This sphere is rare only because of the danger it poses. It can be used in any way you wish. Just one fragment of it can make a deadly weapon even deadlier when it is fused with one. Imagine what the entire sphere can do when it is made into a weapon. You, Dr. Wily, would possess power the likes of cannot be countered. And if you did not win the world, you could easily destroy it, leaving all survivors crawling to you for mercy.  
>Either way, you will achieve victory."<em>

Wily stays silent, nearly salivating over the thoughts of possessing this kind of power. It would be greater than Gamma or the Mad Grinder. It could be greater than any other robot he has ever made, even ProtoMan and Bass...

It could be used inside of a robot... The robot he is planning on constructing, even... This robot is already supposed to be the one who wins Wily the war. But, with power the likes of which he is being handed, this robot could be unstoppable.

_"But, if you want this sphere, I want something is return from you,"_ The Conduit says.

Bass frowns when he overhears The Conduit's voice thanks to his enhanced audio circuits, looking agitated. He tried to warn Dr. Wily of something like this, but he would not listen.  
>Dr. Wily, however, is still buying into this incredible offer and completely turns his back towards Bass and replies, "Of course! Nothing is really for free in the world. Eh, what is it you want, exactly?"<p>

The conduit responds,_ "I want all the money you took from the bank in New York yesterday morning. Not a penny missing."_

Wily's smile slumps, not thrilled with the idea of have to give away all the millions of dollars he took yesterday. After putting all this effort into creating a major blackout just to take this money, the concept of letting all of it go is souring. But, with the kind of power the Jadous Sphere can give him, it is worth trading away every penny.  
>And the little whisper in his head suggests to him to pay The Conduit, because any cost is worthwhile if it means getting that sphere.<p>

The Conduit reminds, _"In case you are reconsidering, the amount you took from the bank is but a fraction of what the sphere is worth. You should be grateful I am making this offer at such a low cost."_

"Well... I guess I can find it in my heart to accept that. I trust it will be worth the purchase?" Wily asks.

_"You will see for yourself when you wield it against your enemies, particularly a certain blue-armored Defender who you have difficulty killing."_

"And when will you be delivering this sphere to me?" Will probes.

_"We will meet in your personal favorite location: New York City, at midnight. While it is close to Mega Man, the blackout and the apprehension of Mr. Black will have them distracted enough for this transaction to go smoothly. My assets will assist you should any sign of trouble come about."_

Wily's facial expression becomes more conflicted. He knows that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, but this sounds dangerous. Despite the assurances from this Conduit, Wily would have to enter the very blackout he created, posing a threat to his freedom should he be caught...  
>But, the power the Jadous Sphere can give him is worth it!<p>

"I'll meet you there. I expect you to present me the sphere in person. No tricks!" Wily states.

_"No tricks. You present the money, and we will present the sphere. You will not regret this Dr. Wily. I look forward to doing business with you."_

With that, The Conduit hangs up the phone and gets the last word, leaving Wily frustrated by the gesture. "He hung up on me!"

"I can't believe you walked into this deal, Master Wily!" Bass complains, "This is too good to be true!"

"I decide what is best for me and my army, Bass," Dr. replies.

"This human offered no explanation why they are helping us! They are luring us into New York when almost nobody is walking the streets! And they are willing to give us this so-called priceless sphere for almost nothing!" Bass adds.

"SILENCE!" Wily barks. "I want to be alone for the time being while I weigh my options. And that means, you should leave me be."

Bass growls and he turns tails and storms off, balling his fists as his metal feet loudly stomp into the floors. And Albert sits here alone in the Command Center as he looks at all the Jadous Sphere data on his big screens.

Wily knows that this is dangerous, but it is worth it to get that sphere. And, being the mad genius he is, he is already thinking ahead. And preparing for the worst.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, after returning to his own base of operations... which happens to be a small two room apartment in New Jersey with almost none of the more intricate gadgets that Mr. Black had, Mr. Wire begins to walks towards his bed, looking to get some sleep after a long day being on the run from Skull Fortress.<p>

As Mr. Wire heads for bed, he pulls off his mas and drops it off on a table, which is right in front of a wall that has several pictures of The Light Family, Dr. Wily, Bass, The Wersching siblings, Chief Toombs, Governor Deacon. All of whom are either involved in the war, or who have been in the sights of The Conduit at one time or another.

But, before Mr. Wire could even touch the mattress, his disguised phone to The Conduit rings.

"Ah, dammit! Can't even get a nap," Wire complains. After clearing his throat, he picks it up answers. "Yeah, Wire here."

_"Wily took the bait," _states The Conduit,_ "I want everybody to converge at the meeting place at Midnight, in New York. Mr. Endo will have the computer that contains the virus. Miss T will be making the exchange. You will be flanked by our robot guards. I will personally monitor Barton as much as I can. But, he is still a potential threat to al of us, and it would be difficult to remove him right now. So, every could be on the line tonight. Be ready."_

"Aren't we supposed to be protected? This is Dr. Wily we're dealing with," Mr. Wire asks.

_"The virus will deal with any potential robotic threats. Without the Robot Masters at his disposal, Dr. Wily will not stand a chance. He is a weak little man who needs his inventions to fight on his behalf."_

"Okay, then. I can live with myself if Wily dies," Mr. Wire says.

_"I'm counting on it. Be at the meeting place on time. Anybody who fails to be onboard for this will face the same fate as Mr. Black."_

The Conduit ends the call, leaving Mr. Wire standing there in stunned silence. Still in a state of shock, the poorly dressed agent tries to regain his thoughts.

"I should've tried to get another job. Nothing's worth this," Mr. Wire mutters, slumping down on the bed and no longer able to get a decent rest.  
>Now he has to prepare for tonight, as does everybody who is involved in this war. Things are about to take an unexpected turn into a turn place it has not been so far.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_After the long wait, Episode 12 has finally continued. Thank you all for all the positive thoughts and comments when I was dealing with my real life issues a few weeks ago. I appreciate it. That is the reason why this chapter was so late, and I am sorry to keep you waiting so long._

_The next chapter will be very a big one, focusing exclusively on the Interrogation of Mr. Black._

_For the super-observant Ruby-Spears Mega Man fans, the abbreviation "MMN" was taken from the news footage that was seen in the "Crime of the Century."_

_I decided that we should not hear from the whisper in Wily's head, because it is done in italics like The Conduit's dialogue is, and I was concerned some readers might confuse the two._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, or continuity errors that are so big even Wreck-It Ralph can't wreck 'em without breaking a sweat, please PM me. And please do not leave any such reports inside a review._


	133. The Interrogation

_**Episode 12, Chapter 6: The Interrogation.**_

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Station.<br>****5:30 PM.**

News journalists are gathered all around the precinct to report on the arrest of Mr. Black, and the bright lights from their production equipment help illuminate the blackout-darkened streets as the sun goes down and the bitter January cold settles in.

Joined by her bodyguard Officer Rose, Captain Tallarico makes her way outside to an area where several microphones are cobbled together. Here she will deliver a brief press conference with an update on Former Agent Barton's situation, and the members of the news media gather around as cameramen hoist their camera over their shoulders, and network camera robots hover nearby.

After she reaches the makeshift podium, an uptight Tallarico reports, "Chief Toombs is unavailable at this time, so I will be giving this progress report. Ex-Agent Barton, also known as Mr. Black, has not been successfully interviewed by Federal authorities so far. But, we expect him to cooperate very soon. Also, the United States Government has charged Ex-Agent Barton with a multitude of serious charges, including aggravated assault and battery; intention to commit manslaughter; endangering public safety; destruction of personal, city and police property. Due to the severity of this case and the ongoing blackout, no date has been set for Ex-Agent Barton's hearing.  
>Later tonight, an N.Y.P.D. official or a member of the FBI will be here to deliver another update. I will not be answering questions at this time."<p>

As Tallarico leaves the reporters begin barking out questions. Again, Bree Recotta's voice rings out the loudest. "Will more extreme methods be needed to interrogate Mr. Black?"

Without turning around, Tallarico barks back, "No questions."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Mega Man and ProtoMan are on their way to the Police Station, but instead of using Rush and the Land Blazer, they ride inside of Chief Toombs' personal Police van to help them keep a low profile and to avoid a frenzy among the press when they reach their destination.<p>

"I guess you guys got a back-up generator in that station?" Proto asks from the back seat with his arms sprawled out on either side, resting on the seat.

Chief Toombs answers, "Aye. An' we're lucky it didn't blow up when that blackout happened, or we'd be in the dark."

Proto leans back in his seat and discusses things with his brother, who is researching Mr. Black's case files and dossier on a datapad.

"At least there's _one_ human who will talk to me... even though we haven't always had a good history," Proto says, referring to the first encounter he and The Chief had on the night the Peacekeeping robot Gamma was hijacked.

"The Chief knows you're not on Wily's side now. Soon, everybody else will come around too. You'll see," Mega Man says, sounding distracted whilst reading up on Agent Barton.

"I won't hold my breath... at least I don't have to worry about the breathing part, 'cause I'm a bot," ProtoMan utters.

Chief Toombs' van arrives to the station, and despite the attempt to avoid attention, the media still races around the security barricade to see what is going on, until they are held back by some of the Policebots standing guard outside, allowing the Chief's van to pass.

Mega looks out the window, staring at the exterior of the building. "The last time I was here, I was being framed for Dark Man's crimes," he says, recalling that ordeal which took place here almost a year ago, when Kalinka Cossack was kidnapped by Dark Man during her visit to America with her father.

"That's a time I'd like to forget," Proto says, recalling that his good standing with Dr. Wily began its long inevitable decent on that same night. "This whole week is one I'd like to forget, for the most part. Especially tomorrow."

The last part catches Mega's attention, and he asks, "Why tomorrow?"

"Long story. I'd rather not discuss it," Proto replies. He looks over to his brother and asks, "Anything on the schmuck I should know?"

"He was one of the victims in the first attack in Times Square," Mega replies, "His wife was one of the people who died. The rubble landed of them, and broke his and put him in a coma. When he woke up, he escaped from the hospital and everybody thought he was dead. But, he was planning revenge on Wily."

Proto's frowns and asks, "So, if I hadn't stopped you from bringing Wily in when you hit the Fortress that first time..."

"A lot of the bad things that happened since wouldn't have, because Wily would be in prison," Mega Man answers, completing Proto's thought.

"Great. As if I didn't already have _enough_ to live with on my conscience," Proto groans.

"We still can fix as much as we can. Starting with Agent Barton. If he can cough up anything that can stop Wily, it will be a good start," Mega Man says, his hope not faltering.

* * *

><p>After the Light siblings enter the police station, they see a pair of protection robots who typically escort elected officials and staff around the city. And they also see a human with greying black hair near them, wearing glasses and a suit.<p>

"Who is that guy?" Proto asks.

"That's Governor Deacon's Chief-of-Staff," Mega Man replies.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Proto asks.

"I don't know. But, I'm going to find out," Mega Man answers, perplexed why Mr. Ranquist would be here. It was only two hours ago that Deacon was being held hostage, and his Chief-of-Staff shows up here.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ranquist, what are you doing here?" Mega Man asks.

Deacon's Chief-of-staff responds, "After learning of the latest developments, Governor Deacon has a personal interest in the Mr. Black case. If there is a continued threat to New York, he needs to know. I've been informed that you'll be interrogating this man yourself."

Mega nods, "He won't talk to anybody else but me."

Ranquist folds his arms behind his back. "If the FBI will allow it, I will be watching this interrogation personally and reporting what I can report to The Governor. I sincerely hope you get Agent Barton to tell us what he knows about this vague threat he mentioned. It would be a shame if Dr. Wily were to damage our world any more."

Ranquist turns away and heads inside with his escort of robots, and Chief Toombs leads Mega Man and ProtoMan inside right behind him. But, on their way, Proto notices a Ranquist glancing over his shoulder and getting a disgusted look on his face, much like many of the other humans who have frowned upon him ever since the night he turned on Dr. Wily in Washington.

That little jab of disrespect was all it took to ruin ProtoMan's mood. Having enough of the constant disrespect from these stupid humans, he feels the need to do something that will shut them up. And he has just the idea.

"I'm going in there with you," Proto says.

"What?!" a shocked Mega blurts.

"I'm gonna prove to all these humans that I'm not working for Wily anymore!" Proto says. "I can get this schmuck to spill his guts."

"Proto, you can't do this," Mega pleads.

"Why can't I? It's better than just standing around here doing nothing. Why else am I here, anyway?"

"The reason we're here together is to make sure we can counter any attacks if Wily shows up," Mega explains, "This guy only wants to talk to me. If it was up to me, you'd be helping. But if we don't play along with him, he might not talk at all," Mega argues. "And the data he took from the lab has fallen into the wrong hands now, and probably Wily's. We need to get this taken care of fast."

"He's right. This Mr. Black said that bad things were about ta' happen. I don't wanna find 'em out first-hand," Toombs says.

Proto tries to calm down and looks down at the floor, but he is still frustrated.

"If it were up to me, you'd be in there with me. But, it's not. It's up to _him_," Mega urges. "Please, calm down and let me handle this guy."

"... Okay. But, if he tries anything, I'm going in there," Proto says as he settles down.

After the situation is defused, Mega Man, Toombs and ProtoMan make their way to the holding room area where Ranquist's group has just arrived, entering the viewing room which is just beside the interrogation room where Mr. Black is being held.

The Federal robots grant Ranquist access to witness the interrogation. "Welcome, Chief-of-Staff Ranquist. We request you remain in the viewing room for your protection."

Ranquist nods as he enters the room, then Mega Man approaches the robot next, and the robot states. "Greetings, Mega Man. Your presence is needed. Please meet with Agents Allen and Cotto in the viewing room before beginning the interrogation of Ex-Agent Barton."

Mega Man nods, then enters the room Chief Toombs, and there he sees the two Federal Agents waiting for him. Before ProtoMan could enter, the federal robots stand in his way.

"I am sorry, ProtoMan. Your presence has been specifically denied. Please, remain outside," commands a robot.

ProtoMan could only shake his head as he backpedals away until he reaches the wall to lean on it. "Of course."

"I'm sorry, Proto," Mega turns back, regretful about this decision.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm used to it by now," Proto shrugs while wearing an insincere half-smirk. "I guess I'll just stay out here and analyze the germs on the doorknobs until you're done."

Forced to leave his brother outside, Mega turns back and enters the viewing room where the federal agents await him.

"Mega Man. We could not allow ProtoMan because of his history with Dr. Wily. I'm sure Chief Toombs briefed you on what you are about to take part in," Agent Allen presumes.

"He told me all about it. And if it means getting Dr. Light's data out of enemy hands, I'm all in," Mega replies.

Allen explains, "We'll be monitoring the interrogation from here. We can gauge Barton's vitals like his heart rate and body temperature with our equipment. On the other side of this window is a holographic image of a wall, so it will just be you and him. But, I'm sure he knows all of this as much as you, so he may try to refrain from talking as much as possible, so don't be surprised if he tries to stall you. You could try pressuring him to get him to talk."

"You should avoid bringing up the death of his wife as much as you can. As we saw from what transpired in Albany today, the results could be bad," Cotto advises.

Mega looks at the monitors showing Barton seated in the interrogation room, still handcuffed to the table and the stubble on his face more noticeable after going over a day without shaving. Mega focuses on Barton's expression, which is still as unflappable and emotionless as ever.

The mere sight of this man gives Mega an unsettling feeling. Behind those eyes is a broken soul and a potentially diseased mind. The only other time Mega has seen something like this was Dr. Wily.  
>Mega Man actually sees a lot of Wily in Mr. Black, which is in and of itself very unsettling.<p>

"I'm going in," Mega says as he leaves the viewing room.

But, as Mega Man leaves, Agent Cotto follows him out and meets him in the hallway before he enters the holding room. "Mega Man, before you go in, there is one thing you should keep in mind."

"What is it?" Mega asks.

"I believe that John was working with somebody else since he started this Mr. Black charade. There's no way he could have been able to afford all his instruments alone. I'm sure that it wasn't Wily who assaulted his hideout, but that it was whoever he was working with."

"I'll get what I can get out of him," Mega says.

"Thanks. We could blow the case wide open if he cooperates," Cotto says, glad that the Defender can help unravel the remaining mystery of Mr. Black.

Before he enters the interrogation room, Mega sees Proto leaning on the opposite wall, looking peeved that he was blocked out of all parts of this interrogation.

"You didn't have to shut out my brother. He's not evil," Mega says to the agent.

"It wasn't my choice to make. But, we can't take any chances," Cotto insists before re-entering the viewing room.

Before Mega Man could enter the interrogation room Proto calls, "Thanks for stickin' up for me, bro. But, I don't think even _you_ can change the mind of these humans."

"They'll come around. One day," Mega assures.

As he approaches the interrogation room, Proto chimes in, "Don't take too long. I'm running out of germs to count. These idiots should learn to wash their hands."

* * *

><p>Barton hears the heavy door opening and he calmly looks up to see Mega Man entering the room. The door behind Mega closes and he slowly steps up to the table where Barton sits, opting not to sit down in the empty chair and remain standing before this very gloomy man.<p>

"You wanted to talk to me?" Mega Man asks.

"You are the only one who I can trust with what I need to tell you. I would prefer this conversation be private... but, I'm sure our guests in the viewing room behind that holographic wall will be joining us." Barton looks to his right, alluding to a plain grey wall, which is actually a holographic allusion.

"That doesn't matter right now," Mega Man presses, "All I know is that there's something big about to happen and you would only talk to me about it. And I'm sure it has to do with Dr. Light's stolen data. What is it?"

"You will learn in due time," Mr. Black says, leaning back in his chair. "But, I had something else in mind first. We've never really had the chance to get to know each other, you and I."

Mega crosses his arms across his chest. "I was told you would try to hold off as long as you could."

"By my former colleagues, no less. This is not a stalling tactic. We need to have a conversation before I can tell you what you need to know," Barton answers.

"You wanted me here just to have a casual conversation? This has nothing to do with saving the world," Mega Man replies.

"This conversation has more to do with it than you think," Mr. Black says. "Even though you are an advanced robot and I am human, we are both very similar, and yet, so very different."

"I don't see how we could be alike at all," Mega Man frowns.

"Hence the _'yet, so very different'_ part," Mr. Black says. "At one time, you were one of the first in a new series of robots, designed to live a peaceful life with your family; Despite my duty to the United States, I was once a normal man... I had a wife. We a plan for our future.  
>That is where we are both similar. We both had normal lives, until one very fateful day changed our lives forever. One man <em>ruined<em> our lives."

"Wily," Mega Man concludes.

"Exactly. With one swift stroke, he ended many lives and ruined ours. And in the process, he created his greatest enemies. Namely, you and I." Mr. Black theorizes, "There are times when I contemplate whether this was meant to be."

"I seriously doubt that," Mega Man counters. "The world was a peaceful place for decades, the way it was supposed to be. Then, he showed up and ruined it. None of the pain he causes was meant to be."

"You don't know humanity as well as you think," Mr. Black says, "Peace is only temporary. No matter how long it lasts, it will end, then maybe one day return, and end again. It is in our nature to destroy and create war, whether it is justified or not. Perhaps if the warmongers, everlasting peace would be a reality...  
>Have you ever wondered what kind of world we would live in if Albert W. Wily didn't live in it?"<p>

Mega Man nods and very seriously answers, "Everyday."

"So do I. The war would have never been, and our lives would be normal. Those we care about would still be here," Barton muses, "But, now the damage has been done. Whatever world might have existed will never be now... but, it's not too late to_ remove_ him. And that's what makes the two of us so very different."

"I know where you are taking this," Mega Man says, "I don't believe in killing anybody to achieve a greater good, even Wily."

Mr. Black snipes, "You say you don't believe in killing, but you know that even if you did, you can't. I know you are capable of carrying hatred for Wily, because I have seen you lose your temper like the night of the Civil Defense Tower siege. And I am certain that with that hatred comes the desire to hurt him."  
>Barton holds out his left hand, palms facing up, and slowly forms a fist. "Haven't you ever wanted to hold Wily's life within the palm of your hands, and know that at any time you could damage it?"<p>

"No," Mega Man responds strongly, "I'm not evil like him... or you."

"You may perceive my actions as evil, when in reality it is vengeance," Barton deflects.

Mega stresses, "Do you realize that if we capture him, we might be able to learn why he did this. If he is brought to justice instead of slaughtered, it will be better for everybody."

Barton gets a slightly disgusted look on his face. "Wily's death _is_ justice, nothing less will do. It will end the war, and no more innocent lives will have to be destroyed. Even if he wants a second chance, he does _not_ deserve it."

"I understand you're angry about what happened to your wife in Times Square. I know what it feels like to lose somebody you care about," Mega says, referring to when Doc was lost to an attack from Dr. Wily. "Dr. Wily is my enemy too, and I want this war over more than anybody. But, I haven't let it consume me like you have. You've brought harm to innocent people, including friends of my family, all to get your hands on Wily, and it only ended you up here. You did more harm than good.  
>Can't you see? Violence is not the answer!"<p>

Mr. Black stares into Mega Man's eyes, and coldly counters, "Violence is the _only_ answer. _You_ should know that better than anybody."

Mega Man takes offence at Barton's implication. "What do you mean?"

Barton replies, "You have not exactly been diplomatic with Wily since this war began. In fact, I recall your actions leading to the destruction of the Robot Master Flash Man after he attacked your sister."

Mega becomes angered by Barton's jab. "Dr. Wily has never given me the _chance_ to negotiate, and people's lives were in immediate danger every time he attacked! And as for Flash Man..."  
>Mega takes a moment to calm himself. "I didn't mean to do what I did. He blinded me with his power and I couldn't see. I was angry with what he did to my sister, and I wasn't thinking. I wish it hadn't happened."<p>

"I'm not judging you for what you did to Flash Man or your decisions to fight Wily. In fact, I applaud it," Barton says, "Albert Wily is a man who does not believe in mercy, and therefore should never be able to talk his way out of his due punishment."  
>Barton leans toward Mega Man again and continues, "And that is why I exist: to kill him so that anybody else won't get the chance.<br>I don't hate you, Mega Man. You were given the title of Defender of the Human Race by President Henry, and you have done a fine job at that. Your only drawback is your inability to kill Albert Wily. Aside from that, I respect you for what you are," Mr. Black comments.

"Then, why did you target me for so long?" Mega Man asks.

Mr. Black says, "You were never my target. In fact, there are times when I have assisted you because you were our last line of defense in the way of a full-scale invasion. Case in point: I was the one who assassinated Dark Man in Times Square. Even though he was taking your form, I knew to tell which one of you was the imposter when I took the shot."

"Then, why you stalk my family and break into our lab? You stole my father's data and almost killed him!"

"I only attacked Dr. Light because he tried to stop me from copying the data from his computer. I may have drawn a gun, but I would never have killed him," Mr. Black explains, trying to justify his deplorable actions last year. "I took the data because I needed it. In case you were ever reprogrammed again like you two years ago, somebody would have had to bring you down if it came to that. I wanted every tactical advantage I could get against the original Robot Masters and your siblings, as well as everything your father knew and every encounter with Wily.  
>If the situation had not been as dire, it might not have come to this."<p>

Mega sneers, "That still doesn't excuse you of what you did, or using that Mindcracker device on those people."

"I interrogated my subjects with the Mindcracker because I needed intel on you, your family and Wily. I needed to know how all of you operated, how you think. And that kind of knowledge was not going to be including in any of the write-ups about the war in magazines. I needed personal accounts. However, I admit, I'm not proud of my actions..."  
>Barton pauses, "Except for what happened to Rozzhenko."<p>

Mega Man presses, "Then, why did you have to kill the McIntyre's assistant robot? Can you justify that one?"

"A regrettable action, but necessary," Barton says, calmly. "He saw me. I had to erase any evidence that I was there. Which is why I used the Mindcracker to erase any memories The McIntyres or Henson had of that day. Everything would have gone smoothly if I had been able to cut Wily down at the robot assembly plant on Election night. A lot of people would have satisfied with that result."

Mega Man shakes his head, disgusted and slightly disturbed by the man sitting before him. "How could you do any of this?"

Barton states, "Sooner or later, you will see the dark side of humanity. So far, you've encountered a select few, like Albert Wily, George Cochran's fanatical son William... and me. But, are others on this planet who are just as unscrupulous and who carry their own bigoted and racial prejudices, they just haven't made themselves known yet. The longer you live, the less faith in humanity you will have. You will see why humanity as a race is doomed to extinction.  
>And one day, you will ask yourself the same question I have in recent years: 'Is this world even worth saving?'"<p>

Mega Man's stance becomes firm when he is challenged by Barton's gloomy outlook. He proclaims, "You may not believe the world or humanity is worth saving, but I do. I know that evil people like Wily and hateful people like Governor Cochran's son exist. But people like them are just a minority, and there are hundreds of millions more good humans on this planet than there are evil. And the good people on this world deserve a chance to live free without fear of their lives being taken or oppressed.  
>And I fight evil to make sure that they do have that chance, even if I don't agree with everybody's opinion. I fight do this not just because it's my duty. It's my choice."<p>

Mr. Black remains silent for a moment, then responds. "Your morals are commendable. After learning about you, I know that those feelings are not pre-programmed, and that you gained them naturally."  
>After pausing for a moment, Barton's gazes drifts away. "You have all the qualities of what it takes to be a good man, even though you are a robot. My wife and my father would have liked you."<p>

"I'll take that as a compliment," Mega says. "I heard that you were once a good person yourself."

"I was... my actions have only proven I am not good man anymore," Barton says in a softer regretful tone, the most human he has sounded since the war began.  
>"You may be a robot, but I know that you have experienced what it is like to lose somebody you cared about. When you lost the Met robot named Doc, your family took it hard, like the loss of a child or a beloved pet.<br>If you want any idea of the kind of rage I have had to live with every day, magnify the weight of that tragedy and your sister's grief and you will not be too far off."

Barton feels the surgical scar on one side of his throat, similar to the vertical scar on the other on his spine, where the doctors fused his damage spine together after the gave injuries on the subway train.  
>"I wish every day that it was <em>I<em> who had died on that train instead of Tonya. The consequences of my actions would have never been."

Mega Man states, "It's not too late for you, Agent Barton."

"John Barton is dead," says Mr. Black with that cold, eerie tone returning to his voice. "The man who I once was died with my wife on the subway train."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But, you can still try to undo what you did by cooperating with me," Mega Man says. "You said something really big was about to happen. What is it?"

After taking to moment, Barton inhales a long breath, then begins to explain as he stares into Mega Man's eyes. "Dr. Wily did not attack my base in the warehouse district. I'm sure the CSIs saw that the crime could not have matched a Wily attack."

"Who was it?"

Mr. Black looks to his right, where the holographic wall is, hiding those watching in the viewing room. "I would tell you, but... you're not the only one who would be hearing this."

"This is not the time to play games, Agent Barton. Please tell me," Mega emphatically says, "My family's safety is at risk."

Barton thinks for a moment. "Understandable. I'll reveal what I know, but only if I am guaranteed _only_ FBI personnel are in the viewing room. Nobody else. Only then, will I speak. This is not the kind of intel we want spreading around."

* * *

><p>Agents Allen and Cotto see Mega Man giving them a look from inside the interrogation room, and Cotto immediately start shepherding any non-FBI agents out of the viewing room, starting with Toombs and Governor Deacon's Chief-of-Staff.<p>

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. You are all going to have to wait outside," Cotto says.

"If you insist. I expect you to report any threat to Governor Deacon immediately," Ranquist says as he leaves.

"The Governor will be informed. For now, please leave," Cotto urges as he shepherds the gentleman out the door.

And once Toombs and Ranquist are outside, they see a smirking ProtoMan, leaning against the same wall. "Hi! Care to join me? It's kind of boring counting germs alone."

Ranquist gets a disgusted look on his aged face and leaves with his entourage of robots.

Once all the non-essential humans are moved out, Allen contacts Mega Man. "They're all gone. It's only Federal agents in this room now. Get him to talk."

* * *

><p>Mega hears the call inside his blue helmet, then gives Barton a slight nod.<p>

Barton replies, "_Former_ associates of mine attacked the warehouse. I have worked along these people since I started my mission to assassinate Wily."

"Who are they?" Mega Man asks.

"I don't know," Barton replies, conspicuously neglecting to mention Tiesel Bonne/Mr. Endo, somebody who nobody knows is involved in this operation but those in The Conduit's network.  
>He continues, "These associates, or 'assets' as we are referred to, would not reveal their true identities. I only know their code names. I only know of four assets beside myself: Mr. Wire, Mrs. T, Mr. Endo... and The Conduit, the one in charge of the whole operation. Whoever it is uses an advanced voice scrambler, so I cannot tell if it is a man, a woman or a robot."<p>

"What do they want?" Mega Man asks.

"The Conduit wants Albert Wily dead as well, and is willing to cross the lines that even I will not cross," Barton states, "The Conduit is the one who encouraged me to interrogate The McIntyres, Henson and Rozhenko. And The Conduit also supplied the funds and instruments I needed.  
>The name <em>Conduit<em> was chosen because he - or she - is the one who has connected all of us together, working in the same network and toward the same goal."

"How bad is this Conduit person, and why did they turn on you?" Mega Man asks.

Mr. Black explains, "The Conduit was going to trick Dr. Wily to come out to New York and made a deal. But, The Conduit would betray him by having me design a virus that would infect any robots within transmitting distance. Wily's defenses would die and leave him vulnerable for the kill. But, I had a problem with the plan.  
>The plan involves spreading the virus through the entire country, or even the world. Every robot, good and bad, would become infected. And there is no cure. By the time Dr. Light or Dr. Cossack could develop one, most of the robot population will have already died."<p>

Mega asks, "What is the key to this deal?"

"The Conduit claims to have acquired one of the Jadous Spheres," Barton responds.

* * *

><p>In the viewing room, the FBI agents and staffers were monitoring Mr. Black's interrogation. But, when Barton revealed the news about the Jadous Sphere being obtained by this Conduit person, several of the crew members gasped in the room.<p>

Allen bellows, "WHAT?!", nearly startling everybody in the room.

"How the hell did _anybody_ get one of the damn spheres?" a shocked Cotto asks, almost to himself.

"I'm about to find out," Allen frowns, taking control of the loudspeakers. "And I'm sure he's the reason, the son of a-"

* * *

><p><em>"Do you realize what you've done, Barton? DO YOU?!"<em> Allen says, practically seething, _"You just let a Jadous Sphere fall into the hands of a potential enemy of the state!"_

Remaining completely calm, Barton turns his head to face Allen and Cotto and replies, "I had nothing to do with the taking of the sphere. It was as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. If I were you, Paul, I would call to the two locations that house their spheres and ask at their gem is still in custody and real."

"Hang on! Why is this sphere so dangerous?" Mega asks.

"The Spheres themselves are made from a cocktail of extremely dangerous materials. Plasma, Photons, ions, and others," Barton says. "I'm not surprised you don't know about them. It's not exactly the kind of thing you would find on the front page of the New York Times. Only high-ranking Federal, Military and Government officials know of their existence."

"I stopped Wily from getting his hands on the Black Pearl almost two years ago," Mega points out.

"The Onyx Sphere as we named it. I'm aware of that operation. _The Crime of the Century_, the press called it," Barton says. The sphere you prevent Wily from taking was a priceless artifact. The Jadous Sphere is _a weapon_, one that should have been destroyed. If Wily would get his hands on it... everybody had better pray, whether they believe in a God or not."  
>Barton adds, "It can fuel a nuclear reactor without any nuclear energy. Even the smallest shard can be weaponized. If it is fused with a gun or a knife, even the best armor in the world cannot protect the person wearing it. It will cut through it like a knife through butter. And if it is fused with a massive particle cannon like the ones used on Gamma, or the Solar Focusing Lens... you won't have a world to save."<p>

"Where were they?" Mega Man asks.

"After Dr. Wily began the war, the Government kept changing the location of the two spheres in the hopes of ensuring he would never find them. The security was far more top-secret than the Black Pearl's, even before Wily showed up," Barton answers. "When I was with the Bureau, I could have found them. But, since I left, I lost track of the location of the spheres, and I could never track them. That is how seriously they take this."

Barton then looks to his side again, talking to Agents Allen and Cotto. "And if I were you, I would get on the phone and find out if one, or both, of those spheres was replaced with a duplicate."

Mega Man interjects, "When is this deal supposed to take place?"

Barton looks back toward Mega. "If the original plan didn't change since last night... it is going down tonight. Midnight. Those plans may have changed now that I am not involved, but I doubt it. The Conduit was counting on this plan to succeed. Everything was riding on this."

"But, without you, how can he pull it off?" Mega asks.

"The Conduit has more than one person available to him who can fire a gun. I was the best," Barton replies, almost bragging. "But, there is still a high risk of Wily getting the sphere _and_ the virus spreading."

"Then, we need to prepare for this deal to go down tonight, just in case," Mega Man says.

"Exactly," Barton replies.

"Thank you, Agent Barton. Even though you and I don't see eye to eye, you've helped a lot," Mega nods, not exactly being friendly with Barton, but glad that his help could very well bring Dr. Wily and this Conduit person to justice.

As Mega Man begins to leave, Barton says, "I told you the meeting is taking place. But, you don't know where."

"You said they'll make the deal somewhere in the blackout. It won't be too hard to find him," Mega says as he tries to leave.

"And let's say you're wrong, Defender," Barton calls with his voice raising, causing Mega to stop and look over his shoulder. "Without a _precise_ location, it is extremely likely that you and the FBI will never find them in time. And not only do you fail to apprehend Dr. Wily, but the virus will get out, and by the time your father finds a to stop it, millions of robots - including you, and your family - will have died!"  
>Barton leans forward over the table and gravels, "Think about that, and whether or not it's worth the risk."<p>

Mega turns around. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to make a deal yourself?"

"You are very astute," Barton says. "The Conduit does everything in secret, and it will be difficult to pinpoint his little helpers. But, I can lead you to their exact location. I might not know them personally, but I know how they travel, how they work, and what their moves are.  
>I can stop them, but I can't do it from this room. I need to be out there with you, if just to stop The Conduit and the virus outbreak."<p>

Mega Man suspects that Mr. Black is using the dire straits of this problem to his advantage, and cannot yet be trusted. "How do I know you won't betray us and go after Wily yourself after we stop this virus?"

Barton pauses, then replies, "I'm the best chance any of you have at stopping this outbreak. It can be stopped... _the war_ can be stopped. But, you are going to have to trust me."

Mega Man shakes his head, deciding against accepting Barton's plan. "I'm sorry, Agent Barton, but I don't trust you. And after what you did to my friends and family, I never will. I know what it feels like to be hurt by Wily. But, you're too dangerous to let out of this room, let alone allowed to be on the loose."

Mr. Black falls silent, and his shoulders lower slightly as his stare focuses on the table he is cuffed to. He has run out of luck and it appears as if his mission is over now. But, as Mega Man begins to leave the interrogation room, Barton uses one last move to get Mega's attention. And it is a very low, vile move...

Without batting an eye, Mr. Black says, "I know about Kalinka."

Mega almost completely freezes in mid-motion after he hears Mr. Black's startling words. He turns around and attempts to deny his close bond with Kalinka, for her protection. "She's just a friend of ours."

Mr. Black's dark eyes make contact with Mega's again. "Really? So, those nights when the two of you were alone high above Manhattan and in the crown of the Statue of Liberty... sharing kisses with one another... that was nothing romantic. Right?"

Mega struggles to respond. Deep inside, he is scared for Kalinka's own well-being now that their relationship with her has been exposed.

"_How does he know this,_ you're thinking... There are not many things I _don't_ know," Barton says. "I know where you both spent time together, I know what time she arrived to this country, when she left... and how many times you kissed each other in public."

Mega Man's fists ball up, and he threatens, "If you dare harm a hair on her head-"

"Do I look like I'm in any position to hurt anybody?" Barton interrupts. "Besides, I don't want to hurt her. But, after kidnapping her on two occasions, you and I know that Albert Wily would."

"I won't let it happen again," Mega responds ferociously, stepping back into the interrogation room.

"Maybe you won't. Or maybe you won't be in a position to save her or anybody else, because you didn't stop the future from coming," Barton counters. "Whether you know it or not, you are now involved in a much bigger, more personal war than you thought you were. And everybody's lives are in jeopardy. Especially Kalinka Cossack's. And if Albert Wily doesn't exploit your relationship with her, The Conduit will.  
>So, you had better make the right decision and let me finish this. Because if The Conduit isn't stopped, you will all be targeted! And Kalinka won't just be kidnapped... she'll be <em>dead<em>! And then, we will be alike. losing the woman you love because you didn't do whatever it took to stop it.  
>And just like Janet Clarke, that poor young girl who was buried in the building collapse last year, you will have nobody to blame but yourself... <em>Rock<em>."

At this point, Mega's anger had gotten the best of him, and hearing this vile excuse for a man saying these things had set him off. He charges back into the interrogation room full of rage, storms towards Barton and grabs him by his black shirt lifting his whole body high into the air and over the table, nearly ripping his right arm from the handcuffs.

Mega's face takes on a furious snarl, the total opposite of his normal kind face. And he barks, "If any of you lays a finger on Kalinka or my family, I'll-"

Despite his compromised position, Barton calmly interrupts, "You will do nothing. You are bound by the prime directive of robotics. No robot shall ever kill or bring serious harm to a human being."

"I'll still bring all of you down!" Mega growls back.

"You can't if you're already dead from contracting the virus," Barton calmly states as the door to the interrogation room opens and agents and FBI robots begin pouring in to pull Mega Man off Mr. Black.

When Mega finally lets go of Barton, the federal agents and robots usher him out of the interrogation room and the disgraced former agent slumps into his chair again, not startled in the least by Mega Man's outburst  
>And as he stares at the sight of Mega Man leaving with the FBI, he feels that after using that desperation move, he has <em>won<em> this interrogation.

Because, in his mind, this was not an interrogation, or a chance to speak to Mega Man. It was a chess match, and in order to win it, he had to mentally convince his opponent - in this case, Mega Man - to give him the chance to finish off The Conduit and Wily in one move. Tonight.

And that is the reason why he wanted to speak with Mega Man, because he had something that he could exploit: his relationship with Kalinka Cossack and Mega's own desire to end the war and save lives. Nobody else had the same emotional exploits like Mega Man, and Barton seized this opportunity to get himself one last chance at getting out of here to stop The Conduit.

Once he is completely alone in the interrogation room and the atmosphere is cold silence once again, Barton calmly whispers one word to himself...

"Checkmate."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_I apologize for the delay, but I took the time to get this chapter right, particularly the interrogation. I wanted it to feel very intense and like a chess match... but, I admit, I don't play chess.  
>I wanted to play Mega Man's good point of view off of Barton's grim one, and I wanted it to feel like a clash between these two characters who are radically different. Also, it shows that while Mr. Black is still not that good of a person, but also not all the day on the evil side. He is more of a grey instead of black or white.<em>_  
>This chapter is also one of the scenes stuck in my head almost as long as I have written Defender, and I have been waiting for the opportunity to bring it to fruition.<em>

_Please don't forget to review or comment. And if you see any typos, incomplete scenes, or continuity errors so bad that even Hulk Hogan couldn't body slam them, brother... please PM me right away._


	134. Trust Issues

_**Episode 12, Chapter 7: Trust Issues.**_

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

Minutes after the intense interrogation Mr. Black/John Barton, the disgraced former agent remains seated in the same chair he has sat in for over an hour in the interrogation room, staring ahead at the door and with no emotion on his face.  
>Deep inside his clouded mind, he believes that his last ditch - and rather despicable - attempt to get Mega Man to let him out of this precinct will work.<br>The John Barton who was before his beloved wife Tonya died would have never used the safety of Kalinka Cossack and others to his advantage. But, as he said: John Barton is dead; only Mr. Black remains.

Inside the viewing room, Agent Allen stands in front of the holographic window and stares at his former colleague with disdain, furious because Barton was at least partly responsible for the Jadous Sphere getting out, if he did tell them the truth during the interrogation.

Agent Cotto returns to the viewing room, holding his phone in his hands and looking anxious. And Allen approaches him, and although he knows how bad the news is just judging by the look on his colleague's face, he asks anyway. "What is the status?"

"Sphere One is secure and in place. Security is now quadrupled so nobody can get close to it, with or without Government IDs..."  
>Cotto pauses and takes a deep breath before delivering the bad news. "Sphere Two was replaced by a by a faux reproduction. Nobody ever knew it was a fake until now. They don't know exactly when or how the switch took place, but it's gone. They're going to sift through every second of archive footage trying to find who did this."<p>

"Were there any robots who didn't belong anywhere around the sphere in recently days?" Allen asks.

"No. And all robots who were within distance were given extensive scans to ensure they were not the Dark Man robot, or any other mimic robot... Barton was telling the truth. There _are_ others," Cotto says.

Allen puts his hands on his hips, noticeable steaming from hearing this. "We need to call The President. The situation is much worse now than we could have possibly expected. Until proven otherwise, we need to presume that Barton's friends are responsible for this. And if this 'deal' with Dr. Wily and The _Conduit_ Barton discussed takes place inside of the blackout zone, we need to tell the regional authorities to keep the entire area on lockdown."

"If John hadn't told Mega Man this much, we wouldn't even know about this," Cotto argues, almost defending his former colleague.

"And if Barton hadn't lost his goddamn mind in the first place, we wouldn't even be having this conversation," Allen counters sharply. "Now, because of this, I need to get on the horn with The President and every branch of the military, and have them prepare for Armageddon."

"Don't let me interrupt you," Cotto says, before beginning to leave.

"How is Mega Man holding up after what happened in the interrogation room?" Allen asks.

"Obviously not happy with the fact that his enemies may know about his personal life," Cotto replies, "Otherwise, he is waiting in Toombs' office."

Allen nods, "We may be needing him at any minute."

An FBI analyst races into the room carrying a small device. "Agents. We just decoded and traced a land line call being made from the site of Skull Fortress."

"What do we know?" Allen inquires.

"It was made over an hour ago. We couldn't trace where the origin of the call, but we transcribed the majority of the conversation. You're going to want to hear it, sirs. It matches with Agent Barton's story about a meeting tonight, and somebody named The Conduit."

"Let's hear it, son," Allen says.

* * *

><p>While alone in Chief Toombs' office at the precinct, Mega Man tries to call Kalinka Cossack in Russia, even though it is very late where she is and she is likely asleep by now.<br>After Mr. Black's frightening admission that he knew about Mega's relationship with Kalinka, even down to the times they were alone together, Mega is afraid that something could happen to her. And the lack of an answer from Kalinka causes Mega Man to wonder if something already may have happened.

"Please, Kalinka, answer," Mega stresses as he hears the ringer in his right helmet sensor.

Eventually, there is an answer on Kalinka's line, but it was after his call was rerouted to the Cossack family's personal butler droid, answering from the Citadel. _"Greetings. You have reached the Cossack Citadel. _"You are calling from North America, and the proper language has been chosen by default. _Dr. Cossack is away on business and Miss Kalinka is also away. How may I help you today?"_ he asks in a Russian accent.

"This is Mega Man. Can I please speak to Kalinka?"

_"Greetings, Mega Man. Miss Kalinka is currently away at university, and at last report she is resting. She will be unavailable until sunrise. Can I take a message?"_

Mega sighs. "Just tell her that Mega Man called. Tell her that I'm okay here in New York and to please call me as soon as she can just to let me know she's okay too."

_"I shall pass the message to Miss Kalinka, Mega Man. Is there anything else?"_

"No, uh... well, maybe. Can you tell me if her college is safe?"

_"Checking... the Campus in which Miss Kalinka is currently residing is not reporting any security breaches or problems. Miss Kalinka contacted the Citadel to report she was retiring for the evening, and there were no noticeable signs of stress in her voice. This information is to remain top-secret for Miss Kalinka's protection."_

Mega looks slightly relieved, after hearing the report. "Okay. That will do."

_"Very well. Have a good day," _states the butler, before hanging up.

Almost as soon as the call to the Citadel ends, ProtoMan enters the office, not allowing Mega Man the chance to calm himself down after worrying about Kalinka. And like he usually does, he does not knock first.

"You okay now?" Proto asks.

"A little bit... you really need to learn how to knock before entering," Mega suggests.

"Yeah. I'm a slow learner when it comes to 'normal'/non-combat things," Proto retorts. "So, what happened in there that made the entire police force and FBI pull you out of there like a ragin' robot? They had the room sound-proof, so I couldn't hear."

Mega sighs, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Did he threaten our family?" Proto probes. "The only time I've ever seen you flip out was when somebody threatens Roll or Light."

"No. But... he warned us that none of us may be as safe as we think," Mega answers, not mentioning Kalinka.

"And I'm sure he mentioned the Cossack girl too," Proto says, already aware of their relationship.

Mega sighs, "He knew about... her and I. He knows a lot more about our lives than we thought."

Proto frowns, "How does he know _anything_ about us."

"Mr. Black said that there are others at play in this war now, and they're after Wily too. But, they aren't our allies. They tried to assassinate Mr. Black last night, and they might come after us if they think we are a threat. They must have eyes and ears everywhere."

ProtoMan stays quiet after Mega tells him about Mr. Black's associates. If they know about his brother and Kalinka Cossack, they might also know about Nomad and the times they have been together.  
>He feels the need to protect his companion from a danger she does not even know. But until he can get to her, he is stuck here helplessly waiting for the chance to confirm she is safe.<br>His brother is having the same helpless feeling right now regarding Kalinka. Now Proto sees why Mega lost his temper with Barton.

"There's always a ringleader. I always was sure that schmuck wasn't working alone," Proto says, trying to not sound too distracted worrying about Nomad. "If they want Wily, then they're either somebody he screwed over. Or, it's somebody trying to steal _our_ thunder, somehow. Or both."

"These people might have stolen something called the Jadous Sphere. It's really deadly. Have you ever heard of it?" Mega asks.

Proto jogs his cybernetic memory for this sphere Mega brought up. "Nope. It must have been _top_ secret if Wily and I never heard about it."

"Tonight, Mr. Black's boss wants to arrange a fake deal with Wily. And when he shows up, these people will spread a robot virus to deal all the Robot Masters. They plan on killing Wily and keeping the sphere," Mega says.

"A robot virus? For real?" Proto asks, not sounding too happy about this, and underscoring the seriousness of the danger.

"It looks like it," Mega affirms.

Proto folds his arms. "Then, it looks like the two of us have gotta stop all of 'em, huh?"

"That's the problem. We don't know where they're going to meet, but Mr. Black says he can find out. But, he wants to be let loose."

Proto says, "I know this sounds dangerous, and I know it'll clash with your view of things and you'll probably argue with me over it. But, maybe we should give him what he wants."

"That's not happening," Mega refuses, shaking his head.

"Sometimes, you've gotta do what you've gotta do to get the job done. Look at how we stopped that masked idiot today," Proto says.

Mega signs as he leans on Chief Toombs' desk. "This war just keeps getting worse. Even with more help than I've ever had, I've got to keep taking big risks to win the battles now. I don't want to do it, because one day, we might go over that line between 'far enough' and 'too far.'"

"Nobody ever said war was easy," Proto replies.

Mega pauses to collect his thoughts, and soon admits, "I'm sorry if I put the blame on you for Wily staying out of jail two years ago. I was the one who should take the blame."

"No... Maybe you were right. I was the one who screwed things up royally that day," Proto replies. "The old man fed me his B.S. for years and I bought into it. There were a lot of times towards the end of the Dr. Wily days that... maybe I should have listened to you guys and left when I could. I would have saved us a lot of trouble... especially me."

Mega remains silent and stares across at his brother. While he has made great strides in changing his ways, he wishes Proto had known how bad Wily was in the first place and made that decision to turn on him a long time ago. Dr. Wily would have been brought to justice in 20X1, and all the heartache following might have never happened.  
>But, despite the damage done, Mega Man believes that there is still time to stop Wily and the new threat before him before any other bad can come out of the war.<p>

There is then a rap at the door, and Chief Toombs enters. "I hope I'm not in the middle o' somethin' but the Feds need us. It's about that Barton fella. Said somethin' about a meetin'."

Mega Man snaps to attention along with ProtoMan and follow The Chief out into the hallway leading back to the Viewing room where they were just a few minutes ago.

"The war gets worse, but at least it's never boring, bro," Proto quips as he walks next to Mega.

"That's what I'm always afraid of," Mega answers.

* * *

><p>Mega and Proto arrive to the viewing room and meet with Allen and Cotto, but, since Proto was denied access to witness Mr. Black's interrogation, the FBI robots keep him outside.<p>

After he enters, Mega asks "What is going on?"

"It appears Barton was telling the truth. Our annalists intercepted a call with Dr. Wily and a voice identifying itself as The Conduit," Allen says. "The _Conduit_ voice was altered and we couldn't successfully find out who it is. But, there is no doubt that these two are meeting tonight. Right here in New York."

"So, Mr. Black was telling us the truth. We can stop them all tonight," Mega Man says.

"But, there's a problem. Since the meeting is happening inside of the blackout zone, Wily and this Conduit will probably see the authorities coming from miles away," Cotto warns.

"And if they spot us, we've lost them," Mega frets.

"This may sound dangerous, Mega Man, but we may have to fulfill Barton's request to participate in the operation," Allen comments.

"Can we trust him?" Mega Man asks.

"Considering his state of mind, I don't know. But, due to the severity of this situation, we don't have a choice but to cooperate with him," Cotto answers. "We have to resolve four major problems: Getting the sphere, stopping Wily, stopping The Conduit and containing this virus."

"And we can't pull this off without him? I'm sorry, but I don't trust him, not after what he's done," Mega Man protests.

"With all due respect, it isn't your decision to make. It's President Henry's. We're waiting for him to contact us back," Allen says.

"Don't you think we have to get him to prove where this deal is going to be?" Mega presses.

The agents pause and consider Mega's suggestion. Allen says, "When The President calls back, we will link him to the interrogation room. We'll need you to get what we can out of Barton. And if he can truthfully tell us where this deal is taking place, his fate is up to President Henry."

"And what if he lies about the location?" Mega presses.

"We then declare martial law in the northeast, both on the ground and in the air until we find them all, even though there is no guarantee we will find them. And I'll rake Barton over the coals, personally," Allen replies.

Mega Man nods, "Just give me the word. I've got something else to say to Agent Barton."

* * *

><p><strong>Onboard the Gesselchaft.<strong>

Tiesel Bonne seals the bullet-hole-laden virus computer into a steel box, making sure it will be protected from any attacks until he arrives to the meeting in New York City The Conduit informed him about.  
>As hair-raising as this operation will be, this is not the hard part. That will be creating a story to get himself out of here, and one that his little sister will believe.<p>

As Tiesel paces back and forth around his quarters, he tries to come up with the right excuse. Sneaking off the Gesselchaft like last time might be out of the question. And as he ponders, there is only story that makes sense...

"I could say that there was a late night call for some good salvage. She'll have to buy that excuse. It's the family business. She would understand it if I ran off the ship for the sake of the business," Tiesel thinks. "But, if she thinks it's a job, she might have the Servbots come with me. And if they are there, they'll tell Tron. And how will I explain the armor? The instant she gets one look at it, she'll know I'm trying to fight crime again. There must be a way to cover it up."

Tiesel looks at the box the computer is sitting within, and hatches an idea. "I know! I'll hide the armor in the box with the computer. I can sneak it out of here and suit up on the run! ... But, there's still the Servbots. How can I keep them off my case without Tron throwing a fit?"

Tiesel walks around the room trying the extract an idea from his brain. At one point, he even leans against a wall, bumping his head on it. "Think, Bonne, Think!"

And then, it hits him. "I could send them to a false location. I could say the seller of the salvage turned tail and left, and meanwhile, they think I'm picking up the other salvage deal. Complicated, yes. But, it could work."  
>Tiesel frowns, "But, I have to wait for Tron to go to sleep. And if Bonne wakes up in the middle of the night, my cover will be blown."<p>

He looks over to the clock, which is slowly moving towards 6:30 PM, and he frets, grinding his teeth together. "I will have to thread the needle on this one. Or Tron will tell the parents, and they will rake me through the coals... and I don't _want_ to know what Tron will do."

His phone - or more accurately, the massive chunk of equipment that acts as a phone - begins to ring, Tiesel nearly jolts after begin caught off guard. He wonders, perhaps fears, that it is The Conduit calling for a status report on the computer.

Tiesel slowly steps over to the phone machine as it rings, eventually picking up and answering. "Yes?"

_"Is the Computer repaired?"_ asks the voice of The Conduit.

"Yes. It works like it did when I first delivered it the other night. There shouldn't be any problems, assuming nobody shoots it again," Bonne responds.

_"Very good. We will be meeting at the location I gave all of you earlier. I am still waiting on what is taking place involving Mr. Black. The FBI is keeping him under strict lock and key. But, we will not have to concern ourselves with him."_

"Great. And are we sure Dr. Wily will take the bait?"

_"He already has. I only need to tell him where to find us. And tracing the number of Skull Fortress' landline was elementary. But, I expect you to be there to transmit the virus. Failure to arrive for your duty will result in... a harsh penalty."_

Tiesel becomes scared after hearing The Conduit's not so vague threat and his teeth chatter, so loudly that it can be heard on the phone.

_"All you have to do is be on time and transmit the virus. We will take care of the rest. You must purge all your fears, Mr. Endo. For if we succeed, you will be doing a great deed for humanity. Even if it means some robots contract the virus, the ends justify the means. After all, it is nothing Dr. Thomas Light cannot fix,"_ The Conduit says, lying to Tiesel about how deadly the virus really is, and neglecting to mention their own sinister hidden agendas. Then, The Conduit appeals to Bonne's ego and personal grudge against Mega Man.  
><em>"This is the best chance we have to end the war our way. And you can get your own personal revenge on Mega Man by accomplishing the one thing he never did: Defeat Dr. Wily."<em>

Tiesel calms down and allows The Conduit's appeal to his grudge to make his decision for him. "Yes... I'll show that blue loser. I'll be there. Let's stop that dent-headed imbecille, once and for all."

_"That's the spirit,"_ The Conduit says in a calm tone, _"Report to the meeting area when I contact you again."_

"Since this is the big one, aren't you going to be there?" Tiesel asks.

After a pause, The Conduit responds, _"... We shall see."_

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Police Station.<strong>

Mega Man waits outside the interrogation room, standing in the hallway and waiting for the chance to get back in there and get one last chance to speak with Mr. Black.  
>The Defender looks intense as he paces the hallway back and forth, passing ProtoMan who is leaning against a wall, as well as the pair of FBI robots standing in front of the door of the interrogation room.<br>The two FBI robots actually exchange a glance with each other, not sure how to interpret Mega Man's actions here.

Eventually, Allen steps out of the room next to the Interrogation room and approaches Mega Man. "Because of the dire circumstances of this issue, President Henry might be willing to allow Barton to join in _if_ he is kept under strict supervision. But, he wants Barton to tell us exactly where that meeting will be if he is going to grant him this opportunity."

"Just let me in," Mega replies.

"He's all yours. But, if you try to attack him again, we'll have no choice but to pull you out and do this our way," Allen warns.

"Trust me. I'll get you the results," Mega says.

Allen turns to the robots at the door. "Let him in."

The robots step aside and Mega Man returns inside the interrogation room, once again standing in front of Mr. Black, who continues to sit in the same seat, without any change in his expression.

"So... is it yes, or no?" Barton asks, staring into Mega Man's eyes.

Mega deflects, "The FBI picked up a call between Wily and this Conduit person. They really _are_ making a deal, and it is taking place tonight, in this city."

Barton looks down at the desk for a second to think, and looks back towards Mega again. "I think you know what the right decision is. Since you are the Defender of the Human Race, you duty is calling. It will be impossible without me tonight."

"You've proven you're just as much of a threat as Wily is, so I don't see how my duty would be better served to let you free," Mega rebounds, "The FBI are monitoring New York for any sign of activity. Maybe we don't need you after all."

"If _I_ couldn't find The Conduit with my resources, you will not either. Tonight is our only chance," Barton retorts, trying to leverage himself into this operation.  
>"Let me make it very simple for you. Either allow me to join in and stop all this, or watch your kind slowly die tonight!"<p>

Mega becomes angry with Mr. Black's attempts to turn this into a bargaining chip, and turns the argument over on him.  
>"We're done with this! Right now, I have a duty to save the lives of millions of innocent humans and robots, and bring Wily to justice. And I refuse to play a game with people's lives like you do. So, you can tell us where this meeting is, or you can stay here forever."<p>

Barton slowly shakes his head. "I hope you can live with yourself."

Mega Man volleys back, "I can with my decisions a lot more than I could live with yours. I could have never desecrated an innocent woman's memory for revenge."

After a beat of a few cold silent seconds, Barton realizes Mega Man had made mention of Tonya, and his rage begins to manifest itself and the look in his eyes becomes very dark.

He bolts out of his chair and grabs the chair he had been seated in with his left hand, letting out a primal yell as he tries to strike Mega Man with it. But, Mega catches it in his hands and chucks it over to the door.

Mega shouts, "If you are still the patriot you claimed you were when you joined the FBI, and if you want to honor your wife's memory, do the right thing and help me find these people before they can kill anybody else tonight!"

Barton's breathing becomes heavy, fuming like a furious bull as he ball his fists. If he could, he could have found a way to tear Mega apart for mentioning Tonya...

But, Mega Man's words ring true. If Wily and The Conduit make this deal, whomever survives will be much more powerful afterwards, with either the virus or the sphere... or both. And nobody will be to blame but John Barton.  
>If Tonya were here, she would have made the same argument Mega Man just made... maybe, she would never have wanted her husband to commit these heinous acts in her name...<br>And knowing that, Barton's anger begins to ease back to the near emotionless state he was in earlier.

Barton looks down at the table as his breathing returns to normal. "It appears you have won, Mega Man. If the report I was given yesterday afternoon is still true, The Conduit will be gathering the assets and luring Wily to Central Manhattan."

"Isn't Manhattan a little too out in the open for this secret meeting?" asks a skeptical Mega Man.

"The idea is to keep the meeting a secret as much as possible. Then, once we had Wily where we wanted him, it would not matter who saw it, because Wily's death would be made into a spectacle. That would be where you come in," Barton says.

"What do you mean?" Mega asks.

"It would be known to the world that the war would have ended, and that the FBI, the Police and even Mega Man himself would have had nothing to do with it. And Mitchell Deacon would be the one left holding the bag," Barton answers.

"What does Mr. Deacon have to do with this?" Mega Man inquires.

Barton explains, "I don't know the reasoning behind this, but The Conduit seems to have a grudge towards The Governor, and wants to make him look bad at every turn. I'm sure you remember the bungling of the Civil Defense Tower last Summer."

"How would this make Deacon look bad?"

"If Wily dies, we will never know what caused him to commit the crimes he created, nor what else he may have hidden. Things that might be waiting for us after he is dead and buried.  
>And if a bunch of vigilantes killed Wily before you had the opportunity to arrest him, it could be humiliating. And Deacon could potentially be forced to resign, because it would take place inside of his jurisdiction," Mr. Black replies.<p>

"I heard the call myself. Wily wasn't told exactly where this deal is going down," Mega says. "How will Wily know where to come? He won't fall into a trap that easily."

"That is how The Conduit operates. He will likely call Wily back shortly before 11:00 PM and tell him where to meet," Mr. Black explains. "Even then, The Conduit will not state the exact location where this meeting will be, and the call will be very brief so the FBI cannot trace it.  
>He will probably not even tell Wily exactly where to find him - or her - until he is inside the city, and even then, The Conduit will use a high-frequency radio ping that a great many of you will not even notice.<br>That is where you will need my help. I have tracking equipment inside my car that will pick up The Conduit's frequency. And my onboard equipment will only respond to me, and nobody else."

Mega frowns, "You always have a plan, don't you?"

Barton answers, "That plan is the only hope we have of stopping our enemies. Without my scanners, we will not find them in time. And if you try to send out search parties and The Conduit senses their presence, the assets will pull out. And while you might catch Wily, The Conduit will have both the sphere _and_ The Virus. For all intents and purposes, you will be dealing with a problem bigger than Albert Wily."

"And what if Wily is the one who gets the better of them and gets the sphere anyway?" Mega questions.

Barton falls quiet, taking a moment to consider the grave nature of that scenario. "... Then, you will have an _even__ bigger_ problem on your hands."

Mega asks, "If I allow you to join us, you do what I tell you and don't you dare stab us in the back."

"Acceptable terms," Barton replies, "But, I in return will need my car, my armor and my weapons. Especially the car."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the viewing room, the FBI watches from behind the holographic window while President Henry listens in from The White House.<p>

Allen reports, "I believe we have gotten all we can from him. The decision is yours, Mr. President. Either we grant Agent Barton his request, or attempt to stop them ourselves."

After a lengthy pause, The President answers, _"If Agent Barton is to be believed, then we may not have any choice but to let him come along with Mega Man. But, I do not want him handling weapons of any kind. He is only there as an assistant to find these mystery people, nothing more."_

Cotto hails Mega Man, "The President has green-lighted the deal. Barton can get what he wants except for weapons. I suggest you tell him."

* * *

><p>Even though he does not want Mr. Black to be let out of this room, he the dire situation has forced Mega Man's hand.<p>

"It's not my choice, but I've been told you can join us. The car and the armor is fine, but no weapons. I don't trust you with a 9-volt battery let alone a gun," Mega states.

"Deal," Barton responds, staring at Mega Man. "I'll be waiting in this room until it's time to head out."

"I would be shocked if you weren't here," Mega says, turning his back to leave the room.

"Mega Man," Barton says, causing Mega to stop, "I know you don't trust me after what I did. But stopping this virus from breaking out and retaking the sphere is more important than killing Wily. As long as we have that to take care of, you can trust me to help you arrest The Conduit."

"I'm sure," Mega says, "I'm just worried about what you'll do to Wily after we stop them."

"You get him first, and that will not be a problem," Barton replies, shady as ever.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>**

As Dr. Wily stares at his plans for the so-called ultimate robot again, thinking if - or how - he can somehow incorporate the Jadous Sphere into it's design, his concentration is divided by one important aspect of this deal.  
>During the call with The Conduit, he was never told specifically where to meet him - or her, or it. And if the idea is to have Wily waiting in the middle of the Northeast blackout, he would be a sitting duck.<p>

Even now, he can feel the whisper gnawing at him. _"Do not turn back at this chance for power. Get the sphere."_

His thoughts are broken by the sound of his landline phone ringing. The same phone he spoke with the Conduit on.  
>Wily is confused and even slightly alarmed by this call. But, he grabs the phone and answers anyway. "What is it?"<p>

_"This is The Conduit, Dr. Wily. There is no time to talk, so pay attention. In order to find our location, you must set your transceiver radio, if you possess one, to frequency TK-421. We will be in the vicinity."_

And without another word, The Conduit quickly hangs up, leaving Dr. Wily flustered as he tries to get a word in edgewise, only to have the sound of dial tone buzzing interrupt him

As Mr. Black said, this was a protective measure by The Conduit. Keep the call as brief as possible, making it nearly impossible for the FBI to trace it.

Albert frowns as he put the phone back into the cradle, returning to his concentration, and making up his mind on how he will handle this deal with The Conduit.

* * *

><p>Outside, Bass and Treble are perched atop the fortress' tallest spire overlooking the barren badlands surrounding them. Bass' streak-lined face takes on a frown as he ponders how Dr. Wily could so blindly accept the offer from this strange Conduit human (if this even is a human he is dealing with.)<p>

"I sense this will be another mess to clean up. Only now, I will be the one to do it... with brute force," Bass says to Treble. "And if Mega Man and his traitor brother ProtoMan show up, they both shall fall at my hand!"

Bass clenches his right fist as he proclaims his latest threat to defeat Mega Man and ProtoMan, on a permanent basis. Then, his voice chances tone. "And my queen will be mine," he adds, referencing Roll.

Before Bass could continue this one-sided conversation, he receives a communication from Dr. Wily. _"Bass! I wish to speak with you immediately. Return to my workshop before I lose my patience."_

Bass stands up on the spire, still wearing his frown. "Come, Treble. We should not leave the Doctor waiting on us, should we?"

* * *

><p>Bass and Treble arrive to the workshop, where Dr. Wily is waiting for his Right Hand Robot. There is a brief period of tense silence between them until Bass breaks it.<p>

"There is no point in attempting to change your mind at this point. You truly do trust this Conduit to give you the sphere without any problems, don't you?" Bass asks.

Wily grins and answers, "After giving this much consideration... no! I _don't_ trust this person."

Bass' anger disappears when his creator swiftly rejects this strange Conduit, because this was the news he was waiting for. "I was sure you would come around on this, Dr. Wily."

"He wants all the money we _liberated_ from the bank. He then wants to hold the meeting in the middle of the blackout, and in New York where Mega Man will be waiting. And unlike Raptor and Lapierre, this Conduit person doesn't appear to have a hidden agenda..."  
>Wily grins again "You were right, Bass. This <em>is<em> too good to be true."

Bass begins to form a sinister smile on his face, happy with Wily's decision. That is, until Wily adds, "I am therefore going, anyway."

A befuddled Bass blurts, "What?!"

Albert says, "If he truly does have that sphere, I want it! And it would be much better if I obtained the sphere and kept my money."

Bass calms down and nods in approval. "You are not falling into their trap after all. You're ensnaring them in your own trap."

Wily's smile widens. "If you had been here three years ago, you would know I don't play well with others."

"How are we going to pull this off?" Bass inquires.

"This operation will require some risk-taking. We will have to bring along my money from the heist to show them we are _'playing along'_ with them," Wily explains, making finger quotes. "When he least expects it, we will take the sphere from him and leave him and his little helpers for dead! And this is where you come in, my boy."

"Just tell me who to cut down," Bass replies.

"You and the Robot Masters will be there along with Dark Man, who will be my stand-in for this meeting. As soon as you see that sphere, you will take them all down and take it. If anybody proves themselves as a threat... deal with them in whatever way you wish."

"It sounds like a good plan to me," Bass says, "But, a counter-attack will no doubt attract the attention of our enemies. Namely Mega Man."

Wily snickers, "Oh, I'm counting on it! When he arrives, deal with him too!"

"And Roll?" Bass asks.

"She is your priority," Dr. Wily answers, brushing her off.

"And ProtoMan?"

Wily pauses for a moment, his grin disappearing. "Leave him to me. Don't interfere unless I say so."

Bass looks confused with his creator's response about ProtoMan. "I'm certain you will be directing Dark Man from here. With the danger this operation poses, it would be in your best interest to remain here at Skull Fortress."

"Staying at the fortress would be the wisest choice for my safety, I know. And Dark Man will be taking my form in my place, but I will be supervising this myself, in person," Albert responds.

Bass argues loudly, "No, Dr. Wily! You will only wind up captured, or dead!"

Wily clarifies, "If Mega Man interferes, Proto will be with him, and he will see that Dark Man is not me. I must deal with him personally if I ever stand a chance at getting him back."

Bass' face takes on an angry look as he steps into Wily's personal space. "I will be very displeased with you if I have to sacrifice my revenge to save you," he warns, his voice becoming colder and harsher.

Wily remains firm, "All you need to concern yourself with is keeping my money secure, getting that sphere and keeping Mega Man off my back. This argument is over."

Bass frowns and begins to leave the workshop, but not before giving Dr. Wily a word of warning. "ProtoMan is not worth it. You should heed my words before you learn them the hard way. _Again!_"

As Bass leaves, Wily's stare remains fixed upon him, and he almost retorts. But, he does not, because he knows Bass is right on how dangerous this idea is.  
>But, despite that warning, Albert still plans on being in New York in person.<p>

"I cannot miss this opportunity," he says to himself, "I have the chance to take the sphere, take back ProtoMan and destroy Mega Man, all in one swift stroke! The war will end, and I, Dr. Albert. W. Wily, will be the only one left standing!"

Wily begins howling with his psychotic laugher which echoes through Skull Fortress. And litter does he know that tonight will be no laughing matter.

The darkest hour of the war for Everlasting Peace is about to take place, inside the largest blackout in history.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The next chapter is the thrilling climax of the episode, followed by the epilogue. It could take a few weeks to post it, because there is a lot to write. But, stay tuned._

_Please don't forget to comment or review. And if you see any typos, incomplete sentences or continuity errors so big you might actually forget to say to yourself... "Hey! He said 'Comment or review' instead of 'Review or Comment'", please PM me._


	135. From Hell's Heart, I stab at Thee

_**Episode 12, Chapter 8: From Hell's Heart, I Stab at Thee.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Late that night.<br>Skull Fortress.**

Several Robot Masters begin boarding a pair of Skullkers in the hangar bay, ready to head to New York at any moment to finish off this war _and_ their mortal enemy Mega Man.  
>Meanwhile, Bass stands off to the far side of the bay, waiting by the entrance for Dr. Wily to make his way here. The super robot is noticeably frustrated by Dr. Wily's strange decision about this, wearing a frown on his streaked face.<p>

Finally, Dr. Wily arrives, wearing a wicked grin on his face and rubbing his hands in anticipation of what he thinks will be the victory that will end this war forever. "Be ready to move out in two minutes, or you will not be invited to the victory party!"

Bass walks alongside Wily and responds, "They will be ready. Will _you_ be ready?"

"I have been _'ready'_ for three years to the date!" Wily grins, "And thus, the world and humanity have been ready to be ruled by me for even longer."

"Are you ready get captured or die if your involvement backfires?" Bass cryptically asks.

Wily stops in mid-stride and stares at Bass quizzically for a long time, wondering why he would make such a harsh remark. Soon, Wily just grins again and says, "You are becoming more like Proto all the time. He was protective of me as well."

That comment only irks Bass even more, and he is certain Wily only said it so he could antagonize him. As Dr. Wily approaches an awaiting Skullker, Bass and Treble keep up with him.  
>"Despite my objections to your suicidal plan, you leave me no choice but to assist you," he says.<p>

"That's what I am counting on, my boy," Wily says, "I am certain everything will go according to plan. And even if there is a bump in the road, I'm certain you can flatten it out."

"Your attempt to flatter me is appreciated," Bass replies unflappably as he and Wily board the Skullker. "But, I still think you are making a grave mistake. It is not too late to reconsider."

"And I am going through with this my way, Bass," Wily states as he sits in the pilot's chair at the controls.

As Bass begins to sit in the passenger seat next to Wily, the seat ProtoMan always sat in, until recently. Wily turns and almost stops him. "That is-"

"_My_ seat now," Bass interrupts. "And that is the way it shall stay. Unless you are planning on moving ProtoMan back into my spot."

Wily fumbles for the correct words, "No, of course I'm not. _You_ are my right hand now. But, I still need ProtoMan with me. It's personal."

"I might be willing to accept that," Bass says, "If you get him back, just make sure he remains in his place this time. It would be unfortunate if I had to deal with him should he get out of hand again."

Dr. Wily's face takes on a slight frown. "I will not repeat the mistake I made with him before. Now, can we get on with the quest to control the world?"

"Proceed," Bass replies flatly, staring ahead out the Skullker's windshield.

Without breaking his own gaze toward Bass, Albert signals the Robot Masters, "Everybody assigned to wave one, we are heading out now. It's time to take the world!"

The few remaining Robot Masters set to take part in this operation board another Skullker, and the two Skullkers begin to head out, back to New York City to end this war... if they don't become ensnared in The Conduit's trap or the hands of Justice first.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Back at the Police Station.<strong>**

An almost completely emotionless Mr. Black remains handcuffed to the interrogation room table, waiting to be freed so that he may join Mega Man and ProtoMan's attempt to stop The Conduit and Dr. Wily before either, or both can destroy the world with the robot virus or the Jadous Sphere.

Eventually, the door opens and Agent Cotto enters, followed by a group of FBI robots. And they are followed by Officer Lynn Werching, who does not look very thrilled to see Mr. Black again after their confrontation in the dark alleys of New York nearly a year-and-a-half ago, when Mr. Black had information that would have led the officer to her ailing brother who as in hiding while he was battling drug addiction.  
>Mr. Black would later destroy the file that night, leaving Lynn with no indication of where her brother truly was, until he was found by Mega Man a year ago.<p>

As Barton notices Wersching, he sees that she is not wearing any of her police issue weapons, likely thanks to the FBI ordering to remove them. They were surely afraid that she would try to use them on him because of their earlier clash. But, being a woman of her integrity, she would never do such a thing just for revenge.

Barton makes eye contact with Lynn and states, "Officer Wersching."

Lynn stares back at Barton with an angry look on her face and folds her arms, clearly not in the mood to speak to this man after his deplorable actions.

Seeing that the tensions are thick, Cotto intervenes. "It would be best if I handle the keys, Officer, Wersching. Given your prior history with each other, it is for the best."

Before she could hand the agent the keys, Lynn asks, 'You're seriously freeing him?"

"Consider it a relocation. All other details are classified," Cotto responds.

Lynn reluctantly hands the keys to the handcuffs over to Cotto and she stares at Barton with disdain again.

Mr. Black says, "The last I heard, your brother's health has improved."

"Yeah, he is. And I might have gotten to him sooner if it weren't for you," Lynn replies with noticeable anger in her voice.

Instead of arguing the point with her, Barton uses another approach as his former friend Cotto frees him and the FBI robots begin to usher him away.  
>"I don't anticipate you to forgive me for destroying the file on your brother. But, I regret it nonetheless... I apologize."<p>

Lynn still appears to be angry with him and responds, "I'll never forgive you putting my brother's life in jeopardy. I hope you rot in jail forever. But, thanks anyway."

As Wersching walks away, Barton is taken through the corridor with the FBI robots and Cotto en route to the police garage, and Cotto utters, "I appreciate that you didn't divulge any classified information on the others you were working with."

"Officer Wersching and her brother would have been greater danger if they had known. They would have become involved," Barton explains.

"Then, why did you involve Mega Man and the Cossack girl?" Cotto asks.

Barton replies, "They were already involved. They didn't know it until now."

* * *

><p>As they wait for Mr. Black to be brought to them, Mega Man and ProtoMan stand in the Police garage, now joined by Rush. And the brothers are talking to Dr. Light and Roll at home.<p>

_"I have coordinated a method with the electric worker robots and power companies. I think we can have much of the blackout area up and running by tomorrow morning," _Dr. Light reports.

"If anybody can fix the biggest blackout in history, it's you," Mega replies, smiling. "How are you guys holding up over there?"

_"We decided to use the emergency generators. It is a bit too chilly not to. So, at least, we are not in the dark,"_ Thomas replies.

_"And Boo is happy about it too. He was finally able to fall asleep easy,"_ Roll adds. _"Are you sure you don't need my help on this one?"_

Mega Man answers, "We're sure. This is very serious, and it's-"

_"I know. It's too dangerous,"_ Roll interrupts.

Seeing a chance to get on his sister's good side and appeal to her heroic side, ProtoMan chimes in, "He's right, sis. This thing is going to be... bad, if something goes wrong."

"How bad?" Roll asks.

"Very," Mega responds.

"And if something happens to us, somebody's gotta step up and be the new Defender of the Human Race," Proto adds.

Roll does not reply right away, because she understands the weight of this mission. And also, she was flattered to be given a vote of confidence of her abilities.  
><em>"...Now that you put it that way, I totally understand. Just, please be careful, you guys. It's hard to battle evil alone."<em>

"We will be," Mega responds. "We'll let you know when this is all said and done. Hopefully none of us will have to fight evil anymore after tonight."

_"That wouldn't be much fun, would it?"_ Roll comments.

"You got that right. No action can get boring really quick," Proto agrees.

_"Just be careful, boys,"_ Dr Light says, _"And the same goes for you, Rush."_

Rush barks after he hears his name, and Mega says, "We will be. I love you both."

_"You too," _Roll answers.

_"We love you as well, boys,"_ Thomas also says.

Mega does not end the transmission and looks at ProtoMan, waiting for him to echo the same sentiment, and Proto eventually says, "We'll, uh, see you guys later."

Mega ends the call and Proto comments, "You guys really say that way too much. Once in a while, I understand. But, all the time?"

"We might not have a tomorrow if things go bad tonight," Mega explains, "I need to let my family know how much I love them, in case... we don't make it home."

Proto sighs, "Okay, fine. I'll try and remember to say it when we're about to begin the next near-death experience."

Seconds later, Mr. Black is brought to the garage by several FBI agents and robots, making sure he does not try anything. Rush growls when he sees him, but Mega calms him down.  
>"It's okay, boy. We need to work with him. For now," Mega says.<p>

The group with Mr. Black stops and Agent Allen hands him the titanium anti-plasma vest that Barton has worn since this crusade began. "You are allowed to wear this for your protection. You will not be allowed to wear your trench coat. We don't want you hiding anything under it. You will just have to be cold tonight."

"I prefer it cold," Barton says, almost emotionless.

Allen does, however, offer him his mask. "But, you might need the rest of your vigilante costume."

"The mask is useless now. Everybody knows my face," Barton replies.

"You need to accept you're not in control anymore, Barton. Just play along with the real heroes here, and maybe I'll find it in my heart to push for only one lifetime sentence instead of two," Allen says in a condescending tone.

"A very kind gesture, Paul. If we ever cross paths again after tonight, I'll be sure to beat the hell out of you only once," Mr. Black replies with a very _very_ slight smirk forming on his lips, (the most non-aggressive emotion he has shown in months.)

Allen frowns at the threat. "The A.I. construct that you took from us is online again. Tell it to play along."

Barton looks at his car, most of it's damage partially repaired. He orders, "Authorization Alpha-2-Foxtrot-1. Grant control of all systems to Mega Man. Ignore my orders."

The console screen shows a message, confirming the change in command for Mega Man. "It worked, sir," states an FBI agent.

Mega Man, ProtoMan and Rush enter the car as the agents move Mr. Black over until he sits in the front passenger seat. Cotto advises Mega and Proto, "Keep an eye on him."

"Will do," Mega replies.

To which ProtoMan asks, "If he screws us over, can I blast him?"

Cotto does not respond and Mr. Black remains dead silent as he closes his door on the car, staring out the front windshield at the dark sky awaiting just outside the underground garage. He does not have the dark look in his eye he usually his, nor is he less determined.  
>Deep down, he knows the mission will end tonight, and maybe not the way he wished. But, all his options have run out, and he has no choice but to accept that stopping The Conduit and the virus and preventing Wily from getting the sphere is good enough.<p>

"I trust you have arranged for the news media to move away from the station," Barton comments to Mega Man and the agents, "If they see this car leaving this station, The Conduit will see it."

"They're gone. I realized that danger too," Mega Man responds.

"The authorities have spotted someone heading towards New York. The trajectory matches the usual route taken by Dr. Wily, so it is probably him," Agent Allen reports to Mega Man. "We have told all law enforcement not to pursue or attack until he give them the word. You're going to be out there alone until you give us the word."

"Then, we don't have very much time. Let's move out," Mega says, starting Mr. Black's car.

All the federal personnel and the few Police who are here back away and Mega drives the car out of the police garage, onto the blackened streets of New York.

Barton suggests, "After we're away from the media, find a place to hide the car. We can't afford to be seen."

"I think my bro has been around the block enough to handle something like this," Proto says.

"You know Wily; Neither of you know these people. I do," Barton replies.

"I don't want to admit it, but he's right They'll see us coming and flee. Then, we'll have no way of getting the sphere or the virus under control," Mega Man says, not sounding like he wants to agree with Mr. Black. But, the dire consequences have left him no choice.

Mega Man continues to drive until they reach an empty garage and takes refuge inside until it is time to strike. And as the car becomes submerged in darkness, Mr. Black suggests, "You will need to turn on the Frequency radio. Set it to 479.88. That was the frequency we agreed to use to reel in Wily."

"What if they changed it?" Mega asks.

"They didn't. It is the safest option. Isolated from Police, Federal, Fire and Emergency and robot communication frequencies," Barton explains.

As Mega Man turns on the tracks, Mr. Black adds, "I know you detest the idea of working with me."

"After everything you've done, yes. And I don't have a good history of working with bad guys," Mega Man says.

"The incident at Island #4. Stone statues turned into robots, erupting volcano, radiation shield. I am well aware," Mr. Black, replies, recalling the events of what took place on what the press called _The Strange Island of Dr. Wily._

"You sure you're not a stalker, pal?" Proto asks.

"I have followed the war extensively, including the possible existence of some _n__omad_ robots who may be on the loose," Barton replies, making a vague reference about ProtoMan's friend Nomad.

ProtoMan falls silent after Barton makes mention of Nomad, and he only hopes that he does not reveal anything more about him, and that Mega Man does not look into clues of her existence, like the bar she destroyed last summer using her shockwave power.  
>Proto almost threatens Mr. Black to leave her alone, but even that would reveal her to Mega Man, so he keeps quiet.<p>

Mega Man stops the car to mask any sign of their presence, and Mr. Black continues, "I understand why you and I have a different view of justice. But, one day you may learn why I believe death is the only solution. I hope you will never learn that as badly as I did."

"I doubt I'll ever share the same point of view as you do, Agent Barton, no matter what happens," Mega fires back in a calm voice.

"Things change if the circumstance forces them to. Your reconciliation with your brother proves it," Mr. Black comments as he, Mega Man and ProtoMan sit and wait for any sign of the The Conduit's assets.

"I believe things change for the better," Mega Man debates.

"Things can change for the worst too," ProtoMan replies. "I know both from experience."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, deep in the alleys of Manhattan, The Conduit's network of assets are gathered, flanked by several of the same robots who stormed Mr. Black's hideout. They are waiting for the stroke of Midnight and any sign of Dr. Wily's party to arrive, so that they can end this war their way, regardless of how much death and destruction is needed to make it so.<p>

As Mr. Endo (Tiesel) sets up the computer and plugs in a portable tablet to load the virus, Mr. Wire is complaining. "Are there going to be guns fired around here? Because I didn't sign up for anything like that."

Miss T storms her way towards Mr. Wire, grabbing him by the collar of his dark grey shirt and beige trench coat. "If you keep complaining, I might use you as a bullet shield. Do you understand?" she hisses.

Mr. Wire puts his hands up and stutters, "Okay, fine!"

Tiesel watches this, his face hidden behind his old Mega Crew helmet. And as Miss T begins making her way towards him, he quickly turns his head back towards his work.

"Will it work?" she asks.

"When I tested it, it did. But, this is a very wide area we're supposed to transmit the virus over. We should have waited," Tiesel responds.

"Pray that it works, for your sake," Miss T warns, "You don't want The Conduit disappointed to be displeased when the arrival takes place."

Tiesel's face drops in shock behind his helmet mask. "... The Conduit is coming here!?"

"That depends on how well this pans out, Mr. Endo. It would be problematic if the virus doesn't get out," Miss T says.

"I'll, uh, make sure it works," Tiesel fumbles as he turns to the computer again. He whispers afterwards, "Please work."

Miss T pulls a tracking system from the belt of her black leather jumpsuit and she scans the area for any signals. But, aside from jetliners heading into and out of airports, she finds nothing. Including no Wily, yet.  
>Mr. Wire cautiously approaches her and asks, "Hey, if we're using this virus, what's going to happen to our robots?"<p>

"They're expendable," Miss T responds, "Which is why we may need you as that bullet shield."

Mr. Wire swallows hard behind his mask. "You're quite the charmer," he adds timidly.

"Just stay hidden and record everything that takes place on that camera. The Conduit needs it," Miss T orders.

After scanning the scene in the city, Miss T's scanner begins to chirp, catching two signals heading their way. After running a quick check of the origin of them, Miss T can detect that they are Skullkers.

She barks, "Get ready! We have two minutes to show time!"

Tiesel keeps himself secluded in the alley with the computer and Mr. Wire seeks refuge nearby behind a garbage dumpster. Meanwhile, Miss T's robots gather around, many holding rifles, and one carrying a box with the Jadous Sphere.

Miss T raises her hand to her helmet and calls The Conduit. "Dr. Wily is here. There is no sign of anyone else."

_"Beware of any unwanted visitors. We do not know what Barton told them, but I do not want to find out after it is too late. Send the signal for Wily, and be ready to take them out early if they try anything."_

Miss T uses her scanner to broadcast a signal on frequency 479.88. She announces to the other assets and her robots, "Broadcasting the signal now. Wily will be here any minute, people. Be ready."

* * *

><p>Onboard Dr. Wily's Skullker, the mad doctor waits impatiently for the signal from The Conduit to come in. And waiting out here on enemy turf is making Albert antsy.<p>

"He said he would send the signal at midnight!" Wily complains as he checks his watch. "It's already a whole minute _after_ midnight!"

"It is not too late for you to turn back," Bass says, "I can deal with the threat myself, and return with the money and the sphere."

The Robot Masters in the rear of the Skullker take exception to Bass' idea. "Hey! You act like you're the only one in this army!" Complains GutsMan.

Cut Man adds, "We've been around since the beginning. That's more than a _shave_ longer than you've been here! Eh-heh! Eh-heh!"

"I don't recall any of you having Mega Man on the brink of death like I have," Bass argues, keeping his back towards them.

"And I don't recall you beating Mega Man either. But, a bunch of us _did_!" Magnet Man boasts. "Sure, it was, uh ... _only_ once. But, we still beat him!"

That comment gets Bass' ire up and he turns to face the Robot Master Trio behind him, his red eyes looking very evil. _That_ alone inspires the trio to change their tune immediately.

"Uh, but, you did do a good job almost destroying Mega Man," Magnet Man relents.

"Yeah! If there's anybody who can manhandle anybody, it's you Bass!" GutsMan kisses up.

"After all, you are the ultimate robot. A _cut_ about the rest!" Eh-heh!," Cut Man begs off.

Bass returns his stare to the outside of the Skullker. "That's what I thought."

"Be quiet!" Dr. Wily barks from the pilot's seat, as he listens closely to his tracking equipment, because he was sure he heard a sound. And after a closer listen, Wily hears a distorted signal sound coming from the control panel.  
>"There they are," he announces, "And their signal is coming from the middle of Manhattan, down below on street level."<p>

Bass reports, "I don't see anybody in the sky, and I am having difficulty seeing what is happening on the streets. It's too quiet. The perfect place for a trap to be sprung."

"Yes. _Our trap_!" Wily says. He then contacts Skullker 2, and Dark Man 2. "Come in, Dark Man. Are you ready?"

In Dr. Wily's own voice, Dark Man 2 responds, _"Yes, Dr. Wily."_

"Follow my instructions and prepare for battle!" commands the real Dr. Wily, as he turns to face the robots with him in Skullker 1. "Report any sign of ProtoMan to me. I will handle him."

Bass gives Dr. Wily a stern gaze as the madman begins to take his Skullker towards the source of the communication.

* * *

><p>Mr. Black's car A.I. catches the same communication meant for Dr. Wily. "There they are," Barton announces.<p>

"It's coming from western side of the city, a few miles away from Central Park," Mega Man says as the dashboard console shows them the exact location of where the signal is emanating from.

Mr. Black's car gets a call from Cotto at Police Headquarters, _"A pair of Albert Wily's shuttles have been spotted over the west side of New York, heading towards Manhattan."_

"We just found out where the deal is taking place. I'm sending the coördinates now. This is where Wily will be too," Mega replies.

Barton adds, "Don't send back-up until Mega Man sends the signal. We can't afford to lose them."

Mega Man ignites the car again and speeds out of the dark garage, heading towards the origin of the communication, hoping to end this war before it takes its deadliest turn yet.

From the back seat, ProtoMan asks his brother, "Wait a sec. How does Mask Boy here fit into this?"

Mega Man answers, "He's going to get their attention."

* * *

><p>Back in Central Manhattan, the pair of Skullkers make their way to the origin of the signal, lowering their altitude and preparing to land in the middle of a four-way intersection, where the figures of Miss T and all her black-armored robots emerge from the shadows and stand in a semi-circle.<p>

Nearby, Mr. Wire and Tiesel keep hidden in the shadows, with Wire recording the events that transpire here on a camera, and Tiesel preparing to unleash the virus, if it works.

"This is one scoop no reporter will ever get," Mr. Wire laughs to himself as he records the two Skullkers landing side-by-side in the road with their aft sections turned towards Miss T and the robots.

After the Skullkers land, nearly a minute passes before the doors in the back of the ships open and Bass, Treble, GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man step out of the Skullker to the right, followed by 'Dr. Wily' who is really Dark Man 2 and Dust Man, Gyro Man, Top Man, Wind Man, Quick Man and Elec Man from the left.

With Treble at his side, Bass has a large briefcase in his hands as he the others follow his lead on the approach to Miss T and her robots. He soon stops and stands across from Miss T as she stares back at him.

'Dr. Wily' steps up to stand by Bass' side and says, "Do you have the sphere?"

"Do you have the cash?" Miss T responds with a question.

"Show our hostess that we mean business, Bass," commands 'Dr. Wily' (as directed to from the real Dr. Wily.)

Bass agrees, presenting the box forward and opening it, exposing several thousands of thousand-dollar bills that were stolen from the banks just two days ago, all of them still neat and stacked.

"And for your information, every dollar is real," adds 'Dr. Wily' with a big grin.

Miss T raises her right hand to signal to one of her robots, and the robot carrying the box approaches along with another robot walking next to him. The other robot opens the box and removes the Jadous Sphere with his hands, holding it out to show it off to 'Dr. Wily.'  
>Miss T then takes the sphere from the other robot and holds it in front of herself. "And I assure you, the sphere is very real," she says.<p>

Dark Man Wily stares at the sphere for several seconds scanning it with his visual circuits until he confirms that it is genuine. "Yes, I believe you! Now, if you would be so kind, let's consummate the deal so that I can go along my merry way and conquer the world! Yes?"

"Have your killing machine hand over the money, and I will give him the sphere," Miss T say. She then conspicuously adds, "Be careful how you handle it."

The last phrase was her password to Mr. Endo/Tiesel to unleash the virus, and he presses the touch screen to begin the transmitting of the virus... but after several seconds, nothing happens and all the robots around him don't look like they were infected.

Meanwhile, Bass closes the brief case and begins to approach Miss T with the case in his hands, about to make the exchange (or so that is what he wants Miss T to believe.)

Miss T repeats, "Just _be careful_ how you _handle it,_" with more punctuation, trying to get Tiesel's attention in case he did not hear her earlier.

Tiesel begins to panic as he tries to broadcast the virus again to no avail. In fact, the screen becomes blue, then a Fatal Error message appears, warning him that the computer is about to overheat due to the damage it took. Then, it shuts off.

Mortified and nearly paralyzed in fear, Tiesel utters to himself, "Oh, no! I'm dead!"

Several intense seconds pass as Tiesel desperately attempts to get the computer back on again as Bass slowly approaches Miss T and Mr. Wire records all of it, not knowing just how bad this scene is about to become...

Bass finally stops just mere feet from Miss T and Treble joins him, snarling and showing his razor-sharp teeth at her. Miss T stands her ground, and gives Bass and 'Dr. Wily' a stern warning from behind her black motorcycle helmet.  
>"Just a fair warning. If you betray us, our employer will bring you to your knees. And you will never conquer anything."<p>

"And if you betray us, I am afraid you will not be standing long enough to defend yourselves," counters Dark Wily.

Tiesel still tries in vain to get the computer back up, and Bass' stares becomes darker as Miss T considers sicking her robots in these Robot Masters, which would likely result in a sound defeat, but could hopefully give herself enough time to escape.  
>And as if this could not get any worse for them, the sound of numerous police sirens can be heard, and judging by how much louder they become, they must be heading in this direction.<p>

The Conduit's disguised voice can be heard in the ears of the three assets and the black-armored robots, _"The Police are coming."_

"Get away from here now, I'll handle this," Miss T responds in a hushed tone. Then, she turns her attention to 'Dr. Wily.' "Well, it looks like your lack of subtlety in your arrival has attracted unwanted attention."

Dark Wily folds his arms and snorts, "Fortunately for me, I came prepared."

Quick Man bolts his way up to Miss T in a flash and tries to snatch the Jadous Sphere out of her hands. But, Miss T's gauntlets are equipped with an electrical shock system that jolts Quick Man and drops him rather... quickly.

Bass and all the other Robot Masters - besides Dark Man 2, who is still acting as Dr. Wily - prime their weapons and aim them at Miss T and her robots. And the Miss T robots all prime their guns and aim them at Wily's army.  
>Meanwhile Mr. Wire tries to keep himself hidden as he continues to record and Tiesel stares in terror, certain that Wily's robots are going to take them out.<p>

"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" Tiesel stammers to himself.

An angry 'Dr. Wily' bellows, "So, this is how it is going to be, I see! Let's see if you have anything that can block a plasma blast! Do away with them all, my robots!"

"Wait!" Miss T shouts, "Your robot betrayed us, and he paid the price! If you want the sphere? Hand over the money, I give you the sphere."

Bass suddenly tosses the briefcase over where it lands at Miss T's feet and he aims his blaster at her head.

Under direct orders from the real Dr. Wily back in the Skullker, Dark Wily barks, "Bass, what are you doing?!"

Bass ignores 'wily' and talks directly to Miss T. "You have the money, and you have no more excuses! Now, give us the sphere, or all of you die! And that includes the two humans you have hiding in the darkness."

Tiesel shudders in fear as Mr. Wire takes complete cover and abandons recording the meeting, stammering many curses under his breath. And knowing that Bass' gambit has put her into a no-win scenario, Miss T knows she has to make a decision now. And there is no right decision.

Bass begins charging his blaster and slowly counts down, "Ten... nine... eight..."

The Robot Masters snicker with wicked delight as they too begin approaching, and Miss T's robots aims their rifles directly at their targets.

Bass counts, "Seven... six... five..."

Mr. Wire prepares to bolt away, as Tiesel whimpers trying to make the computer functional again.

_"Take them all out. Now,"_ The Conduit calls.

"Four... three... two... one!"

"Stop," calls a voice very familiar to Miss T... and the sound of one set of footsteps can be heard approaching the scene... and they belong to the unmasked Mr. Black, who steps into the dim light.  
>All eyes - both human and robot - turn to face Barton as he makes his way towards them, until he stops and visually sizes up all of them.<p>

"Mr. Black! He's_ here_!" Miss T exclaims in shock.

"You! You're supposed to be in jail!" yells 'Dr. Wily,' pointing a finger at the vigilante.

"I hope I didn't miss anything," Barton says in a calm gravel.

Miss T says to 'Dr. Wily,' "Plans have changed, Wily. If you want the sphere, kill that man and you can have it!"

Before the Robot Masters and Miss T's robots could attack Barton, the familiar sounds of Mr. Black's car and Rush's jets flood the area and they all look up to see Mega Man swooping down, firing a strong plasma blast at the ground to knock all the bad guys (and bad woman) off their feet.

Miss T had begun running away, only falling to one knee after the impact of Mega Man's shot pushes her down, and she begins making away with the sphere clutched in her hands.  
>But, when she looks up, she sees Mr. Black's car - driven by ProtoMan - speeding directly towards her.<p>

"Dammit!" Miss T shouts as she leaps for her life away from the speeding car, just as ProtoMan expected her to... but as she lands, her helmeted head hits the asphalt, knocking her drowsy and she loses her grip on the sphere and it falls to the asphalt and shatters into several broken shards. And whatever pieces were not broken were run over with the tires of Mr. Black's car by ProtoMan, breaking them further.

Bass lands on his feet after Mega Man's blast hits and he finds the briefcase full of money still on the ground. "Treble, go get the briefcase and take it back to Dr. Wily. I've got a score to settle," Bass says, staring at Mega Man high above.

As Treble soars around and takes the briefcase with his jaws, Bass looks back down and sees the shattered remains of the sphere. He looks up and sees Mega Man getting ready to target him, ProtoMan getting out of Barton's car to enter the battle, and Barton himself standing right where he was, very strangely not moving an inch.

Without any time to collect the fractured remains of the sphere, Bass quickly runs over and grabs a narrow, slightly curved shard off the street and places it in a safe compartment inside of his armor as he prepares for battle...

"Proto, we've got Bass for now. You deal with the other bad bots," Mega Man calls.

"Trust me, I've been waiting to deal with some of these robo-twits even before I left," Proto answers.

As Mega soars down, he sees Bass looking up at him, and both robotic warriors know that they are about to enter combat again, both of them not knowing what condition they will be in after the battle... if they live.  
>Rush boosts his jets and Mega Man leaps off his back to dropkick Bass at insane speed. But, Bass powers up his Bassinium shielding ability as Mega Man reaches him to protect himself from the hit as he catapults himself back to give himself a better position to begin the next battle with his bitter enemy.<p>

"You will not survive _this_ encounter, Mega Man!" Bass yells as Treble returns to his side and they merges together.

Mega scoffs, "I've heard that before!" And Rush jumps behind him and they begin to adapt again like they did during the Invasion on Washington D.C. last year. Mega Man charges a Power Fist shot, and Bass also charges his own blast.

"You and your dog's little trick will not be as successful this time. Treble and I are stronger than we ever have been!" Bass threatens as he begins to levitate with the power of Treble's flying power.

"It still won't be enough to defeat us! You'll never win!" Mega Man declares.

"I _will_ win. It's only a matter of how soon you will die!" Bass yells as he fires off a charged plasma shot from his own cannon, which Mega Man and Rush quickly fly away from, and Mega counters with a Power Fist.

But, Bass and Treble swoop down under the fist and jet straight for Mega Man and they begin to grapple in the air, putting Mega at a disadvantage until the Power Fist returns and attaches back to Mega's arm, giving Mega Man a higher chance of survival...

As Mega Man and Bass scrap overhead, Miss T looks up and sees the remains of the sphere in shock. "Mega Man is here! We've been spotted. The Sphere has been destroyed!"

_"Get the hell out of there and leave the heroes and the villains to deal with each other,"_ The Conduit orders.

Miss T races to her feet and begins to bolt as the sound of the battle become overwhelming. She contacts Tiesel and Mr. Wire, "Abort the mission. Get away from here and don't leave behind anything!"

Mr. Wire begins to run away from the area as Tiesel tries to get the computer back up. "I can get it to work, I just need to rewire the battery to the motherboard!" Tiesel exclaims.

"Get the hell moving, or you're going to jail!" Miss T yells as she runs away as well with her group of robots covering for her and the others.

Tiesel's decision was obvious... "Screw it!" he bursts, and he quickly dumps the computer back in the box, stands atop of the hoverboard he used to get here and makes a hasty retreat to the Gesselchaft. And Mr. Black continues to remain standing in the same place, just watching the fighting...

While Mega Man is fighting Bass and The Conduit's people begin to flee, ProtoMan now stands across from the Robot Masters whom he used to serve with. And they are not very happy to see him again.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the _cutthroat_ backstabber, ProtoMan!" Cut Man says as he pulls his sheers off his head.

"And to think we were ever foolish enough to have you as a boss!" Magnet Man jabs.

"You guys are too kind," ProtoMan grins.

"Shut yer mouth, traitor!" Gutsman shouts, "There's ten of us, and one of you!"

Magnet Man mutters, "There's twelve of us. Not ten."

"Whatever! And those odds aren't in your favor!" GutsMan adds.

"Actually, my accuracy has increased over fifty percent since I left you guys. I guess it comes with not being around losers anymore," ProtoMan jabs.

"You'll find out that you're the loser now! We're going to get our chance at revenge after all the putdowns you gave us!" Elec Man states as his fingertips snap with electric current.

"You always thought you were the greatest robot ever built. Now, we're gonna show you a thing or two!" Gyro Man says.

"It's a shame Punk isn't here with you goofballs, or I could've shown all of you!" Proto says as he primes his blaster.

"Halt!" yells the voice the real Dr. Wily, who exits the rear section a parked Skullker and stands near his Robot Masters. "There is no need to keep up the illusion any further, Dark Man."

Dark Man returns to his standard physical form and Dr. Wily takes a few steps forward to speak to Proto. "Proto, my boy, I know things did not end well with us..."

"Obviously," ProtoMan fires back.

Wily tries again, "You were right. Maybe I was a little too forceful when I disciplined you."

"A _little_?"

"All I am asking is for you to come back to my army, and give me another chance. I am asking... for forgiveness," Wily claims, trying to sound heartfelt but coming across as hammy as a bad actor. Even if he does want to bury the hatchet with ProtoMan, he is not giving much effort to make ProtoMan reconsider.

Without wearing his usual smile on his lips, a serious ProtoMan directly responds, "No... we're done. Why don't you sick your bots on me and get it over with?"

Dr. Wily becomes frustrated and storms back to the Skullker. "Have it your way!" He calls to the Robot Masters, "Only defeat him, but don't destroy him!"

"With pleasure!" Cut Man wheezes as he and the other Robot Masters prepare to begin the most lopsided encounter ProtoMan has ever had.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Proto retorts as he fires off a quick round of blasts at Cut Man, Top Man, Gyro Man and Elec Man, knocking them backwards.

The rest of the Robot Masters spread out and try to surround Proto, but he is fast on his feet and fires off more blasts at Dust Man and Wind Man. Afterwards, GutsMan charges at Proto like a massive bull, and like a Matador, ProtoMan jukes out of Gutsy's way, causing the Robot Master to crash into a nearby light pole, and snapping it in two.

"Olé!" Proto calls, flapping his yellow scarf on his neck before turning back to battle.

Magnet Man uses his magnetism power to pull ProtoMan towards him and plots with Top Man, "Take ProtoMan down!"

"Leave the Proto Geek to me!" Toppy responds as he begins spinning like a Tornado and moves towards Proto, who is powerless to cease his trajectory towards Magnet Man.  
>But, while ProtoMan can't stop being pulled towards Magnet Man on his own, he can always <em>blast<em> his way out of trouble.

Top Man almost reaches ProtoMan, but when he gets close enough, Proto blasts him twice to throw him off-balance. And as he gets pulled in Magnet Man's direct, Proto fires off a blast at him too, knocking him to the ground, forcing him to power down his magnetism.

Magnet Man groans, "He was always good. But, it's like he's better than he was."

ProtoMan reaches Magnet Man's side and he tells him, with that smirk, "Let's say my bro and I have traded advice on fighting you boltheads. Oh, by the way..."  
>Proto touches his forearm. "Betcha forgot I could do this, didn't you?" he laughs...<p>

Meanwhile, as the chaos goes on all around him, Mr. Black carefully sneaks his way around, managing to avoid any contact with the combatants, and he keeps his eyes on the two Skullkers.  
>After intensely studying Wily's psyche profile for two years and eight months that a deal this big would be too irresistible for Dr. Wily to not show up for in person.<p>

Mr. Black races to a fire escape ladder near the front end of the two Skullkers and climbs up, turning back to get a better view. And then, in the Skullker farthest from him, he sees Dr. Wily himself, furiously following the battle and making manic motions with his arms whenever things don't go his way.

Barton could almost hear nothing but his own heart beating as his blood turned ice cold. The man who killed Toyna is right here, in plain sight. And John Barton has a crucial decision to make: allow Mega Man to take him down, or renege on the deal he made with Mega Man and the FBI and kill Wily here.  
>For Mr. Black, the choice is crystal clear... Wily must die, no matter the cost...<p>

Mega Man and Bass continue to fight each other in mid-air, and this is the closest fight they have ever had, with neither getting a major advantage. Mega Man is mentally primed to face him and is taking it to him, while Bass is also countering Mega Man's offence as well.

"Your skills have improved," Bass says, "This will only make my victory even sweeter!"

"I've got an extra friend on my side now. And He's taught me about you!" Mega Man replies.

"ProtoMan?! How pathetic! But, considering how weak you are, it does not surprise me that you sought advice from a fellow weakling!" Bass scoffs as he uses his Bassinium to form two balls of glowing purple energy over his fists, making each punch as strong as a blaster hit.

Bass swings his energized fists wildly at Mega Man and he does his best to avoid being struck. However, Bass connects with one hard right hand to Mega's chest, then another right above his waist.  
>Before Mega Man could regain his composure, Bass clasps both of his super-charged hands together and clubs Mega across the chest with a clubbing blow, sending the hero flying backwards in mid-air as Rush's jets try to regain enough power to get them under control.<p>

Still using the power from his energized fists, Bass simultaneously charges a shot from his blaster cannon with the intent firing a blast that would incapacitate Mega Man, or worse.

Mega Man barely gets control in time to see Bass yelling at the top of his lungs as he bolts towards him. Mega knows he will be dead meat (or metal) if he doesn't get out of dodge _and_ think two steps ahead.

Within one Second, Mega plots out and begins to execute his plan, jetting out of the way of Bass's fatal punch/blast combination, jetting back around to attempt a kick to Bass, which was blocked by Bass's shielding.  
>But, this was a decoy move that Mega Man had anticipated, giving Mega enough time to power up a Power Fist blast, which he fires off mere feet away from Bass' head, striking the Super Robot's face and causing him to spin out of control until he hits the ground.<p>

"Don't talk trash about my brother. Especially when you can't back it up yourself!" Mega taunts.

As Bass pulls himself off the ground, he communicates with Quick Man. "Quick Man, remove the case of money from my back and send it to Dr. Wily. He must get away from here before the authorities-"

In a flash, Bass' communication gets interrupted when Quick Man zooms over and quickly removes the case from Bass' back. "GotittakencareofBass" he spits before bolting back to the Skullker with Wily onboard, then back to the battle with ProtoMan who has his hands full with all the other Robot Masters...

Nearby, Mr. Black quickly sneaks his way through the scene of battle and makes his way to his parked car. Once he reaches it, he goes around back to open the trunk, revealing nothing inside. At least, not in plain sight.

He commands, "Resuming direct control. Override: 0-0-Delta-0. Open compartment B."

The car obeys Mr. Black's orders again and the bottom of the trunk compartment opens, revealing his Plasma Bolt handgun, two shock pucks and a syringe of the self-healing compound fluid. Barton knew the FBI would inspect the car if he were ever captured, and made sure he built a compartment that was nearly impossible for them to find.

Barton keeps a sharp eye on Mega Man, ProtoMan and all the hostiles left on the battlefield as he grabs each of the items and loads them into his pants pockets. Soon, he sees the Skullker with Wily taking off, and realizes there is no more time left. He has to kill Wily tonight before the police get here, or he will never get another shot.  
>But, there is still the matter of keeping Mega Man off of his back...<p>

Bass returns to his feet to see Mega Man standing with his power fist aimed and ready, and instead of attacking the hero immediately, Bass pauses to use a tactical ploy.  
>"Your brother is outnumbered twelve to one," he says.<p>

"You've obviously underestimated him," Mega retorts.

Bass looks directly at ProtoMan, charging his blaster again. "Perhaps... all it takes is one more, and he will fall easily. Let's see how he quickly he dies!"

Bass begins to jet towards ProtoMan, but Mega Man shouts "NO!" and bolts after him just as quickly. But, Bass pulls a 180 and energizes his fists again, tackling Mega Man in the center of his torso and flying until they crash into a nearby structure.

Before he could get his guard up, Bass leaps back and throws a kick at Mega's face, to keep him down.

"It is _you_ who I underestimated, Mega Man. But, as always, your heart is your weakness!" Bass taunts, picking him up by the collar of his armor. "If you could be merciless, you could have defeat me once and for all! But, you not live long enough to learn that!"

As Bass jets skyward with Mega Man in his grasp, Mega charges another power fist shot. Then, Bass jets back down, looking to drive Mega into the ground in the chance it could cripple his body, but before they could reach the ground Mega fires the fist into Bass gut, sending Bass careening and giving Mega Man a chance to land on his feet.

"And if you could have a heart, maybe you wouldn't lose," Mega taunts back.

Afterwards, Mr. Black races over to Mega's side and informs him, "Wily's onboard that Skullker. He's getting away."

"I'll go after him. If the police are coming here, they'll clean up the rest of them," Mega declares.

But, before Mega could go after the Skullker, Mr. Black pulls a shock puck from his pocket and jabs it into Mega's back, causing him to grunt in pain as his body seizes-up and he slowly falls to his knees.

"I'll take it from here. Thank you," Barton says, "I apologize that it had to come to this, Mega Man. This is something I have to do. Hopefully, you will never be forced to make this same decision yourself."

Mega grunts in pain as Mr. Black removes the puck from his back and makes a b-line for his car and jumps inside and peels off after Wily in the air, firing up the SkyCar jets.

"No ship should go down without her captain," he says to himself as he chases after Wily...

After Bass returns to his feet, he sees ProtoMan battling the Robot Masters to his right, and Mega Man face down on the asphalt to his left. His streaked face takes on a puzzled gaze, wondering how Mega Man could have fallen so quickly.  
>Perhaps it is low energy... Dr. Wily always said he could run out of power at the most inopportune times. This makes for a perfect chance to take him down.<p>

Bass walks with a purpose towards Mega Man, leaving the Robot Masters to fight ProtoMan until he can deal with him personally. He is not about to waste the perfect chance to kill his blood enemy.

Bass charges the most deadly shot that he can on his approach, and the look in his eyes spells deadly intent. "I had hoped my final victory would have been more of a challenge. But, Dr. Wily insists that you are destroyed. And I would hate to disappoint the man," he states, aiming his blaster at Mega's head as he makes his final steps to victory...

ProtoMan continues to manage fine enough alone against the Robot Masters, but not without taking a few hits himself, his armor now sporting light damage.  
>After firing a strong blast at Dust Man, blowing up the air duct atop his head, Proto quickly looks over his shoulder to check on how his brother is faring against Bass. But, he nearly gasps when he sees Mega Man face down on the street as Bass readies a blast that will surly kill him.<p>

Thinking fast, Proto uses a move Mega had used earlier, firing a strong shot at the ground to disorient the Robot Masters left standing, and darts right towards Bass to prevent him from killing his only brother.

But, Bass spins around once he hears the sound of Proto's footsteps coming his way and he fires the blast at him. Proto was prepared for it, however, and slides under the shot and continues running to Bass until they come within striking distance, and they immediately begin throwing punches and kicks at each other.

At their feet, Mega Man tries to stand again, but is too weak from the effects of Mr. Black's shock and is forced to listen to the sounds of his brother battle a very strong Merged Bass and Treble.

"You've lost a few steps, haven't ya'?" ProtoMan taunts.

"You have committed an act of treason. You betrayed Dr. Wily, and you deserve to die for it," Bass threatens, as he fires another blast that Proto avoids. "Yet, somehow, Dr. Wily wants you back."

"What can I say? I'm a popular bot!" Proto quips as he dives and fires two blasts the Bass absorbs into his Bassinium shielding.

"Not for much longer!" Bass shouts as he deflects ProtoMan's blasts back at him with a push of his left hand.

ProtoMan jumps above the shot and makes a dash at Bass, who shoves him off, only for Proto to become caught in a Hyper Thunder shot from Elec Man, which knocks the Red Raider to his knees.

The Robot Masters who ProtoMan had just been battling approach the scene and join Bass to surround Mega Man and Proto, giving neither of the Light Brothers any easy way out.

"What the hell happened to you?" Proto asks his brother as he tries to deal with the pain from Elec Man's attack.

"Mr. Black betrayed us. He's going after Wily," Mega replies, still stunned from his own painful attack.

"I could've told you that would happen," Proto retorts.

Bass stands over both brothers with his blaster ready, preparing to bring Mega Man and ProtoMan to a permanent end once and for all. And the Robot Masters also do the same.  
>"You proved to be somewhat of a challenge, Mega Man. So, I shall destroy you last. ProtoMan, your offense was pitiful like it usually is."<p>

"You got lucky, pal," Proto replies.

"Dr. Wily said he wanted you alive... but, I don't. And if he asks why you were destroyed, I'll tell him you died sacrificing your life to save your brother's," Bass says as he aims his blaster at ProtoMan's head.

Before Mega Man could muster enough power to stop this, Quick Man blurts, "Waitananosecond! YouregoingtodefyDoctorWilysorders?"

Elec Man adds, "Nobody goes against Wily's orders without paying the price. Is your memory core damaged or something?"

"What Wily doesn't know won't hurt him," Bass adds. "Don't you want ProtoMan to pay for joining Mega Man?"

GutsMan replies, "Well, yeah! That Red Rodant! ... But, Wily's gonna tear you to bits if you go against him!"

"Ask Ice Man what he did to him when he went against him. It was bad," Elec Man recalls.

Bass yells with fury in his eyes, "Wily will regret it if he dare tries to attack me!"

All of the Robot Masters are shocked and stand in stunned silence after Bass makes his threatening words. Even Mega Man and ProtoMan glance at one another, stunned that Bass would say anything like that about his master.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Dr. Wily's Skullker flies, Mr. Black chases him in his car and he is beginning to catch up with the mad scientist. And with Mega Man, ProtoMan, Wily's robot army and the Police far behind them, nobody else can interfere.<br>It is just Wily and Barton now. And one man will most likely die here tonight.

As Dr. Wily makes his getaway, he hears a warning tone that alerts him that someone is pursuing the Skullker. He is certain it is Mega Man at first and begins to treat the threat as such.  
>"So, the Blue Wonder thinks he is persistent tonight? Well, let me show you to your doom!" he shouts, entering in a command to trigger the Skullker's countermeasures.<p>

The Skulker fires several laser beams at Mr. Black's car with the Skullker's mounted rear cannon, which Barton narrowly evades, and he continues to chase after the madman, picking up speed at a rapid pace.

"I'm not that easy to shake, you bastard," Barton says quietly...

Back inside the Skullker, Wily looks at his dashboard systems and sees the he is being tailed by something much larger than Mega Man. Following a check from the rear camera, Albert finds this to be Mr. Black's car.

"So... you again, eh?" Wily begins to laugh, "I will have to get rid of you myself!"

Dr. Wily's Skullker veers between two large buildings as they begin to head towards the southern section of Manhattan, close to the Wall Street district. But, Mr. Black keeps on him, following his every move. And when Dr. Wily flies between two other skyscrapers, Barton follows him, not losing a step.  
>And as Wily turns far to the right, Mr. Black sees a high rise ahead with a diagonal roof, and if Wily passes it, it will make for a perfect ramp to target his Skullker with the car. If he can crash into him... Albert Wily is all his.<p>

"This is it, Tonya... it ends, at last," John whispers to himself as he feels his heart beating...

After the Skullker banks hard to the right, Dr. Wily looks into the dashboard screen and sees no sign of Mr. Black's car anymore. It looks like he has shaken Mr. Black off and he can make a clean getaway.

"Yes! I have evaded you once again, Masked Man. Goodbye, forever! Now if only Mega Man would meet the same fate!" Wily celebrates as he flies away...

Mr. Black continues to fly towards the building with the sharp incline roof and his grip tightens on the steering wheel. And once the car's tires hit the roof and he begins his final ascent, Barton's heart races faster.  
>He no longer has any thoughts of Tonya or the live he once lived... just images of hatred and homicidal intentions for Albert Wily... all he can think about is just making this jump and achieving revenge...<p>

And then, the car zooms off the room and begins to descend, directly towards Dr. Wily's oncoming Skullker. Bull's-eye.

Mr. Black lets out a primal yell and he slams his foot on the accelerator and speeds directly for Wily's Skullker... and in the cockpit, Wily sees the car heading directly for him and shrieks in terror, leaping from his seat and diving for the rear of the shuttle...

Mr. Black's car crashes directly into the through the Skullker's front windshields and embeds the chassis deep into the cockpit, crippling both vehicles and causing them both to spiral out of control several feet down.

The Skullker's underside propellers try to regain control and make a dying _whirl-whirl_ sound as it spins around with the black car stuck in its front end. Until, finally, both vehicles crash in the middle of the street, with Barton's car taking the brunt of the impact, dislodging it from the Skullker, but causing both to roll apart from each other in the road until both come to a screeching halt.

Dr. Wily's Skullker was badly damaged and left on its side; Mr. Black's car was mangled and left upside-down. If either of these two men survived, there is no way they are not badly hurt.

* * *

><p>Back on the west side of Manhattan, the police sirens become louder as they are a mere mile from the site of the battle that erupted earlier, where Bass now waits to execute Mega Man and ProtoMan.<p>

"Goodbye, my enemies," Bass says as he charges a shot aimed at ProtoMan's head. Both Mega Man and Proto begin trying to charge whatever power they have left to try to fight off their demise, even if it is a futile effort.

Before he could kill them, however, Bass receives a warning signal from Dr. Wily's crashed Skullker, alerting the Super Warrior that the Skullker was attacked and Dr. Wily is in a potentially grave situation. Given the seriousness of this problem, Bass forces himself to tear himself away from his ultimate victory.

"Wily's in trouble! Deal with them!" he commands the Robot Masters as he takes off and soars to Wily's location.

As the Robot Masters stand around Mega Man and ProtoMan, the brothers exchange words. Proto asks, "Well, how're we gonna fight them off in this shape?"

"We've got back-up coming," Mega replies.

"The Police? That's not enough," Proto groans.

"Not just them," Mega says.

"Shut-up, you two!" Cut Man snaps.

"Which one of ya' want to get crushed first?" GutsMan growls.

"How about neither, dimwit?" ProtoMan jokes.

"Okay, then. You first, Proto Whimp!" GutsMan proclaims, pounding his yellow fists together.

Before the Robot Masters could gang up on Mega and Proto, the police begin to arrive to the scene and several of the officers jump out of their cruisers and armored vans, aiming their weapons at the Robot Masters. And right behind them, Transport Item #2 flies over head carrying two energy cans.  
>When Item #2 flies over Mega and Proto, it tilts to the side and drops the cans off, leaving them to be caught by the brothers as they chug them down.<p>

"Hey! That's not fair!" GutsMan complains.

The police open fire on the Robot Masters, who are forced to try to fight them off, until Mega Man and ProtoMan pop back to their feet and begin teaming up on them and the odds are quickly turned to Mega's favor.  
>Mega Man uses Rush's power fist on GutsMan to take him down, while ProtoMan uses the Magnet Missiles on Quick Man and ElecMan, and the Police fire on the rest of the Robot Masters.<p>

"Retreat!" yells Magnet Man, who leads the charge back to the Skullker, and all the Robot Masters follow him. Soon, so many Robot Masters board that they overcrowd the Skullker as it takes off, leaving some of the Robot Masters to dangle out the rear door as the ship takes off.

Once the Robot Masters flee, ProtoMan returns to Mega Man's side. "Let's go get Bass before he can get Wily out of here."

"I can't fly. Rush's jets are shorted out from Mr. Black's weapon," Mega replies.

"You might not be able to fly, but we can still get a ride," ProtoMan says, approaching a parked Police Car. Instead of politely asking, Proto just picks the human officer up and moves him over, commandeering the cruiser.  
>"Step aside, dude. We need the car on Human Race Defender business."<p>

Aghast at his older brother's actions, Mega Man apologizes to the Officer before stepping into the cruiser. "I'm sorry about this, Officer. We'll return the car in one piece... I hope."

Proto adds, "Can't guarantee it."

* * *

><p>The totaled remains of the crashed Skullker and A.I. Car lay still in the middle of the darkened streets, and the only sounds that can be heard are the hissing of the engines, and a shuffling sound from inside the Skullker.<p>

The shuffling sound comes from Dr. Wily, who barely stumbles out of the Skullker's rear door and falls out, landing on the pavement. The mad scientist coughs several times as a trace of blood trickles from the bridge of his nose, staining his moustache.  
>He attempts to stand up and escape, but once he puts any pressure on his right foot, agonizing pain shoots up his ankle because of a severe sprain he sustained during the crash, and he falls back down, growling in pain.<p>

A few seconds later, the driver's side door of Mr. Black's wrecked car slowly opens. And the battered and bloody body of John Barton emerges, crawling over the shattered glass from his windshields, coughing up blood from his mouth as more blood covers half of his face.  
>Mr. Black does not attempt to stand, because his left leg was broken in the crash, and the pain is enough to illicit painted grunts from him.<p>

Mr. Black's painful noises catch Dr. Wily's attention, and his beady eyes turn to face him. He watches on as Mr. Black reaches into his right pants pocket, removing a syringe containing the self-healing compound, something he has rarely used on himself so he could reserve it for an emergency like this.

Mr Black jabs the syringe into his injured leg, injecting the compound into his blood. And inside his leg, the broken bones are temporarily mended by compound, allowing him to slowly pull himself off the ground.

Dr. Wily watches on his horror as he tries to crawl away on his back as Mr. Black slowly begins stalking him, his mended left leg dragging along the asphalt as he slowly pulls his police issue plasma bolt handgun from his holster.

"Doctor Albert W. Wily," Mr. Black rasps, "You are guilty for the deaths of the humans and robots who died on April 15th 20X1, including the deaths of twenty-two innocent people on subway train 1, Times Square Manhattan, New York... and Tonya Coupe-Barton. Age: thirty-one... died: April 14th 20X1... Cause of death: blunt force trauma... _You_ killed her!"

Dr. Wily begins to beg for his life like he usually does when he is trapped. "No, I beg of you, don't kill me!"

"You killed an innocent woman. A woman so innocent she would never set-up a mouse trap!" Barton rasps as he gains ground on Dr. Wily. He growls, "She was MY WIFE! YOU TOOK HER FROM ME! We would have had children... we were going to have a future... and you took them all from me!  
>Now you beg for your life, like you are the innocent victim... How dare you, you son of a bitch!"<p>

As Mr. Black reaches Dr. Wily, the mad man tries to scatter away on his sprained ankle, but Barton puts him down by striking him back to the ground with a hard forearm blow to the black of the head and neck.  
>As a dazed Wily continues his attempt to get away, Mr. Black turns him over with his right foot and slowly raises his gun to Wily's head. If he fires, there is no way Wily would be able to survive a Plasma Bolt to the brain.<p>

"I have waited for this moment every day since you took my beloved wife. Now, I pay you back. A life for a life," Barton rasps.

"You have to be a reasonable man! You're human, after all! All I ask is you show me mercy, and we can forget about this," Wily grovels, wishing Bass or ProtoMan were here. Even Mega Man and Roll would show more mercy then this monster standing over him.

Mr. Black cocks the hands gun and aims it at Wily's head. "I'm out of mercy. I'll see you in Hell!"

Before Mr. Black could shoot, Bass arrives in the nick of time, knocking Barton to the pavement with a hard kick to the chest. The kick was so forceful, Barton's chest armor almost caves in.  
>Barton falls to his knees and tries to shoot Bass in the head with the plasma bolt gun, but Bass catches up with him, and his attacks are unrelenting. First, he swipes Mr. Black's arms away in an attempt to knock the gun out of his hand, but Barton holds on to it.<br>Bass then slams his fists into Barton's chest several times, caving the armor into his chest and breaking his ribs, finally ending the barrage with a powerful plasma blast in Mr. Black's chest, finally knocking him down.  
>If it were not for the armor, the shot would have eventually killed Barton, for no human can survive being shot with a lethal plasma shot. Not that his current dilemma is much better.<p>

Mr. Black's body falls to the pavement, still clutching his gun and not moving. Satisfied enough with his dispatching of Mr. Black, Bass turns to retrieve Dr. Wily...

"Good! Good boy!" Dr. Wily stammers as Bass helps him to his feet.

"Mega Man and ProtoMan are still alive, but should be incapacitated long enough for us to escape. I don't the Robot Masters destroyed them. I sent a distress signal to the Backup Skullker, and it is almost here," Bass reports.

"What about my sphere?" Wily asks.

"I managed to recover a shard of the sphere. The rest was destroyed. It's power is truly staggering. Even holding this small part is immense," Bass states.

"Wait... do you hear that?" Wily asks, his ears catching the sound of something.

"Yes... I heard it too," Bass replies, looking over to Mr. Black, who is still breathing heavily and slowly returning to his feet.

In anger, and trepidation, Dr. Wily growls, "Finish him off!"

"This won't take long," Bass replies, stalking Barton with evil intentions.

As Bass approaches Mr. Black, the seriously injured vigilante falls back to his knees, gasping for breath. And every breath hurts because of his broken ribs. But, the fire of revenge burns inside of him, and he refuses to stop until he is dead.

Bass reaches Barton, and he grabs him by the collar of his damaged armor and pulls him up to finish him off. "Goodbye, human!"

As Bass rears his right arm back to deliver a finishing blow to Mr. Black, Barton's left arm rises and adheres a shock puck on to Bass' chest, before he could use his bassinum shield.

As he drops Barton back to the asphalt, Bass yells as his body surges with electricity, and Treble cannot un-merge from him before getting shocked himself. And after several seconds of being electrocuted, Bass falls to the ground, crackling the pavement on impact, not moving at all.  
>Nearby, Dr. Wily gasps in shock and tries to hobble away on one leg, with no sign of the back-up Skullker.<p>

Mr. Black returns to his feet and barely drags his legs forward, gasping for air, staring at Dr. Wily with a death stare, clutching the plasma bolt handgun in his right hand, going in for the kill...

"I... will... kill you!" Barton chokes, barely able to speak or breath, spitting his last breath, for hate's sake...

As Barton raises the gun one last time to complete this mission and get vengeance for Tonya, Bass' auxiliary power kicks in, and he uses his Bassinum power to pull the shock puck from his chest and leaps for Barton, striking his right arm with his left hand and causing the gun to fall.  
>Letting out primal growls, he begins to brutalize Barton, punching him in the chest and head... until one deadly uppercut to his jaw, which kicks Barton's head back so violently that it re-breaks his surgically repaired neck, making a terrifying guttural 'SNAP' sound on impact.<p>

Barton no longer feels his body, and everything begins to rapidly go dark all around him, much like that day on the train...

Barton's eyes glaze and his body falls limp as Bass grabs him by his chest armor, ready to deliver a fatal shot that will end him this time. At the same time, the backup Skullker arrive to retrieve Wily and the others. As the Robot Masters Wood Man and Bomb Man begin to help Dr. Wily, he turns to Bass...

"Finish him off!" Wily yells.

As he clutches Barton's body, Bass almost does what his creator told him... But, he knows the damage is done...

"He's already finished off," Bass answers.

"We need to get out of here now," Wily orders.

Bass lowers Barton's body down on the street, gently enough to not make his fall sharp. It was like a measure of respect for a worthy opponent. One he may extend to Mega Man if he defeats him.  
>He then races for the Skullker, which takes off with Wily and flees to Skull Fortress, leaving the brutalized Barton for dead...<p>

Nearly a minute passes as Barton's body remains lying here in the middle of the road, until Mega Man and ProtoMan finally arrive riding the police car they commandeered. But, it is too late.

"No! We won't be able to catch them now!" Mega bemoans.

"At least they didn't get that sphere," ProtoMan says, before he looks down at Barton's lifeless body. "Rock?..."

Mega looks down as well and sees how badly Barton is injured... "He shouldn't be alive... but, he _is_!"

Although his entire body is severely injured and his neck is broken and he knocked out cold, John Barton still breathes. His inhalation is long and shallow, and sounding wet because of his severe internal injuries.  
>In this condition, he will not live for very much longer with serious medical care as soon as possible.<p>

As Mega Man hears the sirens approaching from down the street, he cannot help but feel that tonight was only a partial victory. There was no virus in the area and Wily failed to get the Jadous Sphere because it was destroyed.  
>But, Wily still got away with the money he robbed from Federal Reserve, The Conduit's assets escaped, therefore they are still a factor, and Agent Barton is almost dead.<p>

Even with these heavy thoughts running through his mind, Mega Man still has a duty to perform. And despite everything that Barton has done to him and his family - even after he betrayed him tonight - Mega still shows Barton mercy and calls the medics on his communicator.

"Attention, this is Mega Man! We found Agent Barton, and he's been critically injured. We need to get him to a hospital right away," he calls.

_"Copy, Mega Man. We have an ambulance en route,"_ responds the robot responder.

"Wow... you still tried to save him after what he did," Proto comments.

"I promised to defend the human race... even him," Mega quietly replies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_The Epilogue is next, and it will wrap the episode up, at long last._

_Mr. Black's injuries were originally going to be more serious and more graphic, and the final scene was originally contained more violence. But, I do not want to get this chapter taken down.  
>And if this chapter was too graphic, please PM me so I can fix it.<em>

_Please don't forget to review or comment. And if you find any production notes, typos or continuity errors so bad that even crocodile's jaws might not be able to crack it, please PM me right away._


	136. Episode 12 Epilogue: Forever Blackened

**_Episode 12 Epilogue: Forever Blackened._**

* * *

><p>Miss T returns to her own personal base of operations, located inside of an inconspicuous apartment in New York City. She dismounts her motorcycle and makes her way inside by climbing up a fire ladder until she enters through a window she left open.<br>She then removes her black motorcycle helmet and lets fall her shoulder length hair, crinkled from sweating during the intense operation that occurred earlier with Wily.

She removes her motorcycle gloves and presses her right hand on her head, which she took a blow from when she landed hard on the ground after ProtoMan nearly ran her over with Mr. Black's car. "Bastard!" she curses.

Panting from exhaustion, she leans herself against a desk where a very high-tech computer station sits, contemplating what to say when she makes her report to The Conduit.

After leaning here for a minute in the darkness, she powers up the console and makes the call to The Conduit, hoping for the best.

The screen glows with a blue hue, reading _"Contacting: C." _After The Conduit answers, it reads. _"Connected: C"_ and a timer displaying the time of the call...

_"My patience is it its end. I want you to explain what went wrong,"_ the angry Conduit orders his top asset.

"That Bonne kid didn't repair that damn computer. I told you, we should have never brought him onboard! He's only going to destroy everything and land us all in jail," Miss T answers.

_"Do you have another reason, other than blaming another?"_

"Mr. Black must have spilled his guts to the authorities. Told them about the meeting. If only you had followed my advice and pick another location, and another frequency, this wouldn't have happened," Miss T says.

_"We would have been more exposed to the other parties any other way. But, I will use your idea in the future, Miss T."_

"I'm sure we can get to Barton before he exposes anything else," Miss T suggests.

_"From what I have heard, Barton is not a problem anymore. One of Wily's robots brutalized him and he is on death's door as we speak. If he survives, however, he will be in federal custody, and will most likely be placed in a federal penitentiary under heavy guard."_

"Can't you find a way to bump him to state pen? We can arrange for something to happen to him. Maybe pay off the prisoners to silence him," Miss T asks.

_"My influence goes only so far. I would only be caught if I interfered in federal matters, and I cannot afford that. Not with my plan."_

"We have no sphere, We've lost Barton, Wily is still alive, and if it couldn't get any worse, Mega Man knows about us now! What are we going to do?" Miss T asks.

_"Our operation has been exposed, so it is best that we remain in the shadows until further notice. I need to assess when the best chance to strike again will be."_

"What about Mega Man? What about the feds?" an anxious Miss T asks.

_"I will find out how much they know. And if Mega Man gets in the way, I already know how to deal with him. He has many weaknesses to exploit. And I also have Dr. Light's database in my hands. I am certain there will be a treasure trove of information that can bring all our robotic enemies down."_

Miss T remarks, "At least Wily couldn't get his hands on the sphere. Or else, we would all be screwed."

_"Are you sure he did not get a piece of the sphere?"_

Miss T remains silent, trying to remember if she saw any of Wily's robots making off with the remains of the sphere. "I hit my head when Mega Man and ProtoMan arrives, the red bastard nearly ran me over... I don't know."

_"If Wily has so much as a half of an inch of that sphere, he could still create destruction on a wide scale level."_

"I will try to keep the interlopers off your back. What do I do with the Bonne kid and that other slime ball we hired," Miss T asks, referring to Mr. Wire as the slime ball.

_"Bonne will create the virus for us and act as our asset. When his service are no longer needed, he will be cut loose. I will keep Wire in check if he becomes a problem. If he is, he will be cut loose."_

"If by 'cut loose' you mean dropping them off at a thousand feet and letting gravity take care of the rest, let me know. I would love to do that to 'Wire' personally," Miss T says.

_"Keep your homicidal desires in check. If anymore errors like this occur, I may have to cut you loose. Miss T."_

Miss T lets out a brief, shaken sigh and keeps mum. "I'll... make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

_"We might only have one final chance to succeed. If I fail, everybody in the network will pay. It would be a shame to have to punish a woman as loyal as yourself."_

Miss T tries to speak again, but The Conduit terminates the call, and her blue computer screen turns red, reading _"Call lost." _She clenches her fists and breathes heavy in frustration. But, she is not about to let a bungling of this scale happen on her watch again.

"I'll get the job done, sir. No matter who I have to throw under the bus," she mutters as her deep brown eyes become angry.

* * *

><p><strong>The Gesselchaft.<strong>

At the same time as Miss T gets told off by The Conduit, Tiesel Bonne returns to The Gesselchaft and attempts to sneak back to his quarters, in hopes of not alerting his sister, who is not going to be pleased when she learns that her Servbots were left standing in the cold for hours waiting for salvage that wasn't there.

He tiptoes through the ship at this late hour, trying not to make a peep as he handles the box containing the computer he rigged to create the robot virus. Once he reaches his bedroom and leaves the computer inside, Tiesel begins to relax a little bit, thinking that Tron and the Servbots must be asleep and are not going to hassle him.

Then, just as he removes his facemask helmet with the white Mohawk on top, his eardrums are impacted by the shrill shrieking of his little sister from behind him, yelling, "TIESEL BONNE!"

At the sound of Tron's supersonic shouting, Tiesel yelps and drops the helmet on the floor, nervously looking around in every which direction until he faces his angry little sister, standing there wearing a frown on her face.  
>Tiesel is not looking forward to this, because he knows this is one of those times were his doll-faced sister will expose her pit-bull soul.<p>

"Oh.. hi, Tron. Uh, what a pleasant surprise to see you up," Tiesel begins, trying to sound innocent.

"YOU told my baby Servbots to meet you someplace in Wisconsin in the middle of a blizzard! And not only were you not there to take care of them, but there was no customer there waiting for them... YOU LEFT MY BABIES OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD!" Tron yells.

Tiesel begins to stammer, "I can explain everything, Tron. You see-"

"You needed to escape the Gesselchaft and go pretend to be a hero again. Why else would you be wearing your stupid armor. And instead of telling me the truth, YOU LIED TO ME! MEEEEEEEE! YOUR INNOCENT, LOVABLE, BEAUTIFUL, NICE, INTELLIGENT LITTLE SISTER!" Tron shouts in his face.

Trying to defend his actions (and cover it up to make this sound like it was a heroic duty,) Tiesel attempts to plead, "But, you don't understand, Tron. I was on the scene of the big battle with Mega Man and Wily in New York, and-"

"And you could have gotten yourself killed and left us all alone!" Tron accuses.

"It's not like you don't have Mom and Dad! ... when they aren't on vacation!" Tiesel tries to counter.

"I just got off the Comm System with Mom and Dad, and I told them you ran away. And they have given me the permission to punish you however I see fit," Tron says, now growling, "Tiesel... YOU'RE GROUNDED!"

"Grounded!?" Tiesel scoffs, "You can't ground me! You're younger than I am! I'm the running the business!"

"Not now, you're not! I've been trusted to run things in your absence. Maybe without you operating things, we won't be accused of stealing other people's stuff anymore!" Tron barks with her pink-gloved hands on her hips.

"Yeah, well, I'll... I'm gonna remember this when your need a part for that big green thing you're building!" Tiesel meekly retorts, trying to sound full of bravado as he storms off to his room.

"I don't need your help, YOU BIG STUPID-HEAD!" Tron shrills back (mustering the cleanest curse she could) as she storms back to her room

Once the two Bonnes are done with their faceoff and in their quarters, several Servbots come out from under cover now that it is safe from the very loud argument and begin to scurry away.

* * *

><p>Inside Tiesel's room, he becomes frustrated as he removes the arm pieces of his armor and throws them away. If Tron keeps her word, keeping his grounding on indefinitely, there is no way he will be able to leave the Gesselchaft to partake in his missions.<p>

In the middle of his frustrations, his phone rings and he answers it. "What?!"

_"I would prefer a respectful tone, Mr. Endo,"_ says the distorted voice of The Conduit.

Tiesel gasps, "Oh! I'm very sorry, Conduit! And I apologize too!"

_"Just tell me what happened tonight, and why did we fail to administer __the virus __?"_

Trying to keep his composure, Tiesel explains, "The computer didn't work. After it got shot up, the power supply took damage and it was only a matter of time before it shorted out. And once it blew, it fried the motherboard. It's a miracle I got it to work this long. If only I had more time to conduct tests, it would have worked.  
>But, it's not my fault. I did what you told me to do."<p>

_"If you could, is there anybody else you could pin the blame on for why this didn't work?"_

"Well, that T woman is threatening. And that Wire guy is a jerk. But... I don't think so. Everything went wrong at the wrong time. We didn't expect Mr. Black to come back, or Mega Man.  
>But, please, don't sell me out! I didn't do anything wrong! I even tried to stay longer so I could save the virus, but we had to escape."<p>

After a pause that lasts only seconds - but feels like days - The Conduit answers, _"An acceptable explanation. However, is our operation is now known to the authorities, we will have to remain in the shadows until I give the word to proceed."_

"Thank the Maker," Tiesel exhales sharply, in relief.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Tiesel blurts.

_"Continue your ordinary activities until the next time you are summoned,"_ The Conduit orders. _"The next time we launch a major procedure, I don not expect to fail."_

"Don't worry, sir... or ma'am! ... you won't!" "Tiesel says.

_"Pray__ that we don't..."_

Tiesel becomes scared out of his mind following The Conduit's warning. Now that he has one massive failure under his belt, the next one could be the last... and the last mistake he will ever make.

* * *

><p><strong>That Morning.<strong>

_"After almost three days of darkness, the largest blackout in history is now over,"_ reports Trish Falkenberg at the Channel 7 anchor desk. _"With the help of a power stabilizer created by Dr. Thomas Light, power crews were able to restart all the power grids that were damaged by the attack on Manhattan's main power grid, likely caused by Dr. Wily's robots.  
>Despite the massive span of the blackout, there were not many reports of looting or malice, and local police forces kept the peace."<br>_

As the newscast continues, the anchors begin reporting other noteworthy news. But, one of which is a fabrication, conjured by the FBI to keep people away from the site of the battle last night, preventing anybody from taking any of the shards of the destroyed Jadous Sphere...

_"The FBI and the New York Health Department continue to keep two miles of midtown Manhattan off-limits today, following a possible leak of hazardous materials near the location of a battle involving Mega Man and Dr. Wily's robots which took place nearby, hours ago. The FBI stated that it appears there is no cause for concern and residents may return to later tonight."_

Kirk then tosses it to another story which is not entirely the truth, also altered by an FBI cover story...

_"Former FBI Agent John Barton, the man who masqueraded as Mr. Black, managed to escape federal custody during the battle with Dr. Wily last night. However, he was encountered by one of Wily's robots, who attacked him and left the fugitive vigilante with life-threatening injuries.  
>Barton remains in critical condition at the hospital under guard, and it is not known yet if he will recover from his injuries. Stay tuned to Channel 7 for further details on both of these stories."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>New York City.<strong>

ProtoMan flies over the skies of New York in the Land Blazer, checking out the scene now that the power is back on. The damage he took from last night's battle is now repaired, which is good, because ProtoMan did not want to look the worse for wear right now.  
>Especially today, of all days.<p>

He calls his brother Mega Man, who is also scoping the city to check on the recovery from the blackout. "Everything looks good from up here. Tell Dr. Light it looks like that gizmo of his worked. How's it over there?"

_"Everything is great over on the south side. Busy as usual. I'm going to head back to the lab. Be sure you're back in a few minutes. Dr. Light said he needed us for something else,"_ Mega Man answers.

"Sure. I'll see you there," ProtoMan replies. "By the way. Did you ever reach Cossack's daughter?"

Mega explains, _"Yeah. She's okay. She was just too tired to be up late last night."_

"You head back to the lab. I'll see you soon," Proto concludes, looking over his shoulder to see if Mega Man or anybody is watching him.

Proto then moves the Land Blazer to a nearby rooftop and lands, leaping out so he can find a relatively quiet place to make a call to somebody very important to him.  
>He removes a holographic projector disc from his scarf and holds it in his left hand as he punches Nomad's frequency in his forearm communicator.<p>

"Hey, girl. It's Proto. Are you there? If you are, use that disc I gave you."

A few seconds later, a transparent image of Nomad's hoodie-clad head and shoulders appears from the disc and she looks back at him. The mere sight of her makes ProtoMan smile.

"Hi. Is it warm enough down there?" Proto asks.

Nomad's hologram nods, confirming that the conditions in Florida are more comfortable than they were in Utah.

"Anybody been hassling you, or following you?" ProtoMan asks. "You haven't felt any pain lately?"

Nomad shakes her head.

"That's good," Proto says, relieved that Nomad is safe after Mr. Black made his vague mention of her yesterday. "I really wanted to come down and see you last night, but... let's say, I was busy. And, my family here wants me here today. But, I'll make another visit soon. Now that I've got this Land Blazer, we can do a little sightseeing, or something. Would you like that?"

Nomad nods, a little more than the first time. She must be interested in going places with Proto. He would keep her safe.

ProtoMan feels bad that he has to keep his relationship with Nomad a secret, and he wishes he never had to, but it is for her protection. In the middle of his heartache, he softly assures, "One day, when this fighting is all over, I'm gonna make sure you never have to run away again. You won't have to look over your shoulder. I'll protect you forever."

Proto follows his siblings' advice and tells Nomad how he feels about her before the communication ends. "I love you, girl. If you love me... just give me a smile."

Upon hearing Proto's sentiment, Nomad begins to smile, and her innocent thin eyes become a little happier just feeling how she does.

Proto's forearm makes a noise, caused by Mega Man attempting to communicate with him. He must really need him back at the lab. "I've gotta go. I'll see if I can swing by this week. I'll call you later. Okay?"

Nomad nods, continuing to smile as the call ends. As Proto puts his holographic disc away under his scarf, he tries to call Mega Man back. "I'm on my way. I didn't know it was that urgent."

ProtoMan leaps into the Land Blazer and flies back towards Dr. Light's lab just outside the city. And he has no idea what is waiting for him when he gets there...

* * *

><p>ProtoMan returns home to the lab, parking the Land blazer on the path to the garage. But, when he exits, he sees the garage door left open, and the inner door leading directly to the lab left ajar.<p>

Proto knows this is not right, because his family always remembers to keep these doors shut. He tries calling his brother again, carefully stepping ahead. "Rock, it's me. Do you know you left the garage open?"

There is no response from Mega Man, and ProtoMan gets concerned.

"Roll? Is everything okay in there, Sis? ... Dr. Light? ... Peekaboo, buddy?" Proto calls, but there is no answer.

And then, Proto has a horrifying thought... Mega Man said that Mr. Black was working for somebody and those people came after him. What if they came after his family in retaliation for foiling their scheme yesterday?

On alert, ProtoMan draws his blaster and races for the garage, stopping just outside the entrance to the lab. After taking a few seconds to prepare for whatever is behind that door, Proto keeps his buster at the ready and enters, only to see that the entire place is dark.

ProtoMan trudges through the darkness, taking aim at anything as he moves like a combat tactician. The only thing he can hear is the sound of a human heart and several internal regulators. They must be here... or it is the leather chick and her robots.  
>Either way, they are close... if Proto moves closer, he can get them.<p>

"Guys... is that you?" Proto calls, keeping his blaster primed... and then, he gets the shock of his life...

The lights in the lab come up, and his entire family stands in front of him, cheering in unison, **"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"**

Confused by this big surprise, Proto lowers his blaster cannon and studies his surroundings... red and yellow balloons and decorations, Rush and Peekaboo wearing party hats, and some red gift boxes nearby.  
>They remembered four years ago today was the day he was first powered-up. His birthday.<p>

Mega gives his older brother a slap on his left shoulder. "Happy birthday, Proto!"

Proto is at a rare loss for words, causing Roll to giggle as she carries Peekaboo in her arms, "I think a Tama's got his tongue!"

"I though you guys were in trouble. It looked like somebody broke in," Proto says as he returns his left hand into place, powering off his buster.

"Sorry about that. Maybe that wasn't the best idea," Mega sheepishly apologizes.

"So, you're throwing a party... for _me_?" Proto asks.

"Yes, son," Thomas says, "It is a human tradition to celebrate one's birthday. It makes the person feel special, and I want my robots to have the same honor."

"Well, uh... thanks. I've never had a party before," Proto says.

Roll adds, "Even though we've haven't always gotten along, it's your birthday, so... free hugs!"  
>Afterwards, Roll steps up to Proto and gives him a hug with her left arm, and as he is held in Roll's right arm, Peekaboo happily bleeps as he nestles up to Proto.<p>

Proto remarks, half smiling, "I guess I can get used to this party stuff."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Following his near death experience last night, Dr. Wily sits in his Command Center with all the numerous monitors off and only the hue of the ceiling above lighting the room.  
>Wearing a makeshift splint on his injured ankle and bandages on his face, Albert sits silently as he stares at the slightly curved shard Jadous Sphere Bass recovered last night, holding it between his forefinger and thumb. And his frown becomes pronounced when he thinks about what kind of power he could have possessed if he had caught the whole sphere, instead of just this shard... whatever creation which had the sphere would have been more powerful than everything he had ever built, or stolen.<br>Now, he sits here with just the shard... unaware of how much power he now has with _just_ this shard.

Bass enters the Command Center and stands behind Wily, who does not break his stare on the shard. He reports, "The Sniper Joe robots are nearly complete with the repairs on the Robot Masters. You still have all the money stolen from the federal reserve."

Albert complains, "But, Mega Man is still alive. Proto is still in Thomas Light's fat little hands... and this little piece is all of the Jadous Sphere I have. All of that power... gone!"

Dr. Wily chucks the shard onto his control console in frustration. But, Bass warns him, "Dr. Wily, that one shard alone contains more power than I have even encountered. Even stronger than my Bassinuim jewels. It can still be used as a weapon, or on another invention. Anything."

The underwhelmed Wily groans, "I can't concern myself with a shard. I have to begin plotting my next plan. Very simple: find a way to get more money, so that I can finish my ultimate creation. _Unt_ maybe we could built that scrap inside of it."

Not letting the power of the shard go to waste - and feeling the need to protect his status within the Wily Army - Bass says, "If you will not use the shard, I will."

Wily turns around to look at Bass now, taking his warning very seriously. He is already powerful enough. But, with the shard, he could be unstoppable. And if Bass becomes a problem again, Wily might need something to use against him and keep him humble.  
>"The shard is better off in my possession for now," Wily replies.<p>

"Be sure to let me know when you change your mind," Bass says while he begins to leave.

"Hold it!" Wily calls, "There is one more thing I need to know. If you had succeeded last night, were you going to follow my orders and bring ProtoMan back... or kill him?"

"Bring him back, of course. Why would I defy your orders?" Bass lies.

Albert's evil eyes narrow as Bass walks away, now suspicious of his right hand robot's true intentions. As he turns back, he picks the shard up again and says, "It looks like I will be needing you after all. And if Bass is right... then, I wonder what you can really do."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

ProtoMan's birthday continues and his family is giving out gifts to him. But, Proto is still confused and taken aback by this.

"Didn't we just do this gift thing two weeks ago?" he asks, referring back to Christmas.

"It's your birthday. That's why," Mega answers.

"Yeah, you're lucky your birthday is right after Christmas. Mega and me have to wait until April," Roll jokes as Peeksboo sits in her lap with his extension arm wrapped around her waist, holding a gift in his hand.

Boo beeps, wanting his mommy to give Proto their present.

"Okay, Boo. Here you go, Proto," Roll says, handing Proto his present, contained in a tubular case, complete with a tag reading _"From Roll (and Peekaboo.)"_

"Thanks, guys," Proto says, beginning to open the tube, expecting to find some sort of weapon like a plasma shock prod or an add-on to his weapon systems. Instead, what comes out is something totally different.  
>It is a small metallic shaft with holes in it, no bigger than Proto's hand.<p>

"What is it?" he asks.

"It's a whistle," Roll answers, "I was stumped and didn't know what to give you. But, Boo said you like to whistle. So, we got you this."

Peekaboo beeps with excitment, asking ProtoMan if he likes his gift.

Proto warms up to the gift. "Maybe I can whistle an _actual tune_ with this thing now. Thanks, you two," he says, giving Peekaboo a pat on his hardhat, which makes the Met bleep with happiness.

Afterwards, Mega Man hands his brother a heavy red box, and Proto takes an interest in what it may be. He opens it and expects something that can help him in combat. And much to his surprise, he finds a rounded grey and red shield made out of tough titanium. And with a black viewport to see through when facing heavy resistance in battle.

"Hey, I could get used to this," Proto says, carrying it with his right arm to accustom himself with it. He then places the shield over his back with the back strap. "I like it. I'll have to test it the next time we're fighting the bolt-heads."

"I thought you might wanta little extra something to use this against Wily's bots," Mega comments.

Proto smiles, "Thanks, Bro."

Dr. Light calls, "Alright, everyone. I'm sure Doris is almost ready with the electrolyte sundaes. So, let's head for the dining area."

Peekaboo lets out a cheering bleep, happy to have dessert as Roll carries him out, followed by the rest of his family... except for ProtoMan, who remains here. And he looks down for a robot who is enjoying his birthday.

As Proto shuffles off away from the dining room, Dr. Light sees this and returns to check up on his first son. "Proto. Are you alright?

"Hmm? Oh, sure. Yeah," Proto answers. "So, was this party just your idea, or Rock's?"

"It was all of ours, son," Thomas replies, stepping up to Proto's right, "I take it your birthday is something Wily never thought about."

"Nope," Proto sighs.

"Well, it will not be that way with any of us," Dr. Light guarantees.

Proto asks, "So... I don't owe you guys, or anything like that?"

Thomas almost chuckles, "Of course not! We do it because you are a part of our family. And we love you."

Proto nods and barely smiles. "Thanks."

Dr. Light puts his arms over Proto's shoulder, and Proto does not react at first. But, soon, he does reciprocate the gesture for a few seconds.

Once the sound of Mega Man's footsteps are heard behind them, ProtoMan returns to a normal stance, not wishing to be seen having a sentimental moment. "I'll be back soon. I just hope Doris didn't put control chips in the dessert," Proto quips before heading out, passing by Mega Man on the way.

Afterwards, Mega approaches Dr. Light and reports an interesting finding. "I was just called by the FBI. They said Mr. Black is in a medically-induced coma."

"That is, most unfortunate," Dr. Light says, showing as much compassion as he can, although he does not sound overly concerned for a man who terrorized his family here at the lab.

Mega adds, "It looks like he'll pull, through. But, nobody knows how bad he will be when he wakes up. The doctors said he said my name before they knocked him out. It looks like I'll have to have another chat with him soon."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>One week later.<br>Federal Penitentiary.  
>Washington D.C.<strong>**

Mega Man and Agent Cotto make their way towards Mr. Black's cell in the maximum security wing. Mega carries with him a box with personal items that Barton has been requesting since he awakened, items that the FBI had not yet given to him because they are keeping him under heavy watch in case he tries anything to escape or hurt himself.

"How is he doing?" Mega asks.

The agent answers, "He has a brace fused to his spine now, but he has full use of his limbs. His strength is less than half of what it was and will not be able to walk for another two weeks. Outside of his health, he has been fully cooperative in his interviewers with us."

"Did you ever find this 'Conduit' he mentioned?" Mega Man inquires.

"No. The people and the robots in New York got away. We're still investigating who gave the order for the police to come. It jeopardized the entire operation. We know it wasn't you, ProtoMan or John. But, we're certain it was somebody inside the police department. Either somebody who was overzealous... or possibly somebody who wanted to sabotage the operation."

"As if we didn't have enough to worry about," Mega sighs. "Did you get the sphere back entirely?"

"Our teams have gathered all the shards left at the scene and will be putting it back together to ensure a piece is not missing. The President has ordered both spheres to be placed at an undisclosed location. Even _we_ won't know where they are anymore."  
>Cotto pauses. "John always said those spheres should have destroyed. Looks like he was right."<p>

"I think we've learned too many times that more power will only do more harm than good," Mega Man comments. "Look at Gamma."

At the end of the hallway are two human guards and two robot guards, stationed in front of a cell with rifles, here to ensure that nobody gets to Mr. Black. The robot guards give Mega Man and Agent Cotto a nod, while the human guards salute Mega Man and with a smile.  
>Cotto removes his ID card from his suit and slides it through the card reader beside Mr. Black's cell door, and he is given clearance.<p>

"He's all yours. I admit, I'm surprised you would want to see him, after what he's done," Cotto says.

"I have an idea for him. One that does not involved criminal activity. It can keep him busy," Mega Man replies as he begins to enter the room...

And there, inside the darkened room, sitting at a table under a single light is John Barton. He now has a titanium spinal brace bolted into the back of his neck and back to keep his upper spine stable after his neck was re-broken by Bass, and the brace forces him to sit straight up until it can be taken off. His face still bares the bruises and scars from that brutal night.  
>Barton manages to turn his body to the left to face Mega Man as he enters.<p>

"I'm surprised you're here," Barton says.

"I heard that you needed to talk to me," Mega Man responds.

"Yes," Barton confirms.

"Also, I was delivering something you said you wanted," Mega Man replies.

Barton's eyes focus on the square object Mega is holding in his right hand. "You recovered the chess table."

Mega places John's chess table on the table, and Barton begins to open it, removing all the chess pieces and meticulously placing them in the same places they sat for nearly three years, recreating the game he was playing with Tonya the way it was when they last paused.  
>"Do you have the pictures?" he asks.<p>

Mega places a digital picture frame on the table and turns it on, and several images of Tonya appear, all of which were in John's personal collection.  
>"Some of them were damaged in the shootout at your place. But, they were restored as best as they could be. Everything you had is in there."<p>

Barton stares at the frames unique design with it's curved corners instead of sharp ones. Obviously designed that way to make sure Barton does not use it as a weapon.  
>He then takes the frame and cycles through the images until he stops at one particular shot. It was Tonya sitting in a big white chair, wearing a white blouse, smiling brightly into the camera as her long black curls hung to the sides of her face.<br>Barton stops and stares at this radiant image for a long tie. This was how he wanted to remember her.

He rigidly moves foreword and sets the frame on the other end of the table, right across from himself. "Thank you, Mega Man. I appreciate this gesture, and that you do not hold a grudge. You placed the call to rescue me. Were it any other robot, I'm sure I would have been left to die.  
>However, I feel that you are here for a reason. Considering how heated our discussions were a week ago, you would not linger in the room unless you were in need of assistance."<p>

"Agent Barton, you did a lot of bad things. But, because of the good things you did like fight Wily and save President Henry, you could get a shorter term in jail," Mega Man replies.

"What I did was wrong, and I accept my fate," Barton says, turning down a shorter sentence. "I do not deserve to walk among normal people."

"Then, maybe you can find enough kindness in your heart to do something good with your abilities now that you can't use them for vengeance," Mega Man suggests. "There's somebody whose life was changed because the two of us were facing off during a Wily attack in New York."

Barton responds, "Highland Industries. Janet Clarke, the young girl who you were trying to locate before the building collapsed... Spinal fracture. Paralyzed."

"If you can make a machine that can control people's minds, maybe you can create something that can help a little girl walk again," Mega Man appeals.

Barton's eyes lower as he thinks about Mega Man's proposition, and he catches the sight of Tonya's picture. Seeing his dark-skinned angel makes him think that if she were alive, she would want him to do this. To begin cleansing his dark past with something good.  
>Even his late father would want his son to do something courageous for a helpless person in need, rather than using his knowledge for destruction.<p>

"Tonya would have wanted me to help her... My father wanted me to be a doctor," Barton muses. He then looks up to Mega. "I may not be a doctor, but I have extensive knowledge of the human body and neural region. I would need details on the girls condition, but if her paralysis can be cured via neural repair... I'll do what I can."

"Thank you," Mega Man says.

"I suggest that you don't tell the girl's family that I am doing this. I'm certain their reaction will not be favorable," Barton adds.

"I understand," Mega says. "You'll do a great deed by curing her."

John continues setting up the chess board. "When we first spoke, I was certain that my view on how to end the war was the right one. But, it appears you were right. I was never proud of most of my actions, but I convinced myself the ends justified the means... now I sit here defeated. I was wrong."  
>Barton looks back to Mega Man and says, "There was a time I did not care for your kind. I didn't believe that robots deserved the same rights as humans, and even the idea of having an actual conversation with a robot sounded absurd. But, you have changed my mind.<br>Seeing you protect people you don't even know, hearing your reasons for defending the human race. Seeing how capable you are of loving like a human would... you would have even changed my father's mind."

"I just do what feels right. And it's not programming, just me," Mega says.

Barton nods. "This the reason you were chosen by President Henry to be a Defender. You, and your family, are like us. And robots who come after your time will be, as well."

Barton looks up and stares at Mega Man. "You have to stop Wily soon. The longer he remains a free man, the more likely he is to win the war... unless The Conduit gets to him first."

"I will stop him," Mega states.

"Wily is not the only problem now," Barton warns, "The Conduit likely knows that you are aware of the Network's existence. If The Conduit considers you a threat, they will come after you like they came after me. Then, you will be fighting two wars. One against an enemy who the world knows, and the war with the shadows.  
>You have to protect your family. Protect Kalinka Cossack. Don't let your life become a tragedy like the one I have to live."<p>

"I'll make sure I protect them," Mega Man says before beginning to leave.

"There is one more thing. This is the only request I have," Barton calls. "Please tell Agent Cotto to leave Tonya one white rose on her gravesite every birthday."

Mega Man nods and leaves the solitary cell and heads home to the lab. And once he is alone in his cell again, John finishes setting the chess pieces on the board just like they were the last time he was playing with Tonya. He has one last piece of unfinished business left to take care of.

John sits for several minutes, contemplating if he should do this at all. This match was the one thing they had left to finish before moving on with their new lives together. John does not want to end it now, without her here. But, it was time to accept - no matter how much it will hurt - that she is gone and that he must not try to honor her memory with the death of the monster who did this, Albert Wily.  
>He must finally allow Tonya's memory to rest and accept that Wily will be stopped one way or another. Most likely, by Mega Man.<p>

As John stares at Tonya's picture with his hand on his chin, he remembers the last time he contemplated making a move in this match with her, right before they were to embark on a visit to New York... the trip that would later kill her...

_Nearly three years earlier, John and Tonya were about to leave for New York to look at the house they were about to buy when John was waiting for her, giving a long stare towards the Chess Board, contemplating his next move._

_"Sorry I'm late. Let's hurry up and get to Dulles. We don't have much time before the flight leaves," Tonya __said __as she came down the stairs. __She asked softly, "Are you sure you want to leave here?"_

_"There's nothing left for me here. I left my job. My father is gone and I don't have any contact with any other family," John replied. "I want to leave."_

_"Maybe while we're up there, we can go to Dr. Thomas Light's lab," Tonya suggested._

_John scoffed. "Yeah, we can meet our future robot replacements. Those things will never be like us, though." John then shook his head, "Now, I'm starting to sound like George Cochran's son. Nevermind."_

_Tonya said, "I heard about that. And if you ever end up like him-"_

_"And I won't, because I don't want to lose you too. And I'm not racist... obviously," Barton grinned._

_John began picking up the luggage, when Tonya suddenly came in and planted a kiss on his lips. "You ain't never gonna lose me, sugar."_

_"I'm sure I wont," John said as he then give Tonya one last kiss before leaving... it would be the last kiss they would ever share before getting onboard the subway train just eight hours later..._

As the John Barton of today stares at Tonya's picture, his face begins to change expression. Instead of the emotionless scowl he wore during the Mr. Black days, he begins to look saddened, finally allowing himself to let out all of his pain and sorrow over losing the woman whom he loved dearly.

He knows what has to be done now. It is time for this chess match to come to an end. Tonya is not here anymore to make the final move to win this chess match, so he must do it himself.

John makes a reach for the Ivory Queen piece and grabs it. But, he does not move it yet because he tries to hold this final moment off for as long as he can. And he can feel the sadness becoming unbearable inside as he tries to fight back his emotions.

He almost considers moving the piece to another point on the board, so that he could hold the end of the match off further. But, he knows what move Tonya was going to make had she returned to the match. And so, he makes it.

He moves Tonya's queen piece to the bottom left corner of the board, across from John's exposed king piece. "Queen to 1-A... Checkmate," he states in a shaking voice.

Once he completes the match, John allows himself to accept that his wife is gone, and if Heaven exists, she is in a better place, safe from the war and whatever awaits this world if Wily or The Conduit win.  
>After years of hardening himself to become the ultimate avenger whose only emotion was rage, John Barton allows himself to do the one thing he refused to do when he awoke from the coma he fell into after he was gravely hurt on the train. He allows himself to mourn for Tonya. He allows himself to cry for her.<p>

Tears begin to fall from John's eyes as he brings his arms up to his head and lurches over the table, silently weeping for her and the lives that were lost. Both Tonya's life and his own.

John Barton's mission is finally over, but his thirst for revenge is resulted in nothing but suffering. In fact, it already turned a dire situation in the war with Dr. Wily and make it worse by giving The Conduit a larger foothold.  
>And for his deeds, John Barton shall remain here in solitary confinement, paying the consequences of what he did. His life forever... <em>Blackened.<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>**_

_And finally, Episode 12 is complete. This is the longest time I spent writing an episode, nearly a half of a year, thanks partially to other things going on in my life, as you may recall.  
><em>

_Mr. Black's story arc is finished, and here's some worthless trivia. Mr. Black debuted nearly two years ago and his story has finally wrapped up one week shy of his first scene._

_I am taking a break over Christmas**.** The episode 13 interlude will debut in January, or February. This episode will be something vastly different from the three most recent dark and edgy episodes._

_I want to thank everybody who left a review this year, including Gancena, Lalalei, DestinyZX/MegamanNG, The Mystery Reviewer, Mega Fan, MegaManV, Little Kunai, Rebecca the Cat, Sky DayBreak, Tourise, Spiked Dragon, Christiansoldier5, Teribane, Thanos6, OpalVampire, Rr, Random Reviewer, PinkCrystals, Z'Dska, Lucky Ryuujin, and all the guests, most especially Guest the Guest!  
>Also, thank you to all of you who follow and read this story, and those who will follow it well into Year Four and Year Five. I am very grateful that you all appreciate this series.<em>

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, leftover notes or continuity errors so bad that Santa would drop off coal in my stocking, please PM me right away._


	137. Interlude: Downtime

_**Interlude: Downtime.**_

* * *

><p><strong>January 20X4.<br>Three weeks after the Blackout and the arrest of Mr. Black.**

_"I'm George Cochran, and I approve this message."_

We see a campaign commercial with the tall former New York Governor narrating over scenes of his touring New York during the massive blackout which Dr. Wily created, leading up to the upcoming New York Presidential Primaries.

_"Like all of you in the New York area, I spent several nights in the dark following the blackout that Dr. Wily created, and lived through the same plight as you. But, if you pick me to be the next President, I will take extra measures to stop these ongoing attacks by working with Dr. Light and Mega Man, like during my term as Governor.  
>But, I will also work to keep our children educated and make the United States scholastic system amongst the best in the world. And I will continue to ensure that the housing market will remain stable like it has for the past thirty years.<br>20X5 will be the dawn of a new era for New York and the United States. But, only if we can do it together."_

Afterwards, the picture freezes on Cochran's chiseled and aged face as an announcer rapidly states,_ "Paid for by Cochran for President."_

The commercial ends and we return to the Channel 7 studio, where Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg are seated at the desk.

_"After recovering from life-saving surgery, John "Mr. Black" Barton was sentenced to One-hundred years in prison following a guilty plea earlier today. However, there is a chance the sentence could be reduced several years from now, but likely not during Agent Barton's life. According to the FBI, Barton will be serving his sentence at an undisclosed location in solitary confinement, under extreme guard,"_ Trujillo reports.  
><em>"There were unconfirmed reports of other masked vigilantes being sighted in the New York area on the night Barton escaped police custody. The FBI and the New York Police says they are investigating."<em>

A red graphic that reads **"Breaking News"** appears on the screen and Trish Falkenburg reports, _"This just in from the Channel 7 newsroom. Several banks in United States are reporting that their account holder's assets have been wiped out via a hacking attack. Federal authorities are looking into the matter in the event that this was a plot by Dr. Albert Wily, who created a massive blackout earlier last month to breach the New York Federal Reserve. All banks who were hit by this new string of hacks are assuring that all users accounts will be insured and are apologizing for the incident.  
>We will keep you up to date on this ongoing news tomorrow morning on Channel 7 news at 5:00."<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>  
><strong>Just outside New York City.<strong>

Operating the Land Blazer in the dead of night, ProtoMan returns home after spending time with his friend Nomad. Instead of taking the chance opening the loud garage door and waking somebody up, he leaves the Land Blazer outside and sneaks all the way around the lab building and to the back of the house beside the lab and jumps to his windowsill, which he left open just a little before leaving.  
>After he reaches his room, he opens the window and climbs inside.<p>

Once inside his bedroom, Proto quietly approaches his door and looks outside, checking for any of his siblings or the little robots who may be lurking out here, but finds nobody.

"_Whew! _Another clean getaway," Proto whispers, relieved.

Proto walks over to his bed, but instead decides to rest on the floor for the time being. He thinks about how much longer he will be able to keep Nomad a secret, both from Dr. Wily _and_ Dr. Light. He does not want to put her life in jeopardy, so he has to make sure that nobody knows about her for as long as possible.  
>Until he feels it is safe enough to allow his family to know about her, which will not be until Wily is in jail... or gone... Proto feels less worried keeping things the way they are.<p>

He wishes he could contact Nomad from here to check on her, but the call would probably be traced on Dr. Light's tracking equipment inside the lab. All he can do is lie here and dream about his friend. It is the only thing he can do to trick himself into believing she was here, or that he was with her.

As Proto searches his memory core for all first-person archives of his times with Nomad, he tends to linger on the moments where the two of them were holding each other. The nights that she allowed herself to recharge in his arms, because he was there and would protect her at all costs.  
>Earlier tonight being one of those nights.<p>

He replays those tender hours from tonight, remembering the warmth of her beside him as he drifts into recharge mode...

* * *

><p><strong>Hours later.<strong>

ProtoMan wakes up after a few hours of recharging, his room slightly luminated by the sunlight peeking through his closed curtains. He groans because he only had a partial recharge after coming home so late after being with Nomad.  
>It looks like another day where he makes up for lost sleep by chugging some energy.<p>

"Why do they have to get up so damn early?" he complains, picking himself up and leaving to find the rest of his family, wherever they are...

As Proto fixes his scarf, he makes his way to the family room to find his brother Mega Man also up, not wearing his helmet and looks preoccupied.  
>"Hey, Bro. Standing on pins and needles again?"<p>

Mega barely smiles, "Yeah, I guess."

"You're smiling. So, that means, you're not worried about _you-know-who_," Proto replies, referring to Wily. "So, it must be the girlfriend."

Mega pauses for a second, and shyly replies, "Yeah, it is. I talked to her last night. She says she'll be on break again next month, and she wants to see me."

The more gung-ho of the two brothers, Proto punches Mega's shoulder. "Aw right! Way to go, Rock!"

Mega becomes flustered and stammers, "Hang on. It's nothing like that, Proto."

"Okay. If you say so, bro," Proto teases.

"Kalinka and I just want to spend time together, preferably without plasma being shot around us, and without any unwanted attention," Mega explains.

"Okay... I can run interference for you two when you give the word," Proto jokes, elbowing his brother's arm.

Mega shakes his head, "Nevermind."

"Just jokin', Rock. Hey, at least you don't have a lunatic pining for you, like Roll does," ProtoMan says, insulting Bass. Then, he becomes serious, "But, seriously, Rock, I'm sure you two will have a great time... and I can keep the rest of the family off your back if you two are gonna..."

"We're _not_!" Mega insists.

"Okay. But, the offer is on the table. I'm lookin' out for you, bro," Proto says.

"If you ever find a girlfriend one day, I'll be sure to tease _you,_" Mega replies.

As Mega makes his way to the lab, where the rest of his family awaits, Proto waits until his brother is no longer here, then retorts, "Already got one."

* * *

><p>After he reaches the lab, Mega Man finds Dr. Light seated before his large monitors as he works on another new project, while Roll sits on the floor with Peekaboo, Rush, Eddie and Beat.<br>Mega has an idea about how he and Kalinka can spend time together and be safe at the same time. He does not know how his family is going to say, but he is going to try anyway.

Rush is the first to notice Mega Man, barking and racing to his side, running around him and nudging himself up against him. Dr. Light notices and briefly turns away from his work.

"Good morning, son," Dr. Light says, briefly nodding.

Peekaboo bleeps to Uncle Mega, and Roll calls, "Hi, Mega. I was wondering when you were gonna get up. It's not like you to sleep in."

"I actually got a call from Kalinka Cossack last night," Mega replies.

Roll giggles, "Oh, boy. Here we go," as Peekaboo looks confused by his Mommy's comment.

"How is Miss Cossack doing?" Thomas asks, not turning away from his work.

"She's great. She said she is on leave from college again in March, and-"

"When's she arriving?" Roll asks, knowing that when the daughter of Dr. Cossack is free, she will most likely fly to New York and be with Mega.

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you guys. I actually had an idea," Mega says, almost nervously. "You know that vacation I've always been talking about taking? I was thinking about finally doing it around the same time."

This causes Dr. Light to finally break away from his work and face his son. "That sounds like a swell idea, Rock. But, maybe you and Kalinka should discuss this with Dr. Cossack first. Any good parent would want to make sure their daughter is safe, even if she is with somebody as gifted as you."

"We all know what happened the last two times she came here," Roll says.

"I remember. But, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen this time. Being the Defender of the Human Race has it's advantages. I can pull a few strings make sure we're not bothered. But, it wouldn't be the two of us alone. Maybe we could all go on vacation, somewhere away from here," Mega says.

Roll lights up, "Really? Where?"

"I don't know yet," Mega says.

"How 'bout Hawaii? Or Costa Rica? Or Puerto Rico?" Roll suggests, rattling off various tropical locations. "I could use some time away from the lab after all this fighting."

"How 'bout Florida?" chimes ProtoMan who enters, (trying to find a way to be closer to Nomad.)

Dr. Light strokes his heavy beard and considers his son's plan. "Now that you mention it, if a group of you were going away together, maybe it would not be so bad," he says, smiling.

"I'm sure Kalinka would love to see all of us again," Mega says. "I'll discuss it with her later."

"Well, as a scientist, my place is in my lab," Dr. Light says.

"But, don't you want to have some time away from here, Dr. Light?" Roll asks.

"Perhaps, one day, when things are back to normal. But, I should remain here and finish this project. I would regret if I were to forget anything at this point. Besides, you kids should have some time to yourselves," Dr. Light says, "As long as you are on your best behavior."

Mega Man, "Trust me, Dr. Light. We'll be-"

ProtoMan interrupts his brother, grabbing him by his shoulders as he appeals to Thomas. "Don't worry, guys. Rock here is a boy scout. He's not gonna misbehave or anything."

"I think he's more worried about _you_, Proto," Roll glazes.

"Now, why would you be worried about me?" Proto asks, folding his arms.

Roll looks down to Peekaboo. "Boo, cover your ears." And after Boo lowers his hardhat over himself, Roll snipes back at Proto, "You don't exactly have a good track record."

"Alright, kids," says Dr. Light, turning away from his project again, "We have plenty of time to make these plans. I will even see if my schedule is open in two months time."

"Great! I'll let you know after I talk to Kalinka again later," Mega says, looking like a ton was taken off his back.

Before ProtoMan can respond, he remembers something. If he does go away with his siblings, it will be difficult to slip out to see his friend Nomad if she calls to him.  
>Now he's gotten himself in a real bind. If he doesn't go, it could look suspicious, but, if he stays, it will be difficult to reach Nomad.<p>

_"How could I have been so stupid,"_ he thinks to himself as he walks away.

* * *

><p><strong>FBI Headquarters.<br>Langley, Virginia.  
><strong>

Agent Paul Allen sits in his office, stationed near the "bullpen" or the central hub of headquarters. Even with Mr. Black locked away, the FBI's work never stops. Including a strange occurrence on the night Barton was almost killed involving The Conduit's Network.  
>A very troubling occurrence if there ever was one.<p>

Allen's phone rings and he answers it immediately. "Status?"

Agent Cotto is on the other end._ "We're in New York, about to throw the net."_

"The warrants are official, therefore the operation is a go. Do what you have to do, but make sure our involvement does not disturb the flow of their duty. It would be problematic. We can't afford to let this one slip like Barton did," Allen answers.

_"We'll find whoever is involved with the people Agent Barton worked with. My team knows how to handle the situation if anybody causes trouble,"_ Cotto says. _"I'll call back when we are in place."_

"Wrap this up efficiently. We can't afford to bungle this like we did Barton, Agent," Allen says before cutting the call with Cotto.

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Department.<strong>

A sunglasses-clad Agent Cotto is joined by several federal agents as they make their way to the central police station. They step through the front entrance and head inside, and as this large presence enters the station, several officers and Policebots notice and their stares follow.

Cotto and his entourage approach the station's front desk, and the agent removes his sunglasses from his face, then produces his badge.  
>"Agent Rahm Cotto, FBI. We need to speak with your top brass, including Chief Toombs, A.S.A.P." he says to the robo-receptionist.<p>

"For what reason do you wish to see them, Agent?" the robo-receptionist politely asks.

"It's a matter of extreme importance. Classified," Cotto replies.

* * *

><p>Later, Chief Toombs makes his way to a hearing room, and he looks very annoyed knowing that the feds are once again sticking their noses into police business. "Just when I just I didn't have ta' deal with these stooped FBI geeks, they come and hijack me station again," HE MUTTERS.<p>

He immediately turns the corner and sees Agent Cotto, along with Captain Tallarico and the other high-ranking members of the police brass. He says, 'Okay, you've got us all here now, fellas. Now, what'cha need from us?"

"Take a seat, Chief. Please," Cotto requests.

The Police brass sits in a row, with Cheif Toombs on one side and Captain Tallarico on the opposite side of the five officers, looking perturbed.

"Three weeks ago, during the meeting in Manhattan between Dr. Albert Wily and Agent Barton's ex-associates, a call was sent to all available units to send police to the meeting place before Mega Man, ProtoMan and Agent Barton interjected themselves" Cotto states.  
>Sounding displeased, he continues, "Your involvement was something that Mega Man and my superiors rejected until the situation was under wraps."<p>

"We'd received a call for help from them, accordin' to our logs," Toombs replies.

Cotto's face does not change as he motions to an FBI robot. The Robot plays audio from a data box in his hands, with the agent's own voice saying, _"A pair of Albert Wily's shuttles have been spotted over the west side of New York, heading towards Manhattan."_

The voice of Mega Man responded, _"We just found out where the deal is taking place. I'm sending the coördinates now. This is where Wily will be too."_

The voice of Mr. Black added, _"Don't send back-up until Mega Man sends the signal. We can't afford to lose them."_

Cotto motions for the robot to end the audio, and adds, "That was not a distress call. That was confirmation of the location of that meeting. And they specifically asked for no backup until requested.  
>And after investigating this for the past three weeks, we have concluded that the call to send backup was from somebody within the police," Cotto says.<p>

Captain Tallarico suggests, "You're saying we have a mole in the department?"

Cotto replies, "Maybe, maybe not. It is possible whoever did this was just overzealous to help Mega Man apprehend Wily. But, until we learn who is responsible for this, all of your Officers and Policebots will be under strict surveillance, and that includes the five of you. We are going to look into phone records and personal affairs if we think anybody is involved."

"That's a mighty big invasion of privacy. That kind 'o surveillance went out about a decade ago, pal," Toombs says.

"This is not negotiable. We're dealing with a matter of protecting the American people - and the world - from a danger they don't even know. And all the documents and warrants are official, therefore it is a waste of time fighting this. If you wish to file a protest, I suggest you contact the Bureau. Don't make things difficult. Those who refuse to cooperate with our investigation will be prosecuted," Cotto warns.

"An' what're we supposed to do while you turn my entire department inside out?" Toombs asks.

Tallarico also argues, "We have a duty to protect and serve, you know! You can't just walk all over us!"

"Until this investigation is over, proceed as if it were business as usual. Your Officers will go about their daily lives and duties, but will occasionally be questioned by FBI agents," Cotto answers, "Also, the memory cores of all Policebots will be scanned for any instances of disobedience and glitches.  
>We will call you when you are needed."<p>

Cotto leaves the Officers here and he and the FBI begin their rigorous search of the Police department and screening of every man, woman and robot here. And shortly thereafter, three of the Officers leave the area, shaking their heads in frustration, leaving only Tallarico and Toombs.  
>"Well, what a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into now," Tallarico says in frustration.<p>

"You're not the only one that's being raked through the coals, Tali," Toombs replies.

"I'm not about to lose a twenty-five year career because somebody in this department dropped the ball," Tallarico hisses as she removes her Policewoman's hat from her head.

"Oi! I don't know what happened that night, but I'm lookin' to get to the bottom of it! The last thing I would do is put Mega Man is danger, no matter how much I want that cretin Wily in jail!" Toombs barks.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Montgomery, but everybody is getting tired of living with terror attacks happening ever few weeks! You want this war over more than anybody, except Mega Man," Tallarico says.

"An' you think I would put me robot pal's life in danger just so I can end the war?" Toombs speculates.

"Sooner or later, people get desperate. Look at Mr. Black and the people he worked for. Dr. Light and Henry were desperate to end the war, and then they made Gamma. How desperate are you?" Tallarico says before she leaves.

Toombs sighs and reaches into his pants pocket, getting his flask of Scotch and taking a sip. "Aye, if I don't lose all me hair before this war's finished, it'll be a miracle."

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress<em>.<em>**

_"I'm Wade Kramer, and I approve this message," _says a voice on the monitors inside of the command center.

We see a Caucasian male with thinning hair, a modest build in a darkened room holding a flashlight, looking at the camera, speaking to the viewers. This gentleman is Congressman Wade Kramer, a candidate for the 20X4 Presidential elections, running on the opposite end of the ticket as Ex-Governor Cochran is.

_"This should be a familiar sight to those watching this. These were the conditions you were forced to live in thanks to Dr. Albert Wily._  
><em>But, if you vote for me in the New York Presidential Primary, I promise I will work to ensure that this never happens again.<em>  
><em>And I will ensure that Dr. Wily will be a factor no more. His kind of evil will never be allowed to walk the earth, we will live in peace again..."<em>

The lights in the studio are turned on, removing the darkness as Kramer concludes with a smile only a politician could flash, _"And most importantly, you won't have to sit in the dark if I have anything to say about it."_

_"Paid for by the Kramer 20X4 campaign,"_ states an announcer.

The snickering of Dr. Wily echoes through the command center after he shuts the monitors off. "I doubt it, Mr. Kramer. And if you win, I look forward to making an even bigger ignoramus of you than you are now!"

As he continues to laugh, Dr. Wily counts the money that his robots took from the banks late last night, plotting out his next plan. After every handful of bills are counted and placed into a stack, Dr. Wily's eyes catch the sight of the one shard of the Jadous Sphere that he recovered from the foiled deal with the mysterious Conduit.  
>The shard is now encased in a transparent aluminum glass container, and can only be accessed by Dr. Wily.<p>

Dr. Wily stops and stares and the sphere, wondering if Bass is right and this shard truly does wield unheard-of power.

Albert's eyes narrow and mentally, he considers using the shard as a part of his new plan. And he can feel that whisper in his head gnawing at him to wield it.  
>But, he decides to wait until later... but, is not opposed to utilizing it in the close future. He still has a troubling feeling about Bass and his loyalty, therefore he still wants to have something to use against Bass if he becomes a problem again.<p>

Once Dr. Wily is finished counting the money, he contacts Bright Man. "The money is all here. I trust you closed our offshore account?"

_"Dark Man did it. We're lucky we didn't get caught, because their security systems were scanning him for a while."_

Albert rubs his cleft chin. "Then, we will have to make the next robbery count and think of a new way to gain the funds for my next robot!"

_"How can we keep stealing money, Dr. Wily? It's getting to tough for us to rob banks."_

Wily shouts, "I am the genius! I will find a way to get more money one way or another! Nothing will get between me and the completion of this robot! Just do what I say and stop complaining!"

Dr. Wily throws his hand communicator away and stacks his money when Bass arrives. "You wanted me to report to you about the plan. What is it?"

Trying to shrug of the chaffing remarks from Bass, Wily answers, "We need to heist one more bank, preferably in California, and I want to do this to be a two-pronged attack.  
>If we cannot hack them, then the Robot Masters go on a full-on attack and strip it of every cent. But, in order to do that, we must get Mega Man away from us. Far enough to make sure he would never reach us in time.<br>In order to do that, we need to create a distraction he cannot possibly ignore. And for that, I will need to spend this money to make a new Robot Master... a kind of Robot Master Mega Man has not yet dealt with."

"And that kind is?" Bass asks.

Wily smiles, "A Robot with a feminine touch."

Albert snatches a paper with a robot design from the console and hands it to Bass. This Robot Master is designed like a female. Almost Mermaid-like in that she has no legs, but includes a mermaid's fin from her waist down.

"I attempted to build a female robot as a member of The Killers, but... she did not survive," Wily states, still thinking Nomad is gone. "But, this robot is more advanced. She will have a staff that fires plasma from a crest ornament on the front end. And the best part is, she will have a program that can alter the thought process of most robots she is around, making them enthralled with her!  
>Of course, I need to test it first. But, I think it work according to my plans."<p>

Bass sneers as he states her name, "Splash Woman?"

"Yes. It was the first word to come to mind," Dr. Wily says, snickering.

Bass is not impressed with Dr. Wily's new robot, and the plan. "You are wasting your time building another robot. Just send _me_ after Mega Man, and he will be dead. I will find ProtoMan and return him here, and Thomas Light will be your prisoner."

Dr. Wily's faces becomes etched with a sneer. "Are you questioning my plans?"

"As long as Mega Man continues to walk the planet, he is a threat. We need to take him out now!" Bass argues with the mad man.

"I will decide when it is time for you to destroy Mega Man! For now, I need more money to create the robot who will win this war!" Wily responds swiftly.

"You truly think this ultimate robot will be the greatest ever made. Have you forgotten my abilities?" Bass states.

Dr. Wily remains silent as he faces his pile of money once again. "Your success rate against Mega Man is no better than ProtoMan's. No better than any other creation, nor any other Robot Master. I made you to be the most powerful robot in the world-"

"And I am!" Bass snarls, balling his fists.

"No" Wily snaps, spinning to Bass. "Mega Man is! I hate him, but he is the most powerful."

Bass approaches Dr. Wily, staring into his eyes. "You need to let me handle him _my way_! Treble and I can attack their home, and all their defences will not be able to stop me. Neither will the police. Just let me loose and I will bring you Mega Man's head!"

"You may have the chance. But, first," Dr. Wily says, "I want you to prove how loyal you are to me during the next operation. When the time to heist the bank comes, we will lure Mega Man away, too far for his miracle dog to jet him back. And you will be there to witness the battle... but, you will not destroy him."

"What?!" Bass barks in shock and anger.

"You need to put my best interests at the forefront of your mind, and that is to do what is best to win the world. I will leave the task of destroying Mega Man to Splash Woman!"

"I came back to destroy Mega Man!" Bass claims, not telling Wily that the real reason he came back was to get more power. "What purpose do I serve without that?"

"You will still be my top enforcer with Mega Man out of the way," Wily answers. "Sure, my next robot will outrank you, as would Splash Woman should she destroy Mega Man. But, _you_ can still have the chance to kill Mega Man... after you prove yourself."

"And, how do I prove myself to you?" Bass asks, growing angry.

"Do what you're told. Don't defy me, ever. And perhaps I will give you one more chance," Wily replies.

"One?" Bass asks. "I don't need you to kill Mega Man. I'm going to kill him with or without you. I think it would be best for your sake if I were in your army when I finish the job."

"You don't want our relationship to end, Bass. I am not some helpless old man as you think I am... not as long as I have that," Wily warns, gesturing to the case containing the Jadous Sphere shard.

Instead of challenging Wily back, Bass calms down, well aware of the power the shard wields. "Fine. I'll play along for this next mission. But, when your Robot Masters fail at destroying Mega Man, I expect another chance!"

Bass turns and leaves, and Dr. Wily grins. With the mere threat of the shard, it kept Bass in line, and he now has control over him. He glances at the shard, only wondering how strong it really is if it can change Bass' mind.

Wily contacts GutsMan and Cut Man in the fortress. "GutsMan! Cut Man! I need you to fill Underground Level C with water."

_"Does that mean we're finally making a swimming pool? I know Wave Man and Bubble Man will like it,"_ Cut Man chimes in.

_"But, I can't swim like you other Robot Masters can!"_ GutsMan bemoans.

"The water is not for you to swim in!" Dr. Wily yells, "It is a training ground. Training for our newest member of the army. See to your task immediately. I do not want her waiting."

Dr. Wily grabs the plans for Splash Woman and begins to laugh. "We're going to a launch one phase of my next plan near the water. Hawaii sounds nice. And we're not looking for any Makuhuna Comet this time!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>**

_I am sorry for the delay. I was on writing vacation and I could get motivated soon enough.  
>Episode 13 will debut in February, and while it is not dark like the other episodes, it will make a Splash... Woman. I am nervous, because it is Episode 13... if only I could skip to episode 14 for superstition's sake, I would. But, you would ask what happened to Episode 13. :P<br>So, get ready for more Mega/Kalinka, Proto/Nomad, Splash Woman, more Conduit intrigue, and an episode in Hawaii without Lion Men.  
><em>

_Even in the future, bank accounts are easily hacked. If only Dr. Wily existed, we could blame the Target breach on his dirty deeds._

_Please don't forget to leave a review of comment. And if you catch any typos or continuity errors so bad that it would make rain pause in mid-air from the shock of how bad the error is, please DM me right away._**_  
><em>**


	138. Episode 13: A Big Splash

_**EPISODE 13: A Big Splash. **_

* * *

><p><strong>March 20X4.<strong>

**After warfare with Dr. Wily on several occasions in the best three years, Mega Man - the Defender of the Human Race - is planning on having a long-awaited hero's vacation, and spending more time with the love of his life, Kalinka Cossack.  
><strong>**But, ****as this vacation is about to begin, ****not all is peaceful as it appears.**

**The entire New York Police Department is under Federal investigation following the bungling of the covert operation to apprehend Dr. Wily and the mysterious Conduit's Network, which nearly led to Mr. Black's death.  
>The Conduit is still on the loose and is a present threat to all involved, including Dr. Wily and even Mega Man.<strong>

**And Dr. Wily himself is slowly accumulating the funds to construct a robot who he believes will be the ultimate creation, the one who will end the war. And he also possesses a shard of the deadly Jadous Sphere, which can bring untold destruction if it is ever used.  
>But, for now, Dr. Wily has brought another new robot to life who will distract Mega Man while Wily's army pulls off the biggest bank heist they can.<br>And her name is Splash Woman.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 13, Chapter 1: Working Vacation.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

In her bedroom, Roll packs for her long-awaited vacation with her family tomorrow and she can hardly contain her excitement. She did not know exactly where this trip would take place until a few days ago, when Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack had decided that they would go to Hawaii for a week.

"Wait 'till you see Hawaii, Boo!" Roll says with Peekaboo next to her as she places her clothes into her red suitcase. "It's really beautiful, just like it is in the pics and vids. There's big palm trees and oceans."

Peekaboo bleeps in worry about the volcanoes he sighted in the videos, and the orange goo that comes out of said volcanoes.

"Don't worry about those. Ever since Dr. Light made the volcano stabilizers, they only erupt when they are scheduled too. And it's safe, because we can freeze lava in seconds now. I've got enough power in my utility arm to freeze a lot of it and keep us safe. I did it before."

Peekaboo bleeps again as he nudges up against his Mommy, happy to know that it will be safe on the big island.

"Don't worry, Boo. I won't ever let anything happen to you again," Roll says as she picks up her Met and holds him in her arms.

Peekaboo bleeps again, asking if his bear is coming with them.

"Sure he is! You didn't think we'd leave him behind, did you?" Roll smiles, taking hold of Peekaboo's stuffed Teddy Bear with the sewn-on Met Hardhat she gave him for Christmas and stuffing it into her secondary bag over her shoulder, which is loaded with her CD player, music CDs and handheld video game unit.

Afterwards, Roll closes top of the suitcase and presses a single button. The suitcase then begins to seal itself, compressing any bulk from the clothing inside. "Can you believe people had to close these suitcases by themselves a hundred years ago?" she asks Boo, who bleeps.

Roll puts Peekaboo on the floor and picks up her suitcase, and offers her free hand. "Okay, all set?"

Boo beeps cheerfully and sticks his extension arm hand out and holds his Mommy's hand as they go to the lab.

* * *

><p>In the lab, as the majority of Roll's luggage is relocated to the Airport shuttle by Morris the Robot Butler, Dr. Light takes a break from his project to see his children off before they leave for Hawaii and their vacation.<p>

Thomas approaches Mega Man as he stands nearby, intently studying something on a computer pad that was sent from the Chief of the Hawaiian Police force. "I hope you enjoy the time away, Rock."

Mega looks up smiling and shuts the computer pad off. "Sure will. I can't wait to see Kalinka again."

Thomas comments, "You look distracted."

Mega says, "Just going over some things with the Hawaiian Police Chief. I'm going to look into something when I'm on the islands... speaking of Police Chiefs, Chief Toombs said the FBI is still investigating the police and every officer there. I can't believe somebody there was helping those people Mr. Black associated himself with... And I don't know when they're going to return. The only relief with those people is at least they aren't Wily's buddies."

"But, they are going about this the wrong way," Thomas says, "Everybody who commits those kinds of acts deserves a trail. Even if it is somebody like him."

Mega agrees, "He needs to pay with his freedom. Only the courts should decide if he deserves worse."

"Rock, I want you to removes any thoughts about this war and enjoy yourself," Thomas encourages.

Mega responds, "I wish you could go with us, Dr. Light. There's still enough time to pack if you want to come along."

Thomas puts his arm around Mega. "No, son. I would be best if you had the change to enjoy time away from home. Goodness knows, you've earned it. The lab will feel empty without you and Roll, however. I'll miss you both and the little ones."

Mega Man notices how Thomas worded his sentiment and looks at Dr. Light with a sideways glance. "Just us? What about Proto?"

At that moment, ProtoMan happens to walk into the lab, and upon hearing his father and brother talking about him, he quips, "I thought my audio sensors were burning."

Thomas says, "Last night, Proto decided to stay here at the lab."

"Is there a reason for not coming?" Mega asks.

"I figured it's best for me to stay here and keep Dr. Light safe if anything happened. And besides, with all the dirty looks I can get from these humans, all I would do is bring you guys attention, and you don't want any. So... that's why," Proto explains, shrugging his shoulders.

Thomas adds, "And it will be great to finally have enough time to at last have time to spend together as father and son."

Mega smiles. "I know you've been waiting for it for a long time."

Meanwhile, ProtoMan crosses his arms and looks not entirely happy with the idea of being all sentimental with Dr. Light, and digging up old painful memories of Dr. Wily.

Afterwards, Roll arrives with Peekaboo and the rest of her luggage, and she hands both bags over to Morris who takes them away. "Ready, Mega?" she asks.

"Yeah," Mega Man answers, then turns to Dr. Light and ProtoMan. "I guess we'll be going now."

"Okay. Have fun, guys," Proto grins, patting his brother on the back, "And if you see anything worth blasting, let me know. I might get bored over here."

"Be good while we're out-of-town, big brother," Roll advises as she and Peekaboo give Proto a hug too.

"Can't make any promises," Proto retorts, before kneeling to Boo's level. "See you soon, pal. And if need me, just call. I'll be there, even if I have to break the sound barrier."

Peekaboo happily bleeps to Uncle Proto while most of the Lights head outside Meanwhile, Roll hugs Dr. Light and she whispers, "Keep an eye on Proto."

Dr. Light tilts his head in confusion at his daughter's comment.

Roll adds, "Just call it a hunch."

Dr. Light responds, "I don't think you have anything to worry about. But, if it makes you feel better, I will. I hope you get over this mistrust soon."

"I will. It's just... old habbits die hard," Roll says as she and her father head out to be with the rest of their family before heading off...

Shortly after Peekaboo and the rest of the little bots say goodbye to Dr. Light, the family leaves the lab and head to the awaiting shuttle outside. And after the majority of the family enters the craft, Dr. Light calls, "Bon voyage, kids."

ProtoMan runs to the shuttle and grabs Mega. "Bye, guys! And Rock... if you need that _interference_ I mentioned, the offer's on the table," he goads, grinning ear to ear with a mischievous glee.

Attempting to keep the subject off what Proto is insinuating, Mega replies, "See you soon, bro," and shuts the shuttle doors.

The shuttle takes off and takes the Lights to the airport, leaving Dr. Light and ProtoMan here by themselves for the first time in their lives as father and son.

"It looks like we finally have time to catch up, son," Thomas says, patting Proto's shoulder.

Once his siblings are out of eyeshot and he hears his co-creator's statement, ProtoMan realizes what he is in for now, and it hits him like a ton of bricks.  
>The only reason he elected to remain here was so he could be with Nomad if she needs him. But, in order to have that convenience, he is stuck here with Dr. Light, who is a good man, but also one of the most sentimental and least cool people on the planet.<p>

Less than thrilled, Proto responds, "Yeah... we sure do."

* * *

><p><strong>The Gesselchaft.<strong>

In his room, Tiesel Bonne is dead asleep as he leans back in his chair. Enough time has passed that Tiesel is no longer grounded, but until he is cleared from his punishment for sneaking out too much to "play hero" (or so his family thought,) he cannot leave the ship unless he is under strict supervision by his younger sister, who is not even old enough to consume alcohol and who doesn't have a driver's license yet.  
>And this is something that humiliates Tiesel all the time.<p>

As Tiesel lets rip very loud snores that can shake the walls, his phone machine rings in a very specific tone, which only means a certain shady kingpin is calling. The sound wakes the startled Tiesel up and causing him the tip backwards in his chair and fall to the floor in a heap.  
>Before he could compose himself, Tiesel scatters to reach the phone system and place a headphone set and microphone on his head so he can respond.<p>

"Hello!" Tiesel blurts.

The distorted voice of The Conduit replies, _"Your services are urgently needed, Mr. Endo. I am requesting you to meet with your fellow assets tomorrow night."_

Tiesel freezes in fear, remembering that his punishment will prevent him from leaving without Tron around, and he cannot expose her to these mysterious, dangerous people. He stammers, "Uh... I'm afraid I can't get away from here yet. I'm stuck where I am, and I don't know when I'm allowed out."

The voice of Miss T jumps in the line and says, _"You had better find a way to meet us, or you may never leave your dwelling area ever again."_

Before Tiesel could freak out, The Conduit states, _"There is no need for threats, Miss T. You are the reason we are even having this conversation... __Mr. Endo, do you still possess the audio distortion mixer we supplied you with last year?"_

"Yeah. The machine I used to frame Governor Deacon's staff member last year," Tiesel answers, referring to Governor Decon's Security Chief Mr. Newkirk.  
>Newkirk was the architect of the ill-fated Civil Defense Tower in New York, and following the bungling of the Tower's security (which nearly resulted in Drill Man drilling to the core of the Earth and releasing enough lava to destroy New York) and audio clip of Newkirk's voice was leaked to the FBI and the media, altered to sound like he was creating this to set-up Deacon to take the fall for it... but that was never his intention.<br>Newkirk has remained in jail since that date, pending trial.

_"We will be needing that device again. Explain, Miss T,"_ The Conduit responds.

Tiesel listens carefully as Miss T lets out an perturbed sigh, then says, _"We have an asset inside the New York Police Department. The FBI is turning their entire station inside out and cannot find any evidence that can keep the heat off of our asset. Our asset is fine, but they are going to turn up the heat, and if we don't create some evidence that they view as satisfactory, they will find and arrest our asset sooner or later and this whole network will be destroyed. And we all go to jail."_

The Conduit says,_ "We will supply you with the appropriate audio files after this call is over, then you may begin mixing it into the forgery we need. Since you cannot come to us, we will come to you."_

Tiesel freaks, "Wait, _What_?!"

Miss T reminds, _"You said you can't leave your flying bathtub in the sky. So, we'll find it, and you will give the file to us. It won't be difficult to find a large hovering garbage scow."_

_"_Wait a minute. I have family who live on the ship. If they see you, they'll call the police," Tiesel says.

The Conduit states, _"Fortunately for you, none of you will be onboard when we receive the file. Miss T, please disconnect."_

_"Fine,"_ Miss T huffs. And The Conduit is the last remaining person on the line.

_"I always have a contingency plan, and fortunately for you this plan can keep you and your family away from any confrontation with my assets. We have learned that Mega Man is on the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps the best way to make amends with your family is to reward them with a chance to see him in person. Your sister would enjoy this, I believe."_

"My sister? How do you know about my sister?" Tiesel asks, worrying more about how these people could know about his personal matters.

_"She has a social presence online, like many teenage females do. There are not many Bonnes in this world, so it was not challenging to trace her to you. She has professed her feelings for Mega Man, as you know. If you were to give her the chance to express her love for her hero first-hand, you would surely be forgiven.  
>Just give us the altered audio, and I will give your family the chance to have a vacation... in good faith."<em>

Once again, Tiesel allows The Conduit to manipulate him and appeal to his need to get out of this quasi-punishment placed upon him by his family after sneaking out late at to play hero one too many times, and for The Conduit to achieve his/her/its goal so he can be let out of this secret _Network_.

"Fine, I'll do this. But, I don't want that Miss T woman anywhere near this ship," Tiesel says.

_"I cannot make any promises. But, I guarantee you that no harm will be brought upon the ship or anybody onboard. You are helping immeasurably by doing this. I will be sending you everything you need momentarily. So, do not disconnect."_

Tiesel remains silent, clenching his large jaw and worrying about whether or not this great idea will work. He then hears a chime from his Cobbled together laptop computer, and when he checks it he sees an email in his inbox.  
>After opening it, he sees the audio files needed to be altered, and surprisingly three round trip airline tickets on a flight to Hawaii.<p>

_"You just received the necessary files to alter. And the tickets to your little sister's vacation. Since she is too young to travel on her own, and so is your younger brother, you will be needed to go with them. I suggest you find a way to go, Mr. Endo. These are expense seats."_

"If I do this, is this the end of my involvement in this mission?" Tiesel asks, nervously.

_"No. As long as Albert Wily still breathes, our job is not done. And my plans after Wily is deceased are much bigger than you can imagine. Cooperate, and it will be over one day."_

"When?"

_"If everything goes according to plan... November,"_ The Conduit replies, vaguely.

* * *

><p><strong>That evening.<br>Hawaii.**

A private airplane arrives to a private airport on one of the Hawaiian islands, and Mega Man arrives to his long-awaited vacation with his family. Despite the long travel, not much time has passed according to Mega's internal chronometer, thanks to traveling from the Eastern Time Zone to the Hawaiian Time Zone.  
>The Lights can finally begin their long-awaited vacation time, but not before Mega Man addresses one piece of business first.<p>

There is no grand welcoming ceremony outside the plane with a congregation of dignitaries and someone to put leis over their shoulders like Hawaiian tradition, because Mega Man had requested that their presence here to be kept on as under the radar as possible.  
>But, there is still a noticeable group of security robots on the tarmac, and as Mega Man and family get off of the plane, they are still greeted by the Chief of Hwaiian Police, Rodney Kahakalau, a very large Polynesian man with big bushy hair and a huge smile on his face.<p>

Mega Man reaches the ground, and the Hawaiian Police Chief waddles up to the hero and nearly hugs him. "Aloha, Mega Man! The islands feel safer already with you around!"

"Thank you, sir, for the extra protection. We'll be needing it for our other friend who should be here any minute. Unless her father gave her his own protection," Mega says.

"Don't worry, friend. As long as you are on the islands, you have anything you need," Kahakalau says. "Hey, can we talk about... _that subject_ we discussed for a second?"

"Sure." Mega glances back to his family, and tells them, "Wait here while they get our luggage, guys. I want to talk to the Chief for a minute."

"Oh... Okay," Roll replies, looking puzzled about this sudden meeting between the two...

Mega Man and Chief Kahakalau step away and the Hawaiian Officer says, "We had another sighting of this robot we told you about, but we don't have any consistent description of her."

"A female robot?!" Mega asks in surprise, never having encountered any other female robots who were hostile (aside from a cosmetics robot and even Dorris the Robo Maid when she was controlled by Wily on the night that electronic appliances came under Wily's control.)

"A lot of tourists and divers said they saw a mermaid in the ocean. A titanium one," he answers.

A Policebot hands Rodney a pad with an image of something in the ocean, then the Chief hands it to Mega, who studies it. After studying the image, Mega Man can see a curvy blue silhouette in the ocean, but he cannot tell who or what it is. However, it does look like it could be mermaid in its origin.

"Where was this?" Mega Man asks.

"South of Waimea Bay. But, others caught sight of this all around the islands," The Chief replies. "We had some Shark robots programmed to find her..."

"But, they didn't come back."

"And the robofish around Hawaii have gone rougue. We're afraid that... _you-know-who _might be the one who made her. That's why we called you, Mega Man," Rodney says.

"I'll check it out. I just want to make sure my family and my friend are all safe if this mermaid robot shows up. Please watch their backs if I need you to. We'll get this taken care of," Mega says.

"Thank you very much, Mega Man. My department will let you know when the robot is seen near the island again," he says as the huge smile appears on his tan face again, giving Mega Man's blue hand a hearty handshake. "When we take care of this, remind me to convince the Governor to throw you guys a Luau! You deserve one!"

After watching her brother talking with Chief Kahakalau for a while, she is concerned that something is wrong, and as Mega return to her, she asks him about the talk.  
>"What were you two talking about?" she asks as Peekaboo, Eddie and Beat are around her.<p>

"I just have to check something out while we're here. It's a favor to the Police Chief," Mega replies.

"Wait a minute... Boo, cover your ears," Roll says. And again, Peekaboo lowers his hardhat over himself and Roll looks back to Mega Man again, "This isn't as much of a vacation as is a search into a Wily threat, isn't it?"

Mega admits, "It wasn't supposed to be. They said a lot of robofish and sharkbots stopped following orders a two weeks ago, and then a robot of unknown origin was seen in the ocean."

Roll sighs while shaking her head. "Even when we're on vacation, we're on duty."

Peekaboo bleeps up to his Mommy, asking if he can uncover his ears yet. And Roll responds, "Sure, Boo."

Boo moves his hardhat up and Mega sighs, "I'm sorry, sis. But, I can't turn away from this, because it's my duty. If I did, the whole world might pay for it."

Disappointed that this is really more of a 'working vacation' than actual time off, Roll sighs, "I understand. Let's just get this taken care of soon so we can have our vacation"

"Don't worry. We will. Besides, I've got this. And it should be over before we know it," Mega assures.**  
><strong>

"By the way, when's Kalinka arriving?"

"Her flight comes in soon. After we get to the hotel, I want to be here when she lands," Mega says.

"Sure. I guess we'll see you sometime tomorrow," Roll jokes.

"No, you won't," Mega Man replies.. before admitting, "I might be a little late. But, I'll be back."

Roll glazes her eyes as all the Lights enter the SkyCar and take off to the hotel to begin an already abnormal vacation. But, elsewhere, somebody is making plans to get rich fast, using the worst method they can...

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In the control center, Dr. Wily tries in vein to plot a strategy to heist another bank, or possibly multiple banks at once, so he can collect enough money to build the ultimate robot, and he awaits his undercover robot Dark Man 2 to send communicate with the Fortress.

Two weeks ago, Wily built and deployed the new Robot Master (or Robot Mistress) Splash Woman to the Hawaiian ocean, with the idea that her presence will attract the attention of Mega Man and keep him distracted while Wily robs the banks.

He has waited for Dark Man 2 to confirm Mega Man's arrival since that day, but the call never came. And waiting for the plan to play out and trying to build a strategy to heist a bank is much more challenging than he knew.

Hunched over the console before the monitors in front of him, Dr. Wily tries to scribble down a haphazard map of the area around one particular bank in California, which holds the personal accounts of many celebrities and rich corporate executives.  
>"We need to have two robots inside to distract the security while Drill Man... no, Drill Man isn't here anymore! GutsMan! Yes! GutsMan uses his strength, while we have a getway driver here... no, the Police will be looking for one," Albert says, becoming disgruntled.<br>"Making battle plans was a lot easier when Proto was here. He could have figured this out in a matter of minutes!"

"Is that so?" says the voice of Bass from behind him, not pleased that he is being compared to ProtoMan.

Dr. Wily turns around to see the undeniable silhouette of Bass standing in the entrance of the command center, the always-angry look on his face barely visible thanks to the lighting.  
>"Well... it's true. Proto has an uncanny ability to formulate a plan for battle," Wily repeats, possibly <em>trying<em> to agitate Bass.

"So, not only am I competing with your lesser Robot Masters, but I am still competing with ProtoMan, even when he's not here," Bass comments , sounding very annoyed and angered.

"Competition is good for everyone. It brings out the best - and worst - in you," Wily deflects.

"Or, you are just playing me against the others because you believe I'm unwilling to obey. Need I remind you that ProtoMan did not obey you. He even turned on you and left you for dead," Bass aptly says.

"When ProtoMan returns, he will learn to obey, like all of the Robot Masters do," Dr. Wily responds, digging his heels in now.

Bass' red eyes narrow, and while managing to bite back his rage, he gravels, "Perhaps, it would be wise for you to hear my own suggestion on how the operation should proceed."

Wily puts his broken pencil down and responds, "Have at it."

Bass approaches Wily and disregards the poorly drawn plans and uses the console in front of him, bringing up an overhead view of Hollywood, California grabbed from the satellites.  
>"We need to strike the bank hard. Overwhelm the security and the police, and rip the bank to shreds to get the money. Only the cash money is there, but it should be enough to fund your dream robot. And if not, we need a robot who can hack into the system and wire everything to your offshore account."<p>

Dr. Wily grins as he hears out Bass' plan. He then says, "I want to have as many of my robots at the ready as possible. Perhaps you should remain here instead of heading to the islands, while GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man go in your place."

Bass argues, "Sending Cut Man and GutsMan to Hawaii to monitor the operation instead of me will end up in failure. They would not know how to run an operation if their lives depended on their success!"

"Are you willing to disobey me to go there?" Wily asks.

Bass stops and contains his rage. "... No. Not unless you granted me the chance."

_"Dr. Wily, come in. This is Dark Man."_

Dr. Wily quickly answers, "Dr. Wily here, Dark Man. Have you seen Mega Man?"

_"I made my way into the police station by copying a Policebot, and I saw a report that Mega Man is on the island. He landed on the island about an hour ago."_

"Is ProtoMan with him?" Dr. Wily questions.

_"There's no sign of him or Dr. Light. But, his sister Roll and some of those little robots are with him."_

After he learns that Roll is on the islands, Bass' expression takes a noticeable change. His interest in this operation just a significant margin.

"Good work, Dark Man. I will contact Splash Woman personally and order her to begin her part of the operation. Continue to keep under cover and avoid being spotted, but keep a close eye on Mega Man and his annoying little family. I will contact you when it is time to move," Dr. Wily responds.

No sooner does the communication come to a close does Bass step up and speak. "I request that you allow me to go to Hawaii to oversee this operation, Dr. Wily."

"What if I told you I needed you here to fend off the police for the bank heist?" Dr. Wily replies.

"I would respond that my presence is not necessary here. The Robot Masters are inferior to me, but they can overpower the police, even ProtoMan. I would also remind you that never officially reassigned me to serve on the heist team. Therefore, I am not required anywhere other than Hawaii."

"Aside from stalking your 'queen', why are you needed there?" Wily says.

"You need a robot in Hawaii to make sure the operation is a success and ensure that if Mega Man defeats your Splash Woman, somebody can put him occupied long enough so your heist will go off without a problem, even if that means taking him out. And I will not destroy Mega Man unless you tell me otherwise," Bass replies.  
>"So, is it yes or no?"<p>

Albert frowns after Bass makes this request. He wanted to keep him in his place and does not trust him to follow his word. But, he knows that Bass will only leave with or without his permission, and it leaves him in a difficult spot.  
>"Fine! You can go. But, if you fall out of line, you will be sorry."<p>

"I _won't_ be sorry," Bass replies, "But, I'll play along."

Bass exits the room, leaving Dr. Wily in a silent rage. He had just allowed himself to let Bass find his way to Hawaii and risk the operation, doing what he wants to, including killing Mega Man before Splash Woman - or maybe even his ultimate robot - can do it.

"Why did I not just use the shard to make him behave!" Wily asks himself, looking at the green piece of the destroyed Jadous Sphere.

But, as he turns back to his plans for the bank heist... _"You must use it,"_ says the whisper in Albert's head.

The mad man freezes and the hairs on his neck stand afterwards, and his eyes move back to the sphere, wondering what power it truly wields.

_"Use it."_

Albert slowly stands up and walks towards the jar with the sphere. He picks it up and stares into the jar, looking at every single millimeter of the broken, slightly curved shard.

"I need to find out exactly what this shard can do," Albert mutters in a hushed tone, and a wretched smile forms on his old lips. "I might already have what I need to win the war."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

It is nighttime now, and another airplane is on the approach to the same private airport where Mega Man and family landed earlier tonight, and Mega Man himself steps outside to watch it land on the tarmac as a few of the Hawaiian Police and Policebots keep the landing zone secure.

Mega is here again, and he watches as the small private plane makes a smooth landing and stops between two rows of Police security. Afterward, a staircase protracts from under the secure door on the left side of the plane.  
>A group of bodyguard robots exit the plane, just like the ones who escorted Kalinka to New York the last time she was with Mega Man, and Mega can feel an anticipation building inside his heart (or internal power regulator,) wishing he could see Kalinka now instead of having to wait for her.<br>Even though that wait is only a few more seconds, it feels like days to Mega.

After surveying the scene, one bodyguard robot states in Russian, "The area is secure, Miss Cossack. No threats detected. You may exit."

In preparation of seeing Kalinka for the first time in months, Mega Man removes his helmet, and holds it under the crook of one arm, allowing his hair to show as it shifts in the breeze. And a few seconds later, he spots Kalinka stepping out of the plane, wearing a white jacket, skirt and boots. Clearly, she wanted to look ravishing for her Defender boyfriend, and it worked, because Mega nearly felt a child when he saw her all in white, looking like his human angel.

Immediately, Kalinka looks straight for Mega Man as he waits for her down below, and even from this distance their eyes meet, and all they care about right now is that the one they love the most is here now.

Kalinka smiles and excitedly walks down the plane's staircase and Mega Man also walks toward her, until finally they are mere feet from each other. As soon as her boots hits the tarmac, Kalinka begins running for Mega Man with her arms outstretched and Mega puts his helmet down to take her into his arms.

"Rock!" she calls as the love of her life sweeps her off her feet as he calls back, "Kalinka!", both of them spinning a full 360 degrees in their embrace.

After they come to a stop and Kalinka returns to her feet, the two young ones smile brightly. Kalinka nearly swoons, "I am so happy to see you again!"

"It's been too long. Did the trip here go well?" Mega asks as he begins walking away from the plane alongside Kalinka.

"It was too long, from Russia to here. But, I would go around this whole planet if that is what it took to see you again," she sighs happily as she holds Mega's right hand with her left.

"Everything safe at college? And on your way here?" Mega asks, just like he has done ever since Mr. Black warned him that The Conduit could come after him if the two sides cross paths.

"Being daughter of Mikhail Cossack, 'most famous scientist in Russia,' nobody can get close to me anymore without being checked by security," Kalinaka says, her English breaking. "You keep asking if I am okay, Rock. Why?"

Mega bows his head, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just worried about something happening to the people I love."

Kalinka steps in front of Mega and he stops as she caresses his cheeks with her hands. "You should worry less, Rock. For these next few days, let us just have fun together, and with your beautiful family," she encourages.

Mega Man smiles, "That sounds good to me."

Kalinka smiles, looking like she is trying to hold her laughter in. "I think you are forgetting something, Rock."

As Kalinka makes a motion with her hands over her head, Mega figures out he left his helmet on the ground behind him. "Oops!" Mega blurts as he goes back to grab his helmet.

"That's twice!" Kalinka snickers, making a 'two' sign with her fingers, recalling the last time Mega was on a date with Kalinka and forgot to place his helmet on his head again.

Mega Man smiles bashfully, "I think I'm forgetful when I'm with you."

"I hope you remember this..." Kalinka says, just before leaning into Mega's face and plants a soft kiss on his lips.

After a few seconds to collect himself, Mega says, "I'll never forget that."

Kalinka sighs, "Me neither."

Mega Man and Kalinka continue to leave as her security unloads her bags from the plane. Even with the mounting preasure of the war with Wily and the unknown threat from The Conduit's Network, right now life is great for these two young ones in love.  
>But, neither of them know what kind of danger lurks under the sea, about to ruin their vacation, and even their lives. And her name is Splash Woman.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, deep in the ocean, a large flotilla of fish is gathered in the water and peacefully minding their own business... until they hear and feel a four note siren-like tune coming nearby, and they all scatter.<p>

Then, a flotilla of small robot fish swim around the area accompanied by a group of six Sharkbots, and they are escorting a gorgeous mermaid robot who gracefully swims right behind them, with blue armor and a mermaid fin below her waist. On her head, she wears a blue helmet which encases her beautiful face with blue eyes, and on the left side of that helmet is a white crest ornament. And in her right hand she carries a long staff with a crest on one end, and a three-prong gold piece on the opposite end.  
>It would be difficult to fathom that a robot as beautiful as this could be harmful. But, this is Splash Woman, creation of Dr. Wily, and she has malicious intent behind those wonderful eyes.<p>

For the past few weeks, she has been deployed here in the pacific, trying to raise the suspicion of anybody she can so that Mega Man can be lured out here to investigate, giving Wily the chance to complete one final massive bank heist and fund his so-called ultimate robot. And in turn, she may be given the chance to be the robot who finally defeats Mega Man... but Splash Woman may have other plans for the Defender of the Human Race.

Splash Woman gently caresses the face of one of her six sharkbots, who along with her all of her underwater robots, is now loyal to her after falling under her control.  
>And she does, she receives a communication from Dr. Wily...<p>

_"Attention, Splash Woman. This is your creator. Mega Man is on the scene. Get his attention and lure him to you. You are free to use any method you see fit, but do not destroy him yet... all I need is a little more time. Is that understood?"_

Using her unique ability to speak underwater, she replies with a fiendish, sinful little smirk on her sweet-looking face. _"Understood, Dr. Wily."_

The trap is set and the prey is approaching. And while Splash Woman may be able to defeat Mega Man, a part of her would much rather have Mega Man all to herself, under her control like all these robofish and sharkbots are.  
>And what better catch in the ocean would there be than Mega Man himself?<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_Splash Woman might have a slightly different look to her later in the episode which borrows from a sprite designed by Lalalei, which is a Ruby-Spears Splash Woman. The design is used with her permission, of course, so I give her special credit once again.  
>If you want to check it out, look up her profile on DeviantArt... I can't link it here, but you can find it.<em>

_I will try to get the chapters online faster this time, unlike Episode 13 where the updates where slow. Also, the content of this Episode will be light and not so much darkness. Hopefully, it is a good one._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors that would make a Tetris piece become diagonal, please PM me._


	139. Mixed Signals

**_Episode 13, Chapter 2: Mixed Signals._**

* * *

><p><strong>Late at night.<br>Onboard the Gesselchaft.**

After being given the 'gift' of taking his family off to Hawaii in advance of performing another task for The Conduit's Network, Tiesel Bonne sits in front of his audio mixing machine, finalizing the file with the altered audio that The Conduit requested. And one of the assets will take tomorrow while the Bonnes are away, but Tiesel will misinform the Servbots and claim that they are really a customer picking up a container of junk, so that they will not alert Tron or their parents.

As he works on the audio, Tiesel begins to have a moral conflict about this, the first time he has had any such feeling about doing this since enlisting for The Conduit.  
>A frown appears on his square jaw, contemplating to himself, "This isn't right. That Newkirk guy I used this on against had it coming, but... this time, it's not right."<p>

Tiesel pauses to consider how bad this is, if he should even be doing this and the consequences of what he will do if he follows The Conduit's orders. "This is serious... people are going to go to jail because of me now. People who don't deserve it. I shouldn't do this. Somebody else should be doing this."

Tiesel reaches for the drive to remove it, ready to have The Conduit have somebody else do the dirty work. But during his attack of conscience, Tiesel remembers how bad he will have if he were to fail The Conduit...  
>The Bonne freezes and mutters with big eyes, "They'll kill me if it's not done before they arrive... probably <em>literally<em>..."

He forgets the idea of doing what is best for his conscience and Tiesel completes the file and waits for it to save on the portable device for him to give to The Conduit's assets.  
>He shrugs off, "Oh, well. Better them than me."<p>

As he leaves his room and tries to walk away from his guilt, he hears his excited sister Tron across the way, speaking to Servbot #1 about how she is going to be with her crush Mega Man at last.  
>He slows down so she will not hear him approaching, because from the sound of things, Tron is getting a little too excited about this trip.<p>

He peeks around the corner to see Tron and Servbot #1 packing Tron's suitcases. "Can I come along too, Miss Tron?" asks Servbot #1 in his sweet little voice.

"I'm not going without you, #1! We're going to smuggle you in one of my suitcases," Tron says. "And if the security asks, you're just a big toy for our Nephew who lives in Hawaii."

Servbot rubs his head with his hand. "But, you don't have a nephew in Hawaii, Miss Tron. You don't have any nephews."

"But, the security officers won't know that," Tron smiles. Then in a soft tone, she says, "I can't wait to finally meet my dream-bot, Mega Man!"

Tron runs up to her wall, which is covered in Mega Man's pictures that she took from various sources, like the internet, newspapers and magazines. She swoons, "I'm going to tell him how much I love him, #1. And then he's going to fall in love with me just as much as I've fallen in love with him! And then, we're gonna get _married_!"

Tiesel's jaw drops, utterly floored with how far his sister is taking her unhealthy love/lust/obsession with Mega Man now. The only solace he can take out of this is he is certain Mega Man will not be able to take his sister's hand in marriage, and he wouldn't anyway... of course, Mega Man doesn't know the fury of Tron when she is angry, and if there is a girl who can scare Mega Man to death, it's her!

Tron says, "We really should thank Tiesel for taking us on this trip. He says he saved up his money and wanted to do this to make up for what he's done lately. And he convinced Mom and Dad to let the Servbots run the Gesselchaft for a few days. So, he's not such a bad guy after all."

Tiesel smiles and can feel pride swelling in his chest. He thinks he obviously is doing great as Tron's big brother... that is until Servbot #1 inadvertently exposes what Tron though about her brother earlier.  
>"But, Miss Tron, when you punished Tiesel, you called him a big stinky blob of protoplasm."<p>

Tiesel frowns again, displeased after learning about how Tron ripped into him behind his back.

"That was _then_, #1. But, he just gave me the chance to profess my love to Mega Man. And it would be rude to be mean to him now," Tron says,... before frowning, "But, if he does anything stupid like that again, I'll have him scrub the Gesselchaft by toothbrush. And if he tries to stop me from professing my love for my honey Mega Man, I'll tie him upside-down and let him dangle under the ship! ...But, until then, we should be nice to him, okay?"

Servbot #1 gets a dumbfounded look on his yellow screen face, before cheering up and complying with Tron. "Okay, Miss Tron!"

Tiesel slowly walks back to his room, quietly mumbling to himself while shaking his head, "Things just keep getting worse... and worse... _and worse_!"

Once he arrives, he sees the audio mixing equipment flashing a green light, indicating that the file with the altered audio is complete. And Tiesel concludes his complaining with, "... and even worse!"

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning.<br>Hawaii.**

Far off in the ocean off of Waikiki, Mega Man, Roll and Kalinka, along with Peekaboo, Eddie and Beat are having fun enjoying the vacation they always wanted to have, riding in the vast ocean on a pair of jet ski craft.  
>Mega Man is riding Rush who has transformed into Rush Ski form, along with the life-preserver and white bikini clad Kalinka holding on behind him, while Roll rides a standard jet ski in her red underwater swimming suit with Peekaboo sitting in front of her, hanging on with his extension arm wrapped tightly around Roll's waist.<br>Although the Met was scared at first, he is not so much now because his Mommy and Uncle Mega are here. He knows they will keep him protected no matter what it takes.

"Are you having fun, Boo?" Roll calls as she cuts through the waves on the Jet Ski.

Peekaboo replies with an enthusiastic bleep, looking around at the scenes around him flying past, along with Mega and Kalinka on the Rush Ski...

Meanwhile, Mega Man is riding with Kalinka on his back, and deep down inside he almost feels bad about having fun like this while the war is still going on. He had nearly forgotten what it was like to have fun in the midst of all this conflict. But, hearing Kalinka behind him laughing and cheering as he and Rush pull off some fancy maneuvers and seeing how happy his family is allows Mega to feel more at ease.

"Do more, Rock!" Kalinka calls from over Mega's shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Mega asks.

"Yes, yes! Go faster!" Kalinka cheers.

"Okay. But, you're gonna have to hang on tight," Mega Man replies.

As Mega Man primes Rush's jets, Kalinka tightens her grip around Mega's upper torso with her arms and hands, but then she wraps her legs around Mega's waist. This catches Mega off guard, and he looks down to see Kalinka's legs intertwined around him.  
>Mega feels Kalinka's grip and looks down, almost gasping when he sees her legs wrapped around him like this. While Kalinka and Mega have been close before, they have never quite been <em>this close<em> to each other and she has never quite sent him these kind of _signals_ before. And he suddenly doesn't know how to deal with this very different emotional feeling he is experiencing right now.

"Is this tight enough?" she asks into his audio sensor, sounding innocent enough.

Taken aback over how close (and possibly suggestive) Kalinka is being with him right now, Mega Man stammers. "Um... that's, uh... sure?"

Taking control manually of Rush's thrusters and calculating his trajectory to ensure he does not crash into anything or anybody in the ocean, Mega puts the Rush Jet Ski into full power and zooms across the water at high speed.  
>Kalinka cries out in enjoyment, even kicking her feet up into the air as her Defender boyfriend takes her on a thrill ride in the ocean.<p>

Not wishing to disappoint Kalinka, Mega calls to Rush, "Rush, let's do that big move we planned." Mega then turns his head to Kalinka, "I'm serious, hold on tight."

Tightening her arms around Mega's chest, Kalinka retorts, "Oh, this will be good!"

Rush barks, almost in a laughing tone, and fires up his jets and the boosters on his underside to propel himself high into the air without the need for ramps. And once he is in the air, Rush flies around as he would on jet power as Mega Man controls their path.  
>After landing in the water again, Rush pulls a 180-degree turn and jets back, pulling off a another jet boost into the air and howling on the way up.<p>

After Rush lands back into the water and zooms along the water with Mega and Kalinka, Kalinka cheerfully hoots as she eases up her grip on Mega Man. "This is so much fun, Rock! This is so much better than attending another boring science meeting with father."  
>Kalinka leans her head on Mega's shoulder and sighs, "I wish this didn't have to end."<p>

"If we arrest Wily soon enough, we can have fun like this all the time. Then, we'll all be safe... I hope," Mega Man comments. Even if Dr. Wily is taken care of, there is still the matter of The Conduit and his/her/its Network.  
>No matter how much Mega tries to leave the conflict behind him, he always remembers that there is another threat awaiting him.<p>

Soon, Roll rides her jet ski parallel to the Rush Ski and calls, "Hey, you two lovebots! I don't think you can outrun my ride without using those jets?"

"Are you _challenging_ us, Roll?" Mega Man asks.

"Oh, yeah! It's been a while since you've had any sibling rivalry. It'll be good for you, big brother... even though I'll beat you," Roll says. "Besides, I'm at the top of the leaderboard for Jet Riders. How can anybody beat me."

"That's just a video game, sis," Mega retorts.

"It still counts. So, what do you say?" Roll calls out.

A giddy Kalinka whispers in Mega's ear, "Come on, Rock! Let's do it!"

"Okay. You're on," Mega replies.

Holding Eddie in his yellow feet underneath his round blue body, Beat hovers between Mega, Kalinka and Rush and Roll and Peekaboo and chirps, "Beat!"

"Eddie says he wants a front row seat for this!" the green flip top robot announces.

Still clutching tightly to Roll, Peekaboo bleeps up to his Mommy what they are doing. Roll answers, "Just letting Uncle Mega have some fun. He needs to enjoy himself once in a while. But, keep holding on to me, okay?"

Peekaboo beeps, tightening his extension arm grip on Roll's waist. He asks if they'll be safe.

"Of course, Boo. You're always safe with me," Roll assures.

Beat counts down, "Beat... beat... BEAT!"

The two water craft take off and begin racing against each other, not pulling any dangerous maneuvers or bumping into each other. The Light siblings just have fun for the sake of fun, racing through the water without anybody else nearby to bother them.

As they race, Roll glances over at Mega Man Kalinka and the smiles that finally forms on her brother's face. This makes Roll smile too as she focuses on racing again. "It's about time to see you happy, Rock."

As Mega Man races alongside his sister enjoying his time with his family and girlfriend, his visual sensors catch something to his right. He looks over to his right spots a large rock formation and a blue figure lounging atop of them. Upon a closer look, Mega Man clearly acknowledges that this is a robot... a mermaid robot, just like what Chief Kahakalau said it was.  
>The mermaid bot leans on her left side as her metallic fin taps the surface. And she stares across at him with that little mischievous smile of hers until she flips herself backwards into the deep again.<p>

Mega Man's smile fades because he must not ignore his duty to investigate this mysterious robot to confirm if she is a Dr. Wily Robot Master. Once the race is nearing an 'end' Mega intentionally slows a little to allow his sister to win, which causes Peekaboo to let out a cheering bleep.

As the two siblings slow the craft down, Roll calls to her brother, "Wow, Mega. It's not like you to lose."

"Best two out of three!" Kalinka clamors, still enjoying herself.

Mega replies, "Actually, I can't right now."

"Aw, why not?" Kalinka asks.

Mega chooses not to worry Kalinka or Peekaboo, so he tells a fib that is not too far from the truth. "I just got a call from the police chief. I've got to check something out."

Mega looks over to Roll on the jet ski next to him and gives her a nod with a serious look on his face. And Roll reciprocates with a nod as well, also looking less cheerful than she had been since this race began. Inside, she just hopes her brother can get this matter taken care of so he can enjoy his time on vacation with them.

"Come on, Boo. Let's park this ski and we'll still have some fun while Uncle Mega is away," Roll says as she takes the jet ski back to the beachfront.

Mega Man looks over his shoulder back at the formation where the Mermaid was, and sees a slight trace of her body in the ocean, staying away from him and his family. Mega knows this is too suspicious to ignore for much longer...

* * *

><p>Minutes later, The lights and Kalinka return to the beach docks and Roll parks her jet ski safely on the beach. Mega Man and Kalinka follow suit, allowing Kalinka to dismount the Rush jet ski followed by Mega himself before Rush returns to his standard body.<p>

"Don't worry, guys, I'll be back soon. Maybe I'll take you up on that best of three race, Roll," Mega says as he and Rush begin to run back toward the water.

But, Kalinka runs after her boyfriend, crying out, "Wait, Rock."

Kalinka catches up with Mega Man and she holds on to Mega's left hand and stands close to him.  
>"Before you go, Rock, I need to ask something of you. I love your beautiful family, but... do you think you and I can have time alone before we go home? Just you and I?" Kalinka asks kindly, rubbing Mega's hand.<p>

A confused and possible nervous Mega replies in a question, "Uh, what exactly?"

Kalinka answers, "We could to go movie, or fly over the islands with Rush. Or do anything else romantic like the last time we were together."

"Of course we can. I'm on this vacation to spend time with you anyway," Mega replies.

Kalinka smiles again. "Okay. Just don't be too long. I'll miss you too much," she nearly whispers in his helmet's audio sensor.

"I won't be long. I love you," Mega says gently.

Kalinka replies softly, "I love you too."

Kalinka stands on her tiptoes and she and Mega share a very quick little kiss and afterwards Mega calls to his sister, "Roll, be sure to keep Kalinka company while I'm away."

"We will. We need to have a little Girl Talk time anyway," Roll replies. She then looks down at Peekaboo and clarifies, "Well, Girls and Cute Little Robot Talk time, that is."

Mega says, "See you soon, guys," to everyone. Then, commands Rush, "Rush, Jet mode."

Rush barks and transforms to jet board mode and Mega mounts his back and they take off, leaving Kalinka on the sandy beach surface staring up and watching her love as he leaves, not aware that there is a female threat in the ocean beyond her. And her Mega Man is falling into a trap.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<strong>

While the Light family is on vacation, one man is busy doing his job. In a FBI building, Agent Cotto sits behind a desk with his sleeves rolled up, rubbing his temples with his fingers. The desk before him is piled with profiles and files and the walls around him are covered with files and evidence, and all of it thus far has led him and the FBI to nowhere.  
>He would smoke a cigarette to ease the tension, but he would be fined by the implemented scanning devices which prevent the practice of smoking indoors (even though the cigarettes and cigars are much safer than those of the 20th century, it would still be inconsiderate to others.)<p>

The agent is clearly getting frustrated with all of this. Just weeks ago he had to witness his former friend John Barton/Mr. Black sentenced to life in prison after spending several months chasing him, and now he hunts Barton's former associates, but has not been able to find even a trace.

_"Agent Cotto. Agent Allen is on the vid-call,"_ calls a robot assistant on the intercom.

"Put him through," Cotto replies, trying to straighten his tie.

The computer next to the agent switches to a live call from Langley, Virginia, and Agent Allen's face flashes upon it. He asks curtly, _"What's the status report?"_

"Still nowhere. We've turned over every piece of paper, gone through every hard drive, interviewed every Officer, but still have nothing something on anybody. The archives and logs would have had something, but they were all erased. So, somebody has their hands dirty, but everyone is claiming they're innocent, so the only conclusion we have so far is that somebody is hiding something."

Allen replies, _"Bring all the suspects in once more and put pressure on them all. Our suspect, whomever it is, will crack sooner or later. Or one of their allies will sell them out."_

"Have we rounded up any and all potential _'Conduit'_ suspects?" Agent Cotto requests.

_"Everybody we could, including LaPierre and Farage, two of the three involved in the Shrinking Incident two years ago. We managed to bring them in on the charge of purchasing and selling stolen merchandise. They aren't running any art stealing rings, but we found no signs of a hidden organization. These scum are not too influential.  
>Every other potential suspect is in jail - like Otto Raptor - or dead... Or in the case of André Rozhenko, still in a coma. Nobody else has the resources, the power or reach that this Conduit has.<em>  
><em>The only other suspect that makes since is Wily himself. And I wouldn't underestimate him to create an elaborate ruse like this."<em>

"Or maybe it's somebody on the inside," Cotto grimly adds.

_"Are you saying there's a mole in The Bureau?"_ Allen asks.

"Either a mole in the Bureau, or in the Government, or much deeper in the Police than we know. It's the only scenario that makes sense. Somebody who can throw the police, the FBI and even Mega Man off are obviously much more powerful than the criminals we have interrogated.  
>Whoever gave the order from this station in January might only be a smaller piece in a big machine."<p>

_"Well, I don't care if it's a big pieces or a small piece. Just find it before something else catastrophic happens. But, you won't find it in The Bureau, not with how strict the background screening is today,"_ Allen says. _"Keep me in the loop the second you find anything."_

"I'm working on it," Cotto says, cutting the call off. The Agent stands up and walks around the office, his eyes scanning the wall covered in confidential files and dossiers. But, he stops when he comes across the dossiers of Chief Toombs and Captain Tallarico.  
>Of all the people who could have given the order, Toombs and Tallarico would have the most to potentially gain from it.<p>

Toombs is approaching the age for retirement and is a man who has several children to take care of. While Toombs is the kind of man who is not retiring until he's dead, he has vocally voice his desire to end the war so that his children and future grandchildren won't have to live in a world with a terrorist at large.  
>Outside of this, Toombs has nothing to gain from ending the war. Outside of recognition, he is not the type who would relish in honors.<p>

Tallarico however has a lot to gain professionally. If she were the one to assist Mega Man arrest Dr. Wily and end the war, she could easily be the top choice for Chief of Police after Toombs is retired... or if he would be forced out, she would be given a more prestigious rank sooner.

Something clicks in Cotto's head and his hunch tells him that if there is anybody to heck out, it's these two. He then, utters to himself a piece of advice John Barton had given him before he was Mr. Black.  
>"I pays to check twice. The clues might be right under your nose... thanks for the advice, John."<strong><br>**

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

While Dr. Light continues to work on his important project, the good doctor pauses and strokes his beard as he considers how good the project is coming along, and what he can do to make this better. And during his thought process, he glances at the clock sighing after seeing that it is already past Noon.  
>He wishes now that he could have spent more time with his children before they left for their trip. But, also, the importance of the project is key, and he feels he must get it right.<br>The future of humankind and robotkind might depend on it if this war evolves into a crisis. And developing Gamma went sour, he promised Mega Man that he would not make something similar to that again, unless Mega has insight into such a creation.

Thomas sighs, "I wish I could tell them about this, but, I'm afraid they will not take it well. But, this is not another Gamma... I refuse to make any more instruments of destruction. This is something much better. Something special... just like my children."

Seconds later, ProtoMan enters the lab, eating a robot food wafer, and Thomas clears the screen of his work. "Good morning, ProtoMan... or now, Good Afternoon."

"Yeah, I'm still a late recharger. I'm working on that," Proto says, taking a bite of his food.

"Please, son, don't get crumbs on the floor," Thomas requests.

"...Oh, yeah. I'll get Dorris," Proto says, scarfing the rest of his wafer before he can get more crumbs on the floor.

Dr. Light's gaze follows Proto as he walks across the lab, "Is there anything I could help you with, son?"

Proto answers, "Nope. And if you're looking to have one of those conversations you always have with Rock and Roll, I'm not ready for that yet."

Dr. Light lets out a brief sigh, afraid that his eldest son is once again being resistant to the idea of having a heart-to-heart (or heart-to-regulator) conversation with his creator. He is sure that Blues is also trying to repress some painful memories during the days with Wily, so he does not try to force the issue either.  
>"I had hoped you would be willing to discuss things with me while your siblings are away," Thomas says.<p>

"Well, I would. But, I'm not feeling too deep and introspective right now. But, I'll let you know," Proto deflects.

After another sigh, disappointed that Proto is clearly not enthused with the idea of bonding with his father, Dr. Light replies, "If you insist."

Now that he has shaken Dr. Light off his back and avoided another sentimental conversation, ProtoMan wanders around the lab until he sees the small storage room off to the side where he had destroyed a large machine on his first night alive. For the first time in his life, he actually steps inside of the room and remembers that night as he studies his surroundings.

Proto only vaguely remembers that night and the pain he felt in his head, the same painful sensations Nomad feels now. If there was only a way to find out what caused it, he could help his companion with hers.  
>And as Proto expected, Dr. Light notices him and enters the room to accompany him. If there was an opportunity to get Dr. Light to help him on this, it's now, so long as he skirts the subject of his friend Nomad.<p>

ProtoMan turns the lights on in the storage room and sits down on the floor cross-legged near where he destroyed the machinery three years ago. "Did you ever find out what caused me to flip out here in this room? You know... when I pounded that big thing that you use to put here."

Thomas admits, "Initially, I concluded that it was a conflict in your systems between your free will and your guidance system. But, I never had time to run a conclusive test. Wily had attacked me and kidnapped you."

At the mere mention of Dr. Wily, Proto becomes uncomfortable thinking about him because of the final weeks when he was tormented and hurt by his other co-creator. But, He steers the conversation back to the head pain subject, because he wants to know if he can save Nomad from her own.  
>"I know I hate tests. Hell, I didn't let you give me a test when I returned. But, if I did let you run a test on me, you think we could find out exactly what caused me to have the pain in the head and make me freak out?"<p>

Thomas responds, "I'm certain we would. I have wondered about it myself ever since. I am glad you will allow me to run a diagnostic on you, but you have never allowed me until now. Why the sudden change?"

Behind the black visor, Proto's eyes look perturbed because by asking about this, he is risking Nomad's secrecy. Quickly hatching a little white lie, Proto replies, "It's always been bugging me. I keep forgetting I can actually approach you about things and not get treated like a busted wrench after."

After seeing how reflective Proto sounded towards the end of his answer, Dr. Light asks, "You seem like something is troubling you."

Proto barely chortles, "You sure know how to guess how someone's feeling just by looking at them, don't you?"

"It's an instinct," Thomas replies.

He answers, "I've been here for four months, and I still don't feel like I fit in around here. My own sister still doesn't trust me, I get the feeling that my brother hasn't forgotten those battles we used to have when we almost killed each other, and he'll never forget them. I know they don't hate me... at least Rock doesn't. But, sometimes I think he blames the war on me, because I was the one who saved Wily from getting arrested."

Thomas says, "Now, now. I am certain Rock does not harbor those feelings. This is all Albert Wily's doing, not yours."

"But, what about Roll?" Proto asks. "I mean, Some days we're okay, and others, I can feel her staring at me from across the room. You know, that angry stare of hers when she gets her eyes all thin and frowns. You probably saw it when I was brought up around this place, at least before I came home."

Dr. Light answers, "Simply put, Roll still has trouble putting the past behind her. She does have a different personality than your brother does, after all. But, this war hit her the hardest within our family."

Thomas refers to the loss of Doc the Met, a tragedy that Proto himself still remembers, and regrets. "Yeah..." he whispers.

Dr. Light adds, "She may have difficulty learning to trust you sometimes, but you need to prove her suspicions wrong. I know you feel saving Rock's life is enough proof. But, it would not hurt to reiterate that trust when she is suspicious."

Proto grins, "So, I guess that means it's time for me to admit it about the couch, huh?"

Thomas folds his arms and nods, "I suspected it was you, son. Peekaboo is too little to cause that much harm to a piece of furniture. I figured it was best not to say anything and wait for you to admit it."  
>Thomas gives Proto a pat on the shoulder, "You're already making progress."<p>

ProtoMan looks annoyed and mumbles the word, "Dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Dr. Light asks.

"I didn't want to get into another one of these talks with you... but, I here I am sitting here talking to you," Proto replies.

Thomas assesses, "I am glad we _are_ finally getting the chance to talk, son. But, I suspect something more is bothering you. Like your heart is here, but it is also far away."

Thomas's astute assessment is accurate. Because while Proto is beginning to get used to life with his real family, he also yearns to be with his companion Nomad, whom none of his family knows about. And ProtoMan has a feeling that maybe Dr. Light is getting too close to home on that subject, so he tries to blow it off with a concocted story.  
>"It's still hard to get used to this kind of life when you spend much of your life living it one way, the bad guy way. Then one night, you find out everything you're doing is wrong... and it almost costs you the people you care about the most.. and you get hurt for it."<p>

Thomas replies, "I know Wily hurt you for doing what is right. But, all that matters now is that you are safe now, and soon enough he will never be able to do what he did to you to anybody else, be they robot or human."

ProtoMan continues with some vengeful anger in his voice. "He's done a lot worse than anybody knows. I witnessed all of it. And if he does anything to any of us or..."  
>ProtoMan catches himself before he could speak of his friend Nomad, and corrects himself, "Or anybody who can't defend themselves, I'll make him pay for it. Personally!"<p>

Thomas suggests, "Don't let your anger get the better of you, Son."

"With me that's easier said than done, pops," ProtoMan says. For the first time ever, referring to Dr. Light as a father figure.  
>Proto even grins, "Well, what do ya' know? I just called you 'Pops.' I hope that doesn't make you feel old."<p>

Thomas smiles, "It sounded good to me."

Dr. Light begins to stand up again, and ProtoMan even helps him up. "Before the scan, Proto, I would like to show you a few things about your creation. Things that should hopefully fill in the blanks about how your life began."

"I thought you were busy with this secret design of yours," Proto says.

"I can hold off on that for a while," Dr. Light answers. "Time with my children is more important than anything."

As Dr. Light leaves, ProtoMan joins him. But, he is less than thrilled with the idea of this conversation continuing, even muttering under his breath, "How did I get myself into this."

But, as he says it, Proto feels a little tingle of guilt. Dr. Light does mean well. And Proto does want to know more about his history, and how to get the answers to cure Nomad if he can get them.  
>So, ProtoMan continues to follow Dr. Light to the computer station, hoping this will be worth the trouble.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>**

Mega Man and Rush fly back over to the scene where Mega first spotted Splash Woman when they were here with the others, but they don't spot her here now.

"She might not be visible, but that mermaid bot has to be around here somewhere. And that somewhere is underwater," Mega states to Rush as he dismounts the robo canine on the rocky formation.  
>"Let's go down there and search the area. Rush, Marine mode."<p>

Rush barks as Mega Man dives into the ocean, and then follows after him. After entering the ocean, Rush begins to transform into his underwater vehicle form, the Rush Marine, and Mega Man grabs onto him and they trek into the ocean in search of the mysterious mermaid robot.

Everything looks normal enough, and Mega Man even finds a stray Robofish swimming along. But, even if this appears to be normal, Mega remembers that Robofish usually never travel alone unless the rest of their entourage has been destroyed, or the fish is not functioning correctly.  
>But, Chief Kahakalau did say that the Robofish had gone rogue recently, and this could be another case.<p>

Mega presses the yellow keys on his forearm to contact the Robofish. But, the Robofish fails to reply and swims away from him. Very strange, indeed.  
>After the refusal to respond, Mega Man and Rush go after the Robofish at a medium non-suspicious speed to see where it heads.<p>

Mega Man sends a communication to Rush, telling him, "Be ready, Rush. I don't like the looks of this."

Rush turns on his nose spotlight to brighten the darkened parts of the deep-sea as he follows this single Robofish. After a few minutes of following it, Mega Man is shocked to see that it led he and Rush directly to the mermaid robot (Splash Woman), who appears to be lounging inside a coral reef like she does not have a care in the world.

Splash Woman looks up at Mega Man, feigning surprise as if she was not anticipating him. Mega Man attempts to open a communication with her, but Splash Woman begins to swim straight up to the surface and Mega Man goes after the potentially dangerous robot.

Mega send sends her a warning communication, _"Stop now, or I'll be forced to take action!"_

But, the Mermaid ignores Mega Man's communication and continues to swim back where she was when Mega Man found her early today. Mega knows that this robot must be trouble.

Soon, after a long pursuit back to the rocky formation from which Mega Man first sighted her, Splash Woman reaches the ocean surface and jumps out of the water, and Rush boosts Mega Man right after her.  
>Mega leaps out of the ocean and lands on his feet on the formation, right across from Splash Woman as she lies on her side, holding her three-pronged crest staff and still dripping wet from coming out of the water.<br>It was a sight that would easily make about any robot go gaga over her, but Mega Man prepares his plasma cannon and stays steadfast.

"Are you the robot who's been causing the Shark bots and Robofish to go rogue?" Mega asks in a stern voice.

Tapping the hind end of her mermaid fin on the rocks, the female robot casually replies and grins, "Maybe I am, pretty blue boy."

"Who are you?" Mega orders.

The mermaid robot smiles as her mermaid fin begins to transform, separating into two long feminine blue titanium legs and she stands up on her feet. "I am Splash Woman. And I'm the ladybot of your dreams, Mega Man," she seductively says, slowly spinning her staff in her right hand as she stares into Mega' Mans eyes.

Mega Man's and Rush's sensors detect a signal coming from Splash Woman's very body, and Rush barks to alert his owner. But, before Mega Man could try to stop Splash Woman, his thoughts suddenly change from his duty, to lust for Splash Woman.  
>Mega's face drops and his arms slowly fall weak as he looks zombified, and even Rush is not impervious to Splash Woman's indoctrinating charms, and he stares up at her with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.<p>

This is caused by Splash Woman's power to charm other robots into falling in love with her against their will, or adoring her, idolizing her, even worshipping her like she were a Goddess if she wishes. And it worked like a charm on Mega Man.

Now with Mega Man falling for her, Splash Woman's smile becomes even wider as she walks toward the Defender with a swagger in her hips, and Mega barely comes out of his stupor but not enough to look normal yet. His pupils (or eye sensors) appear to be larger now, an after effect of Splash Woman's seductive indoctrination.

As Splash woman rubs the tips her fingers over Mega's chest armor, she asks, "Don't you have anything to say, Mega Man?"

Disarming his plasma cannon, Mega Man replies in a slightly hazed voice and with a lazy smile on his face, "Yes... you're so beautiful."

Splash Woman looks satisfied with the compliment that she made Mega Man say for her. She says, "Why, thank you, I get that from everybody I meet. But, you're the only one I need to impress right now. Anything _else_?"

After amplifying her captivating signal from herself, Splash Woman convinces Mega Man to say, "Yes... I think... I love you."

Rush chimes in with a low hoot, also falling for Splash Woman as a stomps one of his hind feet on the rocks.

Splash Woman lets out a hearty laugh, tilting her head back. "I love myself too! And now that I have your love, Mega Man, my job is almost done. Be a couple of dears and don't you tell the police about little ol' me, okay?"

"I won't tell anybody," Mega mutters, staring at Splash Woman's innocent-looking face.

"Here's something for your troubles, love," Splash Woman says, slowly leaning towards Mega's face and giving him a long sensual kiss on his lips. She smirks, "I'll see you later."  
>She then places her finger over Mega's lips and whispers, "Remember. Don't tell anybody."<p>

"I won't, Splash Woman," Mega says, enthralled with the Robot Mistress.

Splash Woman then walks away and leaps high into the air, reverting her lower half into mermaid fin again and returns to the water with a _splash_. And Mega Man and Rush stand there, staring at her as she leaves, unable to shake the lustful feelings she gave them.

After nearly a minute of staring at Splash Woman, Mega finally comes to and grabs his head and shakes off the trance the Robot Mistress place him in.

"What... just happened?" he says in a daze.

Rush barks, shaking his head.

"We've gotta get back to the hotel and see how the girls are doing. Then, I'll tell Chief Kahakalau about..." Mega pauses, unable to say anything bad about Splash Woman due to his altered programming. "No. I won't... I can't betray Splash. She's so beautiful... I need to see her again."

Mega Man tries thinking about Kalinka - the girl who he truly loves - to get his mind off of Splash Woman, but the only woman who his thoughts return to is the Robot Mistress. While the feelings for Kalinka remain, his heart has already been ensnared by Splash Woman and Mega Man has found himself falling for the evil robot.  
>And he has fallen right into Dr. Wily's trap.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong><strong>Author's notes:<strong>**_

_Special credit for Splash Woman's design goes to Lalalei, who designed a Ruby-Spears version of Splash Woman in sprite form on her DeviantArt page, and it was used with her permission. Thank you very much. :)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you notice any typos, repeated words or continuity erroes so bad that Cupid's arrow would veer off course and strike GUTSMAN'S ASS (DUN-DUNNNNNNN), please send me a PM immediately.  
><em>

_... did you catch the one up there just now? :P_


	140. Complications

_**Episode 13, Chapter 3: Complications.**_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>**

Dr. Light sits at his computer station as ProtoMan stands behind him as they are about to get into details about Proto's birth. A part of Proto wants Dr. Light to get this history lesson finished quickly so he can get the examination over with so that he try to help Nomad.  
>But, a part of Proto wants to learn more about his past. Maybe he can get the truth from Thomas instead of lies from Dr. Wily.<p>

"While not everything will be a cheery subject, this is a day I have hoped would come. There are some things you need to know. Where would you like to start?" Dr. Light asks.

"The Beginning. Where else?" Proto replies.

Thomas brings up several files on the lab computer's large dual monitors above him and they are all related to ProtoMan, from his initial sketches to his final blueprint, all labeled _Project: Blues_.  
>Proto winces at the sight of his original name. "I must have been a special case to put this much time into building me... aside from that stupid name."<p>

Dr. Light explains, "Before your time, robots were not as advanced like you or Rock and Roll. When Albert and I worked together, we were on the cusp of developing robots with free will, so they could think like a human, without any of the restrictions that robots have to live with. We came close with the advanced line of robots who serve humankind today like the PoliceBots and others, but we could not get it perfect.  
>But, for years, the United States Government and other nations feared that one day a robot would do great harm to an organic life."<p>

"Yeah, I've heard of _I, Robot_. Propaganda from the stupid humans," Proto says.

"That novel was just a work of fiction, but people were afraid of something similar taking place," Thomas adds. "I wanted to prove all the skeptics wrong and show that robots can function just like humans and we would all be better for it. And I was sure the way to do that was to build a robot and take care of him or her like my own child."

"How did Wily fit into all this?" Proto asks.

"Albert wanted nothing to do with raising a robot like a child. He thought all robots were nothing more than tools to manipulate," Dr. Light responds, resenting how closed-minded Dr. Wily was about his idea of raising a robot as a child.  
>"I did not let Albert deter me. We both built you and programmed you over the course of several months. It was a painstaking process to say the least."<p>

Proto grins, "Well, when you're building a bot like me, I would think so. You can't get someone _this good_ right on the first try. Right?"

Dr. Light smiles when he sees one picture show up on screen of a small child robot with bushy brown hair and a design like Proto's old armor. It is like a child version of ProtoMan.  
>"When we planned you, I almost made your image like that of a child," Thomas reminisces.<p>

Proto frowns after seeing what he could have been on the screen before him. "Yeesh! I guess I can thank you for not making me _ProtoKid_."

Dr. Light says, "We finally got everything sorted out before the new year 20X1. It took three weeks to build and construct you from the final plan to your completion. But, it was worth it the effort. And, you were finally born on this night. January 13th, 20X1... it was the night the changed all our lives forever."

"Way to hype it," Proto quips.

Before proceeding any further, Thomas turns to ProtoMan and asks, "Will seeing Dr. Wily be uncomfortable for you?"

After a pause, Proto replies, "No. It's just the past. I'm not scared of him."

After Proto gives him the okay, Dr. Light runs the footage that was shot inside the lab on the night Proto was born, with Thomas and Dr. Wily introducing _Project: Blues -_ or as it was renamed that night, _Project: ProtoMan.  
><em>And ProtoMan leans toward the screens, fixating on the visual of his yet unborn self lying on the work table, taking a great interest in where this crazy life of his began...

_"January 13th, 20X1, 9:39 PM... Dr. Thomas Light speaking, joined by Dr. Albert Wily. Activation of the humanoid robot prototype, Codename:... ProtoMan, is about to take place. Albert, If you please."_

Proto watches intently when the video reaches the moment Dr. Wily enters commands into a piece of equipment identical to the one he used to upload Nomad's programming. And seeing this gives Proto his first clue to what may have gone wrong.  
>"What's that thing Wily's got?"<p>

"That is a mobile programming uploader. It was Wily's own invention," Dr. Light says, "After this night, I decided against using them ever again and program my robots manually. It takes a longer time, but I am certain it is best for a robot's health. I still believe it may have played a part in your outburst."

ProtoMan watches as he sees his young, un-helmeted self getting up off of the worktable and take his first steps. Proto grins, "Even at birth, I was the most handsome bot on the planet."

_"Who are you?"_ asked young ProtoMan in the archive.

_"I am Dr. Light, and beside me is Dr. Wily."_

_"Hello. My name is Blues."_

The Proto of today frowns again after he witness how polite he was. "But, I was a total dork!"

Dr. Light smiles, "You may not think to highly of your old self, Son. But, I still fondly cherish this time we had together. Though it was a fleeting few minutes, I still remember it like yesterday."

Later as Proto watches the archive, he sees his younger self ask, _"Am I the only robot of my kind?"_

Wily replied on the screen, _"For now, yes. Don't worry, my boy, you will have plenty of brothers and sisters very soon."_

_"A brother?... I'd like to have a little brother."_

The ProtoMan of today gets a good laugh out of that. "Ha! I really saw into the future there."

At that point, Dr. Light suddenly pauses the video and turns away. And ProtoMan is left wondering why. "Uh... was it something I said?"

Thomas replies, "No... things become difficult at this point. I would rather not watch this myself, because this was the moment all our lives were forever changed."

"Yeah, I know as much. But, it wasn't _all_ gloomy crap after this," ProtoMan says.

"Yes, you are right. But, I would rather not look directly at it. It drudges up too much painful. I hope you can understand," Dr. Light sighs.

Proto's resolve stays strong and he keeps watching. He is not just doing this for himself. He is doing it for Nomad. "I need to see it. Play it."

Dr. Light turns back and resumes the archive, keeping his eyes away from the screen and emotionally bracing himself for what is about to happen next. Meanwhile, ProtoMan looks at the footage intently, watching as his un-helmeted self began to get a pained expression on his face, then reached for his head and shoved away Dr. Wily.

_"Blues!"_

_"Get away from me!"_ the young Proto yelled as he ran out of camera range, followed by the sound of a wall being rammed through.

The two Doctors soon could just barely be seen struggling over how to stop him from destroying the lab... _"NO! You'll hurt him with that!"_

_"He's going to kill us both! I have to use it!"_

_"I **_won't_** let you harm him!"_

The dispute between Thomas and Wily is followed the horrible sound of the broken machinery is heard falling on top of young ProtoMan and the scientists run towards him. ProtoMan watches and listens to the last seconds of the archive, hearing the voice of Dr. Light panicked as he told Dr. Wily to get help for his robot son. Wily, however, walked away and reached for the camera to shut it off.  
>And just before turning the stopping the recording, he muttered under his breath, <em>"It's just a damn robot, Thomas."<em>

Dr. Light turns around and shuts off the footage. "I am sorry if any of that was difficult for you to see."

Proto does not appear to be bothered by this, even when he sees how ready Dr. Wily was to use a shock baton on him to subdue him, showing how abusive he was then. Instead, he tries to use this experience to find a way to help Nomad.  
>"I remember when this was happening. The only thing that made me feel better was destroying stuff, like I did in that room. Do you think if I had the opposite emotion - like happiness or love - do you think it would have helped?"<p>

"If your pain really did ease when you destroyed the equipment in the storage room, then maybe it would..." Dr. Light looks worried and asks, "Why do you ask? Have you experienced anything like this since that day?"

"No. But, if it happens again, I need answers. Or else, I could end up tearing the whole place apart. And that won't be so great," Proto shrugs.

"It would take extensive examinations of your neural core to ensure you do not have any lingering damage caused by this first night. But, if there is any prove to the theory, we will find it," Dr. Light answers

Proto huffs and crosses his arms. "He didn't help me, did he?"

"He did come back to help. But, he refused to shoulder the blame for his failure to program your guidance system," Thomas bitterly replies, Recalling the events. "He went home, then came back and attacked me, then stole you."

ProtoMan becomes silent as he prepares to ask Dr. Light something he never has before. Something that Dr. Wily had led him to believe... "Why didn't you come for me?"

"I tried, but Wily disappeared," Dr. Light answers. "At first I thought I never stood a chance at getting you back because the justice system might have viewed you as nothing more than a piece of property. But, I couldn't live with myself if I just gave up.  
>For three months, I spent my days trying to find leads so I could get you back, and my nights were spent building your siblings."<p>

"I would've appreciated it if you'd found me a lot sooner," ProtoMan replies, turning his head and sounding resentful about how Thomas could not free him from Dr. Wily before everything went wrong.

Dr. Light solemnly says, "I am so sorry, Blu-... _Proto_. There may be times when you will not trust me or be angered about our past, and there are scars that may never fully mend.  
>But, rest assured, even when you were working with Wily, I never hated you for anything you did. You always were - and always will be - my son. Just as much as your siblings are also my son and daughter."<p>

ProtoMan keeps silent with his head turned, frowning as he deals with all the consequences of what happened after his first night after he was born. But, Even though he is left bitter about how things went and how everything bad that happened might not have if he had just been fixed before it happened, he also knows the good things that have also happened would never have happened.

"I'm not gonna get angry about the past. I'm okay with letting the past be _the past_. All I want to do is make sure the future doesn't get messed up," Proto replies. "And right now, all I'm looking for is answers."

"If you wish, you could begin the examination immediately," Dr. Light suggests.

"Not now. I need to take a few minutes to be alone," Proto says. "I can only take so many heart-wrenching moments at one time. For now, I think I'll be outside."

ProtoMan sneaks away, letting his co-creator think he needs time alone. But, Proto has other plans. There is a companion of his who he needs to talk to.  
>She is the only reason why he is subjecting himself to this trip down bad memory lane. But, if she can be helped out, it will be worth it.<p>

* * *

><p>Elsewhere on the lab compound, ProtoMan sneaks around and finds a place where there aren't any surveillance cameras, and even when he reaches just the right place, he looks over his shoulder to make sure Dr. Light or one of his goofy housekeeping robots aren't snooping around.<p>

He presses the contact key on his forearm and calls to Nomad. "Hey, girl. Can you read me?"

After waiting several seconds that feel like hours, Proto gets a hail back, which was only a Morse Code message, a technique Proto had taken the time to teach her in his most recent visit. Even though she knew very little, she told him she is here.

"Great. Look I can't be very long. But, I think I'll be able to sneak out of here and see you tonight. I think I might finally be getting somewhere with this head pain. I might be able to find a way to stop it soon. I don't know when, but soon. We've just gotta tough it out a little longer."

After another pause, Nomad signals back again.

"Great. I'll let you know when I'm out of here. I'll see you tonight... I love ya' very much," Proto says.

Nomad immediately sends to shorts messages back, her way of replying the same sentiment back to him.

Proto smiles and ends the call before realizing that in order to get those answers, he must allow Dr. Light to examine him. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but he still has not fully warmed up to humans yet, and still hates the idea of anybody - even Dr. Light - messing around inside his body.  
>"I hate doctor's appointments," he groans.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

While Mega Man is away, Kalinka is lounging on a floating beach chair in the middle of the hotel's private pool while Roll takes a swim with Peekaboo holding on to her back with his extension arm. Hearing Peekaboo letting out bleeps of happiness as Roll plays with him makes her smile too.

As Roll reaches the edge of the pool, she moves Boo over to her front side and asks, "Are you having fun, sweetie?"

Peekaboo beeps yes, smiling.

"If I hold you, do you want to swim too?" Roll asks.

Boo bleeps, asking if he'll be safe.

"Yep. Don't worry, I'll be right here holding on. All you've gotta do is flip your feet and use your extension arm to move forward. Just don't splash 'em too much, or you'll drench everybody," Roll says.

Peekaboo beeps, and Roll holds into the Met as he begins kicking his feet and stroking his one hand into the water. And even though Boo doesn't know how to really swim yet, Roll swims right behind him to help him go as if he were.  
>Peekaboo bleeps again as he coasts along the water, having such a great time here with his family.<p>

Kalinka hears Peekaboo's and Roll's interactions and is so moved by their cuteness that she looks over towards them behind her sunglasses and watches him. She can't help but smile watching Roll and her little Met playing, so glad she can call them both her companions.  
>And she wonders if one day, if her relationship with Rock becomes even more than it is now, maybe they too will have a chance to have something like this. Living life with each other and a little robot to play with like Rush or Peekaboo is... if her father Dr. Cossack will allow her to.<br>He has been very wary of allowing Kalinka to be around Mega Man ever since she was taken by Dr. Wily's robots a second time last year. But, he reluctantly allowed her to come with them to Hawaii for the getaway, and Kalinka is enjoying it while she can.

When Roll and Peekaboo swim near her, Kalinka calls in a squee, "Aw! Look at you go, Boo-Boo!"

Roll and Peekaboo swim over to the side of Kalinka's floating lounge chair, and Roll comments, "It's so great to see him happy. After all he's been through, he deserves the best."

"He has a great Mama," Kalinka says, petting Boo's hardhat.

Roll asks her human friend, "So, what do you think of this place?"

Kalinka beams, "I love it! Thank you so much for inviting me. I never thought I would see Hawaii unless it was for one of Father's science meetings."

"It's pretty nice here. It's not the first time we've been here. The first time, the tabloids said we were investing a cave full of mummies or something way far out like that," Roll snickers.

Kalinka turns over on her right side and asks, "Roll, do you have special somebody in your life too? Like Rock is to me?"

Roll pouts, because the two times she allowed herself to become attracted to a robot, she was betrayed both times. Once by Top Man, and again by Bass.  
>And she does not feel comfortable discussing Bass with Kalinka yet, so she vaguely answers, "I did, at one time. I <em>thought<em> I did, anyway. It's still tough to talk about it."

"Aw, I am so sorry," Kalinka says, putting her arm around Roll. "Don't worry. One day, you will find somebody special."

Roll turns her body to face Kalinka and sighs, "Yeah... but, I'm okay. As long as I've got Peekaboo and my family, I'll be okay."

Peekaboo bleeps and smiles as Roll cuddles him in the water, and Kalinka looks up and sees Mega Man and Rush flying toward the hotel. "Rock is back!" she calls.

Roll looks as well, sighting Mega and Rush flying overhead until they land next to the pool area. "Sorry we're late, guys," Mega calls, not sounding or acting full of energy like usual.

As Peekaboo bleep _hi_ to Uncle Mega, Roll asks, "That took longer than I thought. I was beginning to worry. Did you guys find anything?"

Mega Man pauses very briefly before he can answer with Splash Woman's influence already making decisions for him. "Uh... No. We thought there was something out there, but it was a false alarm. I think we can all relax."

"Well, that's a relief," Roll smiles. "Now we can get back out on the beach so I can beat you in another race."

"Maybe tomorrow," Mega replies, sounding tired, "I need to recharge for a while, I want to be rested for tonight."

Kalinka lies on her stomach and kicks her feet in the air, asking Mega, "What should we do tonight, Rock, Darling?"

Mega pauses and looks down at Kalinka and doesn't answer at first. Just the sight of Kalinka reminds him that she is the one who he loves, not Splash Woman. But, those feelings are not as strong as they would ordinarily be, as he still cannot fight off the feelings Splash Woman gave him, and his heart is torn between his true love and the one who manipulated his heart.  
>"I don't know. Your call," Mega finally replies.<p>

"Okay. See you later," Kalinka waves from the pool.

"See you soon," Mega says as Rush barks, walking after him.

As Mega walks away with Rush, Kalinka's longing stare follows him as he heads inside. She nervously bits her lip before coming up with a weak excuse to go be with him instead. "Roll, uh, I think I'm going head inside for a while. I think... my hands are getting wrinkly. Yeah. See you soon!"

As Kalinka swims her lounge chair to the edge of the pool, Roll glazes her eyes. "Oh-kay?"  
>While Kalinka hurries up to get dressed and toweled off, Roll says, "Come on, Boo. Something tells me we're going to have to keep an eye on Uncle Mega and Miss Kalinka tonight."<p>

But, as Roll climbs out of the private pool with Peekaboo and wraps towels around herself and her Met baby, she hears a voice she hasn't heard in a while. "Roll Light!" calls the voice of her friend and fellow student from Light University, Plum.

"Plum!" Roll peeps as she races over to greet her with Boo still in her arms.

The two friends hug and Plum says, "It's been too long. And is this Peekaboo?"

"Yep. Say hi to Plum, Boo," Roll says, and Peekaboo beeps and wraps his extension arm around her to hug her like his Mommy was.

"Aw, he's adorable!" Plum squees as she squeezes the dark grey cheeks of Boo. She then looks over her shoulder, asking, "Was that Dr. Cossack's daughter? The girl who was chained to that mondo Ion Bomb in Times Square last year?"

"Yep, that's her. We invited her to come here too. She's a friend of the family now that everything's cool with Dr. Cossack," Roll says. "What brings you out here?"

"Your dad's university sent us journalism students out to check out interesting stories for this semester. I came over to check out the coral reefs and how they're recovering after all the stealers attacked them about 50 years ago.  
>I thought it was going to be a dull assignment, but I am so glad I took it," Plum replies, looking very giddy and exited.<p>

"Why is that?" Roll asks.

Looking a bit blushy, Plum replies, "Oh, my goodness, Roll! I ran into a girl bot when I was taking pics on an underwater dive for the report. She was so beautiful! I think I'm in love!"

Roll looks a little perplexed by this news, because this does not sound like the Plum she has always known. "Whoa. You broke-up with Kung-Fu Bot!? You're always talking about how cute he is, even when he fails at fighting."

"I do like Kung-Fu Bot... I guess," Plum says, sounding at-odds with her emotions. But, she continues praising_ Splash_ again. "But, _nobody_ is like Splash! I'm going to go see her again tonight. She said she would be there for me."

Roll asks, "Plum, did this bot give you her name?"

"Yeah. Her name is Splash!" Plum says.

"Just Splash? Her name wasn't Splash _Woman,_ was it?" Roll asks, remembering that if a robot's name ends in "Man" (or even "Woman"), it's probably a Robot Master.

"Nope, Just Splash. Oh, Roll, you've _got_ to come see her. She's incredible! I don't know how she's not on the cover of every magazine in the world!" Plum swoons as she continues to expel the seeming wondrous virtue of this Splash girl.

Roll refuses Plum's offer, "Thanks, Plum. But, I really want to spend time with my family instead... Hey, where did you run into Splash?"

"Way off in the ocean, out by the rock formations," Plum replies.

The rock formations. That is where she raced Mega and Kalinka this afternoon. Now, Roll suspects that maybe this Splash bot might be something worth telling Mega about. Even though he says it wasn't a problem, it doesn't mean it was not this Splash who is the robot who Mega was told lurking in the sea.  
>"Okay. Thanks, Plum. If you see her again, let me know."<p>

"I will. See you soon!" Plum says, leaving to resume her day and dreaming about Splash.

Peekaoo beeps to his Mommy ask who Splash was.

"I don't know, Boo. But, I think this is something Uncle Mega and me need to check out," Roll replies.

* * *

><p>Inside the hotel, Mega Man and Rush approach their room, and both are still looking hindered by the after-effects of Splash Woman's romantic indoctrination powers. Deep inside, he knows that the right thing to do is to tell the police about Splash Woman, but every time he tries, all he can think of is her and his altered programing makes him feel love for her when it should be directed towards Kalinka Cossack.<p>

Mega and Rush eventually reach his family's suite, right across from Kalinka's suite where two of Dr. Cossack's guardian bots are stationed at the door, greeting, "Greetings, Mega Man. The hotel is secure."

"Okay... thanks, " Mega responds, sounding disheveled and tired. "Let me know if anything happens."

As Mega starts entering the room, Kalinka calls out from across the hall, "Rock!"

Mega looks across the way and sees her running towards him, now wearing a large t-shirt over herself, a towel over her neck and sneakers. Mega gives her a tired smile, happy to see her. But his thoughts continue to be bombarded by intrusive thoughts of Splash Woman.

"While you take nap, I will freshen up," Kalinka says, "After you wake up, we could go see movie with your family. Or... if you want some alone time, we could fly over the islands."

"If we did that we wouldn't be totally alone. I left Item 2 at home, so we'd have to bring Rush with us," Mega shrugs.

"Well, Rush can come with us. He will be good boy," Kalinka says as she kneels down and petting Rush, who pants and looks dazed himself.

"I'll think about it when I'm recharging. Us robots are able to do that," Mega smiles.

"Just let me know, darling," Kalinka says, standing up and leaning towards Mega's face for another kiss. But, Mega Man tenses up around her for the first time ever, and Kalinka notices it.  
>With concern, she asks, "Rock... what is wrong?"<p>

"Um... them," Mega replies, pointing at the two Cossack guard bots standing in front of them.

Kalinka glazes her eyes and turns to them, ordering in Russian, "Leave us," pointing to the door of her suite.

"Yes, Miss Cossack," replies a Guardian robot. The two guardians nod and enter the suite, leaving Mega and Kalinka alone.

"Rush, you might as well head inside too. I'll be in soon," Mega says.

After Rush walks into the Lights' suite, Mega and Kalinka stand alone in the hallway. Kalinka blushes a bit and smiles, "Today has been great so far. I just wish I could spend every day this close to you."

Kalinka slowly moves her arms around Mega's torso until her hands meet behind his back, and she rests her head on his chest, closing her eyes. And Mega puts his arms around her too.

"That day is going to come very soon, Splash," Mega says... and his eyes open wider when he realizes he just called Kalinka _'Splash!'_

He can feel Kalinka pulling herself away from him, and he fears the worst. But, fortunately, Kalinka pays it no mind, and she even giggles. "Splash? That must be a nickname for how much we splashed in the ocean today. You silly boy."

Mega looks so relieved that Kalinka did not react badly that he can only let out a sigh of relief as Kalinka kisses him on the cheek. She nearly whispers, "I'll see you tonight."

Kalinka steps back to her suite, quickly turning around and flashing Mega a little smile and a wave. Mega Man can only enter his family's suite and sigh raggedly. Even though that bout of affection Kalinka showed him helped break his clouded thoughts, he still visualizes Splash Woman instead of Kalinka  
>He does not want these thoughts, but he can't fight them.<p>

"Something's wrong. I want to think about Kalinka... but all I can think of is _her_," Mega groans to himself as he lies down on one of the suite's beds. "Why is it I always have to get my positrons scrambled by one thing or another at the worst possible times?"

Rush howls back, and Mega says, "You said it, boy."**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<br>****NYPD gym.**

Ever since the FBI's exhausting investigation of the New York Police Department started, it has been very quiet around here at the gym. The tension has been so high hat one day a fight broke out between two officers, because the more time that passes, the more the other Officers begin to question their fellow man and woman.  
>Most people can't trust each other much these days and they won't until the FBI gets out. But, even then, the damage done from this will not heal for a good amount of time.<p>

Officer Ash Rose enters the nearly empty gym, wearing his workout clothing, and is greeted by the robot attendant. "Good morning, Officer Rose."

"Hey," the muscular officer simply replies, heading off for the heavy weights section of the gym, and not terribly surprised to see that almost nobody is here today.

As he reaches the dumbbell weights, he does see one female officer in workout clothes doing strength workouts nearby, and her musculature is extremely defined for a woman, among the most impressive conditioning of _any_ of the officers of the force in New York. But, the small grunting sounds she makes with each repetition sounds familiar, and upon a closer look Officer Rose thinks he knows who this is...

"Captain?" he asks.

Captain Tallarico stops her workout and turns around to acknowledge her personal bodyguard officer. "Hello, Ash."

"I've never seen you at this gym before. And if I may, I never knew that you were in _that_ good shape," Rose compliments, noting how incredibly fit Captain Tallarico is, despite her age.

Tallarico wears a smirk on her face that disappears just as fast when she returns to her workout, "Thanks. I'm only working out here because the FBI is dragging me and Toombs over to take part in another damned interview."

Rose walks over to face the Captain and asks, "Did they say why?"

Tallarico bitterly answers, "No. These are feds. They don't have to tell us a damn thing. If we have a problem it that, too bad for us_."_

The officer asks, "That the only thing bothering you, Captain? You've been pretty irritable ever since this year started."

"No, it's not the only thing," Tallarico says, sounding perturbed, "I almost had him."

"Who?"

"Mr. Black. John Barton. Whatever his damn name is.," Tallarico huffs as she workout gets more furious. She then calls back to the time when her and Officer Rose were the closest to Barton's A.I. Controlled car last month during a chase the spread through New York.  
>"I almost had him! I could have taken him out last month!"<p>

The Officer's brow furrows is shock after hearing his Captain openly admit this. "Are you serious? If you would have done that, you would have be stripped of your rank, Captain."

After allowing he anger to get the better of her, Tallarico stops her lifts and remains hunched over as she tries to catch her breath. She replies in deep panting, "I wouldn't have killed him. If only I had shot out his tires, or wounded him, the force would have brought him in and kept him here. Mega Man and the FBI would have never been able to let him out that night! But, they went ahead it let him out anyway, we're in trouble because some ignoramus sent for back-up! It was probably that Toombs."

"Do you really believe the Chief would do that?" Rose asks.

"That man has acted like a cowboy ever since I've known him. He does things his way, even if it's reckless," Tallarico complains. "Ever since this war started, he's given Mega Man and Dr. Light carte blanche, and because of that, we let a monster like Mr. Black join in on their little covert operation  
>I want Wily gone, and I know you want him gone too, but Toombs, Henry and Cochran have all gotten carried away with the Mega Man love-fest. I can't imagine how crazy it will get if Cochran wins the White House."<p>

"We're at war, Captain. We've got to do what we've got to do. We can't let the ones we've lost die in vain," Rose says, remembering his teenage brother, who was the first victim on the subway train when Wily attacked Times Square and ignited the war.

"And in war times, people can do desperate things. You think the Chief wouldn't do something desperate to help Mega Man arrest Mr. Black's people and Wily in one move?"

"I don't think The Chief would do anything that would jeopardize the entire force," Rose replies.

"I hope he wouldn't... but this is a man who carries a rocket launcher in his cruiser and a baseball bat in his office. The man is insane. We never know what he's going to do," Tallarico says.

"Even if the Chief is responsible for sending the back-up, which I don't think he is, I don't see why you're resenting Mega Man," Rose says.

Before Tallarico could answer, the Gym's greeting robot approaches her. "Captain Tallarico, the FBI requests to see you in one hour."

Tallarico nods and puts her towel around her neck, replying to Rose, "I don't hate Mega Man or Dr. Light. But, we've been fighting this war for nearly three years. I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of only coming close to stopping Dr. Wily instead of capturing him... or finishing him off."

Ash very seriously responds, "I want that Wily to pay for what he did to my brother and everybody he killed. But, I can't let it consume me. Not anymore. There isn't much I can do to stop Wily, but I can support the ones who can. We can't lose focus now, Captain. We've got to make it to the end of this war."

Tallarico nods. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't have overreacted. I think I trust you with my frustrations more than anybody else around here, because we've known each other long enough."

"I understand, ma'am," Rose says.

"Ash... I now this will sound strange, but... you can call me Talia when we're off-duty," Tallarico says, reaching up and placing her hand on Rose's broad shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze

Officer Rose's eyebrow tilts, and he responds, "Okay... _Talia_."

Captain Tallarico smiles and leaves for the showers, and she gives him a quick glance. "See you later, Partner."

As Tallarico leaves, Officer Rose looks back towards her and watches as she walks away. And as he lies down on the workout bench to begin lifting the barbells, his thoughts keep going back to her.

In the years since he was assigned as Tallarico's personal bodyguard, she has been an occasional confidant and had been around him during the loss of his brother, but she never got too close to him even though they were both single. Perhaps thanks to their age difference with Rose being in his late twenties, and Tallarico in her late forties.  
>But, that squeeze of the shoulder she gave him and the insistence of calling her by her first name grabbed the Officer's attention... and even though it came out of left field, he doesn't mind it either.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back on the Gesselchaft.<strong>

The Bonne Family ship is approaching the Los Angeles airport, about to drop off the Bonne Siblings so they can begin their vacation to Hawaii, and so that Tron can seek out Mega Man and profess her (unhealthy and obsessive) love for him.  
>And as the Bonnes are gathering their things, Tiesel hides the drive with the edited audio for The Conduit's Network, directly into his shirt pocket. All he has to do is stick it on to the Gesselchaft's hull on his way out. But, sneaking it on when his little sister or the Servbots are not looking is the hard part.<p>

"Tiesel, there's one thing I wanted to ask you before we go," Tron says as she picks up their baby brother Bon, now outside of his mech suit. "Why couldn't we have just flown the Gesselchaft over Hawaii and drop ourselves off there?"

Thinking of a good story to answer with on the fly, Tiesel almost freezes in shock, but eventually hatches an answer. "Well... because our parents would find out. Every second the Gesselchaft is outside of the mainland, the more business we lose from potential customers. And ever since Dr. Wily started the war, you know how stingy air traffic control is. It's better we do this the legal way, anyway."

"Tiesel Bonne doing things the legal way. I guess there's a first time for everything," Tron jabs. as she handles her little brother and steps off the ship.

After Tron walks away, Tiesel does his best to turn the other cheek at his little sister's jab (not before grumbling and muttering angrily to himself) and looks around for any sign of Servbots marching around, and does not spot any of them. He then sneaks off to the storage area of the ship where most drop-offs and pick-ups are made.  
>All he has to do is place the drive with altered audio in an inconspicuous area right outside the ship, and his job is done, as long as the Servbots don't go looking outside and take it off the hull before The Conduit's asset gets it.<p>

As Tiesel makes his way to the door, he opens it and gets ready to place the drive on the hull just outside, until he hears the cute little voice of Servbot #24 behind him. "I hope you rejoin Miss Tron before the plane leaves, Mr. Bonne, or you're going to be late for your trip," the little bot says.

Tiesel hides the drive behind himself and lies, "I was just about to leave, #24. Remember, we've got a buyer coming to the ship later tonight. I would greatly appreciate it if you Servbots would help them get their order of junk in that create right here. Okay?"

"You mean the one Miss Tron ordered us to inspect carefully because you arranged the sale, Mr. Bonne?" #24 asks.

Tiesel does his best to hide his frown over his sister's meddling into his affairs, let is also secretly glad he didn't try to smuggle the drive in that crate. "Yeah, that's the crate. Just make sure they get it. Alright?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Bonne!" #24 says, giving him a salute before stepping off.

Tiesel keeps his red-contact lensed eyes on the Servbot until he is gone, then leans out the cargo bay door and places the drive right next to it, giving The Conduit's people easy access. He just hopes that the asset who arrives is not Miss T

After giving his dark green and black shirt a tug at the front, Tiesel maneuvers himself out of the cargo hold and makes his way back to the Gesselchaft's main exit and get to Hawaii and hopes that the "trade" goes well.

* * *

><p>Inside the airport, Tron has her baggage scanned by security, and with modern technology, it is no problem for them to notice the little marshmallow-headed robot inside her three-foot tall case.<br>"Could you please identify this object, Miss?" requests the robo security screening officer.

"That's just a toy robot for my cousin. Our extended family is meeting us in Hawaii," Tron lies.

"Babu!" adds Bon from Tron's arms, still using his favorite word more than any other in his limited toddler vocabulary.

After a second scan of the contents inside Tron's case, namely Servbot #1, but nothing seems suspicious inside and the robo officers allow it onboard. "No explosives or hazardous items. We will let it onboard, Miss. But it will remain in cargo. We cannot take the chance of letting it sit anywhere else during a war time."

"Fine... But, if anything happens to my case or that little robot, I will find out who is responsible and tear their robotic limbs off!" Tron threatens.

"Hang-on, everybody!" urgently calls Tiesel as he races to the scene in an attempt to quell a possible situation here. "There's no need to panic. We're the Bonnes, we run the reliable Bonne Salvage business. You may have seen our ship outside. Please don't boot us from the flight... my sister has a short fuse. But, she didn't really mean it. So, we can fly, right? ... Please?"

The robo airport security gives Tiesel a blank stare and tells him with a deadpan delivery, "Please run your luggage and your body though the scanner, sir."

"Oh, you're right. Sorry," The elder Bonne sibling replies as he hands over his suitcase and steps through the checkpoint.

After Tiesel is cleared to pass, the robot says, "You are clear to proceed. Enjoy your trip... and please do not start any incidents that would disrupt the flight."

Once Tiesel walks out of the security area, he rejoins his siblings and Tron skeptically asks, "What took you so long?"

"Just made sure the Servbots got the customer manifest and that they remain in top shape in our absence. They've never been left alone without us for this long before, you know."

"Don't worry. My babies haven't let me down yet. They know how important it is that they run the Gesselchaft for us this weekend. I need to profess my feelings for Mega Man! I'm sure Cupid has an arrow for us!" Tron declares.

Tiesel glazes his red-lensed eyes. "Ugh, that was so hokey I'm sick to my stomach."

"What!?" Tron sneers.

Tiesel stammers, "I said, I hope they have decent food for my stomach... on the plane. Let's get onboard."

Narrowly avoiding a confrontation here, Tiesel and his siblings begin to board a flight to Hawaii, and they haven't a clue what they are about to step into.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>**

With Bass about to arrive to Hawaii to monitor the operation with Splash Woman, Dr. Wily is left here to explain the Bank Heist portion of the operation to the Robot Masters. But, after trying to lay the plan out to them, the Robot Masters are having trouble following Dr. Wily's directions as always...

Wily growls angrily, "I am going over this one more time! Anyone who doesn't comprehend it will be staying here and skimming the outside of this fortress for mines!"

GutsMan complains, "But, I wanna be the one who destroys that Mega Twerp!"

"You had your chance!" counters Plant Man, "When am I getting a shot?"

"You're gonna get your shot... when you get a better weapon then pretty flowers! HA HA!" GutsMan taunts.

Seeing how this has totally spiraled down into an argument among Robot Masters, Wily tries to get their attention again. "Stop it!" he tries to shout.  
>But, Albert's effort fails and the argument continues...<p>

Toad Man (and his creepy smile) joins the fray, croaking, "Hey! You guys are always able to fight Mega Man. I haven't done anything since we attacked Robosuar Park! _RRRRRRibbit!"_

Bright Man retorts, "Because Toads aren't very _bright_, you know! Hee-hee!"

"Shut-up, you stupid light bulb!" Air Man yells. "I'm the one who should destroy Mega Man! And I _would have_ already if it wasn't for the Eskimo!" he taunts to Ice Man.

Ice Man takes exception to Air Man's taunt and defends himself, "If Mega Man hadn't tricked me into believing you were conspiring behind my back, I would've destroyed him!"

"Stop fighting!" Dr. Wily yells, but that still cannot deter the Robot Masters from bickering amongst themselves...

Now Cut Man jumps in, "You can't destroy anybody, Ice Man! You have an Ice Slasher that can't even _cut_ butter! Eh-heh! Eh-heh!"

Magnet Man piles on Ice Man, snapping, "At least Cut Man can last more than a few minutes in a fight! All it takes is one shot from Elec Man's lightning, and you're done! That's even worse than Needle Man!"

Upon hearing his name, Needle Man blathers, "Duh, who's talking about me?"

Ice Man scoffs, "Cut Man!? He doesn't have the guts to fight Mega Man's sister after she clipped him in his orange rear-end!"

Elec Man jumps in, "Magnet Man, Cut Man and that baboon-bot GutsMan are even dumber than Needle Man! And that's saying something!"

Upon hearing his name again, Needle Man asks, "Duh, who's talking about me?"

The angry GutsMan pounds his yellow fists together, growling, "That does it! Who wants a smashin' right here?"

Quick Man darts around GutsMan and taunts him, "You could pound me, but you can't catch me! I'm too quick! Even Mega Man can't slow me down!"

Hard Man shouts, "If you don't keep quiet, I'll pound all of you like I will Mega Man!"

Finally fed up with his Robot Masters falling out of line and constantly hearing Mega Man's name mentioned over and over, Dr. Wily finally blows a gasket. And with his forehead vein popping through his head, he shrieks...  
><strong>"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT-UUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPP!"<strong>

The Robot Masters immediately quiet down and turn their attention to Dr. Wily, all of them staring with fearful wide eyes. And now that he his the Robot Masters' attention, Wily collects his thoughts, before unleashing his orders on them again...

"If I see another blow-up like that again, those responsible will be assigned to the scrapyard... AS SCRAP!" Dr. Wily barks.

Now that Wily has them gripped in fear, all of the Robot Masters shudder in fear or shake their heads to comply, and all remain quiet.

Dr. Wily straightens his poorly tied red necktie, and states, "As I was going to say, I want the best of you Robot Masters available on the California section of the operation for the bank heist. Even with my uncanny genius, I will need your speed, power and ability to succeed. Now, before you complain again, no aquatic robots will be assigned to this operation. Instead, you will be sent to Hawaii to provide Splash Woman, Dark Man and Bass with support."

"But, Bass don't need no back-up," GutsMan comments.

"What I have planned for Bass is none of your concern, GutsMan. Stay quiet!" Wily snaps before speaking to the Aquatic Robot Masters. "Bass will be monitoring your progress, so be on your best behavior."

Dr. Wily explains, "The reason we are going all-out on this is because the banks of the world are upgrading their security and fast after our recent robberies. They can now detect Dark Man's mimetic abilities, and their firewalls are impervious to my best hacking skills.  
>Therefore, we must evolve our attacks, and it is all up to you now to get me the funds to create my ultimate robot!"<p>

Dr. Wily begins yelling orders to the Robot Masters, pointing his wrinkled fingers at whichever one he is barking at the time. "GutsMan, Hard Man, Air Man, Stone Man! You will be in charge of busting into the vault. Quick Man, you will race into the bank after the vault is broken into and take as much cash as you can! And then you will wire the funds from accounts into the offshore account!  
>Then, all of you will overwhelm the police force when they arrive and hold them off. If ProtoMan shows up, do not destroy him."<p>

Dr. Wily concludes with a harsh warning, "I expect all of you to succeed. And if I do not get the funds to create my ultimate robot, and we lose this war because of it, I will personally dismantle you all piece-by-piece without shutting you down! Now... Any questions?" Wily asks.

The Robot Masters shake their heads, afraid to utter another peep and afraid not to follow Wily's word.

"This meeting is finished. Aquatic Robot Masters, prepare to leave. The rest of you, get out of my sight!" Dr. Wily snaps.

The Robot Masters scatter and leave the Hangar bay as Dr. Wily storms off in the opposite direction, and all the way back to his Command Center, Wily mutters a constant string of curses in German, fed-up after the insolence of his robots.  
>This behavior even makes him long for the days when ProtoMan's attitude was the worst thing he had to deal with. Even when Proto would fail, Dr. Wily knew he was still more than able to comply with his directives when told.<p>

Dr. Wily's goes silent when he remembers those days when ProtoMan was a part of his miserable life. Even if he was a problem, he was still Albert's boy... until he became drawn to Thomas Light's side when Light lured him over with his promises of love and family.  
>And it was all the more reason to get Proto back. Wily has convinced himself that he can count on ProtoMan once he takes him back... which is more than what he can say for Bass, who he is still wary of.<p>

Wily suspects that even if Bass follows his orders, he is more concerned with killing Mega Man and making Roll his Queen, and would abandon Wily at the drop of a hat. It is not the first time he has turned on him either.  
>And this only gets Wily angrier.<p>

After Wily reaches the command center of the fortress, he nearly misses the flashing light at his command console, getting a call from Hawaii. "It's about time," Wily mutters to himself as he answers. "Dark Man, what is it?"

But, much to the surprise of the mad scientist, it is not Dark Man 2 on the call, but rather the coy voice of Splash Woman...

* * *

><p>Back in Hawaii, a smirking Splash Woman sits on the edge of a beach, lying on her side and kicking her feet as the waves barely reach her. "Sorry, Dr. Wily, but it's not Dark Man. Think more feminine, and <em>much<em> prettier."

_"Splash Woman! Have you found Mega Man?"_ Dr. Wily asks with anticipation.

"Oh, it's more like he found me, just like I wanted him to," Splash Woman grins as she marvels at her titanium fingernails.

_"And did your seductive power work on him?"_ Wily asks.

"Oh, it worked. The poor boy was _ga-ga_ over me. He nearly had his tongue hanging out just like his little dog did. I don't think he will be a problem for me to handle," Splash Woman says with an almost sinful delight.  
>"And if that weren't enough, a girlbot from Dr. Light's University crossed my path last night, and I've got her wrapped around my fingers. She said she knows Mega Boy's little sister. If anybody is going to help my keep tabs on Mega Man and his family, it's her. She'll be paying me a visit tonight, and I'll get her to tell me everything."<p>

_"Good! Good! I am a genius! Can you find a way to lure Mega Man to you again?"_ Wily asks.

"I don't have to worry about giving him a second serving of my - for the lack of a better term - _Wily charms_. He's going to come to me of his own free will," Splash Woman answers, now lying on her back and putting her free arm behind her head to longue in the sand.  
>"But, Dr. Wily, do you think I could keep him a little while longer the next time he comes by. I'd love to have my Mega Boy for more than just a few minutes."<p>

_"When we launch the bank heist, you will have all the time you need to keep Mega Man preoccupied... just don't let yourself become too attached to him. He is the enemy. Never forget it."_

Splash Woman smiles, "Doesn't mean I can't have fun with him while he's here."

_"Be that as it may, we only have one chance at this. You will be having added Robot Master assistance coming your way if the authorities find you. Your power will not work on Humans, after all,"_ Wily advises.

Splash Woman glazes her eyes, "The Robot Masters? If you insist."

As Splash Woman disconnects, she continues to lounge on the beach and enjoys her downtime with a grin on her face as she closes her eyes. "It's a shame I can't make humans fall for me too. Oh, well. I'll still have every robot falling for me in no time, even Mega Man's pretty little sister if I want," she says, snickering.

"No. You won't," says the angry voice of Bass right above her

Splash Woman looks up and sees Bass' figure standing directly above her and she stands up. "Geez, talk about a party pooper."

"I know you think you can use Mega Man and other robots as your own personal playthings, but I am warning you... don't even try it with Roll," Bass warns, "I am not as _forgiving_ as Dr. Wily."

"_Oooh!_ The tall dark and scary type. I like that in a bot," Splash Woman says, beginning to get coy with Bass to win him over without using her powers. "But, there isn't anything I don't like in a bot, really... big boy."

Splash Woman begins to put her fingers on Bass' chest armor, but Bass grabs her forearm before she could lay a finger on him. "Also, don't touch me," he says in a harsh voice.

Splash Woman withdrawals her hand and backpedals. "Playing hard to get, eh? You'll come around... all the bots have," she says, snickering as she walks into the ocean unfazed by Bass' attempt to scare her.

And Bass stands on the ocean front as he stares at Splash Woman until she swims away again. "Don't get in my way, woman. Roll is mine. And Mega Man is mine to kill!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_First off, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It was a rough few days._

_As you can see with Plum, Splash Woman's indoctrination power works on all robots, regardless of their gender or type. So, she is even deadlier than we thought.  
>Special thanks to Gancena for first bringing the idea to my attention. :)<br>_

_And this makes the fourth, or fifth time ProtoMan's birth has been copied and pasted on to a later Defender chapter. It might be even more than that. And hopefully, it will be the last. :P_

_Please remember to review or comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors so bad that it would make Qbert cuss in a real language, please PM me right away.  
><em>


	141. Big Trouble Little Island

_**Episode 13, Chapter 4: Big Trouble; Little Island.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Hawaii.<strong>

In the bathroom of her family's suite, Roll is using a hairdryer on her long blonde hair after being in the water most of the day. Everything is going just fine on this vacation so far, but she can't get one thing off her mind: Who is this 'Splash' that Plum met up with?  
>Where did she come from, and what makes her so special? Most importantly, is this the robot who was making the Robofish go rogue?<p>

Roll stops drying her hair and peeks out to see Mega and Rush recharging on one of the beds, and she wonders if maybe things are not as they seem.  
>Mega's recount of today's events sounded odd. He was normal when he left, then he was tired when he came back. Then, she ran into Plum and she was fixated on this Splash girl, completely forgetting Kung-Fu bot, who she was in love with back at Light University.<p>

"I've got to have a talk with Mega when he wakes up, and if he's not totally in love with Kalinka when I ask him, I'll know something's _seriously_ wrong," Roll comments to herself.

Meanwhile, Mega Man remains motionless while recharging, but his mind is still processing one thing: Splash Woman. His internal memory plays back the encounter with Splash Woman and he processes every single feature of her shapely blue body and her angelic face.  
>But, inside, he tries to fight off these feelings because of Kalinka. His heart was trying to win the battle over his corrupted programming, but it was too tough to ignore.<p>

_"Come to me, Mega Man. Embrace my love."_ Mega felt her voice going through him, and it felt like he was on a high. This only makes the urges harder to stave off.

Mega's thoughts try desperately to remember the occasions when he was with Kalinka and the times they kissed, like their first high above Manhattan over a year ago. But, all he can see is Splash Woman in place of Kalinka in his memories.  
>Mega felt powerless as his corrupted memories play Splash kissing him instead of Kalinka, and the conflict between Splash Woman's indoctrination and Mega's true love becomes too much.<p>

_"Don't fight it. Accept it,"_ says the voice of Splash Woman in his haze. As Mega sees the Robot Mistress lean for his face, she whispers, _"Don't tell anybody."_

Mega's eyes open, only to find himself here in the hotel room, with the little robots here and Roll freshening up after their day on the beach. He feels a little better than he did earlier, but can still feel Splash Woman's influence making his decisions.  
>When he thinks about contacting the Police or telling his family about Splash Woman, he feels like he shouldn't do it because Splash Woman told him not to.<p>

But, the urges are not quite as strong as they were previously. All he can hope to do is avoid Splash Woman until he returns to normal. For now, all he can hope for is having a good night with Kalinka, and hope for no more slips of the tongue like earlier when he called her _Splash._

Mega sits up on the bed and shakes his head, and Roll is the first one to see him as she steps out of the bathroom area, putting her freshly dried hair into her green ponytail holder.  
>"I was wondering when you would get up. Why were you so tired?"<p>

With Splash Woman's corrupted programming telling him what to answer, Mega responds, "I think I forgot to sleep as much last night. I was thinking about... _Kalinka_ too much. Speaking of, I've got to get ready to go out with her tonight. I promised."

Roll still has her suspicions after hearing how awkward and stilted her brother sounds. Perhaps it is because he just came out of recharge mode, but she needs to be sure.  
>"Mega, when you were out, you didn't happen to run into a robot named Splash, did you?"<p>

Mega pauses and before he could reveal that he had found Splash Woman as her indoctrination makes him deny it. "Uh... no. Should I have?"

"My friend Plum is here and she ran into a robot named Splash. She wouldn't stop talking about her. She even dumped Kung-Fu Bot for her... I don't think she was acting right, and I've got a feeling that maybe this Splash girl is really the one who corrupted the undersea robots..."  
>She whispers to her brother as to not scare the little robots with the mention of Dr. Wily's name, "And if she is, she's probably one of Wily's."<p>

"I'll keep an eye out for anything weird," Mega says, as he fits his helmet on. Then, he stops when his thoughts dwell of Splash Woman.  
>He fears that Splash Woman's influence could create real trouble, both for his duty and his relationships with his family and most importantly Kalinka. He worries so much about it that he decides to change his plans for tonight...<p>

"Hey, sis... if Kalinka doesn't mind, would you guys like to come with us tonight?" Mega asks.

"Of course we would," Roll says, still looking concerned. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"If there really is a Robot Master out there, it would be best if you and Rush got Kalinka and our rascals out of there safe," Mega says, finding a way to keep her from learning about Splash Woman and keep himself from violating his corrupted programming.  
>But, secretly, he wants to tell his sister that Splash Woman is real and must be stopped.<p>

"Okay, then. I'll tell Boo and the others to get ready. I'll go get dressed-up," Roll says. "At least Dr. Light won't have to worry about you two... _uh_, never mind."

Mega nods and turns his attention to Rush, who is still sprawled on his side, his hind leg twitching and his tongue sticking out as he dreams. If only he could convince him to tell Roll about Splash Woman, she could alert the Police and Dr. Light so he could defeat Robot Mistress. But, even Rush was indoctrinated by Splash Woman, and he cannot do anything either.

All Mega Man can do is tough it out and make it through this night, and maybe the corruption will wear off and he can deal with Splash Woman. Until then, his only concern is making Kalinka happy and that everybody enjoys themselves... even though Splash Woman digs her way into Mega's desires even now.  
>As Mega tries in vein to visualize Kalinka, all he sees is Splash Women, flashing her sinful little grin.<p>

_"Remember, don't tell anyone."_

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<br>Police precinct conference room  
><strong>

Captain Tallarico finds herself in the hot seat again, sitting across from Agent Cotto, other human FBI agents, an FBI robot, and a microphone placed on a table. She is not very keen on doing this again, but externally, she is maintaining her decorum and not showing any indication of displeasure or frustration.

Cotto leans on the table and looks down at the Captain as begins to interrogate her again. After he looked further at Tallarico's history, he was able to find a very interesting part of Tallarico's private life from before the war. Something she would rather have remained buried...

"There are a few matters that we did not get the chance to discuss the last time you were here. Perhaps, maybe, you could help us fill in the blanks," he states.

"Don't keep me here all day. I have a job to do," Tallarico responds.

"The amount of time we spend in this room, Captain Tallarico, depends on you," Cotto counters. "Just a few questions It shouldn't take long."

"I think it's safe to say you have exhausted your entire line of questioning, Agent Cotto. I don't see what else you need to know," Tallarico says.

"There is, actually," Cotto retorts, "A few years before the war broke out, your bought an apartment in the wealthier part of the city. According to our records, you didn't have enough money in your saving to afford it, even with a Captain's salary. How did you get it?"

Without losing her composure, Tallarico replies, "I didn't pay for it by myself. I had a good friend who was able to help pay for it. Are my personal purchases really the thing you've brought me here for?"

"Not completely," Cotto replies, then leans in staring directly at Captain Tallarico and asks a bombshell question... "What is your history with Governor Mitchell Deacon?"

Captain Tallarico's calm and professional demeanor suddenly changes after hearing Cotto's precise question about The Governor, and her focus becomes muddled and her heart rate rises. Clearly, this is something that is making Tallarico uncomfortable, and the Bureau is feeding all this to Cotto in his ear bud.

_"Her vitals have changed. We've got something here,"_ says the voice of the assistant in a nearby viewing room.

Cotto states, "Feel free to take your time, Captain. I have all day."

Tallarico pauses and replies, "The Governor and get along professionally."

Noticing that Tallarico is skirting the issue, Cotto presses, "According to what we uncovered, you both have a very close history. Close enough to explain why there is no current First Lady of New York."

Tallarico becomes angry, not pleased that this deeply personal and potentially embarrassing piece of her past is being brought up. But, she carries on and cooperates with the FBI anyway.  
>"When Governor Deacon was beginning to launch his campaign, when he was the Mayor of Staten Island... we became close. Mitchell was the one who helped pay for my apartment before we separated, if you need to know," Tallarico admits.<br>"His marriage was already over, and he was going to get a divorce after the election. We were going to be together, but, things fell apart. He was afraid our relationship would jeopardize his campaign... he got his divorce after he won and we parted ways."

"Sounds like a motive to join a shadow cell whose sole reasons for being is to kill Albert Wily and embarrass Governor Deacon," Cotto accuses, seeing if she will slip up and admit involvement (if she is involved in The Network.)

Tallarico looks Cotto dead in the eyes and responds, "No. I am not conspiring to harm or embarrass Governor Deacon. And even if I wanted to, I don't want to lose my job. I don't hold anything against him. We've talked since then. I still support him, I even voted for him. But, I have moved on with my life. I've met someone else."  
>With a sigh, Tallarico says, "As much as I care for him, and I'm sure he cares for me... I don't need Mitchell anymore. I don't hate him, but I don't need him."<p>

Cotto stares at The Police Captain, not able to clearly tell if she is telling the truth or if she is a very good liar. The assistant in the viewing room reports into his earpiece, _"Her stress readings have leveled out. It looks like she might be telling the truth."_

After a pause, Tallarico asks, "Are we done?"

Cotto frowns, so certain that he could have cracked this case, but he still has nothing firm to nab the mole within the NYPD. "You can go, Captain."

Captain Tallarico stands up and puts her Police hat on again, leaving the room seconds later,. But, not before remarking, "I sincerely hope you find the mole, Agent Cotto."

Not moving and staring at the cold table, a perturbed Cotto replies, "We will. Come hell or high water."

Once he is alone, Cotto pulls out a bottle of headache tablets and swallows two. "After this damn investigation, I need a vacation."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

ProtoMan returns from outside after sending his call to Nomad, and he makes his way to his co-creator's lab. On his way there, he considers whether or not what he is about to do with this examination is a big mistake.  
>After Dr. Wily infected him with the program that tortured him and stripped him of his confidence, Proto hates the thought of anybody poking around his systems anymore. But, he will allow that if it is for the greater good. He did so for Mega Man, and he would be willing to do the same to save him again, or Roll or those in his family.<br>And he would also do it to make Nomad better, without a second thought. And she is why Proto will allow Dr. Light to perform the diagnostic on him.

Proto walks inside the lab to find Dr. Light still sitting in front of his computer, with a hand on his light grey beard and sitting slouched in his chair. He looks like he is in deep thought again and oblivious that Proto had returned.  
>Thomas has been doing this a lot lately, ever since the blackout in January. And ever since, he has spent lots of time sitting here working on this mystery project of his. Whatever it is, it has got to be pretty important to make him this preoccupied, because even Rock and Roll say that he has spent more time thinking to himself than he previously had.<p>

Proto lets out a whistle, and that grabs Dr. Light's attention. Thomas says, "I'm sorry, son. I was thinking about several things."

"Yeah, you've been doing that a lot lately, so I hear," Proto says.

Thomas responds as he sits up straight, "Yes, I suppose I have been lately. This project has occupied a lot of my time. But, I always have time for my robots. Especially if their health is of my utmost concern. Which is why we should conduct the check-up this week."

"Look... I don't like anybody poking around my systems. But, I don't want anything like that happening again. Once is bad enough," Proto says, not bringing up the subject of Nomad for her protection. "And I don't want Wily taking advantage of it either. So, let's just get this over with right now."

"Very well," Dr. Light replies in surprise, standing from his chair and approaching his scanning equipment. "This should not take very long. I promise you will not have any side effects from the diagnostic."

"And I'll have my answers when it's complete?" Proto asks.

Thomas replies with uncertainty, "There is a chance it could take several days for the results to be conclusive. But, we will have an answer, for certain."

ProtoMan frowns and places his hands on his hips. He wanted to get answers for Nomad _now_, not later. "You've got the best lab computers in the world and we still have to _wait_ for results?"

"This is a very delicate process, son. I must double-check all of you programming and circuitry. If I could expedite this, I would," Thomas replies.

"Fine. So I have to wait. Let's just do it," Proto says, lying on the work table.

"Is your own health the only reason why you are doing this, Proto?" Dr. Light asks, wondering why Proto is insistent on having the tests done.

Proto becomes tired of deflecting this question and replies with a half-truth, "Okay, I admit, I don't want that to happen to me again. You guys finally got me back here, I wouldn't like it if I fried my circuits a few months from now."  
>He didn't admit he was only doing this all for Nomad, but it was not too far from the truth either. He would not want to cause any more heartache than he has already caused. And he does not want Wily exploiting this either.<p>

"I suspected there was a reason for it. But, you shouldn't worry. Once we do find a solution, I'll make sure something like that never happens again, to you or any other robot again," Thomas says.

It pleases ProtoMan to hear that his co-creator has bought his explanation. Hopefully, he can tell Proto what he needs to do to help Nomad in the future. Then, maybe when there is no more threat to her life, Proto could tell his family about her.  
>"You've already said I have to wait for the result. So, how long is this part going to take?"<p>

"For an extensive scan of your neurological functions, it could take a couple of hours. But, it will not be intrusive like you feared."

Proto gets relaxed, "Good. Wake me when it's over, or when somebody blows stuff up. Somebody's gotta fill in for the Defender of the Human Race."  
>Proto then mutters, "Though, I don't see what there is to defend with most of these meatbags."<p>

Dr. Light overhears ProtoMan's comment about humans, and it bothers him to hear this coming from him. Obviously, Proto still resents the way most citizens treat him following his long tenure under Dr. Wily. But, Thomas fears that one day those hard feelings could result in something awful taking place to either himself or others.

"I hope one day you can feel the same way about the world as your siblings do, Proto," Dr. Light comments.

"I doubt it," Proto retorts, sounding like he is about to nod off.

Dr. Light sighs as he moves the large scanning machine over ProtoMan's body, and grim comments like those of Proto's and the dire nature of this war only reminds the Good Doctor why his project is of utmost importance.  
>This war has to end soon, or it will be finished in a dark time which he hoped would not be raging on now.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

Clad in a purple swimsuit, Roll's friend Plum swims her way to the rock formation where she first encountered the mysterious and beautiful (and deadly) Splash Woman. This is also the same place where Mega Man encountered Splash Woman, and succumbed to her indoctrinating powers like Plum has.  
>Splash said she would be here for her tonight, and Plum desperately did not want to miss her... at least that is what Splash Woman's indoctrination is telling her.<br>As she swims, however, Plum's thoughts begin to drift towards thoughts of Kung-Fu Bot at Light University. She remembers how she cares about him and worries if his feelings will be hurt. But, her programmed lust for Splash Woman continues to paw at her and dag her emotions towards her instead.

After using her energy so much to swim it begins to drain her power, but Plum can hear that heavenly siren-like four-note tone up ahead, and when she looks up she finally sees Splash Woman, leaning back on the rocks with her hands, tapping her mermaid tail and smiling with sin towards her prey.  
>She then sits up and holds her right hand out to Plum, making as 'come hither' motion.<p>

Seeing her was all the motivation Plum needed to give it one last push and swim her way to the rocks with greater passion than she had before. And all the thoughts and love for Kung-Fu Bot wilts away.

Once she arrives to the rock formation, Plum crawls up it to get to Splash Woman, pants from the exhaustion of swimming all this way. And Splash Woman grins as she leans towards her and reaches out to Plum's face to caress it.  
>"Good girl," Splash coos.<p>

"Oh, Splash... When I heard you calling, I had to be here with you," Plum says in a sigh, and her pupils looking big, a clear sign that Splash Woman's power has taken over.

"What can I say, sugar. I have a big fan following," Splash Woman smirks. "Now, why don't you tell me all about where Mega Man and his _wonderful_ family are."

Plum's dazed eyes look concerned. "Why?" she asks in a weak voice.

"Because I really need to meet them. I need to see the one and only Mega Man in person. We have some... _business_ to discuss," Splash Woman responds, briefly pausing.

Plum tries to tell Splash Woman about the Lights, but she still has enough control of herself to keep quiet because she wants to respect their privacy. Although what remains of her free will is very weak, she still has enough to resist Splash Woman's powers.  
>"I... can't," Plum says in a strained voice.<p>

"Oh, but you will, darling," Splash Woman says in a near-whisper, leaning towards Plum and using more of her indoctrination ability to make Plum succumb to Splash Woman's whim.

Plum is powerless to fight it off, and after taking so much energy to swim here her body falls weak and she nearly collapses, landing in Splash Woman's arms. And Splash Woman's smile only grows wider as she cradles Plum in her arms and switches her lower half into a pair of legs again, wrapping them around Plum's body, clutching her like predator would the prey.  
>"Now, where are they staying. I need to know," she says in a whisper, running her fingers down her prey's face.<p>

Staring with dead eyes into the darkening sky, a shivering cold Plum drones, "They... are... staying at... the Paradise... Hotel. Tonight... Mega Man... is going... to be... with... Kalinka... Cossack..."

"Aw! Then, I guess I'm just gonna have to break the little human girl's heart tonight... oh, well," Splash Woman says.

"I need... you... Splash. I... love... you... Splash," Plum says.

"And after all you've done for me, I love you too, Plum. Very, _very_ much," Splash Woman replies... before using her arms and legs to shove Plum off the rocks, sending the Light University student falling into the water, and letting her body sink to the bottom of the ocean.  
>Even though Plum may survive, she is too weak to swim back to the surface, and there is no telling if anybody will ever find her.<p>

Now that Splash Woman has gotten all she needs from her, Plum is of no further use to her, and now she can focus on the main object of her desire: Mega Man.

"It looks like it's time for a night on the town," Splash Woman says, producing a container of lipstick from the side of her body and rubbing it on her lips to make them red. She then produces a palm-sized mirror from the other side of her armor and checks how she looks, even making sure her blue and white crestial helmet is just right.

"A girl's got to look good when she's got a date with a hero," she says to her reflection. "Dr. Wily _did_ say to keep Mega Boy distracted. And distracting him is what I shall do."

Splash Woman puts her items away and transforms her legs into a mermaid fin again and dives into the ocean, heading for the hotel where Mega Man is now.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in New Jersey.<strong>

The masked Mr. Wire stands outside with the famed Jersey Shore behind him, leaning on his car and staring at his wristwatch. Here, he waits for the Gesselchaft to arrive with the shipment he is supposed to retrieve. But, what he is really waiting for is the chance to grab that hard drive with the 'evidence' The Conduit needs.  
>Mr. Endo said it was placed to the hull of this garbage scow. But, waiting for the ship to show up is more difficult than he thought.<p>

"Come on, you stupid scrap dealer! I don't have all night," he complains.

Soon, a large green ship in the sky is visible and hovers its way for the shore. This must be the Gesselchaft, because it matches the description The Conduit gave him: Big green flying garbage ship.  
>"It's about time," Wire says as he throws away a burned-away cigarette.<p>

As the Gesselchaft begins to land itself in the middle of the street, Mr. Wire remembers to keep himself inconspicuous, so he removes his mask. He would have preferred not to do this, because if anybody recognized him, he would be in trouble. But, Mr. Endo said none of the Bonnes would be there, but if they are, there will be hell to pay.

After the Gesselchaft parks, Mr. Wire approaches the rear door of the craft as fixes his hair, and he sees the palm-sized drive that The Conduit said Mr. Endo (Tiesel) placed there.  
>All he has to do is pull it off, and the rest is easy. Mr. Endo is not even here, so all he has to do is deal with the people left to run this flying green bathtub. But, he for a real surprise is waiting for him right behind this rear door...<p>

The door opens and Mr. Wire sees nobody standing in front of him, and he wonders what is going on here.

"Hello, sir!" says this cute child-like voice says below him.

Mr. Wire looks down to see a short robot with marshmallow-shaped head and a digital image displaying a face. Mr. Wire asks with a puzzled look, "Uh... what?"

"Aren't you the man who wanted to buy the crate of scrap from Tiesel?" Servbot #42 asks.

"Oh... yeah, sure, kid," Mr. Wire replies.

"Okay, we'll get it right now," The Servbot responds before marching off along with several of his Servbot brothers.

After the surreal sight of a flying green junk ship in the sky operated by a bunch of little robots, Mr. Wire utters to himself, "What is this? The circus?"

Thanks to the strange nature of this transaction, Mr. Wire temporarily forgets about the actual purpose for being here, which is taking the drive with the edited audio. Once he regains his composure, Mr. Wire's eyes return to the sight of the hard drive on the hull.

After making sure those little marshmallow robots don't spot him, Mr. Wire grabs the hard drive and pulls it off, but prying it off was not as easy. The glue Tiesel used to place the hard drive to the hull was strong, and Mr. Wire had to pull it off with more strength than he would have wanted to, hurting his fingernails in the process.

As The Conduit's asset shakes the pain out of his hand and places the drive into his coat, he hears the little clinking sound made by the Servbots' feet as they deliver the crate of junk to his car.  
>"Here it is, sir. Since your payment has already been made, you're set to go."<p>

"Yeah, sure. Just take it to the car," Mr. Wire says.

"Okey-Dokey. Enjoy your assortment of junk, sir!" the Servbot states, giving a wave with his little clamp hand.

Mr. Wire walks away and watches as a group of Servbots march along, carrying the crate to his car like an group of Ants would carry away food from a picnic. Without taking his sight off of them, he reaches for his alarm remote to open the trunk, giving the Servbots the ability to drop the junk off inside.  
>After they place the junk in Mr. Wire's vehicle, the Servbots then turn back and march back to the Gesselchaft, and file onboard one by one, allowing the garbage scow to depart.<p>

Mr. Wire shakes his head and puts his mask on. He bemoans, "This job is strange, man. And I thought I'd seen it all."

After he gets into his car and drives away, he calls The Conduit to give him/her/it the status. "I got the hard drive."

_"Good. Leave it at the location I specified, and make sure your face is not seen. This matter is of utmost importance. I would much rather not lose a second asset."_

"I'll get it done. Just as long as I don't have to meet Miss T again. She gives me the creeps," Mr. Wire admits.

_"She will be waiting for you to ensure you remain honest. I shall keep your trepidation of her in mind. If you ever fail, I will be sure to sick her on you."_

Again, The Conduit gets the last word and terminates the call, causing Mr. Wire to become angry and run and red traffic light, nearly creating a car wreck.  
>Mr. Wire rants to himself, "Nobody threatens me like that. Doesn't this idiot realize who I am? I'm..."<p>

He then shuts-up and tries to calm down. He does not need the head of a shadow organization coming after him. All he should do for now is keep calm and carry on... and watch out for Miss T.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>Back in Hawaii.**

About a half-hour after their flight landed, The Bonnes are still at the airport waiting for their luggage. And Tron in particular is keeping an eye out for her large case carrying Servbot #1, whilst having her little brother Bon held to her body with a torso-holding baby harness.  
>"If they lost #1, I'm going to have Daddy sue them for every penny!" she frowns.<p>

"Now, calm yourself, Tron. There are still several loads of luggage left. They haven't even gotten to your three cases yet," Tiesel says... he then mutters under his breath, "And with how much you over pack, they probably threw it all off the plane to save us all from crashing."

Tiesel's mobile phone rings and he takes it out of his pocket... and being the elite scavenger he is, it is actually an old 'brick' phone from one-hundred years ago (complete with an antenna) repurposed to a mobile phone. And the sight of it gets a few strange looks from others standing around them.  
>"Hello, I'm on vacation. Leave me alone."<p>

_"The package has been delivered,"_ states the distorted voice of The Conduit. _"The next time you answer to me, I expect a more respectful tone from you. Enjoy your hiatus, Mr. Wire."_

Tiesel's large jaw drops when he hears The Conduit, and he stands completely still as Tron spots her luggage coming through.

"Finally, there it is. Help me with it, Tiesel..." Tron say. But, her brother is stone silent.  
>"Tiesel?" She asks again, not paying attention to her scared stiff brother behind her.<br>At last she has enough, shouting, "TIESELTON!"

Tiesel snaps out of his trance and puts his large phone away. "Sorry, I was just, uh, getting reports on the ship. I'll take your luggage."

Tiesel begins the unenviable task of hefting all three of Tron's trunk cases and dragging them behind himself while Tron carries Bon. It looks like his 'vacation' has already begun on a dour note, and his little sister's remarks are not helping.

"Now is not the time I want to see you spacing out, Tiesel. You're scaring off potential customers, you know," Tron says.

"Aye-aye," Tiesel mutters as he drags along.

"And once we get outside, I've got to get #1 out of that case so I can power him up," she adds.

"Aye-aye," Tiesel groans again, already tired of dragging these heavy cases.

"And we've got to get a good hotel. I refuse to stay in some dump. Only the best for the Bonnes," Tron declares.

"But, a hotel in this place is gonna cost," Tiesel starts to protest... then he sighs and ultimately complies. "Aye-aye."

Tron praddles on, "I can't afford to have anything get in my way, Tiesel! I've already heard that Mega Man and his whole family are here. I'm going to find my darling Mega, and he will love me so much I'll knock him off his feet!"

"With you, he'll wish he was being _knocked out_ instead," Tiesel gripes.

"HEY! I HEARD THAT, YOU OVERGROWN BABOON!" Tron snaps. "You're lucky I'm holding our little brother in my arms, or else I would tweak your ears until they're backwards! AND JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE MY BROTHER, DON'T THINK I WON'T!"

Tron leans herself on her case, placing even more pressure on Tiesel's already strained body. And the elder Bonne begs, "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I shouldn't' have said that. Mega Man will fall in love and marry you! Please, ease up! I'm gonna die!"

Tron frowns and stands straight again, allowing her brother's back to survive as she storms on, calling for a taxi. Remarkably, little Bon remained calm in Tron's arms when she freaked out.  
>Meanwhile, the older Bonne brother gasps, "I need a vacation... a <em>real<em> vacation!"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in Hawaii.<strong>

Mega Man and Kalinka are out on their evening together, joined by Mega's family on this calm evening. Everything is going well so far for Mega, but the urges from Splash Woman are still there, gnawing at him like a leach.  
>The group are just coming out of a movie theater together, and Mega's presence has already attracted the attention of the star struck citizens here. But, that did not get in they way of the fun. And Splash Woman's powers have slowly eased up on him, but not enough to allow him to admit Splash Woman is on the islands.<br>During the movie, Mega did not pay attention to the plot and instead had considered every possible way to inform anybody of Splash Woman's existence, but even if he told somebody to alert somebody else, he would still violate Splash's programming.  
>All he can do is lay low and wait for the rest of Splash Woman's corruption to wash itself out, then he can have Dr. Light devise a way to block her indoctrination charms and then deal with the Robot Mistress.<p>

When the group are finally by themselves and away from the sea of fans who were here, they begin walking along their way to the garage where their rented car from the hotel is waiting.  
>Before they could reach the garage, however, Rush's enhanced hearing picks up a four tone siren-like sound coming from the beach far off in the distance. He stops and tilts his head, then lets out a howl and runs towards it before taking off with his jets to get there faster.<p>

"What's wrong with Rush?!" Roll yelps.

Mega Man does not respond, looking like he is lost in a trance himself. He too heard that siren-like tone and acknowledges it as Splash Woman's. Inside, he tries to fight it off, but he cannot resist her charms. He must go to her. She beckons him whether he likes it or not.

Roll looks back towards her brother as he stares towards Rush's destination, wondering what is wrong with him. "Mega?"

"You guys stay here. I'll go after him," Mega Man eventually replies, running after his canine.

"Is Rush okay?" Kalinka asks.

"I've never seen him act like that before," Roll answers. However, she realizes something disturbing, "Wait a minute... They're headed towards the beach. That's where Plum said she met this Splash character."

"What is going on, Roll?" Kalinka asks, to which Peekaboo bleeps a similar question.

Roll knows she has to follow up on this, because if her hunch is correct, her brother and Rush might have been lured by this mystery robot. And if her other hunch is correct, Splash could be that robot.

Roll answers, "I need to check this out. Everybody get in the car and stay inside. Mega won't be happy about this, but... I've got a bad feeling he's not himself right now. Again."

Meanwhile, Dark Man 2 was watching in the disguise of a ordinary-looking Hawaiian-born human, and everyone was none the wiser. As Roll's group made their way to follow Mega Man and Rush, he contacts Splash Woman.  
>"They're headed your way. I don't know why you needed all of them, but they're coming."<p>

_"Perfect, Darky Boy. A captive audience is just what I wanted." _Splash Woman replies,_ "And I do hope you've taken on a more pleasing form than that dreadful red horned look you've got. You've got a face only a Mother would love... no offence."_

"Dr. Wily will be angry if this goes awry because of your idea," Dark Man warns.

_"Oh, trust me, babe... when our boss makes off with millions of dollars tomorrow, he will be grateful__. He wants me to keep Mega distracted, and that's just what I'm going to do__,"_ Splash Woman replies with a slight giggle.

* * *

><p>Rush arrives to the beach which is now very sparsely occupied at this time of night, and he howls trying to find the origin of that elusive siren. Rush then begins racing around the sand in a circle, barking and hooting for Splash Woman to appear.<br>Soon, Mega Man arrives to the beach area after racing here at very fast speed, and he too can feel Splash Woman's presence here. But, there is just enough resistance inside to convince himself to get out of this place before it's too late.

"Come on, Rush. We need to leave, fast!" Mega orders.

Rush howls even more and resists his master, walking around the sand and digging into it.

"Rush, we're about to have real trouble right on top of us at any minute," Mega repeats as he attempts to pick Rush up and carry him away.

Mega Man and Rush hear the siren sound again, this time coming from the ocean itself, and they both freeze and their heads turn to face the origin of the siren. And when they look out there they see the figure of Splash Woman emerging from the water slowly, staring into Mega's eyes all the way across from here, flashing that devious little smile of hers as she seductively walks towards him.  
>Even now, Mega can feel his self-control slipping as Splash Woman uses her indoctrination power, and once again he and Rush cannot do anything but stare at her gorgeous face and her attractive physical form.<p>

"I usually don't spend time with my companions more than once a day. But, you... you're something special," Splash Woman remarks as she reaches Mega Man, swaying her hips in front of him.

Mega strains, "I... can't..."

"Oh, come on, Mega Babe," Splash Woman purrs, dropping her trident staff on the sand as she stands within Mega's personal space. "You've had the endurance to fight Dr. Wily for years, but you don't have enough to handle a second kiss from _moi_?"  
>She then whispers, "Let me change your mind."<p>

Mega Man tries to fight off the temptation Splash Woman is corrupting his programming with, but he can't anymore. Soon, any trace of resistance and felings for Kalinka vanish and is replaced with thoughts of Splash Woman.

Splash Woman then leans herself in for Mega Man's face and plants another kiss on his lips, but unlike last time, her indoctrinating charms have nearly turned Mega into a zombie-like figure like Plum was earlier tonight, rendering him only strong enough to barely kiss her back.

Splash Woman sighs sarcastically, "I've got to be honest, that one wasn't so impressive. Maybe I should bring you over to _my place_ to practice on your kissing skills. You too, poochie. I could use a guard dog. My SharkBots are no good where we're going."  
>After the Robot Mistress picks up her staff and gives the equally zombified Rush a caress, she calls, "Walk this way."<p>

With heavy lifeless eyes, much like Plum had earlier tonight when she was overwhelmed by Splash Woman's charms, Mega Man and Rush follow their would-be captor as they begin walking into the ocean, shuffling their feet through the sand until they hit the water.

* * *

><p>Shortly thereafter, Roll arrives with the SkyCar from the hotel. Were it not for the speed limits, she would have gotten here faster. It is times like these that she wish she had her SkyCycle, because at least the local authorities acknowledge that and Rush as emergency vehicles.<p>

Roll parks the SkyCar right at the end of the legal limit for non-emergency vehicles to pass onto the beach, and she informs her passengers, "Just stay here in the car. And keep the doors locked, just in case."

Peekaboo bleeps to his Mommy, asking if something is wrong.

"I agree with Peekaboo. Are Rock and Rush alright?" Kalinka asks.

"I hope so. I just need to check something out," Roll reiterates. She then whispers into Kalinka ear so Peekaboo, Eddie and Beat do not get worried. "If you see anything strange, get out of here. I'll catch up with you."

Roll leans over to give Peekaboo a kiss on the head and says, "Be right back," and she races towards the beachfront as Kalinka locks the door and climbs into the driver's seat, ready to escape. But, her gaze also stays on Roll, hoping her Rock and Rush come back too...

* * *

><p>Roll reaches the beach area, and calls out her brother's name. "Mega? Where are you?"<p>

Roll looks from one end of the beach to the other, but, there is no trace of Mega Man or Rush anywhere to be seen. But, she does find one very conspicuous thing in the sand: three sets of footprints, and two of them are very recognizable as Mega's and Rush's distinct footprints.  
>But, the other set of footprints looked more generic, and small enough for a set of <span>feminine robot feet<span>.

Roll walks over to the footprints and examines them and how close they are to her brothers and discovers something strange. "It looks like both of them were standing right in front of each other. Close enough to..."

Roll gasps when she realizes that her brother may very well have kissed this female robot here. If this is true, she is shocked that her brother and hero could do something like this when he loves Kalinka so much... unless he was forced into it.  
>She remembers how obsessively enthralled Plum was with this Splash bot when she met her today, and how it sounded nothing like her.<p>

"No way! Mega wouldn't do that to Kalinka. There's gotta be something about this Splash girl. That's the only thing that makes sense. And I'm sure these footprints belong to her too!"

Roll contacts her brother to try and reach through to him. "Mega, it's Roll. I know you and Rush were here and you're both in the ocean right now. Have you seen a robot named Splash?"

Roll waits for nearly a minute and gets no response, and she tries again. "Mega! Rush! Either of you, answer me, please!"

"I guess I've got to go after them myself," Roll huffs.

Before Roll could call Kalinka and tell her to go back to the hotel to wait for them, Roll gets a text-only communication from Mega Man. In her visual point of view, she can see the message, which reads, _"Rush and I found the robot we're looking for after all, and she's on the run. Don't follow us and keep everyone safe. I have backup with the police. If she is with Wily, he will have back-up here. If you have to, go back home to the lab. See you soon."_

Roll looks perplexed. It sounded like something Mega would say, but he was very insistent on urging Roll to have everyone leave Hawaii, like he didn't want to be found, insisting that the police were aware of this, and he sent a one-way message instead of opening a two-way communication.  
>Even if he was busy, he could have kept an open line with her. Unless he was busy battling this robot.<p>

"This is too weird. But, if you need time to catch her, that's fine... just be sure to call me back every hour if you guys aren't getting shot at," Roll calls back as she walks away, still skeptical about how real this is. But, if Mega's communication is authentic, then he needs the time to get this Splash Woman.

Roll walks away and heads back to the SkyCar, but she stops in her tracks and looks around. Like before, when Bass was hanging around and stalking her from afar, she has a feeling like she is being watched. And she only feels like this when he thinks Bass is around.  
>Maybe Mega Man's concern was real, and Wily's robots <em>are<em> here, including Bass.

Roll quickly runs back to the SkyCar and watches her back the whole way... And on the roof of a nearby beach hotel, Bass and Treble stand and watch the object of his unhealthy obsession on the ground as she leaves.  
>Bass contacts Dr. Wily back on the mainland and Dark Man 2 to update them on the operation. "Splash Woman has Mega Man and his dog. He will not be a problem. The rest of them are here as well, but they are not going after him."<p>

Wily chuckles,_ "It's working! Leave Mega Man to Splash Woman and keep an eye on Mega Man's sister and the police. The aquatic Robot Masters are en route. I will contact you when we begin the robbery inside of twelve hours."_

When Wily ends the call, Dark Man 2 adds, "I'll be at the hotel and make sure Mega Man's sister doesn't get too close."

Bass's eyes grow furious at the idea of any robot hurting his queen, and he calls to Treble, "Treble, find Dark Man's signal and plot a direct course!"

Treble snarls and switches to jet mode for Bass to climb aboard, and the pair seeks Dark Man 2...

* * *

><p>Down below, Dark Man 2 begins running back to the hotel where the Lights and Kalinka are staying and he sees the SkyCar they rented above him, heading there now as well. But, he suddenly feels a sharp kick slamming into his back and knocking him down.<p>

Bass acts fast to avoid being seen by the police or humans and drags Dark Man 2 between two other hotels and pins him down on the ground.  
>He warns, "Roll is <em>my<em> responsibility! If anybody harms her, they will _die_! That includes you! And if Dr. Wily tells you to harm her... think twice!"

Bass and Treble take off into the sky and avoid being caught by bystanders, leaving Dark Man 2 here on the pavement. He calls Dr. Wily right away...  
>"Bass is being a problem. He threatened me to keep away from Mega Man's sister."<p>

_"That much was to be expected. We know he is lovesick for her. Let's play along with him for now. But, if he destroys this operation, he will pay for it! Keep your eyes on everyone involved... especially Bass!"_ Wily responds.

"Understood," Dark Man 2 replies, returning to his feet and walking away from the hotel... and Bass watches on from above, making sure he stays away from Roll.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes<strong>:_

_For those who don't know, I had to re-write parts of the plot for this episode this month because I was not satisfied with it. But, it should hopefully be better this time.  
>And it did not take away too much time off the writing cycle.<em>

_I just want to let you know that the next chapter might be posted in April, but it may be postponed to May. April will be a very busy and important month for me in real life, and that takes priority right now._

_Please remember to review or post a comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors so bad that they would knock Indiana Jones' hat off, please PM me right away._


	142. Mega Man is Missing!

_**Episode 13, Chapter 5: Mega Man is Missing!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York. West of Manhattan.<strong>

In a part of the state that is sparsely occupied at this time of night, Miss T waits impatiently for Mr. Wire to arrive with the package as she sits on her stolen Police-issue motor bike.  
>With every minute that passes, the FBI is coming closer to catching The Conduit's asset entrenched inside the New York Police Department, and with Mr. Wire running late to meet her here, the dangerous motorcycle woman is reaching the end of her patience, (something which she never had much of to begin with.)<p>

Finally, Mr. Wire arrives in his sports car, which it over five years old now, but still looks like a nice car, (and in her opinion, a means to inflate Mr. Wire's opinion of himself. And given that she knows who Mr. Wire really is, this fact does not surprise Miss T.)

The masked Mr. Wire gets out of the car after he parks it on the street, carrying the drive in his hand and jingling it like it was a toy. "I got it! I told you I would!"

"It's about time. You were an hour late!" Miss T spits, "And be careful with that drive! It's crucial that it reaches the right hands in time."

"Okay, fine. Here it is," Mr. Wire says, offering the drive to Miss T, who snatches it from his hands.

Afterwards, Miss T pulls up the right sleeve on her black leather jacket to reveal a gauntlet on her arm with several connections. She connects the drive to it and begins listening to the altered audio file inside her helmet.  
>Mr. Wire can't tell what the audio says, but he can barely hear parts of it from outside Miss T's helmet.<p>

After she personally inspects the file, Miss T disconnects the drive from her wrist device and places the drive into a small hidden compartment below her the handlebars of her vehicle.  
>Meanwhile, Mr. Wire attempts to get some sort of compensation for his effort. In a snide voice, Wire suggests, "You know, uh, after risking my life getting that hard drive for you, maybe you would be so kind as to maybe, ahem, show me your appreciation for my hard work."<p>

Miss T firmly rejects, "Maybe if you would focus on the task at hand instead of your hopeless love life, maybe you would be a better asset than you are now."

"Hey! I just bent over backwards to get you that thing! How about a little less on the insults and more on the gratitude?" the angry Mr. Wire argues.

Miss T brandishes a knife from her side holster and replies, "How about I let you keep breathing? Does that sound good enough?"

Mr. Wire puts his hands up and takes a deep breath. "Well, since you put it that way... we're even."

"Not as dumb as I thought you were," Miss T says as she puts the knife away and revs up her motorcycle.

"Now that we've got it, what do we do? Should we leave it on Tallarico's doorstep?" Mr. Wire asks.

Miss T answers without even looking at Mr. Wire. "Tallarico is under pressure, and if she presented this to the FBI after they have grilled her for several weeks, they'll think she was behind it. It wouldn't be bad to get her out of the way... but, she's not stupid. She'll know something is up and work with the FBI on it, and all of this will be for nothing."

"Then, where do we send it?" Mr. Wire asks.

"The Conduit will know what to do. You will be contacted when you are needed again. And by the way... I'm not impressed with your compensation-mobile you've got there," Miss T concludes and she peels off into the night, leaving her fellow asset in a plum of exhaust from the motorcycle.

"What's wrong with my car?" an angered Mr. Wires shouts back...

Meanwhile, as she speeds to her hideout, Miss T contacts The Conduit from the road.  
>"I have the audio. It should be enough to get the FBI off our backs. The ones who need to take the fall will take the fall. And our foothold within the Police will be in place."<p>

_"Excellent. Be sure tour so-called evidence finds its way to the right place. And make sure we do not get discovered. My ambitions and reason for beginning this all depends on everything being in place. Including you."_

"I'm flattered, " Miss T replies, impressed with the comment. "If you're really interested, we'll both have plenty of time after this is all wrapped up, you know."

_"Pleasure does not come before business. We do not want to be like Deacon was with his dear friend Talia Tallarico."_

"But, there a chance, at least," Miss T says astutely.

After a long pause on the line, The Conduit replies, _"You will be contacted when you are needed."_

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

Roll, Kalinka and the little robots of the Light family return to their suites at the hotel, and while everything is safe here, Roll is obviously concerned about Mega Man and Rush's sudden departure to chase this mystery robot, whom she thinks is the same robot who Plum was crazy over.  
>Roll had told Kalinka, Peekaboo, Eddie and Beat that Mega and Rush were busy pursuing this mystery robot, and she did not like hiding her suspicions from them, namely Peekaboo.<br>But, she was also afraid that if she did let them know that something sounded fishy about this, it would scare them.

But, ever since leaving the beachfront, the idea of Splash being the one behind this all still lingers in her mind. In fact, she is regretting not turning around and going back to check this herself. And she would have gone after her brother and dog without a second thought if only everyone else were back home, or if ProtoMan was here.

Kalinka is even more concerned over Mega than anybody, and she asks Roll about his sudden mission. "Did Rock say when he was coming back?"

Roll replies, "No. It could take a while. He says the Police are joining him, so he's got assistance. I wish I could've been there, but, he wanted me to stay with you guys."

When they reach the suites across from one another, Kalinka makes a proactive decision to ensure their safety and orders her two guardian robots stationed outside her room in Russian, "You, Search my suite. Make sure it is clear."  
>She then orders the other, "You, check the Lights' suite."<p>

The Cossack guardian robots nod, and begin to split up and search the suites. But Roll stops them.  
>"Hang on," she states as she switches her utility arm over to a specially made light that can distort holographic images. She shines the light on both, but sees nothings, proving that neither of them are Dark Man 2 or another holograph robot.<p>

"Just checking. I don't want another situation like we had last year with Dark Man," Roll explains.

The Guardian robots split and check the suites, and Roll tells the little robots, "You can go in our room. You should be safe in there."

Beat and Eddie go in, but Peekaboo bleeps with worry, saying that he wants to stay with Roll. Roll smiles and picks her Met up and holds him in her arms.  
>"Okay, just for you, you can stay with me," she assures.<p>

After a few minutes of thorough inspecting, the guardian robots return. The lead bot states, "No threats found. Both suites are secure."

"Thank you," Kalinka says in Russian as the two guards resume their post here in the hall, But, before she heads back into her suite for the night, Kalinka steps up to Roll and almost shyly asks in English, "Roll... did Rock mention _me_ in your message?"

Roll replies, "Well... no. He would have, but, things must have been pretty thick down there for him to forget. I told him to call me if he's not back soon. He'll remember next time, I'm sure."

"Okay. Tell Rock, I love him very much, and please thank him for wonderful evening," Kalinka adds. "And... please remind him to be happy. I know this horrible war is difficult for him."

"Sure thing," Roll replies, giving Kalinka a hug before they split up for the night and return to their rooms.

Once she closes the door, Roll puts Peekaboo down on a bed and says, "Okay, you three. You go to bed. I'll stay up and wait for Mega and Rush to return."

Peekaboo bleeps, asking her if she thinks Uncle Mega is alright.

"I think so, Boo. Uncle Mega's pretty strong. He'll be back in the morning," Roll replies, rubbing the top of his feet. "And don't you worry. I'll be right here."

As Eddie and Beat jump onto the bed and get ready to recharge, Roll gives Boo a kiss on the center of his face and puts him to bed, covering his feet with the upper half of the covers, and she waits for each of them to enter recharge mode as she sits at the side of the bed.  
>After the little ones recharge, Roll begins to fret to herself over her handling of what she saw at the beachfront again.<p>

"What was I thinking? Why didn't I just go after them?" Roll curses to herself, wishing she had just stayed there and gone after her brother and Rush. She then answers herself, "I had to watch over everybody else. And if Bass is really here, he would have gone after us all. That's why."

The only other robot who she knows that might know something is Plum. Maybe if she contacts her, Roll can get some clues about this Splash girl. "Plum said she wanted me to meet this Splash. She could lead me right to her. And if she's the one, I've got a frying pan reserved for her head!"

Roll contacts Plum, but gets no answer at first. She then tries contacting her with a message instead In the hopes of grabbing her attention. "Plum, it's Roll. I know you said you were meeting with your friend Splash tonight, but you need to call me back. It's really important."

Still, Plum does not call her back. And now Roll's fears are beginning to set in. "Oh, no... Splashhas got to be the robot. And now she's got my brother, my dog and my friend," she says to herself in worry. "I'm gonna have to call home for help. I'd hate to bother them, but I don't have a choice."

Roll contacts her father's lab back in New York, and she waits for an answer, hoping that it is not too late at night on the east coast of the United States Mainland.  
>"Come on. Somebody, <em>please<em> answer."

Eventually, she does get a response from Dr. Light, who sounds very tired. _"Oh... yes, hello, Roll. Forgive me for being late answering. It is awful late."_

"I'm sorry, Dr. Light, but I think we've got a problem over here," Roll replies.

Dr. Light begins to sound more alert now that he is aware of the urgency his daughter's voice. _"What kind of problem?"_

"Remember that threat Mega told you about last night? The one about a robot who was taking out the undersea robots? He found her and went after her," Roll explains, "But... something's wrong with him."

_"In what way?"_

"Mega said he spotted a strange-looking female robot and he left with Rush to check it out. But, ever since they came back, they haven't looked right and haven't acted like themselves. I saw Plum from college here too, and even she wasn't acting right. She kept talking about some robot named Splash, like she was obsessed with her," Roll states.  
>"I have a feeling that the Splash girl Plum met is the robot Mega is going after. And I think she's got some sort of power that can control robots. Is that possible?"<p>

Dr. Light ponders for a moment, then offers his theory. _"As we saw from Wily finding a way to control all electronic two years ago, anything is possible. The most likely scenario is that the robot you mentioned could have the capability to transmit a hacking code directly to another robot, p__erhaps directly though the communication module of the robot being contacted.__  
>Maybe, this robot has found a way to break though the emergency protocols and gain direct contact and transmit the malicious code that way."<em>

"Then, you can find a way to get the bad programming out of robots who are contacted, right?" Roll asks.

Thomas answers, _"It would help if I had access to an infected robot, so I could get a sample of the programming. If it is much like removing malicious code from an infected computer, I'm certain it can be done.  
>But, it is also possible she could be using an a method other than that. One I am not familiar with. That might take time to counter."<em>

"I just don't know if we have enough time, though. Is Proto awake? I think we need to send him over here," Roll says.

_"I'll get him. I'm sure he's up even at this hour,"_ Thomas responds.

Roll sits and waits for her father and Proto to return on the line, still worrying greatly about Mega, Rush and Plum. So worried that she is even asking ProtoMan for help, even if she still does not fully trust him. But, when he father returns on the line, he has some rather strange and alarming news...  
>"<em>Roll, I tried to get Proto, but... it appears he isn't here at the lab."<em>

"What?!" Roll blurts, almost loud enough to wake up the other robots. "Did he tell you he was leaving?"

_"Unfortunately, no. And I can't trace his movements, because he refused to have a tracking device installed like other robots have."_

Roll begins to simmer with anger over her suspicion that her older brother is once again deceiving her and her family, but she keeps it together enough to ask her father, "Has he acted strange at any point since we left?"

_"He and I spoke earlier today about his complications during his first day online, and he agreed to let himself be examined for any abnormalities so I could repair them. Other than that, he has behaved normally."_

Roll shakes her head and refrains from telling her father that she told him Proto could not be trusted. "When he comes back, don't let him know that we're on to him sneaking out. I'll deal with him myself when things are settled here. For now, we just need to get him back so he can help Mega... even though I don't trust him."

_"I'll summon him immediately. And I'll have Doris brew some coffee. I am certain this will be a long night,"_ Thomas remarks.

"Thank you. Please call me back when you can. I'll let you know if I hear back from Mega, Rush or Plum," Roll answers.

After the call ends, Roll lets out a woeful sigh and puts her head into her hands. This was supposed to be a vacation and get time away from trouble, but the trouble has followed them here and gotten them all in danger, along with her friend Plum.  
>And now, the only robot who Roll can trust to defeat Splash Woman and keep everybody safe is herself.<p>

"This vacation sucks," Roll mopes to herself. "If it couldn't get any worse, now Proto's run away and I'm sure he's scheming with Wily."

But, if Roll only knew what ProtoMan was really doing at this moment in time maybe her opinion of him would not be particularly harsh...

* * *

><p><strong>Florida.<strong>

ProtoMan arrives in the Land Blazer, and now that it is past midnight here on the east coast, he can hopefully spend some quality time with his friend Nomad without anybody pestering him.  
>And no sooner does he land within an empty school basketball court does he see Nomad coming out from hiding under the bleachers and walking towards him, perhaps with a litter extra sprint because Proto is here.<p>

"'Sup, Girl," Proto asks with that grin of his, putting his hands on Nomad's shoulders.

With her hood from her grey sweat suit over her head, Nomad looks up into Proto's visor, but she looks like she is tired.

Proto asks, "You feeling okay?"

Nomad nods slightly, then points to her head. And ProtoMan has a sinking feeling he knows what she is alluding to.

"You had another attack?" Proto asks.

Nomad nods.

Proto pauses and feels an overwhelming feeling of guilt when he realizes something. "You tried calling me, didn't you?"

Nomad nods again.

Proto shakes his head as he looks down. He missed her communication because he was under during Dr. Light's tests. He mutters, "Dammit!"  
>He looks back to Nomad and profusely says, "I'm so sorry. I didn't even know the call came in. I wasn't even awake."<p>

Nomad then points at herself, just above where her internal regulator is, then points to her head again. And then she points to Proto, tapping her left index finger on his chest.

"You thought about me to get through it. That's what you're tryin' to tell me," Proto assumes.

Nomad nods and barely smiles as she looks into her friend's visor. It appears Proto's advise to her really is working after all. It must be one of the perks of switching sides to join his brother.

"One day, I don't know when, but one day, I'm gonna make sure you don't have to go through this pain anymore. And it'll never return, I promise. And you won't have to run away anymore either," Proto assures.

Nomad makes a small smile again, looking forward to the day when she will not have to suffer this head pain or be on the run from Dr. Wily and suspicious humans. She only has Proto's word to go by and no concrete assurance that this day will come, but she believes it, because her companion Proto promised her, and he has never led her wrong yet.

Meanwhile, Proto considers doing something to make it up to Nomad for not answering her calls when he was needed. And without having to worry about his siblings or Dr. Light anywhere around to snoop on him, he gets a very adventurous idea...  
>"I tell you what, how 'bout you and me have a night out where we don't have to hide so much?"<p>

Nomad's faces takes on a look of concern, afraid that Proto's idea might get her into trouble. She does have a history of roaming in public and arousing the suspicion of those who fear she is one of Dr. Wily's robots.  
>She shakes her head to try and convince Proto she does not want to do this, but Proto is persistent anyway.<p>

"Hey, relax. You don't have a thing to worry about. I've got my disguise in the Land Blazer, so I don't think anybody's gonna notice us. And if anyone does try to do anything, I'm right here and I'll blast 'em. So, come on..."  
>Proto slowly removes Nomad's hood from her head, letting her shoulder-length black hair to show. He smirks and says, "Trust me."<p>

Nomad's fears begin to ease and she closes her eyes, slightly shrugging her shoulders as Proto caresses her cheek. Nomad reaches up to touch his hand, and she begins to smile again.  
>She trusts him like he suggested for her to do. Proto has not let her down yet If he says she will be safe, than she will be.<p>

ProtoMan would never lie to her... not to _her_, at least. He has lied to others before, even to his own family, but, never to her. And is the way Proto prefers it.

* * *

><p>Not long after, Proto - now clad in his "human" disguise of jeans and a brown leather jacket with sunglasses and no helmet - and Nomad take a walk through the city of Tampa, Florida. And they are managing to not attract attention from anybody, mainly because almost nobody is walking the streets at this late hour.<p>

"You've been on the run too much. I think you needed a night to just take a stroll and not be under that hood," Proto comments, "And you shouldn't have to worry. It's a lot safer at night than it used to be before robots like us were around. Even then, it's mostly old humans living down here."

Nomad does not reply, and she just looks at her surroundings, not used to seeing them like this and being able to feel secure and not hide herself like usual. She finds this very relaxing to enjoy herself for a change.

Proto continues, 'You should get used to this. We're gonna be doing this a lot as soon as this war is over. I'll show you places you've never been to. Even places _I've_ never been to, so I'll have to scout the place out first. And don't let the humans annoy you when we're out like this... I know that's a tall order to ask when it comes to some of these morons, but still. I know they're not all bad, but the ones who are need to be kept away from."

Nomad's head turns to the south after she hears something out there. Nothing alarming, just something she has always found odd.

Proto notices and asks, "What's up?"

Nomad points out towards the bay, and when she hears the sound again - a prolonged bellowing toot sound - she points again.

"That sound? That's just a horn from a ship coming in. There's a lot of water out there. One day, I'll show you around there too. We might need to swim. Do you know how to swim?"

As the pair continues walking downthe street, Nomad ponders, then shrugs her shoulders.

"Well, even if you don't I can do all the hard work. You'd only have to hang on to me. And you'd have to switch you're ventilation mode to _underwater_ for a while," Proto explains. "I know it might be a lot of work compared to walking out here, and it would be really deep down there. But, don't worry. I'll always keep you safe."

Nomad wraps her left arm around Proto's right arm once she hears her friend's protective words. She knows that he will keep her safe and that he means it.  
>And ProtoMan feels more of a responsibility to keep her safe than he does fighting Wily. He has even found himself hoping for this conflict with Wily to end so he can focus only on keeping Nomad safe.<br>A world without battles was a world ProtoMan could not fathom just months ago. But, now with Nomad is his primary cause to fight for, maybe he is beginning to see why his brother and father wish to rid this world of war. Nothing good comes of it, even with the thrill of the fight.

As they keep walking, Proto and Nomad pass a Gizmo City store which has several super definition televisions displayed in the storefront window, and all of which show footage of Mega Man in action and appearing around New York City.

ProtoMan grins and points at the screens, remarking, "Hey, that's my little brother on those screens. He's a big hero, you know. His name is Rock, but he also calls himself Mega Man."

Nomad freezes and her eyes widen once she hears the name 'Mega Man.' She looks at the televisions Proto was pointing towards and sees Mega Man's face on all of them, and her programming acknowledges him as her enemy. Nomad receives a message in her point of view...

**_... Target identified. Terminate on sight..._**

Nomad shoves ProtoMan behind her, like she is protecting him from her target and holds her unfinished skeletal right hand out towards the Gizmo City. She immediately charges a powerful shockwave attack and almost unleashes it on the store, but Proto steps in front of her to stop her.

"Wait! Stop!" Proto cries out, putting his hands in front of her. "Don't use that! If you do, we're both gonna get in real trouble! The police are gonna come after us both, and I won't be able to protect you anymore. They might destroy you if you fight them. Now, please, just stand down."

Nomad's eyes remain fixed on the multitude of televisions with Mega Man's face on them, until the images change to a commercial. Nomad snaps out of her pre-programmed orders to destroy him and she begins to run away from the store in a panic.

Proto chases after her, shouting, "Come back!"

Despite Proto's attempt to stop her, Nomad keeps running down the street, her eyes darting to find a way away from here so she can hide. She finally finds a nearby dumpster standing beside a building and she jumps on top of it and begins climbing up the wall by slamming her fingers into the brick and mortar and breaking through it.

As Proto watches Nomad claw her way to the roof, Proto goes after her, climbing up the divots she left on the building. And when he arrives, he finds her just in time to see her hiding behind an air conditioning central unit, sitting in a fetal position and trying to stay hidden.

Proto runs to Nomad's side and wraps his arms around, and he tried to comfort her, because she looks very shaken and frightened. In a soft tone, Proto tries to calm her down.  
>"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Everything's gonna be alright. You didn't do anything, so you're not in trouble."<p>

As he tries to comfort Nomad, Proto makes a stunning realization. One that he hoped was not true... "My brother... He's programmed to be your enemy isn't he?"

A shaking Nomad nods, confirming ProtoMan's fear that enough of her original programming as one of The Killers made it into her, and if she ever sees Mega Man, she will try to destroy him on sight.

Proto shakes his head and mutters to himself, "Uh-oh... this isn't good."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

After several hours of recharging, Mega Man's eyes open. It takes several seconds to get his bearings, but, he soon acknowledges that he is not at home or the hotel, and according to his tracker, he is still in Hawaii.  
>All he sees as he looks around are the dank walls of a cavern and stalactites dripping with water. Mega looks to his side and can see a pink force field in the distance, keeping the water from the ocean from pouring in here. And if his latitude positioning is accurate, this has to be an <em>underwater<em> cavern, if that is even possible.

Even after the recharging, Mega Man feels hindered after falling prey to Splash Woman's indoctrination again. All he remembers is chasing Rush out to the edge of the beach, seeing Splash Woman walking out of the water, and then Splash kissing him again.

Mega shakes his head trying to get the visual of Splash kissing him out of his head, but as he regains his surrounding, he tries to move his arms and finds out he cannot move them. They are bound at either of his sides.  
>When Mega Man looks around, he can feel his legs and torso also bound to something, and he can barely see a large silver object which he is attached to.<br>During his attempt to break free, he hears Rush barking somewhere behind him.

"Rush! Are you okay?" Mega asks.

Rush barks and whines. It is clear that he is in the same peril Mega is.

"We'll get out of here. Don't worry, boy," he answers. "Where are we?"

A familiar female voice replies, "We're at my place, Handsome."

Splash Woman slinks out of hiding and approaches Mega Man and Rush, and she wipes some residue from a cave wall with her fingers. She frowns. "I just moved in, so it's not very clean yet. I've been a busy girl. Just don't have time to spruce the place up."

Mega Man wants to be angry with Splash Woman, but his corrupted programing makes him infatuated with her instead and he stares at her with hazy eyes.  
>He weakly asks, "What am I doing here?"<p>

Splash Woman reaches Mega Man's side and answers, "I guess you must have blacked out when I kissed your pretty face again. I _do_ have that effect on bots I kiss."

A dazed Mega Man asks, "What do you want with me?"

Splash Woman stands before Mega Man's bound body and rubs her hands on his chest armor, and she purrs, "Isn't that obvious by now? I want you. _All_ of you, all to myself."

Mega Man's eyes wince as he tries in vain to think of his true love Kalinka Cossack again, and Splash Woman notices. "Aw... trying to think of your weak little human girl again?"

Mega strains, "I... love-"

Splash interrupts, "You don't need her! She's weak. She's _human_. You're a robot, so you should only have a ladybot in your life... and you have all the ladybot you need in me."

Splash's hands slowly lower to Mega Man's sides and she leans into his face, their lips just inches away from each other. In a soft and sensual tone, Splash purrs, "_Mega Man and Splash Woman_... that's got a nice ring to it. Just think of the power we will have together. We can resurrect global warming, turn the world into a giant ocean. You can be the emperor of the world, and I will be your empress."

Mega Man looks into Splash's eyes, and even with the overwhelming power of her controlling him, enough of his sense of right and wrong remains. "I don't want that kind of power... It's not right," he barely answers.

"I can make you like it," Splash whispers as she begins to kiss Mega Man again, and the hero is powerless to fight the overwhelming power of Splash's indoctrination.  
>During the kiss, Splash's hands work their way up Mega's torso until they reach his head, and she slowly removes his helmet, letting his brown hair fall out of it.<p>

"Oh, yes!" Splash purrs as she runs her hands through Mega's hair, "I _love_ a bot with a good head of hair. It's a shame the _only_ article I can take off of you is that helmet. But, I can make due with what I've got. There is no bigger catch than Mega Man."

Mega Man looks into Splash's eyes and his corrupted programming tells him to enjoy this sensual experience with Splash. But, he still suspects trouble. He asks, "Splash... are you... working with... Dr. Wily?"

Splash Woman's lips pucker into a pout. "Now, we don't need to ruin the romantic mood with talk of _that_ guy, do we? It's just you and me here right now."

Mega Man repeats, "Do you work... for Wily?"

Splash stares into Mega Man's eyes and replies, "What if I do? That doesn't change _you and me_."

"He's evil... you have to let me go. He will take over the world without somebody to fight him," Mega strains.

Splash Woman glazes her eyes and shoves herself off of Mega Man's bound body, putting her hands on her hips. "So, this is how it's going to be? Duty first, Splash second? Fine, then! I was going to give you the experience of a lifetime, but with an attitude like yours, I'm not in the mood anymore. Too bad."  
>As she storms off, Splash sasses, "You sure know how to ruin a girl's night."<p>

Mega Man's head droops down and he calls, "Wait... what is thing thing you've tied us to?"

Splash Woman stops and does not turn around. She smirks, "That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

Splash continues to storm off to the deeper sections of the cave, where the aquatic Robot Masters Bubble Man, Dive Man and Toad Man are standing. They are growing impatient and waiting to be utilized better, as opposed to sitting here waiting to be deployed.

Dive Man requests, "When are we gonna attack that Mega Loser? He's helpless now that we've got him and his mutt bound to that big thing out there."

Toad Man croaks, "I wanna get back at him after he beat me at Robosuar Park. _Rrrrribbit_!"

"You might get your chance with Mega Boy when Dr. Wily and myself see fit. Until then, I think you boys have an underwater cavern to protect. I can't afford to have any invaders crashing the place now, can I?" Splash Woman answers.  
>She then waits for them to head-off and impatiently brushes her hand towards them. "Shoo along now! I've got to take a swim, and I don't feel like having three rustheads ogling at me."<p>

Bubble Man is the first to leave, soon followed by Dive Man and Toad Man. And once they are out of sight, Splash Woman lightly shudders to herself, "_Ugh!_ That Toad and his smile creep me out."

Splash Woman walks off to a private area of her underwater cave hideout, where a small pond of water awaits her, and she jumps in the air and reverts to her mermaid fin and takes a swim.  
>But, in the middle of her private swim, she gets a call on her communicator from Bass.<p>

"Argh! If that streak-faced jerk interrupts me during my Just Splash Time one more time, I'm going to blast him to the bottom of the ocean!" Splash curses.  
>She then answers Bass in a much more casual tone, "Bass! Funny thing you contacted me. I was <em>just<em> talking about you!"

_"Is Mega Man properly secured to Dr. Wily's Torment Generator?"_ Bass directly asks, sparring the idle chit-chat with his ally.

"Of course, he is. I like to tie-up my partners sometimes," Splash answers as she leans on the edge of her pond. "And if Dr. Wily wants me to keep Mega distracted, tell him he shouldn't worry. I'll be keeping him distracted for a very long time."

_"I will personally check on your progress within the hour. Restraining Mega Man and preventing him from interfering in the Hollywood Operation is important."_

"Bass, I appreciate it, but could you please try to hold off your intrusive little visit until after I've had some quality time with Mega Man?" Splash Woman replies, tapping her fingers on her hip in anger.

_"You should stifle your desires for the sake of our operation. And when you use the generator on Mega Man, do not kill him... I want him alive. Nobody defeats him but me, and if anybody denies me by revenge, they will pay for it with their life!"_

"Uh, I got the message at the _'do not kill him'_ part, 'kay?!" Splash Woman groans. "I'll see you when you get here. Try and lighten that mood up before you arrive. It's a serious drag."

_"Just don't ruin the plan! There are already enough things that could go wrong. Don't be the one who destroys it all,"_ Bass says in a growl before cutting the call off.

This leaves Splash Woman all perturbed as she flips her mermaid fin in the water. She huffs only one word in frustration... "Men!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I'm sorry the chapter took so long. I do not know when the next chapter will be posted, so stay tuned._

_The title "Mega Man is Missing" is a reference to "Mario is Missing!", the forgettable Nintendo learning game._

_Please don't forget to review or comment, and if you see any typos or continuity errors so bad that the Tooth Fairy would leave you $1000 dollars by accident, please pm me.  
>I'll try to respond to your reviews faster this time. But, replies will not be sent out until next week at the earliest.<br>_


	143. Treacherous Waters, Ahoy

_**Episode 13, Chapter 6: Treacherous Waters, Ahoy.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>**

After what has turned out to be strange day, Captain Tallarico returns to the station at a time when she is supposed to be off duty. She knows that her presence here at this time will be rather odd, but when she arrives, she is surprised to see Chief Toombs standing by himself outside the station, staring up at the full moon. An even more odd sight.

"Toombs? What are you doing? Howling at the moon?" Tallarico asks.

Not moving his stare from the sky, Toombs replies in his gnarly Scottish voice, "Nah... Just need ta be out here for a little bit before I went to the homestead. I just got a feelin' somethin' bad's gonna happen. I can't shake it. Felt the same thing a few days before Wily took the big Gamma robot."

"I'll tell the force to get ready, then," Tallarico replies as she begins to head inside the station.

"What are you doin' here?" Toombs asks.

"I can't sleep. I'll just work and take the night off instead," Tallarico answers.

Keeping his eyes on the full moon, Toombs says, "I'm sorry all this happened to us, Talia... with all these Feds breathin' down our necks. I should've run a tighter ship and made sure that call didn't go out."

Tallarico keeps silent for a moment and nods before replying, "I'm sorry too, Chief."

The Captain heads inside the station and Toombs begins to walk off, prompting her to ask, "Aren't you gonna get your car?"

"I'll walk. This ol' body needs more exercise anyway," Chief Toombs replies in a grumble as he walks back to his family's home.

Tallarico watches The Chief as he walks away, not worrying if he will be safe - the man is more than capable of scaring off anybody who crosses him in the unlikely event anybody would try - but wondering what is up with him.  
>He does get silent sometimes, but not quite like this. It makes her wonder if he knows something she does not.<p>

And likewise, Toombs looks over his shoulder at Tallarico, wondering to himself why she is here at such an ungodly hour. And with the high level is mistrust and suspicion at the station since the FBI investigation started, he briefly considers sticking around and keeping an eye on her.

But, neither officer follows through on these suspicions and go their separate ways. But, it may very well have been the biggest mistake either of them could have ever made, for one of their lives is about to take a drastic turn in the next several hours...

_"Tallarico is inside the Police Station, and Toombs is leaving,"_ says the voice of Miss T somewhere nearby.

The Conduit responds, _"Then, my asset will be in place very dark until the audio finds its way. I will keep abreast of further developments."_

_"Believe me, you will hear about it when it happens. Everyone will,"_ Miss T replies._  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

After trying in vain to contact her friend Plum, and still waiting for any sign of Mega Man to contact her, Roll sits in the hotel room in the pre-dawn hours while the little robots sleep.  
>Instead of recharging, Roll has stayed awake by drinking from an energy can just so she can stay on top of this situation. And any hope that Mega, Rush or Plum are alright is dwindled. There is no question in her mind now that they are all in real danger. And Splash has to be the one responsible.<br>And if that were not bad enough, she now has new suspicions of her other brother ProtoMan after he sneaked out of the lab behind Dr. Light's back.

"He's been gone way too long and he hasn't even contacted me," Roll nearly whispers as she frets over Mega. "The police would have let us know if something was wrong..."  
>And that triggers something suspicious in Roll's thoughts. "Wait a second... Mega told me the police were with him, but he said <em>not<em> to call for backup. He _never_ says anything like that."

Roll steps away from the sleeping little robots to call the Hawaii Police force on her forearm communicator in private. She is about to find out whether or not the police really informed of this threat, or if this was something Mega was forced to tell her to keep anybody from following him.

_"Greetings, Roll Light. This is the Hawaii Police. Are you calling to report an emergency?"_ answers the robot voice on the other end, automatically recognizing her call because her frequency is logged with the police in case of an emergency.  
>(Such is one of the perks of being the sister of the Defender of the Human Race.)<p>

Roll replies, "I think we have a serious problem. Mega Man went out to chase a robot you guys asked us to look for. The one who is making the underwater robots go rogue. Mega said he went after her in the ocean, but I haven't heard from him since, and he said you guys were going to help him. Do you know if something went wrong."

The Police robot on the line answers, _"This is the first we have heard of this. Mega Man informed us he would contact us if he found the robot we are searching for, but we have not heard from him since this morning."_

Roll feels a wave a fear washing over her when she learns that her suspicion was true, and if she were human, she would be feeling chills down her spine. Now that she knows her brother, dog and friend are all in danger, she begins to take action.

"Please contact Mega Man. If you can't raise him, please tell me. I need to report another missing robot. Her name is Plum. She has purple hair and I saw her yesterday morning. She said she was going to meet up with another robot, and I think the robot she met is the same one who you're looking for."

_"We will right away, Miss Light,"_ answers the robot on the communicator before ending the transmission.

As soon as she ends the call with the Hawaii Police, Roll has no time to fret because she is being called by Dr. Light again... _"Roll, ProtoMan has returned home and I told him about what happened."_

Proto is with Dr. Light and asks, _"But, I haven't been told enough. What's going on?"_

"We went out with Kalinka when Rush heard something and ran after it. Mega followed him and I did too, but when I got there they were both gone. They went out in the ocean to go after this female robot who's making other robots follow her orders. Plum said she met up with a female robot named Splash, and-"

Proto interrupts, _"Splash Woman?"_

Roll freezes for a second, and so too does Dr. Light back at the lab. "How do you know?" she asks.

_"Splash Woman was the name of one of the Robot Masters Wily was designing before I ditched him. But, she was always put on hold because he couldn't get her hypnotic power to work. I guess he finally did."_

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Roll asks with an accusing tone.

_"If only you told me you ran into trouble, I would've,"_ Proto replies sharply. _"But, I wouldn't expect you to ask me for help because I used to be with Wily... Right?"_

"Is that who you went out to meet up with tonight?" Roll asks, even more harshly.

Before the call between the two siblings could become heated, Dr. Light intervenes as the voice of reason. _"Please calm down, both of you. This is a very serious situation, and I understand emotions are high. But right now Rock, Rush and Roll's friend need help, and if we fail, the world will fall into Albert Wily's hands. I am sure none of us want that."_

Both Roll and ProtoMan stay quiet and stop arguing for the same of Mega, Rush and Plum, but the tension lingers. And the tension and mistrust between siblings is so thick now that a clash is beginning to look inevitable.

Dr. Light asks, _"Proto, since you were there when Wily was designing Splash Woman, do you know anything about how her powers work?"_

_"She was still in development when I was there. She's supposed to have some sort of signal device like the protocol control gun he used on the Robot Masters. But when she uses it, it makes the victim fall in love with her and do anything she asks. It's probably what happened to Rock and the others. No robot is immune to it, as far as I know."_

Roll interjects, "All that matters right now is how we get everyone back to normal. So, how do we?"

Proto lets out a sigh. _"Unless Wily had to change the way her power works, once a robot is ensnared by Splash Woman, they're stuck like that for a while, until it wears off. Depending on how bad the robot is affected, they might not be normal again for days."_

Facing the dire nature of this problem, Roll makes a very desperate decision. A very dangerous one. "Dr. Light, please try to find the tracking signals for Mega, Rush and Plum. I'm going to go after them."

_"Whoa! Not without me, you're not,"_ ProtoMan protests.

"I can't wait for help! You said it could take days for Splash Woman's powers to wear off! Mega, Rush and Plum don't have days. They might only have _hours_, if they even have that much," Roll gloomily frets.

Dr. Light replies, _"If Rock went into the sea, you will have to amplify your tracking ability to maximum power. Depending on how far down he is, it will be hard to find him beneath the layers of water."_  
>Thomas adds, <em>"I think there might be a way to purge Splash Woman's corruption from Rock. One that would not require an extensive reprogramming."<em>

"I'm listening," Roll says, clutching on to this glimmer of hope.

_"If you can reach him, you could reset his internal systems."_

"Wouldn't that put his memories at risk?" Roll asks.

_"Not necessarily. There is a chance he would not remember events from recent days, but your systems save for an emergency like this every two weeks. So, even if he would lose memories, he would still remember everything since last week."_

Proto interjects, _"And how are you gonna get Rock and Rush to safety all by yourself? Robot Masters usually don't work alone. If one of them is there, a bunch of them are nearby... and Bass might be there too."_

"If I can trust you to watch my back, Proto, then I don't have to worry. But you better hurry up," Roll says.

ProtoMan warns,_ "I'm on my way already. Without me there, you're gonna be sitting ducks."_

Dr. Light asks, _"Wait... what about Kalinka and the little robots?"_

Roll nearly gasps when she remembers that Peekaboo, Beat and Eddie are here too, and would be in extreme danger if left unattended. And there is also Kalinka in the suite across from her, who is also caught in the middle of this.  
>If Proto is right, she can't leave them behind unprotected and she has to do something to keep them all safe.<p>

"I'll make sure they're all safe," Roll answers. "But, I've got to tell Kalinka something's wrong. If something like this was going on, I'd want to know about it."

_"Alright. I will keep the line open for you if I'm needed. ProtoMan is coming in the Land Blazer. I estimate he will arrive before dawn."_

Roll wants to ask Proto more about what he did when he sneaked off tonight. But, she can't worry about that right now and has to give him the benefit of the doubt until Mega, Rush and Plum are safe.  
>"Okay. But, tell him I'm not waiting for him if I get a chance to save them."<p>

_"Do, be careful, sweetheart,"_ Thomas requests emphatically.

"I will. I'll get them all back, I promise," Roll replies.

Once the call ends, Roll looks across at the door leading outside, knowing that Kalinka Cossack is on the other end of it. The idea of having to break the troubling news to her will surly be hard.  
>"This hero job just gets harder," she whispers to herself as she dials the number to her suite.<p>

Almost immediately, Kalinka answers. _"Hello?"_ she says in English.

Roll does not answer her right away, surprised that Kalinka is still awake. "Hi, Kalinka. Have you been to sleep at all?"

With much worry in her voice, Kalinka replies, _"No. I have bad feeling that something is wrong... Has Rock called you back? Is he alright?"_

Taking a moment to consider the right words to reply, Roll answers, "I haven't heard from him... and something _is_ wrong."

_"Oh, no! What is happening?"_

Mega was asked by the Police to check out a suspicious robot who is making other robots she comes into contact with go rogue. He didn't want to tell us because he was afraid we would get scared. He wanted us to have fun and not worry about anything.  
>But, one of my friends from my dad's university ran into a female robot earlier... and I haven't seen her since... And now Mega and Rush disappeared too."<p>

_"Roll... Are you saying..."_

"She's gotta be a Wily bot," Roll replies, grimly. "And we've gotta stop her."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Skull Fortress.<br>Wily's Workshop.  
><strong>

The sun begins to rise in the western United States, making the frightening Fortress stand out against the orange sky. And inside, Dr. Wily is forgoing sleep and making final preparations for the Hollywood bank heist which begins in a matter of hours.  
>Right now, Albert is on the tenth straight practice of the plan, including any variables like ProtoMan's presence or even the slightest chance that Mega Man would somehow be around.<p>

Albert grins wickedly at the thought of taking all that money, and using it to construct his ultimate project. Sick, murderous thoughts of all the destruction he can wreak upon Thomas Light, Mega Man and all those who challenge him run through his diseased mind.  
>"They will all bow before me and my ultimate creation, grovelling at my feet...and if I chose, they will <em>die<em> at my feet!"

Interrupting Albert from his insane fantasy is a call from Bass on the islands. Wily's expression takes on a somewhat annoyed sneer before answering, "Yes, Bass, what is it ?"

_"I am en route to the underwater cavern the worker robots made for Splash Woman. There, I will inspect on her progress personally, as well as the status of Mega Man."_

A suspicious Wily tilts one of his brows. "I don't see the purpose in constantly checking-up on Splash Woman's progress. Are you sure you haven't been affected by her charms and fallen for her too? Or, perhaps, trying to eliminate Mega Man before I any other robot could?"

_"No. I am only ensuring this operation goes smoothly. And I do not want any chance of Mega Man fleeing so he could stop the robbery,"_ Bass insists.

"Fine, then. Report back at Seven O'clock sharp and inform me of Mega Man's status," Wily says, then pauses. "And, if in the extremely unlikely event that Splash Woman would fall, you must make sure you recover her signal inducer she uses for her charm power. I didn't like having to sacrifice it from my protocol disruptor, and I will be very displeased if I lose it."

_"I will make sure, Dr. Wily,"_ Bass responds, terminating the message.

Dr. Wily wonders why Bass is getting so nosy, and wondering if he will try to disturb his well laid plan. And it is at that moment that Albert's eye catches the green glint of the shard from the Jadous Sphere he has nearby.

Remembering how destructive that one shard alone can be, Albert feels the desire to test how powerful it can be. It is like the shard itself is seductive with its power.  
>And he can hear the whisper in his head gnawing at his thirst for destruction... <em>"Use it!"<em>

The urge to find out how much that shard can really cause is almost too much to handle and Albert takes one step towards it, about to begin the test.  
>However, with time running out before the robbery begins, Albert must devote all of his time to this and not the shard.<p>

"No. Not yet," he says to himself, "I cannot spare any time to the shard right now. I must see this heist plan through to a very profitable conclusion... But, the time to see how powerful you truly are, my little jagged friend, will come... soon."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Splash Woman's underwater cave.<strong>

Bubble Man, Wave Man, Dive Man and Toad Man protect the sole entrance to this underwater cave, which is blocked by a holographic barrier to keep the water from pouring inside. And during their patrol, Bass and Treble arrive with Treble taking the form of an underwater transport.

The four aquatic Robot Masters look more serious than normal, intimidated by the super robot. And although Toad Man's face is stuck in his strange grin, his eyes have fear behind them when he stares into the hate-filled eyes of the black and gold robot.  
>Bass gives them a nod to signal his intention of entering the cave, the stone cold frown on his face not flinching.<p>

Treble returns to regular form and he and Bass swim across the holographic barrier and instantly into the dry air. As Bass and Treble make their way into the cave, Bass has no appreciation for how much work it took Dr. Wily's robots to make this little cave deep in the ocean and keep it from crumbling in a heap. All he cares about is ensuring that Mega Man is here and that he stays out of Dr. Wily's way for the Hollywood robbery in just under twelve hours...  
>and if Dr. Wily's plan for Splash Woman fails and allow Mega Man to attempt escape somehow, Bass has no problem destroying his enemy.<p>

Bass and Treble reach the large Torment Generator that Dr. Wily has constructed and had transported here from Skull Fortress, and spots Mega Man and Rush held up with titanium bars on either side of it.  
>The Torment Generator itself is a tall metallic hunk of machinery which looks like a silver rectangle standing on its side, and several circuits can be seen on it's outer shell.<p>

A weakened and un-helmeted Mega Man looks to his side to see Bass arrive, and even in his haze given to him by Splash Woman, he recognizes Bass and his usually kind face takes on a frown.  
>"I knew Wily was behind this! He must have created Splash Woman too!"<p>

Bass replies, "Your insight serves you well, my enemy. But, they must not be serving you too well, or else, you would not be in this cave."

Mega Man sneers, "What does Wily want, other than have me destroyed?"

"Your attempt to convince me to reveal Dr. Wily's intentions has failed. I do not let slip such delicate details easy. But, Dr. Wily does have some very important questions. Questions that only you, Roll and Thomas Light can reply," Bass responds, approaching the side of the torment generator and reaching for the controls.  
>"Where is your brother?" Bass asks, with cold seriousness in his red eyes.<p>

"Do you expect me to tell you where he is?" Mega spits. "You want Proto and my father dead and you're stalking my sister. I'm not exposing them to you."

"After you learn what you are restrained to, I think you will change your mind," Bass answers, just before tapping a command in the torment generator's controls.

After Bass' command, the torment generator begins to make a low hum sound and emits an electrode wave that can inflict pain and scramble the circuits of whatever robot is connected to either side of it.  
>Upon feeling the first wave of the electrode charge, Mega Man's face winces as he begins to bemoan in agony. Rush also howls but only in fear over what is happening to Mega behind him.<br>Fortunately, Bass does not use both sides of the Torment Generator, or Rush would be suffering as well.

Bass stops the torment to allow his prey enough time to regain his composure, and Mega's head hands down as his face winces in pain.  
>Bass warns, "If Dr. Wily were here, he would enjoy this. I, however, find this method counter-productive. I would rather defeat you at your best."<p>

Bass places his fingers on the controls of the torment generator again and states, "I'm going to ask you one more time, or I will use this again, on you and your canine friend. And while I am sure you would survive, I am not sure your dog can take it without suffering serious damage..."  
>Bass leans near Mega's face and asks, "How can I find your brother? Dr. Wily needs the answer... And more importantly, what is Roll's communication frequency?"<p>

Mega defiantly looks into Bass' red eyes and replies, "I will never sell out my family... especially to a psychopath like Wily... or you!"

"A most unfortunate decision," Bass says, about to power the horrific device again.

Before the Torment Generator could inflict more harm upon Mega and Rush, Splash Woman comes out of hiding brandishing her trident staff, putting a halt to Mega Man's torment.  
>"Don't think about it! I'd much rather have a Mega Man <em>without<em> cranial circuit damage. Thanks."

Bass stares back at Splash Woman as Treble growls at her. Bass says, "If I want to inflict more punishment upon him, your feeble weapon will not stop me. I assure you, it will only be futile for you."

"And then, I would tattletale on you to Dr. Wily. Then you and your little friend would be out of a job," Splash Woman counters with sass.

Bass becomes angry when he realizes that Splash Woman can rat him out to Wily and deprive him of the status he feels he needs, and he balls the fist he holds near the controls of the torment generator until he stops himself and steps away. He almost caves in to his crazed urge to attack her for making such a threat, but he does not this time.

"Use your power to have Mega Man tell me what Roll's communication frequency is, and I will leave him be," Bass counters.

Splash Woman replies, "Fine, then. But no tricks."

Splash Woman begins to use her powers on Mega Man again, and the hero tries to resist more than he ever has because he knows his family is in jeopardy of being targeted by Bass and Dr. Wily.  
>In a desperate attempt to bargain with Splash Woman, (and still deep under her indoctrination,) Mega pleads, "Splash, please, don't make me do this! You must have some mercy!"<p>

"Sorry, love. Wasn't programmed to have any," Splash Woman shrugs as she carries her trident staff and waves it in front of Mega's face, almost in a hypnotic way and watches as the Defender once again grows weak and loses self-control.

Bass watches on as well, trying to figure out how she can control other robots, because Dr. Wily never explained how she can. Is it something in the staff, or from her body or the look in her eyes?  
>Bass does not know how it functions, but he does see what is happening to Mega when Splash is indoctrinating him. His eyes become dilated and he looks like he is about to faint.<p>

Once Mega Man fully falls under Splash Woman's indoctrination again, Splash purrs, "What is your little sister's communication frequency. For some reason, Bass really needs to know."

Even in his zombiefied state, Mega Man still tries to resist Splash Woman's powers as much as possible, but it is once again too overtaken with her and he drones with lifeless eyes and a slacked jaw.  
>"Roll's frequency is... 91994.1... She will change it when she learns you have it."<p>

Splash turns around to Bass and asks, "There! Happy? Now maybe you can leave me alone with my new mate?"

Bass counters, "Dr. Wily begins the robbery operation on the American Mainland just over eight hours from now, and while I am certain you will have Mega Man preoccupied here, Dr. Wily may order you to forfeit Mega Man over to Skull Fortress if he wishes."

"Oh, Mega Man will be just fine if Wily needs him back. In fact, he'll be in much better shape than he ever was. Now, you can help your self out," Splash says, trying in vain to shepherd Bass out of her cave, maybe so that she can have some... 'alone time' with Mega Man as she desires.

"I need your assurance that whatever your desires are for Mega Man, perverted or not, will not interfere in Dr. Wily's plans. He does want to destroy Mega Man in every way possible. He does not reward failure very well," Bass says, not leaving right away for some reason.

"Haven't we been through this before? I'm not going to ruin Dr. Wily's big plans! He can trust me! Now, bug off, and take your wolf creature with you!" Splash Woman barks before storming off into the cave... but, Bass begins walking after her.

"Dr. Wily may trust you, but I don't," Bass says. "If I find out that you are undercutting this plan, the consequences will be grave."

Splash turns her back to Bass and has about had enough of him. No matter how attractive he may be, he has become too much of a hassle and she wishes she could just shut him up... and then she gets a wicked little smile when she remembers she has the answer.  
>All she has to do is use her power to indoctrinate Bass and make him fall for her, just like Mega Man and all the other robots have.<p>

With a twirl of her trident staff and a slight swing of her hips, Splash begins to use her powers on Bass, and when she turns around to face him, she notices the intimidating robot quickly losing his aggression and beginning to struggle to regain control of himself.

"What are you doing?" Bass strains as the pupils of his red-irised eyes begin to grow big, a sure sign that the indoctrination is taking effect.

Splash snickers, "I'm proving that even Big Bad Bass can't say no to my charms. Can you?"

Bass' shoulders slump and he stares into Splash's eyes in a haze, and even Treble sits down obediently for Splash Woman. Bass drones, "You are... really very beautiful, Splash Woman... I want to make _you_ my Queen."

Splash Woman puts her hands on Bass' helmet and traces the yellow arch 'fins' on either side of it. "Aw, how sweet. I get a lot of bots who want me as their Queen. But, I've got Mega Man as my King, so your little fantasy won't be possible... But, one of my favorite fantasies is having the two most powerful robots in the world all to myself... that sounds doable, doesn't it?"

"Yes... as you wish, Splash," Bass says, clearly in the palms of Splash Woman's hands.

"Good. I've only got so much time in the world, so you'll have to wait your turn, sugar. But, until then..." Splash kisses Bass on the lips for a long time.

When they finally break the kiss, Splash Woman swoons, "Wow!... that was the best one I've had. Maybe, I'll make a little more time for you than I think."

Splash says, "Now, be a good little boy and tell Dr. Wily that everything is going just fine with Mega Man, and he shouldn't worry himself about little old me."

"Yes, Splash Woman," Bass drones.

"Now, you and your little four-legged creature scurry back to the island and you don't call me back unless Mega Man's little sister and his pathetic little human friend show up," Splash Woman commands, making 'shoo-shoo' motions.

Bass begins to walk away beside Treble, neither of them walking with the same strength they usually do, and Splash Woman watches them, happy with herself that she has managed to control the mighty Bass and the brave Mega Man on the same day, and so easily.

"Mega Man _and_ Bass. I didn't know this job would be this fun," Splash Woman snorts with her hands on her hips...

Bass and Treble approach the force field and Treble transforms into his underwater transport form again, allowing his master to board so they can depart. As Bass mounts Treble's back, he still looks weak and hazy as both of them cross the force field and begin traveling back up to the surface.

As the pair travels up to the top of the ocean, even the Robot Masters outside the cave watch on is surprise to see Bass not acting like he always does, not even giving them a harsh look on the way up...

* * *

><p>Later, Bass and Treble emerge from the ocean, and Bass is slumped over the handlebar controls of Trebles underwater vehicle form. He slowly sits up straight, still looking dazed from receiving Splash Woman's power...<br>until his pupils revert to their normal size, and his face takes on his usual angered look as well.

Splash Woman's indoctrination power did not work on him. Bass' internal safeguards that Dr. Wily had personally installed prevented him from falling for her. In fact, Bass was waiting for Splash Woman to attempt to use her powers on him so that he can use it to his advantage, and she did exactly what he wanted her to do.

In a normal tone, he says, "Nice try, Splash Woman."

Treble snarls several times to Bass, who replies, "Splash Woman is a threat to my supremacy, Treble. And the necessary steps must be taken to ensure nobody gets in the way of my domination."

Bass wipes the water off his left forearm and enters a command to search for the exact frequency Splash Woman used to hack into a robot's memory, and he finds it. 84899193.5.

"You are not the only one who can change plans behind Wily's back," Bass says, copying the signal from Splash Woman and sending it out via a direct communication... with a message.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the hotel.<strong>

Roll and Kalinka are inside the Lights' suite while the little robots recharge when Roll gets a call on her communicator. She is certain it is from one of her family members or hopes it is maybe Mega Man or Plum, and she answers it without checking who it is first.

"Yeah?" she responds.

_"Set your communication security frequency to 84899193.5. It will block Splash Woman's indoctrination power and you will not succumb to it."_

Roll's her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open when she hears the very familiar voice on her communicator. She does not know how he learned her frequency, but he did. Kalinka becomes concerned and shakes her, "Roll? What is it?"

"It's Bass," Roll whispers.

Bass continues, _"When a robot falls for her, their eyes become dilated like a human's, their shoulders fall and they become infatuated with Splash Woman and her beauty, and they will follow her orders.  
>Mega Man and Rush are being held in an underwater cavern which is being guarded by Splash Woman and for Robot Masters. Your friend with the purple hair was seduced by Splash Woman's powers and went missing two miles east of Waikiki beach last night. I do not know what happened to her.<em>  
><em>You may use this knowledge however you wish. But, use it to protect yourself from Splash Woman."<em>

Roll is shocked about all this, concerned about Mega, Rush and Plum, and confused about why Bass exposed this crucial intel to her. Is it all a trap, or is he telling her to help her survive?  
>She asks, "Why are you telling me this?"<p>

_"Splash Woman is a threat to you, therefore she must be stopped. And she is a threat to me, therefore she must be brought down, even if Dr. Wily disapproves. But, if you are planning on striking the underground cavern, to rescue Mega Man and your dog, you will need significant assistance. Preferably ProtoMan."_

"How do I know this isn't all just a big trap?" an unsure Roll asks.

_"Because you must survive, Roll. Even if it means robbing me of my chance for victory and soiling Wily's plan... so be it."  
><em>

Roll's resolve becomes firm again, and she warns, "If you double-cross me or my brothers-"

Bass interrupts,_ "I will not attack you, Roll. But, I will only stay away from Mega Man and ProtoMan if they do not cross my path. Whatever your decision is, time is of the essence. Goodbye, my Queen."_

After the call, Kalinka asks, "What are we going to do?"

Roll answers, "We've got to get Mega and Rush back, but we can't hit this cavern until Proto gets here. Until then, I've got to save Plum before it's too late."

Kalinka asks, "Don't you need help?"

Roll refuses Cossack's offer, saying, "It's too dangerous for you, Kalinka. But, I do need you and your guards to keep Peekaboo and Beat company. I'll be taking Eddie with me, because I'll need energy cans. But... _please_ just keep Peekaboo safe."

Kalinka asks, "I will... but, what if this is all a big trap?" And not to concern the little robots if they are overhearing this, Kalinka approaches Roll and whispers, "What if they attack here when you are out?"

Roll sighs with worry. "You're right. I'll drop you guys off at the Police Station, it should be much safer there. We know the Chief here. I'll be back when I find Plum. Proto should be here by then."

Kalinka asks, "Can you even trust Bass? He tried to kill Rock."

Roll stops and considers the seriousness of Kalinka's question. Bass is not exactly the most trustworthy bot, and he was a creation of Dr. Wily.  
>"I don't know if I trust Bass. But I'm the only one he cares about, and I think he wouldn't do anything... I <em>hope<em> he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. But, right now, he's the only chance I have to save them and stop this Splash Woman. And I'm the only chance they've got."

Kalinka nervously says, "Well... if I were American, I guess I would say, 'a girl has to do what a girl has to do,' right?"

Roll barely smiles a little before becomes firm and serious again. "Pretty much, yeah."

Kalinka pleads, "I hope you bring your friend back.

"I hope so too. Maybe she can help lead us to Mega and Rush too," Roll replies as she grabs her red diving suit from her suit case She then calls Dr. Light back at the lab, but she has no idea how her father will take the rather startling news.  
>"Dr. Light, it's me again."<p>

_"I'm here, Roll. Have you heard anything?"_ Thomas asks.

Roll pauses before responding, "Yeah, I have. And I think we just got a lucky break... but, it's from a _really_ unlikely source."

* * *

><p>While Roll and Kalinka were conversing on how to save Mega Man, Tron Bonne in the suite immediately below the Lights', standing on a ladder and eavesdropping on the conversation with a super-powered audio listening device adhered on the ceiling.<br>Because of her obsessive love with Mega Man, she was able to learn exactly where Mega Man was staying, and even booked the suite directly below them, (although that took some paying-off of the staff to make the room available.)

Tron cannot comprehend every word clearly thanks to the dense insulation between rooms... as well as her brother Tiesel's insensate snoring. But, she can hear a voice she recognizes as Roll's, and someone else.

"Who is that up there? Sounds like a girl, with an accent," Tron mutters.

Before she could tell exactly what is being said, Tron hears a loud ripping snore coming from the throat of Tiesel as he sleeps.

Tron's face takes on an angry frown and she grinds her teeth in anger. "PIPE DOWN OVER THERE!" she barks.

Tiesel is deeply sleeping and Tron's yelling fails to wake him up, and he snores again. Tron frowns and orders, "#1! Do it!"

Servbot #1 salutes, "Yes, Miss Bonne," and the Servbot climbs up on the bed which Tiesel sleeps and yanks off a sock from his foot, then crawls up to Tiesel's head and shoulders and sticks the balled-up sock in his mouth.

Tron turns her full attention back to the room above her and listens to the conversation going on upstairs. And with the help of her listening device plugged into both of her ears, Tron can barely understand what is being said now...

_"What are we going to do?"_ asks the female voice with the accent.

_"We've got to get Mega and Rush back. But, it's gonna be hard to do it deep in the ocean,"_ answers the voice of Roll.

Tron almost gasps. "Oh, no! Mega Man must be in some kind of trouble!"

Servbot #1 gets a scared look on his yellow face, and his 'mouth' takes on the form of a squiggly line to convey how worried he is. "Oh, no!" he peeps.

Instead of eavesdropping on the rest of the talk, and failing to logically consider how dangerous this really is, Tron allows her feelings for Mega Man to get the better of her better judgment.  
>And the young Bonne girl makes a snap decision that can only be described as a bit rash, and perhaps too dangerous...<p>

"If Mega Man is really in trouble... we're going to have to save him!" Tron announces, "And if we save him before Roll and ProtoMan can, Mega Man will be forever grateful to me! A hero like him will naturally be drawn to a girl who is as brave, heroic and wonderful as he is... and he'll fall in love with me! I know it!"

Servbot #1 rubs the 'chin' of his marshmallow-shaped head and asks, "Miss Bonne? How are we going to save Mega Man?"

"Simple, #1. Roll said something about going into the ocean to find him, so when she leaves to go after him, we are going to follow her, and we can beat her to the punch! Luckily, I was able to get my things past security at the airport. All I need are my tools and some servos, and I'll be able to rig some sort of an underwater propeller backpack."

"But, how are we going to make a propeller if all our salvage is on the Gesselchaft?" Servbot #1 asks.

"That's what everything inside this hotel is for, #1," Tron says, motioning her hands around every part of this suite. "Granted, once they learn that we stripped the building of materials, they might never allow us to rent a room here again. But, it will be worth it."

Tron steps down from the ladder and opens her suitcase, which is loaded with several doodads and tools to start work on her bizarre plan to rescue Mega Man. "#1, turn on the coffee pot. I am not going to let fatigue get in my way... and get Tiesel up!"

* * *

><p><strong>A half-hour later.<br>Off of Wakiki beach.  
><strong>

It is almost 4:00 in the morning, and in a Hawaii Police speedboat and joined by a group of Policebots, Roll searches for Plum's signal with her utility arm communicator, prepared to save Mega Man, Rush and Plum.  
>Meanwhile, Kalinka, Peekaboo and Beat are safe at the Hawaii Police Station under heavy protection, courtesy of Chief Kahakalau. Roll is having a four-way call with Kalinka, Dr. Light and ProtoMan as she searches for Plum.<p>

_"Is your communicator strong enough to find them?"_ Kalinka asks from the station.

_"It won't be easy. With all the thermal layers in the water, their signals will be feint. If Rock and Rush are within a cavern like Bass says, then theirs will be harder to find,"_ Dr. Light replies.

"I'll find them, even if it takes all day," Roll replies.

_"You're really gonna believe Bass?"_ ProtoMan scoffs.

"I don't trust him, and I don't like him. But... I don't think he would do anything to hurt me. I know it sounds weird, but, it's our best chance to save them," Roll answers.

As she searches for her brother's signal, she finds another signal coming from under the sea. She gasps, "I found Plum! I've got to get to her."

_"Hang on!"_ Proto urges, _"Have the cops scan the area. There might be Wily bots down there too."_

Roll looks over to the Policebots, who nod and scan the area with their radar. "We found only one Humanoid Robot lifeform. No other hostiles in the area. It should be safe to proceed," replies one of the Poilicebots.

"I'm going down. I'll be back with Plum as soon as possible," Roll urgently replies as she jumps overboard and into the sea with a small underwater glider in a desperate attempt her way to save her friend.

* * *

><p>With the help of the Police's underwater propulsion unit and two white-armored Deep Sea Diver Policebots to escort her, Roll makes her way into the deep with ferocity, heading towards Plum's signal before its too late, and she fears what she will find when she reaches her.<p>

After two minutes of fast travel straight down into the ocean and using her enhanced vision mode to help see in the darkness of the sea, Roll finds now trace of any Robot Masters or this Splash Woman. But, she spots a lone feminine figure at the bottom of the deep dark ocean. When she gets closer, Roll can confirm that this is Plum, her body looking lifeless and tangled up in sea coral.

Roll's eyes widen and she finds all her strength to swim to her fallen friend, hoping she is not too late to save her. As she removes her body from the coral with the help of her utility arm buzzsaw, Roll searches for signs of trauma like body damage and she finds nothing to indicate Plum was physically hurt. But, Plum's body is lifeless, and Roll has no easy way to check how much power she has left.

Roll shakes Plum's body in the hope she can wake her up, but Plum is limp. A Policebot diver contacts her and points up, "We need to return her to the boat."

Roll hoists Plum's body in her arms and hands her to a Policebot diver and the group takes the fallen Light University student back up to the police boat. And she only hopes that it is not too late to save her friend's life.

* * *

><p>Roll and the Policebot divers emerge from the water with Plum and the other Policebots lean out to help them aboard. The moment Plum's body is placed down on the boat, the Policebots cover her with a towel to keep her warm and dry<p>

Roll climbs in and calls, "Eddie! She needs an energy can, quick!"

"Eddie says he has one ready," Eddie responds, flipping open his top and popping an energy can out.

With her soaked hair still in her face from the dive, Roll gets the can from Eddie and kneels down beside Plum, holding her up and almost cradling her friend so the energy juice can be ingested easier.  
>But, the juice overflows in Plum's mouth and she remains unresponsive, and this only reminds Roll of the moment she learned that Doc was gone.<p>

"Come on, Plum! Please, wake up! don't you dare leave me too!" she pleas to her friend, on the verge of crying.

A Policebot kneels down carrying an emergency energy regulator. He reports, "Her internal systems are likely full of sea water. We will have to try a direct recharge."

Dr. Light directs them via their radios, _"I have her schematics from her file at the University. There is an emergency induction port on the side of her left leg."_

The Policebot removes a needle-like plug-in attached to a cable from the regulator and inserts it into a very small emergency induction port on Plum's left leg, both of which are metallic from the knees down like Roll's are.  
>"I found it, Dr. Light. Administering energy to the victim now," reports the Policebot.<p>

Roll looks down into her dear friend's lifeless face, waiting and hoping for _any_ sign that she is still alive. Until, finally, Plum begins to move and her upper torso makes a heaving movement, like she is about to cough.  
>Plum's eyes open again and she sits up, coughing water out of her mouth to allow herself to speak. "... Roll?!"<p>

Roll hugs her fallen friend tightly and sighs, "Calm down. You're gonna be alright."

After coughing the water out of her body, Plum speaks to Roll, asking "Where are we?"

"We're in Hawaii, out in the ocean. You were left for dead here by a robot named Splash Woman," Roll explains.

Plum's eyes hazily look up to Roll, and she meekly asks, "Splash?! ... No. She would never do that."

"She did," Roll reaffirms. "She was made by Dr. Wily and sent here to lure Mega into a trap. She has powers that can make other robots fall in love with her and do as she says. She did the same thing to you."

Plum looks confused. "No... not Splash."

"Plum, you have to believe me. She did the same thing to Mega, and now she has him and Rush held hostage," Roll pleas.

_"Roll,"_ Thomas interrupts, _"She is likely still suffering from the effects of Splash Woman's power. If what your brother told us is true, it will take time for her to recover."_

Roll collects herself and comforts her friend. "I know things are really weird right now, but everything is going to be okay. We're getting you to safety."

A Policebot kneels down beside Roll and Roll and offers assistance. "If you wish, I can treat your friend from here, Miss Light."

"Okay," Roll agrees, giving Plum a brief squeezing hug before leaving her side so the Policebot can monitor her progress.

The Police boat sails back to shore and Roll steps off, wrapping a towel around herself to keep warm. But, she looks very rattled after seeing what happened to her dear friend.  
>She sighs with sadness, "I can't believe she did this to my friend. I almost lost her too."<p>

Dr. Light calls back, _"I know this ordeal is very stressful, Roll. It is for ProtoMan and myself as well. But, I hope you can keep your emotions in check when the time comes to get Rock and Rush back."_

Roll frowns and becomes angry thinking about what Splash Woman did to Plum, and what she might be doing to Mega and Rush right now.  
>"I don't think I can keep my emotions under control, Dr. Light. Splash Woman made it personal when she took my brother and my dog, and hurt my best friend. I'm going down there and I'm gonna kick her titanium ass!"<br>She then adds apologetically, "... Pardon my French."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_I am sorry for the delay and for the late review replies. Real life has been interfering in my writing progress since the previous chapter. Also, I became fatigued writing this episode, so not much writing was done.  
>But, the big battle will start in the next chapter, and I hope to get it posted in June or July.<br>_

_ And in case you were wondering the "Emergency Induction Port" was something mentioned in Mass Effect. It's on YouTube. You'll get it._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors that are so bad they smell worse than Rambo's armpits, please PM me. I will respond to reviewers earlier this time.  
><em>


	144. Girls Night Out (part 1)

**_Chapter 7: Girls Night Out, part 1._  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>New York.<br>FBI New York headquarters.**

It is mid-afternoon on the east coast, and Agent Cotto stands inside the office he has occupied every day since the investigation into the N.Y.P.D. began, and his patience with the process is running out.  
>After sifting through every possible source and grilling every potential suspect, he is no closer to cracking the case than he was when he started. All he has is a hunch about two key figures in the Police Department.<strong><br>**

When interviewed about his involvement with The Conduit's Network, Mr. Black/John Barton had told the FBI there were at least three others involved with The Conduit that he knew of, and their names were Miss T, Mr. Wire and Mr. Endo. And he did not know who any of them or The Conduit were.  
>And going by that key piece of intel, Cotto figures that whoever these three are, they are most likely still in New York or will be back here soon.<p>

Cotto once again finds himself staring at the files of Chief Toombs and Captain Tallarico tacked on the bulletin board and he ponders whether either of them are one of the "assets." Or perhaps if both of them are.  
>Cotto is certain that a mistake as big as blowing a sting operation to capture the world's most wanted man in Dr. Wily can only be one made at the top of the food chain. And that maybe either of these two commander officers have their own agenda.<p>

And just when he thought this case could not get even more frustrating, it is about to get worse. And it is with the tampered audio file that The Conduit ordered Tiesel Bonne to forge... and the entire world has access to it.

Cotto's phone rings and he answers, "Yeah."

_"Rahm, we've got a problem,"_ answers an agent on the other end. _"It looks like our missing audio log with the order to send the Police back-up just surfaced. And it's all over the web."_

"What?!" Cotto nearly snaps.

_"We suspect whoever got their hands on the file posted it on a blog or a website, and it's viral now. We're still trying to trace who posted it and where they come from."_

Cotto storms out of his office and straight downstairs to the central operating hub (or Bullpen) of the New York FBI building. "We need to contain this now. Shut down every web page with this audio file and keep the news media quiet. I don't care if we have to create a massive internet outage to do it. Just do it.  
>And find a way to copy the file and bring it to my attention. I need to hear this myself."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<br>At the Police Station.**

It is morning in the Hawaiian time zone, and now that she has rescued Plum from certain doom, Roll is here meeting with Kalinka, Peekaboo, Eddie, Beat and ProtoMan and Chief Kahakalau, while Dr. Light is joining in via video conference from the lab.  
>A plan is being formed to rescue Mega Man and Rush, using the limited intel giving to Roll by Bass. And ProtoMan still has doubts about them.<p>

Chief Kahakalau waddles into the meeting room, reporting, "Our search and rescue crew just scanned the ocean and our bots found something weird deep down there. We haven't seen this before."  
>The large Hawaiian Police Chief shows everyone an overhead view of the ocean out beyond Waikiki beach on a computer pad, and it looks like a very noticeable difference in land mass was detected that was not there before.<br>"We were out there a few weeks ago and it wasn't there," Kahakalau says, surprised to see how that change in mass could have taken place.

"Splash Woman probably took control of the island's construction robots, and they couldn't tell you guys about it because they follow her orders," ProtoMan answers.

"How is that?" the Chief asks.

"Long story. Don't have time," Proto curtly replies.

Roll looks at the image and studies the density in the sea where Splash Woman's underwater cave allegedly is. "Bass _was_ telling the truth. Mega and Rush are there."

"And you're still convinced he's not lying to us," Proto says. "How do you know it won't be an ambush?"

Dr. Light replies, _"I think I would agree with your brother, Roll. Bass is an extremely dangerous robot, and cannot be trusted. It is best you air on the side of caution."_

Proto remarks, "It's about time someone agrees with me."

Thomas adds, _"_You two should not go in alone._ You will need assistance until you can get Mega Man and Rush online."_

Kahakalau offers his help. "We'll send out the best bots we've got to help you."

"No offense, Chiefie, but even with your bots blocking Splash Woman's powers, Bass is one of the most insane robots ever made. Insanely tough, and just insane. A lot of 'em aren't comin' back if you try to fight him."

_"Your robots would need to be given instructions on how to handle Mega Man's systems. If one mistake is made, it could cause serious damage to his memory core," _Dr. Light punctuates.

Roll adds, "Just have your bots worry about the Robot Masters. Proto will deal with Bass until we get Mega and Rush online. I'll handle Splash Woman _personally_."

"Just one question, sis," Proto interjects, "But, if you're fighting Splash Woman and I'm dealing with Bass _and_ the Police are scraping with the Robot Masters, who's gonna save our brother and Rush? Huh?"

"I'll take Splash out quick and get to Mega myself," Roll insists.

"And what if you run into Bass?" Proto presses.

"I don't think he will attack me," Roll answers, certain hat Bass' obsession with her will prevent him from harming her.

"Bass is nuts!" Proto argues, "He's such a psychopath that his fried circuits have fried circuits! You can't trust him."

Dr. Light adds, _"Even if Bass would not harm you, he cannot be trusted. I don't want you to engage him at all, Roll."_

Roll becomes frustrated, "Then, who is gonna save Mega and Rush?"

Kalinka stands up and announces, "I will reprogram them."

Upon hearing Kalinka's brave proclamation, Roll, ProtoMan, Peekaboo, Eddie, Beat, Chief Kahakalau all look at the Russian girl in surprise. Roll asks, "Kalinka, are you serious?"

"All of you will be busy fighting Robot Masters and somebody who knows robotics needs to wake Rock and Rush up again. I can sneak inside the cavern during fighting and do it," Kalinka explains.

"Are you sure you can pull that off?" ProtoMan asks.

Kalinka replies immediately, "My Father is Mikhail Cossack and I live around robots all my life. I can handle it."

Roll clarifies, "It's not that, Kalinka. This is going to be too dangerous for a human to handle."

Dr. Light also shoots the idea down, _"Kalinka, you should listen to Roll. This is a war zone you would be heading into, and your life would be in serious jeopardy."_

Kalinka takes a breath, and accepts the danger. "Then, I will have to take the risk. If he isn't saved, nobody can stop Wily."

ProtoMan makes a throat clearing sound. "Well, uh, _I_ can stop him too. But, it would be much tougher to stop the old man without my bro, so you've got a point."

Dr. Light shakes his head. _"No. I cannot allow you to take part in this rescue, Kalinka. I don't feel comfortable having Roll and ProtoMan joining this rescue as it is, but they can at least fight. If anything were to happen to you on our watch, none of us would be able to live with it. And think about the heartache it would cause your father.  
>I know you wish to help. But, you need to listen to reason."<em>

Upon hearing Dr. Light's advice, Kalinka appears to give up on her attempt to involve herself with the rescue of Mega Man, clearly devastated that the love of her life is in danger and there is nothing she can do to help.

Meanwhile, Roll assures her father, "Don't worry, Dr. Light. We'll find a way to get Mega back up on his feet, and stop this Splash Woman. Personally."

"I'll handle the plan myself. There's no way it'll fail with me in charge," Proto announces.

Dr. Light responds, _"Alright. If either of you need assistance, please contact me before you go. If Wily's underwater cave is supported with holographic barriers to keep the water outside, there is no guarantee your communicators will be able to reach above water with all the interference."_

After the with Dr. Light call ends, ProtoMan tells the Chief, "You can send in your Policebots, but don't have 'em move in unless we give the order. My sis and I will do all the heavy lifting."

Kahakalau almost complies, but appears hesitant. He looks over to Roll, like he is waiting to hear her approval instead of just going with ProtoMan because of his history with Dr. Wily.

Roll gives an approving nod. "Don't worry. He's on our side for real now. You can listen to him."

Proto glazes his eyes behind his visor at Roll's comment, nearly arguing with Kahakalau and Roll over everybody's continued lack of trust in him. But, he forces himself to hold back this time.  
>Roll adds, "Let's please just keep this under wraps so we don't put anybody else in danger."<p>

Kahakalau says, "I'll get a bunch of underwater PoliceBots and have 'em clear the ocean. You guys let me know if you need anything else."

After the rotund Police Chief leaves, Kalinka tries one more time to get a chance to save Mega Man, now pleading her case directly to Roll. "Please, Roll, let me save Rock. I will stay out of danger and I will not fight anyone. I'm only one who can save him."

Roll takes Kalinka by the shoulders and tries to talk her down. "Kalinka, I know you want to help, but if you get involved you could get hurt or die, and we've lost enough in this war already. You're my friend, and I don't want to see that happen to you. And if Mega loses you..."  
>Roll pauses and tries to not become sad at the thought of how much pain her brother would be forced to live with if Kalinka died. "He would never forgive us if he lost you."<p>

Just before Kalinka could lose all hope, ProtoMan interrupts, "I would hate to argue, but we're stretched out as it is. We need all the help we can get. I can deal with the Robot Masters and Bass while you deal with Splash Woman. And then, Kalinka can slip inside and reprogram Rock and Rush."

"Proto, did you even _hear_ Dr. Light?" Roll asks.

Proto grins, "Yeah. And he doesn't have to know about this. We just keep it between us until we get home."

Kalinka looks at Roll and waits for her to make her decision, and Roll stresses. She knows the pressure is on her to make a very difficult decision with Kalinka and then lie to her father about it. But, giving the severity of this, there is no right choice, and there might not be a wrong one either.

"If we let you come along, just please promise me you will stay out of danger, and if anybody sees you, you run for it. I'll get you out," Roll says.

"I promise. Just let me help," Kalinka pleas.

Roll looks at Proto, who nods sideways to approve, then she looks back to Kalinka, "Fine. We'll get you some gear. Just be careful down there."

"Thank you," Kalinka sighs.

ProtoMan adds, "And as soon as you get my brother is back on his feet, you make sure you get out of there or take cover. You understand?"

"I do. I have been in danger enough times by now to know what to do," Kalinka replies.

Kalinka heads out and Roll kneels down to be with Peekaboo. "Mommy's gotta go kick some bad guy butt. You'll be safe here, and I'll be back. I promise."

Peekaboo bleeps, asking if Miss Kalinka will be coming back too.

Before Roll could answer, ProtoMan answers Boo's question for him. "She will, dude. Trust me."

Roll remarks under her breath, "With you and Bass, I don't know who I can trust anymore."

Proto's face gets a disgusted look on it, because after hearing how much Roll is defending Bass, he has a sinking feeling he knows why. "You like him, don't you?"

Roll asks, "Who?"

Proto affirms, "Bass. I mean... _really?_"

Roll begets flustered and huffs, "We're just... I mean, the two of us are... No, I don't like him! I want to save our brother and our dog, and we need any help we can get, even if it comes from Bass. Stop pestering me!"

Roll storms off and joins the others for the rescue mission, leaving Proto shaking his head and muttering to himself. "Boy... what's the world coming to when your own sister has the hots for your worst enemy?"

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

In the hangar bay of the massive fortress, the Robot Masters begin filing into every Skullker and air transport vehicle Dr. Wily possesses, about to head out to Hollywood, California and begin a bank heist so big that it will fund the mad scientist's grand creation.

The Robot Masters Gyro Man, Air Man, ElecMan, Needle Man, Skull Man and Plant Man board one Skullker about to head out, and Gyro Man asks, "Hey, Dr. Wily. I can fly my own way out there. There Gyro Blades aren't for nothing."

"File in the Skullker as ordered, Gyro Man. You will need all your power to crush the police," Albert responds.

Gyro shrugs and steps onboard the Skullker, followed by Ring Man, who is enthralled with the operation in his own special way. "Dude, we're all gonna be rich after this! Then, we're gonna beat Mega Man and take over the world! There's only one word I can say to sum it all up... and that word is... _Whoa!_"

Dust Man shoves Ring Man's back and urges in his wispy voice, "Get on board. You're going to make us all late."

After the first Skullker reaches full capacity, it hovers out of the hangar and a large transport hovers over to load more Robot Masters. Dr. Wily watches as he contacts Bass for a last minute status report.  
>"Bass, we are about to head out. What is your status?"<p>

Bass replies with a lie, _"I am keeping an eye on Roll and the Cossack girl. It appears Roll has caught on to our plans. She recovered her friend from Thomas Light's University and it is only a matter of time before they find Splash Woman's cave to rescue Mega Man."_

Wily begins to grow enraged. "I am about to begin this robbery, and everything is falling apart before I exit the fortress?!"

_"Not exactly,"_ Bass explains, _"It is likely ProtoMan will be headed to Hawaii, and if everyone's attention is focused on finding Mega Man here, they cannot reach Hollywood in time to thwart you. And they will not find us in time. And if they do reach us, I will handle it. ProtoMan will survive, as you wish. Mega Man will be dealt with if absolutely necessary."_

Dr. Wily frowns, and he is not sure if Bass really is telling the truth or possibly lying to him. "Don't fail me."

Bass replies coldly and seriously, _"Trust me."_

After Bass ends the transmission, Dr. Wily's paranoia gnaws at him some more and he contacts Splash Woman. "Splash Woman, this is Dr. Wily. I trust the reinforcements arrived in a timely manner."

_"They did. They are a rather silly foursome, but they will do the job just fine,"_ Splash responds. _"Did Mega Man's little family find out?"  
><em>

"They have, according to Bass. They are on the lookout, so be prepared for battle," Wily orders.

Splash Woman snickers,_ "Oh, I've got something much better than fighting to stop them. I'll have them all kissing my fin when his is over, if you want."_

"Whatever you can do to keep Mega Man and the others off of my back until I get my money, then do it. But, I want ProtoMan alive. Is that understood?" Wily barks.

_"He'll be just fine. And don't worry about Bass, either. He won't be a problem,"_ Splash replies, vaguely mentioning how she subdued Bass earlier this morning. _"Ta-ta for now! I have an early morning date with Mega Man."_

Wily's brow furrows after Splash assures that Bass will be kept under control. "Splash Woman, you didn't use your powers on him, did you?"

There is no response, because Splash Woman ended the call. And this blatant show of untrustworthiness only further catches the attention of Albert's growing paranoia.  
>Not only can he not trust his right hand Robots like Bass and ProtoMan before him, but he now does not fully trust his minions either.<p>

Wily pulls a gnawed-on pencil and stained paper notepad from his lab coat and writes, _"Handicap the Advanced Prototype's free will with obedience. Avoid the same mistakes."_

Wily return the notepad to his pocket and proceeds to the last remaining Skullker after the Robot Masters are boarded and ready to head to Hollywood, and he rambles to himself.  
>"I don't have time to deal with these robots now! I have a date with millions of dollars, and nobody is going to stop me!"<p>

Dr. Wily walks aboard the Skullker and takes the controls manually, taking the last vessel out and joining up with all the other Skullkers, transports, SkullCopters and SkullJets, leading the charge out west to Hollywood.  
>The great Hollywood robbery of 20X4 is about to begin.<strong><br>**

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

Bass and Treble return to Splash Woman's underwater cavern and both resume their mock dazed state to fool Splash into believing that her powers still work over him.  
>But, to Bass' surprise, he sees two more Robot Masters on the outside, and two others just beyond the barrier inside the cavern. These are Robot Masters who Dr. Wily had not yet finished when Bass left Skull Fortress, however he recognizes them from seeing their plans all over Dr. WIly's workshop.<br>Their names are Pump Man, Aqua Man, Frost Man and Blade Man.

Aqua Man and Pump Man have their right arms permanently converted into cannons (a move by Wily to complete them as soon as possible.) These robots are able to weaponize water itself, and they can use a standard issue plasma blasters when necessary.

Frost Man is a very large and bulky Robot Master who is even bigger than GutsMan or Air Man, and his armor looks like it was constructed out of ice blocks, but it is really titanium.  
>And the purple-armored Blade Man not only has two long swords for arms, but his head is also a sword blade. His arms can also fire off a laser blade when he strikes them towards his enemy.<p>

Dr. Wily never told Bass that these four would be here, and there is no way they could have been transported here since he told Wily about Roll "discovering" Splash Woman's plan, at least without a Transport Chamber.  
>This only means that Wily still suspects that Bass is about to stab him in the back, and sent this batch of Robot Masters to ensure he stayed in line... which would only be a futile gesture for them.<p>

Bass and Treble make their way past Pump Man and Aqua Man, both of whom salute him with their arm cannons. Bass is sure not to let them figure out that he is shocked to see them here, but also does not want to completely ignore them, because they could rat him out to Dr. Wily or Splash Woman.  
>And after they pass the holographic retainer, Bass is sure to address the large Frost Man - who is crafting a ice sculpture of a robot - and the bizarre-looking Blade Man.<p>

"Frost Man, Blade Man. It is a pleasure to fight alongside you," he says.

Blade Man's eyes on either side of his blade head look shocked. In a bizarre nasal voice, Blade Man remarks, "You know us? Hey, Frost Man! He already knows who we are."

Interrupted from making his ice sculpture, Frost Man deeply grunts, "Huh?"

Bass answers them while still keeping his semi-dazed look on, "Dr. Wily has been planning you for a long time. I recognized your names from his plans. I must go. Be prepared for combat at any minute."

Blade Man stares at Bass as he leaves while Frost Man keeps making his ice robot sculpt with his cold powers. Blade Man says, "He sure acts weird. Dr. Wily said he was not like the other ones in this army. But, he's not too scary to me."

Frost Man replies in another inarticulate grunt, "Huh?"

"Have you been listening? I said Bass wasn't all that intimidating! Now, stop making your stupid sculptures and get ready for battle in case Mega Man's brother and sister get here," Blade Man barks.

"Oh... stop," Frost Man replies, just before taking his fists and smashing the frozen sculpture of a plain-faced robot, smashing it into tiny shards.

Splash Woman's hips sway as she walks towards Mega Man, who is still bound to the Torment Generator as he sleeps. She did not get the chance to have her way with Mega Man last night as she wanted, but now she has all the time in the world to make the Defender of the Human Race her plaything. Preferably without any further interruptions.

Splash grins and runs her blue fingers along Mega Man's cheek. "Rise and shine, lover."

Mega Man's eyes barely open, his pupils still dilated, though not as large as they were. He is still under Splash Woman's control, and that is how the Robot Mistress likes it.

"Much to my chagrin, we didn't get to have... _fun_ together like I wanted. You were so stoned from my charms that you liked like a zombie. And that's no fun at all. But, now that you're recharged, we can get started," Splash Woman grins.

"We're not getting started with anything," Mega Man defiantly rejects despite feeling Splash Woman's charms pulling inside him. "I'm not working with you. Not ever."

Splash Woman kicks back her head and lets out a hearty laugh. "Oh, you poor thing. You're such a boyscout you don't even know what I mean, do you?"  
>Splash then leans into Mega's left ear and whispers, "I want you. I want your body. And being a girl of my type, I am well-versed in how to make my mates happy. I can make you free from all your burdens. Starting with this..."<p>

Splash Woman un-restrains Mega Man from the Torment Generator and he falls to his knees, but Splash Woman catches him and lies him on his back. She then straddles over him and lies prone on his torso, putting their faces very close to each other.  
>"You're the most powerful bot in the world, and I've got you exactly where I want you," she purrs.<p>

Mega Man tries to resist the impure thoughts that Splash Woman is clawing into his mind, but with her indoctrination still overwhelming him, it is difficult.  
>He still forces himself to resist, "No... I... don't want... you."<p>

"I can change your mind, and give you whatever you need," Splash Woman whisper as she begins to give Mega Man a long sensuous kiss, and Mega is powerless to fight it. His programming is so corrupted now that he goes along with it.

But, during the middle of Splash Woman's attempt at the pleasurable conquest of having the most powerful robot in the world, a familiar voice interrupts her...  
><em>"Splash Woman,"<em> calls Bass.

Splash Woman pulls herself from Mega's lips and sneers. "Robo bastard," she whispers.

Splash stands up and faces Bass, who is still looking as if he is under her charms. "Bass, lover, can't it just wait for a few minutes? I'm in the middle of something."

"It cannot wait, my Goddess. Roll found her friend after you left her for dead, and it is likely she knows about you and could be looking for Mega Man and his canine. And ProtoMan will attempt to come after him too," Bass says.

Splash Woman gets angry and grabs her staff, letting out a yell and firing a three-pronged yellow blast of plasma at the wall. She steps up to Bass and hisses, "You go out there and wait for them to get here. And when they do..."  
>Splash Woman calms down and smiles, getting a deliciously wicked idea. "Leave them for me. I have plans for them too."<p>

Bass knows that Splash Woman's intentions for Roll are malicious, and he wishes he could unleash his rage and blast her right here for even mentioning any kind of harm to Roll. But, he restrains himself and continues to play along with Splash Woman... for now.  
>"Yes, Splash Woman. As you wish," he says.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, back above water.<strong>

A speed boat carrying Roll, ProtoMan and Kalinka Cossack make their way to the underwater cavern Dr. Wily ordered built here. They will stop at a safe distance from the cavern where they can make their dive and avoid being spotted too early.

Kalinka puts on a pair of flippers on her feet, wearing a full-body black diving suit and a breathing tank attached to a holographic sea-diving helmet. The helmet only covers the back of her head and around her neck, but when in use projects a holographic image that blocks water, allowing the wearer to breathe.  
>And all the while, she is taking an unexpected call from her father Dr. Cossack in Russia.<p>

Trying to sound casual and cheerful to not concern Dr. Cossack, Kalinka insists, "Don't worry, father. Everything is wonderful. We are having so much fun."

_"I have heard rumors of a rogue robot near the islands, Kalinka. If these are true, I want you safe and under security. Do you understand?"_ the Russian Scientist stresses.

"If we see anything like that, Mega will stop her. He always does," Kalinka replies as she finishes suiting up for her dangerous deep sea dive to save the very Mega Man she just mentioned.

_"Her?"_ Dr. Cossack asks, noticing how his daughter somehow knew the gender of this robot.

Kalinka catches her error and corrects herself, "Um... maybe it is a _'she'_, Father. Just making a guess."

ProtoMan signals that they are almost at the drop off point, and Kalinka tries to get her father off the line. "I have to go. We are all about to go diving together. I will be fine, Father. You worry too much. I will call you back later. Bye-bye!"

ProtoMan slows the speed boat down and briefs Roll and Kalinka on the plan. "This is as far as we can go without being spotted by Wily's bots. When the Police move in, we'll get the jump."

"We're gonna throw off the Robot Masters, and Splash Woman and make it easier for you to get in, save Mega and Rush, and get out safe," Roll explains to Kalinka.

"Don't forget about Bass. We've got unfinished business," Proto says.

Kalinka asks, "What about Dark Man. Will he be here too?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was here. But, there's no way he can get to the Police station where Boo and the others are," Roll answers.

"But, if he's not up here, then he'll be down under when we show up here, I'm sure. So, be ready," ProtoMan warns.

Proto powers down the boat and tells Roll, "It's best you give the word. You and Rock are the bots they trust."

Roll uses her forearm communicator and calls Chief Kahakalau. "Okay, Chief. Send in the Policebots. We'll be down there soon."

_"Sending them now. Let's make this count,"_ Kahakalau replies. He then hoots the phrase _"Go get 'em!" _in his native Hawaiian.

Roll turns to Kalinka, and asks, "Are you sure you want to risk this?"

"Yes. For Rock to come home, it is worth it. He would do the same for us," Kalinka replies, slipping an oxygen tank attached to her breathing helmet onto her back.

Roll replies, "Okay. Just stay with me until it's time to go. And remember the reprogramming instructions I gave you. And if you need help, please tell us-"

"I think she knows the drill, Sis," Proto cuts in.

Kalinka nods, "It's okay, Roll. I've got it."

Proto grins at Roll. "See?"

Roll lets out a stressed sigh before declaring, "Okay. Let's go."

ProtoMan is the first to go under, going overboard in into the ocean, and Roll and Kalinka climb over the edge as Kalinka powers up her holographic helmet, encasing her head in a protective translucent shell.

"Now I get to see how dangerous your job is," Kalinka says.

"Believe me, this is just scratching the surface," Roll replies as she hops off the edge of the boat and splashes into the ocean.

Kalinka hesitates for a moment, wondering what she has gotten herself into. But, after taking a deep breath, she braves presses on.  
>"I guess this is one of the perks of being Mega Man's girlfriend. Always adventure around every corner," she whispers in Russian before hopping into the ocean to join Roll and ProtoMan on their journey to save Mega Man and Rush.<p>

* * *

><p>On a speed boat far away, Tron Bonne uses a pair of super-binoculars to spy on the Lights and Kalinka going down into the ocean to look for Mega Man. Tron wears her own full-body scuba-diving suit, (but all in pink with the family's toothy skull logo on the shoulders... and with a skirt, because Tron insisted on it.)<br>And the young girl is surprised to see Kalinka joining Roll and ProtoMan...

"Kalinka Cossack?! _That's_ who Roll was talking too last night! What is she doing here?" Tron asks as she stares through the super-binoculars.

"Maybe she's Mega Man's girlfriend," Tiesel jokes as he completes Tron's swimming contraption. (And little do they know, his little joke is the real truth.)

Tron turns to face Tiesel, giving him an intense frown with her brown eyes becoming large and full of scorn.

"Joking!" Tiesel nearly flips out in fear. "Just a joke! Okay? Please, don't kill me!"

"Is it ready yet?" Tron asks.

"Yes. It should get you there. And it has enough battery life to last all week," Tiesel says, handing his sister a backpack with propeller motors on the bottom, which will allow her to follow the Lights.

"And the harpoon gun?" Tron asks.

"Ready, Miss Bonne! With the homing tracker like you ordered," Servbot #1 says, carrying a launcher much wider than his body, equipped with two 'harpoons' cobbled together with whatever blunt objects Tron could take from the hotel.

Tron takes the cobbled-together backpack and harpoon gun and puts them on. "All you have to do is leave your tracking devices on, and I should be able to reach the boat from here. And make sure Bon doesn't poke holes in the boat."

Tiesel says, "I hope you get this done quickly, Tron. If we don't get this boat back to the rental company, our parents get a late fee. Late fees can be brutal. I looked up articles on old movie rental stores over a hundred years ago."

"Late fees are the least of our concern. If Mom and Daddy aren't bothered we got a speedboat on our outrageously overpriced vacation, then they won't mind a late fee... But, they might mind having to repair the damage done to our room so we could make these instruments."

"Well, at least don't get yourself killed," Tiesel adds, sounding half sarcastic and half-sincere. "Our parents won't be able to accept that one."

Servbot #1 runs up to Tron and hugs her leg. "Please don't get yourself terminated Miss Bonne!" he pleads in his little voice.

"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. I've got hero work to do," Tron states, putting on a breathing mask and goggles over her face, and then managing to fit her unique head of hair under a pink swim cap. "Wish me luck."

"Okay... luck," Tiesel says, meekly waving to her.

"Babu!" calls Bon, still too young to grasp the danger of this situation.

Tron's flipper-clad feet climb up on the edge of the boat and she dives into the ocean below to start her mission. A mission that is much too dangerous for a human teenage girl to take part in, but much like Kalinka, her heart (and obsession) is forcing her to do it anyway.

"I'm scared for Miss Bonne," Servbot #1 whimpers.

Tiesel assures, "Don't worry. If she runs into Wily's robots and they get her angry... she'll win the war instead of Mega Man."

* * *

><p><strong>Hollywood, California.<strong>

Dr. Wily's brigade of Skull aircraft zoom towards the land of the movie stars, fully loaded with every available Robot Master ready to storm the bank that the mad scientist singled out as his target. But, while it is the world-famous Hollywood, the Robot Master Trio is not as impressed.  
>During the three years of the war, Dr. Wily had never launched an attack in this section of California, and these three were expecting something more than the rather underwhelming scenery here.<p>

Cut Man looks out the window of Dr. Wily's prime Skullker and asks, "_This_ is Hollywood?"

"What is rip-off! This ain't what it's like in them movies!" GutsMan bemoans.

"Are you certain this is the bank we're looking for, Dr. Wily? Looks to me to be a rather dull place," Magnet Man asks.

Dr. Wily replies, "We're not her for the looks of the place, you circuit-brains! It is not a nice as Beverly Hills, but the banks here are where the stars and the corporate slugs keep their fortunes... until today!"

Albert contacts the Robot Masters, "Attention, all robots! Prepare to begin the robbery, full-speed ahead, on my command!"

GutsMan's big finger taps Dr. Wily's right shoulder, and the perturbed madman barks, "What?!"

"After this is over, we're goin' ta' Beverly Hills too!" Gutsy states.

Dr. Wily's patience with the Trio is at its end, and he rasps, "If you fail me today, I will be more than happy to leave you there... before I drop you off in a vat of molten lava! NOW, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

The trio backs off as Dr. Wily leads the charge of his vehicles into Hollywood...

* * *

><p>Those on the street down below all receive emergency alerts on their mobile devices all at once warning of a Civil Emergency Alert, and within seconds of said warnings they notice the sight of all these Wily vehicles and begin to flee. And drivers veer their cars away from the incoming attack force and speed off in the opposite direction.<p>

The Skullkers and transports lower to street level and several of the Robot Masters pile out and race for the large bank building on the side of the street they landed on, and Dr. Wily shrieks in their heads, _"Waste no time, my Robot Masters! Get to that bank and get me my money!"_

Napalm Man fires off two Napalm Bombs at the Bank's front entrance, and they detonate within two seconds of landing, creating a massive hole in front of the building and sending glass and shrapnel flying inside and out.  
>The Trio of GutsMan, Cut Man and Magnet Man run in with Bright Man. Wood Man, Hard Man, Air Man, Ice Man and a new Robot Master named Burner Man, while the remaining Robot Masters fortify their positions outside leaving the dazed and frightened employees and customers have little time to save themselves.<p>

Without giving anybody the chance to defend themselves, Bright Man uses his Bright Flash to temporarily blind the eyes of every robot and human around (aside from the Robot Masters who shielded their eyes), and immediately Magnet Man uses his magnetism power to yank every guard's weapon out of their hands, sending them flying across the area until each one clings to Magnet Man's body.

All the while, Wood Man uses his Leaf Shield power to create several leaf-shaped shields that rotate all around the opening salvo of Robot Masters to protect them from any attack from any stray hostiles left armed.  
>But, it appears it was not necessary, because the Robot Masters had already made a clean sweep of the area, save for a few remaining RoboGuards who take aim at the Robot Masters with their build-in arm weapons.<p>

Cut Man flings his cutters at the guards and slices their arms of, and Hard Man fires his Hard Fist at one of them while GutsMan throws a desk at the remaining one.

Air Man powers up the large fan in his chest and makes a clean sweep of the Bank lobby, blowing all the fallen away to the walls. The large blue Robot Master states, "I think the first part of the plan is done, boys!"

"You remember Wily's commands. Bright Man, you're out; Ice Man, make the new wall," Magnet Man barks.

Bright Man runs out the hole where the door used to be, followed by Ice Man who uses his Ice Slasher to create a wall of ice for the Robot Masters to proceed with the heist.

Cut Man contacts Dr. Wily in his Skullker. "The first phase is complete, Dr. Wily. We do have hostages if we need them."

_"Forget them. Move on to phase two and use your brute force to get in that vault. The outside group will fend off the Police. Don't fail me!" _Dr. Wily snaps.

"Let's rip that vault open!" GutsMan commands, stepping over to the back of the bank where the vault is located... but, once they reach it, there is a slight problem... it looks like there is no visible vault door.

A nervous Cut Man reports, "Uh, Dr. Wily... we have a problem. That vault we're supposed to break into? ... it isn't here!"

An enraged Wily responds, _"It's there, you circuit-head! They have it hidden behind a wall or a hologram. I want you to find it, even if you have to tear that building apart! FIND IT!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii. Under the sea.<strong>

ProtoMan swims with a purpose towards the site of Splash Woman's lair deep in the ocean, and Roll trails behind him with Kalinka Cossack. Roll uses a light from her utility arm to brighten the path before them so Kalinka does not lose her bearings.  
>While it is not a challenge for robots to swim this far in the ocean, is is difficult for Kalinka, who is not an experienced diver. This is something this is bearing heavily on Roll's mind, and she still regrets letting ProtoMan talk her into to including Kalinka.<p>

Proto motions for Roll and Kalinka to stop, picking up signs of battle nearby. The group stops swimming and looks across, seeing small explosions of the weapons discharge in the distance.  
>The Hawaiian Policebots are here and in conflict with the Robot Masters. The first phase of this assault has begun, but these Policebots will not be able to fend off the Robot Masters for long. And when Bass enters the scuffle, their odds of defeating them (or making it home in one piece) will surely become slim to none.<p>

ProtoMan uses his underwater communicator to contact Roll directly. _"I'm going in and taking down some of these boltheads. I'll clear the path for you two to go in and get Rock and Rush back. But, there's no need to hurry. I can handle these Robot Masters on my own."_

_"Make sure you have your communicator locked to the frequency I gave you. Splash Woman will control you if you don't"_ Roll advises.

_"I know what I'm doing. Your boyfriend had just better not be lying to us,"_ Proto responds as he swims off.

Roll becomes angry and calls back, _"He's not my boyfriend!"_

Once ProtoMan swims towards the cavern, Roll turns to Kalinka and signals for her to follow her closely. Kalinka nods to agree, her head still covered by her holographic breathing helmet and the pair swims low to not be caught...

And not far behind them is Tron Bonne, who has tailed them all the way here. Tron is glad to see that they haven't noticed her so far, but she wonders how far they are going and where this will lead.

Tron feels around for her harpoon gun to make sure it is still on her suit and finds it. She gets the feeling she might be needing it. And a hint of fear enters her train of thought, wondering if she should just turn around and not get herself in trouble.  
>But, she carries on, swimming towards the thick of the battle... and she has no idea what she is getting herself into.<p>

* * *

><p>ProtoMan quickly strokes towards the cave and he assesses the situation from here. He can see all the Policebots and six Robot Masters, two of which he has never seen before (Pump Man and Aqua Man.)<br>And he can see two more Robot Masters inside who he cannot recognize (Blade Man and Frost Man,) and there is no sign of Bass and Treble, Splash Woman or Dark Man 2 (even though it would be difficult to find him if he is capable of using his mimic power underwater.)  
>It appears as if this is going to be harder than he planned.<p>

_"We've got a problem. There are a lot of Robot Masters. Eight in total. And that's not including Splash Woman or Bass,"_ Proto directly communicates to Roll.

_"What should we do?"_ Roll asks.

Proto answers, _"I don't know if there's another entrance to this cavern. Stay away until I give the word. Don't be surprised if your boyfriend betrayed you."_

An angry Roll repeats, _"Bass is NOT my boyfriend!"_

_"Whatever. Even with more Robot Masters, I can handle 'em. I'll let you know when they're scrap," _ProtoMan proclaims as he speeds off...

The Aquatic Robot Masters continue to do battle with the Underwater PoliceBots, and despite being outnumbered, they are handling them. But, they are about to get a challenge from a former ally.  
>Bubble Man grabs Toad Man and points ahead to ProtoMan who is power-swimming his way towards them.<p>

Despite the shock of seeing ProtoMan, Toad Man's leering grin never changes, and he contacts the other Robot Masters via underwater communicatiion. _"Heads-up! ProtoMan's here._ RRRRRRIBBIT!"

_"I've got him. A few Dive Missiles will destroy him,"_ Dive Man calls, firing two Dive Missiles at his former cohort.

ProtoMan stalls and fires two blasts at the Dive Missiles to destroy them, and then continues focusing on the Robot Masters. He first fires two shots at Toad Man, who swims out of the way, as does Bubble Man who was nearby.

_"Take this, traitor!"_ Wave Man shouts in a communication to Proto, using his power to manipulate the water and create a ripple effect that will violently knock ProtoMan off-kilter if it connects with him.

When it comes to the two new Robot Masters, Proto has no idea how they behave in combat. So, he will have to study and adapt to them and find a weakness, all while staying alive.  
>Being the strategist he is, ProtoMan figures it would be best to lure the Robot Masters to him, and get these underwater PoliceBots to help weaken them. Although Proto believe he can take them all, he might as well put these PoliceBots to good use.<p>

Proto finds a way to connect to all the Robot Masters he used to fight with instead of against and taunts, _"I know I can take you four bozos with my eye circuits off. But, I want to see who those two rookies are! They can't be that great."_

Toad Man contacts Pump Man and Aqua Man and passes it on. _"Hey! ProtoMan says you two suck! Wanna prove him wrong?"_

_"Yeah, I do. Or my name isn't_ Pump Man!" Pump Man replies.

_"Pump Man? More like Chump Man!"_ Proto taunts as he avoids a Bubble Lead shot from Bubble Man. _"And who are you? Fish Bowl Man?"_

In a geeky voice, the second new aquatic Robot Master answers, _"No! I'm Aqua Man!"_

ProtoMan almost laughs under the water. _"Aqua Man?! You're kidding, right?"_

_"Hey! His name really is Aqua Man, you traitor!"_ Dive Man says, trying to fight PoliceBots at the same time.

_ "Wow. The old man really has run out of names, hasn't he?"_ Proto mocks.

_"We'll teach you a thing or two!"_ Aqua Man says, not sounding very intimidating either.

Both Aqua Man and Pump Man fire from their specially made weapon arms, Pump Man in particular firing plasma charged bubbles at ProtoMan which speed at him as quickly as a regular shot.  
>ProtoMan narrowly evades them and fires several blasts in response at Pump Man first, since he appears to be the greater threat.<p>

Proto's blasts miss Pump Man who gets out of their way, only to hit Aqua Man who was too overzealous to get involved. As Aqua Man drafts aimlessly in the ocean, Pump Man fires more plasma-infused bubbles while Bubble Man uses more Bubble Lead, which are more useful underwater.

Proto tries blasting the bubbles and while his counter-attack manages to burst Pump Man's bubbles in a vibrant flash, the shots go through the Bubble Lead and they continue heading for Proto.  
>This forces to ProtoMan to use his physical capabilities to avoid three Bubble Lead bubbles, which he barely does. Then, he fires another blast at Bubble Man himself, which almost misses, but manages to strike his leg<strong>. <strong>And Proto follows it with a blast to Bubble Man's chest.

While the PoliceBot numbers are dropping, ProtoMan's presence is helping thin out the Robot Masters, and Proto will only help further by copying their powers, which he does when he reaches Bubble Man and copies his Bubble Lead.  
>He fires a bubble at the stunned Aqua Man, which only hurts him more and Proto copies his power too: The Aqua Bubble, which is a bubble that is truly a liquid metal, and when used as a weapon as about as damaging a heavy stone.<p>

"Let's see what this can really do!" Proto says, firing the Aqua Bubble at Toad Man. But, Toad Man uses his Toad abilities to swim out of the way.

Dive Man fires a Dive Missile at ProtoMan, who fires back an Aqua Bubble to know the dive missile off course... and it hits the drowning Aqua Man, who gets knocked back into a reef.

In the middle of combat, ProtoMan contacts Roll, _"You're gonna have to find another way in. It's too hot out here for you and Kalinka to make it through. And there are two other Robot Masters right outside. Even if you can take 'em, I'm sure GutsMan and Cut Man are in there. And they'll warn Splash Woman."_

_"Well, what are we supposed to do?"_ Roll asks a she gets frustrated.

_"I don't know. __You trust Bass more than you do me So, a__sk him and see if he can let you in the back or something,"_ Proto replies.

Roll is annoyed with her older brother and has had enough of his attitude during this rescue, but time is of the essence. Out of desperation, Roll opens a channel with Bass.

_"Bass, it's Roll. I'm outside, but I can't get through. Is there any other way in the cave? Please, if there is any way you can help me save my brother, please let me."_

After several seconds that feel like hours, Bass finally rep_lies, "There is an escape route on the opposite end of the cavern, also protected by a barrier. It will remain unguarded. I will ensure that."_

_"Great. Thank you,"_ Roll responds as she signals for Kalinka to follow her, and they swim around the combat and to the rear of the Cavern... and Tron Bonne follows them, ready to start her own rescue mission.

* * *

><p>Roll and Kalinka pass the smaller rear barrier into Splash Woman's cavern and Roll lays out the plan for her. "I'm going to trick Splash Woman. I'll leave my communicator open so you know when to come in," she whispers.<p>

Roll produces an energy can and a Battery Biscuit from her utility arm and hands them to Kalinka. "You'll need these for Mega and Rush."

After Cossack powers down the holographic breathing helmet she was wearing, she whispers in response, "Will you be alright, Roll?"

"Don't worry about me. Worry about Splash Woman's face after I get done pounding it," Roll replies.

Roll makes a run for inside the cavern, ditching a covert approach because she wants to attract Splash Woman's attention, which will allow Kalinka an easier path inside. Meanwhile, Kalinka takes cover behind some stone. All she can do is watch and hope for the best...

Roll keeps running and she can see the entrance of a private area where a tall contraption is standing, and she can see Rush bound to it with restraints. And nearby she can see Mega Man's feet, looking like he is lying on the ground. Maybe if she is this close, Roll tries to make a run for Mega and Rush and save them both now so that Kalinka won't have to risk herself.

"Mega! Rush!" Roll calls, making a dash for them.

Before she could get to them, Splash Woman steps in her path, brandishing her trident staff. "You're not getting them that easily, cheerleader."

Roll sneers and balls her fists. She seethes, "Splash Woman!"

"I'm sure your little purple-haired gal pal already told you all about me. Wanna try me for real?" Splash Woman taunts, twirling her staff.

"You're gonna get it!" Roll snaps, running for Splash and looking like she is about to start fighting her.

Splash Woman appears to not be bothered in the least and simply makes a hush sound with her mouth, holding her left hand out. Immediately, Roll comes to a sudden stop, the pupils of her blue eyes begin to grow and her arms and shoulders fall limp, the telltale sign of indoctrination.  
>She weakly calls, "Oh... Splash Woman..."<p>

"That's more like it," Slash Woman snickers with sinful delight as she makes a come hither motion to Roll before slinking back to Splash Woman's private pool area of the cave. And Roll shuffles behind her like an indoctrinated subject would, completely ignoring Mega Man and Rush despite the robocanine's barks and whines.

Kalinka watches on with worry, afraid that maybe Roll really is under Splash Woman's indoctrination. But, she uses this opportunity to go after Mega Man and Rush to save them...

And little does Kalinka know, she is being watched by Bass who is hiding in the shadows with Treble. With Roll here, Mega Man weakened, ProtoMan possibly outmatched and all of this about to fall on Splash Woman's shoulders, Bass is satisfied with his well-laid plan.  
>"Everything is going just the way it should," Bass whispers.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Let me explain why this is a two-part chapter. The original draft was very long, so I decided to make it two chapters for the sake of the reader's convenience.  
>The final battle and the robbery will conclude in the next chapter, which will be posted next week. And the epilogue is coming in August.<em>

_The whole comment about late fees being terrible was a reference to the oppressive late fees forced on us by Blockbuster before they went out of business. Those of you who remember late fees will remember very well._

_And while I have never been to Hollywood, I have heard it is not what it's cracked up to be. This is all second hand info. Please, don't be mad._

_And in case you were wondering, Proto's line was a nod to his famous line from Bot Transfer._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, notes left over or a continuity error that would make the Mona Lisa frown, please PM me.  
><em>


	145. Girls Night Out (part 2)

_**Episode 13, Chapter 8: Girls Night Out, part 2.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hollywood.<br>Outside the Hollywood Savings & Loan.  
><strong>

The Los Angeles Police arrive to the bank in force and attempt to fend off Dr. Wily until Mega Man can arrive... but, unbeknownst to them, Mega Man is not coming to help them this time for he is tied up in Hawaii with Splash Woman. Just as Dr. Wily planned.

However, the L.A.P.D. have heavy weaponry and vehicles, not to mention Battle Grade Policebots, a series of Policebots designed to counter a Wily assault better than the rest, with tough armor and dual-wielding multi-weapon arm cannons.  
>And they are about to get a trail by fire.<p>

After racing down every street for reconnaissance, Quick Man bolts to the bank and calls Dr. Wily. "ThepolicecomingDrWily! Lotsofrobots! Bigrobots! Wearereadytogo!"

_"Don't just stand there waiting for my order, Quick Man! All Robots: Attack!"_ Dr. Wily snaps.

Several Robot Masters - Bomb Man, Elec Man, Fire Man, Crash Man, Snake Man, Spark Man, Pharaoh Man, Dust Man, Star Man, Gravity Man, Knight Man and the aforementioned Quick Man - begin to spread out and take on the incoming Police force.

Snake Man fires off several Search Snakes, which slither on the pavement until they reach the police cruisers, chewing out their tires. They then, jump up for the Policebots and bite on their limbs to distract them from the onslaught of other Robot Masters like ElecMan and Fire Man.

Knight Man holds his own under Police firepower with his shield, while Star Man and Skull Man have their own rotating shields to protect them. Pharaoh Man then holds his hands upward and forms a large ball of fire between them and he hurls it at a Police armored car. The Ball of plasma does not evaporate the armored car, but causes its armor to melt and malfunction the controls inside.  
>The armored car armor then solidifies, trapping the Police inside with no way to get out. And it sets up the perfect chance for a demonstration of Gravity Man's gravity-defying powers.<p>

"One small step for Robot," Gravity Man remarks as he holds his hands out and begins to move the armored car with his gravity power, keeping it held in mid-air.  
>"One giant leap for Gravity Man!" He bellows, shoving his hands away and making the armored car fly away into it crashes into the Police S.W.A.T. truck, crushing the truck under the immense crash.<p>

Spark Man groans out of his voice on his half-face. "And I thought Cut Man was bad with his puns. Gravity Man won't stop with that stupid line!"

Since Fire Man cannot speak, he puffs a flame from atop his head, like he is agreeing with the former Cold Steel band member as the combat proceeds.

* * *

><p>"How are we possibly going find the vault if we can't see it? All the light bulbs in the world can't spot it," asks Bright Man back inside the bank.<p>

GutsMan announces, "Simple! We tear the place apart 'till we see it!"

Magnet Man stops Gutsman before he could destroy the bank. "No. There is a much simpler way. If the vault if made of titanium, I will find it."

Magnet Man turns his magnetism powers up to maximum, but isolates it to only his right hand and he calmly places his fingers on the brick wall where the vault was supposed to be and slowly walks across the way, trailing his fingers along the wall.

Hard Man complains, "We're wasting time! We 'ought to bash the wall in and grab the vault before Dr. Light sends his robots after us."

"Patience!" Magnet Man barks, walking next to the brick and pulling small metal items like paperclips onto his hand from nearby desks.

Finally, the palm of Magnet Man's hand suddenly adheres to the wall, sticking to something on the opposite side. "There it is! It's hidden behind the brick."

Magnet Man steps out of the way and GutsMan and Hard Man step up, both rearing their fists back and pounding the brick wall simultaneously. The wall shatters and exposes the vault, and Magnet Man uses his magnetism to pull it out as GutsMan and Hard Man try to lift it.  
>After several seconds, the large vault is removed from the wall and into the lobby. But, there is another problem.<p>

Wood Man inspects every side of the vault and exclaims, "There's no door on it!"

Magnet Man comments, "And there was no door on the underside either. The vault sealed itself shut when it was removed. Maybe these meatbags _do_ know what they are doing."

Cut Man announces, "I'll _cut_ my way in!"

"No way! Those cutters can't get through that. I'll smash it!" GutsMan bellows.

Then, the new Robot Master Burner Man steps up and makes a throat clearing sound. "Ahem! I think you are forgetting someone."

"No, there is another option," Magnet Man says. He then points to Burner Man. "Dr. Wily included you for a reason. You try it."

"It's about time," Burner Man retorts in a smart alec tone, igniting large fusion cutter flames from the top of his head and his hands.

The red-armored Burner Man, whose armor is strange as he sports two large canister tanks to fuel his burners, steps up to the vault and turns up the heat on his burners. to maximum.  
>"Let me show you how it's done," he says, leaning himself over and ramming the fusion cutters on his head and arms into the side of the vault.<p>

"Watch it and don't burn the money, rookie. Or else, Dr. Wily will throw you in the scrap heap," Air Man warns.

Bright Man fears, "And he'll throw us in with you!"

Cut Man leans to GutsMan and whispers, "This Burner Man thinks he's a _cut_ about the rest. I already hate him as much as Punk... almost."

"Nah. Burner Man ain't _that_ bad... yet," Gutsman adds.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the National Guard are approaching the scene in heavy-duty humvee trucks, tanks and attack choppers to counter the Wily attack. And the officer in command of this squad is attempting to contact Dr. Light in New York to warn him about the attack.<p>

"Dr. Light, this is Commander Windham, California National Guard. We are aware that Mega Man is not on the mainland, but this is an extreme emergency. We need his assistance immediately," calls the Commander from a humvee truck.

Dr. Light's face appears on the small screen of the National Guard Commander's communicator, and he appears to be at a rare loss. _"Commander, I do not know how to say this. But, Mega Man is... preoccupied with another Wily-related incident in Hawaii, and my other children are trying to defeat them. I will try to get them to you as soon as possible, but I cannot guarantee their arrival in time. But, Robo Commandos are on their way to you now."_

The Commander looks frustrated when he learns that Mega Man cannot make it, and that reduces their odds of stopping Dr. Wily's Robots by a staggering margin.  
>"Just get them here A.S.A.P., Dr. Light. Windham out," the Commander says before calling his entire squad. "This is Commander Windham. Mega Man may not be able to assist, so we are going to have to go all out on this one. God help us."<p>

* * *

><p>Back outside the bank, Dr. Wily's Robot Masters continue to fight off the Los Angeles Police without any problem.<br>Blizzard Man and Wind Man double team a group of Police with an attack that resembles an actual blizzard here in Hollywood, Gemini Man uses his duplicate power to double team other Police officers, Gyro Man takes on an attack helicopter and takes it down when he wedges a Gyro Blade into the chopper's rear blades, and Dust Man sucks up all the debris on the streets into his duct and spits them out as hardened projectiles.

After emitting a thunder beam, Elec Man gloats, "Ha! We should keep Mega Man off our backs more often! This is easy!"

Quick Man darts to Elec Man's side and blurts, "IwouldntbesoquicktosaythatElecMan! Lotsofhumanvehiclesheadingthisway. Helipcopterstanksandtrucks."

Enker, one of The Killers, replies, "That must be the human Military. Without their Mega Man to fight for them, they will be an easy challenge."

Plant Man frets, "Are you sure about that? That's an awful lot of firepower!"

Napalm Man treads forward on his tread feet and states in his southern drawl, "I recommend a full-on attack."

Bomb Man pulls out a bomb from his belly and quacks, "If Dr. Wily doesn't give the order, I'm gonna take 'em to school anyway. Demolitions school!"

"Let's get ready, then. And Enker, tell your partner to do something instead of complain!" barks Ice Man.

Enker frowns as he races to the sidewalk across the street from the bank, where he finds his fellow Killer, the infamous and rude Punk. Punk has yet to do a single thing in this battle, and he done nothing but sit around and amuse himself by making snow angels in the pavement.  
>Ever since the failed invasion of Washington D.C. last year (an operation which left Punk with a damaged voice system,) Punk his not been a happy camper. And his attitude hasn't gotten any better.<p>

Enker runs over to Punk and snaps, "What are you doing?"

As he makes his Pavement Angels in the sidewalk, Punk answers, "Bored to death. Don't feel like wasting my time on a scabs. Doing the whole angry and bitter thing about the old fossil not putting me in charge of one of these operations. We would've already won if he did."

"Quit whining for five minutes and get up! We're about to face heavy firepower from the humans!" Enker barks.

"How heavy? Like the usual heavy firepower or really heavy firepower? Maybe I'll join you if it's worth it," Punk replies, still not returning to his feet.

"They're sending everything they have at us!" Enkar snaps.

Punk takes a break from his snow/pavement angel making and returns to his feet and casually strolls over to the battle. "Sounds like a decent workout. Don't think I've forgotten about shafted for some seashell broad named Splash Woman. I'm only doing this because it keeps my interest; not to help the old fossil."

Now that all the Wily robots are on the same page, the full force of the California chapter of the National Guard rushes in with gun blazing, accompanied by several heavily-armed ArmyBots. And not far behind the Choppers are the first wave of Dr. Light's Robo Commandos.  
>Even without Mega Man here to battle the Wily robots, the humans will put up a good fight. The only question is, can they succeed without Mega Man?<p>

Dr. Wily calls his Robot Masters from the Skullker, "Here comes the heavy guns! Defeat them! Do not let even one of them past you! ATTACK! ATTACK! _**ATTAAAAAAAAAACK!**"_

As soon as the National Guard and Robo Commandos charge, the Robot Masters all charge back, firing their special weapons at them. Even Dr. Wily himself gets in on the action from the Skullker, firing on a Robo Commando carrier with the craft's mounted laser cannons.  
>The carrier goes down, forcing several of them to bail out, only to find themselves in the middle of a massive battle in the streets between the authorities and the Robot Masters.<p>

Ring Man and Crystal Man use their special weapons to take down some hostile robots, but some ArmyBots and Robo Commandos are carrying shields and withstanding the brunt of their attack.  
>Even a strike from Gemini Man's lasers and Fire Man's flames are not able to penetrate the shields. It appears the cavalry is well equipped.<p>

The ArmyBots come forth carrying large six-barrel chain guns loaded with Plasma Bolts and open fire on the Robot Masters, causing them to take cover behind anything they can find as the entire street becomes overtaken by a steady stream of Plasma bolts.  
>With this amount of firepower, it would be suicide to jump out and attack with this amount of firepower. But despite this, Dr. Wily growls from above, <em>"ARE YOU TAKING COVER? GET OUT THERE AND FIGHT THEM!"<em>

Needle Man panics, "Duh, what are you gonna do? We're outnumbered!"

Behind a parked van Centaur Man clamors, "They aren't Mega Man! These are lesser robots, and they are still defeating us! I cannot be defeated this way! I am a CHAMPION!"

Shadow Man remarks, "Even my ninja ability cannot evade this amount of firepower."

Snake Man freaks, "We musssssst find sssssome way out of thissssss, or we'll be desssssstroyed!"

Suddenly, Tomahawk Man speaks, and even in the insanity of the battle, his voice remains calm and still. "We need to find a way to use their weaponry against them. Even when their bullets run out, the weapons from the air will bring us to our doom if we do not fight back. They are weak but they are stronger because of their determination. We must match that determination, ruthlessly."

Fortunately for the Robot Masters (and unfortunately for everybody else,) Tomahawk Man's words manage to focus them enough to force them to think of a way out of this. And one of them does.  
>Gravity Man says, "Let me charge my Gravity power. It might be able to stop those shots in mid-air."<p>

Gravity Man begins powering his gravity manipulation and the Robot Master take an offensive position. Meanwhile, Dr. Wily snaps, _"GET OUT THERE AND FIGHT, OR ELSE_ I_ WILL FIRE ON YOU!"_

Gravity Man continues to charge his gravity power and the meter gauge in the center of his red chest begins to move all the way to the right. Finally, the Robot Master comes out of cover and manipulates gravity to stop all the bullets in mid-air and even levitate several vehicles, which are now riddled with plasma bolt holes.

The rest of the Robot Masters open fire back upon the ArmyBots and the Robo Commandos with all weapons they have, and while the forces on the other side hold the line at first, they soon get pushed back or shot down soon after.

Two tanks begin to move in and open fire, but even their shells are stopped by Gravity Man's wall of resistance. And Napalm Man fires off two Napalm Bombs at one of the tanks, and fires the missile loading at the forefront of his head to the other.  
>With the combine firepower of the Napalm and other Robot Master powers, the tanks are destroyed.<p>

Gravity Man then uses his gravity power to throw all of the National Guard and Robo Commando firepower back at them. The plasma bolts don't do much, but the live tank shells explode when they hit, pushing the Army back further.**  
><strong>

As difficult a battle this is, it would have been more manageable if only Mega Man, ProtoMan and Roll were able to help. But, without them, the advantage is clearly on Dr. Wily's side.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii. Splash Woman's cavern.<strong>

Splash Woman is still emitting her indoctrination signal to Roll as she leads her to another private area of the cavern, where Splash's pool area is. Once they arrive, Splash turns around and says, "Now, get down on your knees, sugar."

"Yes, Splash Woman," Roll says weakly as she slowly lowers to her knees in front of Splash Woman, never taking her hazy gaze away from Splash's face.  
>The ruse is going fine so far and the frequency Bass gave her is working at blocking Splash Woman's charms, but she has to keep it up as long as it takes to buy Kalinka the time to save Mega Man and Rush.<p>

"You are so beautiful," Roll swoons (even though she does not want to.)

"Why, thank you, babe. I also accept 'so pretty,' 'so cute,' 'so gorgeous' and 'so sexy.' That one's my favorite," Splash Woman gloats.

Slash Woman then fixes Roll's soaked hair and caresses her face as she purrs, "Look at you. Just like your big brother. So pretty and so perfect. Not as pretty or perfect as me, but you're a close runner-up. And I'm so lucky... before the day is over, I'll have all three of the Light Family Wonders and Bass for myself!"

Splash Woman leans forward towards Roll's face, whispering, "Pretty little Plum told me all about you. About how you were the girl all bots look up to. So, feisty and full of action. I like partners like that. Let's find out if those pretty lips are as good as Plum's."

Roll's anger reaches a boiling point after hearing Splash Woman evoke Plum's name, and she is mere seconds away from attacking the Robot Mistress anyway before this robotic pervert can get enjoyment out of her. All it takes is a quick switch to frying pan mode and...

_"Splash Woman! We could use your help! ProtoMan is beating us!"_ calls Pump Man from outside.

Splash Woman stands up again and barks, "If you bums can't take care of yourselves out there, than I will do it for you! Leave ProtoMan to me. I can _convince him_ to stop."

Splash Woman leans down to Roll again and whispers, "Duty calls. We'll have our moment shortly. Just stay there, sweet thing."

Roll remains on her knees and looking dazed until Splash Woman leaves. The instant Splash leaves, Roll urgently raises her utility arm to her face and calls in a whisper, "Kalinka! Turn back! Splash Woman is coming your way!"

* * *

><p>Kalinka continues sneaking towards the area where Mega Man and Rush are being held, and she can see Mega Man's feet as he lies flat on the ground. She gets an extra sprint in her step as she runs for him, but before she could reach them, she hears Roll's call warning her of Splash Woman and could not comprehend it.<br>But as Kalinka tries to communicate with Roll, Splash Woman turns the corner and sipots the young lady, causing Kalinka to freeze in shock.

Splash Woman grins, "What a surprise! You're the little human girl Mega Man has a crush on. It's a shame I can't control you. You're a human. Oh, well... I guess I'm just going to have to remove you!"

Splash Woman whips her trident staff and aims it at Kalinka, causing her to drop the energy can and Battery Biscuit meant for Mega Man and Rush.

"I'd hate to have to flay such a pretty little thing like you. But, you're competition. So, you've gotta go," Splash threatens.

"Not on my watch!" yells Roll from behind.

Splash Woman gasps and looks over her shoulder, but cannot counter a sharp blow to the head from Roll's frying pan, which destroys the crest ornament on her blue helmet.  
>The shot knocks the Robot Mistress to her knees and Roll now stands over her...<p>

"You can't have my lips. Have my frying pan instead, bitch!" Roll sneers as she nails Splash Woman's helmeted head with the frying pan again, knocking the Robot Mistress down and seemingly out.

Afterwards, Roll approaches Kalinka and shakes her. "Kalinka, are you okay?"

A startled Kalinka says, "Y-yes. I thought I was going to die. Thank you!"

Roll gives Kalinka a fast hug and assures her, "No sweat. Let's get to Mega and Rush. I'll cover you."

Kalinka picks up the energy can and Biscuit and heads to Splash's private room with Roll. But, on their way, Roll hears something behind them, and a quick glance over her shoulder forces Roll to make a split second reaction.

"Get down!" Roll shouts as she and Kalinka dive, avoiding a blast from Splash's trident staff flies past them and hits a wall.  
>Roll turns back around and sees Splash Woman unbelievably return to her feet, although slightly dazed. She pulls off her extra durable helmet, and locks of nearly shoulder length blonde hair falls, covering half of her face and right eye.<br>And with a rage-filled gleam in her eye, it is clear this is not the same Splash Woman anymore. This is a very angry Splash Woman.

"Nobody calls me a bitch!" Splash Woman spits.

"Kalinka, go!" Roll calls as she gets in a fighting position while Cossack races to Mega Man.

Splash Woman fires another trident blast towards Kalinka, and she jumps into the room just in time to avoid the shot. As the Robot Mistress warms up another round, Roll races for her and kicks the staff out of her grip, sending it flying away.

"Let's see how tough you are without your staff!" Roll taunts.

"Better than you, cheerleader!" Splash Woman hisses, running towards Roll with a yell.

Splash Woman tackles Roll and the two begin wrestling until they hit a wall inside the cavern, and it is clear that Splash is trying to grab onto Roll's utility arm. Once Splash has it held enough she rams it into the cave wall twice, damaging the power readout on the side of the utility arm.

"Let's see how tough you are without your frying pan!" Splash retorts with sadistic smile on her face that would almost rival that of Dr. Wily's.

"Better than YOU!" Roll yells, punching Splash's face with her right fist and knocking her off.

Roll then tries to kick Splash Woman's head with a roundhouse kick, but Splash Woman ducks it and sweeps Roll from behind her legs to trip her. Splash hops over Roll and mounts her, repeatedly trying to slap her across the face, which Roll barely blocks with her arms.  
>"I don't know how you blocked my power, but you should have just let me kiss you anyway! It would have ended a lot better for you!"<p>

"You're not exactly my type, you RoboPervert!" Roll counters as she wraps her legs around Splash Woman's torso and uses all her strength to tussle her until Roll has the vertical base...

Meanwhile, Tron Bonne arrives to the cavern, managing to slip past the chaos outside without a scratch. The young girl powers down her automatic propeller system on her back and pulls up her breathing mask.

"It's a good thing I took swimming lessons in the holosuite on the ship," Tron mentions.

Before she could get to her feet, Tron hears the scrapping and grunting of two females up ahead, and she spots Roll fighting and another female robot (Splash Woman) she has never seen before.

"Whoa! Dr. Wily makes girl robots now too?!" Tron gasps as she hides behind a big stalagmite and grabs her harpoon gun. "I'm sure Roll can handle herself. I've got to save Mega Man first. And then he'll kiss me and sweep me off my feet!"

Tron sneaks her towards the small area where she can see Mega Man's fallen body, and much to her surprise she sees Kalinka Cossack in there too. "What is this Cossack girl doing here? After all the times he had to rescue her, she must be returning the favor," she whispers, unaware of the true love between the two.

Before she could venture any further, however, the brawl between Roll and Splash Woman finds its way near her. Tron takes cover behind a massive boulder which Roll and Splash are now approaching as they continue to tussle on the ground.

Splash Woman manages to use her legs and grab Roll's head and neck with her ankles and flings her off, sending Roll's body slamming back-first into the boulder which Tron is behind.  
>Tron takes total cover as Splash Woman stands up again and wipes away a trickle of robot oil from her bottom lip.<p>

The battle between the two was so loud that it caught the attention of Blade Man and Frost Man, who were guarding the front entrance and watching the battle with ProtoMan and the Robot Masters outside.

Blade Man says, "See? I told you I heard something inside the cavern. And it sounded like Splash Woman and some other girl. And that's some just any girl. It's Mega Man's sister! Let's go get em!"

Frost Man mutters an unintelligible "Urr!" sound and nods.

As the two Robot Masters begin their approach to aid Splash Woman, the Robot Mistress yells, "BACK OFF! She's MINE!"

Blade Man and Frost Man stop and obey Splash's order, and Blade Man holds his blade arms up. "No need to be loud, madam!"

Splash Woman stands over Roll's fallen body and sneers, "Make yourselves useful and fetch my staff! I want to finish her off myself."

* * *

><p>Back in Splash Woman's private area, Kalinka quickly crawls to Mega Man, who looks comatose after being indoctrinated by Splash Woman. And the sight mortifies the poor Russian girl.<br>She opens Mega's mouth and pours in the energy can fluid into his mouth to revitalize his systems.

"Rock! Rock, can you hear me?" Kalinka asks in a trembling voice.

Mega Man's dilated eyes look over to her, and a slight look of relief appears on his face. "Kalinka?" he moans, still hindered by Splash Woman's indoctrination.

"Stay calm. I am going to reprogram you. You will be back on feet in a minute," Kalinka says as she opens access ports on Mega's chest armor and left forearm, following the reboot instructions Roll gave her before coming here.

After entering the emergency reboot command and changing his communication frequency to block Splash Woman's signal, Kalinka sets the restore time to two days ago, and Mega Man's eyes close and his systems purge themselves of the corruption he has endured since, which might also erase the memories of that time.  
>All Kalinka can do now is wait for Mega to awaken again, and until then, she races to Rush's side. The canine pants and whines for her to help him. And like Mega Man, Rush looks like he has fallen under Splash's indoctrination.<p>

"It's okay, Rush. It's me. Here, have treat until I can get you out of this thing," Kalinka says, offering Rush the Battery Biscuit as she tries to figure out how to get him free from the Torment Generator.

Kalinka hears the footsteps of a robot racing towards her, and she sees Roll heading for her. "Come on! You've got to get out of here!"

"But, we cannot leave Rock and Rush! They have not rebooted yet!" Kalinka replies.

"I'll take it from here. Go! Now!" Roll snaps, acting very uncharacteristic of her and grabbing Kalinka's arm very hard.

Kalinka fights it, but she can't help but feel like the grip on her arm is much larger than a feminine hand actually is. After the struggle continues, 'Roll' shoves Kalinka off, sending her crashing to the ground with a thud.

"You... you are not Roll!" Kalinka gasps as she winces.

"How astute, Human!" says 'Roll' as her form return to its true from: Dark Man 2.

Kalinka attempts to back peddle away from Dark Man 2, but the large robot grabs her and holds her tightly by the arms. In his normal voice, he says, "Dr. Wily will be very happy to have you in his possession again. if he doesn't terminate you first."

"Over my dead body, pal!" calls the voice of Mega Man, who fires one blast right to his back, causing him to drop Kalinka.

Mega Man then fires another blast at Dark Man's domed head, shattering it which takes his key power away from him. Followed by a third shot in the chest.  
>Mega Man and Kalinka's eyes meet after Dark Man is defeated and Kalinka feels a wave of relief coming over her now that her Rock is alright. And Mega himself is confused about what just happened.<p>

"Rock!" Kalinka exclaims.

"Kalinka?! What are we doing here? Weren't we supposed to meet in Hawaii tomorrow?" a confused Mega Man asks, not remembering any of the past two days.

Mega helps Kalinka to her feet, and she explains, "It is a long story. You found the robot who the police were looking for, but she was able to control you and Rush too. Her name is Splash Woman, one of Wily's Robot Masters. We had to reboot you to remove her programming."

"Where's Rush?" Mega asks, which causes Rush to bark from behind the Torment Generator.

"I still have to reboot him. He'll be okay in a few minutes," Kalinka replies.

Mega and Kalinka race over to him and Mega pets him, "It's gonna be okay, boy. Kalinka, please get him back on his feet. I'll need him to get us out of here."

Kalinka says, "We're underwater right now. Roll and Proto are here too fighting Robot Masters. They need your help."

"Okay. I'll be back, and we're all heading home," Mega says as he turns to leave... but Kalinka keeps her grip on his hand.

"I think you forgot something again," Kalinka says, picking Mega's helmet off the ground.

Mega takes the helmet and puts it on, "Thanks. I keep forgetting it when we're together."

"That's not what you forgot," Kalinka says, just before planting a sudden kiss on Mega's lips. "Go get them," she encourages.

Mega smiles, "Thanks. _Again_!"

Mega Man runs out to deal with the Robot Masters and help his siblings while Kalinka reboots Rush.

* * *

><p>Roll tries to return to her feet and fight Splash Woman, but the impact she took after crashing into the boulder Tron Bonne is presently hiding behind took a lot out of her. And now, Splash Woman stands over her after being handed her trident staff by Frost Man.<p>

"Hurr," he says, handing the Robot Mistress her staff, which looks as small as a pencil in his huge hands.

Splash snatches the staff and twirls it in her hand until she points it down at Roll, and Tron peeks out to witness the sight as she avoids being caught... and in another dark corner, Bass watches as well.

Splash Woman smiles, "Well, kitten, that was a good fight you put up at first. But, there can only be one queen robot, and she's _me_!"

Roll gets on her elbows and knees, and secretly opens her malfunctioned utility arm and pulls out the cable for her plumber's snake/grappling hook. She is not about to let the Robot Mistress defeat her without a real fight.

Tron also grabs her harpoon gun and gets ready to turn the corner and save Roll's life if she has to. Her brown eyes become wide and she can feel her heart beating and the thrill and fright of all this begins to take over for her. But, what will she do?

And Bass watches with evil in his eyes, not about to allow anyone to bring harm to his queen. He begins charging a blast powerful enough to destroy Splash Woman and aims his blaster directly at her.  
>Either way, the outcome for Splash Woman looks like bleak.<p>

Meanwhile, Splash holds the staff downward, like she is about to impale Roll with it. And she asks, "Got any last words, _little sister?_"

"Yeah... even if you win, you're still a bitch," Roll snarls, disconnecting the plumber's snake from her arm and ready to fling it at her challenger.

Splash Woman's eyes become full of rage and and howls, "You are going to _die_ for those words!"

"Splash Woman!" shouts the voice of Mega Man, which causes everybody around to turn their heads in shock at the sight of seeing the Defender back on his feet.

Still hiding behind the massive boulder, Tron looks and whispers, "Ooh! Darling!"

Splash Woman smiles and lowers her staff slowly. "Love... I have a little issue you need to take care of." She then points to Roll who is still hunched over on all fours and orders Mega Man, "I want you to blast your sister!"

Mega Man frowns, "Not a chance! Now back away from her. The same goes for you two bozos behind her!"

Splash Woman's eyes become wide. "No! This can't be! You were mine just a few minutes ago!" she howls as she tries to use her indoctrination on Mega Man. But this time, Mega Man's is able to block it.

Mega replies, "Believe it! Now, give up, or things are going to get ugly!"

Splash Woman barks to the two new Robot Masters behind her, "Blade Man, Frost Man! Get him!"

Blade Man begins to run directly for Mega Man while Frost Man lumbers over to him, but both of them get blasted very fast by Mega in less than two seconds. Then, Mega aims his buster at Splash Woman.  
>"I'm only telling you this one more time! Surrender!" Mega warns.<p>

Splash Woman turns to face Mega Man, still carrying her staff. "Would you dare hurt a ladybot like me?"

Roll snaps, "I would," as she quickly turns to Splash Woman and whips her plumber's snake, wrapping it around Splash's staff and almost snatches it from her. But, Splash notices and keeps her grip on it as a tug-of-war begins with Roll as she returns to her feet.

"I've got this, Mega. Deal with the others!" Roll calls.

"If you say so, sis," Mega replies, leaping off to face Blade Man and Frost Man.

While Mega Man battles the male Robot Masters and Roll battles Splash Woman, Bass sends a communication to the Robot Masters at the exterior of the cavern using Splash Woman's frequency, ordering them to enter the cave.  
>It would present a complete collapse of their plan if they battled Mega Man, Roll and ProtoMan. But, this is exactly what Bass wants. He kept all the Light siblings preoccupied here so that Dr. Wily's robbery in Hollywood went off without any problems, and he intentionally squandered the Hawaii half of the operation so that it will likely fall entirely on Splash Woman, thus allowing him to keep his place as Dr. Wily's right hand robot.<br>"All we do now, Treble, is watch," Bass says, as he stares at the battles across from him.

Meanwhile, Frost Man encases his right hand in a large block of ice and takes a swing at Mega Man, and Mega avoids it by jumping. Mega then grabs onto a stalagmite above and swings himself around around to himself the momentum to swing off and hit Frost Man with a dropkick, knocking the big Robot Master back to the ground.  
>As soon as he lands, Mega touches Frost Man's arm to copy his special power: the Ice Wave.<p>

Before Frost Man could return to his feet, Mega uses the Ice Wave on him, which does as it says and creates a wave of ice that traps Frost Man's legs in it.  
>"Huh?" Frost Man grunts.<p>

"Don't move!" Mega quips, dashing off to deal with Blade Man.

Blade Man returns to his knees and rubs his blade arms together, which creates triple laser blade that fires at Mega Man and quickly transform into actual matter, making them as deadly as a real blade.  
>Mega Man just barely dives between two of the blades and tries using the Ice Wave on Blade Man, but the rookie Robot Master jumps up and hangs from the wall with on arm blade, then he leaps to the other and end the wall and propels himself off, diving for Mega Man with both arm blades forward to impale him.<p>

However, he telegraphed the move too early and Mega Man back flips away and unleashes the Ice Wave again, this time trapping Blade Man as his blades sink into the rock. Blade Man's legs kick as he tries in vain to free himself, and Mega runs over to copy Blades.  
>"Thanks! You still have a lot to learn," Mega says, now looking like himself again...<p>

Meanwhile, Tron Bonne watches as Roll and Splash Woman tussle over the Laser Trident staff, still holding her harpoon gun and ready to take action when she needs to.

Roll grunts, "You're gonna have to hurt me a lot worse if you want to beat me!"

Splash holds on to her end of the staff, but she begins laughing, "You forgot one thing, little sister... you're holding my staff by it's wrong end."

Roll looks down and realizes that the three prongs of Splash Woman's Trident Staff are facing her and aimed at the center of her torso, where one point blank blast will surly destroy her internal regulator and risk her life, if not end it.

Splash wraps her hands around the firing mechanism. "I think _this_ will hurt you just enough, honey! Goodbye, forever!"

Before Splash Woman could blast Roll with a Laser Trident, Tron Bonne shoots her harpoon at Splash's hands, hurting her and causing her to let go of the staff, allowing Roll to yank it and grab it herself.

Roll snaps as she fires a powerful blast from the staff, which lands in the dead center of Splash Woman's chest, scorching her armor black and knocking her to the ground. Roll proclaims, "That's for Plum."  
>After her victory, Roll brushes herself off and gets in one last verbal shot at Splash Woman. "... Bitch!"<p>

Tron pumps her arm in victor as she continues to hide behind the boulder, feeling like she was as much a part of this as anybody.

Bass remains in the shadows and gets a rare smirk on his face watching how Roll handled herself. "Most impressive..."

After Splash Woman's defeat, Mega Man looks over the female Robot Master's fallen body and remarks, "Sis... I think we can let the excessive force slide, but Dr. Light's not gonna be happy about your language."

Roll almost blushes, "You don't need to tell him, do you?"

"I'm willing to let it slide. So, we're even," Mega smiles.

Rush barks after he is rebooted, racing out to Mega's and Roll's side and looking happy and healthy again. But, the reunion is short-lived...

"Look, it's Mega Man! And he's back on his feet!" Dive Man calls as he and the rest of the Robot Masters outside (except for Aqua Man) arrive to the cavern. Bubble Man is hindered from the blast he took to his leg, but still on his flipper feet.

"That's right, I'm back. So, who wants to find out good I'm feeling first?" Mega Man taunts, aiming his blaster at the Robot Master group.

"Wait for me, bro! I'm not through with these losers yet!" Proto shouts, emerging from the outside.

The Robot Masters are now faced with a challenge with Light siblings on either side of them. And Roll is even in a difficult spot, not at full strength and with a damaged utility arm after the battle with Splash Woman. But, she is still ready to fight, carrying Splash Woman's Trident Staff.

"Roll, are you sure you want to do this?" Mega asks.

"I'm still good, big brother," Roll replies, keeping her sights on the Robot Masters. "I'll watch Kalinka's back and get her out of here while you guys clean up the mess."

Meanwhile, the group of remaining Robot Masters gets antsy, and Wave Man commands, "Don't just stand there! Let's get 'em!"

The Robot Masters begin to charge for the Lights, with Wave Man and Dive Man going after Roll and Mega Man, and the weakened Bubble Man and Pump Man going after ProtoMan. And Toad Man sneaks off to try and go after Roll, who has run off to pick up Kalinka.  
>Frost Man also breaks himself free from the ice blocks and begins charging for Mega Man again.<p>

Bubble Man tries to uses his Bubble Lead and Pump Man attempts to fire at ProtoMan, but they both are without their special weapons and cannot not fire. The two Robot Masters look at their weapon arms, and then across from each other as they realize how dire their circumstance is.

"Looking for these?" Proto smirks, deploying Bubble Lead at Bubble Man and quickly switching to the Plasma Bubbles and firing them at Pump Man. Both of them begin running away, but not fast enough to not be hit by their weapons.

Wave Man and Dive Man deploy a Wave attack at Mega Man followed by Dive Missiles, but they are swept aside by Frost Man, who darts for the Defender like a bull.

Mega Man sees them all coming and thinks fast, leaping over the wave, sliding under the dive missiles and firing several blasts at Frost Man, who blocks them with his arms.  
>Frost Man then throws both his arms down trying to crush Mega Man, but he flips backwards and lands on Rush who whisks him away to just barely miss being bashed, and he fires more shots at Frost Man, until the big Robot Master finally drops with a thud.<p>

Elsewhere, Tron tries to get herself involved in the battle again, loading up a second and last harpoon into her crafted gun. "Just give me one more shot, you big tin cans! You're about to mess with a Bonne!"

Tron's bravado and bravery is admirable (and perhaps a little too headstrong) and she is ready to take the fight to Wily's robots... until the creepy Toad Man lumbers up to her with his unsettling smile. He was looking to get the jump on Roll and Kalinka from here, but instead, he found Tron.  
>Tron looks up into Toad Man's large eyes and all the courage vanishes.<p>

"Lookie what I found! I human! RRRRRRIBIT!" Toad Man croaks about to reach out for her.

Tron screams and runs away from Toad Man like a terrified child, and for good reason. The teenage girl urgently turns her deep sea diving equipment back on, and races for the front holographic barrier until she jumps through it.  
>Tron immediately begins swimming back to shore to save her life. And it is probably the best thing she could do, considering the creepy Toad Man was threatening her.<p>

Toad Man stops just short of the barrier and croaks, "Yeah, that's right! Scram! _RRRRRIB-_"

Toad Man's croak is cut off by ProtoMan's blast, and Proto is oblivious about the human girl who just darted out of here. "What were you runnin' away for?"  
>Proto then looks around, noticing that a few robots are conspicuous by their absence... "Where the hell are GutsMan and Cut Man?"<p>

Meanwhile, Mega Man faces off with the remaining two Robot Masters Wave Man and Dive Man, but before he could fire, Roll fires the Trident Staff at Dive Man, and Wave Man gets blasted in the back by ProtoMan.

Roll and Kalinka catch up with Mega Man, and so does ProtoMan. Kalinka runs up to Mega and hugs and kisses him as Rush watches on happily.  
>"I'm so happy you're okay, Rock," Kalinka smiles.<p>

"I wouldn't be if it weren't for all you guys," Mega replies.

"Yeah. It's good to see you back to normal again, Mega," Roll smiles as she tosses the trident to the ground. "But, I think we really need to make sure you're not so easily reprogrammed."

ProtoMan remains unusually silent. He would not be so silent following a victory, but this time he is. Mega Man asks, "What's wrong, Proto?"

Roll asks, "It's about Bass, isn't it?"

"No," Proto responds, "GutsMan and Cut Man aren't here. Wily doesn't go into _any_ operation without them, and now they're not here?"

Kalinka suggests, "Maybe Wily sat them out."

Mega comments, "Or this whole this was a trap to keep us distracted."

Proto frowns, "Wily's probably attacking a second target right now, and we've got no way of knowing down here."

Back on the rocky surface of he cavern, Splash Woman slowly crawls to her staff after Roll threw it down. She stares at the sight of the Light family and Kalinka Cossack with fury in her eyes. And a smile forms on her face when she reaches her staff and clutches it close.

The Lights and Kalinka hear the sound of Splash Woman snickering and they turn to face her, with Mega and Proto taking aim Rush growling, Roll ready to fight again, and Mega keeps himself in front of Kalinka.

Splash laughs, "You were supposed to be mine."

"I've already got a girlfriend. And I love her. So, no thanks," Mega declares, and Kalinka holds Mega's sides a little tighter after hearing how much she loves her.

Splash Woman's laughter becomes more maniacal and she hisses, "If I can't have you, nobody should! Goodbye!"

Splash Woman enters a command on her staff which detonates several high-grade explosives which cause the cavern to begin collapsing.  
>Mega Man scoops Kalinka up and he stands on Rush who is already jetting away. ProtoMan scoops up Roll and races out of the cavern with her to ensure she makes it out.<p>

Just after the Lights and Kalinka zooms out of the cavern and rejoin the PoliceBots outside, the cavern collapses and water begins to flood in as the top falls down on all the remaining robots inside. Including Bass and Treble, who are encased in a Bassium-powered shield to prevent them from being damaged.

"We're waiting this out, Treble. The others should survive this collapse. I'm not done with Splash Woman yet," Bass comments.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hollywood.<strong>

Back inside the bank, Burner Man completes burning his way through the side of the vault, cutting a large circle into its side. Once it is done, Burner Man steps back and Magnet Man sticks his hands to it and pulls the section off and dropping it to the floor.

All the Robot Masters stare with wide eyes at the sight of so many bonds and unmarked bills inside, all of which are in large dollar increments up to $1,000 bills. At the same time, the classical song "Ode to Joy" begins playing on the bank's sound system, perfectly creating the mood for the mind-blown Robot Masters.

"Would you look at all that money!" Wood Man says.

"It's gotta be a million!" Guts Man bellows in shock.

"More than that. Several million," Magnet Man says.

Burner Man turns down his fusion flames and nonchalantly replies, "You're welcome."

"Don't waste time. Let's get everything and _cut_ out of sight!" Cut Man advises,

Bright Man hands out bags to his partners and the Robot Masters begin loading them up with cash and bonds, and Burner Man stands around waiting for the credit.  
>"Don't everybody thank me all at once. Buncha ingrates!" he complains.<p>

* * *

><p>Back outside, Dr. Wily begins to get angry (or more angry) with how long the Robot Masters are taking inside the bank. He spits, "Where are you? Where is my money?"<p>

Cut Man replies, _"Dr. Wily! We got it! We got all of it!"_

Albert's attention is suddenly caught, now ignoring the battle going on all around him. "You did?! How much?"

Magnet Man answers, _"There's too much to count. It's got to be in the millions. We're coming out any second, as soon as we get it sacked. Have the others watch our back."_

Without wasting time, Dr. Wily contacts the Robot Masters on the ground and the air. "Attention, all robots! The robbery team are about to make their exit with the money. Make sure they make it to the carrier and my Skullker, and cover us on our exit!"

Dr. Wily flies his Skullker back down to the street alongside one of the carriers and await the robbery team while the rest of the Robot Masters continue to clash with the National Guard troops and Police.  
>Albert watches the ice barrier that Ice Man made to barricade the Robot Masters inside, expecting the absolute worst case scenario. Even though things are going fine now, if anybody can soil a perfectly good plan, it's GutsMan and Cut Man.<p>

Shortly thereafter, Hard Man's Hard Fist bashes through the ice wall at the door and the team of Robot Masters come running out with sacks stuffed with money. And all of them look jubilant, laughing their way out of the bank as they climb into the back of either Wily's Skullker or the Skull Carrier.

"I have it! I have the money! Retreat, my robots! Return to Skull Fortress and flick off these human and Robo Commando worms follow us!" Wily shouts with a wretched smile and big eyes.

Firing off their last volleys at the defenses, the Robot Masters begin piling into any remaining Wily vehicle they can find and the group of ships bolt back east to Skull Fortress.  
>Several of the National Guard choppers try to chase them, but the Robot Masters keep them off their backs by neutralizing their weapons. ElecMan fires off a Thunder Beam at one helicopter to cripple it, sending it spiraling out of control, and Snake Man unleashes Search Snakes at a second chopper, and they munch off the blades and send that one down too.<p>

It seemed like it could never have happened, some could say it is inconceivable. But, Dr. Wily just robbed another big bank, making off with millions of dollars to fun his ultimate robot and got away with it.  
>And just as Wily planned, Mega Man was nowhere to be found.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Hawaii.<strong>

On the speedboat the Bonnes rented, Tiesel checks the waters with a scanner, and he catches something heading their way. Very fast. "... Uh-oh!"

"What's wrong, Tiesel?" Servbot #1 asks.

Tiesel replies, "Either we've been sighted, or that's-"

Tron jumps out of the water, and her propellers on her back is working so much that she ends up flying in the air until she crash lands right in the very boat he brothers and Servbot #1 are seated in.  
>And upon her arrival, Bon Bonne, clamors, "Babu!"<p>

Tiesel and Servbot #1 race to Tron and check if she is okay. But, she is wide-eyed and stricken with panic.

"Tron, are you hurt?" Tiesel asks.

Tron grabs her big brother's arms and nearly shrieks, "We have to leave! Toad Man! GO!"

Tiesel scurries to the engine and begins to speed off, but towards where the cavern was, causing Tron to shout, "THE OTHER WAY!"

"Turning now!" Tiesel freaks as the Bonnes zoom back to safety.

* * *

><p>Mega Man, Rush, Kalinka, ProtoMan and Roll return above the top of the ocean, with Roll and Kalinka riding on Rush's back in Marine mode. Mega and Proto follow them up and the Underwater PoliceBots follow suit, leading them to the Police speedboats that are racing their way to their location.<strong><br>**

Cheif Kahakalau himself calls out, "All aboard!" and tosses over a ladder for the edge for the heroes to climb.

Rush allows Kalinka Roll to climb up first, and Roll is exhausted from the battle with Splash Woman. As soon as she gets onboard the speedboat, Roll slumps into the deck and sighs, "Vacations are overrated."

But, Roll's mood elevates when she hears Peekaboo bleeping and running for her, followed by Eddie and Beat. Boo wraps his extension arm around Roll and beeps, asking if his Mommy is alright.

"Oh, I'm okay, Boo. Just a little sore, that's all," Roll sighs as she hugs him.

Peekaboo offers her an Energy Can and bleeps that he got this for her.

"For me? Aw, thanks," Roll smiles before drinking the juice to make her feel better.

Mega Man and ProtoMan climb up next and the Kahakalau says, "I'm happy to see you again, Mega Brah! But, Dr. Light is on the phone. He needs to speak with you."

ProtoMan mutters, "Told ya'."

Mega Man gets the satellite phone form the Chief and replies, "Dr. Light? Is something going on?"

Dr. Light answers, _"Rock! Thank goodness you're alright. Unfortunately, yes, there is a problem. Dr. Wily just attacked another bank, this time in Hollywood, California. The National Guard and Robo Commandos failed to stop them. Wily used the majority of his army and they just escaped."_

Mega urgently asks, "Is there any way we can get over to California in time to stop it?"

Thomas responds, _"I am afraid not. Wily and his Robot Masters are already heading back to Skull Fortress. You would not make it in time. I'm sorry, son."_

Mega hands the phone back to the Chief and heads to the aft side of the Police ship, looking frustrated. Kalinka's gaze follows him as he walks. When he reaches the edge of the deck, Mega slams his fists on the safety railing, bending them slightly.

Kalinka walks up to him and is not sure how she should handle this because she has never seen him look angry like this before. She finally puts her hands one one of Mega's shoulders.

"Proto was right. This was all a trick by Wily... and he won," Mega muses as he stares at the choppy ocean.

Back on the port side, Proto quietly says to himself, "Dammit!"

* * *

><p><strong>Back at <strong>**FBI ****New York.**

In the Situation Room, Agent Cotto and several FBI agents and technicians watch the events taking place in Hollywood. They knew that Mega Man would not be available to assist because Dr. Light had informed the authorities he was investigating a potential Wily robot in Hawaii, but the fact that Wily chose now of all times to attack creates an unsettling atmosphere in the room.

"As bad as this is, at least we don't have to worry about the police audio going viral for a while," Cotto says as he sits back down at the conference table which has an FBI audio player. The player contains the 'evidence' that would incriminate the one responsible for blowing the operation to reign in Dr. Wily and The Conduit's Network in January.  
>He and several of the agents have already listened to it several times, checked it and scrutinized it over and over again. Despite the fact that it was altered (a fact unbeknownst to the FBI,) nobody was able to find any telltale signs to indicate that it was a forgery.<p>

The drive itself is on a table and the agent stares at it, mentally trying to decide whether or not to submit this as the key piece of damning evidence or not. He is not ready to pull the trigger on this evidence and taking action, but he is outnumbered in this room.

"I want to listen to it one more time," Cotto says, putting on a pair of headphones.

"We have checked and _re-checked_ this audio, Agent Cotto. We should turn this in to Agent Allen and go after the prime suspect," says a technician.

"This is too much of a coincidence. We go weeks without getting any hard evidence, and then all of a sudden, this shows up at our doorstep?" Cotto responds.

"Even if it is, we doubt this is anything but authentic. We need to turn it in, sir, Before the suspect runs," an agent says.

Another agent enters the room and reports, "Agent Allen calling. He needs to speak with you, Agent Cotto."

Cotto looks frustrated as he yanks off the headphones and tries to prepare himself for the meeting with the FBI Director and orders, "Everyone, please leave."

The other agents leave Cotto in the room as he stands up from the round desk and faces the video screen wall which displays a feed of Special Agent in Charge Paul Allen, inside the FBI Headquarters in Langley, Virginia.  
>Immediately, the conversation takes a heater turn as Allen chastises, <em>"Well, this is an utter embarrassment to The Bureau. It's bad enough we have a Shadow Cell like The Conduit's and a known terrorist like Dr. Wily operating on U.S. soil. Now, after we've turned over every crumb to find the mole in the New York Police department, a mystery source solves the case for us."<em>

"This was something we hadn't expected, sir. And to be honest, I think there is something suspicious to this," Cotto responds.

_"I know you have your suspicions, Agent, but I have heard the audio myself as well. Whether or not we actually have our mole, we need to take action before it's too late. With this audio already leaked to the public, the suspect is likely to run,"_ Allen orders.

Cotto because frustrated and sighs. His suspicions are telling him not to rush headstrong into getting the suspect implicated in the audio. But, since the audio leaked this morning, there is no time. It is like whoever leaked the audio this morning knew this too.  
>"We'll be heading out shortly, sir."<p>

_"Proceed with extreme caution, Cotto. There's no telling how much of an advantage Barton gave them when he was one of theirs. But, make sure you bring the suspect in alive,"_ Allen says before cutting the call.

Cotto grabs his black blazer off the back of his chair and gets a sinking feeling that things are not quite like they seem. He ponders that it is way too much of a convenience this evidence was released like this, right when they could have been one small clue away from solving the case.

"This is a mistake," the agent says to himself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_Episode 13 is about finished. Only the Epilogue remains and it will be posted August 8th, the third anniversary of Defender being published. Which I call Defender Day.  
><em>

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, notes left behind or a continuity error so illogical it would make Mr. Spock weep, please PM me._


	146. Episode 13 Epilogue: Low Tide

_**Episode 13 Epilogue: Low Tide.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours after the robbery.<br>In Hawaii.**

Mega Man stands on the balcony of his family's suite at the hotel, looking out at towards the city as the bright sun beats down on it. He is still frustrated about how everything went down today and is blaming himself for allowing it to happen.  
>Thanks to his emergency reboot, he has no memory of how Splash Woman was able to take over his mind. Maybe that is the way he prefers it, but it came at a price as he also has no memory of the time he and Kalinka spent together since arriving here.<p>

Because of the fallout from Wily's bank heist back on the mainland, Mega is due to go back home to investigate it while Kalinka remains here. He wishes he could have stayed with her longer, because they don't get to have enough time together. But duty gets in the way again.

Mega returns to the room and speaks with his siblings, sounding down. "I'm going to say goodbye to Kalinka and we'll head back home."

Roll takes a break from packing to give her brother some good news. "Actually, Mega, Dr. Light made an arrangement with the police and he said you and Rush can stay here 'till tomorrow if you want."

"But, what about the bank robbery?" Mega asks.

"We'll talk to the police for you. There isn't anything we can do about that bank heist now. Besides, you always wanted to have a vacation, Mega. You deserve to have one because you didn't get to have enjoy yourself that much since we got here," Roll explains. "I'm sure Kalinka would like it if you stuck around. This is your chance to not have to worry about anything that's going on and enjoy yourself."

Proto walks up to Mega and adds, "Come on, bro. Live it up. Sis and I have it in the bag already." He then mutters and jabs his elbow into Mega's side, "This is your chance with Kalinka. Go for it."

Roll caught Proto's remark about Kalinka and glazes her eyes after she returns to packing her bags while Proto heads out. Meanwhile, Mega reluctantly replies to this generous offering. "I shouldn't stay here... but, as long as Kalinka's here, I don't really want to leave. So, I'll take you guys up on your offer. But, are you sure you don't want to stay too?"

"After_ this_ vacation, I think I've had enough. We're just going home, aren't we, Boo?" Roll replies, which Peekaboo bleeps in agreement.

"By the way... you said that Splash Woman was controlling me. Did I do anything bad?" Mega asks.

Roll replies carefully. "Well... I didn't see you doing anything wrong, but you weren't acting like yourself. Let's leave it at that."

Before Roll and ProtoMan head out to the airport, Roll adds, "Just be on your best behavior with Kalinka, big brother. Don't let your older brother's influence rub off on you."

"I think you can trust me, Roll," Mega replies.

Roll watches as her other brother leaves and speaks to Mega quietly so that Peekaboo won't hear her. "At least I can trust _you_. Our older brother sneaked out of the lab late last night, and none of us know where he went."

Mega gives Proto the benefit of the doubt, responding, "Maybe he went out to be alone for a while."

"Yeah, and have a secret meeting with somebody. I'm gonna find out what he's up to, one way or another," Roll replies in an accusatory tone. "Whatever he's doing, I'm sure it's not good. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll be back "

Roll takes one of her suitcases and heads out of the suite right behind ProtoMan, with Peekaboo right behind her. Mega Man shakes his head once he is alone.  
>"Even when I'm on vacation, the drama never stops."<p>

Eddie runs up to Mega along with Beat and Rush. "Eddie says we're taking the rest of the luggage outside. Do you want us to take yours too?"

Mega replies, "No thanks, guys, I'm staying one extra day, after all. I owe it to the special somebody in the room across from us."

"Want an energy can for the road?" Eddie asks.

"Why not?" Mega approves, making a thumbs-up gesture.

Eddie flips his top and pops a can out to Mega Man before running off. After that he is alone, Mega decides to make a call to Kalinka. Now that he has the extra time to spend with her while they have this time together, he does not want it to go to waste.  
>After using his communicator to call across the way to her room, and despite taking the chance to catch some much-needed sleep after this exhausting day, Kalinka answers quickly. <em>"Rock! Are you feeling better?"<em>

"Aside from missing out on stopping Wily, I'm fine," Mega Man replies.

_"It will be alright, like I said. At least Wily couldn't stop all of us. We make good team!"_

"Are you alright?" Mega asks.

_"This morning was a little scary. But, I'm alright. You don't have to leave, do you?"_

"I _was_ going to head back to the mainland, but there's been a change in plans and Rush and I are staying while Roll and Proto go back. So, I was hoping we can spend this last day here together," Mega answers, almost nervous.

Kalinka's voice suddenly sounds very excited. _"Absolutely! I will be ready when you give the word."_

"Great. Since you had to reset my memory... I don't even remember the time we spend here already. I need something to remember from this vacation that doesn't involve Wily's robots," Mega muses.

_"Aw, don't worry darling. We'll make sure we remember this night as much as the other times we have been together. And we will not have to worry about Wily sticking his nose in it this time."_

"Okay. I guess we'll meet up after the others head out," Mega says.

_"See you then,"_ Kalinka replies.

Mega lets out a sigh of relief knowing that he can spend some time with his love after all. Now, all he has to worry about is preparing for tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, back in New York.<strong>  
><strong>Police Station.<strong>

Hours have passed since the robbery in Hollywood and the attack in Hawaii, and things are busy as they usually are here at the station. Because of this major news breaking, the public and the media have mostly forgotten about the leaked audio that allegedly implicates a member of the department of being a mole for The Conduit.

Things are still tense here at the station, because the officers who serve here are tired of their jobs and lives being scrutinized by the FBI. But, that will soon change, because the FBI are on their way and are about to take in a suspect. And it will come as a great shock.

Meanwhile, the news reports of the Wily robbery is shown on the central view screen in the main lobby where several Officers (and even arrested suspects being taken to their cell) glance at the screen.  
>Two of the Officers who are paying attention to this is Chief Toombs and Captain Tallarico.<p>

Toombs mutters in frustration, "Why couldn't they stop 'em? Should've throw everythin' and the loo at the gremlin bastards."

Seconds later, Agent Cotto arrives through the front door, joined by a large group of Federal agents and FBI robots. Tallarico notics and guives Toombs a nudge with her arm to indicate they are here.

"Chief Toombs, I need to have a word with you in private," Cotto says, stepping up to the Chief.

"Boys, can' it wait fer just a few bloody minutes? I got a-"

"_Now_, Chief. And in private," Cotto interrupts, looking very serious.

By now, the large Federal presence in the middle of the lobby has caught the attention of everybody and a hush begins to fall as all eyes are on Chief Toombs.  
>By now, Toombs realizes this is an extreme urgent issue, probably the break the feds have been looking for, and he gives in to Agent Cotto's request.<p>

"Fine, fine. Follow me, lads," Toombs says, waving them to follow him. And they are followed only by the stares of the onlooking Officers still here in the lobby.

One of those Officers was a familiar face, Officer Lynn Wersching, and she tries to get an explanation from Captain Tallarico. "What are they doing with the Chief?" she asks.

Talalrico remains silent, just staring at the sight of Toombs and the Agents walking away and looking concerned with it herself.

Lynn asks louder, "Captain!"

Now, even Tallarico's partner Officer Ash Rose steps up after seeing his commanding Officer's strange look. "Captain, are you alright?"

Captain Tallarico remains stone silent as she stares at Chief Toombs and Agent Cotto entering a hallway which leads to the interrogation rooms. She then ignores Lynn and Ash and tries to follow the agents, only to be stopped by a group of FBI robots blocking the path.

"This area is temporarily off-limits t non-FBI personnel," says an FBI robot.

Tallarico orders, "I am the Captain of this department, and I need to know what is going on!"

"You will be made aware of any developments on a need-to-know basis. Turn back now," the FBI robot states.

The Officers are now in a state of shock as they wonder what has happened and why it could involve Chief Toombs. And Tarrico is not about to just walk away. She is about to get her answers one way or another.

* * *

><p>Toombs, Cotto and a group of armed agents go into a private room inside the station. Appropriately enough, an interrogation room.<p>

"Well, now that yoo boys have made a big scene, would ya mind tellin' me why? Maybe you've found out who sent out that back-up call last month and get 'em outta here so we can get back ta' work?" Toombs asks as he stands behind the table in the center of the room.

"That is precisely why we're here, Mr. Toombs," Agent Cotto replies.

The Agent signals for an FBI robot to step forth, and the robot does so. The FBI Robot holds out his left forearm and hits a key on his forearm panel, which begins playing the forged audio file that the FBI intercepted. It began with a call from the station to Mega Man...

_"A pair of Albert Wily's shuttles have been spotted over the west side of New York, heading towards Manhattan."_

_"We just found out where the deal is taking place. I'm sending the coördinates now. This is where Wily will be too,"_ the voice Mega Man responded.

The voice of Mr. Black John Barton could be heard, warning them, _"Don't send back-up until Mega Man sends the signal. We can't afford to lose them."_

Nearly a minute passes on the audio file, and then the following is heard...

_"This is Toombs. Get that back-up o'er now. We canna' let them get outnumbered an' risk lose that Mr. Black. Go in with the breaker-1 formation, guys."_

Another Officer's voice on the file could be heard saying, _"Copy that. Going in now."_

After hearing the audio, Chief Toombs gets a grin on his face and chuckles. "That ain't me, man. You boys 're just ribbin' me."

"The audio matches your voice records precisely. And unless this is the absolute best forgery I've ever seen, this evidence has been authenticated," Cotto replies, keeping his calm as he delivers the crushing news.

Toombs' eyes become as wide as saucers and he quickly begins to lose his cool. "THAT AIN'T ME, I TELL YA! I'D'VE NEVER GIVEN THAT ORDER, AN' I DIDN'T! AND I'M NOT WORKIN' BEHIND ANYBODY'S BACK!" The Chief counters as he slams his fist on the desk, getting angry and turning red as he tries to claim his innocence.

"You will get your chance to plead your case in court, Chief Toombs. But, for the time being, it would be for the best if you make it easy on yourself and come with us," Cotto responds as the FBI agents around him prepare to take action if the Chief snaps.

Chief Toombs paces the floor, furious that he is about to be taken in for something that he did not do. He mumbles nearly unintelligibly in his rage, "It's a fake. I never said that. I was at the station, but I didn't send out that call. I'm not one o' them!"

Cotto takes two steps and states in a more quiet tone, "This case is not exactly closed yet. And even I have my doubts about the authenticity of that recording. But, don't make it hard on yourself. All I'm asking is your cooperation."

Toombs continues to pace the floor, and while he is still fuming mad over this he also feels overwhelmed and betrayed over how this could be done to a man of his integrity. While he was not always the most behaved man during his career, he got to where he is because he was a hero, and had not a crooked bone in his body.  
>But, he has no choice now but to lose this battle and prepare for the next one, and that is proving he is innocent.<p>

Toombs stops and looks up at the ceiling, muttering almost under his breath a saying his father used to say to him and a mantra he sometimes has no choice to to follow. "Sometimes you gotta lose a battle ta' win the war."

The Chief looks at the FBI Agents and grumbles, "I'm gonna prove to all o' yoo I never gave that order. But, for now, I'll play the game. Just gimmie a chance to call home, will ya'?"

"You'll the chance to call once you're at our building. We need to monitor the call," Cotto responds.

Toombs frowns and stands there. He then slowly removes the Chief rank pin from his uniform and places it on the table. "I reckon I won't be the Chief as long as we're on this merry-go-round, will I? I won't be needin' this 'till I get back... if I ever do."

The Chief turns toward the FBI agents and approaches them. And he stares into Cotto's eyes, and with an intense stare he asks in a gravel, "Lemmie ask ya', lad, man-to-man... Yoo think I said that?"

Cotto can bee the pressure of the Chief's controlled intensity, but keeps his cool. "After reading your profile, I'd be surprised. But, that's what I intend to find out."

Toombs says nothing more as two FBI robots grab him by his arms and begin escorting the falsely accused Police Chief outside.

* * *

><p>The FBI escorts Chief Toombs out through the back way of the station, sparing him the humiliation of being sighted by the other officers. Before the escort could reach the back door where an FBI caravan awaits, Captain Tallarico catches up with them.<p>

"What are you doing? Where are you taking the Chief?" Tallarico nearly barks.

"Please, don't interfere, Captain. You will be informed at the proper time," Cotto deflects, trudging ahead to the van.

Tallarico does not stop and stays in the FBI's way. "Are you seriously accusing _him_ of foiling that operation last month?!" she nearly yells.

The FBI carries on and Toombs gets inside the back of the armored FBI van, but Tallarico still demands answers. "Chief! What is going on?"

Toombs looks over and replies calmly, looking almost sad yet dignified, "_You're_ the Chief now, lass."

Tallarico gives remains nearly frozen in place as she watches the agents close the door on Chief Toombs in the armored van just as he gives her a nod. The other agents jump inside the van and other federal vehicles, and the caravan drives off to the FBI's New York Headquarters.  
>In the span of just a few minutes, Chief Toombs has been apprehended for something he did not do, and Tallarico has suddenly found herself at the top of the Police Department in an unceremonious fashion.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day.<strong>

It has been several hours now since the destruction of Splash Woman's secret underwater cavern, and Bass is in the process of loading up the damaged Robot Masters so they can be taken back to Skull Fortress. Bass did not find it important to rescue Splash Woman immediately. Instead he saved her for last.

Bass emerges from the ocean carrying the unconscious body of Splash Woman over one shoulder and drops her off on the edge of the beach, right next to the bodies of all the other damaged Robot Masters, whom Treble is already loading into an transport parked on the beach, which is marked as an emergency vehicle to avoid attention from the authorities.

After dropping Splash Woman here, Bass opens a port on Splash's upper chest armor and begins removing her tracking device. Once he has it removed, he crushes the tracking device in his hand, and then begins to power the Robot Mistress up again.  
>"Wake up," he says.<p>

Still missing her blue helmet which was lost in the cavern, Splash Woman begins to open her eyes. A leering smile comes across her lips. "Bass... darling... At least one of my mates is still playing nice."

"Quiet! It's over," Bass snaps back, walking away to contact Dr. Wily.

Splash Woman returns to her feet and begins to rant, "It's not over yet. Nothing is over! We can still become the most powerful robots in the new world. You can still destroy Mega Man and ProtoMan, and I will destroy Roll all by myself."

Bass turns around and his red eyes narrow. "... What?" he rasps.

Splash continues, "I'm going to find that little cheerleader and I'm going to tear her titanium body apart! And after I'm done, I'll rip her ponytail out and wear it as a trophy. And you and I will be the most powerful robots in the world."

Bass becomes consumed with rage now that he knows what Splash Woman's true intentions are for Roll. He cannot allow any harm to come to his queen. And he will not allow it... no matter what the cost.

"I will be the most powerful robot in the world... but you will not be my queen. _Roll_ will be," Bass says, rejecting Splash Woman's proposal.

"Her?! Even after you have had _me_, you still chose her? I can still change your mind," Splash says, attempting to use her powers on Bass.

"No, you can't," Bass replies, staring back at the Robot Mistress.

Splash Woman's eyes become wide as she attempts in vain to control Bass. "My powers aren't working on you anymore either! How could this be?!"

"They never worked with my systems, Splash Woman. Your charms will work on inferior robot, but not I," Bass says, "And when Dr. Wily learns that you tried to sabotage this operation by controlling me, he will not be happy with you. His punishment for traitors are severe. Depending on the kind of mood he is in, he can be less forgiving than me.  
>Regardless of the outcome, I will be the only robot who can possibly lead Wily's army into victory."<p>

As Bass begins loading the knocked-out Robot Masters into the transport, Splash Woman grows enraged.  
>"How dare you! You used me to get ahead with Dr. Wily! You're not going to get away with this! When Dr. Wily hears about this, he will have you melted down, and I will be the queen of all robots!"<p>

"Highly unlikely," Bass rasps.

Dr. Wily hails Bass, and he sounds impatient. Bass had earlier contacted the mad scientist with the news that the Hawaiian leg of the operation was partially successful, but otherwise a disaster.  
><em>"Bass! I'm waiting for your report!"<em>

"I apologize for the delay, Dr. Wily. I have recovered the fallen Robot Masters and will return to Skull Fortress shortly. They were damaged, but can be repaired," Bass responds.

_"And what about Splash Woman?"_

Bass is silent and stares back at the frowning Splash Woman. He then reports back, "Splash Woman was lost. Even the protocol disruption producer could not be recovered."

Splash Woman gets a shocked look on her face. Her eyes are huge with shock and fear. She knows how dangerous Bass is and what he is capable of. He cannot be controlled like the Robot Masters can, and has no fear of killing like Mega Man or ProtoMan do, which makes this a very bad situation for her to be in.

Wily becomes enraged, _"I told you NOT to lose my protocol disruption device! Do you realize how long it took to construct it?!"_ Wily then remains silent for a second, and collects his emotions. _"But... with the amount of money I took, I can build another if I need it. Just bring the others back to Skull Fortress!"_

"Affirmative," Bass ends the call and switches his left arm to blaster mode, aiming at Splash Woman, who is now concerned for herself.

"Bass, what are you doing?!" Splash freaks.

"I cannot allow you to destroy Roll, Splash Woman," Bass says, "But, I am giving you the chance to survive and stay out of my way and leave Roll alone... or die. The choice is yours."

Bass grabs Splash Woman's Trident Staff and tosses it to her, almost expecting her to take it and try to challenge him. A decision that will only end badly for the Robot Mistress.  
>Bass adds, "If you should run now, I will allow you to keep your staff and your powers. You will need them to survive. Or, do you think you can get a lucky shot in and beat me before I can stop you? I remind you, Splash Woman, the choice is yours."<p>

Splash Woman stares at Bass, and does not move for a long time, weighing her options knowing that the wrong choice will result in a quick ending. Finally, she kneels down and grabs her Trident Staff and begins to back away, never taking her gaze off Bass.  
>Whatever her reason for backing down, she chose wisely.<p>

Bass replies. "Spare me your gratefulness. I am allowing you a chance to escape only because it suits me."

"You may have given me a second chance, Bass, but you haven't seen the last of me! Neither has Wily, or Roll, or Mega Man! You'll all be mine one day! I'll be back!" Splash Woman threatens as she back peddles into the ocean, transforming into her mermaid form and swimming away.

"If you value your survival, you won't," Bass rasps with narrow eyes, daring Splash Woman to try it.

He could have blasted her to atoms now and ensured that she will never challenge him or threaten Roll, or even resurface and expose his lies to Dr. Wily. But, he didn't and he allowed her to escape. A chance he is does not offer to his enemies.  
>Bass questions his reasoning. Maybe it was respect for a fellow warrior, or maybe he knows that she is no longer a true threat to him. Or maybe, Roll's words are finally beginning to get to him. Maybe death is not the only way.<p>

Even if death is not the only way, intimidation is still a crucial power in Bass' world view, and power is what he craves the most, second only to Roll.  
>One day, Bass believes he will have it all one day. He only wonders when that day will come.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>That night.<br>Dr. Light's lab, just outside New York City.  
><strong>

It is now late on the east coast of the mainland, and Roll has entered the lab to wish her father Dr. Light good night before recharging. She had a busy day by battling Splash Woman and rescuing Mega and Rush, then having to meet with the California police after the Dr. Wily robbery. And she did it all by just coasting along on Energy Cans.  
>All Roll wants is for this day to end so she can get some recharge time. But, her day is going to become even longer...<p>

She sees her father leaning over his workstation right underneath the two large monitors right above him, much like he has a lot lately since working on this secret project of his. But, he appears to have more of an urgency about himself. It looks like something is wrong.

"Dr. Light? Is something wrong?" Roll asks as she approaches the good doctor.

"Oh, it looks like ProtoMan left again. I was working on my project when I fell asleep here. I heard him leaving just a few minutes ago," Thomas answers.

"I knew it! Why didn't you tell me he sneaked out again?" Roll asks.

Dr. Light explains, "I was afraid you would react like you are now. Don't worry, I'm sure I can still locate him."

"I know how to find him. Did he take the Land Blazer?" Roll asks.

"Yes," replies Dr. Light. "Why?"

"After we came home I put two bugs on it, in case he would try this again. I made the first one easy for him to find and the other one tricky. And if he didn't find it, it'll lead me right to him," Roll reveals. "I'm gonna find out what he's up to."

Roll leans over Dr. Light's console and enters a command to trace the tracking bugs she placed on the Land Blazer. She finds the first one still left in the garage area right outside. Proto found that one like she thought he would.  
>But, the second one is speeding down south. And it looks like Roll's plan worked.<p>

"I've got you now, big brother," she whispers.

Thomas fears the his daughter is about to become carried away with her skepticism about ProtoMan and tries to reason with her. "Roll, I do hope you are not-"

Roll interrupts, "I've got to go out for a little while, Dr. Light. Please watch Peekaboo and call Mega if you don't hear from me in an hour and tell him something's wrong."

"You don't truly believe your brother is up to something malicious, do you?" Dr. Light asks.

"He better not be," Roll replies sharply as she storms off to the garage where her Skycycle awaits.

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>  
><strong>Approaching the state of Florida.<strong>

With the assistance of the tracking device, Roll flies on her Skycycle and follows the trail of the Land Blazer as it crosses the border from Georgia into Florida. And she is sure her older brother is up to something he does not want her, or anybody else to know.  
>Soon, her scanner detects that the Land Blazer comes to a stop some twenty miles away from here.<p>

As she stares ahead, Roll remarks, "What are you doing behind our backs, _dear big brother_?"

After several minutes of following the tracker, Roll lands her Skycycle in a parking lot loaded with empty tractor trailers and big rig semis and she can see the orange Land Blazer somewhere in the middle of the group. She sneaks her way around the lot of trailers to follow her wayward brother.  
>She is so certain that she is going to catch him scheming with Wily again that she almost gets her frying pan ready in advance.<p>

Roll sneaks around a tall semi-truck and nearly makes it to the other side until ProtoMan comes up from behind her and tries to keep her from moving. This causes her to shout, "Let go of me, you creep!"

"Sis, please don't start now! I can explain everything!" Proto attempts to reason, not sounding threatening or sinister, but more urgent like he does not want her to get hurt.

Upon hearing Roll's shout, Nomad runs out from hiding ready to attack Roll with her devastating shockwave attack. ProtoMan lets go of Roll and stands between his sister and his companion.  
>"Stop! Don't attack! Either of you!"<p>

Nomad does not attack Roll like Proto feared he would. She just stares at her blankly, not recognizing her like she did Mega Man. And Roll keeps her eyes on this female robot in the grey sweatsuit she has never seen before. But, she must be important, because Proto is very protective of her.

Defensively, Proto asks Nomad, "Do you recognize her?"

Nomad shakes her head to answer, keeping her right palm held out to use her shockwave if she feels she needs to.

Proto sighs, "Good. She doesn't know who you are. If she did, we'd really be in trouble."

Roll angrily asks, "What are you doing out here? And who is this?"

Proto replies, 'You want to know where I go at night? Well, this is it. This is a friend of mine. She's a robot like us. She's on the run from Wily."

"How do you know she isn't one of Wily's spy bots?" Roll asks.

"I was there when she was powered-up! She woke up too early before her programming was complete and she's... incomplete," Proto explains.  
>"She has the same pain disorder I had when Dr. Light and Wily first powered me up. She can't even talk. Wily wanted to wipe her memory because he viewed her as an imperfection, and she bolted. She's been on the run ever since, and I've been protecting her. She doesn't want to hurt anybody, she just wants to keep her identity."<p>

Roll remains ready to battle, but tries to figure this out. "Okay, let's say you're telling the truth. If she _is_ that important, then why don't we take her home to the lab and tell Mega-"

"SHHHH!" Proto exclaims, covering Roll's mouth with his finger. "Because, I can't take her to the lab. Enough of her original programming is still inside her. If she sees our brother, she will try to kill him. She might even try it with Dr. Light. We're lucky the orders to attack you never were programmed into her."

Roll folds her arms and sighs ans she looks at the starry sky. "So, what are we supposed to do? She's in danger if she stays out here. If Wily doesn't catch her, the police will and they'll think she's one of Wily's."

Proto answers, "Just leave it to me. Until Wily's captured, we're gonna have to keep this this our little secret, just us."

"Huh?!" Roll asks, looking aghast at the concept of having to keep this from Mega Man and Dr. Light.

"If we take her home, it would only draw attention to her. And that means Wily. I'll take care of her out here for now, and if I have to go out, I'm with her. But if anybody asks, you didn't see nothing," Proto says.

Roll shakes her head and looks very conflicted with this. She still doesn't fully trust ProtoMan, even now.

"Roll, I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but this is one time I'm begging you to trust me. This isn't some scam. I _have_ to keep her safe," Proto pleads.

Roll looks back upon Proto and Nomad, who looks back at her and still looks a little scared as she keeps her incomplete right hand nearby. Roll figures she looks innocent enough, and the only time she has seen this side of ProtoMan was last year when he saved Mega Man's life following the invasion on Washington D.C.  
>But, it feels wrong to keep this hidden from the rest of her family.<p>

Roll places her right hand on her forehead and stresses, "Now, I have to lie to my own brother and father. Why did I get involved in this?"

Proto answers, "You followed me."

Roll frets, turning back to the SkyCycle because she knows Proto is right. If she had never followed him, she wouldn't be burdened with this. But, this Nomad needs help, so she will let it slide.  
>"Can I talk to her?" she asks.<p>

"Yeah," Proto says. He then turns to Nomad and explains, "She's okay. She doesn't want to hurt you."

Roll cautiously walks up to Nomad, who looks nervous as she stands still and stares at her. After ProtoMan's assurance that Roll can be trusted, Nomad looks less worried than earlier.

Roll asks, "You're a friend of Proto's?"

Nomad nods.

"And you're on the run from Wily?" Roll asks.

Nomad nods again.

Roll comes closer to Nomad and reaches out for her hands, studying how her left hand is purple and complete and her right hand is skeletal. "Did Wily do this to you?"

Nomad nods again, staring at her right hand.

Roll then shows empathy for Nomad by wrapping her fingers around Nomad's hands to hold them. "Don't worry. We're gonna look out for you as much as we can, okay?"

Nomad looks into Roll's eyes and nods as eye lubrication begins to well in them. The thought that there is more than one nice robot in the world who wants to help her makes her cry.  
>Roll gives Proto's companion a hug to calm her down, and know she knows that Nomad truly is just an innocent robot who is scared and needs assistance.<p>

After she hugs Nomad, she turns to ProtoMan. "I believe you, Proto. But, if she ends up in trouble, we need to tell our father and M- ... our brother."

"Thank you," Proto says as Roll walks away.

Roll doesn't reply as she mounts her SkyCycle and gets ready to take off. But, Proto asks one more pertinent question. "Sis... _now_, do you trust me?"

Roll turns back to her brother and answers, "I'm starting to come around."

After Roll leaves on the SkyCycle, ProtoMan returns to Nomad's side and sits down with her, and she immediately begins hugging him by his side as she sheds tears of happiness over having two friends now. Proto holds her close and whispers to her.  
>"It's okay. I told you she was good. We can trust her... and she can trust me."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>That evening.<br>Back in Hawaii.**

Now that the threat has passed, Mega Man and his girlfriend Kalinka Cossack spend an evening together taking a slow stroll on the beach with a bright orange sky at sunset. They walk on the same beachfront they were on yesterday morning before enjoying their jet ski ride, which was abbreviated when Mega Man spotted Splash Woman and everything went downhill from there.

But, to Mega Man, it is not even a distant memory anymore. After having his memory rebooted, he does not even remember any of the time spent here.

"Are all of your memories still intact?" Kalinka asks.

"Everything before two days ago, yeah. But, I don't remember anything about being here or anything we did together. I wish I could," Mega Man says regretfully. "Could you remind me?"

Kalinka replies sweetly, "We met at the airport. And next morning, we were riding in the water together with Rush. He was in Jet Ski mode and we raced against Roll. I was holding on to your back after you told me to hang on. I had a smile on my face the entire time. And so did you. It was wonderful to see you smiling again."

Mega barely smiles. "With this war, I forget what it's like to smile, sometimes. That's why I'm glad you're in my life."

"I know that feeling. After I lost Mother, I thought I would never smile again. When I saw you, I learn how to smile after all," Kalinka sighs as she comes closer to Mega Man as they walk, resting her head on his right shoulder.

"I can't wait for this war to be over. We can all live in peace again," Mega says. "And maybe one day... we can be together a lot more."

Kalinka smiles with dreamy eyes. "I would like that very much." She also adds, "Let us make sure there are no evil mind-control robot women anywhere around when we get there."

Mega and Kalinka slow down and Mega looks concerned. "I'm sorry this had to happen. If I knew how to stop her earlier, I would have."

Kalinka asks, "Are you sure you don't remember her at all? She was very infatuated with you."

"No. And I'm glad I don't. Roll says she was a real problem," Mega replies.

"You did call me _Splash_ yesterday when you were under her control," Kalinka points out.

"I did?!" Mega replies in shock. He then apologetically assures, "If I did anything that just wasn't like me, I didn't mean to, I promise. I'm sorry."

Kalinka stands in front of Mega and holds onto both of his hands. "Let us just put this little thing behind us and focus on bright future. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Mega replies. "By the way, you're English is getting better, but you missed a _'the'_ there."

"It is work in progress," Kalinka replies.

Kalinka looks out to the remnant of the setting orange sun off towards the coast, causing her to remark, "It is beautiful out there. You said watching sunset was one of the things you wanted to do here."

"It is. Want to sit down?" Mega offers.

Kalinka replies, "I would, but we have no towel to cover the sand."

"But, we do have a bench," Mega replies, snapping his fingers. "Rush. Bench mode."

Rush barks and transforms his body into a long bench-like seat, allowing Mega and Kalinka to sit down on his back. His white tail wages on one end and he turns his head on the other end to get Mega's and Kalinka's approval.

"Thank you, Rush," Kalinka says as she and Mega Man sit down on Rush's back and gaze at the sight of the sunset before them.

And little do they know, they are being watched by someone else who is yearning for Mega Man's heart. And it is not Splash Woman.

* * *

><p>On their rented speedboat, the Bonne siblings are still out here in the ocean instead of back in the safety of their room making preparations to enjoy what is left of this expensive vacation.<br>The only reason why there are out here is because Tron intends on finding Mega Man and professing her love to him while she has the shot.**  
><strong>

A frustrated Tiesel attempts to discourage his sister, "You're wasting your time, Tron."

Looking through a pair of super binoculars, Tron scans the beach area off in the distance and she snaps, "Enough, Tiesel! I heard that Mega Man was sighted on the beach earlier, and I'm going to find him. And when I do, we're putting this boat into overdrive right for his location. And then, he'll be all mine, and I'll be all his!"

"And what if Toad Man shows up first?" Tiesel asks with a snicker in his voice.

Tron almost panics again once she hears the name of the Green Robot Master. "If Toad Man appears, you defend us to the last drop of your blood!"

Finally, Tron spots Man Man walking down the beach with Rush and Kalinka Cossack, and her surprise quickly turns into scrutiny.

"There's Mega! ... Wait! What is Kalinka Cossack doing with him again?"

* * *

><p>Back on the beachfront, Kalinka leans her head on Mega's torso as they stare at the sky, and having her so close to him almost immediately causes Mega's internal regulator to work a little faster.<p>

Kalinka says with her ear up to his chest, "I can hear your heart beat, Rock. You have a really good one."

Mega replies, "It was my brother's before mine. My old one got blasted by Wily's Mad Grinder. Good hearts run in the family, though."

"They do," Kalinka says in a breathy tone.

"Does your dad know about us?" Mega asks.

Kalinka pauses, then answers, "I do not know if he knows or not. I have never told him. I am afraid he would not approve of his only daughter being in love with a robot."  
>Kalinka looks into Mega's eyes and says, "But, you are more than a robot, Rock. When I look at you, I see a boy with a soul."<p>

"What if he disapproves?" Mega asks, "I don't want to cause any heartache for you."

"I hope he approves. But, if he does not... there is nothing he can say that will tear me away from you," Kalinka replies.

Mega replies softly, "Thank you. And I'm not going to let this war take me away from you either, Kalinka."

"Let's not talk about this war and enjoy the rest of our night together, darling," Kalinka says, slowly leaning herself towards Mega.

"We're in a public place. Someone might be watching us out here," Mega says, not sounding to worried about it.

"We're not Mega Man and Dr. Cossack's daughter. We're just two friends named Rock and Kalinka," Kalinka says.

"Okay, if you say so," Mega says. "Rush, close your eyes."

Mega and Kalinka lean towards each other and share a kiss together once again, and it is like everything in this world at this moment seems to disappear.  
>They don't even care how well-known they are and if they are spotted... and unfortunately for somebody, they are being watched.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back on the boat rented by the Bonnes, Tron's jaw drops in shock and horror at the sight of Mega Man and Kalinka Cossack kissing one another. She is in such shock that she does not move an inch and the muscles in her body tense up.<br>Behind the lenses on her super binoculars, she can feel the sting of tears welling up in her eyes because she actually believed that Mega Man was going to be all hers. And now that impossible dream has become impossible for her now.

"... No," she breathes.

"What are they doing, Tron?" asks Tiesel from behind her.

After staring at the sight of Mega Man and Kalinka being together for several seconds, something goes off in Tron Bonne's head... or to be more precise... something _snaps_. As does she.

Tron's face slowly transforms from a look of shock to a twisted snarl of hatred. Rage boils so strongly that her face turns red and her head begins to shake as she seethes like a wild animal.  
>The lens on the super binoculars begin to fog up and actually crack under the immense pressure from Tron's pink-gloved hands squeezing them.<p>

Tiesel sees this reaction from his little sister and knows it all too well. As he covers Bon's ears, he utters "Uh-oh!"

When her rage finally boils over after staring at the sight of Mega Man and Kalinka sharing a kiss together, Tron lets out a blood-curdling shriek that nearly sounds inhuman.  
>And the shriek is so loud it further cracks the lens of the binoculars in her hands.<p>

* * *

><p>Mega Man and Kalinka stop kissing as Mega's ears catch the unrecognizable shrieking sound he just heard out in the ocean. Rush heard it first and barked at it.<p>

Mega asks. "Did you hear that?"**  
><strong>

"I think so. It sounded like a bird, I think," Kalinka replies.

"It couldn't have been human. I'm not picking up any other signs of stress or panic out there," Mega adds.

"If it was human, maybe it is somebody having argument," Kalinka says.

"Come on. Let's go. I don't remember going to see the movie, so would you be able to tolerate seeing it again?" Mega offers.

"If I can be with you, it's totally worth it," Kalinka accepts.

And the couple walks away with Rush resuming his normal form to enjoy the rest of their time together, completely unaware of the angry teenage girl out there watching them.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<strong>

In the dead of night, Miss T is returning to her hideout on her motorcycle in near-darkness as she makes a crucial status report to The Conduit. After parking her motorcycle in a secluded area, Miss T climbs up an escape ladder and enters through a cracked window.  
>This place does not even look like much of a hideout... more of an upscale apartment outside of Manhattan.<p>

Once inside, Miss T begins taking her gloves as she makes a call. "I'm sure you're aware of what happened to Toombs?"

_"Yes. Mr. Endo came through for us, and Mr. Wire's plan to spread the file online worked perfectly. The plan was a success," _The Conduit responds.

"As of Noon tomorrow, the new Chief of Police in New York will be Talia Tallarico, and Toombs will be out of our way. The end of an era."

_"An era we can now manipulate. And I have you to think for it... Talia."_

After she removes her helmet, Miss T's true identity of Captain Talia Tallarico is exposed. She responds, "Anytime."

_"Report to me when you have assumed your promotion. You will be my eyes and ears,"_ The Conduit orders.

"You _did_ promise me I would have power one day. And you always come through with your promises," Tallarico replies with a smirk.

_"Be sure to keep everyone off my trail, including your underlings, the FBI... even Mega Man and Albert Wily. If either of them were to challenge us before everything is in place, it would unravel our operation. But, fortunately, Mega Man has weaknesses to exploit, and Wily can still be assassinated if he becomes too much of a problem."_

"Without Barton, Wily will be harder to assassinate. But with this kind of authority, I will deal with him. And as for Mega Man, he's in my territory. So, he plays my way, or not at all. I'll have everything under control, just like I always have," she replies.

_"I will hold you to that. Get some good rest, Miss T. You will have a big day tomorrow."_

"Yes, I certainly do," Miss Tallarico grins as she stares out of her apartment's skylight window into the dark black night and the grim future that awaits this glorious city.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>**

Dr. Wily inserts the last of his stolen money into a money counting machine, which rapidly scans every last bill and calculates the grand total the Robot Master made off with: nearly Twenty-Million U.S. Dollars.

While it is a very small sum compared to the Two-hundred-Million that Wily conned out of the shamed corporate tycoon Marcus Vickers last year, (which was the money he used to make Bass, Treble, The Killers and the Mad Grinder,) it is more than enough to fund the ultimate robot he his planned, whose blueprints are adorned all over the workshop.

Albert begins snickering with a wicked smile on his old face, and his sick mind begins visualizing how vicious he plans on utilizing his ultimate creation once it is complete.  
>And that snicker becomes a howling laugh as he grabs two fistfuls of money and throws it into the air, letting it fall down upon him.<p>

"Nobody will stop me now!" Wily laughs as he grabs more money and flings it into the air.

Even though Splash Woman was (allegedly) lost and Mega Man survived, today was a major victory for Dr. Wily. He has the money to buy the materials off the black market to build this ultimate robot. But, just over his shoulder sits the shard of the Jadous Sphere he collected last month.  
>The real question is, which is the bigger weapon: The Twenty-Million Dollar Ultimate Robot, or the little shard that can bring untold amounts of destruction?<p>

With the New York City Police Department about to fall into the hands of a corrupt Chief and Dr. Wily having this much money and an object of unspeakable power, the war for everlasting peace is only going to get worse before it gets better.

* * *

><p><strong><strong><em>Author's Notes:<em>  
><strong>**

_And finally, on the third anniversary of Defender's debut, Episode 13 is in the books. It took much longer to complete this episode because of things that were going on in my life at the time, and several re-writes. Actually, much of the Nomad scene in this chapter was written back in January.  
>To be honest, I was afraid this episode would be the weakest of the series, and if anybody felt that it was, I apologize. Things are going to go big in the next episode. And you'll see how big they get really soon.<em>

_I want to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this episode. I am truly grateful that you stuck by it, even when it dragged on.  
>And an extra thank you to everyone who reviewed this episode: Gancena, Lalalei, DestinyZX, Little Kunai, MegaManV, The Mystery Reviewer, Spiked Dragon, Darkmachines, Opal Vampire, Sky DayBreak, Lucky Ryujin, the anons as well as anybody I forgot. And CrystalTamer13, who left reviews for prior chapters this year.<em>

_The Interlude will be posted next month. And I do plan on posting something on the big 20th Anniversary of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon show, wether it is the interlude or something else._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or comment. And if you saw typos or continuity errors so bad that it would knock down King Hippo, please send me a Private Message._


	147. Interlude: Outside Forces

_**Episode 14 Interlude: "Outside Forces."  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>February 20X4.<br>The day after the Hollywood bank heist.**

Although it has only been less than twenty-four hours since the great bank heist in Hollywood, there are those who are already trying to use it to their political advantage. After all, it is an election year. So, everything is fair game to politicians.

We see a fluttering American flag and the face of one of the major candidates for President, Wade Kramer, as his voice narrates, _"I am Wade Kramer, and I approve this message."_

We then see Kramer again, talking directly to the camera, and clips of yesterday's Wily attack/bank robbery plays beside him. _"My fellow Americans... this is not a land where things like what we witnessed yesterday should happen when we try to live our lives. This is also not a land where a man like Dr. Albert Wily, so-called mad genius, should ever be allowed to walk free on.  
>This is the United States of America! And if you vote for me in the upcoming New York Presidential Primary, I promise you that Albert will finally be brought to justice and his robot army will no longer reign terror upon this country, or the world, ever again.<br>Yes, I'm Wade Kramer, and I approve this message, _because_... enough is enough, and it's time for a change."  
><em>

We return to the Channel 7 newsroom, where Kirk Trujillo and Trish Falkenburg are seated at the anchor desk. Trish says, _"For those of you who missed our breaking news, we are awaiting for an important press conference set to take place at 1:00 PM outside of New York Police Headquarters. Our own Bree Recotta is waiting outside the station now, and she will be coming to us live when the conference takes place."_

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's Lab.<br>Just outside New York City.**

A warmly dressed Roll stands on the roof of the lab and holding the hand Peekaboo, who has a scarf wrapped around his little Met body, waiting for Mega Man and Rush to return from Hawaii. As they stand here, Boo bleeps up to his mommy, asking if Miss Kalinka is coming home with Uncle Mega.

Roll replies smiling, "No, Boo. She's going back to her home. She lives a long way from here."

Boo beeps, asking if she will stay here if she and Uncle Mega get married.

Roll almost laughs. "How does a little Met like you know about a grown-up thing like marriage?"

Peekaboo bleeps that he saw something on the television showing two human people looking at each other the way Uncle Mega and Miss Kalinka do, having something called a wedding.

"Uncle Proto must be channel surfing too much when he's with you," Roll sighs. "But, I sure know that Uncle Mega would like it if Miss Kalinka was here more. And she would like it if he was there too. But, we've still got a job to do first."

Boo bleeps again, this time asking if they Bad Man Wily is going to go away soon.

Roll holds her Met baby's hand with both of her hands and assures, "He will one day, Boo. We've just got to stop him first. But, I'll never let him or anybody else hurt you again."

Peekaboo happily bleeps, jumping as he pointing his hand at something in the sky.

"Yep! That's them," Roll replies.

Mega Man and Rush make their final approach to the lab and land on the roof. Peekaboo bleeps to greet them and Roll does too. "Welcome back. I was wondering how late you would be."

"I'm sorry about that. I made sure Kalinka had a safe trip back home so I accompanied her plane there. With all the trouble she's had, I could take the chance," Mega explains.

A skeptical Roll folds her arms and asks her brother a very pertinent question about last night. "And you were on your best behavior last night?"

"Yes, sis. Honest," Mega truthfully replies.

"I know you're honest, so I believe you," Roll replies.

"I know the rest. But, if it was Proto, you _wouldn't_ believe him," Mega adds.

After Mega's comment about their brother, Roll remembers what happened late last night when she followed ProtoMan out and learned that he has secretly been taking care of a friendly female Nomad robot who ran away from Skull Fortress. After seeing that side of Proto, her opinion of him changed.

"Actually, about our brother... I think I've been a little too harsh on him since he's come back home," Roll admits.

Mega Man looks back towards his litter sister almost in shock. "Did I just hear that right?"

Roll explains, "Proto and I finally have an understanding. So, we don't have to mistrust each other all the time anymore. And, I think he really does mean it when he says he's on our side."

Mega Man smiles with relief, "I never thought I would see the day when you two would start getting along."

"Yeah, I never thought I'd see it, either," Roll almost scoffs.

Mega suggests, "We should head inside. It's too cold out here. I'm starting to miss Hawaii's climate already. But, not the psychotic female Robot Masters."

"Actually, something happened yesterday while you were gone at the Police Station. Nobody is saying anything, but they are about to have a news conference soon," Roll says as they head inside.

"I hope everything is alright," Mega adds, wondering what possibly could have happened.

* * *

><p>Mega Man, Rush, Roll and Peekaboo enter the lab where Dr. Light is still hunched over his computer station, working on his secret project that he has devoted a great amount of time towards lately. Thomas still has yet to discuss this project with anybody, including his robot children.<br>But, after hearing them enter the lab, he turns away from his work and greets them. "Welcome back, Rock! And you too, boy!"

"It's good to be home again. After a vacation like that, I'd rather not have one," Mega jokes as Rush barks and runs up to Dr. Light.

Thomas expresses, "I hope you both were able to enjoy yourselves on your last day of vacation."

"The last day was better than the day before, at least. The best part was no Splash Woman," Mega says, removing his helmet and setting it down on his father's workbench. He immediately focuses on what is more important. "How much money did Wily get away with yesterday?"

Dr. Light lets out a worried sigh. "A great deal. More than we could have expected. Combined with the money he took last month, there is no telling what he could do."

"Whatever it is and whenever he chooses to use it against us, we're going to stop it," Mega says.

Thomas looks concerned and turns back to his work. "... Yes, we... we will."

Oblivious to his father's concern, Mega Man turns back to Roll and asks, "By the way, sis, how did you finally learn not to be bitter at our brother so suddenly?"

Put on the spot, Roll chooses her words carefully so she will not reveal the existence of ProtoMan's friend Nomad to the others like ProtoMan insists. "I followed our older brother after he sneaked out again. I thought he was up to no good, but he wasn't. He just wanted to be away from here. He even let me check his communicator records, and there was no history of calls to Wily. We talked for a while. I finally kind of understand where he's coming from, I guess."

Dr. Light turns away from his secret project and asks Roll, "I am relieved to hear that you are finally understanding about your brother, Roll. Exactly what was he doing, if I may ask."

Roll momentarily hesitates, knowing that she has to lie to her own father, which is something she has never really had to do other than the times she said she would stay here at the lab right before sneaking out to help her brother during the early days of the war for everlasting peace.  
>She turns around and responds, "He was just... hanging out so he could be by himself. I guess he gets like Mega sometimes and needs alone time. At least I know that he's really not up to no good anymore."<p>

"I am glad you both can finally get along and learn to trust one another. We need to stay together if we are going to stop Albert Wily," Dr. Light says as he returns to diligently working on his project again.

As Roll and Peekaboo head to the house adjoining the lab, Mega Man picks up and the tone in his father's voice. It was barely noticeable, but he could hear the slight hint of worry and fear when his father advised them to stick together. That, combined with his father's growing concern about what Wily is doing and devoting lots of his time to this mystery project now has Mega concerned.

Before Mega could speak with his father about this, Dr. Light's computer makes a sound. "It must be time for the conference from the police department. They informed me it was important."

Mega Man and Dr. Light turn their attention back to the computer screens, where one of them displays Channel 7's feed of the news conference outside New York Police Station. And they - as well as the rest of New York - are in for a shock.

* * *

><p>On their way out of the lab, Roll and Peekaboo come across ProtoMan, who was on his way to the lab to see his little brother. It was the first time they had seen each other since last night, when Roll learned that Proto was not the bad bot she thought he was.<strong><br>**

Peekaboo happily bleeps hello to Uncle Proto, while Roll greets, "Good morning. Or good_ afternoon_."

"Morning for me doesn't start 'till 3 PM sometimes, sis," Proto quips as he kneels down to hold his left hand up for Peekaboo to High Five, which the Met does with a hop and a beep.

Roll sees Eddie walking by and kneels down to him and Peekaboo, prompting Eddie to ask, "Eddie asks, do you need anything, Roll?"

"You could walk with Peekaboo back to my room. I've got to talk with Proto a little before I get there," Roll responds.

Eddie and Peekaboo ran along to Roll's room and once they are alone, Proto quietly asks, "So, you didn't tell them, did you?"

"No," Roll replies.

"Okay. Good," Proto says, looking replied.

"I don't like lying to my father and brother about your friend. I wish you would just tell them about her," Roll stresses.

"Don't worry, sis. It won't be too long. Once we've got Wily in the clink, I'll tell 'em," Proto assures.

"I still think you need to tell them now. It will only help her," Roll pleas.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't end well for them," Proto deflects.

"If you keep waiting, she might get in real trouble," Roll urges.

"If I feel there's no other choice, then I'll tell them. I just don't know how I'm going to get her here without her trying to kill Rock," Proto says.

"Fine. But, you're going to have to tell Mega and Dr. Light one day," Roll says as she leaves to go to the main house on the lab compound.

ProtoMan calls back, "Roll... Thanks for helping me out here."

Roll stops and replies, "You're welcome."

Proto takes a moment to stand by himself and think about this situation with Nomad. He fells odd for making his sister cover this up, but he reminds himself that he only needs to hide Nomad for a little while longer. Once the war is over, maybe he can tell Dr. light and Mega Man about her and maybe they can treat her.  
>But, for now, she has to be kept a secret for her own sake. And for the sake of his brother's health.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

Outside the station, several news reporters and cameras are gathered by the front entrance. They have been awaiting to hear what the important announcement will be, and it will prove to be an announcement that will cause a cataclysmic change in New York. And nobody will know it, because nobody knows that the police department itself has fallen into dirty hands.

Captain Tallarico (who is also secretly known as Miss T, The Conduit's closest asset) makes her way to the podium in front of the reporters, joined by her bodyguard Officer Rose and several PoliceBots. And nearby are a small contingent of FBI agents, including Agent Rahm Cotto.  
>After the group arrives, Tallarico makes her announcement calmly into the clutter of cobbled-together microphones from broadcast affiliates around the nation. And the audience watching her has no idea of how malicious her intentions truly are...<p>

"What I am about to announce may be very difficult for the citizens of New York to accept, but I assure you it is even more difficult for all of us to announce. Yesterday, a dark moment in our history took place. Chief Montgomery Toombs resigned from his rank of Chief of the New York Metropolitan Police Department in accordance with an ongoing Federal Investigation. I will allow the FBI to explain this in greater detail shortly.  
>All I can say it it came as a great shock to myself and others here, and there are many officers here who continue to stand by Mr. Toombs."<br>Tallarico continues, "Until further notice, I have been elected as the Interim Chief of Police. I take this responsibility very seriously, and I will perform my duty to the best of my ability. I can only hope that I can perform my duties as well as Mr. Toombs has for the past ten years.  
>And while I am honored to accept this nomination, I only wish it were under better circumstances."<p>

The newly anointed Interim Chief Tallarico moves aside and Agent Cotto takes the podium, and after introducing himself (including instructing the press on how to spell his name for the articles, as per procedure) Cotto gives his report.  
>"At approximately 4:21 PM yesterday, Montgomery Toombs was taken into Federal custody as a suspect in a Federal investigation of the Police Department, and is currently undergoing an extensive interview process. Toombs has not been charged with any crimes as of yet.<br>We will not be taking any questions at this time about the investigation or anything relating to it, because this is a classified Federal matter. But, you will notified of why these motions have taken place after this investigation is fully resolved."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Mega Man and Dr. Light are shocked to hear about the news of their friend Chief Toombs being taken in as a suspect. And Mega in particular is the most stunned. "They arrested the Chief?! Why would they? He doesn't have a bad bone in his entire body."

"Humans aren't like us, bro. Most of 'em are always doing something shady, and you never know it. I think we know that better than anybody," Proto pipes in, alluding to Dr. Wily.

Mega Man refuses to believe that this is the case with his friend. "No. It can't be. There's got to be a reason for this, and I'm going to find out." Mega turns to Rush and calls, "Rush, we're heading out again. I hope those jets have cooled off enough for the trip."

Rush barks after eating the last few crumbs of a Battery Biscuit and runs after Mega as he runs back outside, about to head to the local FBI offices and learn what really unfolded with Chief Toombs.

Meanwhile, Dr. Light lets out another audible sigh and shakes his head. His optimism has been put to the test after the events of the first two months of this year, and seeing Chief Toombs be brought down with an accusation like this only makes his feel like this war and the side effects from it must be taken care of before it is too late.  
>He turns back to his secret project and works on it again.<p>

Proto turns his head and asks, "Are you ever gonna tell us what you've been workin' on?"

Thomas responds, "In due time, my son."

* * *

><p><strong>After the conference.<strong>  
><strong>Back at the New York Police Department.<strong>

The new Interim Chief Talia Tallarico makes her way to her new office, which was the same office once held by Montgomery Toombs. While she may only be the Interim Chief now, she is certain that Toombs' goose is cooked, and that will soon become the permanent Chief of Police at this department.  
>This new rank combined with her secret rank as The Conduit's right hand has made Tallarico (or Miss T) the single most powerful woman in New York, and it is a feeling she relishes in and plans on using (and abusing) to get her way. The thought of it is so satisfying that a small smile appears on her lips before she remembers to keep up the front of being the upstanding Chief.<p>

Once she reaches the Chief's Office, she sees several robots removing the last of Toombs' items and belongings. One of the robots is even applying Tallarico's name on the glass door where Toombs' name was until yesterday.  
>Once all of Toombs' things are removed, one of station's robots states, "We will move your personal effects to this office immediately, Interim Chief Tallarico."<p>

"Understood. Now, leave me for ten minutes. I have duties to attend to," Tallarico says as she enters _her_ new office.

The worker robots nod to the new Chief and leave the office so that Tallarico can be by herself. As Tallarico removes her Police hat and hangs it on the clothes hanger on her new wall, she looks around the office, already feeling what it is like to hold this kind of power over the biggest city in the country.  
>Even with power like this, she still has those she needs to answer to: the New York state officials who elected her to this position, and her secret boss, The Conduit.<p>

The corrupt Captain plans on contacting her underground employer on her masked signal cell phone now that she is alone, but as she begins to reach for the phone in her pocket she hears a knock at the door.  
>She tucks the secret phone back into her pocket and replies, "Come in."<p>

Agent Cotto enters the office and delivers some news to the new Chief. "Our agents will be further interviewing Mr. Toombs later this afternoon. But, our investigation will continue until we know beyond the shadow of a doubt whether the situation has been resolved. This is in case we made an error in judgment."

"I can personally guarantee you, Agent, there will be no corruption inside of this department as long as I am in command. This station will continue to be fully cooperative during your investigation. I will keep you informed if anything happens here," Tallarico says, lying through her teeth about there being a lack of corruption.

Cotto leaves and replies, "There is no need to call us. We're already watching."

Tallarico stares at Cotto with daggers in her eyes, and she wastes no time getting out of her chair and closing the door so that she can make a private call to her real employer, The Conduit...

_"Yes, Miss T, what is it?"_

"I've got to make this quick. The FBI are still watching everyone here, even with Toombs out of the way. Our calls are going to have to be brief while I'm here so they can't trace them."

_"Then, do not places calls to me while you are on active duty... Chief Tallarico. Report to me tonight. And watch your back."_

"Understood," Tallarico says, quickly cutting the call off before it could be traced. A frown appeared on her face.

"It looks like this new job will not be as easy as I thought. But, I'll get our Latin friend Cotto off our back soon enough," she says to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>FBI New York building.<br>**

Mega Man and Rush arrive to the FBI building, and Mega looks like he is not in the mood to hear any excuses or be turned back today. "You might have to have to wait out here for me until I get back, boy."

Rush barks as Mega Man heads for the door of the FBI New York branch. But, he stops and turns back around to look at a newspaper headline of the papers still loaded into a pair of newspaper kiosks. One headline reads in bold font, **_"_**_**Mega Man no-shows massive Wily Bank Heist."**_

Seeing the stinging headline only hits Mega Man hard about falling into the trap of Splash Woman so easily while he was at Hawaii. He was already hard on himself over how badly that all went, but now that he has seen this, he feels like he has failed the very people he has promised to defend and failed them on a bigger level than the few defeats he has taken before.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Wily. Because you're not winning this war," Mega says to himself as he turns back towards the FBI New York branch with a little extra force in his walk...

Once he enters, he sees a group of FBI guardian robots, whose design are not too dissimilar to that of PoliceBots, although their armor is silver and black, and their jaws are less square to look more serious.

Mega calls to the FBI robots, "I'm here to see Chief Tombs. I heard he was here."

The guard robots stop Mega Man before he could proceed. "I am sorry, Mega Man. But, that is a confidential case. We humbly ask you to please turn away."

"Are you serious?" Mega asks in shock.

"I can handle this," instructs Agent Cotto, who has just returned from the Police Station.

The two robot guards stand firm as the human agent stands between them and Mega Man. Mega presses, "What's going on with Chief Toombs? Is he still here?"

Cotto replies, "I can understand your concern, Mega Man. But, this is a top secret matter. Until this case is declassified, it is for Federal eyes only."

Mega Man tries to reason with the agent anyway. "I know this is a classified investigation, but can I at least get Mr. Toombs' side of the story? H's not the kind of man who should be arrested."

"He hasn't officially been arrested yet. But he is facing very serious charges if we press them. I know you two have worked together in the past, but we can make no exceptions when it comes to top secret cases. Not even you," Cotto reiterates.

"I could take this to President Henry. After everything my family and I have done just for the United States alone, I think I've earned a little leeway," Mega suggests, putting a little added pressure on the agent. A move that he has surely learned by discussing things with ProtoMan since he has come home.

Cotto sighs and nearly turns away in frustration. He hates the idea that the Defender of the Human Race himself is trying to go over his head to get to Toombs and potentially sidetrack the entire investigation and result in Cotto getting chewed out by his superiors at the same time.  
>But, the more he thinks of it, the more Cotto realizes that Mega Man's suspicion over Toombs getting arrested might have merit. And if his hunch that this case is not as closed as his superiors think, maybe Mega Man's involvement could help get this cleared.<p>

Cotto submits, "I'll have to get permission from my superiors, but if they say no, there's nothing I can do."

"I'll wait. I want to hear The Chief's side of the story first," Mega says, standing straight in the lobby of the FBI building as a small chattering of onlookers who work here have already begun to form around him.  
>He hated having to overstep his boundaries, but something about this whole situation with the former Chief feels like it is a huge mistake. One that he might have to get to the bottom to.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>**.**

Former Chief Toombs sits here in an FBI holding room, now wearing a plain white t-shirt and slacks as he stares at a table. He is not handcuffed, but he is getting antsy after being held here for nearly a whole day and begin questioned like a criminal, which he knows he is not.  
>All he can do here is try in vain to defend himself from these phony charges and hope he wins. And he also wonders who set him up. Was it somebody who had a problem with him, or was it somebody who wanted his job? Or was he in he wrong place at the wrong time?<br>Or has the station really been compromised by those people who Mr. Black was working for?

He hears the door begin to open and he doesn't bother looking up, certain that it is Cotto or another FBI agent, and even after hear the clank of robot feet, he is sure it is just a FBI robot here to accompany him to a meal where he will be under heavy scrutiny just eating.

"Chief?" calls of the voice of Mega Man.

For the first time in many hours, a smile appears on Toombs' unshaven face and he stands from the table to approach Mega. "Oi! I wasn't expectin' ta' see yoo here today, Laddy. Are ya' here ta' break me out?"

"I would have liked to, but they wouldn't let me," Mega jokes. Then, his tone goes serious, "But, I'm trying to find out why you're here. It was announced on the news that Captain Tallarico is the interim Chief. What happened?"

"Somebody's tryin' ta' frame me for something I didn't do," Toombs answers.

"I know the feeling," Mega Man replies, recalling the time Dr. Wily had attempted to frame Mega for kidnapping Kalinka Cossack last year.

"They brought me here 'cause they think I blew that sting operation where we tried ta' catch Wily and those goons Mr. Black was workin' with. They had this recordin' with my voice givin' the order to send back-up too early. But, I didn't ever send it, I swear to yoo, Lad! Yoo think I'd go an' do somethin' like that an' risk Wily or anyone else get their hands on that big jewel the feds were worryin' about?"

Mega Man can sense the stress coming from Toombs' body and nervous system, and he looks like he is telling the truth. Mega shakes his head, "No, Chief."

Toombs lets out a woesome chuckle. "It's about time somebody believed me, Laddy."

Mega nods, "The agents say they will let you go home soon. But, if they don't find any other leads, they might try to press a charge. Just keep telling them your side of the story. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, lad. You're a real pal. Just do one thing for me," Toombs asks, "Keep an eye on things. If those Mr. Black people got me in here, they'll be lookin' for you guys next."

"I'm used to watching my back, sir. I've been told about these people," Mega replies...

But, the Defender of the Human Race does not know quite how low The Conduit's network will go, especially now that Miss T/Chief Tallarico has infiltrated the Police Department. And while The Conduit may not be as powerful as Dr. Wily is, The Network is still a threat. Including the one young man who Mega himself tried to set straight last year named Tiesel Bonne.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<br>The Gesselchaft.**

Many of the Servbots wait at the entrance door of the ship, awaiting the return of the Bonnes and their beloved Miss Tron. Even the Chef Servbot is here, still wearing his chef hat. There are so many yellow marshmallow-shaped heads with smiling faces that it would be impossible for many to not find the sight cute.  
>But, when they see Tron return in a matter of seconds, the sight they are about to see is not going to be cute. After seeing the object of her affection (or obsession) Mega Man kissing another girl in Kalinka Cossack, she is not in a cute mood anymore.<p>

The GesselChaft's main entrance opens and there stands Tron Bonne, wearing such an intense frown on her face it looks like an upside-down letter U. This look has been frozen on her face for much of the day.

The Servbots try in vain to welcome her back anyway. They all cheer in unison, "Welcome back, Miss Tron!"

"Not now!" Tron huffs as she storms off to her room, her feet stomping all the way there.

All the Servbots gets sad or shocked looks on their cute little faces, as does Servbot #1 who enters the ship next. A fellow Servbot asks, 'What's wrong with Miss Tron?"

"She's not happy anymore. She very mad," #1 answers, looking sad himself as he twiddles his yellow clampy hands.

Tiesel walks in carrying his little brother Bon and a bag, and he immediately orders the Servbots around. "We have a ton of luggage and I'm not carrying it! So, all of you, get moving and put my little brother in his crib, on the double! And keep him out of the Kressial suit!"

The Servbots march into motion, running outside to bring in all the luggage (mostly Tron's) into the Gesselchaft while some of them take Bon away, who babbles, "Babu!"

Afterwards, Tiesel scampers off to his room on the ship, carrying his bag. Once he reaches the room he closes the door behind him and rummages through the bag until he finds the super-binoculars Tron used when she witnessed Mega Man kissing Kalinka Cossack.

The instruments are not in the same shape they were in because Tron managed to destroy them with her bare hands in rage. But, all that matters is that she did not destroy the little memory chip that Tiesel had secret implanted on them.  
>He was not expecting to catch such a big find like that, but if he can use it to get back at Mega Man for soiling his chances at being a hero wannabe, he is planning to use it to do just that.<p>

Tiesel opens the small compartment on the side of the binoculars, which was left hanging open after the damage his sister caused to them, and removes the small memory chip.

"Still intact. That's a miracle," Tiesel says to himself as he boots his computer station and loads it into the small port. "The real miracle will be if it captured those sickening little lovebirds."

A lot of time passes before the chip loads, but after a lot of time and patience, Tiesel finds the video file with the kiss between Mega Man and Kalinka and grins. "Good! Let's see how your squeaky clean image fares after having to explain a romance with a human girl, you big blue boy scout! Maybe Mikhail Cossack will come after you again! Or that lunatic William Cochran will smear your name with it... or... I know who could use this!"

Tiesel captures several still frames of the video and converts them into images with his right hand, and contacts The Conduit with his masked signal phone with his left. Quite the feat considering his phone is quite unyielding, cobbled together with bits from old phones from well over one-hundred years ago.

After a ring, The Conduit answers, _"Mr. Endo. I presume you have returned."_

"I'm back with quite the piece of information we could use against Mega Man!"

_"I expect to be impressed."_

Tiesel grins, thinking he has found himself the ultimate leverage over Mega Man. "It seems our robot hero has found himself a girlfriend. A human girlfriend! And not just any human, but it's Dr. Mikhail Cossack's daughter, Kalinka! And I have photographic evidence!"

_"Interesting... if you are a tabloid addict."_

"What do you mean? This is huge! If the general public hears about this, a lot of them might not react well to it."

_"This is not the 1900's anymore, Mr. Endo. The general population are more open minded than they were then. This is hardly a scandal."_

"But, we can still use it to hurt him! If he gets in our way, we know what leverage to use against him. The Cossacks are not exactly regular citizens anymore," Tiesel spits, still allowing his anger towards Mega Man to cloud his sense of right and wrong.

Finally, after a long pause, The Conduit states. _"Mega Man could prove a challenge now that he has likely been informed of our existence by Mr. Black. And he could arrest Dr. Wily before we get the chance to take him out ourselves. Send your evidence to Mr. Wire when you get the chance. He will know what to do with it should we need to get Mega Man out of the way. Until you do, I want you to repair the computer we used to transmit the robot virus. And when you do, I want you to make sure that it transmits the virus this time."  
><em>

"Yes, Conduit. I will get right on it," Tiesel says.

_"__Make sure we do not use it until you can prove it works. There will be no third strike for anybody inside my network. Fare thee well, for now, Mr. Endo."_

Tiesel gulps in fear again as the call cuts out. And afterwards, Tiesel feels a hint of doubt over what he just did by setting up Mega Man to be potentially blackmailed or putting Kalinka Cossack in danger after she never did anything directly to him. He questions the wisdom of a harsh cruel move like that.  
>But, Tiesel disregards these feelings. He believes that whether he should or shouldn't have done it does really matter and it's done. He feels that Mega Man robbed him of his chance to be a hero last year, and that Kalinka is not that innocent either after causing his sister to become a force of nature with her anger yesterday.<br>And even if Mega Man is the Defender of the Human Race, The Conduit is going after Wily too, so Tiesel justifies it in his mind. But, he has really made things even worse by giving any help his underground boss.

* * *

><p><strong>Two months later. April 20X4.<strong>  
><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

After spending several million dollars on just the raw materials alone, Dr. Wily is here in the foundry deep underground inside the fortress, constructing the endoskeleton body of the robot whom he believes will win him the world. Originally, this robot would have been built like any other. But now, this robot will have a hyper-alloy combat chassis, one so durable it has never been seen in a robot before.  
>Even Bass was not built this tough. And that is how Wily wants this robot: something that is head and shoulders above all others and, if everything goes according to plan, impossible to destroy.<p>

The skeletal body of this ultimate creation is currently sealed into a large mold casting, cooling off after the special grade titanium was liquified and cast over it. And Dr. Wily is standing to the side with the same wicked grin on his face, continuing to snicker to himself is he watches the release timer tick down until it runs out.

Seconds later, the sealed mold makes loud hissing sounds and unlocks, slowly opening to reveal the freshly minted endoskeleton of this ultimate robot. Albert continues to chuckle as she places his hands on the left arm of the robot, already build with a hand-to-cannon module like many other robots have.  
>The robot is not alive yet, still not containing any central programming circuitry or a memory core, or any other vital parts, but Wily stares into the lifeless eye circuits on the skull of the robot and talks to his creation.<br>"You are going to succeed where all others have failed me. You will serve me the world on a plate."

"Then, who will bring you the head of Mega Man?" asks the annoyed voice of Bass from across the foundry.

Dr. Wily frowns as he turns around to face his current right hand robot. "As we have discussed before, you will deal with Mega Man, provided you are trustworthy enough for the honor."

"I don't know if your aging human mind remembers, but I stopped Splash Woman from potentially destroying your plan to distract Mega Man from interfering in the robbery. And if I had not been able to, she would have sabotaged your entire army by herself," Bass argues.

"Yes, and your service is to be commended. But, even with you as my right hand robot, you still have a ways to go to prove your trustworthiness, Bass," Wily says.

Bass becomes angered at Wily's comments and growls, "What more do I have to do?!"

"Never let your lust for another cloud your mission. You have done it time and time again," Wily replies, referring to Bass' obsession with Roll.

"You said she could be mine when this war has ended," Bass snaps.

"And if you desire it, so it shall be. But, never let her come before your duty to me!" Wily barks. "Many times I question who you would obey first: me or Thomas Light's daughter. Once you realize who is truly in charge here, your future in my army will be quite prosperous."

Bass tries to volley his argument back at Wily, close to making the threat of abandoning him permanently if any harm were to ever come to Roll. And that is when Bass' eyes catch the sight of the remaining shard of the Jadous Sphere which Wily brought with him and is settled in a tough jar on the controls next to the mad doctor.  
>Bass remembers the kind of power that small shard alone has and it would be a foolish move to try and boss Wily around while he has something as powerful as that shard.<br>Instead, Bass just plays along with Wily for now. He nods, "Understood. But, I expect Roll to be mine and mine alone when this war is over."

"And I expect you to stay in line, Bass. Because if you do not, your replacement is already under construction," Dr. Wily warns, pointing his thumb towards the freshly minted endoskeleton in the casting.

Bass replies, "It will _not_ come to that."

"That depends on you, my boy," Wily says.

Bass frowns and leaves the foundry, leaving Dr. Wily alone with the endoskeleton. And on the way out, he begins trying to figure out a way to stay on Wily's good side... and perhaps find the right time to make sure that shard is no longer a factor...

"Every time I see Wily, he has that forsaken shard!" He complains to himself after he is out of earshot. "As long as he has it, it poses a threat to my power here. If only there was a way to rid him of that damned shard, even this new robot he is constructing could never stand up to me if I were to abandon the old fool again!"

In mid-stride, however, the quadirium (or Bassinium) jewels in Bass' helmet and chest begin to glow, causing Bass to become nearly frozen when he feels a sudden power surge through his body. He puts a hand on his chest jewel and tries to figure out what is wrong when a second sudden jolt of power flows through him.

His body stands straight and his head kicks back and his face looks stunned as every joint in his body becomes tense. He loses the ability to move or make a sound as this strange, feeling washes over him. Then all of his memories begin to race through his mind on their own, including minor details like intel about Earth and this solar system, governments and countries.  
>The search then focuses on the origins and power of the jewels in Bass' chest and any explanation on how he got them. It was like he had been hacked and was being controlled like malicious software would corrupt a computer.<p>

Only a few seconds later, Bass' jewels cease glowing and he falls on his back in the middle of the corridor. The amount of energy it took causes him to black out until his energy reserves kick in.  
>Little does he know that the very jewels that give Bass his power were just used against him, like wherever or whoever they came from found their location and used them to send out a blast signal find them.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>California Science Center.<br>San Fransisco, California.**  
><strong>

At the underground laboratory located here at the Science Center, the lab coat clad super-intelligent robot Brain Bot enjoys one of his favorite hobbies when he is not tinkering with things and trying to improve their productivity in every way, and that hobby is gazing out into space with the massive telescope.  
>It is late at night here on the west coast, and it is the best time for stargazing. And Brain Bot could not be happier than right now.<p>

"Space! It is quite fascinating," he says to himself with his kind smile on his face, peeking through the telescope with his eyeglass-rimmed eyes, "When the conflict with Dr. Wily is finally over, I do plan on traveling through space one day. Perhaps I could collaborate with Dr. Light and re-establish the O-Zone layer and make it so that it could never be compromised again."

There is one subject in the final frontier that has Brain Bot interested in more than any other... "I would love to travel deep into space, where nobody has ever explored. Finally learn if there really are any civilizations out there other than those on Earth. That would be fun, and quite fascinating. I will need to learn how to improve our stellar communication translators first. Don't want to rink sending out the wrong message."

But in the middle of Brain Bot's stargazing,his eyes catch something very unusual out in space..._ nine_ unusual things to be exact. At this great distance, they appear to be no bigger than a constellation of stars, but each of them are a different color. The sight of these unusual objects cause the super-intelligent robot to analyze them further.

"What is this?" he says to himself in stunned amazement, trying to zoom the telescope on the objects tighter. "Oh, my goodness! I have never seen anything like this! Nor have their been any stellar occurrences like this on record"

As Brain Bot intensely watches the objects in space, his right hand blindly enters a command into a control panel on the telescope which will send this information to the many supercomputers here at the Science Center for analysis.

"It might be a distant solar system about to go supernova. Or perhaps, another group of comets we have yet to encounter." Brain Bot, then ponders, "I have heard the myth about the Makuhuna Comet before, but there was never any evidence to prove it does exist. What if this is it, or something similar?"

Once the computer's instant results are in Brain Bot turns away if only for a moment and his eyes quickly scan the monitor, only to widen in shock. According to the computer's projections, these nine objects in space are actually all coming closer to our solar system. And they are all heading directly towards Earth.  
>There is no way that nine inanimate objects could head directly towards Earth in a perfect formation. Which means they must be controlled... or they must be alive!<p>

Brain Bot looks through the telescope at the nine unidentified objects and exclaims, "Oh, my! I think we might have just made first contact!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<br>**_

_I'm sorry for making you folks wait for so long for the interlude. But, at least I got it out on time on the 20th Anniversary of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon.  
>As I have said before, this carton means a lot to me. It was the main inspiration for me to write,and be creative and through this fic it has allowed a dream to come true and I met some very special people in my life.<br>Happy Anniversary to Mega Man, the Ruby-Spears cartoon. And thank you.  
><em>

_In case you did not see my tweet from a month ago, THE STARDROIDS are coming in Episode 14, and it will hopefully be an explosive one. (Hopefully better than Transformers 4.)  
>Episode 14 will debut in October.<br>_

_Please remember to leave a review or comment. And if you see any typos, or continuity errors so bad that the Shovel Knight would not be able to catch it in his dreams, please PM me right away.  
>Also, I will try to reply to you much sooner this time.<br>_


	148. Episode 14: Invasion of The StarDroids

**EPISODE 14: Invasion of The StarDroids.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The year is 20X4.<strong>

**The War for Everlasting Peace has taken unexpected and very troubling turns in recent months.**

**Dr. Wily has diligently worked on constructing a robot who he believes will be his ultimate creation, and his recent plots have involved gathering money to construct it. Only time will tell if this ultimate creation will be another failed experiment or the final step to victory for Dr. Wily.**

**And in the shadows, the shadow organization run by The Conduit has gained an even stronger foothold in the proceedings now that the asset known as Miss T (who is really a Police Officer named Talia Tallarico) has been elected as Interim Chief of Police following a seemingly successful framing of the previous Chief.**

**But, while the enemies of the forces of good continue to grow stronger on Earth, there is another enemy approaching from the far reaches of Outer Space. An enemy that the forces of both good and evil have no idea how to counteract.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Unidentified Flying Objects.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>National Science Center.<br>San Francisco, California.  
>Nearly forty-eight hours after the Hollywood bank heist.<strong>

It is now 3 AM on the west coast, and the normally quiet Science Center is bustling with activity following the shocking discovery made by Brain Bot, and now everybody who normally works or studies here is catching their first glimpse of the nine unidentified objects in the far reaches of space.  
>The reaction from every scientist and astronomer begins the same way Brain Bot's did: with shock and amazement. Afterwards, some here think this is a great find, while others are fearing the worst and everyone is working diligently to discover what these nine objects are doing heading here, and what - if any - effect they will have on Earth.<p>

Brain Bot himself is intensely studying the objects himself at another observation area in his laboratory, and a Human scientist named Leonard Spiner, the Chairman of the National Science Center approaches him. After catching the sight of the nine objects with his own eyes minutes ago, the Chairman asks, "What's your opinion, Brain Bot?"

Brain Bot replies, "I am running several scenarios in my super-processor, sir, such as possible trajectories, potential impact locations and timing of said impact, scanning for life signs within the objects themselves, and mass and energy readings."

Chairman Spiner asks, "What are your conclusions?"

Brain Bot completes his latest research study and the small blue light on the processor encapsulated in his green helmet's bubble. He replies, "They are about to pass the sun, and are traveling at an estimated 4,000,000 miles per hour. If my calculations are correct and if they do not increase speed, they will reach Earth in just under twenty-four hours. They are very likely to make direct contact with Earth as well."

"Are they just asteroids, meteors... or are they something else?" asks the Chairman.

Brain Bot responds, "I am waiting on the latest scan results from the long-range sensors, sir. They should be ready within thirty seconds. The previous scan was inconclusive. Once things are settled, I really should find a way to improve the scanner's efficiency, perhaps by lowering the supersonic interference."

The computer console begins to show the results Brain Bot was searching for, displaying several EKG-like graphs that will pick up any potential life form. And after a long pause, Brain Bot answers, "Life sign scans appear to be positive, sir. There is, of course, a margin of error, and the results will be more clear later, but I am certain that we have made First Contact! Even if we haven't, this could be real evidence of life outside our solar system. These objects may very well originate from where the quadirium came from."

Chairman Spiner can feel the very same nervous excitement and concerns as the others here are. One one hand, he is thrilled about the idea the First Contact might have finally been made, and also silently dreading the possibility that this might be bad news as well.  
>"Actual contact with alien life," he says to himself, his stare wandering off.<p>

Brain Bot chimes in, "Sir, I recommend we contact the proper channels withing the Government and Since communities, so that we can properly assess this situation."

"Right. I will call N.A.S.A. and Washington D.C. immediately. There is a chance they might not even know this," says the Chairman.

"I think we should contact my creator Dr. Light, too," Brain Bot says, "If these nine objects would pose a threat, he can deploy Galaxy Man, and even Mega Man."  
>The super-intelligent robot rubs his chin and looks concerned, "I certainly hope it does not come to that. We already have enough of a threat in that loathsome Dr. Wily."<p>

Brain Bot looks back toward his reach on the rapidly approaching nine objects in space, which still appear to be nothing more than nine stars in the distance. With every second that passes, it becomes clear that this is a matter the world will have to deal with, for better or for worse.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that morning.<br>Dr. Light's Lab.  
><strong>

Dr. Light leans over his computer station as he nears the completion his top secret project. After spending several weeks perfecting this design, he is finally satisfied with it, but the there is still the process of perfecting it in constructing it.  
>This is also a very bittersweet accomplishment for Thomas, for he has hoped that this project would be the next evolution in robotics, building upon where he started with ProtoMan, and later Roll and RockMega Man. But, with the war against Dr. Wily still ongoing and showing signs of getting worse before it gets any better, this project could just ultimately become another instrument of warfare.

Thomas rubs his eyes after the final element of the design meets his standards and saves the files. He says to himself, "This design can be improved later, but it will work for now. Maybe it need some time away from this project to think clearer. I should begin work on programming the Artificial Intelligence this weekend. For now, I should focus on Rock and Roll's birthday."

Thomas stands up from his chair, but suddenly remembers. "Oh, dear. I've been spending so much time on this project and worrying about this war that I forgot to make plans for them. I haven't been there like I was earlier in their lives," he regretfully says. "At least there is still time this week to take care of their birthday."

On his way out of the lab, the central computer station begins making a sound to indicate an high priority call is coming in. Thomas turn around, "Hmmm. I wonder who this is. It's not an emergency... at least, I hope."

Dr. Light answers the call, "This is Dr. Thomas Light speaking."

_"Please hold for The President,"_ responds a robot's voice on the other line as The Presidential Insignia appears on one of the two monitors above the station.

The sudden nature of this call from The President comes as a surprise to Thomas, and one of concern. Usually when a call like this comes in, it could be for an important reason. And if it is an important reason, Dr. light wonders how serious the matter really is.

Soon, a live picture of President Keith Henry appears on the screen and he speaks to Dr. Light from The White House with a slight smile on his face. _"Dr. Light, it's good to speak with you again. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."_

"Not at all, Mr. President. Did you need to speak with me?"

_"I do need to talk with both you and Mega Man. It is a very important matter. I would like it if you both came to Washington so that I can inform you in person."_

"Is there a reason why you cannot inform us via the teleconference?" Dr. Light asks.

_"The information I need to share with you is very sensitive, and we cannot take the chance if our communications being monitored. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it is absolutely necessary."_

"If you insist, Mr. President," Thomas replies. He follows his answer with a question. "If I may ask, how serious is this matter."

_"Potentially... very important. It may very well be the most important matter this world has had to deal with in many years."_

Thomas nods in agreement. "I understand. We'll be on our way shortly."

After the call is completed and President Henry's face disappears from the screen, Dr. Light contacts Mega Man via his wristwatch as he leaves the lab. "Rock, are you busy?"**  
><strong>

Mega replies, _"No. Just finishing testing Rush's new adapters. Is something wrong?"_

"President Henry contacted the lab and summoned you and I to come to The White House. He says the matter to top secret and could not discuss it over the teleconference."

_"We'll be on our way there shortly. Unless you'd like us to pick you up,"_ Mega offers.

Thomas smiles, "I think I'll take the safer option and use the SkyCar, son. I'll see you there."

Dr. Light puts his lab coat away and grabs a brown suit jacket to wear over the rest of his clothing. For a moment, he pauses and wonders again how serious this news will be for his family and the world, or even Albert Wily.

He calls to his house right next door and contacts Morris the Robo Butler. "Morris, could you please chauffeur me to Washington D.C.? I'm afraid I will be too distracted to drive myself there."

_"Right away, Dr. Light,"_ Morris replies.

* * *

><p>We see a video of falsely accused Ex-Police Chief Montgomery Toombs walking into a New York City Courthouse with his attorney, flanked by nearly one-hundred members of the media, both human and robot.<br>The embattled Ex-Chief is about to begin his toughest mission yet: proving his innocence in a court of law. Toombs is now facing a corruption charge pressed by the FBI, even though the Bureau has yet to find any other hard evidence that would prove any corruption other than the doctored audio that was spread on the web.

We hear Bree Recotta narrating a news report...

"The former Chief of Police Montgomery Toombs entered court today to fight off a charge of corruption. This follows his surprising resignation in February, which resulted in Captain Talia Tallarico being chosen to become the Interim Chief in his absence. Toombs was indicted by the FBI just weeks later after the FBI said that he was, in their words, 'too hotheaded' to be cooperative."

We see footage of the aftermath of a Wily attack in January, including the wreckage of one of Dr. Wily's Skullkers and an unmasked and severely injured Mr. Black being carried away on a stretcher. "The charge stems from a call for police back-up during a covert operation to apprehend Dr. Wily during the blackout in January. This call for back-up caused the operation to be a failure and led to Dr. Wily's escape," Bree narrates, only including the parts of this operation that the FBI and New York Police were willing to disclose.  
>She continues, "Audio of a voice that the FBI claims was that of Toombs giving the order for back-up was leaked on the web in the weeks following. Toombs was ousted as Chief of Police the following day."<p>

We see an artists illustration of the courtroom proceedings, showing Toombs, his lawyer, FBI representatives and the Judge as Bree adds, "Toombs entered a plea of Not Guilty this morning, and in a statement to Channel 7, his attorneys says he plans on vigorously fighting this charge and that he charge was erroneous. The statement also said that Toombs plans on returning to work once he proves his innocence in court."

We then see a live shot of Bree Recotta standing in front of the courthouse as she concludes the report. "The trial of Montgomery Toombs is expected to begin in the coming days, pending any delays. And while we do not yet know for sure if Toombs is guilty or innocent, this controversy has cast yet another dark cloud over this city, leaving many to wonder when this series of problematic events will come to an end."  
>Bree signs off, "Reporting from Tweed Courthouse, Bree Recotta, WNYC News."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>New York Police Precinct.<strong>

While Chief Toombs is about to begin to defend himself in court, The police is preparing to increase security ahead of tomorrow's New York Presidential Primaries. Interim Chief Talia Tallarico has successfully slid into her new rank without compromising her secret activity as The Conduit's top asset, Miss T, and those around her are none the wiser.

Talarico is presently leading a briefing with the rest of the available human and robotic officers, plotting out how they need to be aware and prepared for any possible problems that might arise before the Primaries are over.

"This is the second major election period since Albert Wily first attacked us in Times Square. And I'm sure we all remember what he tried to pull two years ago during the Gubernatorial election," Tallarico says, recalling the Deacon Operation, when he created robot duplicates of several Elected officials, including Mitchell Deacon himself, attempting to slowly control America by literally controlling it's leaders.

Tallarico adds, "We need to make sure that, or something worse, doesn't happen. And we need to ensure nothing interferes with the election process over the next seven months, starting with tomorrow primaries. If any of you see anything suspicious, I want to know about it. If there is any kind of threat to the lives of any of the candidates, The Mayor or Governor Deacon, I expect you to do whatever it takes to stop it. Is that understood?"

There is a general affirmative response from the human officers, while the PoliceBots reply in unison, "Yes, Chief Tallarico."

"Louder! Is that understood?" Tallarico asks much more sternly.

The human Officers reply with either, "Yes, Chief," "Yes, Ma'am," or "Yes, Chief Tallarico."

Tallarico concludes with a scowl on her face, "Good. Now, get to work and don't mess this up."

The briefing is finished and the Officers begin to depart, leaving Tallarico standing by herself. Once everyone has left, she soon leaves and the frown on her face only grows.  
>She is frustrated that The Conduit's deadline to complete this plot is fast approaching, but they are no closer to accomplishing their goal of assassinating Dr. Wily and somehow shaming Governor Deacon to the point where he leaves office, and make all of it happen before Election Day.<p>

Time is running out and that only puts the lives of the other assets and Tallarico's life in jeopardy, and she knows it. Of course, she could care less about the lives of Mr. Endo (Tiesel) or Mr. Wire, so long as she survives.

Once she is alone, Tallarico stops and leans her head against a hallway wall, letting out a long, exasperated, angry sigh, trying to think of a way to get this all accomplished in time.  
>"How the hell am I going to pull this off?"<p>

"Captain... I mean, Chief. Are you alright?"

Tallarico is surprised to hear the voice of her bodyguard Officer Ash Rose right behind her. She figures he must have followed her here. She immediately buries her anger pretends to be stressed and fatigued from the rigors of her new rank as Chief.  
>Her shoulders sag as she lets out a sigh, wearing a tired and woeful expression on her face as she turns around.<p>

"It's only been two months, but this job has been more of a strain on me than I ever expected," she says, sounding pensive.

Rose says, "Nobody ever said being the Chief was easy. But, if it makes you feel any better, you're doing a better job you think. I couldn't have ever done as well as you are already."

Tallarico puts on a sad smile, "Stop it, Ash. You're just being nice now."

Officer Rose steps closer and places his muscular hand on Tallarico's shoulder, and she looks up, feeling a tingle of excitement when she feels his touch.  
>Over the past two months, the two have begun to grow attracted to one another, which began during a chance meeting in the Police gym in February. And they have slowly begun to grow close since then.<p>

"Talia... maybe all you need is some time away from here. How about after the primaries are over, we spend some time together," Ash suggests.

Tallarico shrugs and says in a breathy tone, "We already spend time together, Ash. Unless you mean we spend time off-duty instead of chasing bad guys."

"That is what I mean," Ash says, smiling.

Tallarico finally smiles and says, "I've kind of forgotten what it's like in the real world. So, it's a deal."

Tallarico takes a moment to rub her hands against Rose's large arms before reminding him, "We better go before somebody catches us being all kissy-kissy on-duty."

Ash grins, "Yes, Ma'am."

The two give each other a longing look before Rose departs, leaving Tallarico here. After encountering him here, Talia's anger appears to be gone and she is amazed. Even with the mounting pressures of The Conduit's mission and trying to maintain her cover here, having Rose in the palm of her hands is very relieving. Perhaps satisfying.

Tallarico grins, "This job has it's perks."**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Gesselchaft.<strong>

In his quarters, Tiesel tries to repair the computer which was damaged in January after it failed to spread a robot virus which was meant to cripple Dr. Wily's robot army. It is difficult to find a wireless signal transmitter that works without going out and buying it, which might raise a red flag with Tron or their parents. So, Tiesel has been searching for any piece of computer scrap in recent deals with customers in the hopes of finding one strong enough for the virus, and his secret boss The Conduit has grown impatient with having to wait.

Finally, just yesterday, Tiesel found a suitable one and is in the process of wiring it to the personally built computer. Once this task is done, and Wily's robots are corrupted, maybe he will never have to work for The Conduit again and he can just be let go.

After some soldering, the vital part is attached to the motherboard inside the computer and it should be ready to be used again soon. "Now all I need to do is replace the power supply and this virusy death machine will be complete."

Tiesel looks up at the clock on the wall (another item 'liberated' from a customer,) and sees that it is past Noon and he still has yet to hear from Tron today. In fact, Tron has been rather busy on the ship lately, which is a blessing considering the first week after the return from Hawaii was spent in pure rage.  
>She is still obsessively in love with Mega Man, but she now has a major grudge against Kalinka Cossack. A grudge which is far more unhealthy than her obsession with Mega Man.<p>

"I better check up on her. The last time I left her alone, she poked a hole in the hull with a crossbow after making a Kalinka Cossack dart board," Tiesel says to himself.

* * *

><p>Tiesel makes his way to the garage area of the ship, following the sounds of his little sister's orders and clanking sounds of Servbots working hard. He then sneaks around the corner and watches his sister boss around her Servbots from a safe distance.<p>

"Hurry it up! We're almost done and I want it finished by tomorrow night!" she barks.

Several Servbot voices peep, "Yes, Miss Tron!"

Tiesel's red-lensed eyes become wide when he sees that his little sister is putting the finishing touches on her dream machine: a large green-armored mech suit that is almost twice as tall as she is. And the left arm appears to be capable of changing into a weapon of some kind.

Tron herself is supervising the construction of this mech, wearing a white lab coat and protective pink goggles while holding a datapad in her free hand. She suddenly calls, "Tiesel! These goggles are tapped into the security cameras and I can see you there!"

Tiesel slaps his head and comes out of hiding, entering the garage. After he arrives, he asks his sister, "Tron... what on Earth is this?!"

"It's my power mech suit. I call it the Gustaff. I have been designing it for months, but I never had the time to get to work on it until now," Tron firmly declares with a balled-up, pink-gloved fist.

Tiesel asks "And is there a reason why you have decided to construct your Gustaff with a weapon of some kind? I thought you were making this to help with loading and unloading of heavy salvage and equipment."

Tron dramatically turns around and loudly replies, "There is a reason! I am going to pay a visit to that little home-wrecker named Kalinka Cossack and I'm going to tell her to stay away from my man! With a little bit of intimidation from a real genius!"

Tiesel remains slack-jawed after hearing his little sister's brazen plans. "... What?!"

"She butted into my dream relationship and tried to take Mega Man for herself! She couldn't just stay away after almost getting her and her absent-minded father blown up in Times Square last year! But, I'm going to make her butt out! She's dealing with the wrong woman!" Tron announces.  
>She then blathers even more nonsense, such as, "Russian women are evil, anyway. She's probably only after Mega Man's body and Dr. Light's money."<p>

Tiesel's square jaw only hangs open wider after listening to Tron's points, all of which are so bizarre and ridiculous enough that even the most paranoid conspiracy theorist wouldn't spew them.  
>He shakes off his sister's strange comments and asks about one very prominent feature on the torso of Tron's Gustaff. "Is there a reason why you've decided to use our logo right in the center of your monstrosity?"<p>

Tron praddles on, "It's stupid! It's hideous! It's the most unfriendly thing I have ever seen... and that's why I'm using it! Plus, it provides extra protection for the cockpit, so I could use it."

"But, Tron! If anybody sees that logo, they will trace it back to us!" Tiesel complains.

"The sooner it gets you to change it, the better!" Tron barks back, completely ignoring Tiesel.

Fed up with Tron's attitude, Tiesel huffs, "You know, Tron, ever since you found out Mega Man had a girlfriend, you've-"

Tron spins on her heels and removes her goggles, giving her older brother a death stare as her face turns red. Even the Servbots drop what they are doing and take cover. She hisses, "I've _what_?"

Tiesel makes the only choice that will not result in his body ending up in traction later tonight, and changes his tune. "You've, uh... been _completely_ justified in your anger. And that Cossack girl was wrong to do what she did. All I'm saying is maybe there is an alternative course of action... one that doesn't result in all of us going to jail!"

Tron frowns at her older brother. " There is nothing you can do to stop me. And the more you stand here and try to deter me, the longer it delays my plans. So, GET OUTTA HERE!"

Tiesel throws his hands up and storms out of the garage. As Tron returns to constructing her Gustaff mech, Tiesel mutters, "I don't know who's worse anymore, her or The Conduit! Maybe if I sick them on each other, I'll be rid of two headaches!"

* * *

><p><strong>Washington D.C.<strong>

Mega Man and Rush speed over to The White House on President Henry's orders. Mega wonders aloud how serious this situation is if The President can only share this information with him in person and not over a communication.

Mega says to Rush, "The last time I was called by The President for something urgent, Wily was about to unleash the Mad Grinder on this city. I hope something similar isn't about to happen now. Wily's been too quiet since he robbed the bank in California and he's always at his worst when he has time to think up a new plan."

As Mega Man sees the Capital building off in the distance, he remembers the time he was captured and controlled by Dr. Wily almost three years ago, and subsequently ordered to attempt to assassinate The President until Dr. Light had stopped him.  
>"It seems like almost every time I'm here, something bad happens. <em>Really<em> bad things," Mega comments to himself.

As Mega Man and Rush fly closer to the White House, they lower their speed and soon see the parts of the city which are finishing repairs following the aforementioned Mad Grinder attack and Dr. Wily's invasion of Washington last year. He sees the exact spot where the Mad Grinder was destroyed by ProtoMan, which is also where he saved Mega's life and made the decision to leave Dr. Wily forever.  
>"And some good things happen here too," Mega concludes.<p>

As Mega approaches The White House, he sees that Dr. Light has already arrived in the family's red SkyCar, and Rush lands right next to the vehicle.

"You better stay here with Morris, Rush. We'll be back shortly," Mega suggests as he steps off Rush.

Rush barks and jumps into the SkyCar once Dr. Light exits, sticking his head out the open window and panting as Morris stands by with his arms behind his back, stone-faced as always.

"I wasn't expecting us to start the morning like this," Mega says as he and Thomas walk towards The White House.

"Neither did I. But, after this matter is finished, I plan on spending less time focusing on my projects in the next few weeks and spending it with all of you again. I spent far too much time away from you, and only now did I realize it," Dr. Light regretfully says.

"It's okay, Dr. Light," Mega insists.

"No, Rock. It is not. Whether we are human or robot, we only have but so much time to treasure who we have. I let my recent project take too much of that time from you and your brother and sister."

Mega asks, "What _are_ you working on, anyway?"

Thomas pauses, "I am not ready to say yet, Rock. But, I learned from what we went through with Gamma, and I am not building another Defender. This is something I am hoping will only elevate robotkind to equal importance to that of humankind. I just hope for the world to be at peace first."

"It will be, father. I promise," Mega assures, putting his blue hand on his father's left shoulder.

Dr. Light glances over to his boy Rock, always so good-hearted, always trying to make the world a better place. He only hopes that Rock's promise does not come with the price of more lives lost, especially Rock's own.  
>"Yes... it will be," Thomas replies.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Shortly thereafter.<strong>

President Henry stands inside the Oval Office behind his desk with the sleeves on his dress shirt rolled up to the elbows as several key members of his staff give him up to the minute information on this urgent matter. He is now in the final months of his Presidency before he leaves office next January.  
>With the war for Everlasting Peace still going on, he was expecting things to still be hot these next few months.<br>But, nothing could have prepared The President for what he is handling right now.

The main door to the office opens and an aide to The President enters with Mega Man and Dr. Light right behind her. "Mega Man and Thomas Light are here to see you, Mr. President."

"Gentlemen, please come in," President Henry nods. He then turns to his staff and requests, "I'll need a few minutes to give this news to our guests alone."

The President's staff quietly gather their notes and leave the office, leaving Henry in the Office with The Lights alone. "I'm sorry that this meeting had to take place under these circumstances. But, it is that important."

Mega Man asks, "What is happening, sir?"

Henry replies, "It's not a threat related to Dr. Wily or anything involving the war with him. But, it is a matter of extreme importance."

The President picks up a datapad and shows it to Mega Man and Dr. Light. "The observers at the National Science Center in San Francisco spotted this, well beyond our solar system. N.A.S.A and several other scientific outfits throughout the world have also spotted and confirmed it."

"This looks like the kind of thing Brain Bot would have found," Mega Man says.

Thomas on the other hand looks enthralled with this visual as he stares at the stills on the screen of nine very small stars in space, each of them a different color from each other. "This is amazing! I have never seen anything like this before! The chances of a group of objects this close in space is unheard of!"

"None of us have ever seen anything like this before either. We just received an update from the science center right before I called you here. These nine objects appear to be making a direct course for Earth at speeds never before imaginable. Unless there is a slim chance they just pass by us, they should be making an impact tomorrow," Henry says.  
>The President also cannot believe he is about to speak the words, but he is. "I found it hard to believe at first, but it might be true. These nine signals appear to have signs consistent with lifeforms."<p>

Mega Man and Dr. Light look up at The President with surprise. Mega asks, "Are you sure about this?"

"Seems we are. All of our sources in the U.S. are all in agreement," The President replies. "We won't know for sure until they reach Earth, but it looks like we are about to have visitors."

Mega Man and Dr. Light appear to be shocked by the weight of this news, even glancing across at each other. Dr. Light then asks, "If this is true, what purpose do we serve, sir? Do think this is going to be a problem?"

The President answers, "Not to sound like a pessimist, but not only do we not know if these are aliens, we also don't know if they are friendly or hostile. And the speed at which these signals are heading here has some of our people concerned. If it would come to that, and hopefully it will not, we will need you to head a team to defeat them. And if they are friendly, you'll be a pat of our welcoming committee."

Dr. Light nods, "Okay. I'll have my family and my sources prepare for this accordingly."

"Your friend Brain Bot says he wants to speak with you about this right away," The President reminds.

Mega Man replies, "I'll be on my way to see him shortly... Sir, how are we going to tell the citizens?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. It's best you leave that part to us. Just focus on preparing for their arrival, for better or for worse."

"Yes, sir," Mega Man nods, as he and Dr. Light leave the Oval Office in a hurry.

* * *

><p>Mega Man runs out of the White House where Rush waits for him and barks. But, Mega has no time for anything other than to attend to business.<strong><br>**

"Fire up the jets, boy! We've got to head back home fast, and than we're heading to California to have a word with Brain Bot. We're about to have company. Big company," Mega calls.

Rush barks again, immediately transforming to jet mode and allowing Mega Man to stand on his back. Meanwhile, Dr. Light walks as fast as he can to the family SkyCar. "Proceed home, immediately, Morris. Use the emergency protocols so the Police know there is an emergency."

"Yes, Sir," Morris unflappably responds as he enters the SkyCar while Dr. Light goes to the back seat.

Dr. Light begins his trip back to the lab, while Mega Man and Rush race to see Brain Bot to prepare for an event many thought the world would never live to experience: First Contact with alien life.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress.<strong>

Several hours after experiencing a strange surge of energy within his systems that caused him to black out, Bass searches for Dr. Wily deep inside the Fortress. He was not in his Command Center or the workshop, so he must be somewhere, possibly constructing his so-called ultimate robot. And the mere thought of more competition as the number one robots here raises Bass' ire.

But, what has Bass angered more than usual is the strange power surges he experienced late last night after his heated discussion with Dr. Wily while he was constructing that robot. He is mostly angered by the fact that he only remembers parts of that strange power surge, but not all.  
>After it was over, he found himself lying on his back in the middle of the same corridor he collapsed in, waking up only on his reserve energy because the surge has completely drained his primary battery.<p>

Bass does not know exactly what did that to him and why it happened, but the fact that it happened just infuriates Bass even more. And he is going to get to the bottom of it so that it will not happen again during a crucial moment, such as in battle with his hated rival Mega Man.

Eventually, Bass finds Dr. Wily in the third most likely place he would be, which is the fortress' large hangar bay. Here, Wily is plotting out another operation for the Robot Masters, but it does not appear to be a particularly fruitful one.

In the middle of laying out the latest plan, Wily barks, "The next attack will take place in New York, where the former Governor will be making a stop on the campaign trail. All you need to do is show up and create general panic and bring out Mega Man. The team will consist of GutsMan, Cut Man, Magnet Man, Bright Man and Snake Man."

"Jusssssst ussssss againsssssst Mega Man?!" Snake Man hisses. "We'll get oursssssselvessssss desssssstroyed!"

"Yeah! We'll get crushed like a rock crushes scissors!" Cut Man says, avoiding a pun, but still manages to mention scissors.

"All we need to do is keep Mega Man convinced that disrupting the Presidential primaries is our next big plan. Of course, you will lose! It does not matter! All that matters is that I can have the time to build my next robot," Wily says, dismissing the concerns of the Robot Masters altogether.

Just hearing the mention of this next robot of Dr. Wily's sticks in Bass' craw and only keeps him angry. But, instead of confronting him about the matter, Bass realizes he needs to talk Wily out of this faux plan for his own good.

Bass steps forward and calls, "Dr. Wily, I need to speak with you."

Dr. Wily grumbles, "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

"It would be in our best interest if we speak now," Bass replies.

Wily turns back to the Robot Masters and mutters, "All of you, stand there and wait for a minute."

After Dr. Wily steps away to speak with Bass, the robot warrior asks quietly, "Why would a lame duck mission give you more time to build this robot?"

Wily answers, "It keeps Mega Man, Thomas Light and the inept leaders of the world convinced that this is my next plan while, in secret, I am laying the groundwork for the plan that will finally defeat them all. I am creating a diversion. ProtoMan was good at creating them."

Bass warns, "Then, you should at least make it appear like you are up to a much bigger plan and putting up a fight. Mega Man may be inferior to me, but he is not stupid, and he will figure out that this operation is really a smaller part of a much bigger plan."

Wily becomes perturbed, asking, "And why should this be of any concern to me?"

Bass matter-of-factly replies, "Because it is possible that Mega Man and Dr. Light could infiltrate Skull Fortress again. And if the humans are able to gather a force large enough to invade this fortress, we are not capable enough to repel all of them without the Mad Grinder."

"So... you dare question my genius? In front of my army!?" Wily asks, becoming angry now that Bass has taken him to task here and now.

Bass' eyes narrow, internally perplexed by Wily's strange arguments, which are only becoming more off-kilter every week. "No. If I wanted to humiliate you, we would be having this conversation out loud and I would have already made a fool out of you. I am only pointing out the flaws in the plan."

"And you think you can devise a better one?" Wily asks, tasking Bass.

"I_ did_ revise the plan for the bank robbery. And that worked rather well for you," Bass replies.

Wily's brow furrows and he frowns, growing angry that he - the man who believes he is the most brilliant man in the world - was just intellectually beaten by his own robot. A sarcastic grin forms on his ages face, and he says, "Since you can obviously do it better. Then, you step up and tell them what to do."

"I could. But, they will listen to you. Maybe I should_ trust_ you to make a better plan instead," Bass says, manipulating his own creator into regaining his trust in him and to secure his spot on Wily's good side.

Wily considers Bass' comments and nods. Bass could have chosen to embarrass him now, but he did not, actually allowing Albert the chance to take the glory for himself. Something his ego will gladly accept.  
>"Maybe you are learning how to be cooperative after all, Bass. That is one element of your personality ProtoMan lost over time."<p>

Dr. Wily turns back to the Robot Masters, all of whom are watching intently and waiting for something bad to happen between him and Bass. But, instead, the meeting continues.  
>"Perhaps the plan was a little too easy for our dear old friend Mega Man. Maybe we need to make it much bigger and give him a reason to worry about us more."<p>

In the middle of Wily plotting the new plan, Bass suddenly feels another surge of energy similar to the one he felt late last night. He tries to ignore it but it soon becomes too much for him to block, Wily's voice fades out and all he can hear are the whispers of several voices from far, far away, yet very close by.  
>And it is at that point that Bass can see almost nothing around him but the glow of nine star-like objects in his field of view. Something that nobody else around him can see, but he can.<p>

Dr. Wily, of course, is oblivious to what is really going on inside of Bass' head and continues to bark. "What is wrong with you?! This is the second time you've acted up in two days!"

The purple jewels in Bass' helmet and chest begin to glow and he stares up at nothing up above and walks towards it very slowly, his eyes looking dead. Bass then stops and stares at the ceiling and a hush falls over the group of Robot Masters. And Guts Man and Cut Man in particular are spooked.

Cut Man warbles, "Uh-oh! Bass is starting to freak me out! Let's get out of sight!"

Dr. Wily on the other hand grows frustrated. "I knew it! I'm going to have to reprogram you to get the damned bugs out of your system! Those cursed jewels are too much for you to handle!"

Strangely, Tomahawk Man also steps forward and approaches Bass, staring at him, and them up into the nothingness that Bass is staring it. It is like he senses this too.

Guts Man stammers, "Now Tomahawk Man is getting crazy again too!"

Magnet Man blurts, "Quiet! The last time he got weird like this, it got us out of the jam at that bank."

The perturbed Wily grumbles, "I'm trying to deal with Bass, Tomahawk Man. Would you mind stepping aside?"

Without braking his stare towards whatever it is Bass is also staring at, the stoic Tomahawk Man says, "There is a strong presence heading this way... I can feel it. Something never encountered by the races on this planet before is quickly approaching... we must focus on this, or doom will fall upon us all."

Dr. Wily steps around the front of Bass and looks at the blank expression on his face, and looks at his the Bassinium/Quadirium jewels are glowing, and disregards his behavior and Tomahawk Man's warning as just a glitch.  
>"His power regulations need to be re-calibrated. That is all."<p>

In the middle of his spell, Bass drones out one world in a strained voice. The name of a robot has never seen before... "Terra."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in space.<br>**

The nine unidentified objects continue to speed towards Earth as they pass the sun. Each of the nine objects appear to be a pod that is large enough to hold a large human-sized being and durable enough to withstand atmospheric entry and the dangers of space, and each pod is a different color.

The central pod that leads the charge appears to be blue and orange, and leaves a neon green trail in its wake. The other eight pods form a circle over and under the leader and follow at the same rate of speed.

The leader pod used their connection to Bass' quadirium jewels to break into his mind and collect data about their target planet. While the jewels in Bass' head have been controlled by him, there is still a hint of life force inside them, containing the essence of the being who once held the entire quadirium meteor for themselves.  
>And the last vestige of that life force needed a host body to send the signal to its brethren, and once these nine pods were close enough to Earth, it took control of Bass and called them here.<p>

And within a matter of hours, a threat the world has never known is about to arrive. A force more deadly than the beings who inhabit Earth can possibly imagine. A force so deadly that even Earth's Defender Mega Man, and their greatest indigenous threat Dr. Wily may not be able to stop them alone.

We are not alone. They are coming. They are The StarDroids.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<br>**_

_Episode 14 has finally begun. This episode was supposed to have started at the beginning of October, but I've been busy with several things outside of writing.  
>Now that the StarDroids are coming, you can expect a very big threat to our heroes, and our villains too. And if you aren't familiar with The StarDroids, just look up the Game Boy version of Mega Man 5, and you will learn what you need to know.<br>_

_The name Leonard Spiner comes from a combination of the actors who played Spock and Data from Star Trek. Just because. :P_

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos, leftover notes, anything that looks out of place or continuity errors so bad that Drax the Destroyer and Dave Bautista couldn't destroy it, please PM me right away._


	149. The Shot Heard 'Round the Galaxy

_**Episode 14, Chapter 2: The Shot Heard 'Round the Galaxy.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>National Science Center.<strong>

Mega Man arrives to the National Science Center, and while it looks like an ordinary busy day on the outside of the building, Mega knows that is definitely not the case inside the facility at this moment, that those who work and study here are probably intensely watching the unidentified objects heading for Earth.

Mega Man and Rush walk through the front door and are immediately let in by the robot security, which has had a very noticeable presence here since Brain Bot arrived. One of the robots states, "Come in, Mega Man. Your presence has been urgently requested."

"I heard. Brain Bot wants to see me about the objects in space," Mega confirms.

"Yes. Follow me," says one Security Robot, leading Mega and Rush inside to meet with their old associate, Brain Bot.

* * *

><p>Mega and Rush make their way to Brain Bot's laboratory, which is overrun with scientists and observers feverishly studying these mysterious objects in space. The activity is so busy in here that it is almost impossible to not bump into somebody.<br>Nobody even notices that Mega Man is here in their presence, because they are so per-occupied with their work.

"I've never seen Brain's lab this hectic. Those readings from space must be on the money," Mega comments. "I'll go talk to him. Rush, you can stay here. I know you two don't have the best of history.

Rush groans cautiously, sitting at the door and not keen on the idea of being tinkered with by Brain Bot, like the time he tried to place wheels on the bottoms of his paws. Even though Brain Bot meant well, it was ill-advised, to say the least.

"Don't worry, Rush. I'll cover for you," Mega remarks as he makes his way past several scientists towards Brain Bot, who is very quickly studying and analyzing the latest scans from space.

"You need to see me, Brain?" he asks after he reaches his old acquaintance.

Brain Bot keeps his visual focus exclusively on his research as he answers, "This is a wonder, my friend! Nine objects flying in perfect formation, and each other appears to be completely different in appearance from one another. And they might just be lifeforms from another solar system!"  
>Brain Bot corrects himself, "At least according to the most recent scan, there is an eighty-two percent chance of these signals being Extra-Terrestrial in nature."<p>

Mega Man takes a long look at the screen Brain Bot gazes at, taking a close stare at these nine objects in greater detail than they were in the image President Henry handed him and Dr. Light today. While Brain Bot is optimistic and hopeful about these travelers from another world, Mega Man is much more weary of them, concerned that they might not be so peaceful.

"Brain, I know this is a big moment in history, and a pretty exciting one for you. But, you do realize these guests of ours could be a threat, right? Let's not get too excited," Mega Man warns.

Brain Bot turns away from the multitude of equipment he was just using and approaches a device on a desk nearby. He explains "I have constructed this device in preparation fo this. It will be retrieved by Galaxy Man within the hour before he returns to his standard patrol. This will serve as a translator of sorts. It cannot translate alien language into any of our native Earth languages. But, it can detect emotions in the tone of any transmissions they make, including aggression and hostility."

Out of the blue, Brain Bot adds, "I will have another one with me when I meet them... If you will have me, that is."

The last remark catches Mega by surprise, and he attempts to talk Brain Bot down from this potentially dangerous idea. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Brain. As far as we know, this group here might be the first wave of an invasion force."

Brain Bot implores, "But, maybe their home planet is in trouble."

"Brain, why don't you just play it safe and just stay here until we know they are not dangerous?" Mega asks.

"Mega Man, this is the scientific event of the century. If this is the beginning of a new relationship between all our people, we will need to have the humans and robots capable of communicating with them efficiently. Also, we will need biological expects to ensure that neither side has any virus that can harm the other by accident."

Mega tries to caution Brain Bot further. "I know you mean well, but we don't know if they will be friendly or not. If they're not, they might try to take people as prisoners, or worse. What if you're one of them? They might try to use all of your knowledge against us."

Brain Bot looks a little concerned about this now, putting his green hand on his chin as he looks down at the floor. "Oh... oh, dear," he utters meekly. "I suppose I was so enthralled with the arrival of them that I had not taken threats into the equation. I was too optimistic. Maybe I need to go back to Dr. Light to have my systems checked."

Mega Man assures, "You're fine, Brain. You just got a little too excited."

Brain Bot tries to appeal, almost sounding like a nervous child, "But, if the aliens are friendly, I _really_ want to go."

Mega puts a hand on Brain Bot's shoulder and explains, "Brain, the only reason I'm trying to talk you out of this there is because I think this could be danger. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't want to take the chance. If something did happen to you out there, I would feel bad about it, because you're my friend. You're a friend of everyone at the lab. Even Rush."

Across the lab, Rush groans as he keeps his head down by the floor, and follows it with a nervous gulp.

Brain Bot says, "Perhaps you are right. Maybe I should stay if the risk is high. But, I wish I could explore. I really like th lab here and everyone here is quite nice, but I want to expand my scientific capabilities. Until Dr. Wily is defeated, I feel like I am not allowed to leave this facility for my safety."

Upon hearing Brain Bot's desire to leave this place, Mega feels bad. "I'm sorry about that, Brain. I'm still working on bringing him in. It's just taking a lot longer than I thought."

Brain Bot smiles and gives a word of support. "I understand. And I know you can do it, my friend."

The latest pictures from space appear on all screens in Brain Bot's lab, creating a scene with all the eyes in the room focusing on the new shots, clearly defining these objects as nine similarly shaped pod-like carriers.

Brain Bot asks, "If I may ask, Mega Man, do you think these are a threat to us?"

Mega Man also takes a look at the new shots, and makes a grim assessment. "I think I know trouble when I see it."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at The White House.<br>**

As the nine alien objects continue their course towards Earth, Governments all over the world are preparing on how to deal with the situation, especially if they prove to be a threat. The White House is already putting their defense and attack strategy for Alien Invasions into effect, otherwise known as "Plan ID4" in Government circles.  
>All the while, they are keeping their citizens in the dark about the matter to avoid an incident or mass hysteria. But, if they land on Earth, there is a probability that they will be forced to acknowledge it. The question is: how?<p>

"We just got an update from California, Mr. President. It is becoming more clear that these objects heading towards us are in fact lifeforms of some kind," reports President Henry's Chief-of-Staff.

President Henry asks, "Should we go public with this, Alan? Proof of alien life is a big deal."

"There are too many variables to take into consideration, Mr. President. Normally, I would suggest keeping this under wraps as long as possible. That way, if these objects are a threat, we can pin the blame on Dr. Wily and create plausible deniability of hostile alien life. But, this is a global issue. And if these objects pose too great a threat, there is nothing we can do to deny it."

Henry asks, "When and where are they expected to land?"

"If calculations are correct, they should impact shortly after Two O'clock. And they will arrive in or around England. We don't yet know how close to London they will be."

"Get me Prime Minister Hayes on the hotline as soon as possible. He will need to know this intel is his people haven't told him by now," Henry orders.

"Mr. President, their arrival would take place during prime voting hours during tomorrow's Presidential primaries. An alien threat might create an even bigger panic than a Wily attack, and that in turn would wreak havoc on the primary process."

The President quickly makes the decision and tells his Chief-of-Staff, "Then, we postpone the primaries until later in the week, at the earliest. Notify the candidates and the campaign staffs. But, let's try to keep this news from getting out until tomorrow morning. Keep everybody settled for as long a period as possible. Also, let's be ready to send air support and Mega Man to England to counter these aliens if they are a threat."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in New York.<strong>

At the campaign headquarters of the esteemed former Governor of New York, George Cochran begins to focus on what could be the final push of this phase of the race for The White House. If he wins New York, not only will it push him far ahead of his remaining opponents, but it will only be all the more gratifying that it was the start for which he served as Governor for eight years that put him there.

Cochran's campaign adviser gives a report to the Ex-Governor as he prepares for an appearance tonight, "If you win tonight, it's going to be a straight shot to the National Convention. McGinty and Hale won't be able to have enough electoral votes or support to keep on going. The party will rally around you without question."

Cochran's wife, Jackie, smiles with approval as the former Governor comments, "Then, I assume, all I have to deal with afterwards is Wade Kramer."

"Actually, Bowser Albano is surprisingly gaining support as an Independent candidate," says the aide, referring to the co-host of Sunday Fight Night, 'The Supreme Intellect,' who seems to be taking his announcement that he was running for President very seriously.

Another staffer nearly chortles, "Albano? The wrestler?!"

Cochran looks back and gives a sarcastic glaze of his eyes and a grin, dismissing The Supreme Intellect's chances at even coming close to either of the major candidates. "I don't think we need to concern ourselves with a fake athlete, everyone. Just Kramer."

Cochran's adviser adds, "In all seriousness, Mr. Cochran, we need to be prepared for Kramer's onslaught if he wins. His campaign and Super-Pacs have already used the political attack ad to beat his opponents into submission. So, it is a safe bet that he will try to use your son's public image and use it to smear you. Kramer might even hire him to publicly soil your name. And I'm sure your son remembers how you publicly dismantled his hate group."

The Ex-Governor dismisses the possibility of his son William - noted human supremacist and racist towards robots - interfering in his campaign. "If Kramer wants to deal with my son, that will be his misfortune. But, I can only hope William has learned to become... less hateful."

"Don't worry about him, dear. He's not worth getting stressed over it," Cochran's wife tries to say, herself not very fond of William for most of the time she has known him.

In the back of the office, Cochran's Chief-of-Staff is on the telephone and looking preoccupied. He concludes, "I'll tell Mr. Cochran right away."

The former Governor asks, "What's wrong, Steve?"

Cochran's Chief-of-Staff approaches the Governor with some bizarre news. "That was The White House, sir. The primaries have been called off until further notice. President Henry's orders. They won't say why, but it is of extreme importance and a matter of national security."

"It must be Wily. We should have expected this," Cochran says, having the mistaken idea that this is another Dr. Wily threat. But, he has no idea what this threat truly is... but, the world will find out soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

"This is too intense! Alien invaders? Like, _real_ alien invaders?" asks Roll, who had just been informed of the global situation involving the nine unidentified objects heading towards Earth. And she is obviously taking it as well as Dr. Light had hoped.

Dr. Light says, "Maybe not_ invaders_, exactly, Roll. But, this is something that we have been chosen to keep a close eye on as a precaution."

ProtoMan's reaction on the other hand is a little more relaxed, unlike his sister's. "Aliens? _Hmph!_ Well,_ that's_ something you don't hear every day."

Roll asks, "What's gonna happen if they attack? They better not shoot laser beams out of their eyes and try to turn us into creepy aliens too like in _Curse of the Alien Men_."

Leaning back in a chair with his hands behind his head, Proto adds almost jokingly, "Sounds like they ripped-off the myth about the Mackahuna comet, or whatever Wily said it was. They said it wakes up lion men who turn humans into lions. If these Space Invaders are up to boss us around, they're just gonna become just another round of target practice. Don't stress out, sis."

Roll shakes her head and asks Dr. Light, "I was prepared for Dr. Wily, but I wasn't prepared for something like... _aliens_! Are you guys sure it's not just a meteor shower or something?"

Thomas replies, "Several of the best scientists in the world are looking into it, including Brain Bot. And their conclusions are looking very likely that these are in fact lifeforms."

Mega Man and Rush return from meeting with Brain Bot and confirm this startling report from their father. "He's right. I just spoke with Brain Bot and these things _are_ alive, and not meteors or asteroids. And they're on their way. The President wants us to head up a task force to fight them off if they become a problem."

Roll responds and shakes her head, "We need to get our little bots in the underground shelter with you, Dr. Light. Especially Peekaboo. And we're going to need Brain Bot to make us some serious weapons like what he made for you and Rush. I've seen all the Alien Invasion movies. I know how these always turn out."

Despite his own trepidations about the looming threat of these particular alien lifeforms, Mega tries to calm Roll's fears. "I don't think this is going to be quite like these cheesy flicks, Roll. But, we've still got to take this seriously."

ProtoMan is still not taking the potential threat of these alien beings seriously, and replies, "Look, I know you guys are freaking out about these little green invaders, but I'm not. If they're looking to attack _us_, we'll just blast 'em out of the sky and send 'em packing back to Alpha Centuri, or wherever they're from."

"Don't take anybody lightly, Proto. I learned the hard way," Mega warns.

Proto grins, "They better not take _us_ lightly, either, bro."

Dr. Light tries to break the uneasy tension about the oncoming alien lifeforms. "Now, now. We don't know if they are even a threat at all. They may very well be friendly."

Proto again dismisses the threat of the lifeforms in space, quipping, "After they realize who they're dealing with, they'll be friendly, all right... If they know what's good for 'em."

Mega makes sure to remind his older brother about one little thing he forgot about the last time Proto was needed. "By the way, Proto. If we do need to fight them off, don't forget the shield I give you."

"Oh... yeah. I kinda forgot it last time, didn't I? You don't have much time to prepare when you're fighting off a crazy, mind-controlling ladybot in Hawaii," Proto replies, mentioning the encounter with Splash Woman in Hawaii.

Upon hearing about Splash Woman again, Roll groans, "Then again, maybe I'd rather deal with space aliens and not her."

"I'll second that," Mega replies, only remembering Splash Woman very briefly thanks to having enduring a system reset.

Proto says, "I'll put that shield to good use this time. Maybe I'll use it as a weapon too."

Roll still cannot grasp how nonchalant her older brother is acting about this, shaking her head. "I've got to get things ready when we leave. And I don't want Boo getting scared if he sees this. Proto, maybe you could come over here and help, please."

Proto scoffs, "What do you need my help for?"

Roll emphasizes and quickly makes a tilt gesture her head, "I just could use a _little help_. Like, _now_?"

Proto figures out that maybe his sister wants to discuss something in private, possibly about Nomad. He plays along and gets up, following her out of the lab. "Okay. If you insist."

* * *

><p>As they leave the lab, Proto jokes, "Look, I know I need to start thinking of gifts for you guys, but right now is not the time, sis."<p>

Roll turns around and in a hushed tone asks, "I've got a really bad feeling about all this. Don't you think we should just bring your friend here?"

"No. Are you kidding? Once she sees my brother, she's programmed to kill him," Proto replies.

"Then, maybe you should tell her to stay in hiding. You don't want anything happening to her, do you?"

"Hey, if anyone thinks of messing with her, I'm gonna make 'em regret it," Proto says, "And if E.T.'s third cousins try anything, they're gonna fly back to their home planet and warn their three-fingered grand kids about me."

"I think you should just warn her," Roll urges as she heads inside the house.

"Come on, don't worry. Everything will be fine," ProtoMan assures.

Afterwards, when is all alone, Proto considers whether he should contact Nomad and tell her to lay low to be safe. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious, especially with somebody as important to Proto as her. He even holds out his left arm and almost calls her.

Proto eventually dismisses Roll's concerns and lets his confidence convince him otherwise. "Everything will be fine," he says to himself, perhaps now reassuring himself this time.

* * *

><p><strong>Skull Fortress:<strong>

Still feeling the presence of the evil heading towards the planet, Bass feels compelled to confront it head-on. Or perhaps meet with it. And when that encounter takes place, Bass wants to destroy whatever it is and claims victory over it much like he has against others in the past.  
>The fact that this force overtook his systems again and now put Dr. Wily's remaining faith in him into question, Bass' anger has reached the boiling point.<p>

Lying on a worktable in Dr. Wily's workshop, Bass frowns intently as Dr. Wily checks the power regulations on his systems, certain that the Quadirium/Bassinium jewels in Bass' helmet and chest are causing an overwhelming amount of power.  
>"This can't be right! This equipment must be on its last days! I know what a Power overload looks like, and you are experiencing one now," Wily complains loudly, refusing to be proven wrong even now.<p>

"I told you, I am _fine_!" Bass reiterates. "Something is out there, Dr. Wily. I saw it with my own eyes and it is coming... and I'm going to be there to destroy it when it gets here!"

Bass gets up from the table and storms off while Dr. Wily attempts to go after him. "You are not going anywhere until I know how to keep your power regulations under control. I may have to remove your Bassinium crystals to do it."

Bass spins around and gives a cold dark stare back at Dr. Wily, causing both to come to a standstill here in the corridor. "I wouldn't recommend, Dr. Wily," he warns, sternly.

Wily too begins to grow angry with his creation, and he can feel the whisper in his head telling him to teach Bass a lesson like he did ProtoMan and others when they got out of line.  
>Wily points his finger at Bass, warning back, "I created, Bass. I can do whatever I wish. I am not about to take a chance of losing you like I did ProtoMan."<p>

As Wily walks away, just hearing ProtoMan's name just aggravates Bass like a thorn in his side. He asks sharply, "Why do you want him back?"

Wily spins around and answers directly, "It's personal, my boy. I will never stop pursuing him until I have him back here."

"Understood," Bass says flatly.

Dr. Wily walks away and Bass stares at him as he leaves until the mad doctor is out of sight. Despite his reconciliation with Wily, he is growing mistrustful of his creator (which is quite ironic, because of how Wily has rightfully become mistrustful of Bass as well.)  
>The only reason why Bass did not argue about this matter and ProtoMan with Wily is because he knows he is still on thin ice. And because he allowed Splash Woman to survive in February, there is a chance that she could resurface at a most unfortunate time, which would expose his lie to Dr. Wily about terminating her.<p>

The best thing he can do right now is continue to play it cool, therefore keeping his status here secure so that he can have the best chance at crushing his opponents and claiming Roll as his queen when she comes around to accept him. But, keeping cool and calm is not exactly one of Bass' strong suits.

Suddenly, Bass can see the darkness around him once more and he can see the sparks in the darkness, now glowing brighter than they did previously and getting much closer.  
>Unlike the previous two times he was taken by this presence, Bass can still feel enough control over himself, and he can feel the deep seeded anger for whatever this is. Perhaps that alone is pulling him out of that trace he has fallen into.<p>

Bass' face becomes twisted with anger as he feels his memory banks being purged again. "Who are you?!" he growls.

Bass can then hear a code shrieking in his head, almost sounding like it was a voice. But, it could be translated into English, it would be saying, _"Terra."_

Bass feels a sudden surge in his body that causes his body to violently jerk and torque just once before collapsing again. But, this time he feels alert and can move enough to pull himself off the floor.  
>Re-routing his auxiliary power, Bass soon returns to his feet and storms off to the supply area.<p>

"Terra... that's who is heading here. Then, I need to make him or her wish they never came!" Bass snaps.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the Hangar Bay, Bass arrives chugging down an energy can to replenish his primary battery and crushes the can in his hand before slamming it to the titanium floor. He searches for a vehicle to hijack so that he can take on this mysterious Terra and whoever or whatever else is coming here. He does not even feel like he should remain loyal to Dr. Wily anymore and is not concerned with the consequences of going AWOL like this.<br>All Bass can concern himself with is finding this Terra and destroying him, if it is even a '_he'_ at all. And if not, Bass plans to destroy Terra no matter the gender.

The scowling Bass eyes the closed doors of the hangar, located in the 'eye sockets' of the skull facade in front of Skull Fortress. He needs to get to the location these invaders from space are about to land, and none of these vehicles in the hangar efficient enough to get him there fast enough and in one single trip.  
>So, he summons Treble instead. He can take one of the craft from here until it runs out of fuel, then take Treble for the remainder of the duration, even if he has to drain every last trance of power they have to pull this off.<p>

"Treble. Hangar bay. Now," Bass commands.

As Bass waits for Treble to reach him, he hears the voice of Tomahawk Man echoing behind him. "You are not imaging this, warrior. I can feel the forces approaching this planet too."

"How is that even possible? Did Wily put my Bassinium inside of you too?" a snarling Bass snaps.

"No. But, I have sharper senses then any other Robot Master here," Tomahawk Man says, stoically, "Whatever is coming is a threat to all who roam. And they want _you_."

"I don't plan on disappointing them. They're going to get me... and they will be very, very sorry," Bass gravels, balling his fist in anger.

"Don't make a mistake that will condemn us all, warrior," Tomahawk Man warns.

"I don't make mistakes," Bass claims as Treble races into the hangar awaiting commands. "Treble, let's go, into that Skull Jet. Follow my direction when I give the orders.."

Treble growls and sneers and runs with Bass into an awaiting Skull Jet. Bass then powers up the Skull Jet and opens the hangar bay doors with his own built-in controls and soon takes flight, heading towards whatever awaits him when the nine objects arrive.

Tomahawk Man believes Bass is making a grave mistake, and that is why he must find a way to stop him. He calls, "Dr. Wily. Bass has just escaped this Fortress."

An enraged Dr. Wily replies, _"HE WHAT? I want everybody to go after him and get him back here! ... it's going to take every Robot I have just to subdue him!"_

Tomahawk Man attempts to persuade Wily. "Dr. Wily, we need to follow him but should not engage him. Something is heading towards this planet. Something which will obliterate our kind."

_"Are you sure you are not suffering from a major malfunction too?!"_ Wily snaps, about to flip his lid (again.)

"If I am correct, we could lose Bass to a powerful enemy, and we could all perish."

_"... You make a good point. Be ready to move out!"_

* * *

><p><strong>In space.<strong>

Inside our solar system, Galaxy Man, long-sense reprogrammed after his systems were corrupted by Dr. Wily last year, rockets towards the nine objects making their way to our planet, using his built-in propulsion systems located in his armor.  
>The Solar-powered Earth Defense robot now has Brain Bot's translator installed into his systems following a brief stop on Earth a few hours ago. With any luck, the devise could be the difference between peace between two civilizations and warfare... or, so Brain Bot believes.<p>

"Attention, Houston. I am approaching the incoming bogeys. Preparing to attempt non-hostile communication," Galaxy Man reports.

Mission control in Houston, Texas replies,_ "Roger, Galaxy Man. Proceed with extreme caution. If the bogeys are considered a threat, you may deal with them with extreme force."_

"Permission to use Black Hole Bomb, Houston?" asks Galaxy Man.

There is a noticeable pause on the other end until finally they respond. _"If at all possible, try to refrain from using Black Hole Bomb, Galaxy Man. Only use on weaker setting to simulate tractor-like effects. If combat isn't avoidable, use any other means to defeat them."_

"Roger, Houston," Galaxy Man states as he heads towards the nine objects.

Galaxy Man assesses that he is greatly outnumbered in the event of a violent encounter with this targets, but the strength of his Black Hole Bomb would most likely keep them occupied trying to resist being pulled inside of it.

The lone galactic protector robot proceeds as the distance between him and the objects is more narrow, and he can clearly see that they appear to be pods that are larger than the size of an average human, possibly making whoever or whatever is inside about equal size with him.

Once he is within minimum communication distance, Galaxy Man opens a frequency to the nine pods in the hopes of opening a dialogue with them diplomatically.  
>"Attention. My name is Galaxy Man of the planet Earth. Please identify yourselves and make your intentions known."<p>

The nine pods continue speeding towards Galaxy Man and Earth, not looking like they even acknowledge his being here. No return communication is sent.

Galaxy Man repeats himself, "Attention! I am Galaxy Man of the planet Earth. Please identify yourselves!"

Again the pods do not stop, ignoring Galaxy Man's communication and begin gaining on him. Seeing that this is not going smoothly, Galaxy Man begins flying backwards, almost keeping pace with them. He also prepares for combat, but will not charges weapons so that these pods will not perceive him as a threat. If the pods are sentient and perceive him as a threat, they may just consider all of Earth a threat.

"Please Identify yourselves. I mean you no harm," Galaxy Man states again.

The center pod at the front of the formation begins to emit a glowing orange light from the frontal area of its blue hull, and Galaxy Man prepares to take evasive action, for he does not know if this is an attempt at communication or an attack.  
>He calls back to Mission Control, "Attention, Houston. I appear to have made some sort of contact with the central object."<p>

The central pod continues shining its orange glowing light upon Galaxy Man as Mission Control replies, _"Good work, Galaxy Man. Continue sending friendly communications to them."_

The central pod then shuts off the orange beam and continues on its way along with the either pods in the formation. Galaxy Man believes that the center pod may have only scanned him and he eases his combat readiness, attempting to contact the pods once more...  
>"Attention. I am Galaxy Man from the planet Earth. I mean you no harm. Please identify-"<p>

Suddenly, the central pod fires a bright orange energy shot at Galaxy Man, clipping him in the saucer-shaped section of his body and causing the silver-armored robot to spin out of control.  
>The orange beam suddenly stops in mid-course and ricochets itself back towards Galaxy Man on its own. The second shot hits Galaxy Man in the chest and causes him temporarily drift away.<p>

Mission Control tries to contact the damaged robot, _"Galaxy Man! This is Mission Control! What's going on up there? Galaxy Man, respond!"_

Then, as the pods continue to speed ahead, the central pod fires a bright green ball of glowing energy, and it heads straight for Galaxy Man who struggles to regain his composure and defend himself.

Before Galaxy Man could generate a Black Hole Bomb to absorb the energy shot, it hits him in his torso, blowing his armor apart. Galaxy Man's damage body continues to drift lifelessly until his primary battery is completely drained, leaving him too damaged to recover and dooming him to being adrift in the dark void of space until - or unless - somebody finds him.

The nine pods soar right past the damaged body of Galaxy Man and continue heading towards Earth, and now the true intent of whoever is inside the pods has become crystal clear. They are here not for peace, but for war. To dominate and conquer.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Back on Earth.<br>At the National Science Center.  
><strong>**

The reaction here is one of shock and horror, as all the scientists around watch and listen to Galaxy Man's audio feed reduced to nothing but static and his signal slowly fading out. Brain Bot's reaction is perhaps the most shaken and disheartened, though.  
>Even after Mega Man and others were unsure of these aliens true intentions, he still remained optimistic that these new lifeforms would be friendly and that a great new age in history was upon us.<br>Now, Brain Bot has seen with his own eyes that these lifeforms are in fact hostile, and while those around him are terrified about what could lie ahead, he is more disappointed than anything.

With a sense of grim foreboding, the Head of the Science Center leans towards a top scientist here and mutters, "We need to call Washington and The Pentagon."

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Back at Dr. Light's lab.<strong>**

Dr. Light and his robot children are up late in case a call to action comes in in the middle of the night as the alien pods race towards Earth. And that call is about to come in.  
>The lab computer's emergency signal blares suddenly, most likely a call related to the incoming aliens. And Mega Man already has a grim feeling that they are indeed the threat he believed they are from the start.<p>

An hush falls over the lab as the siblings watch Dr. Light approach the computer in a hasty manner to reply to the call. "This is Dr. Light speaking."

Without going through the usual protocols, President Henry's voice is the first one to respond, and the tone in his voice makes it clear that things have taken a turn for the worst. "Dr. Light... the incoming targets just opened fire on your robot Galaxy Man. He stood no chance. I think we know what comes next."

Mega Man asks urgently, "How much time is left until they reach Earth?

The President replies, "Less than six hours. We estimate they will hit England upon impact. It will be the early morning hours when they arrive there."

Roll emphatically says, "The humans and robots need to be warned about what's coming!"

Mega Man echoes concerns for the citizens of England. "Sir, I know you wanted to keep a lid on this for public concerns, but I don't think we have a choice but to expose this now. We need to save as many lives as we can."

"Agreed. I will alert the Prime Minister as soon as this call ends. All I am asking of you now Mega Man is to head to England with our task force and rendezvous with British forces to prevent these invaders before they can harm anyone."

"We're on our way, sir," Mega Man says.

After the call ends, Mega turns to his siblings and informs them, "If you two have anything left to do, you'd better make it quick. Even with afterburners, it's gonna take every spare minute we have to make it to London in time."

"I'm not wasting any time," Roll announces as she races out of the lab. On her way out, she calls to Dr. Light, "Please take care of Peekaboo."

"Right behind you guys," Proto states, about to step out right behind Roll. That is until Mega stops him.

"Don't forget the shield," Mega reiterates.

Proto turns around and grabs the shield, placing it on his back. "Thanks," he says.

Dr. Light watches as two out of his three children leave and head towards another dangerous battle, but Mega Man lingers for a moment. The two look across at each other, both knowing that this is going to be a very dangerous encounter because of the unknown nature of the new enemy.

"Do be careful, son. This battle might not be like anything Wily has ever created," Thomas stresses.

"I'm ready for it. And I'll be back when we're done with them."

Mega Man and Rush race out of the lab, leaving Dr. Light as the only one left behind. And Thomas' feeling of worry and dread - which has been growing ever since this year began - looms over him again, causing him to fear for his three children's lives and the fate of the world.  
>And that fear is well-placed, for if Mega Man, Roll and ProtoMan all fall, the world could fall into Dr. Wily's hands... if they do not into into the hands of the invaders first.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>A few hours later.<br>On the way to England.  
><strong>**

As the sun begins to rise on this side of the globe, Bass and Treble race to England, where his senses are still connected with the incoming nine objects in space as they continue speeding towards Earth. He had long since ditched the SkullJet he stole when it ran out of fuel, and Treble now serves as his transportation for the final approach to a confrontation with this mysterious 'Terra.'

In his field of vision, his sight is still partially clouded and sees the nine pods glowing brighter and more defined than they were earlier. And he can clearly sense that the one leading the charge in the center of formation is the one beckoning him more than any other.  
>There is still a long way to go before he can make it, but he is not going to stop until he defeats this interstellar enemy.<p>

"Increase speed, Treble. Now!" Bass orders.

Treble obeys, zooming himself and Bass towards what could be their most glorious victory, or their ultimate doom.

* * *

><p>Several miles away, Dr. Wily leads a small group of Skullkers following Bass, trying to catch up with him. Despite Tomahawk Man's warning about a greater threat from someplace other than Earth, Dr. Wily is still not in the mood to take anything from Bass after what he pulled by going rogue.<br>In his diseased mind, he is expecting Bass to deliver good on his word of a serious threat, or else Bass will be in bumped down to buck private in Wily's robot army, a punishment much like ProtoMan received before he left.  
>And while he is at it, he may even do the same to Tomahawk Man as well just for dragging everyone out here and exposing their position to the military.<p>

Cut Man wheezes, 'It won't be long before the British catch us heading into their airspace. We might have been caught already!"

"Just keep an eye out for any interference. I am keeping an eye on Bass' signal. Tomahawk Man, if you and Bass are right about these strange beings from another galaxy, then I want to see them myself," Wily states.  
>Then, he adds, "And I can take their own technology and use it against these imbecilic humans, and later Mega Man and Thomas Light!"<p>

As Wily takes turns staring outside the front window of the Skullker and the radar display at the front of the dashboard of the flying craft, he notices the radar suddenly going fuzzy before going blank completely.

Reaching the end of his patience (if he had any left to begin with,) Dr. Wily frowns and slaps the fuzzy radar screen. "Why is this thing not working anymore?!"

"No," Tomahawk Man says, "Whatever it is that approaches... it's already here."

Dr. Wily gives Tomahawk Man a look that appears to be stern, but also, internally he is beginning to see that maybe Tomahawk Man may be right about a threat coming. Which, in turn, makes Bass right about it all along.  
>"So, we do have company."<p>

Cut Man asks, "Doesn't anybody find it a _shave_ crazy that Tomahawk Man can sense these things?"

GutsMan panics, "Maybe he's being taken over too!"

Wily shuts them up, answering, "I built Tomahawk Man with an enhanced set of sensors to make up for his stoic personality, Cut Man. And my sensors are working much better than I could have expected."

Tomahawk Man interjects, "Even I cannot sense Bass' presence anymore, Dr. Wily. All I can feel is the enemy from the skies. They are too overwhelming."

Dr. Wily grips the controls of the Skullker and replies with anticipation, "Then, we will just have to follow the destruction and take things from there!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, elsewhere.<strong>

Several miles behind Bass and Wily, Mega Man, his siblings and the task forces from America and Canada race towards England, unaware of an alarming development about the alien attackers.

Brain Bot contacts Mega Man from San Fransisco. _"Mega Man, we have a serious problem."_

"What's wrong?"

_"The nine alien objects are approaching the planet at a much faster rate of speed than they were before. They are already entering Earth's atmosphere!"_

Mega Man is alerted by this news and asks Brain Bot, "Where are they now?"

_"They are about to land two miles northwest of the city of London, if their course remains steady."_

Mega Man urgently replies, "There's no way we're going to make it in time! We've got to tell the teams in London to get ready to defend themselves now!"

* * *

><p><strong>England.<br>**

Because of the accelerated arrival of the nine pods, the English defense forces are left ill-equipped to fight off the alien attackers and are left to fend them off without the help of Mega Man and everybody with him.  
>The British forces still brace for battle and hope for the best. But, they have no Earthly idea what is about to land in their home country<p>

The sound of several sonic boom noises can be heard ringing throughout the sky as the nine alien pods pass through the orbit of Earth and begin their final decent into London. The forces on the ground tense up and prime their weapons at the sky as they can see the faintest traces of light trails burning towards the planet.  
>Despite the daylight, the burning trails in the sky quickly are clearly seen by the naked eye as they descend.<p>

All weapons and emergency defense turrets which were set up just hours ago remain fixed on the nine flaming trails in the sky, and they are heading in their general direction.  
>One trooper manages to sneak in a swig of an adult beverage from his flask hidden in his pocket, feeling very nervous about impending close encounter.<p>

Soon, the pods can make a roaring sound as they speed towards Earth, leaving trails of smoke and fire in their wake. The pods soon begin to break apart as they speed towards the surface, revealing smaller coffin-like pods that very in size depending on who inhabits it. Each one lands with an Earth-shaking crash, planting themselves into the ground and standing almost perfectly straight, and the soldiers and army robots all take aim at them, ready to open fire.

The Commander of the British forces orders, "'old your fire. We can't waste firepower on them until we have a confirmed target."

Several tense seconds pass as the forces gathered around this site await for the chance to open fire, and those seconds feel like hours to the human members here.

However, a high-pitched buzzing noise is made by all nine of the smaller pods and soon causes not only all of the humans around to clutch their ears and double over in pain, but also causes the robots around to become disoriented and lost control of their own balance.  
>Before too long, all lifeforms around these landed pods are subdued, either passing out from the agony or dazed and unable to put up a fight.<p>

The buzzing eventually stops and nine landing pods open, blowing the frontal section off and revealing an occupant inside each one. Inside are nine robot-like beings who have a resemblance to those of the humanoid robots who now live here on Earth. But, their armor and skin do not quite look robotic nor human, but more of an organic cross between the two.

The leader is the first to step out, sporting blue, white and dark grey armature with a shade of an orange-like shade of red on his left forearm and his headgear, with lengthy bright green hair, and the expression on his face is very serious. His skin has an old tone to it which almost looks greyish, another feature that clearly distinguishes him as something not of this world.

Behind him are his eight followers, who also begin to walk out of the their pods until the ground stands together. Each of them looking like something from another world, and all of them sporting some sort of jewel on their body, much like Bass does.

One has neon green and pink armature, and the top of has head sports a green dome with sharp spikes on either side of his head. His name is Mercury.  
>Another almost has a body shaped like an egg with yellow armature. His head is a part of his torso, and has no facial features aside from his eyes, sporting antennae atop his head. He is known as Venus.<p>

Another has mostly bright red armor with clue and sports a long cannon at the forefront of his head. His name is Mars.  
>Another had green and yellow armor, and physically looks like a cross between a bird creature and a bee, marked by his rooster-like feet, winged shoulders and a head that looks very avian. He is Jupiter.<p>

One of them has dark brown and white armor and red jewels, prominent on his body. His head is oddly shape, which becomes wide as it goes up, making him resemble a blender. His most distinguishing feature is a ring that hovers around his body. His name is, fittingly, Saturn.  
>Another looks more like a bull with red armor, and large white horns on his forehead and a large jaw. He is called Uranus.<p>

The shortest is size also looks the most like a hybrid between robotic and organic life, with black armor and large areas of white fur on his body and a gold four-point jewel on his chest, and a blue jewel on his forehead. He has three silver claws protruding though his knuckles. He is Pluto.  
>The last of them looks like a cross between a lizard and an underwater creature, and a human-like face and green, white and blue armor that looks dragon-like. He is known as Neptune.<p>

The green-haired leader holds in his hand a small orb that he tosses into the air, causing it to levitate in mid-air. The orb rotates and begins emitting a signal the likes of which nothing on this planet can fight off, and successfully takes over every means of communication and broadcasting on Earth, including computers, telephones, billboards, television and radio.

The orb lowers itself to eye-level with the leader of the group, and the leader scoffs. "The technology of this pathetic planet is far more primitive than I expected. This will be easy."

* * *

><p>All around the world, on every electronic device capable of video and audio technology, the faces of the nine alien invaders appear with the leader taking the forefront. Even for those with just audio capabilities, they can still hear the voice of this new enemy. And so too can Mega Man and Dr. Wily...<p>

_"Attention, inhabitants of the planet Earth, I am Terra... We are the StarDroids... We have been monitoring this sector of the Galaxy for several cycles and have waited until now to make our presence known. We have already demonstrated on your sole galaxy protector who called himself Galaxy Man that we can easily obliterate your defenses._  
><em>We are aware that this world had many leaders, many who claim to protect this world, and those who wish to seize it for themselves. For the next four of your Earth hours, we will allow you the chance to surrender your control to us.<em>  
><em>If you surrender, we may allow you and your inhabitants to survive... If you do not, you will be terminated."<em>

Terra warns, _"Have no illusions. Do not rely on your Gods or your Defenders... We are your Gods now."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<br>**_

_I'm sorry this chapter was late. I didn't have the time to write it lately.  
>Recently, Defender hit 100,000 unique hits in it's over three year history. I sincerely wish to thank everyone who has read this story and helped it reach this milestone. It has been very important to me, because it helped the dream of showing an alternate Ruby-Spears universe as I've always imagined it, also because this fic and the Mega Man cartoon itself I met a few special friends of mine, including most importantly the love of my life. (You know who you are, Captain. ;) )<br>I hope you have enjoyed Defender already, and there is still more to come.  
><em>

_The ID4 name used to designate the plan for alien invasions is only fictional, but it is the marketing abbreviation for the movie Independence Day. (It was a very cool thing to do in the 90's, because it worked for T2.)_

_The Supreme Intellect's real name of Bowser Albano is a double reference. Bowser is obviously a reference to Bowser from Mario, and the name Albano is a tribute to Captain Lou Albano, the first person to play Mario on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show._

_And of course, E.T. is a reference to E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. But, not exactly the Atari video game... but, the less said about that game, the better.  
><em>

_Also, the only ancillary character in Defender who has made multiple cameos and has never been given a name is President Henry's Secretary of Defense. That will not be the case soon, I hope._

_Please remember to leave a review or a comment, and if you find any continuity errors so bad that Atari would take it and bury it in a landfill, then lie about it only for it to be discovered years later, please PM me._


	150. A Hopeless Battle

_**Episode 14, Chapter 3: A Hopeless Battle.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>London.<strong>

The StarDroids, led by their leader Terra, march their way into the historic city of London in a manner which can only be described as calm and coordinated. None of them appear to be in any hurry to conquer this city, nor do they have any sign of apprehension of the forces up ahead. And after easily taking down those who were stationed around their entry pods, they have no reason to be afraid.  
>The StarDroids are confident in their own power, and they are so far ahead of Earth's technology, it is futile for any of the forces here in England to attempt to counter them.<p>

Several heavily armored vehicles mounted with RoboTrooper-operated turrets speed their way towards the marching StarDroids. The loud voice of a human commander with an English accent yells, "Open fire!"

Terra does not even dignify the military in front of him with a vocal response and merely gives his fellow StarDroids a waving gesture with one hand, signalling them to deal with the forces up ahead.

The English military open fire on the StarDroids, but their fire is deflected when the invaders use their personal deflector shields, a power Bass also has. The eight StarDroids on either side of Terra then counter attack the Military with their own special weapons and abilities.

The StarDroid named Mars attacks first, using the cannon mounted on his head to fire a Proton Missile at the incoming British military. Thanks to the alien technology it was made with, the missile itself is so advanced that there are not very weapons on this planet that can quite match it in terms of strength.  
>The Proton Missile hits in the middle of the military formation of tanks and heavy vehicles, striking the street instead of directly striking the incoming targets. But, the concussion from the advanced missile is so strong and knocks several of the military away in several directions, flipping the vehicles on their sides and tops, crushing the RoboTroopers sitting atop the tanks.<p>

Mercury runs toward the fallen military and begins to utilize a key ability: The green-colored sections of his armature - including his hands, feet, shoulders and the top section of his head - are actually made of liquid metal, and they begin to change shape into sword weapons.  
>Meanwhile, Pluto gets on all fours like a cat and races towards them with his own claws ready to slash anything in his way, while Uranus stamps his feet and begins to rush towards them much like the Earth bulls he resembles.<p>

The three StarDroids proceed to decimate the military forces before them, still ill-prepared to defend themselves after the violent Proton Missile attack. Mercury and Pluto use their blades to slash through the armor of the robots in the group, and because their weaponry is so advanced, the blades they use slice through the armor of these Soldier Robots like a hot knife through butter.

Meanwhile, the StarDroid named Jupiter hovers over the scene and unleashes his special power which resembles an Electric Shock, picking off the military with white strikes of electric current, even the ones who appeared to be running to find better cover to counter them. Those who are left standing realize they are no match for these alien invaders and that these robots are even stronger than Dr. Wily's robots.

One of the British tanks fires its cannon at the bull-like Uranus, but he sidesteps out of the way and soon plows into the tank, his horns piercing through the armor plating on the front. The human soldiers inside try to escape before Uranus can rip through the hull of the tank. But, the StarDroid uses his sheer power to tip the tank over on it's top end, then proceeds to jump on it, scrunching it and trapping the humans inside.

Then, to deal the crushing blow, the StarDroid known as Saturn removes the ring levitating around his torso and holds it in front of him. There begins to appear a dark vacuum effect within the ring itself, and very shortly afterwards things begin to be pulled towards it, and shortly afterwards, several members of the British Military, including the mangled bodies of fallen robots.  
>Saturn has his own black hole power, not to dissimilar to that of Galaxy Man's! And that power is just as horrifying when used by Saturn as it was by Galaxy Man when the space robot was under the control of Dr. Wily.<p>

Several of the damaged and overwhelmed RoboTroopers try to crawl away, but find themselves pulled away, sucked into the void within Saturn's ring to never escape. Even one unfortunate human soldier is sucked towards the ring of death with no hope of surviving, until he is swiped up by Neptune, whose lizard-like feet are sticking to the ground and preventing him from being pulled in.

Neptune then tosses the solder away towards a nearby statue outside of the radius of Saturn's ring. He then signals to Venus, who deploys a weapon that can only be described as a Bubble Bomb. When, deployed, it appears to be a bubble like orb, and bounces towards the fallen soldier, who tries in vain to run away.  
>And when it is close enough, it detonates, creating a violent explosion that sends the soldier flying away like a rag doll. When he lands, he is badly injured, and the two StarDroids enjoy the sight of toying with these so-called weaklings.<br>"The fleshy ones are even weaker than the hardened ones," Neptune says of the Humans.

Elsewhere, Terra's left hand changes position, revealing an arm cannon which is not unlike those used by warrior robots on Earth. He says, "I tire of this pointless conflict. If these weak beings flee, they deserve to perish."

Terra aims at the retreating soldiers, some o which are injured and being carried away by their brothers in arms, therefore they cannot defend themselves anyway. But, Terra decides against executing the rest of them instead.  
>"They are cowards. Too pathetic to even die with honor. Let them live knowing they were not strong enough to do battle. It will devour their pride for all their years," Terra says.<p>

Now that the Star Droids have decimated the Military forces that were attemping to stop them, Terra proceeds towards the heart of London, heading directly for the London Parliament.  
>Terra stats to his fellows, "According to the information sent to me by Luna's remaining remaining lifeforce gems, the beings who control this part of the world will be located at the structure they call a Parliament. This section of the Humanity Race has Royalty and a Prime Minister. Dealing with them will prove to be less of a challenge than their pitiful defenses."<p>

All of the StarDroids comply in unison, "Affirmative, Terra."

Mercury asks in his slithery voice, "Shall we exterminate them as well, Terra?"

"Not yet. We need to convince them to relinquish their power to us. It will make disposing of them an easier task later, when we have conquered this planet," Terra replies.

Terra's face takes on a disgusted sneer as he walks down the street and looks at the historical buildings and general imperfections on them and the asphalt of the streets he walks on. Even though there is nothing wrong with them, and many would prefer it to remain that way, Terra considers the slightest hint of dust and dirt and even the slightest imperfection to be utterly pitiful.

"These beings are unsanitary. Look at these antiquated structures! I can see the filth from here," Terra frowns. "The conditions are worse elsewhere on this planet than it is here. It will be a pleasure to eradicate this surface!"

Terra suddenly looks upward to the sky, feeling a presence approaching. "The one who took Luna's lifeforce approaches. Once we regain the gems, Luna's essence will lead us to the the remainder of them."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, on the approach to London.<strong>

Mega Man, ProtoMan, Roll and all the others in the allied task force sent over from the United States race towards the estimated landing area of the StarDroids. Like the rest of the world, the Light siblings and the others with them received the communication hack from the StarDroids. Since then, global communication has crashed from the strain placed upon it by the bandwidth of Terra's message, and they are unable to make contact with each other or anybody else in the world.

"This is Mega Man! Come in! Did anybody else get that message?" Mega Man attempts to call, but to no avail.

ProtoMan in the Land Blazer and Roll on her SkyCycle fly closer to Mega and Rush. They, like Mega Man, also received the transmission from Terra and try to converse with each other on this.

"Did you get all that stuff about turning over power and watching the planet from afar and all that crap?" asks ProtoMan.

"I couldn't ignore it. If he got through to our frequencies, this Terra might have sent it to everyone else in the world. Even Wily," Mega Man replies.

"It's bad enough we have to fight aliens. But, they can hack into all of our communicators?! If we're gonna fight these guys we better win," Roll says, looking straight ahead and still a little spooked about the idea of battling aliens.

ProtoMan jokes, "Come on, sis. It's just a bunch of little green men."

"That voice didn't sound so_ little_ to me," Roll replies.

The voice of Dr. Light breaks through on Mega Man's communicator, but the signal is very weak and sounds fractured. _"Rock, Roll, ProtoMan! Can you read me?"_

"Barely. Did you just hear a transmission coming in from somebody naming himself Terra?"

_"Not only did I hear it, Rock. I saw it as well on the lab's computers,"_ Thomas explains,_ "I have tried to contact you and others since, and until now, I had no success. These 'StarDroids' had just landed outside of London minutes before their message went out, but I cannot trace their movements anymore, and I fear nobody else can either. How close are you?"_

"We're almost there. We'll burn pod if we have to," Mega Man replies.

_"Use extreme caution, all of you. Shortly before that message, contact was lost those who were assigned to protect the area."_

Mega Man frowns after hearing about how quickly the forces in London were defeated. "We'll be careful."

Roll asks ProtoMan, "Are you sure you don't want to take these guys seriously now, big brother?"

"Those were humans and lesser robots down there. When I was with Wily, he used to punk them out all the time," Proto dismisses. "These _Droids_ don't know what they're dealing with when they battle us! Besides, I prefer a little challenge in my exercises."

Mega Man interjects, "Let's take them seriously, guys. These aren't Wily's bots we're dealing with this time. These StarDroids are something else entirely. And let's watch each other's backs, Okay?"

Roll asks, "What if Wily gets involved?"

"Watch out for him too," Mega Man adds.

"I don't think he's showing up this fast. Unless, he was already on his way here to begin with," ProtoMan comments back.

* * *

><p>Down on the surface, The StarDroids continue their moderately-paced march towards London, and another group of English military rush to the scene and open fire on them. But, like before, it is of no use, and Terra simply motions for his StarDroids to take care of them like they did the prior squad.<p>

Venus deploys several Bubble Bombs and Mars fires another Proton Missile, which detonate in the middle of their formation, causing an even larger radius of damage and grave injuries than the earlier attack by Mars did on the first round of military.

Before the StarDroids could once again create a potential massacre in the streets, Terra stops and looks up to the sky after hearing the sounds of many propulsion systems coming from above. He calls, "Halt! More challengers are approaching."

Pluto grumbles, "I do not see Luna's life force among any of them."

Terra replies, "No. However, I can sense a heroic quality inside of three of them, stronger than the others. These must be some of this planet's Defenders. It should make for a satisfying victory."  
>He calls, "Preapre, StarDroids! This lot shall prove <em>slightly<em> more challenging than the previous ones. Let us make an example of them all."

Terra watches as the attack forces come closer and lower their altitude, keeping his focus primarily on Mega Man and identifying him and Earth's most prominent Defender. He can sense the goodness inside Mega Man, and it only disgusts Terra.  
>He can also see that Mega Man is gaining energy, charging a powerful plasma blast.<p>

"Commence shields, on my command!" Terra calls.

He then hears the voice of Mega Man, and a loudspeaking boradcast from inside Rush's voicebox. "StarDroids! You have ten seconds to surrender, or we will be forced to open fire."

"What a pity," Terra replies, not worried in the least about the challenge posed by the new opponents.

As soon as those ten seconds are up, Mega Man fires off a fully charged plasma blast, expecting the lot of StarDroids to either scatter apart to avoid the shot, or hopefully make contact with at least one of them to even the odds more in the favor of the side of good.

Terra commands, "Now!"

All nine of the StarDroids power their personal shields, protecting them all from the impact and the blat of the plasma shot as it hits the pavement. And the shields hold up fully, and none of them are damaged or even moved from Mega's blast...

Mega Man's eyes grow wide and he gasps to himself, "Sizzling Circuits! They didn't even move. They've got shields like... like _Bass_ does!"

ProtoMan replies, "Okay... I wasn't expecting that."

A spooked Roll asks, "What are we gonna do?"

The commanding officer of the allied forces behind him then calls Mega Man. _"Mega Man, we are awaiting orders. What should we do?"_

Mega Man emphatically replies, "Hit them with everything we've got. I repeat._ Hit them with** everything** we've got_!"

The allied forces - whose arsenal consists of several heavily armed jet fighters, bombers, troop carriers, as well as the Light Siblings - open fire upon the StarDroids with several weapons. But, the StarDroids maintain their personal shielding and resist the heavy barrage of fire from above, which only damages the streets and buildings down below instead of dealing any damage to the alien invaders.  
>The only benefit this did have was that it allowed the disarrayed British military on the ground time to retreat and escape a horrible fate that awaited them had they remained.<p>

Calmly, Terra instructs his fellows, "Let us demonstrate to these lesser beings that their inferior weaponry is no match for ours. Commence the counter offensive."

The nine StarDroids break formation and leap into the air with their personal shielding holding strong as they begin attacking the much larger allied force squadron in front of them. They may be physically outnumbered, but theose on the side of good are in for a shock.

Saturn is the first to attack, using his own black hole power to pull several jets toward him, and despite the size difference, the jets are still pulls towards it. Saturn even manages to suck one into the void, taking the robot pilots inside with it.

Terra himself fires his deadly laser beam weapon, known as the Spark Chaser, directly at another jet fighter. The shot hits its target, leaving a gaping hole clean through the hull. Then, the beam ricochets in thin air like it did when Galaxy Man was attacked and returns to the fighter jet, hitting the primary fuel tank, destroying it in a ball of flame.

Meanwhile, Uranus grabs onto one of the troop transports and begins to bore into it with his ultra-sharp horns to create a hole into the bottom for him to climb into. Once inside, he is drastically outnumbered against all of the robotic troops onboard and they open fire on him. But, that will not make a difference.  
>The weapons of the RoboTroops have no effect on Uranus' shielding and he rushes them all at full speed, tackling and impaling several of them on his horns, until he crashes into the exit doors in the front of the transport, blowing them open and sending several troops falling out...<p>

Elsewhere in the sky, Pluto leaps into the front of Roll's SkyCycle and tries to slash at her with his claws, which Roll narrowly avoids. She yelps and shrieks, "Get off my bike, you space creep!"

Pluto slashes at the front end of Roll's vehicle, slicing clean through the armor and exposing the circuitry underneath. Roll tries fighting him off, drawing her frying pan with her utility arm and trying in vain to maintain control with her right hand clutching the handlebars.  
>She swings at Pluto, but the StarDroid slashes to block the attack, and leaves three marks on the pan itself.<p>

"Not today, kitty!" calls the voice of Mega Man, who leaps off of Rush and kicks Pluto off his sister's Skycycle and lands back on Rush while the StarDroid falls back to the ground.  
>And on his way down, Pluto gets struck by a shot from the Land Blazer, controlled by ProtoMan. Pluto could not get his shield up in time, so he takes some slight damage.<p>

"You mess with our sister, you mess with us too, chump!" Proto grins.

Pluto lands on all fours on the damaged street pavement, dismayed that any of these weaklings could get the better of him, a StarDroid! Worse yet, he landed just feet away from Terra, who stares at him as he returns to his feet.  
>Trying to ensure he does not get scalded by his leader right here, Pluto tries to make up for his small failure. "I apologize for this, Terra. I will get them."<p>

"No. This trio is not like the other. You join your fellows and deal with the lesser beings. I will handle these Defenders myself," Terra says.

Terra leaps into the air, heading directly towards Mega Man, who just barely catches the sight of him from the edge of his peripheral vision. Mega tries countering the attack from Terra by ducking or leaping, but Terra was thinking well ahead of Mega and tackles him, knocking the Defender off Rush's back and sending them into a free fall.

Mega Man shoves Terra off himself with his feet and fires a blast at the StarDroid's chest, only for the shot to be absorbed into Terra's personal shielding again. The two warriors land on the ground shortly thereafter on their feet and immediately continue battle.  
>Mega Man fires three shots from his plasma buster, which Terra absorbs once again and snickers. "Your pathetic weapon is no match for the technology of my people!"<p>

Mega Man realizes that if these StarDroids have technology similar to Bass, then maybe the Rush Adapter can counter them, much like it does Bass' defenses. Mega calls, "Rush! Return to me and use the adapter, now!"

The instant Rush enters Terra's point of view, Uranus crash lands back to the ground and stands between him and Mega Man. Scraping his hoofs, he huffs a puff of smoky breath from the nostrils on his bull-like face.  
>Rush is apprehensive when he stands across from the much larger StarDroid, and his eyes bulge as he lets out a gulping sound.<br>Uranus roars and charges for Rush, and the robo-canine jumps into the air when the StarDroid makes a low dive for him. Rush even lands on Uranus' back before jump off him again before racing for Mega Man.

Terra fires a Spark Chaser shot at Rush that Rush avoids... but just before he could reach Mega Man, Terra's shot ricochets in thin air and hits Rush in his back, sending the poor dog falling to Mega's feet with a high pitched whine.

Mega Man shouts in panic and falls to his knees to tend to his small friend. "Rush!"

Not even showing the slightest hint of compassion and taking advantage of the what he sees as weakness, Terra takes the chance to open fire on Mega Man when he is too preoccupied with looking after Rush. Mega barely notices in time to duck out of the way of the shot and grab Rush so that he can try to get him out of danger.

Mega Man can see the shot Terra fired at him bolting back towards him, and he just manages to spin himself out of the way as he continues to run away with Rush towards some help, but Terra is relentless as he chases him.

Showing no remorse or compassion, Terra taunts, "First, you rely on a small lifeform like that. Now, you run like the fleshy cowards did! How pathetic."

As Mega Man races ahead, he calls, "Roll, you need to meet me at the street corner closest to my location. And, robotroops, I need cover for two minutes, and urgently!"

Roll replies, "What happened?!"

Mega replies shortly, "Just hurry!"

Several Robot Troopers race over to Mega Man and form a blockade between him and Terra, opening fire on the leader of the StarDroids to provide Mega enough time to get Rush to safety. But, the military robots who stand between Terra and Mega Man, have no luck causing any damage to Terra, as all of their weapons cannot penetrate the StarDroid's shielding, and there is no sign of Terra growing any weaker.

"The conquering of this planet and its pathetic inhabitants will prove easier than was foreseen," Terra says as he single handedly begins to shoot down the military robots in his way...

Nearby, Mega Man reaches Roll while the robo troops run some interference until he can rejoin the battle. Roll gasps in horror when she sees what happened to Rush, and it reminds her of the fate that befell her Met companion Doc.  
>"Rush! No!" Roll nearly weeps, "Is he going to-"<p>

"No," Mega answers, "His damage is bad, but it missed his vital systems. Roll, I need you to get yourself and Rush to the secondary carrier so you can get him back home."

Roll is handed Rush in her lap, and she watches how badly the StarDroids are beating the forces of good. "Maybe we should all get out of here and regroup until Dr. Light or somebody can make us a weapon that can stop these aliens!"

"I'm not going anywhere until I know we don't sand a chance. And I want a piece of Terra's hide!" Mega Man replies, growing angry over the StarDroid's treatment of Rush and others here.

"These guys have shields like Bass does. What if the only way to break them is with Rush?" Roll asks.

"Just get Rush and yourself out of here so you don't get hurt. I'll create a way to stop them, if I have to," Mega insists.

Roll reluctantly does what her brother tells her, and flies away with Rush, and this only reminds her of another similar extremely difficult encounter her brother had just last year when he faced Dr. Wily's trio of robots known as The Killers: Ballade, Enker and Punk. An encounter which Mega Man was almost destroyed.  
>As she leaves, she urges, "Please, don't get yourselves killed."<p>

Mega Man remains silent as he turns around, unable to find the right words to respond to his sister with. He knows the odds are severely against him, possibly now more than any conflict with Dr. Wily's forces. Once Roll and Rush are away, Mega races back towards the battle and keeps his sights locked in on Terra. On his way, he gets a communication from ProtoMan.

_"Okay, bro. These guys are a little tougher than I thought they were gonna be. I've been firing the guns on this thing and blasting so much that I think both are gonna overheat, and they _still_ aren't getting any weaker. Have any suggestions?"_

"I'm going to try something. You have to watch my back while I do it. I might only get one shot at this, and I'm going right for the leader," Mega Man replies.

_"I'll keep them off your back, even if I've got to crash this sucker right in their face,"_ Proto says, before adding, _"As long as I've got enough time to bail out before it blows up."_

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the way to the battle, Dr. Wily's wave of Skullkers have all but lost sight of Bass, who jetted towards London with Treble after Terra's message penetrated the worlds communications. But, Wily can see the signs of battle and destruction up ahead in the form of aerial battleships and fighter jets, cutting through plums of white and black smoke from the city below.<p>

Wily calls to the other vehicles in his squad, "We need to stay away from those ships ahead. The last thing I want is to get the attention of the military, no matter what country I'm in!"

"You don't think the Blue Dweeb is here, do ya?" asks Guts Man.

"If he is not here already, he soon will be," Wily replies before pausing. "... And I'm sure Proto will be with him." Wily then grins, "This could be just the lucky break I have been waiting for! New alien technology will be mine, Mega Man will be destroyed and ProtoMan will return to me, where he rightfully belongs!"

* * *

><p>Back on the streets, Terra and the StarDroids continue to systematically defeat the massive allied force that was built to stop them, and the evil Terra himself is enjoying the art of termination even more than the others are.<br>He continues to press forward, looking to find Mega Man so that he can hand him a fatal defeat, but the Defender of the Human Race has other plans.

Mega Man blasts the sidewalk he stands on and then bashes his foot into the damaged pavement, exposing the underground electrical lines. Once exposed, Mega takes the risk and grabbing onto the live wire and pulling it out of the ground until he has just enough slack to work with.  
>He taunts, "Hey, Terra! Why don't you come over here and try to blast somebody your own size? You coward!"<p>

"I do not need encouragement, weakling," Terra taunts back as he leaps into the air and zeroes in on Mega Man as he descends back down.

Mega Man blasts the live wire in his right hand, separating it and causing the frayed end to spit out electrical charges which can be deadly if touched. He shouts, "How do you like this?!"

Mega Man jabs the live wire into the frontal shield of Terra, hoping the that several thousand watts of electricity will short the shields out and open the StarDroid up for an attack. Unfortunately, after firing a blast at nearly point blank range at Terra whilst continuing his attempt to jolt him with the electricity, the shields are still holding strong, even under this immense amount of strain.

The unfazed Terra asks, "Is this supposed to be painful?"

Terra slaps the live wire out of Mega Man's hands, sending it falling to the ground where it wiggles out of control from the live electricity surging.

As he stands-off with Terra, Mega calls to ProtoMan for an alternate plan. "It didn't work. Go for Plan B."

Terra taunts, "All your plans will fail. And you will lie in shambles at my feet. The hopes of you and your kind hopes will soon be ruined!"

"That's another thing you have in common with Bass. You talk too much," Mega fires back as he tries to combat Terra, blasting him with several plasma shots, and all of which are absorbed by Terra's shields. But, this is part of a diversion coordinated with ProtoMan in the land Blazer. If only it can be pulled off...

ProtoMan banks hard to his right, heading downward to line the Land Blazer's guns up with a shot to the back of Terra which he will not see coming. He smirks, "Bulls-eye, Space Invader!"

Just before Proto could fire, however, Pluto leaps onto the Land Blazer's front end from out of nowhere and sinks his claws into the hull. "That was a grave error you made when you and the other metallic being saved the female! You will have to pay for it in her wake."

"You'll have to take a raincheck on that, pal," ProtoMan replies, maintaining control of the Land Blazer enough to keep his sights set on Terra. That is, until the craft is rocked by one of Mars' Proton Missiles hitting the craft's underside.

Proto tries to regain control, but he begins to spiral out of control while Pluto rips through the glass windshield with his blades. He replies, "We don't know what you mean by 'raincheck.' You will have to perish now!"

ProtoMan knows that he stands no chance to save the Land Blazer, so he might as well bring it down and take this annoying StarDroid with it. (Even if Dr Light is not too pleased.)  
>He sneers, "You guys don't now what a raincheck is? Okay. Let me show you!"<p>

ProtoMan takes the Land Blazer into a sharp nosedive, looking to crush Pluto underneath it. On the way down, ProtoMan sees the StarDroid named Mars, who appears to be preparing another Photon Missile.  
>ProtoMan assumes that is the one who just hit the Land Blazer, and he might as well take care of him after Pluto gets crushed by the wrecked Blazer.<p>

He says to himself, "I didn't think I'd _actually_ have to crash this sucker today! But, here goes!"

After locking the controls into position for a nosedive crash, Proto jumps out of the falling Land Blazer just before it crashes into the street below. Pluto, however, quickly claws around to the rear of the falling craft and then leaps off just as he hits the pavement, causing the fallen vehicle to erupt into a ball of flame and wreckage.

Proto looks over his scarf-clad shoulder to see Pluto surviving the crash of the Land Blazer unscathed, and back over to Mars, who is ready to fire again. He moans, "Oh, great. Both of those plans didn't go so well."

Mars fires a proton missile at ProtoMan, who jumps out of the way as he fires blasts at the StarDroid, who only absorbs it with his shields like the others. In the middle of the action, Proto calls Mega Man. "Sorry, Rock. These guys just downed the Blazer. We're gonna have to think of something else."

_"There isn't much else left to think of with the weapons and resources we have left down here."_

"I'm going to take care of these two who've got me cornered... somehow," Proto adds, facing off with Mars and Pluto.

Proto hears a somebody making a hissing noise behind him and looks to see Pluto diving his way with his claws aimed straight at him. Proto cannot move out of the way at first, and uses his brother's birthday gift, the reinforced titanium shield. The shield protects Proto from Pluto's claws, which leave marks on the front of it.

Proto quips, "This is the first time I'm using this and you've already scuffed it up. Gee, thanks!"

ProtoMan hears he sound of another Proton Missile heading his way and he backflips to avoid getting hit, and Pluto also barely evades the missile himself. Pluto hollars to his cohort, "Do not fire at me again!"

Hearing this, Proto devises a plan to deal with these StarDroids. If his own weapons won't work against them, then maybe their own weapons will. He doesn't know if he can duplicate their power, or if he can get close enough to do it with those shields of theirs. But, if he can arrange another case of friendly fire like what just he just witnessed, maybe the StarDroids can accidentally do Proto's job for him.

Proto taunts Pluto first, joking, "Hey, shorty! You know, you think you're all big and bad, but trust me. Me and my Bro have seen a lot worse than you, pal. You look stupid with those little fingernails of yours too."

Pluto takes offense to ProtoMan's insults, spitting, "How dare you insult me, weakling!"

"It figures you look like a cat, because to me, you're a total-", Proto begins to say, just before he could call Pluto a rather harsh 'feline' name.

"Enough of you!" Pluto shrieks as he runs at ProtoMan all all fours, causing Proto to grin as he races towards Mars. Pluto took the bait, and now he just has to line him up for a shot from Mars, and they will be two StarDroids down  
>The trick appears to be working, as Mars is already lining up ProtoMan for the shot, and Proto grins as he prepares to make a huge leap that will put Pluto in the line of fire.<p>

That is, until Saturn races into Proto's path and uses his ring to create his Black Hole energy once more, which ProtoMan can already feel pulling at him. Proto grabs on to a nearby lamp post with his hands as his body is pulled sideways, and once again he has found himself in a life-threatening situation involving a black hole type weapon.  
>Proto snaps to himself, "I've already almost been sucked into one damn black hole in my life! I'm not in the mood to make it two!"<p>

Meanwhile, ProtoMan can see Mars and Pluto standing side by side as Mars prepares the Proton Missile intended for him, and the Red Raider knows that he is in for it this time.  
>"Well... this is the last time I'll underestimate a bunch of alien robots," Proto muses to himself...<p>

Elsewhere, Mega Man tries in vain to fight Terra, and all of his attacks are not showing any signs of weakening his shielding, and the same can be said of the combined efforts of the allied forces against all the StarDroids. It looks like the Defender of the Human Race may finally have found an opponent he cannot defeat in any way with his current weapons and powers. If he can even defeat them _at all_.

Terra says, "I know of your exploits during your brief time on this planet, Defender. You are the one these lesser beings look to to save them from meeting their doom. But, you are only familiar with weak threats native to this planet. Nothing could prepare you for my army!"

Terra fires a Spark Chaser shot which Mega Man avoids. Mega retorts, "You're not going to win here, Terra. You've underestimated how strong all of us really are."

Terra's Spark Chaser shot ricochets back to hit Mega Man in his back to knock him down. Terra mocks, "No. It is you who have underestimated the StarDroids, as your error in judgment clearly dictates."

Mega Man tries to fire one more blast at Terra, but it is no use. Terra easily blocks it with his shield as he slowly approaches the Defender. The StarDroid shakes his head, scoffing, "Did you truly believe that you could defeat the might of the StarDroids?"

"Even if you defeat me today, another will stop you," Mega Man grunts as he tries to return to his feet.

Terra kicks Mega's torso and knocks him down, leaving him on his back as Terra steps over him, aiming his weaponized arm at his head. "Your endless optimism speaks volumes of the ridiculous hopes and dreams of the pathetic fleshy creatures who walk this planet. And that lack of acceptance of your fate will be your undoing."

It looks as if the StarDroids will win Earth by winning this battle, and that both the Light brothers and the forces along with them here are about to meet their end... However, before Mega Man and ProtoMan could meet their doom at the hands of the StarDroids, a very unlikely assistant arrives to the scene of the battle.  
>And his name is<span> Bass<span>.

Bass first fires several shots at Saturn, whose shields are still holding up. But, unlike the other robots and fighters here, Bass' firepower sends the StarDroid staggering backwards, because Bass' blasts are partially powered by the jewels in his head and chest.  
>The attack causes Saturn to drop his ring, which ceases his black hole attack and allows ProtoMan to fall to the ground instead of being pulled towards certain death.<p>

"Terra! It's him!" calls Pluto, point up to Bass who is still mounted on Treble's back.

Bass turns his rage-filled eyes towards Pluto and Mars once he hears the voice of the former, and fires several shots at them. And like Saturn, they are reeling from the counter attack from the Wily Warrior.

Once those three are off his case, Bass drops off of Treble's back and begins to stride towards Terra with raw anger in his eyes as the jewels in his head and chest glow. "So, _you_ are Terra."

Terra turns away from Mega Man's fallen body and focuses exclusively on Bass. "I have been awaiting your arrival, Bass."

Bass growls, "First, you take over my mind. Now you are trying to take my victories from me. So, you must be destroyed!"

Bass yells as he fires off several shots from his buster, and like the others, Terra manages to block them. However, unlike everybody elses weapons, Terra can sense a much more powerful energy behind these shots, and it is uniquely powered by StarDroid technology.  
>Terra says openly, "Indeed, your power flows through this one freely, Luna. I will retrieve it from this interloper shortly."<p>

Terra fires upon Bass with his beam, only to have Bass' own deflector shield absorb the whole shot and not phase the robot warrior in the slightest. Upon seeing that Bass has harnessed this power full, Terra's eyes become enlarged.  
>"Impossible! How could you have mastered the power of our people?!"<p>

Bass growls, "I was born with it! Now, accept your demise!"

Bass fires several shots at Terra and Terra returns fire as well, and by now, the rest of the StarDroids are taking notice of the presence of the lifeforce from the one they call 'Luna' and the battle taking place between their leader and Bass. The allied forces, whom by now are suffering numerous losses and injures use this chance to regroup and await instructions from their commander, and ProtoMan runs over to his brother and pulls him back to his feet.

"I don't know if I should be mad at Bass for showing up here or if I should be happy to see him fighting these bozos," Proto says.

Mega looks over his shoulder at the surreal sight of Bass and Terra - two evil robots - battling each other, and asks, "Bass?! What is _he_ doing here?"

"It only means one thing: Wily found out about these Space Bots and sent him here to fight them. And I'm guessing Wily's not far behind."

Mega Man looks elsewhere to see all the fallen soldiers, both robot and human, and how badly his team his lost this battle. The Defender is horrified when he sees a whole aerial carrier falling from the sky, about to crash outside of London.  
>With his and his brother's energy running low, with Rush damaged and the Land Blazer destroyed, the team taking heavy losses, no sign of the StarDroids growing weak<em> and<em> with Bass and possibly Dr. Wily here, Mega Man knows that he has to make a difficult decision.

"We need to pull out of here. There's no way we can stop them in this shape," Mega decides.

ProtoMan argues, "Are you kidding?! Look at these morons! They're just standing there watching Bass and _Green Hair_ fight! I say we just blast 'em all up right now while they're not looking!"

Mega rejects the idea, "We don't have enough power, energy or allies left to fight them. They would only block our shots like they did everything else. What we should do is regroup and devise a plan instead of and letting people die."

ProtoMan asks, "Don't you think a bunch are gonna die if we bail out of here now?"

Mega Man looks down and considers the serious of his brother's question. Proto has a point. If they retreat, there is a chance that the StarDroids could raze London and all of England with this firepower. But, if they stay here, Mega knows that they stand no chance against the StarDroids, or even Bass.  
>"If we stay here and get destroyed anyway, a lot more will die all over the world. I can't let that happen. Look, I don't like this decision any more than you, but we need to go."<p>

ProtoMan looks perturbed as Mega Man calls the rest of the team, or what is left of it. "Attention, this is Mega Man. We need to abort this mission and regroup. We're out matched and outgunned."

_"Roger, Mega Man. We've taken too many casualties as it is. We've detected enemies incoming towards the city. With any luck maybe they'll destroy each other. Heading out now."_

As Mega Man, ProtoMan and the remaining survivors of this failed skirmish begin to gather for an extraction, the StarDroids are oblivious to it all as they continue staring at Terra and Bass doing battle. They cannot believe that this Earth robot can possibly stand toe-to-toe with Terra, but he is...

Bass and Terra continue trading shots at each other, and their personal shielding holds. Terra is still surprised that this warrior could use the StarDroids' own power against them, and also determined to defeat him to take back the jewels in Bass' armor.  
>Bass on the other hand is consumed with anger, dead set to destroy Terra and these StarDroids as revenge for hacking into his systems and to prove to Dr. Wily that he is his greatest robot Wily has and that he can never - and should never - be usurped.<p>

Some StarDroids begin to talk amongst themselves. "This is the one who took Luna's lifeforce! He has already mastered it too, despite his metallic form," says Mercury.

Venus asks, "Should we aide Terra in defeating this interloper?"

Neptune replies, "Not unless Terra wills it."

Thanks to Terra's natural ability to hear his fellow StarDroids at long range distance, (an ability that all the StarDroids have,) he can overhear the others speaking. He says, "I can defeat this one myself... but, I have no time for this worthless battle and I want Luna's lifeforce back at once. Attack this one with your weapons. Surely, he cannot withstand all of them."

"Attack the thief of Luna's lifeforce!" yells Neptune, who runs toward Bass as the other StarDroids prepare for attack.

In the middle of combat with Terra, Bass can feel a senses from his Bassinium/Quadirium jewels which warn him of incoming threats all around, and Treble's barking confirms it. Bass spins around to see Pluto charging at him with blades ready, and a simple sidestep manages to cause Pluto to miss him.  
>Venus fires a Bubble Bomb while Mars fires a Proton Missile. Bass can sense them coming too and shoots both projectiles down.<p>

"I think I need to introduce them to you personally, Treble! Merge!" Bass commands.

Treble races over to Bass and they jump into the air, and Bass' armor jewels glow brighter as his and Treble's bodies begin to change shape and merge together. Terra watches on and cannot help but be impressed with his adversary. Far more than he expected to be.  
>"Most impressive," he says silently.<p>

Mercury attempts to use his special ability to fire his liquid metal hand at his target and blast them with a unique weapon energy after grabbing on to them. But, Bass' shields block it, and they also block the electrified special attack from Jupiter.  
>Then, the powerful Uranus steps forward and scrapes his feet on the shattered pavement, then runs right for Bass at full power. When Bass sees him, he yells and charges at the StarDroid on jet power, creating a match of Chicken between both of them.<p>

When the two collide, neither Bass' or Uranus' shielding compromises, and they impact of the collision shatters every window within earshot. But, both are left un-injured. Uranus even shakes his head, dazed and caught off-guard after this lesser being could match strength with him.

Neptune and Saturn see this and catch up with Terra. "How are we going to stop this one? Even Uranus' attack was not strong enough," asks Saturn.

Terra smiles, "We do not need to. He is growing weak trying to protecting himself... But, I have not seen such ferocity before... not since... **Sunstar!**"

Neptune says, "Are you serious?"

"Yes... and I have a plan. One that Sunstar would approve of," Terra smiles, as he looks upward to see the latest arrivals to the battlefield. Dr. Wily's squadron.

* * *

><p>In his Skullker, Dr. Wily looks down upon Bass in sadistic awe of the kind of fight he is putting up against the StarDroids. "Hoo-hoo! Look at Bass! He is more powerful than I have ever seen him!"<p>

"It doesn't look like he is hurting them," Cut Man assesses.

"But, I watched all others, even the great Mega Man, taken down at their hand like they were a pest. But, not my Bass! He is giving them a real fight," Wily proclaims, all of a sudden showing support in Bass when he overly scrutinizing him earlier.

GutsMan bellows, "Let's go finish 'em all off!"

"No! They are too strong for you. Only Bass can fight them," Wily orders. He then leans against the front window of the Skullker and mutters, "Now, make me proud, my boy."

* * *

><p>Back on the battle-scarred surface, Bass continues to fend off attacks by the StarDroids while Terra stands and watches. Soon, Bass can feel his energy beginning to ebb away, and he is shocked that somebody as powerful as him could just grow weak like this.<p>

He exclaims, "This can't be. I have never lost power in battle like this before!"

Soon, Bass' attacks become slightly weaker, even in merged form, and Terra sees it. The StarDroid leader calls to his minions, "Back away."

The StarDroids slowly ease their offense on Bass, and soon Bass begins to grow weak, falling to his knees as his energy runs low. He inhales and exhales heavily through his mouth, and looks up at Terra with his rage-filled red eyes.

Terra says, "You are weakened. But, you are a challenge worthy of a StarDroid... even if the only reason is because you have a piece of a StarDroid within you."

Bass' expression suddenly changes to one he rarely wears. A look of shock, with wide eyes.

"We will allow you to leave and recuperate. We will cross paths again. I look forward to our next meeting," Terra says as he and the StarDroids turn back to London and press on with their original mission.

Bass' rage, which has fueled him all day begins to ease up, calming the robot warrior down to being_ just_ angry, (which is normal for him.) He wonders if his lowered energy is responsible, or if these StarDroid elements - the jewels in his chest and helmet- are the reason.  
>Either way, he turns and leaves the battle field, remarking, "You haven't seen the last of me, Terra."<p>

"No, I most certainly have not," Terra smirks, overhearing Bass' threat.

* * *

><p>Back on Wily's Skullker, Bass returns after leaping onboard, leaving Wily to wonder what happened. Albert asks, "Why did you leave?! You are just going to let them get away?!"<p>

"I cannot defeat them... yet," Bass replies, "But, I will face them again. Soon. And I will need _you_, Master Wily, to assist me."

Wily's dismay turns to wretched satisfaction. After the strained feelings between the two since the events of the New York Blackout in January, they are finally on the same page again.  
>Albert says, "That's what I want to hear, my boy. It is good to see you finally coming around."<p>

* * *

><p>As both the Allied forces pull out along with a reluctant Mega Man and an annoyed ProtoMan, Dr. Wily's Skullkers begin to gain ground on them on their way back to Skull Fortress. Although Wily does not attack them, he does linger close to Mega Man's side as the Defender rides on his emergency back-up transport, Transport Item #2.<p>

Mega Man notices Wily's squadron stares across to see Dr. Wily himself in the pilot's seat of his Skullker, just in time to see the Mad Doctor looking in his direction. Unlike the mood of those on this side of the battle, Wily's expression looks unusually jovial. Albert even gives a wave to Mega Man with a twiddle of his fingers and a little grin before he and the rest of his group pull away from the Military before they can get the remainder of their defenses online.

Mega Man can only sneer back at his bitter enemy as he flies back home to concoct a new plan to combat the StarDroids with Dr. Light's help. And Dr. Wily's little taunt only irks him more, adding salt to the metaphorical wounds.

"If I were betting all my memory chips, I'd bet it's gonna be one of those days again," Mega says to himself. And with an enemy as powerful as the StarDroids, 'one of those days' might be an understatement.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Meanwhile, back on the Gesselchaft.<strong>**

After hearing the global transmission from the StarDroids like the rest of the world, Tiesel Bonne tries to follow the proceedings the best he can, but it seems that the strength of the StarDroids transmission has caused technical difficulties for much of the world. Internet and broadcast capabilities are not functioning properly, nor is most civilian methods of telecommunication.

"Come on!" Tiesel snaps, slapping his computer in an attempt to get a solid connection to follow London's street camera feeds in case any of them can see these StarDroids.

The large cobbled-together chunk of equipment Tiesel claims to be a phone begins to ring and he answers it, saying to himself, "Thank the maker! _Something_ works!"  
>He answers, "Yeah?"<p>

_"I am very certain that you are aware of what just happened,"_ The Conduit says, expecting Tiesel to be in the know about the StarDroids message to the world.

"You saw that too?"

_"It was on every screen and speaker in the world. It was impossible to miss."_

"Is it real? Are they _really_ aliens?"

_"All you need to know, Mr. Endo, is that my connections are certain this is a very serious matter, regardless of the origin of these StarDroids. Listen to my instructions very carefully. I want you to stay as far away from the StarDroids as possible and return to work on constructing a computer hug that can administer the virus you had previously constructed."_

Tiesel looks over his shoulder to check if no one else onboard is listening in as he asks, "Is that virus even going to work on them?"

_"They identified themselves as StarDroids, and a Droid is another term for a Robot. Therefore, I _expect_ the virus to work on them. If in the unlikely event that Mega Man were to perish at the hands of the StarDroids, we may be last hope for our kind..._ you_ may be their last hope. I need that virus, so that the StarDroids and Dr. Wily's robots and any who appose us will fall at our feet."_

Tiesel hears a sound in his quarters, indicating some sort of activity is taking place on the ship, but he ignores it and shuts it off. He nods, "Right. It will be just like The War of the Worlds. I'll have it ready as soon as possible. You'll be glad you signed me on when you see it work this time, I hope."

_"To use a sports analogy, you already have a first strike against you from your failure in January, Mr. Endo. I expect you to not get a second strike... I will not allow a third."_

Once again, Tiesel quivers at the threat from The Conduit, who once again gets the last word as he ends the call. Instead of moping and shaking in fear, Tiesel decides to get cracking on perfecting the virus and a computer capable of emitting the signal.

"I'm not going to fail this time. I'll get this thing right for sure," Tiesel says to himself, hoisting the damaged computer over and returning to work on getting it ready for the lethal robot virus that is intended to defeat Dr. Wily's Robot Masters, and now may be needed to defeat the StarDroids...

But, then, he remembers something earlier. He remembered hearing the signal from inside his room that something was happening onboard the ship. Tiesel stops and checks the status, seeing the the garage bay door was opened and that the weight of the ship had just dropped several pounds

He says to himself in frustration, "What?! How could that have happened? How could over a hundred pounds of mass just disappear from the garage?! Unless... oh, no!"  
>Tiesel makes the shocking realization that it is most likely that Tron took her Gustaff mech suit and fled the Gesselchaft with it.<p>

"No! No! No, no, NO!" Tiesel barks as he frantically contacts his little sister Tron on her direct communicator. If she is on the Gesselchaft or not, she will get the call. Whether or not she answers is another story.

Tron soon answers,_ "What_ is it_, Tiesel?"_

Tiesel blurts, "WHAT are you DOING leaving the ship like this?!"

_"I'm taking matters into my own hands with this little Russian home wrecker."  
><em>

Tiesel becomes frustrated, tugging on his white hair, "Do you REALIZE what is going on in the world right now?! Didn't you hear the transmission like everybody else did?!"

_"I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I shut-off my personal contact device earlier so that I could get off the Gesselchaft without your interference."_

Tiesel loses his patience. "Tron, I know I am not our father, but I have just about had it with this behavior! I am ordering you to return to this ship right now, or I'm coming after you!"

_"That's another thing, Tiesel. I have manually locked off control of the Gesselchaft from you and I'm controlling it myself from here."_

Tiesel stands there, looking utterly dumbfounded at Tron's response. He mutters, "How could you do-"

_"I know the Gesselchaft like the back of my hands. Don't you remember how many times Mom and Daddy had to hire the SearchBots to find me in the air ducts of the ship? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. You need to take care of our little brother. I'll be back after Cossack is no longer a concern! Goodbye!"_

Only the sound of static follows as Tron ends the call, leaving her older brother standing here stone silent and staring outside his window as he sees the faintest trace of Tron's mech suit jetting away. Now, he is stuck here on a ship he has no control over, and he has very little time to finish work on perfecting the robot virus.  
>And if that were not enough, he also has been told to take care of his infant brother Bon, whom is already creating a lot of noise elsewhere on the ship inside his own mech suit.<p>

_"Babu!"_ calls little Bon, followed by the sound of a crashing noise somewhere on the lower deck.

_"Tiesel, we need your assistance. Mr. Bon is playing rough again,"_ calls a Servbot from elsewhere on the ship.

Tiesel just sighs, "Why me?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's notes:<em>**

_I'm sorry I did not get this chapter online sooner. I did not have the time to write as much as I wanted. But, at least I didn't rush through it (and I didn't have a serious re-write like the last episode.)  
>I'm also sorry for the chapters being slower this year than they were previously, but things in my life have changed a lot since 2013.<br>__I hope everybody has a great 2015 and I hope you had a good Holiday, whichever one you celebrate. And thank you for your continued support of this series. :)  
><em>

_Did anybody think of Smash Bros. when Terra said _More Challengers are approaching? ;) _And also Proto's mention of a _Space Invader?

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or continuity errors so bad that the New Year's ball in Times Square would fall off, please DM me as soon as possible. (Also, if I've made that joke before, let me know.)  
><em>


	151. London Falling

_**Episode 14, Chapter 4: London Falling.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>London.<strong>

After successfully fending off all challengers, the StarDroids reach the London Parliament, which had already been evacuated after an alert was sent out following the arrival of Terra and his band of invaders. Those who were brave enough to have stayed behind soon followed suit when the StarDroids' shocking defeat of Mega Man and the forces who came all the way from North America.  
>The area around the Parliament, which is normally busy, has now become a ghost town after the evacuation order. Even the military knows not to throw any more forces of small groups against the StarDroids because if they can defeat a large team of fighters, including Mega Man, then a smaller team has no chance.<p>

Terra climbs the steps of the Parliament building and holds his hand out to signal the other StarDroids to stop, and they do so at the edge of the steps. Tera stops halfway up the steps and looks at the building, slowly scanning it from left to right with his eyes searching for any sign of life.  
>"... There is nobody left inside. They fled! Fled like the other weaklings!"<p>

"What do we do now?" asks Venus

Pluto asks, "Shall we level this city now, or shall we begin later?"

Terra turns his head, "We will find the leaders who hold court here, particularly the one who was chosen to be the Prime Minister of this land."

"How can we find them? They already fled," asks Mercury.

Terra says, "I can sense the heat trails from their small transporters. It will lead us to them. Follow me."

The StarDroids begin to race at extremely fast speed down the streets of London and can already spot the flood and panicking citizens up ahead as they try to escape the city. And they can see the motorcade of vehicles carrying key members of the British Parliament who had just arrived for the day's duties before the StarDroids had arrived.

Trailing them via the heat signatures from their motorcade, Terra and the StarDroids gain on their targets and see to it that they cannot get away. Venus launches a Bubble Bomb ahead of the motorcade, which unfortunately takes out the security vehicles at the front of it. The motorcade came to a stop before they could slam into the burning wreckage in front of them, allowing Mercury time to slash the tires of each car after transforming his liquidmetal hands into blades, and Pluto leaps from hood to hood and stabs into them to cripple the vehicles.

Terra points to the targets and orders, "Bring them to me!"

Uranus stomps over to the motorcade and rips the roof off each car with his horns, exposing the terrified politicians inside. Afterwards, the StarDroids grab each member of Parliament they can find and bring them in front of Terra, standing them all in a straight line as the leader of the StarDroids interrogates each one.

Terra asks, "Which of you fleshy beings is the Prime Minister of this land?"

Each of the Politicians react differently to this situation, some of them are shaking in fear and others trying to stand tall without showing weakness. But, none of them respond.

"I suggest you answer my question. If you do not, I can have each of you eviscerated slowly. And I will keep you alive as long as possible until there is nothing left to keep your weak organs from expiring. I am going to ask you once more, and it will be the last time... Which of you is the Prime Minister of this land?"

One of the politicians cracks and he admits, "The Prime Minister isn't 'ere. He was told you were coming 'ere and that you were a threat and he was moved to a secret location. The lot of us don't know where he is."

Terra grabs the scared politician by the neck with one hand, feeling the pulse of his arteries. He looks towards the others, asking, "Each of you can verify this? For if this one is telling a falsehood, he will be the first to perish."

"He's telling the bloody truth! We couldn't tell you where the 'ell the Prime Minister is because it is top secret," one angry Senator says.

Terra can sense that both of these beings are likely telling the truth, and he drops the shaking politician to the pavement. He snaps, "There are those who call themselves royalty who walk this city. I request an audience with the Prime Minister and these Royals, or this country will be decimated. This country will be the first to fall to the StarDroids under our control, or under our might!"

The Royalty Terra mentioned is England's Royal Family, and since he cannot rach the Prime Minister yet, he will now try to get to the Royals for his own style of 'negotiations.' He then orders his mates, "Take these pathetic fleshy creatures to the Palace near here! That is where the Royalty stays."

As the StarDroids round up the more powerful politicians of England, Terra looks around and his sights catch the historic clock tower named Big Ben, one of the centerpieces of this city. A scowl appears on Terra's face as he stares at the ancient tower, because not only is it old and reeks of human culture, but he can spot the slightest imperfections in the building, which is something that structures on the StarDroids' home world never had.  
>Everything was sterile and perfect, far superior to the places of this place, in his view.<p>

Neptune brings up the rear as the StarDroids take the elected officials to Buckingham Palace, and Terra points to Big Ben. He says, "When we are done here, I want that hideous timepiece destroyed. It is imperfect."

Neptune tries to calm his leader down, "We should not attempt that yet, Terra. The plan is to let the humans bow to us in surrender, then after Sunstar returns, we glass the planet."

"But, Sunstar is not here yet, is he? I mean him no disrespect, but until we find a way for him to return, he will remain as a non-entity. And as long as he is not here, he cannot prevent us from razing this planet."  
>Terra turns to face the large clock again, "I wish to enjoy myself before he return. He puts goals first, but leaves no time for the pleasure. I want just the opposite. And my pleasure is cleansing worlds of their imperfections, whether it the filth the coats thee structures or wiping the vermin off the face of a planet one by one. The fact that we must sully our hands and feet on this filthy planet makes me furious... but, it will not be like this for long."<p>

Neptune asks, "What about the one they call Bass?"

"Our plan includes him. Luna's lifeforce thrives off him. He may be the chosen one who will seize our victory and save the StarDroids as the elders said," Terra reveals.

"But, you believe that _you_ are the chosen one, Terra," Neptune adds.

"I _will_ be. All I need is for Bass to help us do our jobs, and then I need to be close to him when it is right. And then... I will defeat him and show Sunstar that_ I_ am the chosen one," Terra replies as he dreams about the power he lusts for. Power that he can only get if he uses Bass to fall to make him the savior of the StarDroid race.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in the United States.<br>Dr. Light's lab.**

Dr. Light stands over his computer station, working off two smaller monitors as the large screens above him show his children Mega Man, ProtoMan and Roll on their way back after the failed attempt to fight off the StarDroids. And on the other screen, Brain Bot in on the call from California, consulting with Thomas on how to counter the StarDroids.

While ProtoMan and Roll can be seen nearby with Rush as a repair robot tries to repair him, Mega Man speaks to his creator and Brain Bot. _"They blocked everything we threw at them. None of us stood a chance. They had shields like the kind Bass uses. I was going to fight them with Rush's adapter power, but they took him down before I could."  
><em>

Brain Bot responds while working on his myriad of computer stations in California, _"If that is the case, then perhaps these StarDroids are native to where the Quadirium meteors came from two years ago. It is likely that it may have been from a StarDroid who had fallen. I suspected the meteor may have been a clue to life elsewhere in the universe, but I could not confirm it until now."_

Dr. Light states, "Brain Bot, you developed the technology for Mega Man and Rush to adapt and counter Bass. I think you may need to create technology like it to give us a chance to stop the StarDroids."

Brain Bot considers something, even stopping his work for a moment. _"The remaining quantity of Quadirium is being held in a top secret location elsewhere in America. We may need it to fight the StarDroids."_

Mega Man says, _"Bass merged with Treble and fought the StarDroids as we had to leave. He didn't make much progress against them either, and he has _two parts_ of that meteor inside him."_

Dr. Light strokes his beard and ponders. "But, he still made some progress. And ProtoMan said that Wily's Mad Grinder was powered by the remains of the meteor he recovered."

Brain Bot adds, _"In addition to making another Adaptation power, we could develop a weapon powered by parts of the Quadirium to fight back against them."_

Mega Man thinks about the idea, considering using it. It would give them a much-needed advantage against these invaders in battle and fight them off, but ProtoMan steps up with his own question. _"You guys have never been around this stuff. I have, and it's pretty powerful. Are you sure it's such a good idea to use it against them?"_

Brain Bot calculates, _"If we could find a way to harness the power of the Quadirium, it may be our best chance. But, I would recommend caution. According to my database, we have tested the Quadirium on hand for non-offensive purposes. I do not know what it can do to a living robot. The only example is Bass, and obviously, we do not have access to his vitals."_

Dr. Light replies, "I do not want any robot to have the materials embedded into his or her systems like Bass' are. It is too much of a risk. Plus, I do not know if it will effect their systems or even their personality."

_"Believe me, Bass would be a psycho with or without the jewels," _Proto replies, to which Roll can be seen in the background taking note of what he was saying about the robot who has obsessively pined over her.

Mega Man adds something very important to the conversation, _"Maybe the meteor is why the StarDroids are here to begin with. Maybe us using it is exactly what they want. I heard them talking about 'life force' from another StarDroids called Luna, and that Bass had it."_

Dr. Light theorizes, "I have seen what the StarDroids look like, and each of them have a similar jewel somewhere on their bodies. If you heard right, son, that would mean that Bass is powered by another StarDroid's energy fragment."

Brain Bot stops working again and his eyes grow wide behind his glasses._ "Bass's fragments _pieces_ of the meteorite that fell from the sky two years ago. If it came from a StarDroid, then that meteor would have been used to power a StarDroid of colossal proportion! Most likely taller than any building in the world!"  
><em>

On the monitor to Dr. Light's right, ProtoMan his brother a look from behind his visor but says nothing. Mega Man replies, _"I have a feeling that meteor is what they're here for. And if there was a colossus-sized StarDroid in their army, I've got a bad feeling they're going to try and bring it back to life."_

Meanwhile, Roll can be seen overhearing this and shaking her head. As if she weren't already bothered by these aliens who are near-impossible to defeat, the fact that a giant one possibly could be resurrected only worsens those fears.  
>And on the other monitor, Brain Bot stops working on his research and turns to face the screen.<em> "If I may, Dr. Light, I think it would be best for us to meet together so that we can double our efforts to stop the StarDroids."<em>

Dr. Light says, "I will contact the Science Center immediately and approve a temporary transfer to my lab in New York. After Rush is healthy again, we should prepare an adapter for ProtoMan's plasma buster so that he and Mega Man can stand a greater chance beating the StarDroids."

Proto asks, _"I don't have anything to adapt to me like my brother does. How are you going to make it work?"_

Brain Bot answers, _"That won't be a problem. All I have to do is make a few enhancements to your systems."_

ProtoMan looks to Mega Man, muttering, _"You're trusting_ him_ to poke around in our systems?"_

Mega tries to ignore Proto's comment about Brain Bot's rather frequent urge to tinker with any technology he find and responds to Brain Bot and Dr. Light. _"We should be back in the next few hours. But, we don't have time to waste. The StarDroids are going to dominate England and the world if we don't find a way to stop them quickly. And now that Wily is involved, we need to get him out of the picture too."_

Thomas looks down at the controls of his station, appearing lost in thought when he hears the mention of Albert Wily. "No doubt, Albert will... try to take advantage of this. He could attempt to capture StarDroids to use them against the world and their own kind as well. We can only hope that this was all meant to happen, so that we could stop the StarDroids and Wily all at once."

Mega Man nods and barely lets out a smile, _"That would be great, wouldn't it?"_

Brain Bot confirms, _"I will prepare for my departure, Dr. Light. It will be a pleasure to work with you once again, sir. However, I would prefer better circumstances the next time."_

Dr. Light responds, "As would I, Brain Bot. I will see you when you arrive."

Brain Bot disconnects and the screen that had shown his feed from the Science Center goes black, and now only Dr. Light's three robot children are left online with Man allows himself to be open about how badly the battle went.  
><em>"I had no choice but to call for the order to pull out, father. They destroyed or killed over half of the team and they would have taken us all if I hadn't told them to go. Then, nobody would be left to stop these guys,"<em> Mega sighs. _"We didn't stand a chance."_

Focusing on his own studies for the counter offense against Terra and his StarDroids, Thomas replies, "It is alright, son. I understand. They have not caused major damage to England following the pull-out, from what I've heard. All we need now is time."

ProtoMan leans into the camera and asks Dr. Light,_ "Now, you're not actually going to let Brain poke around with my body, are you? I've already had one invasive surgery."_

Dr. Light replies, "Brain Bot successfully adapted Rock and Rush's systems to make their adapter weapon. I am sure it can work on them as well, but we will need more than just one to fight off nine of them. But, we might only have time to make the modification to one of you."

Roll comes to the camera and asks, _"Dr. Light, is Peekaboo doing okay?_

Still overly focused on his work, Thomas replies, "Oh, yes. The little one is doing fine. He is unaware of this, fortunately."

With the same amount of concern in her eyes, if not more, Roll asks, _"Are _you_ okay?"_

After a brief pause to collect himself and make sure he is showing no sign of worry, Thomas answers, "Of course I am, sweetheart. I am only concerned with stopping these StarDroids. Which I am certain we can. I'll see you all when you arrive."

_"We should be there in two hours. We'll see you soon,"_ Mega Man answers as the transmission is cut off.

Once there are no more eyes watching him, Dr. Light puts his hands on the station in front of him and sighs ragged, letting his shoulders slump. Clearly the effects of the War for Everlasting Peace have begin to take their toll on him, and he has problems staying optimistic when the threats get larger with every month that passes.  
>He fears that his hopes and dreams for robotkind will forever be tainted by Dr. Wily, but his worst fear is that this war will eventually claim one of his children, or even all of them.<p>

Thomas quietly says, "Why can't this conflict end? This is not the world I visioned my creations living in. Or even my poor children."

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere in New York.<strong>

Interim Chief Tallarico is en route to the Police Station in a police cruiser, and there is an odd vibe around the city today because of this supposed Alien Robot Invasion. Several people who would be going about their day are either at home or looking more urgent as they shop for supplies and even weapons if the StarDroids really attack New York.  
>Tallarico is on her masked signal phone with The Conduit, where this startling news is the focus of the discussion...<p>

"I don't know how we're going to handle this one. Alien robots from space. And they're real?"

_"According to my sources, yes. The Governments of the world were agreeing to cover it up until they made their presence known. I already have a plan to bring them down, if it is possible,"_ The Conduit answers.

"We're a shadow organization. We've got a goal in mind already. We're no match for these damn things," Tallarico argues.

_"Mega Man and Dr. Light will most likely deal with them. But, if they fail, I expect to use the virus we were supposed to unleash in January. I have Tiesel Bonne working on it now."_

Tallarico protests, "You're leaving this up to him again? I wouldn't trust that moron to screw in a light bulb let alone infect robots from space with viruses."

_"He is the only asset we have left who can create it. I would not have gone after him if he did not have the knowledge. He will create the virus and we will use the StarDroids as our first test subject, if necessary. And if they fall to the virus, we will use it on Wily's robots. All you have to do is tolerate Bonne for a short amount of time longer. And if he fails again... he will be dealt with."_

As Tallarico approaches the station, she needs to cut the call of soon so she will not be caught. "I need to go. Just promise me that when Bonne fails again, let me _deal with_ him."

_"Provided you do your job as you always have, you can have your way with Bonne. But, if he comes through, I expect you to do what is best for my plan until I decide to cut him off."  
><em>

Tallarico ends the call first before the Conduit could, because for all she knows the FBI could be listening in on the entire police station. And their agents are still hanging around, and she knows they will stay hanging around until Toombs is gotten out of the way.  
>As Tallarico parks her cruiser into the underground parking garage, she can't help but think about how much of a risk it is for the former Chief Toombs to still be able to stand trial and potentially topple The Conduit's entire network with his testimony. For if the justice system finds him innocent, it will likely result in Toombs returning as Chief and will only send the FBI swarming back until they find another person to hang. And Tallarico knows it will be her neck that gets slipped into the noose next.<p>

"The Bonne brat isn't the only one who I need to deal with," she says to herself as she heads to work.

The first person she meets as she gets out of the cruiser is Officer Rose, who begins walking beside the interim Chief as she walks into the station. He asks, "I'm sure you caught all that this morning about space robots, right?"

"It's why we're here early this morning, isn't it?"

"You think it's really happening? Or just another trick by that son-of-a-"

Tallarico turns around and puts her finger up to Rose's lips before he could vent his true feeling for the Mad Scientist.

After the Chief pulls her finger away, Rose finishes, "Wily."

"We've seen Wily make appliances come to life, hijack every one of the dinos at Robosuar Park and have toys take people's money out of their wallets. I wouldn't be surprised if he's behind this too. So don't get too worked up about this," Talarico replies, trying to act like she thinks the StarDroids are not really alien.

Rose says, "I've studied him for a while now. He always takes credit for everything, but not this time."

Tallarico answers, "He will, soon enough."

"If I ever get close to him after what he did to my brother..." Rose says, remembering the fate of his teenage brother, who died on the same subway train Mr. Black's wife during the very first attack in Times Square three years ago.

Tallarico stops and turns around, if anything, just to get Rose to calm down. "I know this time of year is hard on you. But, you've got to control yourself. You're mad about your little brother, and I am too, but... you're starting to sound like Mr. Black did. Did you watch the news stories about that?"

"He and his wife were on the same train," Rose drones.

"Ash... please. For me," Talia says, putting her hand on his large shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Rose says, shaking his head.

Tallarico then makes a suggestion to Officer Rose that will bring him closer to her. "You know what. Maybe later tonight, we could go on that date we talked about. Besides, if the world really_ is_ going to come to an end, I would rather spend my final hours with someone I like a lot. Wouldn't you?"

Rose asks, "Sounds good to me. But, what if everybody's closed from the public distress?"

Tallarico grins, "Then, we'll just ransack my food pantry and see what damage we can do."

"The last time I cooked, I almost burned down my Momma's kitchen," Rose admits, grinning.

"Then, leave it to me, big boy," Tallarico says. "Let's go before anyone sees us and they start talking."

"Yes, ma'am," Rose nods and follows Tallarico in.

The Interim Chief is again finding herself at ease knowing that even if everything is becoming crazy around the Interim Chief, her budding relationship with her bodyguard is the one aspect of her life is not complicated. It would be a shame if her affiliation with The Conduit would ever get in the way of this too...

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in Russia.<strong>

Tron Bonne and her Gustaff mech reaches her destination of the Cossack Citadel, and she lowers the power of the hoverjet engines built into the shoulders and feet of the mech to lower her altitude safely. Once the Mech lands in the snow, the snow around the area begins to melt, giving the Gustaff a hiding space for her to stakeout until she sees the first trace of Kalinka Cossack, the girl who she still believes wrecked her relationship with Mega Man.

Once parked, Tron turns up the internal heaters inside the Gustaff and remains holed up inside, sealed away underneath the top hatch and clutching the controls, waiting an opportunity to jump out and scare away Kalinka.  
>"All I have to do now is wait for the pretty little blonde to show her face! And then, I'll never have to worry about her again, and Mega Man and I will live happily ever after."<p>

As she watches the Cossack Citadel from here, Tron switches on her communicator again, certain to hear from her brother, who is surely trying to call her non-stop since she locked down the Gesselchaft. And to no surprise, the communicator rings the nanosecond she powers it up.

_"Tron! How could you do this?! You've crossed the line! The moment I get this ship's controls unlocked, I'm going to see to it that you are grounded for life! GROUNDED FOR LIFE, DO YOU HEAR?!"_

"If you had a significant other who you cared about as much as I love mine, Tiesel, you would be doing the exact same thing I am right now."

_"... No, I wouldn't!"_

"Just stay out of my way, Tiesel! This is personal," Tron says, as she Stares into a viewfinder in front of her, staring at the Cossack Citadel for any sign of Kalinka.

_"You are going to get yourself in real trouble if you do this. Do you realize that? Haven't you even heard what's happening in this world right now?"_

"What could possibly be happening that is more important to me than this?"

Tiesel takes a breath and explains the shocking truth, _"I know this will sound unbelievable, but it's true... A group of alien robots have just landed on Earth, and they are threatening to take over the planet."_

After a long pause to take Tiesels words in, Tron begins to burst out laughing inside the cockpit of her mech, kicking fer pink-shoe feet in hilarity. "Oh, Tieselton! That is the silliest excuse I've ever heard!"

_"That's not a joke, Tron! It's true. If only you had been listening to their warning before you left the ship in a fit, you would have learned by now!"_

Tron ignores Tiesels comments and guffaws, "Maybe I was right. There must be something wrong with your medulla oblongata. I'll call back when the little home-wrecker is out of the way. Goodbye! Also, don't forget, Bon's lunch time in in a half-hour. Don't be late. Bye!"

_"There is nothing wrong with my medu-"_

Tron puts her communicator back in her pocket and stares and Cossack Citadel. "Come out and show your pretty little face, you little home-wrecker. Tron Bonne has something for you!"

* * *

><p><strong>Back in England.<br>Buckingham Palace.**

The StarDroids make their way to the historic home of England's Royal Family, and the Palace's red-uniformed Royal Guard troops are standing in front of the entrance. The Guardsmen, all of them Human, move in perfect formation and stand ready to attack as they aim their weapons towards the StarDroids.  
>The brave men know that this battle will most likely not end well for them. But, it is their duty to defend the Palace from attackers. Even the StarDroids.<p>

Terra stands before the row of Royal Guardsmen with his StarDroids lined up behind him as they hold the Parliament members as their prisoners. And he grins as he looks at each one of the Guardsman.  
>"You really do not believe you can defeat us, do you?"<p>

Even as some of their nerves begin to twitch, the expressions of the Royal Guardsmen remain firm as they prepare to open fire on the StarDroids.

"How noble of you," Terra says. He then turns to the StarDroids and orders, "Wipe them all out."

The rest of the StarDroids prepare to execute the Royal Guardsmen and the Guardsmen are about to open fire on their enemy, despite the overwhelming odds against them. But, before any of them could, a group of humans and robots can be seen emerging from the palace, and at the center of this group is an older human female... a female wearing a tiara.  
>This is not just any human female, this is the Queen of England!<p>

Upon seeing her, Terra raises his hand to stop the StarDroids from taking action, and on the other side, the Queen's personal bodyguards gave the order to the Royal Guardsmen to, "Hold fire!"

Terra steps forward and calls out directly to the Queen, "I and my fellows will not harm you, Your Highness. You have my word. I only wish to have your audience for a proposition."

The Queen, a woman in her fifties who became the Queen of England after the passing of the King in the past decade, puts her hand up to signal to her guards that she actually wishes to have a word with Terra. Most likely, she will try to negotiate some sort of halt in the destruction to allow her people to survive, even if it is only stalling tactic until the heroes can find a way to defeat them.

The Royal Guardsmen at the Palace gates part in the middle and Terra walks past them as the StarDroids watch. The Queen's guard who stand closest to her stare at Terra as he steps closer until he stop several feet before her. In an unusual show of respect, Terra then bows to The Queen.

"It is a pleasure, M'lady," Terra states.

Calmly, The Queen replies, "I condemn this violence you have brought into the United Kingdom. If you want an audience with us, you will free the British Parliament members immediately."

"As you wish," Terra answers, snapping his fingers, and the StarDroids let the politicians down and allow them to flee to the palace where they can have some safety.

"Your Highness, my fellows and I only wish to usher in a new era for this planet and your people," Terra lies, "We only took action against those who tried to oppose us, because they did not accept what our grand vision is for this... _wonderful_ planet. Perhaps a woman of royalty like yourself can listen to my proposal."

The Queen asked very calmly and without a noticeable trace of anger, "Why should we listen to you?"

Terra continues, "Your Highness, I am asking for a peaceful surrender of power to the StarDroids, so that this land will have the honor of being the first in the new world. I will extend the same offer of peace towards your Prime Minister once he or she returns. I assure you that if you give power to us, no further harm will come to your or your people, and they will be given the same rights and privilages as they have now... so long as they accept us as their new leaders, and their new Gods."

The Queen looks to her constituents who also look at her, mortified at Terra's offer and at the idea that their Queen even listened to it. She then looks back to Terra and replies with a neutral expression, "I refuse to turn the Kingdom or our civilization to you. Your evil is not the first kind we have overthrown. And therefore, you will not be the last."

Terra's pale grey-skinned face becomes angry when he does not get his way and he storms off to the StarDroids, ordering, "Spread yourselves out and begin destroying whatever you wish, and terminate all who oppose us!"

As the StarDroids move out, Terra turns back to The Queen and points at her, yelling, "We will burn this disgusting land and everybody who stands on it until you or your Prime Minister give us what we want! But, I will save your execution for last, Your Highness. I will let you witness the destruction your decision has brought!"

The StarDroids begin the scatter around, immediately targeting buildings and businesses and destroying them with their advanced weapons. Terra also uses his power to blast any tree in sight, setting them on fire just to watch them burn. And the Queen watches on with a heavy heart until she is whisked away by her guard into Buckingham Palace.

* * *

><p><strong>In the sky above the North Atlantic Ocean.<strong>

On their way back to Skull Fortress, Dr. Wily plots on how he can overthrow the StarDroids with Bass, and on the inside he is a little bit jealous that the StarDroids are trying to take over the world instead of leaving it to him. Meanwhile, Bass sits in the rear of the Skullker trying the chug down an energy can, and the burning insatiable desire to destroy the StarDroids is still inside him. And he wants to fight now.

"I'm ready to go back. Turn this thing around now and let me end these interlopers now," Bass says, telling Wily what to do.

As Skull Man operates the Skullker, Dr. Wily keeps Bass at bay. "No, not yet, my boy. We are not on friendly territory. You can defeat them, yes. But, I want to do it in a zone we are more familiar with!"

Bass looks towards Dr. Wily and finishes his plan. "You want to lure them to America."

"Skull Fortress, in particular," Wily says, smiling wickedly.

Cut Man worries, "Is that a good idea, Dr. Wily? They could _cut_ us down to size in one-point-eight seconds!"

Dr. Wily laughs, "No, Cut Man. It will be Bass who cuts them down! Did any of you see how he was able to stay strong until the end? He is finally reaching his full potential! And after he defeats the StarDroids, or whatever they are referring themselves, Bass will finally crush that insolent pest Mega Man!"

Bass looks up to his creator again, pleased that Wily seems to be putting his trust into Bass once again instead of relying on his 'Ultimate Creation.' "I like the sound of that," he says.

Albert grins, "Besides, even if he would need any further help, I have the Jadous Sphere shard in my lab."

Bass looks concerned himself. "You're seriously going to use the shard?"

Wily makes a point to say, "You _did_ tell me, Bass, that one shard alone has more power than I could imagine. I have not tested it's true power yet or what it can do, but I could not think of better targets than these aliens!"

Bass argues, "We have no idea what that shard can do yet! It has more power than the Mad Grinder did. Even more than I! It could destroy us all if we don't use it right!"

Dr. Wily reiterates, "I am the genius here. Let me worry about the little details, and I will let you worry with destroying our enemies."

Bass asks, "Including Mega Man?"

"If you eliminate the Stardroids, then, yes," Albert replies.

Bass asks more, "And _only_ me? Not some other _ultimate_ creation?"

Dr. Wily turns away and smiles, seeing that he still has the power to use the mere construction of his ultimate robot to make Bass stay in line. To keep Bass believing that he is the only one in control of his destiny, Wily answers, "Only you can determine that, my boy."

Bass wants to convince Dr. Wily right now that he should be the only one who can defeat Mega Man and the enemies of this army, and remove any threat to his status as the most powerful robot in the world without jumping through hoops. But, if the only way to convince Wily is to eradicate his enemies and obey, then that is what Bass will do... as long as it does not interfere with his plans for Roll.

Tomahawk Man approaches Bass and kneels before him, asking, "When you went where we could not follow, back at Skull Fortress, did you see anything else?"

Bass thought back to when he was being called upon by the StarDroids and felt the information data being sent from his memory banks to somewhere in space. "I can't remember. My own mind was used against me."

"Focus," Tomahawk Man says.

Bass closes his eys and does as the stoic Robot Master said. He eventually gets a better idea of what he felt. "I felt information on how to resurrecting another one named Sunstar. I also felt like something inside of me was calling to be resurrected too. The one whose life force I now wear."

Dr. Wily turns back and listens in, along with all the Robot Masters aboard.

Bass thought harder,getting a clearer picture of who Sunstar is. Until he finally figured it all out. "Sunstar is there leader. The StarDroids want Sunstar back. They will tear Earth apart until they get their way. The source of the signal I sent out against my will originated from my own crystals."

Dr. Wily's eyes become wide with surprise. "That's why they came to our planet! The Bassinium in Bass' armor!"

Bass looks down at his chest and feels the jewel on his helmet. "Yes," he confirms.

Wily then turns away and forms a very terrible plan. A plan that may be literally terrible for him if he does it wrong. "These StarDroids want their friends back... If they want them back, let's give them back. But, they will do it for a price!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, almost outside of our galaxy.<strong>

Far from Earth, in the vast reaches of space, a warrior is at rest after a long period of slumber. The warrior is notably taller and larger than an average human being. Like the StarDroids, he too is part organic and part machine. A cybernetic lifeform the likes of which Earth has never seen until today, and who has a great many metallic parts fused with his body.

The galaxy has been peaceful since he last fought. He entered his slumber soon after because he knew their were no more threats to the galaxy that he needed to attend to. He almost awoke when he sense the presence of an evil being on the planet Earth, but when he felt the presence of a _Defender_ who rose to fight the evil, this warrior remained at rest because he felt this Defender of Earth could handle the threat without his help.

The happenings on Earth with the StarDroids - his arch rivals - combined with the interference of Dr. Wily has reached the subconsciousness of this warrior, despite being on the outer reaches of the galaxy.  
>He is now aware that the StarDroids are indeed alive, which he was not aware of until now. And if the StarDroids do work together with the evil being named Wily on Earth, it will make certain the return of Luna, and worse yet, the return of Sunstar. And the galaxy may soon be thrown into jeopardy, if not total domination by the StarDroids.<p>

Suddenly, after many months of slumber and dormancy, the eyes of this intergalactic warrior open wide. And even in the vacuum of space, where there is no sound, he speaks and it rings loud and clear inside of him... the name of his heated rival. He speaks the name of the one he thought he had terminated long ago...

_"Sunstar!"_

The warrior, whose dark navy and orange metallic armor is biologically fused to his body begins to change shape, into a rocket-suit like form and he takes off towards the unfamiliar planet of Earth at the speed faster than light to stop the evil of Sunstar before he can be resurrected. This time however, he can feel a few brave beacons of justice and light who have fought the evils unique to Earth. One of those beacons brighter than many others.  
>He put the StarDroids down before, and if he can enlist the help of the chosen Defenders of Earth, he can put the evil of the StarDroids down for good.<p>

With Mega Man, the warrior and he will make a powerful... **Duo.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's notes:<strong>_

_A chapter update after only three weeks? Is this 2012 again? :P  
>In case you hadn't guessed, we have yet another surprise entrant in the galactic battle in Duo! Those of you who played Mega Man 8 will recognize him immediately. And like with some others, the back story is altered a little for the story. I hope you enjoy it, because I have something interesting planned.<br>_

_And also the StarDroids' 'lifeforce' is called that because of the game LifeForce on the NES._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or leftover notes I didn't remove or continuity errors so bad that RoboCop couldn't bust them, please PM me. _


	152. Alliances Formed

**_Episode 14, Chapter 5: Alliances Formed._  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>In space.<strong>

The mighty galactic warrior known as Duo continues his trek towards the planet Earth, homing in on the overwhelming sense of evil unification that is about to take place. Thanks to Duos extra senses, he can feel this event occurring as far as the deep reaches of space. He must bring an end to the evil of the StarDroids once and for all before they can resurrect Sunstar and Luna. If he does not do it in time, Earth's civilization will be extinguished and a new race of StarDroids will live, possibly too powerful for even him to defeat.

Duo also senses the presense of the most evil being alive on Earth (Dr. Wily) and his desire to make an alliance with the StarDroids a reality, and he can also sense a life he has never felt before (Bass) at the side of the evil human. There is evil inside of that one, but also something else that Duo must see first-hand to identify.

But, Duo can also feel the life of the heroic figure on Earth again. The Defender who has sensed was strong enough to handle the threats of Earth without Duo's assistance. If Duo is to crush the evil StarDroids, he must find The Defender and ask for their help. He will not need to search and high and low. The sense of justice within The Defender will lead Duo to him.

* * *

><p><strong>London.<strong>

Only a few short minutes have passed since The Queen condemned the StarDroids and rejected their "peace offering" Now, it looks like the apocalypse has come to London. And it may very well have in the form of the StarDroids.

The StarDroids have begun their slow destruction of London and plan on wiping out everything and everyone before the end of the day. Several buildings both new and historic are burning, creating plumes of black smoke rising above the city while some wounded humans try in vain to escape with help from those more able-bodied and severely damaged robots crawl in the streets, some of those robots missing their lower bodies.  
>The only reason why the number of casualties is not greater is because of the prompt evacuation order given when the StarDroids arrived, or else this scene would have been much, much worse.<p>

Upon seeing a sign that reads_ "Keep Calm and Carry On"_ (which was an order given to the general public during World War Two around two-hundred years ago,) Terra shoots it with his Spark Chaser shot. He then gives orders to other StarDroids while pointing to the nearby pub the burning sign is in front of.

He yells, "Venus! Destroy this one too! It looks filthy!"

Venus follows Terra's petty order, shooting a Bubble Bomb into the pub through its window. Seconds later, the Bubble Bomb explodes, obliterating the pub and collapsing it in a fiery heap.

Terra commands, "Torch every one of these pitiful structures and slay anybody who dare challenges you! I want to show the slush-minded peasants what we will do to them if they fail to bow before us!"

Before the StarDroids could level the entire block, however, the few remaining working video billboards display an image of a face very familiar to the Human Race: Dr. Wily. He then speaks, _"Greetings, Terra! I would hate to interrupt your tour of destruction, but I wish to discuss something with you."_

Terra and the StarDroids hear Wily's voice and look around until they find the closest video screen to see his face chuckling as he stares into the camera. _"You are very tough when you are burning old buildings, but you would not be very intimidating if you were at my Fortress, would you?"_

"I have learned about you, flesh creature. But, you are not the Prime Minister, and you are not a leader of this world. You are just another insignificant weakling like the others," Terra scoffs.

Bass steps into view and stands next to Wily, which catches Terra's attention. Wily continues, _"I am the genius who created Bass, the one who almost defeated you. Am I significant to you, _now_?"_

Terra replies, "Hardly."

Wily noticeably takes offense to Terra's dismissal of his superiority. Instead of blowing up in rage, Albert keeps his temper under control._ "You will soon be proven wrong. And I am not a leader of the world _yet_. But, I am Dr. Albert W. Wily, and I will soon be the _ruler_ of the world!"_

Terra feeds into Wily's interest by speaking further with him. "With a great warrior like him, I do believe you could overthrow the weak governments of this planet. But, I assure you, Doctor Albert W. Wily, you and Bass have not met a force such as us. So, I'm afraid we will be dashing your aspirations to conquer this rock known as Earth. We have other plans for it."

_"And you have made that very clear, I see. And perhaps you would like some assistance from yours truly."_

Pluto steps forward and yells, "We do not need help from a weak fleshy creature like-"

Terra puts his arm up to stop him and to shut him up. Terra then turns his attention back to Wily, asking, "What kind of assistance could _you_ possibly offer us?"

Wily rubs his hands as Bass' expression remains stone cold. _"Bass tells me that you are here to revive your lost comrades, are you not? Including one named Sunstar?"_

All the StarDroids react in shock, and Saturn is the next to approach Terra. He asks, "How did he know about the mighty Sunstar?!"

Neptune asks, "Has Luna betrayed us and given him our knowledge?"

Uranus makes a growling noise that cannot be translated into an Earth language, but even he is amazed that Dr. Wily and Bass know about Sunstar.

Terra turns to his mates and yells, "Quiet!"

The StarDroids keep their comments silent for now as Terra faces Wily's image once more. "You offer your hand in assistance... what assistance are you offering?"

Wily malevolently smiles, _"You want Sunstar back, do you?"_

Terra says, "We can get him back without you."

Wily waves his finger,_ "Ah! But, it will take you a lot of time to build him. And Bass tells me you are not exactly robots, and you are obviously not human, either. I'm sure it would take a lot of time to find a suitable host form for him, and in the time it would take to get your precious leader back, my enemies will have already formulated a plan to stop you. But, I, Doctor Albert Wily, can give you the materials you need to resurrect Sunstar _tonight_! So, what do you say... Terra?"_

Terra frowns at Dr. Wily's offer. Even if it gives them a much smaller time frame to complete Sunstar's return, there is something about this human that Terra is skeptical of. He probes, "Your enemies are the colorful heroes who fell at our feet. Why should we be afraid of _them_?"

Dr. Wily answers, _"They are much more of a threat than you realize. They have another intellectual on their side who has foiled many plans... only by sheer luck."_  
>Wily makes a confession that even he wishes he could not have to make. With an excruciating expression, he adds, <em>"But, if you underestimate them, <em>__ they can stop you._"_

Terra asks, "And what will you get out of this, flesh being? I'm sure you stand to profit from this in some way."

Wily grins, _"You and you leader will agree to leave this planet to me. And if you don't, I will be forced to destroy you. And if you think I can't, I assure you that your confidence will be your ultimate undoing. I have a weapon greater than any of you can possibly imagine. An ore we humans call 'Jadous.' And if you comply, I will aid you in conquering the rest of the galaxy... Just leave Earth to me."_

Terra scoffs, "Humans and robots. That's what you call yourselves?"

_"Humans are a loathsome species, I will admit that... except for myself, of course,"_ Wily responds. _"But, robots will soon conquer this planet under my rule. I already have an entire army at my disposal, and you do not want to make an enemy out of them, or me! Now, what is your answer, Terra?"_

Terra says, "I will need time to meet with my fellows on your most _generous_ offer, Dr. Albert W. Wily."

_"Choose wisely, Terra. This kind of offer does not come along every day. I anticipate your response. Ta-ta for now,"_ Dr. Wily says, before ending the hacked broadcast.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Skull Fortress.<strong>

The hovering camera robot begins to float away and Bass questions his creator's wisdom trying to negotiate with the StarDroids, and threatening to use the Jadous Sphere shard.

"Are you seriously going to help them resurrect their leader?"

"I need to show them prove that I am willing to cooperate... until I get the chance to stab them all in the back," Wily said, flashing a sinister smile.

"You do realize if they come here to Skull Fortress most of your army will be destroyed? ... Save for myself."

"Not if that sphere works as well as you say it does, my boy," Wily replies. And before Bass could protest, Wily turns around and insists, "And don't you try to change my mind, either! I am not keeping the shard around as a decoration. I plan on using it."

Bass frowns, "As you wish, Master Wily... Just don't be surprised if it is too strong even for you to control."

As Bass walks away, he adds, "Just let me know when need me to slay the StarDroids."

Once alone, Dr. Wily says under his breath, "Even if I do, I will harness the power of that shard. And my ultimate robot will live soon enough."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in London.<strong>

As the city burns, Neptune approaches Terra while the rest of the StarDroids talk amongst themselves about the strange offer just made to them by Dr. Wily.

"Are we seriously considering the offer made by this weakling 'human' creature?"

"It would make resurrecting Sunstar that much easier. And we can collect the remnant of Luna's life force, and I can get Bass right where I need him," Terra replies.

Neptune asks, "And are you going to allow this human to take this planet afterwards?"

Terra smiles, "Of course not, friend. Once we get what we need from this Doctor Albert W. Wily, we will exterminate him and whatever pitiful resistance he has. Even Sunstar himself would approve of this action."

"And what with this Jadous he claims to possess," Neptune asks.

"He is likely bluffing. It is no different from a bluff Sunstar encountered when we overtook another planet many cycles ago. They also claimed they had a deadly weapon, but it was no match for us," Terra replied.

Neptune smiles, "The old glory of the mighty StarDroid empire. I wish I could have fought along with you then."

Terra says, "That glory will return. And it will begin here on this disgusting rock of a planet once all of its filth has been removed. Just as Sunstar instructed us. All I have to do is use Bass to our advantage, and I will assume my rightful place as the Chosen One?"

Neptune asks, "What if he views Bass as the Chosen One?"

Terra gives Neptune a glance and replies confidently, "You cannot be the Chosen One once you have perished, can you?"

Terra looks to London, partly in flames after the brutal StarDroid attacks, and states, "I need time to consider how we will proceed with this Dr. Albert W. Wily creature."

"I'll keep the rest of the fellowship under control until your decision is made," Neptune responds.

While Neptune leaves to prevent the other StarDroids from disrupting Terra's thoughts, Terra speaks alone, like he were talking to Sunstar himself. "It will not be long, Sunstar. Our kind will reign supreme once again, and it will begin with this rock of a planet. And if Duo were to show up again, we will be ready this time... He will finally fall."

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

A small shuttle with a military escort arrives, landing in the street in front of the lab compound. Very quickly, Mega Man, ProtoMan and Roll race out of it with Rush scooped up in Mega's arms, needing repairs following the battle with the StarDroids. The shuttle and the escort leave the area as soon as the Lights enter the lab, returning to Washington D.C. to fortify the Capital City's security that still bares the scars from Dr. Wily's invasion.

The Light siblings walk inside to see Dr. Light has already been joined by Brain Bot who arrived not long ago. Dr. Light notices them and says, "Put him on the table. I'll repair Rush while you speak with Brain Bot."

As Mega Man drops Rush off on the worktable, the weak robo canine lets out a tired whine. "It's okay, boy. It'll be better really soon."

As Dr. Light works on Rush, he suggests, "Brain Bot and I have concocted a plan to counteract the StarDroids. I will let him explain."

ProtoMan leans to Mega and mutters in private, "You think he remembers blowing up that Skullker two years ago?"

"I don't think he's forgotten a single nanosecond of his life," Mega answers.

"Oh, great," Proto groans.

Brain Bot brings up a schematic of Mega Man's and Rush's blueprints, along with records from Dr. Wily's failed invasion of Washington D.C. last year.  
>"On my way here, I searched the records from your encounters with Bass, Mega Man, and after your resounding success against him in Washington D.C., I do not believe any further upgrades will be needed in your case. But, ProtoMan and Roll, I have a bad feeling that both of you will need some sort of upgrade if you are going to be in close combat with the StarDroids."<p>

Roll looks exhausted and wary as she walks away, "I think this is the one time I won't mind not having any close contact with the bad guys. Thanks."

Brain Bot looks perplexed, "Oh... Well then, if Roll is not willing to have any upgrades installed right now, then perhaps you would be willing to volunteer first, ProtoMan."

ProtoMan folds his arms and groans, "Oh... joy."

Brain Bot continues, "I'm glad you feel that way, ProtoMan. Now, since I upgraded Mega Man's weapon systems to adapt with Rush, I have learned how to cut down the installation time from two hours and thirty minutes to one hour, eight minutes and ten seconds. Since your systems are nearly identical to Mega Man's, I suspect it will take that much time to complete your upgrades... Assuming unexpected complications don't arise, of course. So, then, if you don't mind-"

ProtoMan interrupts, holding up his hands, "Hang on. How do I know you're not trying to mess with my blaster after what happened a couple years ago when I was still working with Wily?"

Brain Bot assures ProtoMan, "I do not carry grudges, ProtoMan." He then smiles innocently and happily concludes, "In fact, now that you have seen the error of your ways, I look forward to us being friends."

Proto groans, "I don't know what's scarier."

Brain Bot is oblivious to Proto's jab and adds, "To make this adaptation weapon more efficient, I suggest having a companion robot much like Mega Man has Rush."

ProtoMan says, "Fine. Make mine big robodog, or better yet, a Tiger. Something that'll scare the Robot Masters out of their titanium underwear."

"Unfortunately, with the time we have, I will not be capable of building a large animal companion robot like those your requested. But, I do have something that will suit our needs sufficiently," Brain Bot says.

Brain Bot reaches down and grabs a container typically used to carry animals and opens it. Soon a small green cat robot steps out with its tail waving. Brain Bot adds, "This is a little one I created two weeks ago and have been testing his learning capabilities. In keeping with the musical theme of your siblings' names, I named him Tango."

The green cat robot named Tango looks up at Mega Man and ProtoMan and meows. Despite the grave tension from the threat of the StarDroids, Mega Man warmly greets the cat, but ProtoMan seems not as impressed.

Proto barely smirks and then approaches Brain Bot and whisper him a question. "Yeah, that's real cute, pal. But, can he be rebuilt into a tiger later?"

Brain Bot looks uneasy as he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, uh, Tango has already learned to adapt to his small body. I am afraid if we tried to change his design to be any larger, it would hinder his development."

Proto looks back at Tango, who tilts his head as he slowly waves his tail and meows. Afterwards, Proto forces himself to accept his feline gift, but not before asking Brain Bot, "Fine... but, can you make a bigger one of him?"

Mega Man kneels down to pet Tango, who immediately warms up to the hero by rubbing his head up against his arm.. "Come on, Proto. He's not bad at all."

Proto walks off, "Okay, fine. I don't know how much damage he can do, but I'll take him."

Mega Man asks, "Where are you going? We don't have time to wait around."

"I need to step out for a few minutes before Brainy re-arranges my wires. Besides, I've got to check up on our Sis anyway," Proto responds as he exits the lab.

Tango looks up and meows to Mega Man, to which Mega replies, 'Don't worry, Tango. He'll warm up to you soon enough. He's just not handling what just went down in England very well."

Mega looks across to Dr. Light intensely focused on repairing Rush and who has barely said a word since everybody arrived. "A lot of us haven't taken it very well," Mega adds to Tango.

* * *

><p>Outside the lab, ProtoMan exits and finds Roll kneeling in front of Peekaboo in the corridor which connects the lab to the Light family house right next door. Peekaboo bleeps to his Mommy, wondering where she was.<p>

"I was just with Uncle Mega and Uncle Proto in England. We, uh... had to do some work over there," Roll replies.

Peekaboo bleeps in concern, asking if it was the Bad Man again.

"No, it wasn't him. It was some other people... If you can even call 'em that. We didn't quite stop 'em yet, but we will next time," Roll says, having to hide the truth from boo about the StarDroids and their dominance.

Peekaboo sees Proto and bleeps to him, to which Proto replies, "Hey, little dude."

Roll tells Boo, "Why don't you run back to my room and I'll be there in a minute. Mommy's gotta take a nap."

Peekaboo beeps and runs along inside while Roll speaks with her oldest sibling. Proto asks, "Are you okay?"

"No. We're fighting against alien robots that we have no idea how to beat. So, no I'm not okay," Roll admits. She then even more worriedly says, "And I'm really starting to worry about Dr. Light. He's spending too much time on his work lately."

"Since I've been here, he's always working on something," ProtoMan brushes off.

"But, he's been working a lot more then he ever has. And he always looks preoccupied or worried now too," Roll stresses.

"Well, it's not easy when you're at war, sis. You should have seen Wily when he obsessed about this war... On second thought, maybe you shouldn't have seen him," Proto explains.

"He's never been like this. He's not like he used to be," Roll frets. "Humans aren't like us, Proto."

"Don't worry, Roll. We're gonna beat these StarDroids, and then we're gonna get Wily. I think you're underestimating your brothers here, and yourself too," Proto says.

"I didn't think I would ever hear _you_ get motivational before Mega would," Roll replies, trying to keep her composure.

"Well, you never gave me the chance until now. Speaking of, I need to make a call to... _someone_," Proto replies, making the 'OK' hand sign, implying he needs to contact Nomad.

"I thought you said you weren't worried about this," Roll inquires.

"I'm not," Proto insists, "Just need to tell her I might be a little late. They got lucky over there in London. They won't be next time... Even if I've got a Tama fused to my blaster."

Roll sighs and shakes her head as she goes back to her room, "Some things never change."

Once Roll is out of sight, ProtoMan sneaks out of the way of any surveillance systems and makes a call to Nomad, who is still in hiding in Florida. And despite his insistence to his sister that he is not worried about the StarDroid threat, he is really contacting Nomad to warn her about them.

"Hey, girl. You okay? If you are, send me a signal back."

After waiting for a half minute, Proto gets a very brief ping from Nomad.

"Good. Hey... something big is going down in the world right now. It's safe in the U.S. right now, but you might want to lay low for a little bit until it's done. But, if anything happens, I don't care what it is, you tell me. I'll do what I can. Just stay safe and stay out of sight, a'right?"

Nomad replies with a non-verbal ping to confirm.

"Good. We could bag Wily this time. Then, you won't have to hide anymore," Proto answers. "I've got to go. Just remember... Proto loves you, girl."

Nomad then signals back with three non-verbal pings, which is what Proto instructed her to do when she wants to reciprocate. So, the feeling is very mutual.

Proto ends the call and looks around to check if he was begin watched. After confirming he was not, he walks back into the lab where Mega Man, Brain Bot and Tango are waiting.

Mega asks, "Was Roll okay?"

"Yeah. She just wanted to try and rest up. Still spooked by the StarDroids," Proto replies.

Brain Bot comments, "Most interesting. Dr. Light, your intricate personality parameters for Mega Man, ProtoMan and Roll are so advanced they can even have phobias. Er- I certainly do not find any joy in that knowledge, of course. Especially given current events. My apologies."

Dr. Light works on Rush and almost dismissively answers, "It's fine, Brain Bot."

Mega Man looks in his father's direction again, now noticing that there could be something to what Roll said about Dr. Light not acting the same. He would feel sad if he just let any tension Thomas is experiencing go by without some help, so he attempts to reach out.

He approaches Dr. Light and quietly asks, "Are you feeling okay, father?"

"Yes, Rock. I've been quite busy today. This attack has not given me enough time to take a break. And time is short," Thomas responds, not ceasing Rush's aid.

Mega puts his hand on Thomas shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze. "Don't worry. We'll stop them."

Thomas pauses and looks at Mega, asking, "Can you assure it?"

"Call it a hunch," Mega replies.

Thomas barely smiles behind his beard, even with the pressure of the invasion. "Your hunches are usually spot on, son."

Meanwhile, ProtoMan lies on the open worktable and Tango leaps up next to him. Proto asks, "Just don't go poking around places you don't have to, okay?"

"With the complexity of your circuits, it may require a-"

"Just don't," Proto reiterates.

Brain Bot sighs, "As you wish."

Tango curls himself up to Proto, snuggling up next to him before Brain Bot shuts him down for the enhancement.

Proto halfheartedly pets Tango, replying, "Nice kitty."

* * *

><p><strong>Back on the Gesselchaft.<strong>

Tiesel tries in vain to release the ship's controls from Tron's lockdown, and the sound of his little brother can be heard nearby. The voice of Servbot #1 calls him, asking "How much longer do we have to watch Bon, Tiesel?"

"For as long as I tell you to," Tiesel says as he pries open another panel to expose a circuit board underneath.

"Miss Bonne is going to be unhappy when she finds out you weren't watching Sir Bon when you were supposed to," Servbot #1 says.

"If _Miss Bonne_ keeps up with her obsession with Mega Man, she's going to be put in jail. Maybe you should tell her that," Tiesel replies.

Tiesel grabs a small hand-sized computer tablet, another once valuable item that he 'salvaged' from an unsuspecting customer and has upgraded it into a hacking device, and connects it to the circuit board. If this works, he should return power of the ship to him and he can go after Tron, assuming it is not already too late.

At first, the computer tablet reads _"Access Granted"_ after breaching the ship's firewall, and Tiesel is tickled pink. "Ah-ha! I'll show you who the real genius of the Bonne family really is, Tron!"

Yet, in the middle of Tiesel's petty celebration, his computer tablet goes dark, only for the screen to be replaced with an animated cartoon rendition of Tron taking up the screen, (complete with her magnificent head of hair recreated in perfect anime form.)

"What?!" blurts Tiesel.

_"Nah-ah-ah! You just just tried to breach the Gesselchaft's computer system. I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Enjoy some viruses for your troubles!"_ says the cartoon Tron, in her own voice, followed by a cutesy giggle.

Tiesel's large jaw drops when he sees the image change to a row of floating cartoon Servbot heads and a text message that reads, _"You're computer is now junk. Have a nice day."_

The older Bonne then begins to ramble to himself as he tries to get his computer tablet to work, only for the screen to be frozen in pace. "How dare her! That was my tablet! Mine! Now, I have to go find another one. Worse yet... I might have to go _buy_ one!"

Tiesel yanks the tablet's cables out of the circuit board in the wall and storms off as he continues his attempts to get the thing to work again. On his way, he crosses the sight of the Servbots trying to keep Bon entertained while he wears the Kresiel mech suit again. Servbot #1 tries to persuade his Mommy's older brother to help keep Mommy's little brother under control, and he picked the wrong time.

Servbot #1 walks after Tiesel, and calls innocently in his sweetie-pie voice, "Tiesel, could you please-"

Tiesel interrupts, "No!"

"-Please help us with Master Bon?"

"No"

"Why, Tiesel?"

"No!"

"But, Miss Tron will be very-"

"No!"

"She'll be very upset if you don't!"

"No!"

"She said she would tell Mr. and Mrs. Bonne if you didn't help," Servbot #1 reminded.

Tiesel spins around, kneeling before Servbot #1, frowning, "Really? She's going to tell our parents? Well, if she does, the I am going to tell them that she locked down the entire ship and fled to Moscow to get revenge on Mega Man's girlfriend because_ Miss Tron_ is out of her mind! And worse yet, she corrupted my tablet with a virus!"

Tiesel pauses and lingers on that last fact... Tron corrupted his tablet with a virus. Perhaps, if he can crack into the device himself, he can control it and rewrite this virus to work the way The Conduit wants the Robot Virus to work.

His stare drifts off as he exclaims to himself, "She just _gave_ me a perfectly working virus!"

Servbot #1 gets a concerned look on his screen face, and his 'lips' take on a trembling appearance. "Tiesel, you aren't acting right."

Tiesel smiles wide and answers, "I'm just fine, #1. I'll be right back."

As Tiesel walks away, still wearing that strange smile on his face, Servbot #1 stands in stunned silence, with his eyes round and his mouth looking like a letter 'D' on its side. He barely squeaks, "Um... okay."

* * *

><p>Once in his quarters, Tiesel locks the door and smiles as he prepares to isolate the virus that infected his tablet and eventually reprogram it to work for his secret employer, The Conduit. And hopefully, it will be his ticket out of this bad situation he got himself into working with shady criminals like them.<p>

First, he connects the infected tablet to his main computer and runs a scan on it to find and quarantine the virus. Once the scan is done, Tiesel finds the single infected program and removes it, cleaning his tablet but keeping the virus safe.

"There you are! Now, all I need to do is get you to work for _me_ instead. After I get this virus to the Conduit, Tron can go on all the troublesome misadventures she wants, if she doesn't get herself locked away in jail in Russia. Heck... if that happens, I can be rid of this job with The Conduit and Tron at the same time!"

Tiesel begins laughing like a nervous man at the mere thought of being free from the Conduit and not having to deal with his sister, (although, wishing for his own sister to go to jail is quite harsh.)

Tiesel stops and thinks to himself, knowing there is a threat that this virus might be found, then he would be in real trouble with either his family or maybe even the cops if they can look in on his computers. For the time being, Bonne keeps the quarantined virus file in a separate fold and encrypts it so that nobody can pry.

"I'll make that virus work this time, if it's the last thing I ever do," he says to himself... and with the danger of his secret job, those words could be prophetic.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in deep space.<strong>

A shuttle from the International Deep Space Station (or the IDSS) reaches the location of the damaged Galaxy Man, whose body is still adrift. A group of Astronauts exit the shuttle and propel themselves out to Galaxy Man. One of them is Tom McIntyre, a man who along with his teenage daughter Tina helped Mega Man stop Dr. Wily from using the Solar Focusing Lens to assault Earth in 20X1.

"Get him on the shuttle and head back to Earth as soon as possible. The reports coming from London are bad," says McIntyre.

The astronauts grab Galaxy Man's body and jet to the shuttle once more until they receive an emergency communication from the International Deep Space Station. _"Attention, shuttle crew 1. Can you copy? This is an urgent message!"_

McIntyre responds, "What's wrong, IDSS?"

_"We just tracked another incoming target heading for Earth. It's larger than the other ones and it's coming in your direction!"_

McIntyre calls to his team, "Get in the shuttle and pull out of this sector! We've got another one of those aliens coming!"

The astronauts take Galaxy Man into the shuttle and McIntyre looks into the void to catch the sight of something speeding towards the area at light speed! McIntyre is frozen in stunned silence and all he hears is his own breathing inside his helmet as he watches the incoming bogey soar past him, and almost as quickly leave his view.

He calls, "Come in IDSS! We just saw it! It's heading towards Earth!"

_"Roger that, McIntyre. We've already contacted Earth. We've heard things are already bad enough with the ones who are there already. And if that was another one of them, they've got no time to prepare. At the rate of speed we clocked him, he'll reach Earth in fifteen minutes, or sooner."_

But, little do the humans know that they did not encounter another StarDroid, but rather the intergalactic warrior Duo, who is about to reach Earth at any time. And on his way there, he can feel the presences of the StarDroids and the evil being known as Dr. Wily who they are about to make a deal with.

He knows time is running out, and before he can take on the StarDroids, he must find and form an alliance with the Defender of Earth.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in London.<strong>

After taking a period of time to process how he will handle Dr. Wily and his deceptive offer, Terra senses something. A presence he has not felt in several Earth years. His eyelids open instantly when he confirms it is indeed the StarDroids' nemesis...

"Duo," he says.

Tera stands up and approaches the StarDroids, heading directly for his closest comrade, Neptune. Before he could reach him, Pluto races up and tries to get a straight answer, and Venus is not far behind him.

Pluto asks, "How did that 'human' creature know about Sunstar and Luna?"

Venus asks, "Has Luna betrayed us? Or has his life force been tainted by the one known as Bass?"

"Everything is still under my control, and it is all going as Sunstar told us it would. I think the time has come for us to temporarily leave this filthy city behind for the time being and meet this Dr. Albert W. Wily. The fates have given us a new source to use to our favor, and the Human is just what we need," Terra responds.

The uptight Pluto, "So, now we are bowing to the whims of a fleshy creature?"

Terra steps into Pluto's personal space and sternly rebukes him. "We are the StarDroids! We bow to _no one!"_

Pluto is taken aback be Terra's yelling, and stutters, "Y-yes, Terra."

"This fleshy bag of meat and bones named Doctor Albert W. Wily thinks he can take advantage of us. But, it is _we_ who will take advantage of _him_. We will use him to expedite the resurrection of Sunstar, and then we will use them to lead us to the remainder of Luna's life force. Then, we eliminate all life on this planet!"

"What with Duo, Terra? Surely this much activity will awaken him," asks Mercury.

Neptune gives Terra a sideways glance, awaiting the response. Terra also glances at Neptune before answering. "Duo is an old, tired warrior whose best cycles are behind him. He is still powerful, but even he will not stop us now. If he comes, we will be ready for him."

Neptune stands beside Terra and chimes in to the others, "Stay united, StarDroids. Terra has not led us wrong yet."

Saturn nods, "I am in agreement with Terra and Neptune. We are closer than ever to conquering the galaxy."

Venus adds, "Yes. Look at the fear we have already struck into the hearts of the inhabitants of this planet. They have no realistic capability of defeating us."

Mercury concludes, "If you have confidence in defeating Duo, then so do I."

Uranus huffs in agreement, and Jupiter and Mars also appear to agree.

Pluto stands more at ease, sighing, "Fine, then. But, we shouldn't get too friendly with this 'human', as he calls himself. If we are willing to double-cross him, he may be willing to do it to us."

"Doctor Albert W. Wily reeks of deception, Pluto. I do not expect him to truly help our cause. He is looking to enhance his own standing on this Earth rock. But, we will make him believe we are the fools. And when the time is right, we dispose of him," Terra responds.

"What about Bass. You let him live. Won't he try to attack us?"

"I have a special plan for him. Only myself and Sunstar will know when he rises," Terra answers, "Let us leave this city and incinerate it when we return. We have work to do. Wait for us in the wreckage of the city!"

Most of the StarDroids run towards the heart of London while Neptune stays with Terra. He asks the StarDroid leader, "He's coming, isn't he?"

"I felt it. Duo is arriving much sooner than I expected," Terra answers.

"Should we inform the rest of the fellowship?"

Terra replies, "No. I will wait until either Sunstar and Luna live again. Once we are united, we will slay Duo and all life on Earth one move."

"You are taking a large risk, Terra," Neptune warns.

"Risk has always worked to my benefit. And I intend on it working for me again," Terra confidently remarks.

Terra and Neptune reach the StarDroids who are waiting in the scarred streets of London, as ordered. Terra calls, "Call your transporters!"

The StarDroids place their hands on their life force jewels located somewhere on their persons. And on the other side of town, flat transportation boards detach from the pods they landed in and make their way to their owners. Once they reach the StarDroids, they change shape and resemble crafts not too dissimilar from SkyCycles from Earth.

The StarDroids mount their Sky Transporters and take off, leaving London behind for the time being as the city burns and remains wounded from the damage they did. But now, on their way to Skull Fortress and America, they intend on doing more damage to the entire world by creating an alliance of doom with Dr. Wily, (even if it will prove to be a short-lived one,) and resurrecting the colossal Luna and their true leader, Sunstar.

* * *

><p><strong>Dr. Light's lab.<strong>

Brain Bot is in the process of upgrading ProtoMan with the ability to adapt with Tango while Mega Man tries to formulate a strategy to fight the StarDroids and Dr. Light nears completion of Rush's repairs. Everybody is startled however when the emergency signal blares inside the lab. Mega races to the lab's computer console to see what the emergency is.

Dr. Light asks his son, "What are they doing, Rock?"

Mega Man replies, "It's not something on Earth... The International Deep Space Station just called us. There's something _else_ headed here, very fast."

Brain Bot's eyes enlarge behind his glasses and he stops work on ProtoMan and Tango for the moment to check on the emergency. "Please, let me connect to the Science Center so I can access our satellite images."

After Brain Bot quickly taps his fingers on the controls, the lab's computer screens display two different images. One from space, and the 'map' of the solar system. The latter shows a signal rapidly approaching Earth, and Brain Bot is baffled by what he sees.

"Oh, dear," he says apprehensively.

Mega comments, "That doesn't sound good coming from you."

"It's not good. The target on the map is approaching Earth at a speed I've never seen before! It's moving faster than the StarDroids were on their approach! According to the report from my lab, it just cleared three planets in three minutes!"

Mega asks Brain Bot, "How much time do we have?"

If it keeps up current speed, it will reach Earth in two minutes and forty seconds."

Roll races into the lab followed by a worried Peekaboo. She urgently asks, "What's going on?"

"I think we've got trouble," Mega replies, assuming that another StarDroid is on its way. He turns back to Brain Bot, asking, "Can you track where it's heading?"

"I'll try," Brain Bot answers, feverishly working the computer. And the red light at the center of his super processor glows red as he tries to calculate rates of speed that has never been recorded in history.

Mega Man turns to Dr. Light, who is still working on Rush with a renewed urgency. "How long before Rush is back on his feet?"

"I don't think I can have him ready in three minutes. But, I'll try," Thomas responds, not taking his eyes off Rush.

Roll stares at the monitor and shudders, "There's another one?"

Mega grimly answers, "It looks like it."

Peekaboo bleeps up to Roll, asking what is happening.

Roll answers, "Boo, please hide under your hardhat for a minute, okay?"

As Peekaboo hides under his hardhat, Brain Bot calls, "Mega Man, unless my calculations are incorrect, the target will be hit the state of New York. It could hit the city... Wait, my calculations have updated.

After a nervous gulp, Brain Bot adds, "Upon further analysis... it could be heading for this lab."

Roll panics, "You mean it's heading right for us?!"

Mega Man wastes no time and orders everyone to safety. "Roll, get everyone to the basement now!"

Brain Bot replies, "In the condition ProtoMan and Tango are in, it might be dangerous to move them in their present state."

Mega Man looks across at Dr. Light, whose hand are starting to shake with the stress and pressure of the impending arrival from space and trying to get Rush's repairs complete. He signals to Brain Bot, "Then, at least help with Rush, please."

Brain Bot steps in and relieves Thomas of his repair work. After wiping sweat from his forehead, Dr. Light approaches Mega Man. "What about you, Rock?"

"I need to protect our home and whoever is left up here," Mega answers.

"No, Rock! You cannot face this threat alone," Thomas urges.

"I'll have Rush with me," Mega insists.

Brain Bot immediately adds, "I don't know if that will be possible. I can complete Rush's repairs, but it is impossible to complete them in less than two minutes. Even for a robot like me."

As Roll takes Peekaboo, Beat and Eddie down to the basement, Dr. Light attempts to plea with his son to reconsider his current plan of action. "Rock, please don't race into this so quickly. We can't afford to lose you."

Mega Man replies, "If this world loses me, they lose one Defender. If they lose all of you, they lose everything. Please, just go."

Dr. Light does not want to leave, but Brain Bot says, "Mega Man is right. If it is a hostile presence on its way here, our chances of survival will increase if we take cover."

Another tone rings repeatedly and Brain Bot glaces at the screen. He reports, "The target has just entered Earth's atmosphere. It will arrive in a matter of seconds. I will send Rush out as soon as possible."

Mega Man and Dr. Light look across each other and Mega urges, "Just go... I'll be fine. I'm not planning on dying today."

Thomas briefly gives Mega a grabbing hug and heads for the basement as Brain Bot concludes Rush's repairs and Mega Man runs to the roof unsure of what could potentially be waiting for him outside.

* * *

><p>Outside the lab, Mega Man steps out and stands at the center of the lab's roof, looking up at the sky and catching the sight of something bright up there and appearing larger as it approaches. Mega believes he is about to do battle with another StarDroid entirely on his own, without help from his siblings, and likely not enough time to get help from Rush... but, he is in for quite the surprise.<p>

Mega Man stares at the incoming target and arms his plasma buster, preparing for battle and expecting the worst. However, the object in the sky begins to slow down as it makes its final approach for the lab, and it begins to transform its shape into a form similar to a humanoid robot.  
>The large being slows to a complete stop and hovers in front of Mega Man, appearing to study him. Afterwards, he starts speaking to him in a deep voice...<p>

"You are the Defender of this planet. I have felt your presence from beyond the stars."

Mega Man keeps his blaster ready in case of an attack. "Are you with the StarDroids?"

"No. The StarDroids are my enemy. I am here to extinguish them."

"Who are you?"

"I am Duo. I serve to protect the galaxy from threats too powerful for civilizations to fight back against," answers the large galactic protector.

Mega Man powers down his plasma cannon, certain now that Duo is not a threat. "That's good to know," he says, sounding relieved.

Duo comments in his heavy voice, "You are pure of heart and you have a clear sense of justice. That must be why this planet chose you as its Defender. What is your name, Defender?"

"My real name is Rock. But, the ones I defend know me as Mega Man," Mega replies.

Duo nods, "Then let us unite, Mega Man, and rid the galaxy of the evil of the StarDroids once and for all."

Afterwards, Duo holds out his large hand for Mega Man to shake, beginning an alliance of justice. Mega accept the offer, shaking Duo's hand, which is so large it nearly wraps entirely around Mega's hand.

Mega Man comments, "We are going to need all the help we can get. We are still recovering for the attack they launched this morning."

Duo responds, "Understandable. But, we must challenge them soon. I have also felt the StarDroids forming an alliance with an evil force native to this planet."

Mega Man appears shocked. The news Duo just gave him could only mean one thing. "Wily! That must have been what he was doing there."

Duo hovers towards the roof and lands softly, standing next to Mega Man. "I sense you have defeated him several times. I must advise that if he does align himself with the StarDroids, we will face an evil the likes of which the galaxy has never seen. Possibly one that cannot be defeated for generations... if at all."

Dr. Light's voice is heard on Mega Man's communicator. _"Rock? Is everything alright? We are not detecting signs of battle from down here."_

Mega replies, "Everything is fine... in fact, we just got ourselves help against the StarDroids. _Big_ help."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>_

_This chapter was a little late, but at least I got it posted on March 1st. (If only February was a longer month, I would have made it.)_

_Also it should be noted that I had accidentally described Tango's armor color as brown and not green like it's supposed to be. The reason for this is because I never had Mega Man 5 on Game Boy until last year, and I was not familiar with the character. (And because the game was monochrome anyway, I didn't acknowledge him as green.)  
>So... oops.<em>

_Did you notice the line about Tron Bonne having **Misadventures**? I thought you did. ;)  
><em>

_And also, in case you forgot, a 'Tama' like the kind ProtoMan referred to was the name of the cat enemies in Mega Man 5._

_Please don't forget to leave a review or a comment. And if you see any typos or any MORE continuity errors so bad they would multiply when it gets wet and transform into Gremlins if they eat after midnight, please PM me._


End file.
